Celebrations

Harlyn

I walk into the room and sit next to Stefan. I know I panicked too much with Thorin; it’s hard to remember that he is strong and a lycan. To me, I see him as the baby from when he was born, and he’s still a child.

“How are you feeling?” Stefan glances at me. He seems off—not like before, but like he’s avoiding me.

“I’m fine, honestly. Shouldn’t we go out there and celebrate, Your Majesty?” I ask.

“I’d rather sit here with you and the pups,” he says while smiling.

I know he would rather that, but he’s the king. Him avoiding a celebration after a battle isn’t right. “We will join you,” I say.

“Your father will be there, Harlyn,” his words are barely a whisper. I know I didn’t want to see or speak to him, but it’s going to be impossible. I know they would have used my father to help with the battle, and it would be wrong to remove him from the celebration.

I also don’t like that me insisting I avoid him will make it harder for everyone.

“I’m fine with it, Your Majesty. At some point, I will need to see and speak to him for my mother and my brothers, so I may as well do it now. It’s not me forgiving him, but I don’t want my family to feel like we can’t be in the same room, and they have to choose.” It’s wrong, and I will only be going as low as my father had.

“Well...” Stefan says, then stops.

“Are you okay, Your Majesty?” I ask, feeling like he isn’t. He’s acting weird.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Can not call me that when we’re not surrounded by guests, please?” he asks.

“Then what should I call you?” I always called him Your Highness or Majesty, if less we were alone, and I knew for sure he had stepped out of that role.

“Really Harlyn?” He looks at me disappointed. What did I do? “Just call me Stefan, even around family. It feels wrong you calling me anything, and like you’re seeing me as the king,” he explains.

“You are the king, Stefan,” I explain.

His eyes roll, “I know, forget it, come on.” Standing he walks to the door, I want to ask him what is going on but before I can Lotta has already ran to him, sighing I follow with Isaac and Thorin. Entering the hall, it’s full of guests.

I search around for Lucy, unable to see her or Samuel.

“Is Samuel okay?” I look at Stefan.

“He’s fine. He and Lucy should be here anytime now. He healed well,” Stefan explains. I watch as the crowds appear, and he gets lost in the mass amount of people asking him things.

Grabbing the pups, we move away from him, but I can see he is fed up.

“Harlyn,” I hear my mother call and smile. Turning, I hug her. “Please tell me you’re staying,” she asks.

“I thought you would have known I was?” Had no one told her?

“Well, everyone said you were coming back, but that didn’t mean you had chosen to stay,” she explains, but her tone is weird.

“What is it, mother?” I ask.

“Nothing. Well, as I said, no one knows if you’re planning to actually stay, not even the king, so if you have chosen to stay, maybe let him know?” she says while smiling.

I thought he realised I was staying; is that why he’s distant? In case I decide to leave?

“I’ll speak to him when he’s not swamped in a mob of people,” I explain and smile at her.

“Good, I’m taking my grandbabies with me,” she walks off and I laugh as they follow her and dance, my eyes not missing her sneaking them cookies. Of course, she is.

For a while, I stand alone and watch the pups. I see Lucy and Samuel walk in. He’s healing, but there are still marks across his face. Turning back to where my mother is, my body runs cold, and I go to move.

A hand stops me.

“They are safe, he is apologising,” the former king speaks.

“Apologising is fine, Your Grace. However, I’m unsure if Thorin will react well to him being so close after what he did,” I explain and wait. I don’t want Thorin to attack him, and things turn bad.

“Thorin is very much like Stefan. I am sure he will listen to your father’s apology and then walk away and ask for your view,” he smiles at me.

I stay watching, and Thorin isn’t even speaking. Right now, my father is kneeling in front of him with his head bowed as he speaks.

“Apologising won’t be enough,” I whisper.

“Of course not,” the former king sits next to me. Your father wants to make up for how he treated you your entire life, and he knows an apology won’t be worthy; hence, he hasn’t tried to approach you. He is considering ways to make you aware that deep down, he didn’t want to do those things, just as you hadn’t towards Stefan,” he explains, and I nod.

I watch as Thorin rushes over to me.

“As I said, like Stefan, his mother’s view is more important than his own. Consider that when you answer his questions, Harlyn.” He stands and walks away as Thorin reaches me. I watch as he sits beside me but doesn’t speak.

“Are you okay?” I peer down at him, but he stays quiet. I fight back all the emotion. The former king is right, if Thorin senses my unease, or hate to anything towards my father it will impact his own view.

“Harold said sorry for hurting me,” Thorin speaks, and I nod.

“Before you continue, you can feel people’s feelings, so was he genuine?” I ask, watching as he nods his head. “Right, so we have established that, so don’t wonder what his plan is. You know he apologised because he is genuinely sorry,” I say.

I know what he will do, and that is to consider whether my father had a plan that required his apology. He looks at me. “Do I forgive him?”

Sighing, I look from him to my father. “That is your choice, Thorin. Only you can decide if you want to forgive him. Don’t consider me or anyone else. Do you want to forgive him?” I ask and wait.

He stays quiet for a short while before nodding. “He does feel bad for it, so yes,” he replies.

“Then you can forgive him.” I don’t want to ruin his chance at having a relationship with my father. He was great with Samuel and Colton, and I have no doubt he will be the same with the pups. Thorin nods and walks back to where my mother and father are.

The only reason I am staying away is because I can see both Samuel and Stefan watching my father’s every move.