The Blacksmith's Son

Hemera, the capital of the kingdom of Theros, was one of the largest and richest cities in the world, as the inhabitants were mostly merchants. It was assessed through gates, enclosed by a protective wall, and punctuated with towers and arrowslits, therefore, was the safest and most dangerous place to be in a war.

If the enemies had taken over the castle, these were the first people whose blood would spill. The thought made Reyna shiver as she entered through the gate. Was it concerning that it was the first thing to cross her mind?

Shaking her head, she rode Thunder faster to catch up with Rowan. Not a single person knew who she was as they passed her like she was one of them. Rowan glanced over at her with a look of confusion on his face. If only she could explain to him why she couldn't stop smiling, but all she could do was ask him to slow down. They weren't being chased anymore, at this moment at least.

The city was crowded with buildings. Situated at the centre was the tall spire of a church. People on the streets wore colourful clothes, and there were indistinct conversations and laughter everywhere.

Reyna hadn't been allowed to look outside her carriage when she'd come here with her family, so this almost felt like the first time she was here. As they travelled past some dancers on the main street watched by admiring ladies, one of the men handed her a rose and kissed her hand. Fascinated, she asked Rowan if they could stay and watch. But he only gave the stranger a spiteful look and urged her to go faster.

They took a turn onto a less crowded street, and he inquired, "So where does your uncle live?"

"Uh...near the castle," she mumbled.

"Where specifically?" He slowed down for her to catch up, his voice cautious, "I mean, what's the street name?"

"I don't remember the name but I remember the route from the castle. Just take me there and I'll figure it out."

"It takes a day to go from here."

As he said nothing more and stared reluctantly at her, she asked, "so...what are we going to do?"

"We can...spend a night at my house. It's only fifteen minutes away and--"

"That's great! Let's go to your house then!"

Her excitement surprised him but couldn't stop the childlike smile from spreading across his face. He gave her a signal to follow, kicked his horse and rode ahead. It was silly how she'd gone through all that trouble to see her uncle, and now she was wishing tomorrow wouldn't come too fast. What would she do when she finally made it to the castle? Would she tell Rowan the truth then, or before? How would he react? Would she ever get to see him again?

Besides, she still owed him an answer. She wished she'd said no when he'd asked that night. A conman courting a princess would be so absurd. Her uncle would never allow that. The people would never allow that. How was she going to choose between betraying her title and betraying him?

Just one more night, she told herself, pretend to be Rain for one more night, and whatever happens, will happen.

"Welcome to my village," Rowan said in the least enthusiastic tone she had ever heard. But as she scanned her eyes around, his tone finally made sense. This must be the poorest area in the capital. It looked like a tiny version of what was happening in Isolde during the wintertime, except there was no other excuse for these people to look angry and tired other than being poor.

She tried to keep the smile on her face so she wouldn't hurt his feelings, but it'd be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed.

"Rowan!" A young woman dropped her buckets full of water the second she saw their horses from afar. Rowan jumped off Lightning to catch her in his arms and lifted her feet off the ground with his strong bear hug, while she was sobbing into his neck.

"Jenny," he breathed harshly, his eyes pressed shut. That was his sister. She'd thought he was dead like all the other Southerners who'd entered Isolde. Reyna gracefully got off her horse and led Thunder toward them.

"Thank Heaven, you're still alive!" Jenny said as Rowan wiped away her tears and kissed her forehead. "They told me that you were captured. How did you escape?"

"I got some help," he said, turning back to Reyna.

Jenny's eyes went wide as Reyna said hello. But before Reyna could properly introduce herself, the woman wrapped both arms around her and trapped her in a suffocating hug. "I don't know who you are, but thank you for saving his life."

Reyna looked at Rowan, a smile stretching her lips. To his sister, she said, "it was your brother who saved my life."

Jenny let her go but kept both hands tight on Reyna's shoulders. "I'm so glad he met you. You're so kind and beautiful."

"Thank you," Reyna said shyly. The word 'beautiful' fitted Princess Reyna better than it did Rain. Rain -- the princess' maid, dirty hands, messy hair, wearing rags for clothes -- was far from beautiful. Still, it made her happy whether Jenny had meant it or just being nice.

After hearing the short version of what Rowan and Reyna had gone through, Jenny got emotional and insisted that Reyna stayed with them for a few days. But Reyna kindly refused because she had to leave tomorrow morning.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Rowan's smile fading.

"Come inside!" Jenny tugged at Reyna's arm, pushing Rowan's shoulder. "Ma will be so happy to see you."

Reyna almost forgot that he had a mother, who was sick. He'd never mentioned what illness it was, but ever since he left, Jenny had been staying at this house instead of her husband's because their mother couldn't be left alone.

Following them, Reyna slipped through the curtains into a room dimly lit by sunlight from a square window above the bed, where lay Rowan's mother.

"Ma, look who's home," Jenny said.

Reyna stood by the entrance, hand wrapped around Rowan's forearm. Flashbacks ran through her mind, and she saw herself rushing into her mother's chamber the night her mother had passed away. The memory sent a cold shiver down her spine as she leaned closer to Rowan.

His mother weakly propped herself up and sat upright with Jenny's support. The second she saw Rowan's face, however, she gasped and jumped right out of the bed. Reyna let him go as a reflex, and his mother threw her arms around his neck, tears running down her face.

"Ed! My dear Ed, you're home!" she wailed and turned to Jenny. "Go get your brother, Jenny! Your father is home!"

Reyna was frozen to the spot, her mouth formed a silent 'o' as Jenny gave her a sad smile and quietly left the room. Rowan kissed his mother's forehead and whispered, "I'm here, my love," in her ear, his eyes locked with Reyna's. "It's me, your dear Ed. I'm home."

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Reyna had known that Rowan's childhood had been unpleasant, but this was far from what she'd expected. She should be upset that he hadn't trusted her enough to tell her about his mother's sickness, but she knew this wasn't easy to talk about. His mother was mentally ill, which was why all the good doctors in the land could not cure her. She'd lost her mind since her husband had sacrificed himself to protect their family in a war between the South and the North.

She'd been right to worry. The people in the capital were always the first to suffer the consequences of war.

"Sometimes she remembers who I am. But most of the time, I'm her dear Ed," Rowan chuckled, leaning a shoulder against the door while toying with the gold ring on her finger. They were outside the house, while Jenny stayed in the bedroom to keep an eye on her mother. The poor woman was finally getting some sleep without waking up every five minutes calling out her late husband's name.

"She's been sick since I was born, but it only got worse after he'd died. The kids around here used to call her the crazy lady, and I was so ashamed of her that I even joined them and made fun of her when we ran into her on the street. Those kids didn't know I was her son because she didn't remember me, but I always felt so shitty afterwards."

Reyna stepped closer, putting a hand to Rowan's cheek as his hand rested on her lower back. "When we first met, you joked that I talked like the crazy lady in your village," she recalled, making him laugh as he wiped away a tear.

"Yeah. You still remind me of my mum." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, his lips arched. "You're so gentle yet headstrong. In a good way, of course."

"Oh, Rowan." She tiptoed, pulled his face down and kissed him with a tenderness that made her chest throb. It was a terrible idea to be affectionate towards him when she had to turn him down eventually, but she couldn't help it. She loved him.

The thought of saying goodbye and never seeing him again formed the tears that stung her eyes. When she heard his warm laughter, she glanced back up, and he cupped her face between his palms, their lips meeting again. She kissed him back. But she wasn't allowed to. She had to stop. Now.

"Rowan." She jerked away, both of them breathless. "Can you show me around?"

He rolled his eyes, bringing her hand to his chest. "There's nothing to see here, Peach. This village is like a big funeral. Because we all die a little bit every day."

Reyna swatted his chest for that joke as both of them guffawed. "Well, I'm already dressed in black." She lifted her skirt. "So would you like to be my escort to this funeral?"

"That'd be my pleasure, Lady Peach." He intertwined their fingers together and kissed the back of her hand, a smile touching his pink lips.

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The market was probably the most crowded place in this village. It was not very different from the ones she'd been to before, only less full, so she didn't have to worry about slipping into a sea of strangers. Most sellers were cold and distant, but there were a few nice old ladies who recognised Rowan and pinched his cheeks as he stopped by.

One lady asked if Reyna was his wife. He neither confirmed nor denied it, but he did steal a glimpse at her to see her reaction. She blushed and smiled back. In the fictional world inside her head, however, she wasn't a princess, they were married, and lived happily ever after.

"There are headbands over there and you decided to buy a bloody dagger," he joked when she gave the coins to the merchant and turned back to him, swinging the pointy blade in a silly manner that made him snort.

"Be careful with that, sexy. You might hurt yourself," said the middle-aged man who owned the shop.

Before she could respond, Rowan snatched the weapon from her hand and stabbed it into the desk. The wooden surface cracked down to the centre. He yanked the dagger out of the wood and tossed it to her. She caught it effortlessly. All had happened in two seconds.

"That's my wife you were talking to." Rowan scowled at the man whose face was colourless. "The last person who'd messed with her got his balls cut off and fed to our dog Whiskers. Right, darling?"

Whiskers. What a funny name for a dog. "Right, my dear," she said, smiling at the man's crotch, and he recoiled behind his counter like a scared little mouse.

Rowan smoothed his palm over the crack on the table, and with a smirk, took her hand and escorted her away. When they had left the market, she turned to him and pointed the tip of her blade to the opening of his shirt, batting her lashes seductively. "Was that a proposal I heard?"

That joke stopped him in his tracks. He took her hand that was holding the dagger, put the dagger back into its sheath at her waist and held her hips, drawing her closer. Their eyes locked, her heart pounding. "You still owed me an answer, Peach. One question at a time."

A thousand voices in Reyna's head were screaming no, but the butterflies in her stomach were cheering her on. Fuck it! she thought and pulled his mouth down to hers, arms tightened around his necks as his encircled her waist. A cool breeze blew through their clothes and they pulled back just a bit to catch their breath. He smelt so nice, like pine trees, wildflowers, and home.

"I kept thinking about us...at the waterfall," he whispered, his voice so husky it sent a shiver down her spine. She felt as if his fingertips were burning through the thin fabric of her shirt and trembled as she brought both hands to his face. If this was wrong, she never wanted to be right again.

"Rowan, I--"

"Are we fucking on the street now?"

The voice made them spring apart. Rowan kept his fingers around her wrist, staring dagger at the man in front of them.

"Gideon," he spat out the name with disgust. She'd never heard about this guy before, but from Rowan's previous reaction, she assumed they weren't exactly friends.

With a contemptuous smile, Gideon made his way toward them. He was more muscular than Rowan, just not as good looking. And the fabric he was wearing was expensive. He surely wasn't from here. He put his hands on his hips, looking Rowan up and down. "I haven't seen you in a while. Didn't they say you were dead?"

"Let's go, Peach."

"Oooh, is this your new girl?" Gideon reached for her arm when they sidestepped him. As a reflex, Rowan grabbed her dagger. She caught his wrist as Gideon bounced back, hands shot in the air.

"Don't fucking touch her or I'll cut your damn fingers off."

The threat startled her, but Gideon was unfazed; he relished Rowan's anger. The bastard rubbed his chin, eyeing her up, a smirk tugging at his thin lips. "Does she feel as good as Kennedy?" His question turned her stiff. "Or should I also fuck her to find out myself?"

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"Rowan!" She tightened her grip around Rowan's waist as Gideon started walking backwards with the assholest smirk. Rowan was giving him exactly what he wanted.

"You don't deserve Kenny, you piece of shit! Don't let me see you again!"

She held Rowan tightly until Gideon was gone. A few villagers gave them judgemental stares as they passed by, but she didn't give a damn about them. She had never seen her Rowan so enraged and violent. His face was red, the veins popped out on his neck, and his jaw and fists were clenched tight.

That must be Kenny's husband -- the rich man she'd agreed to marry because she thought Rowan was dead. Was that why Rowan hated him so much? Or had there been a long history between them? She hoped it was the latter. Because she wouldn't know what to do if deep down Rowan still longed for the first love that had gotten away.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice was much gentler as he stared down at her with concerned eyes. There was her Rowan.

"Yes. Are you?" She held his wrists while he was cupping her face.

He seemed indisposed to speak. "That bastard doesn't live in this village anymore. But you should stay away from him."

"Was that Kenny's husband?" To her disappointment, he gave her nothing but a "yes" to confirm what she already knew.

It must be difficult for him to mention Kenny in front of her. Though they weren't exactly lovers, they had been acting like it for the last couple of weeks. But if he couldn't say the name of his first love unless he was angry with whom she'd married, then she might still mean something to him. Unsettling thoughts crept back into Reyna's head. Too many fucking thoughts. Too many fucking feelings.

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They arrived back at Rowan's house before sunset to help Jenny with dinner. Jenny was talking to her husband outside the house. The second he saw Reyna, he ran to hug her like they were old friends.

One lesson Reyna had learned since she'd left the North was that normal people loved hugs, whereas royalty hated body contact for some reason she still couldn't figure out. It used to be so odd and uncomfortable for her, but she liked it now, very much.

Jenny's husband was a hunter. His name was Caleb. He looked older than Jenny, and borderline scary, with his big beard and many scars on his arms. But from the way he interacted with his wife, Reyna could tell he was a nice family man. Caleb and Jenny reminded Reyna of her parents somehow. The bittersweet comparison made her heart tingle.

Once the introductions were through, they came into the house and sat around the table to chat. Meanwhile, Jenny was preparing the meal in the kitchen. Reyna had volunteered to help though she had never cooked before. However, she'd learned how to use a sword, shoot arrows, and ride a horse, so cooking should be easy.

Jenny insisted that she worked alone, though. She said the men were useless and Reyna was a guest. Besides, Caleb didn't leave Reyna alone with his endless questions about her kingdom and life in her father's castle.

He said he'd never left this village and was curious to know what was beyond Wind Valley. How Rowan and Reyna had crossed it was still beyond his imagination. Caleb's life must be so easy. For her, the less you knew about the world, the easier your life was.

She didn't participate much in the conversation and let Rowan do most of the talking, and he seemed fine with it. He was talking happily again as if their earlier encounter with Gideon hadn't almost triggered him to kill a man. He didn't seem like himself. That was not her Rowan.

The footsteps at the entrance of the house made all three of them turn their heads. In the doorway stood a young girl, a beautiful one, with long brown hair and a gentle-looking face.

Kenny. The name sprung up in Reyna's head when Rowan jumped to his feet and took the girl in his arms. Her arms were locked around his neck, her eyes shut, a crease appeared between her brows as she held him closer. They stayed attached as if they were the only people in the room, and everyone else, including Reyna, had faded into dust.

Reyna's chest throbbed unpleasantly at the sight, while her fingers clawed at the wooden surface of the table.

Rowan finally let go, and Kenny began to inspect his face. "I thought...I thought you were--" She slapped a hand over her mouth, too emotional to finish that sentence. Reyna's heart was rattling inside her chest when Kenny traced her fingertips across his features. Suddenly, she burst into tears and hugged him again.

He rubbed her back, laughing softly, "It's okay. I'm safe now. I'm home." That was the same tone he'd used earlier when he was talking to his mother and pretending to be his deceased dad. Almost the same words too.

Why was he talking to Kenny like that? Why did he sound like a husband reuniting with his wife? That's somebody else's wife, cried the voice inside her head. But she knew her subconscious mind didn't really care. She was only jealous of the bond they had, too embarrassed to even admit it to herself.

When Rowan and Kenny finally joined them at the table, Rowan's eyes met Reyna's and his beam vanished. She didn't know what it meant -- Guilt? Disappointment? Or regret? Was this the moment he finally realised he'd been living a false fantasy this whole time? Now that he finally felt something real again? The lump in Reyna's throat grew almost too big, suffocating her.

Caleb switched his eyes from Reyna, to Rowan, and to Kenny, quickly catching on to what was happening, so he turned around in his seat and told Jenny, who was at the back of the house, "Kenny's here!"

"Oh, Kenny! When did you get here?"

Kenny let out a soft laugh as she arched her neck and shouted back, "Just this morning! I came to visit my mum!"

Reyna shifted her gaze from the girl to her hands on the table. Kenny didn't live in this village anymore. Rowan had said that. She hoped Kenny wouldn't stay for long.

"I'm spending the night at my mother's house," Kenny said to Rowan and Caleb, making Reyna's heart sink. "My hus--Gideon...has already gone back home."

Why didn't she say her husband? What was she afraid of? Rowan wasn't in love with her anymore. Did she know that? The questions were pounding in Reyna's head as she thinned her lips, breathing in again.

"This is Rain," Rowan finally said. Her eyes bounced from her hands up to his face to catch his smile.

Suddenly, she was angry at him. He didn't get to smile and act like he hadn't just snuggled up to another woman. Still, she turned to Kenny and introduced herself, once again saying the fake name she'd gotten tired of.

"I'm Kennedy, but everyone calls me Kenny. I'm Rowan's...best friend." That little pause made such a big difference, which annoyed Reyna. Still, she kept that remark to herself.

The rest of the conversation was just Caleb asking Kenny about her family, and her answering reluctantly whenever she had to bring up her husband. Her freaking husband -- the one she was married to and would spend the rest of her life with.

Reyna was fuming inside. But once she had calmed down, it occurred to her that she and Kenny were not much different. When she reunited with her uncle, she would be royalty again, which meant she would never see Rowan again, and one day have to marry a prince or a king. She would love her husband, because why would she settle for an unhappy marriage? But would she ever forget Rowan, her first real love?

He was also Kenny's first real love, and maybe still Kenny's only one. She shouldn't be angry at Kenny; she should feel sorry for her, sympathise with her. Because neither of them could end up with him.

Caleb stopped his story midway as he remembered he hadn't gotten the horses back from his brother's stable. He asked Rowan to go with him, promising that it wouldn't take long, and Rowan was happy to help. But from the look he gave Reyna before walking through the door, she knew he worried about leaving her and Kenny alone.

Did he think she was going to hurt his precious little Kenny?

Reyna felt her stomach churn as the men departed. Silence hung over the room for what seemed like forever. Her ugly nails suddenly became so fascinating that she could continue staring at them for the rest of the night, just so she wouldn't have to chat with Kenny. They really had nothing in common but Rowan. It wasn't like they would start talking about him.

"What do you think of Rowan?"

But Reyna guessed she was wrong. She glanced back up, meeting Kenny's chocolate eyes, and her lips twitched slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Do you...have feelings for him?"