And certainly not the lure of a young man with bronze eyes and a broken throne.
Kilorn is waiting when we land at Ascendant, to the surprise of exactly no one. I don’t know if it’s possible, but he looks taller than when I saw him last, only two months ago. He said he would visit us up north, but he never got the chance between his duties in Montfort and building his own life here. Cameron might have something to do with it too. She’s acting as a go-between, with her father, bouncing between the Scarlet Guard, Montfort, and her home in the Nortan States, speaking up for the Red men and women of their tech town. They’ve been invaluable to the reconstruction effort in the States and smoothing over relations with the Republic. Kilorn waits alone, so Cameron must not be here yet, if she’s coming at all. As much as I’d like to see her and hear of everything going on back east, I’m happy to get Kilorn to myself for a little bit.
He grins widely when he sees us, a tall figure on the landing ground. The jet propellers cast a furious wind, whipping Kilorn’s tawny hair back and forth. I try not to rush to him and inflate his ego any more than it already is, but I can’t help it. I’m eager to see him. And eager to get out of the cramped metal box we’ve been stuck in for three hours.
He embraces my mother first, always a gentleman with her. She’s more of a mother to Kilorn than the woman who abandoned him years ago.
“You haven’t been missing meals,” Mom jokes, patting him on the stomach. Kilorn grins and flushes. Indeed he looks broader too, filled out by Montfort food and a less-than-lethal lifestyle. While I still kept to my running schedule up at the cabin, I don’t think he can say the same. He looks healthy, normal—settled.
“You shouldn’t call him fat, Mom,” Gisa says teasingly, poking him in the side with a grin. “Even if it’s true.” Whatever schoolgirl crush she had on him, born of proximity, jealousy, or good old-fashioned want, is completely gone.
Mom swats her away, scolding. “Gisa! The boy finally looks like he’s had a decent meal.”
Not to be outdone, Kilorn musses Gisa’s hair, sending red locks spilling from her perfect bun. “Hey, I thought you were the polite one in the family, Gee,” he shoots back.
Bree hoists his pack up onto his shoulder. Then he elbows Gisa for good measure. “Try living in an isolated cabin with her for months. You’ll lose all your illusions of the little madam.”
Our sister doesn’t bother shoving him back. Bree is nearly twice her size. Instead she folds her arms and turns up her nose as she stalks away. “You know,” she calls over her shoulder, “I was going to make you a party jacket as well. But I guess I shouldn’t bother!”
Bree is after her like a shot, already whining, while Tramy follows with a grin. He won’t dare jeopardize his own outfit, so he keeps quiet. Mom and Dad follow along with shrugs of their own, content to watch everyone else scurry ahead, leaving me behind with Kilorn.
Thankfully, no one points out that I’ve somehow become the proper one in the family, what with my court training, my time spent masquerading as a princess, and my new affinity for silence. Such a change from the Stilts thief always covered in mud, sweat, and a foul temper. And Kilorn knows it. He eyes me thoughtfully, glancing over my clothes, my hair, my face. I look healthier than I did when I left, just like him.
“Well?” I hold out my arms and spin on the flat tarmac. My sweater, jacket, pants, and boots are all shades of gray or green, muted colors. I don’t intend to attract more attention than I need to. “Are you done with your examination?”
“Yep.”
“And what’s the verdict?”
He waves for me to walk next to him. “Still look like a pain in the ass,” he says as I match his pace.
I can’t help the burst of warmth in my chest. “Excellent.”
The Stilts was not a good place to grow up, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t good pieces. And I’m lucky enough to say those are still with me. Walking side by side with Kilorn, picking our way toward the city and the premier’s estate, I’m reminded of days long ago, the little things that made them bearable.