Page 34 of The Night Prince 2

They steadfastly did not talk about their families when they were doing friend-time. And while she didn’t think Cara would divulge anything she was told in confidence to Rohannan, it wasn’t fair to put her in a position to know something politically powerful that she couldn’t share. And the truth was that the breach between her father and Aquilan was politically powerful. Elasha was convinced that it would be mended. But her uncle clearly didn’t see things the same way her father did overall. Her father had known he wouldn’t and had wanted to control the narrative when Aquilan arrived. But that hadn’t gone to plan when her uncle had sent her packing and headed to a dwarven tavern.

“Your uncle is very tenderhearted. He always wants things to be fair. But that’s just an illusion,” her father had said.

“But shouldn’t we be striving to treat humans fairly, Father?” she’d asked.

“We should strive to treat them in a way that is best for the whole of the Empire,” he had countered. “We’ve lost blood and treasure helping them, Elasha. Those losses must be made up somehow.”

“Yes, but–”

“Humans will get more than they deserve. Things will be better for them under the Empire than they were before. That they don’t get everything they want does not mean we’re treating them unfairly,” he’d cut her off.

And there was some truth and wisdom in this. It had been ages since the Aravae had gone to war. The loss of lives had been egregious. While those losses could never be truly repaid, they could be offset a little.

Elasha finally shrugged as Cara poured out some fragrant tea into her mug. She cupped her hands around it, relishing the warmth even though it wasn’t cold out. “It’s nothing dire just realizing that as much as I think I’ve changed, I really haven’t.”

Cara lifted a ginger eyebrow. “Well, you’re great how you are.”

Another burst of warmth went through her, but she forced herself to be vague as she answered, “Parts of me are pretty good. But I like things planned out, as you know. Things just haven’t gone the way I wanted them to.”

It was really her father who was the unbending one. He’d had things planned and her uncle had simply upended the apple art. But he was the king and a very different person from her father. The truth was that she rather admired her uncle’s way of doing things even if it did make her slightly uneasy. What would it be like to simply meet the moment as it was without a ten-step plan and twenty variations if things went wrong?

“I know you’ve put a lot of work into your uncle’s return and you probably had an idea in your head of how you wanted it to go. It’s understandable to feel a little let down when it doesn’t. But I’m certain that he appreciates what you’ve done,” Cara said and reached over and patted Elasha’s left hand. Of course, she’d known what Elasha was really saying.

Elasha clasped that hand for a moment as she smiled back. “You always know the right thing to say.”

Cara snorted and sipped her own tea. “Hardly. I just know you a little bit, because I am like you a little bit.”

“You’re far more relaxed than me!” Elasha protested. “You handle everything here at your cafe and also play a role in running Hope. You are like water. You change your ideas depending on your circumstances.”

Cara shook her head. “My father runs Hope as he likes to remind me. I just brought the tea and coffee.”

“That’s not true!”

“Just like it isn’t true that your father runs things without your help,” Cara pointed out. “Both of our parents don’t seem to see what we do to assist them.”

“Or value it,” Elasha muttered.

Cara bit her lower lip and asked, “Was Vesslan awful to you when Aquilan didn’t come to the palace last night?”

Elasha nodded. She should have known that Cara was aware that Aquilan had stayed at the Dawn. The Separatists had ears everywhere.

“He blamed me for it!” Elasha burst out. “But what was I to do? Sling Aquilan over my shoulder and carry him back to the palace?”

Cara let out a low laugh that skated up Elasha’s spine. “Now that I would have enjoyed seeing.”

“Me, too,” Elasha chuckled. Thinking about what Cara had said about both of them not being valued, she asked, “Are things okay with your father?”

Cara grimaced, but then like Elasha she revealed a little of what was on her mind, “He was in a right state after meeting you on the road. I told him he shouldn’t do it. I asked him to consider how he would react if someone just roared up and made demands. But he always seems to believe that everyone else has to behave perfectly while he is an ass.”

Elasha sighed. “He actually wasn’t that bad.”

A raised eyebrow was her response.

“He just wanted to get his points across without any filter,” Elasha said charitably, which was far different than what she had felt and thought at the time. But meeting with Cara always had her considering other points of view. “I think he was more annoyed that General Baston showed up.”

“The general got to go drinking with Aquilan last night,” Cara said softly. “If my father had played his cards right that could have been him. He could have brought King Aquilan to Hope. But instead he stomped off.”

Elasha wanted to dispute the very idea that Aquilan would have come to Hope to socialize, but then she realized it was quite true. Her uncle had actually stayed overnight at the Dawn. He might have actually enjoyed Hope and stayed here. She answered, “Yes, I think he could have. My uncle… Well, I shouldn’t speak for him. I think–”

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