Chapter 18 - Hebekinesis: The ability to manipulate youth

Cons’ POV

I woke up to the sound of a horn blowing loud and people rushing past my room, it was already light outside, I rubbed my eyes and got up, Jane, Neve, and Edur stood in the doorway of the castle looking out to see a ship coming to port, Jane held out her hand. "You all stay inside, I'll go check it out." She strapped on her sword and followed her parents out to the ship, I held my breath. Who knows what that ship is. And after last night I was on edge, we were all tired and I felt I could break at any moment.

Janes' POV

The ship had a Vale flag. I remember how our last visit started and didn't want a repeat of that, I saw a flowy white dress drift across the ship. At first, I thought it was a ghost but revealed itself to be the Queen with the prince trailing behind her. "Your Grace?" My father asks as she pushes past him to me.

"Thank you, child, because of you we've found our sons." I couldn't help but chuckle and she looked at me confused.

"I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head and trying to compose myself. "You'll have to explain, I think you've traveled all this way for nothing. I think you have the wrong person." The Queen laughed, it was weird and insecure.

"That story you told me about looking for someone who lost a son that was born and wrapped in a Vailen flag, it was my son, that's why we did it to both of our children, but we lost them both at a young age." My heart stopped, I still was hoping I was confused and she didn't mean- "Those two boys you brought with you, they are our sons the princes of the Vale." I didn't know how to react, I turned to my father, he looked just as confused as me, I felt nausea. I swallowed.

"A letter would have been nice." I squeaked out. She shook her head.

"There was no time I couldn't stop thinking about it, we left soon after you did." I felt like crying, I was so overwhelmed, I couldn't even imagine how Con, and now Edur would feel, we had to take this slow-

The Queen suddenly pushed past me and I turned to see Con, Neve, and Edur walking out. I chased after her. "Please don't-" I tried to say but was cut off.

"My sons!" She yelled, hugging Con and Edur awkwardly. "I knew I'd find you again someday, I'm so sorry we had no choice but to give you up."

Cons' POV

"Someone has been taking crazy pills," Edur said, pushing away. I stared at Jane and she stared right back, she was so pale she looked like she was going to throw up.

"Come on let's go back to the Vale-"

"We're not going anywhere with you!" I said, Edur nodded. "We are not your sons, we're not even brothers." The Queen shook her head.

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"You are! I'll tell you how to understand." I frowned, Jane and Neve were pushed aside as the Queen and Prince told us how we were born, and wrapped in Valien flags, but had to be given up to protect us, she wouldn't even say from what, she put as on a ship, that apparently crashed on Ironside, she assumed we died, and never tried having children again, she was so upset. I couldn't handle the information being thrown at us, our ages lined up with what she said, and described how I looked as a two-year-old. After she finished crying, she again said, we should go to the Vale with her. We didn't say anything, I glance at Edur, I had never seen him so distraught, and suddenly I saw him very differently, we were the only two people on Ironside with platinum blonde hair and crazy colored eyes. I looked at our hands, our powers, we both had elemental powers when no else came close. Jane's father came in when no one said anything.

"I'm sure the ship ride was long, why don't you relax and stay the night in the castle, we can continue this after dinner, give some time to process." The Queen nodded and followed Jane's father inside. That's when the emotion hit me, after everyone dissipated Jane and Neve remained standing tears rolled down my cheeks, my head found a shoulder and I gripped the person.

"We'll figure this out, I promise," Jane said, into my ear her voice was shaky, I glanced at Edur again, he was sobbing into Neve's hair, I barely heard him, because I could barely breath myself, My grip tightened on Jane, and she rubbed my shoulder. "Just breath Conrad, breath." She took deep breaths and I followed her example, I don't remember how we ended up inside but we did.

We sat at the giant dining table, the wooden table was glossy, it was covered in fingerprints of those who had sat there before me. I mindlessly ran my hand over them, I was sitting next to Edur and he sat there frozen I could barely see him breathing. Jane's parents kept the Queen and Prince occupied, while Jane and Neve sat across from us in silence. Jane's hands were under the table, but I could tell they were fidgeting because her entire arms moved. Neve had a blank on her face but her eyes were moving all over the room. "In the Vale, we wear white it repels the intense sunlight, otherwise you get hot and get red burns on your skin, but everyone around here wears dark colors, you are just blessed with trees." I saw Jane roll her eyes.

"Because we don't cut all of ours down," Jane mumbled under her breath, a small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. After dinner was over where we ate very little Edur retreated, and the three of us were right behind him. When we got outside Neve spoke first.

"You're not really going to go with her are you?" She asked, Jane's shoulders fell.

"If you guys want to go with her, we won't stop you, but she still could be lying-" Jane said, Edur shook his head.

"She's not lying," Edur said, surprising all of us. We hadn't talked alone since we found out, I didn't know his thoughts were the same as mine.

"I know," Jane said, sighing. "What do you want to do?" Everyone turned to me.

"I feel obligated to go with her, apparently we're princes, you both understand the weight that carries." Jane and Neve looked down, Edur nodded.

"He's right, this isn't something we can take lightly." That was the end of the conversation, we headed back inside and Edur and I packed.

Janes’ POV

I pulled Neve into a side room, and she burst into tears. “I don’t want them to leave, not now, not like this.” Neve cried. “After everything, we went through to get here.” I teared up a little again.

“Neve this isn't our decision.” She nodded, then immediately shook her head.

“I know, I know, but.” She said, I sat across from her.

“I’m just going to try to be supportive, we’ll see them again, we will,” I said, really unconvincingly. Once they left for the Vale We’d probably never see them again except for years later as rulers of countries. I tried taking a deep breath, ruling a country alone and without warning, I didn’t want that for them. They have no idea what they are getting into, but I’m powerless to stop this, they finally have a family I can’t take that away.