Queen of Summer's Ice (Book 2)

Chapter 45

     "I would like to formally introduce myself, my name is Alagan, and it is no longer a secret that I am part of the Spring Court. By the look of your faces, you have never seen me, I can tell you now that I am not one of your offsprings."

     "Who in the lands are you?" Cedar doesn't form any cement in his hands, but they are ready to throw hunks of them if he doesn't like the next works that come out of Alagan's mouth.

     "Be patient, I'm getting there. Let me start off by telling you that your library is missing some valuable information if you don't seem to know that many many years ago the four seasons lived in a peaceful truce. So with that being said, the Spring King some uncounted years ago had an affair with someone, who was not his wife, from another season. That woman hid her pregnancy from spring, and everyone else for that matter, and had her child raised in secret. Once the child was born, he lived under the mothers home as a common worker, not his true nature as an heir to the throne. When he showed no signs of having traits from the lands, his mother was upset to say the least, but still the boy had a place to live. Until some accusations were falsely made that caused him to flee the lands. In his fear he stole a boat from summer and took his chances off in the ocean. Out there the winds were rough and the tides even more ruthless, his boat crashed on a small piece of island, barely anything there to hold his body up. 

     Well, desperate times helped this boy wake up those powers that laid hidden within him. From that pebble of an island sprout miles and miles of land where he grew up and perfected his powers. If you haven't figured out that the boy in that story is me, then try a little harder to pay attention."

     "Impossible," Cedar said. His hands have not relaxed since the story was told, but his eyes did wonder over Alagan, the same as the others at the table, trying to see which relative he looked like. "Who was your father? I know for a fact it was not my father."

     "No, not a chance that is was him."

     "Then who?" Cedar practically demanded.

     "A man named Owen."

     Cedar's face scrunched up, "Owen?" He questioned more to himself. His eyes looked up to the ceiling as if he was scrolling through his memories to find that name.

     "Think back farther than you would expect."

     "How old are you?" Tulip was brave enough to ask over her brothers shoulder.

     "...Old."

     Tulip was the one who was looking at Alagan as if she was just about to piece it together. Maybe that library did have some information. I figured they had to have something if they still kept the book about Jules and his three of the lands powers hidden.

     And then Tulips eyes went wide, she solved a piece of the puzzle. "Owen was only king for less than thirty years before he was poisoned along with the other royals from other seasons. There were wanted posters with a mans face and the description that he was a spring. That couldn't...that couldn't have been you. That was centuries ago," she said breathlessly.

     "Leave it to the royals that don't have the lands powers to know more of their history than those with. Now, tell me Tulip what else did it say?"

     "Nothing, there was nothing else. They never found you, or your body, they just assumed you died alone. And Owen was king for less than a century, there was nothing else of his history written."

     "I was alone, yes, but far from dying darling." Alagan looked back to Cedar. "So, confirming that my history matches what is in your library, and with the validation of your very own daughter, it seems to be that you are not the king at all. I am."