It didn’t take long for news to spread, even if no one here truly cared. Well, they did… just not as mourning of the eldest prince’s disappearance. No, all they ever cared about here was what they could gain from the misfortune. All the members of Adidell seemed to speak of what they could gain from this. Enuolare was no closer to understanding their twisted way of thinking and she hoped she never would. Just the thought of what Imre had to be going through brought a hopeless feeling as if it had been one of her own.
She didn’t get any official word, however, until the end of Onala. It was the same letter she assumed every other prominent noble got—something written by an unfamiliar hand.
And an attached note from the king… telling her it was finally time.
Etieno was standing beside her, like he usually did now; observing her do the work that he will one day be in charge of. He might not have read the note himself but was confident enough of what it might’ve said to ask, “Need anything, Mom?”
“Can you find Enebish for me?” she said, slowly, already trying to come up with a reasonable way to explain it. “Make sure they know it’s nothing too serious. If it looks like they’re doing something, then just tell them to meet me after dinner.”
He nodded and left.
Enuolare took a deep breath and began putting away some of the papers. She didn’t want them scattered about and available for Enebish to read. Most of it was things they already knew, but that didn’t mean they had to understand the full extent of it. By the time the door opened again, she had everything neatly put away and was going back to her desk.
Enebish poked their head inside but didn’t say anything, waiting for her nod to come in and wander to the desk.
She gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk. “You don’t need to look like you’re in trouble, dear, it’s alright. King Imre asked me to do something… to see if, perhaps, it will keep us from losing any more of them.”
“You’re not really making any sense…” they mumbled.
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“Don’t worry. You’ve always been smart—you’ll probably be able to piece together what I’m trying to say.” She glanced at the door to make sure it was closed, noting how Etieno must’ve been standing in front of it. The only ones who would hear it were the only ones that it concerned. “Let me start with, thank you for being so patient all these years. You’ve never asked questions that I couldn’t give answers to. You never seemed to worry about what happened before you came to us. But now it’s time to tell you where you came from and who you are that makes you so special.
“You are what we call a ‘Xypnima Óneiro,’ or a dreamer. There are two others that we know of—Prince Natheniel and a girl named Muriel Stone—and of them you are the oldest. All of you have some kind of connection to Skiá, meaning that you’re one of the only clues we have of solving our problems with them.
“It’s… not something we ever thought any of you were ready for. King Imre was always afraid of what might happen if we told you too soon—that you’d think any love we’ve given you was because we needed you. I’m telling you now that it couldn’t be further from the truth. You’re just as precious to me and all of your siblings as if you were our own blood. I don’t know if I would’ve kept all of this so long if I hadn’t been asked to, but… the only reason I say all this now is to quell any undue anxieties. Prince Natheniel ran away because of a warped perception and sense of guilt, one combined with the idea of being kept in the dark. King Imre didn’t want you to feel the same way, so he told me it was time to tell you.”
Enebish was silent for a while, thinking it all over. “It’s also part of a fail-safe, isn’t it..? Muriel was adopted by Elena Stone, wasn’t she? Prince Natheniel’s gone and I can’t imagine that she’d take the news of who she is well, after what happened. I’m the only one who’s able to do anything if you need it.”
Enuolare sighed. “I’m sure that did have a part, but I don’t believe that was his main reason for suggesting it.” She once again glanced at the door to see that nothing had changed. “I’ve got plenty of time if you have any questions.”
“There’s another reason we’re all adopted, isn’t there? Besides our connection to the Skiá?”
She nodded. “You’re at least partially aware of Ilethera, aren’t you? Beings that can’t quite be called human because of the abilities they possess. Some of them don’t have birth parents, appearing in the world as part of a phenomenon we don’t yet understand. All dreamers are like this. You were found by a traveling Hyacinth, taken in by an older woman, then I adopted you to assure you’d be cared for and to make everyone a bit safer.” They stayed quiet, causing her to prompt, “Is this too much..?”
They shook their head. “It makes sense, actually. Imena mentioned something when she came—so I guess I’ve always known something.” They got up. “That’s all I can think of asking for now.”
“You know where to find me if you can ever think of more.”