Wyatt's heart froze in his chest. His hands started shaking. She was alive. Wyatt glanced around. Darek was no longer in the room. He was alone with Aros. Aros calmly waited for another question as the snicker was heard again from under his mask.
"She's in the nightlands?"
"Most of the time."
"Wha? Bu—Hold on...Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why has she never...I'm...Does she not want to be near me?"
Aros lifted an eyebrow. "You're her son. Of course she wants to be near you."
"Then why has she hidden from me so long?"
"It's not you she's hiding from."
"Then who?"
"Roy."
"Why?"
"The last few months of her pregnancy, Roy sort of kept implying that she just needed to hold on until you were born and then she could die. It was like he was waiting for it. He never told her that he forgave her for Maverick's death when he had the chance. It's haunted her ever since."
"Has he forgiven her?"
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
"I heard him say it."
"Did you tell her?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't she return to me, then?"
"Now that is a question for her."
"Where did she go?"
"The Frost Kingdom."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"It's another kingdom of water users. These ones specialize in frost."
"So the water users aren't all dead then?"
"Nope."
"Is there a possibility she'd be back in a couple days?"
"No."
Wyatt looked down in defeat.
"Are we done then?" Aros wondered.
Wyatt stepped over to one of the chairs and plopped down. "Yes, we're done."
"I have a question for you," Aros said looking at him. "Why are you so invested in wanting to know about your mother?"
"I don't know."
"Alright then," Aros said shrugging and heading back over to his seat.
He picked up his drink and sipped it as he opened a book. Wyatt stared at him. He wanted to know more but he didn't have the right questions. He wanted to interact but Aros was too eccentric. Wyatt got up and slowly stepped over to the chair in front of Aros. He sat down and watched Aros closely. Aros lifted an eyebrow as he met his eyes.
"I want to know more," Wyatt told him.
"About what?"
"Is there a chance I could be a blood user?"
Aros thought for a second. He looked at Wyatt closely. "I don't think so..."
"Did everyone know my mother was a blood user?"
"Just Roy."
"He never told me that."
"It's not something people tend to want to share."
"Has my mother...had other kids?"
"No."
Wyatt felt a bit of relief. He had suspected that Rune and Neros were the offspring of Aros and his mother. He was happy to know he was wrong.
"Is my mother involved with someone?"
Aros let out a laugh. "Asking for a friend?"
"I'm just trying to find out as much about her as I can. I would give anything to meet her."
"So come back when she's here."
"I'm afraid my father, Roy, may not allow me to."
"Why not?"
"He almost didn't allow me to come tonight. He wholeheartedly believes my mother is dead. Even if I told him different, he may not believe me. Could you ask her to come to Fire Crest?"
"I'm not sure she wants to relive any memories in Fire Crest. She watched Maverick die at the hands of the man she considered a father. And she blames herself for the actions of that sociopath. On top of that, Roy saw it too and he also blamed her. If she wasn't pregnant with you, she may have just given up."
"Now that she's had me and abandoned me, what's stopping her from giving up?"
Aros looked at Wyatt in disbelief. "You naïve child," he said shaking his head. "What the hell makes you think she would ever abandon you?"
"The fact that she's not here."
"Just because you don't see her doesn't mean she isn't there for you."
Wyatt's eyes widened. "She's been watching me?"
"You really need to talk to her if you think for even a second that she doesn't care about you."
"Can you take me to her?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
Aros stood and offered a hand to Wyatt. Wyatt leapt up with a racing heart. He was going to meet his mother. This had to be a dream. He took Aros's hand without hesitation and Wyatt felt the world shift around him and darkness engulfed him. He kept a firm grip on Aros as the feeling of nothing surrounded him. As fast as it had happened, it stopped.
"Oh good, you're still here," Aros said to someone casually.
They were standing in the middle of an ice palace when the darkness subsided. Wyatt didn't have a chance to look around. He didn't notice the cold surrounding him. He heard the shattering of glass on the ice as the woman before him dropped whatever she was holding. His eyes were frozen on hers and they had the same expression of shock on their faces. She took a step towards him just as he took one towards her. There was a slight hesitation and then they were in each other's arms. The smell, it was her smell. Wyatt couldn't control the tears running down his face. He couldn't let go of her. This couldn't be real.
"Mother..." Wyatt whispered with a soft sob.
"Wyatt," she said softly.
Her voice. It was the voice he heard in his dreams. They didn't know how long they stood in each other's arms but eventually they pulled away and stared at one another. Anya stroked Wyatt's hair. Wyatt touched his mother's face. She looked exactly like the portraits he had seen of her.
"It's really you," he said quietly. "I've dreamt of you so often."
Her eyes became thoughtful. "You have?"
"Yes. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I needed to know so much more than I was told. And now, here you are."
"Really? You wanted to know about me?"
"Well, of course. You're my mother."
"Wyatt, that's so incredibly touching."
"I don't understand what's so different about that."
"Fire users tend to not give their mother a second thought."
"Well, I'm also half water user so I can't be held to the same expectations."
She let out a little laugh. Wyatt smiled. His mother. She was with him, finally. Anya glanced over at Aros. Aros was watching them with interest.
"He's kind of a persistent little nuisance," Aros said tilting his head. "He knows what he wants just not really sure how to get it."
Anya pulled Wyatt back into an embrace. "Aros messed with you, didn't he?"
"I think he tried to," Wyatt replied.
"He's not really vulnerable," Aros said shrugging. "But I also decided not to lie."
"That's nice of you," Anya responded.
Someone cleared their throat from behind her. They all turned and faced a silvery, blue man with stark white hair. His platinum crown wrapped around his forehead. His attire was shimmery and icy all at once. Despite his white hair, he seemed no older than Anya. He stepped forward.
"Well, well, well. The King of Fire found his way to the Kingdom of Frost," the man said in a mischievous voice.
"I am King Wyatt, of Fire Crest," Wyatt said introducing himself.
"And I am King Caspian of the Frost Kingdom," he replied.
"I am sorry to come unannounced."
"No need to apologize. I see you had a very good reason."
"Right, well, I don't want to stay here too long so I'm gonna go," Aros said with a thumb over his shoulder.
"Wait, you're going to leave me here?" Wyatt said in disbelief.
"You have your mother."
"But if I'm not back to Fire Crest in a day, my father will lose his mind and he threatened to attack the nightlands."
"He's not going to attack the nightlands."
"Your father?" Caspian asked raising an eyebrow. "But I thought—"
"—he means Roy," Anya said holding up a hand to stop Caspian from finishing.
"I don't want to leave my mother but I don't want to upset my father, either," Wyatt said to more to himself as he looked down.
"The famous Roy," Caspian said interrupting. "What a guy. Wish I could've met him but he seems content on staying isolated in his kingdom."
"I think Roy's all out of adventure," Anya stated. "Well, Caspian, given the circumstances, I'll have to cut my visit a bit shorter than planned."
"You're coming with us?" Wyatt lit up.
Anya smiled at him. "I finally get to meet my son in his early adult years and you think I'm just going to let you walk away?"
Wyatt grinned as he held his hand out to her.
"Shame you're leaving so soon," Caspian said with a half of smile. "I always enjoy your visit so much. Don't wait too long before coming back, now."
"I'll see you again soon," Anya replied.
He gave her a wink as Aros pulled them through the shadows once again. They were standing back in the small sitting area of Darek's manor.
"I should go see if those runts are behaving," Aros muttered leaving the room.
"Mother," Wyatt turned to her. "Have you tended to me before when I was a child?"
Her smile was of adoration for her son as she replied. "Of course. I just had to do it when everyone else was sleeping."
"I was told before that I was the most well behaved baby the palace ever had."
She laughed a little. "Oh yeah?"
"I never seemed to wake anyone up or need anything in the middle of the night. I'm starting to doubt that now."
"Wyatt," she grinned. "You were a good baby. But you never woke anyone up because I was always there for you. The older you got, the less you needed me. So I just watched you instead."
"The shadows that seem to move...that's you in the shadows?"
"Aros is the King of Darkness. He allows me to see you through the shadows. I have been watching you grow up from a distance."
"But why?"
"Because even though Roy never said it, he was hoping I'd die during childbirth."
"And you led him to believe you did?"
She nodded. "I figured he'd heal and move on from the events better if I wasn't there. And you are a fire user. They need their fathers."
"But I wanted my mother there as well."
She had sad eyes as she watched him. "I was there, Wyatt. I'm sorry I couldn't let you know."
"Why have you never revealed yourself before?"
"I can't face Roy. He shut out Aros and Darek after you were born. He made it clear he wanted to keep Fire Crest isolated to keep it safer. I didn't think he'd be very welcoming of me."
"He's different now."
"What's he like?" she wondered taking a seat and gazing at her son.
Wyatt smiled at her. "Are you still in love with him?"
Anya was taken aback. "What? Why do you think...?"
He laughed a little. "I have done a lot of asking around about you to find out everything I could. I know how you two felt about each other."
She blinked and looked at the ground. Wyatt put a hand on her arm.
"Are you alright, mother?"
"I just hope you don't think less of me for loving someone other than Maverick."
"I am well aware of how arranged marriages work," Wyatt grinned. "I do not think less of you."
She gave him a thankful smile and nod.
"So you were asking about my father. He's very gentle. I'm lucky to have such a loving father figure. But he's so humble. I've heard talk of his power but not from him."
Anya let out a small laugh. "And you never will."
Wyatt laughed too. He took his mother's hand. "It's a bit funny now that I'm finally with you. It's like part of me always knew you were alive. It was as if I could sense you. And now that you're here, I thought I'd want you to tell me all about yourself. But I actually would love for you to tell me about my father, Roy."
She touched Wyatt's face. "Your father," she said softly. "He was one of the bravest men I've ever known. He was so charming. There was this ora about him. When he's around, you just feel safe and he makes you want to be near him. There was this one time Maverick was telling me about this banshee that he and Roy hunted down in an outer lying village. The man that had come asking them for help was a bit of a coward. He tried to run and Roy almost ripped his arm off with the lock he had on him. When it was all over, Roy and Maverick presented the head of the beast to the village. The man Roy roughed up was the first one to hug him. The rest of the village followed. Maverick was a bit put off because no one tried to hug him. They just bowed to him. He was the one who was completely kind the whole time. Roy had almost hurt that man and yet, Roy was the one receiving the affection."
"Maverick was upset that they hugged father and not him?"
"He was pretty offended, yeah," she said chuckling a little.
Wyatt's eyes were wide. "So he was human after all."
Anya laughed. "Of course Maverick was human. He got jealous, he could be petty and sometimes he bickered with Roy. They were practically brothers."
Wyatt laughed and shook his head. "I was so convinced that he was nothing but perfection."
"He was very close to perfect. But he was also just a man."
"Yo!" Neros said loudly as he entered the room. "Dad is fed up with us and is kicking us back into the woods. I just wanted to pop in and say hi and bye to you," he said walking over and giving Anya a hug.
"And nice meeting you, King..." his voice trailed off as he tried to remember Wyatt's name.
"Wyatt," Wyatt said flatly.
"Right, that."
"Your father is throwing you into the woods."
Neros shrugged. "And?"
Wyatt looked at Anya confused and slightly alarmed. Anya's face was amused.
"He's sending them back to their mother," she said shaking her head.
"Oh. Your parents aren't together?" Wyatt wondered looking at Neros.
Neros looked bored as he sighed. "No, they aren't. They never were. They just needed a couple kids for future planning so here I am!"
Wyatt's eyebrows were crinkled as he tried to make sense of it but just replied with a nod.
"Anyways, later," Neros said giving a wave and leaving.
"They just had kids because they needed them?" Wyatt asked his mother.
"Yeah, Aros needed an heir and so did Sykes. Out of sheer dumb luck, they had twins, a boy and a girl. Both covered now."
"Who's Sykes?"
"She's the leader of the Fray."
"The Fray...fairy people?"
"I see you're a reader too, just like Maverick."
Wyatt smiled and shrugged. The door opened again and Rune was standing there.
"Just came to say goodbye," she said smirking at Wyatt and giving him a wink.
She closed the door without waiting for a response. Wyatt looked at his mother for an answer. Anya shook her head in confusion. The door flew open again and Layo was standing there with wide-eyes. He looked at Wyatt and then locked eyes with Anya who stood up and stared at him.
"Oh wow..." Layo said staring at her.
She slowly stepped over to him. Layo made to drop to a knee. "Queen Anya," he said bowing.
Anya grabbed his arm and stopped him as she grinned at him. "There's no need for that," she said softly.
Wyatt watched curiously. The look his mother was giving Layo was extremely loving, as if Layo was also her son.
"We're family," she said smiling at him and touching his face. "Wow, you are so handsome. You look just like he did."
Layo grinned happily. Anya let out a sound of surprise before she laughed. "You even have his smile!"
They hugged as if they were long lost friends. Wyatt pursed his lips as he stood. He wasn't ready to share his mother, especially not with his younger brother. Wyatt stepped over and cleared his throat grabbing their attention.
"Wyatt, hey, I heard your mom was here so I had to come and see for myself," Layo explained.
"Where is everyone else?" Wyatt wondered expecting Korina to pop through the door.
"Jakyll took her home. He left us so we can get acquainted."
"Where's Darek?"
Layo shrugged.
"Come join us," Anya said to Layo holding out an arm.
He grinned and happily obliged as he took a seat across from where she was sitting.
"So Layo, how old are you? You're a bit younger than Wyatt, right?"
"Yeah, I'm only 15," he replied.
"Are you the General yet?"
Layo let out a laugh. "Aren't I a bit young for that?"
"Father wasn't," Wyatt said smirking.
"I'm not father," Layo said without any sign of being offended.
"Roy was definitely special," Anya said smiling. "He's got a gift that made him very dangerous. We should all be so lucky that he's as kind and level headed as he is."
Layo let out a whistle. "Dad sounds dangerous."
"You have no idea."
"Was he better than Maverick?" Wyatt wondered.
"I honestly don't know. It's tradition that the current is stronger than fire. But Roy was an exception. I think if he hadn't been as loyal to Maverick as he was, the kingdom would've had a problem on its hands."
"Are you any good with water?" Layo wondered.
"I'm alright," she said casually.
"Can you show me sometime?"
"Of course."
"Mother, will you come back to the kingdom with us?" Wyatt blurted out.
Layo looked at excited. "Yeah! You should!"
"I'm sorry, boys. I don't think Roy would want me there," she told them.
"I don't care," Wyatt stated firmly. "You are my mother, Queen to King Maverick. I am the King of Fire Crest. I want you to come home where you belong."
"Wyatt," Layo said unsure. "Wouldn't that really bug dad?"
"I don't care, Layo."
"But Wyatt, it's dad. Maybe your mom's right. How would he take it if she just came back from the dead? He spends too much time being sad as it is."
"What?" Wyatt and Anya both asked looking at Layo in confusion.
"Yeah," Layo continued. "He's really sad a lot. That's why he likes to work from his study and misses a lot of meals."
"You sure it's not just because he's busy?" Wyatt wondered.
Layo rolled his eyes at Wyatt. "Maybe if you took the time to care about someone other than yourself, you'd notice how tired he always looks."
"Wait," Anya said cutting off the argument that almost started. "Layo, is Roy sick?"
"I...don't actually know."
Anya stood slowly. "Okay," she told them. "I'll go back. But I can't promise that I'll stay."
They flew to their feet with excitement. "When can we leave?!" they cried.
"I have to go find Aros first. You two stay here," she said leaving them in the room.
The moment the door closed, Aros appeared in front of her. "You called?" he asked in his cool voice.
"I want to go back to Fire Crest with them. But only long enough to see Roy and make sure he's okay," she told Aros.
He scratched behind his ear as he thought. "You know, you might not want to leave if you go back there. Then I'll be alone."
She rolled her eyes. "Aros, you have kids."
"I hate kids."
"As they are well aware."
"I was nice to your son, though."
"And I really appreciate that."
"It was only because he was your son. And part Maverick which helped more than if he was part Roy."
"And now my son is asking me to return home with him."
"That's not your home."
"It was once."
"I never knew you considered it that."
"I didn't either until I lost Maverick."
Aros bit his lip. "I don't want you to go."
"Aros," Anya said shaking her head.
"What if I went with you?" he asked softly.
She nodded. "Ok."
He pulled her into a hug. "You haven't lost control in a while but there's always a chance," he said quietly.
"And you'll get me out of there if I do," she replied.
"Of course I will."
They headed back into the room where the two boys were still on their feet. Layo looked back and forth between them as Wyatt asked, "Are we ready to leave then?"
"Yeah," Anya said nodding.
"Darek hopes you two will visit again," Aros said holding out his arm.
"Whoa, are you an earth user too?" Layo wondered putting a hand on his arm.
Aros smirked. "No."
They were pulled through the darkness in a matter of seconds. When the darkness faded, they were standing in the large sitting room that they had left earlier. Aros looked up at a portrait of Maverick and stared at it with Anya doing the same.
"It's a bit haunting," Aros said softly.
"Can you feel his ghost?" Anya wondered.
"No. His presence is..."
"I'll go get dad," Layo said rushing off.
The palace was quiet and dark. There was no one in the halls and only a few torches were still lit. Layo hurried through the East Wing and pushed through Roy's doors. He lit a small fireball in his hand and went over to Roy's bed.
"Dad," he whispered loudly.
Roy turned his head and looked at him as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. "Layo? You guys are back already?"
"Dad, get up. I have to show you something."
"What?"
"Just follow me."
"Son, whatever it is can wait until morning. Is your brother with you?"
"He's with his mom."
Roy bolted up. "What did you just say?"
"Dad, it's fine. Come with me."
"Layo, where is Wyatt?"
Layo began walking to the door waving for Roy to follow him. "Put a robe on, dad."
Layo pushed himself out the door as Roy grabbed a robe and followed. "Layo, Wyatt isn't actually dead, right? That was one of your bad jokes?"
Roy let out a yawn as he wiped his eyes and continued to follow Layo.
"Sure dad," Layo said glancing over his shoulder. "And can you wrap yourself up a bit better? Your chest is all exposed."
Roy looked at Layo in disbelief. "Why is that bothering you? The entire kingdom is asleep. What are you showing me?"
"Fine, show off your muscles, like I care," Layo muttered as he turned to the sitting room.
Roy shook his head at his son not knowing what to think. They stepped in and the first thing Roy saw was a ball of current in Wyatt's hand.
"Oh thank the gods," Roy said as he saw him but then stopped as he saw a dark figure behind Wyatt.
Roy lit his hand on fire and light poured on to Aros. "What are you doing here?" Roy asked sternly.
Aros motioned to left at the person Roy didn't see. Roy stepped forward as did Anya. His light engulfed her. He let out a gasp as their eyes met. Aros motioned for Wyatt and Layo to follow him out of the room. They did after glancing back and forth at the frozen pair a couple more times.
Anya and Roy slowly approached each other. They stared at each other as if seeing a ghost. Roy reached for his robe as it started to fall loose forgetting his hand was on fire. The robe immediately caught fire and disintegrated into smoke leaving him standing there in his underwear. "Oops," he said breaking the silence.
A laugh escaped from Anya's lips causing Roy to grin. They both began laughing as the nerves finally got to them. They hugged each other tightly as the laughter subsided. Anya felt Roy intake a deep, yet shaky breath. She pulled away and in the darkness saw a tear glisten down his cheek next to his smile.
"Hey," she said smiling at him.
"Hey," he replied laughing at little.
They took a seat in the nearest chair and held each other without words. Anya could feel his heart racing. She had no idea what to think. She was certain Roy would get upset but here he was with her, holding her as if he could never let her go again. A dim blue sky began to show through the windows. They stood and Roy took her hand motioning for her to follow him. He led them back to his room where he bolted his door. They sat beside each other on the side of his bed with his arm around her.
"You're alive," was all he could say.
"Roy, I—" he lifted a hand to stop her.
"Anya, it's alright. It doesn't matter anymore. All I care about is that you're back. I finally have you back. So many nights I just..." his voice trailed off.
"I had to come back," she told him.
He met her eyes.
"Layo told me you've been pretty unhappy lately," Anya told him. "I was wondering if maybe you were sick."
He chuckled. "You came back to check up on me?"
She smiled and looked away.
He grinned. "I'm not sick. I've just been grieving losing the two most important people to me and being reminded of it every time I see my son."
"I'm so sorry, Roy."
"No, don't. It's okay. No more living in the past. I have prayed to the gods to see you again and I vowed if by some miracle I did, I would never let the past get in our way again."
She gave him a grateful smile. Roy stroked her cheek as he stared at her. "You haven't changed at all," he said softly.
"And neither have you."
He lifted her chin and leaned forward to meet her lips.
"Do you think they're fighting?" Layo wondered as he yawned from the balcony.
"No," Aros replied. "Anya wouldn't come here to fight."
"I'm going to go see what's up," Layo said getting up.
"You should probably just leave them alone," Aros told him firmly.
"Why?"
"Because they haven't seen each other in 17 years and the last time he saw her, she was dead."
"Plus, they have quite a history together," Wyatt added.
Layo frowned. "Fine, I'm going to bed then."
Wyatt shrugged as Layo headed off the balcony. Aros stared at the dawning sky in disgust.
"You haven't seen much of the sun in the nightlands, have you?" Wyatt asked.
"The last time I saw the sun was the day you were born," Aros replied.
"Who all were present for my birth?"
"Me, Roy, Jakyll, Mina and Darek."
"Darek? I guess he did say he hasn't seen me since I was born. What was his relationship with my father?"
"He adored Maverick. Roy was just a casual friend. As you may have noticed, Roy didn't really trust people."
"But my mother told me that he's known to be quite charming and people love being around him."
"Your mother is also in love with him. And I suppose she's right to some extent. He's just a good guy and it emanates off of him without him trying."
Aros stood up straight as the sun started to appear on the horizon. "I need to go now," he said bored.
"Were you here just in case their reunion went south?"
"Exactly. A blood user that loses control can really do some damage."
"How can one tell that they're a blood user?"
"I doubt that you're a blood user. They usually skip generations."
"Sometimes I hear someone's heart beating very loudly in my head. At least, I think it's their heart."
Aros turned and stared at him quickly. His eyes were wide. "When you say you could 'sense' your mother, did you mean in a physical way?"
"Yes, sort of. I can tell when there are other people around and how many. And I can tell who they are. And I felt as if I would recognize her in a room without having actually met her."
Aros' mouth hung open slightly. "But I saw you using the current..."
"I have complete control over the current."
"Can you sense Maverick?"
Wyatt shook his head. Aros frowned. "Have you visited his grave?"
"Many times."
"Maybe it only works on flowing blood..." Aros said to himself.
"Wasn't my father burned?"
"Fire users are fire proof. You know that."
"Then where is his body?"
"In his grave."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sure."
"Anyway you could check?"
Aros looked at him skeptically. "Why?"
"I have felt my grandfather and Layo's grandfather. But not my father."
"Why didn't you say something before?"
"I thought he was burned."
"You know damn well fire users are fire proof."
"I figured that only applied while they were still alive."
Aros swore under his breath. "I'll be right back."
He stepped into the shadows as the sun began to rise and disappeared. Wyatt stared at the sun as he let out a breath of content and leaned back. His parents were both here and it was just a bonus that they were in love. It helped Wyatt imagine that Roy was his blood father instead of Maverick. He shut his eyes and for once felt as if his family was complete and wholesome.