The Chosen Prince Part 25

She stares at him for a moment, her shoulders slumped, her head at an angle. "She did that to you, Alexos-also to Teo, but mostly to you. She rescued him and gave him a family, love, and forgetfulness. But she left you to suffer."

Alexos is bent over now, his face in his hands. Aria moves the stool closer and lays her hand on his knee. The touch is light, as if she'd laid a flower there.

"Suliman told us about your life. He said you were 'broken' and that's why you did what you did. Somehow that made sense to Teo, who is clearly a better person than I am, since he was able to forgive you and I was not. Even after Athene showed me how it felt to be you-oh, my heart was softened, I felt pity, but still I would not have come."

Alexos sits up now. He is trying to imagine what could possibly have made her change her mind. "Then why are you here?" he says.

"Because Athene had another task for me-besides granting my forgiveness. I am the messenger, Alexos. She gave me the key. I don't know why; it should have been Teo."

"What key?"

She takes a deep breath. "Peles' missing piece. Alexos, when I came to the scene with Teo in the skiff, and he was sitting there begging me to come fishing . . . Alexos, I know it wasn't me who pushed that boat away. Yes, my hand untied the knot and gave the bow a shove-but I was not controlling it."

"I don't understand."

"Let's say I was standing behind you and a great wind came along and blew me over, and as I fell I brought you down with me. Yes, I made you fall; but it was really the wind that caused it. And there is no doubt in my mind: I didn't push Teo away."

Alexos just stares at her, incredulous.

"To truly be the sacrifice that Zeus required, your suffering had to be brutal. Just taking Teo away from you was not enough. It had to be worse than that. So she made you do it, and made you believe that you had killed him."

He cries out suddenly and it startles her. But he doesn't hide his face. He just stays as he is, looking at her, showing everything he is feeling. She gets off the stool and kneels before him, reaching up to grip his arms. Her face is inches away from his, her eyes very wide.

"And then I understood. The life Athene gave you would have broken anyone. But as hard as she tried, she failed-because you could never be damaged enough to harm your brother. So she had to do it for you. She gave you the guilt without the crime. Surely you must have wondered. Surely it must have seemed impossible to you-what happened."

"Yes."

"Athene didn't want to do it. She loves you above all mortals. But she had to have the sacrifice to save her people." She stops for a moment, quivers all over like a dog shaking off water.

"I have learned a lot today, Alexos, enough to last a lifetime. Teo said, 'It's not as easy to be good as I thought it was,' and I didn't understand. Now I do. I believe I will spend the rest of my life trying to be like my brother, like Peles, like Suliman, generous and merciful. We must be careful how we judge one another in this life. There is always a missing piece. Oh, Alexos, I am so ashamed."

"No."

"Yes. Because you did not deserve my cruelty. You thought you did, and I thought you did, but we were both wrong. You have given more and asked less, have worked harder and thought more of others-"

"Please stop. You have broken the chains that have bound me since I was twelve years old. You don't have to say another word."

"Yes I do. I haven't completed my task. Alexos, whatever needs forgiving, I forgive you."

"And I accept your forgiveness." She is still gripping his arms, rather firmly for such a small person, and looking up at him in a way he doesn't quite understand. He just knows that the hair is rising on his scalp and he is dizzy from forgetting to breathe.

"Now I must ask you to forgive me," she says.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Please, Alexos. Forgive me, as I forgave you. Do it, and then we are done."

"All right. I forgive whatever needs forgiving."

She is nervous, breathing hard. "And I accept your apology. Now, to show that we are friends, and to dazzle the G.o.ds, and because I find I want to very much-would you mind if I were to kiss you?"

"No," he says, his heart slamming against his chest, cold chills running down his neck and arms. "I wouldn't mind." He leans down a little and she rises to meet him, gently pressing her lips to his cheek. It's the way she used to kiss Teo when he was little.

"Thank you," he says, with an involuntary shudder. "But would you come and sit beside me? It would be somewhat more awkward for me to come down to you."

"Oh, of course."

"Thank you. And now, I wonder if we might try that another way. Like so." He cradles her face in his hands and gently presses his lips to hers. He lingers there, softly. Then he pulls back a little to look at her. Please don't be offended! "Was that all right?"

"Oh," she says. "It made me rather out of breath."

"Me, too-in a very good sort of way."

"Alexos, why is it so bright in here all of a sudden?" The canvas is glowing and the tent is full of light.

"The fog has lifted, I expect. The sun is shining."

"But that never happens. There is always fog."

"I think Athene is ready to show her handiwork now; no need to keep us hidden any longer."

"You mean the G.o.ds are watching us?"

Delicately, with the third finger of his left hand, he's tracing the contours of her face: across the forehead and around the brow; down the slope of her nose, touching her mouth and her chin.

"I think so," he says. "I hope they like what they see."

"Oh yes, I hope so too."

He kisses her cheek, just to the side of her nose, then her lips again.

"Have you done this before, Alexos?"

"No."

"Nor have I. But I must say, you're uncommonly good at it."

"I'm relieved to hear it. How would it be if I took you in my arms?"

"I think that would be very nice." She leans her head against his chest. He kisses her hair. He thinks any moment now he is going to burst into flames.

"What is all that shouting outside?"

"I believe they have spotted a sail."

"A ship?"

"Yes. But there's no hurry. It'll take some time to get here."

"We can stay a while longer, then?"

"I thought we might."

And then it washes over him, and for a moment he is near to drowning in a wave of high emotion. It feels like desperation or unspeakable pain. But he's pretty sure it's neither one. "I never expected this," he says, a sort of gasp. "I did not think it possible."

"What-kissing?"

"A happy ending."

"Oh, Alexos, wouldn't you rather think of it as a happy beginning, which will lead to a very long, happy middle, and finally, years and years from now when we're aged and crotchety-then we can have our happy ending?"

"I quite agree. A much better way to look at it."

"Would you like to kiss me again?"

"Oh yes, Aria. I would."

Coda

THEY STAND TOGETHER, THE two old men, on a rise overlooking the harbor. Three ships flying the flag of Ferra are anch.o.r.ed offsh.o.r.e. The men and their gear will have to be ferried from the island to the ships in small boats. It will take the rest of this day and much of the next to get everything and everyone on board. But there's no sense of urgency. The weather is fair and looks to remain so.

The tents, already taken down and neatly folded, are piled up on the beach along with the cauldrons, trunks, barrels, boxes, and casks. Everyone will sleep under the stars tonight. The fog has gone for good.

"It's past believing," Suliman says, gazing down at Alexos and Aria, standing apart from the others, arms about each other's waists, while Teo turns cartwheels in the sand. Every now and then he runs back to his brother and his sister to hug them in the wildness of his joy.

"Indeed," Claudio says. "Here I am, sniveling like a child."

"Will they marry?"

"Oh, yes. They'd do it tomorrow if I'd allow it. But Aria has lived a simple life here; it's all she's ever known. Now she's going to a brave new world, full of wonders and terrors. There will be so much to learn about-dressmakers, banquets, court manners; only imagine! She'll need time to adjust."

"He'll wait however long he must. He's loved her since he was twelve."

"Oh, I don't intend to torture them. It will happen soon. But it'll be a busy time-so much to do, so many changes. That should distract them for a while."

"Yes," Suliman says. "It'll be a brave new world for us all. Both armies disbanding, men going home, which of course will mean more hands to work the farms. If the old stories are true, we'll have fine weather once again, bringing rich harvests and prosperity. Good changes, all. But of course there will be decisions to make as to how Arcoferra will be governed."

"Since we seem to have one king too many?"

"Well, yes. That is one of the complications."

"I have given the matter some thought, Suliman."

"I rather imagined you had."

"To wit: I have grown weary of the heavy burdens of great office, have become old and worn with care . . ."

"In two days?"

"Yes. Positively exhausted. See the lines in my face and the bags under my eyes?"

"Claudio, I believe you are quite demented with joy."

"True. I have not been sleeping well. I wake in the night, laughing."

"That would wear a man down."

"Oh, it has. And so it has occurred to me that I might, as my nephew did, abdicate my throne."

"In favor of Alexos?"

"No, Suliman. In favor of my daughter."

"Oh. That is original-a queen!"

"I know it goes against custom-and possibly against the laws of Ferra-to choose a daughter as my heir over a son. But I can't claim Teo, not in any dynastic sense. He belongs to Arcos. And he has already refused that throne."

"I understand you completely, Claudio. A very neat and generous solution: the queen of Ferra marries the king of Arcos, and just like that"-he makes an extravagant sweep of the hand-"we are one kingdom again, jointly ruled by a united royal family. And Teo will not have to part from father, sister, or brother."

"You have it exactly."

"Where will they live-in the north or the south?"

"I would think they'd spend the summers in Arcos and the winters in Ferra."

"And with us around, they'll never lack for advisers!" They break into laughter at the same moment.

Down on the beach, Teo bounds up the slope and comes close to knocking his brother over. But Aria has such a firm grip on Alexos that the accident is averted. Now Alexos has the boy around the shoulders and they are linked, the three of them. It's a beautiful sight. Even from this distance, the men can feel their happiness, that much greater for being so unexpected.

Claudio looks over at Suliman and sees that he is weeping. He turns away, not wanting to intrude on a private moment. But Suliman knows he's been observed and he doesn't mind. He welcomes it, in fact, the long-missed opportunity of sharing his deepest feelings with a friend. He opens his heart.

"I had a wife once-long ago, before I came to Arcos."

Claudio turns but does not speak.

"We had a beautiful son. He was three years old. I loved my wife very much and I doted on my boy. I was a prince, though a minor one, the youngest of seven. I had everything a man could desire: wealth and position, love and purpose. I am glad to say I knew at the time how fortunate I was.

"But then, when I had been away on some business for my brother, I returned to find that there had been a fire and my family had perished in it."

"Oh, Suliman!"