ELRETH

When everyone had gone except her family, Elreth finally let herself slump. She'd been holding herself so tight her shoulders hurt.

Her mother spoke softly with Gar as Aaryn approached her chair and knelt at the arm, taking her hand. "You're amazing," he said quietly, though his eyes still held the hint of an edge.

She sighed and squeezed his hand. "I can't just hand it over, Aaryn. The other tribes will eat you all alive."

"I know, I know," he said reluctantly. "I just… they've waited so long. They're so hopeful."

"And they should stay that way. But they need to be patient with it."

He nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Are you?" She'd seen several of the older males pull Aaryn aside before they left. She prayed they were not going to make trouble.

"Yes, I'm fine," he asked, surprised.

"Weren't they pressuring you to pressure me? On the timing, I mean?"

"No. They were telling me things they wanted me to bring to you privately. They know that we're spending time together," he winked.

She sighed again. "Can we not talk about this any more tonight, though? It's been such a huge day. Tonight I just want to rest with you."

Aaryn's face fell. "I don't think I can stay. Mom's… not doing great. If she's better when I get home I might be able to run back. But she wasn't good at dinner and I just…"

"Oh, Aaryn, I'm so sorry." She pushed herself up out of the chair and pulled him into a hug. He came gratefully.

They held each other until her brother snorted and muttered, "Go to your room."

"You're just jealous," Elreth said as they pulled apart.

Gar's face went blank for a second, then he shrugged. "Keep telling yourself that."

His guard was back up and Elreth wondered why he'd come if he was going to stay resistant to letting her behind that curtain that he'd dropped when the disformed were here. But she'd had an idea when she'd watched him with them. She decided to just drop it on him to see how he'd react.

"So, brother, all grown up. Do you want a job?"

Gar frowned. "No."

"Not even if it's emissary to the disformed?"

Gar gaped, and even her mother's mouth dropped open. "T-that's a huge role!"

She nodded. "Look, it's pretty obvious you've not only been helping them all this time, but you're accepted by them. Like one of them. If this is going to happen, I need someone to bridge the gap between the tribes and the disformed. Especially if I'm going to make them an tribe."

Gar gaped again. "You want me… to act for the people?"

"I do, but I have a lot of uneasiness about how this will work. So I'm going to go slowly. Since you're one of our family, the people will listen to you. I'd like to announce that you'll be a part of my team. For now, I can call you an Advisor, or something. But when this starts, I'd appoint you formally."

Gar blinked. Elia stood next to him, hands on her mouth, watching his face with bright eyes.

"I'll… I'll think about it," he growled.

"Only think about it?"

Gar looked at her sharply. "You just said yourself, sometimes things take time and we need to be patient. I don't know if I'm ready to be a part of the royal legacy, sister. I refuse to be seen as the little Reth. Even a diluted one."

Elreth sighed. "What happened between you and Dad, Gar?" she asked quietly. Aaryn was watching him carefully. "Why do you hate him?"

"I don't hate him," Gar growled. "I'm just not like him."

"So? Neither am I."

Gar snorted and even Aaryn coughed as if he covered a laugh. Her mother had suddenly found something very interesting to look at on the wall facing away from Elreth.

"Are you kidding?" Gar chuckled. "You're a fucking Reth cookie-cutter with tits, Elreth."

"Gar!"

"I just mean, you think like he does, you act like he does—you even growl the same way. It's kind of hilarious."

"He always tells me how much I'm like Mom!"

"Because he's fucking oblivious. You two are like peas in a pod. And I'm not."

"So? Neither is Mom, and she's not pissed off about it."

"Mom does her own thing—and he fucking submits to her. I'm the only one in this family that everyone else looks down on. I might not be him, but I have things to offer. He just wanted me to be another him, and I'm not."

"I don't think Dad really wants to make you—"

Gar began to mutter in a deep growl, so like their father's that Elreth almost turned to see if he'd entered the room, "Why can't you be more like Elreth? What is wrong with you, why would do that? When are you going to grow up, Gar? Such a disappointment…"

Elreth realized she'd heard all of those things from her father—usually when he was frustrated because Gar was acting up or causing trouble. But Gar's mimicry was on point.

"You know, you don't help the whole situation when you pull shit like sending Dad in to interrupt us. It makes you look like you don't care about anyone but yourself. I thought that, a little bit, until tonight. Why would you do all this and not tell anyone? Why let Dad accuse you of wasting your time when you aren't?"

"Because if he'd paid one fucking ounce of attention he would have figured it out. But instead he just judges me every time I walk through the door. Well, one of these days he's going to eat some humble pie."

"Really, Gar? This is about humbling him?"

Gar's face went tight. "This is about everyone in this City thinking I'm special, but only because of my dad, and my dad thinking I'm a fucking second-class citizen. Do you know how many females make the signals for me, then all they want to do is ask about him? Or find out how I'm like him?"

Elreth blinked. "Ew."

"That's one time I'll agree with you. Ew, fucking ew. So, I've been doing everything I can to make sure people know I'm nothing like him. And if they misunderstand and don't pay attention to what I can do… that's their problem."

Elreth sighed. "Gar, I—"

"If you say one word to defend him, I swear I'll leave and I won't be at any more of your meetings, El. I am done trying to make him happy—and you'll notice, he's done having any time for me that doesn't involve lecturing me or trying to change me. So, we're both done and we're both happier that way."

Elreth knew that wasn't true, but she could also see her brother wasn't in a position to hear it, so she sighed and nodded. "Okay, well… thank you for telling me. And… I'm serious about the emissary position. If you want it, it's yours. But it will mean you'll have to come to more of my meetings. It will mean you'll have to actually, you know, do stuff I ask you to do. And you'll have to accept that I won't always take your advice."

Gar snorted. "When have you ever taken my advice?"

El rolled her eyes, but she grinned. "Just as long as we both know where we stand."

There was a pause, and for a second she thought Gar was going to smile, and maybe even accept the role. But then he just shrugged and said, "I'll think about it. For real."

"Thank you."

"But you have to promise me you aren't telling Dad what I do."

Elreth bit her lip, but nodded. "Okay. I won't for now."

"El—"

"No, listen, Gar. I'm Queen. Like, you can tease me if you want, but there might come a time when I need your help, or something's happening… it just might be unavoidable at some point. So as long as it's not going to hurt people, I'll keep your secret, okay? But if it will ever cause problems, I'm going to tell."

Gar's lips twisted. "I guess I can just quit then," he growled.

Elreth smiled. "Thank you, brother. You're a much better male than any of them realize. Including me. I'm sorry… I'm sorry I didn't pay attention. I'm sorry I said those things to you that night. I was… it was a hard night for me. But I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Gar blinked in surprise. "I… I forgive you."

"Thank you."

They smiled at each other and Elreth felt lighter in her heart towards her brother than she thought she ever had before.