heard you were acknowledging nobility,” Delkon said, looking up. “We were hoping you would reinstate your mother.”
Alchan looked at the family in front of him, angered at the audacity. He was glad Seanev moved to his side, a clear indication who he was supporting. Seanev didn’t think his mother was in the right.
“No,” he answered immediately. “No, I don’t think I will.” His mother’s eyes went big. “Please tell me, Asari, why I should reinstate your nobility. If you can tell me that, I’ll tell you why I’m not inclined to.”
Her mouth thinned into a line. He’d made her angry. That was fine. She’d abandoned him, and her feelings didn’t matter to him.
“I was poised to rule a noble house, and I still have every single one of those skills. I can be an asset to the royal family. Also, Behron is gone. With him gone, we can be a family again.”
“See, when I told Seanev I was willing to acknowledge the nobility, I meant those who were noble at the time of the fall,” Alchan said, standing slowly to stare her down. “It’s also a necessity since the nobility needs to acknowledge their ruler and remember I hold their positions in my hands, not the other way around. You gave up your position several hundred years before the War. As for the other thing? We can be a family again?” Alchan barked a laugh, a mean laugh. He didn’t feel like himself anymore.
“You threw our family away. You threw your nobility away. You threw your rank away. You threw your son away. You don’t get to come back now and ask for the privilege again. I’ve spent seventeen hundred plus years trying to forget you and was doing a good job of it.”
“She’s…your mother,” the third male said softly, his eyes wide.
“She was a long time ago,” Alchan growled. “I don’t know who you are, so introduce yourself.”
Asari stepped in front of the male, her hands up, but didn’t say anything. Not a child then because a mother would have spoken up.
Well, maybe not her. She didn’t speak up for me. Not when it mattered.
“I’m Calken,” he said. “I married…Asari when she moved into the same valley.”
“Ah, a third husband,” Alchan said softly. “How much do you know?”
“I’m the only person they ever told before they told Seanev on our trip here, and they told me once I joined the household,” he said, bowing his head.
“So, you know everything.” Alchan leaned forward on the table, drumming his fingers as he considered his mother and her husbands. “Asari, you left because Behron had an affair with an Elvasi woman and had a child with her. Do you remember that?”
“I’ll never forget,” his mother said with a strong undercurrent of anger. She would never forget the cut of his father’s betrayal of her family.
“You know, he tried to kill me after you left,” he whispered, smiling cruelly. “He nearly beat me to death. I made my way to the palace and begged Grandmother to fix it. Then the boy appeared. And Behron tried killing him once too. Behron might not have been the best husband before you left, but he became a terrible father after you were gone. Not that he was ever great. I dealt with milder beatings when you weren’t in residence.”
Alchan had never felt so angry. Seeing her again brought back everything—every pain he had to suffer through, every difficult conversation he had to have. The whispers of the palace and the nobility—no mother, a father who wanted him dead, a royal family broken apart, and not even the queen could really hold it together—every pain.
His mother paled at every word, but her chin stayed up.
“I don’t believe you didn’t know about either of those. Even when your son was broken by you leaving, even as his father tried to murder him, you couldn’t bother to come back and face it. You were so angry at Behron, you left me to die,” Alchan snarled. “Your hurt was worth more than your son’s life!”
His mother turned away, her shoulders shaking.
“Now, you stand in front of me, talking about how he’s gone, so you should get your position back. Oh…and we can all be a happy family again,” Alchan growled. “I have a family, a brother who has bled for me. He followed me around the world, protecting and fighting for our people. I have a sister, his wife, who is my Champion and the best female I have ever