Chapter 119 - Home (1/2)

I kissed my cute chubby-cheeked Roland one last time the day of our departure for the Kanta Mountains. It had been a long and uneventful winter, making last minute preparations and negotiations with Franz for proper restitution.

The baby was nearly a year old and was crawling everywhere. My heart ached that I would miss his first steps and likely never hear him call me ”Ka-ee” again. He had been the closed thing I would ever have to a nephew unless the du Pont children decided to stay in touch after I left.

As predicted, the countess was absolutely distraught. We made sure to head out before she could fuss too much.

”Take care of yourself Katie,” Mariela said with a sad smile. ”You too, Al. It will not be nearly as lively around here without the two of you.”

”You say that as if it is a bad thing,” Franz muttered under his breath, which made me laugh. We had caused an awful lot of trouble for him but hey, we had helped him gain the throne too. It all evened out in the end, didn't it?

”The builders and knights who will assist with the rebuilding efforts shall accompany you to the mountains,” he said formally. ”Feel free to send me word if things are not going smoothly and I will send someone to remedy that.”

I gave him my best curtsy since we were in formal diplomatic mode now. ”Thank you Your Majesty. May we have a fruitful alliance.”

Al rolled his eyes at me and gestured for me to come. He gave his foster brother one last stiff nod before we walked away from the palace forever.

We met up with Ayana and all of her children's families with the caravan full of supplies, things we brought from the palace, and people. The other occupants of the slums looked at us with both confusion and awe.

”Where are you going, Ayana?” one of them dared to ask.

She beamed at her old neighbor. ”Home.”

The journey was not so simple. It took weeks to move that many people and objects from the coast to the countryside to the mountains. Whatever roads had once been there were now overgrown so we had to travel on foot or horseback once we reached the mountains.

Ayana led the way to where her old village, Ilmir, once stood. There wasn't much left after more than two and a half decades of neglect. A few crumbling buildings remained that didn't look safe to step inside.

”This is it,” she said in a choked voice. ”My home.”