Arkhelios Adventures
Princess Victoriana stared at her phone, hoping for a message from her mother that demanded that she return to the castle at once. However hard she prayed it would happen, it was probably an impossible hope. Her mother and soon to be stepmother were scheduled all day for wedding planning, and there was nothing more that Claudia enjoyed than forcing family bonding time. So while her mother hunted for the perfect dress, Victoriana was stuck with her grandfather all day. Normally she enjoyed her grandparents, but they weren't even doing anything interesting. Grandpa Ewan was talking with his weird friend in dusty old Arkhelios, where absolutely nothing interesting ever happened...outside of the occasional murder it seemed.
Arkhelios was where her sort of friend Theo lived when he wasn't at school in Pleasantview, but he had declined to come home for the weekend to help prepare for a coven interview with his aunt.
It wasn't like she didn't adore her grandparents, as they were the only side of her family that she knew about. Grandma and Grandpa were nice and spoiled Victoriana rotten, and her uncles Oliver and Travis did the same, but Victoriana was bored senseless here. Her mother always told her that it was good practice for when she was bored to tears in meetings as queen, but Victoriana never believed her. Being queen could never be boring: her mother was just wrong.
"Vicki, put down your phone and go play with the other kids," Ewan ordered, gesturing with his hands towards the group of Durant children milling around. "You might make a new friend that you could invite to the castle for sleepovers, who knows? You'll never make friends glued to your phone all day."
Victoriana scoffed, but her grandfather wouldn't budge.
"Either you put down the phone, or it magically disappears from your hand. I can't be responsible if it never comes back from whatever dimension I send it too either. Its just too hard to guarantee."
Ewan gave a playful wink to Jorah as Victoriana scowled at him. Jorah had no doubt that his friend could perfectly control the magic he wielded, which only made Jorah more curious about what exactly Ewan could do.
He'd been hosting almost weekly barbecues with Ewan and his family since the day they had met. Valerian had been thrilled to hear about Jorah's new supernatural friend and insisted on having them over as often as possible. Together, the two couples had bonded over their love of family and tried to get together whenever they could find the time. It was a bit tricky to get Ewan and Anna's children to attend, given that the oldest two were adults and little Travis was in boarding school with Theo most of the time, but Victoriana was often babysat by her grandparents. She was still hesitant to join the younger members of the large Durant family, but it seemed to be Ewan's mission to find his granddaughter some non-regal friends.
"Come on, Vicki, we have a cool video game we can play."
Susanna was the gentle spirit in Jorah's family. Cindra's son and daughter were just as gentle and friendly as Susanna, but they didn't share the same DNA as Susanna's siblings, so it was harder to notice. To his chagrin, Jorah's other children didn't seem to share their sister's compassion. Hamnet was wild and hyper, running loops around the house and inviting wild dogs in the house to play with. There was a chance that he might settle down as he grew older, but his sister Judith seemed hopeless. If Jorah had to guess, all of her genetic inheritance from the Durant family came from either his mother or older sister. Judith didn't play well with her royal cousins, and she didn't tolerate annoyance well. Susanna was more than willing to embrace Victoriana, but Judith only saw a royal snob looking to play with her things.
"It's too nice out for video games," Jorah declared. "Why don't you guys play outside where I can keep an eye on you until dinner's ready?"
"It's a shame that Anna couldn't come today," Jorah commented, watching as the children scattered in the yard, reluctantly kicking a soccer ball around.
Ewan shrugged.
"She sends her regards, but something at work came up. Hopefully she'll be back soon enough tonight to try some leftovers."
Jorah paused, mindlessly flicking the burgers while he thought of how to phrase his thought.
"Is there any way that she can skip work?" he asked quietly. "I mean, her working means that someone's going to die, can't she just...not go to work today?"
Ewan gave his friend a frustrated look, but he understood the concern. It was probably the most frequent question a reaper was asked by a mortal. Interactions with mortals didn't happen often, but when they did, it always came down to this question.
"We talked about this, Jorah," Ewan reminded his friend. "The people are going to die regardless; we're just there to help them pass peacefully. So it would be much worse for everyone involved if Anna didn't go. Those lives can't be saved once they are sent to a team to reap. It's the way of things."
"Yeah, I know," Jorah sighed. He'd been expecting that answer, but still hoped deep down for a different outcome. "I get it. It's just hard to wrap my brain around it. People are dying in Pleasantview possibly at this very moment and your wife is there to help them die. Plus, there's a team just like yours working in Arkhelios who are standing by just in case Valerian or I die. It's weird."
"You did ask to know," Ewan reminded him gently. "Not many other mortals know about us for this reason. You're sure that you're okay with being our friend, right? Anna and I would understand if-"
"Don't even question it," Jorah interrupted quickly. "Sorry, sometimes I just get stuck on a thought and twist myself into knots trying to resolve it. You and Anna have been great to get to know, and we have so much in common. I haven't had this much fun with a friend since I was in college, Valerian too. Please, feel free to tell me if I make you uncomfortable. That's the last thing I want to do. Truthfully, ever since my sister blew up our family, I don't seem to have many friends at all. I was once really close to the Bellamys and now...now we don't talk, really."
"Ah well, I guess I can stick around then," Ewan teased. Jorah tossed him a beer, which the reaper accepted gratefully.
"So if you don't need to eat to sustain yourself, can you get drunk?" Jorah asked, opening his own bottle. He'd ask anything if it meant changing the subject from his own loneliness. "Do you need to stay sober in case you get called into work? I won't be offended if you can't."
Ewan took a sip of his drink, still keeping a careful eye on his brooding granddaughter.
"Trust me, it takes a lot to get a reaper drunk, so no worries," he replied. "We're connected to our once living remains as reapers, so we are able to experience faint echos of the human experience. Our reaper forms are designed to be efficient and powerful though, so I'd need to drink more alcohol than you have in all your house to be unable to perform my job. Besides, barring some kind of emergency, I have the day off. Gee- er, the Grim Reaper that is, is really good about flexible schedules. I have to pick up Travis later on from school today, so I have the time off."
"Oh? How is life with only one teenager left in the house?" Jorah asked. "Things are such a zoo here, I don't think I'll ever have free time until the day I die."
Ewan shrugged.
"It's a lot easier being a grandparent," he said. "I try to teach Vicki what I can and then send her home. It's a lot harder trying to reach a troubled child in full teenage rebellion. You can never do anything right, no matter how hard you try. I love Travis just as much as my other children, but he can't see it. He has too much of his mother in him and I don't know what to do."
"You know who his biological parents are?" Jorah asked, searching his brain for any memory that discussed Ewan's adopted son. Jorah had long thought about adopting more children himself one day, so it was something he had at least asked Ewan about.
"Of course I know," Ewan replied. "He's my biological nephew. My sister's kid. He's the son of two very powerful and dangerous witches, which unfortunately gets him into trouble pretty often. Anna just had a meeting on Monday about his latest incident. If Claudia wasn't the queen, he'd probably be expelled from school by now. He just needs guidance, that's all."
Jorah nodded. He knew all too well what the inside of a principal's office looked like because of Judith. When she wasn't tearing holes into the classroom puppets, she was getting into spats with classmates and pushing people at recess.
"I know what you mean," he sighed. "I try so hard to be supportive and encouraging, but there's still a wall my Judith refuses to lower. You try so hard for your kids and sometimes, all they do is fight you on it. For the life of me, I just don't understand how to reach that girl."
"Right? We've given everything to Travis. He's my son and I love him just as much as Claudia or Oliver. He has questions about his biological parents that I can't answer, and I get it. Really, I do. I have so many questions about why my biological father is the way he is, and what that means for me, so I know. I've tried to educate him on what i know of his parents and he just gets angrier."
"Hmmm. Have you tried asking other reapers for their opinion? I would ask Roman, personally if it were my kids. His mom was a nightmare and he seems to have gotten over it. Or at least he seemed like it the last time I saw him face to face. I don't really see him more than once a year when he drops off the desserts for charity. He might have some insight if you ask. I could introduce you if you want."
"Ah, I'll pass," Ewan said politely. "I don't want to step on the Arkhelios reaper team's toes by befriending half the country. We're supposed to try to not stand out, and let's face it, I'm the dead king of Pleasantview and the Queen's father. I have white hair and a dead princess for a wife. If I went too public, a lot more eyes would be drawn to me and the reaper program. We try not to present ourselves in public unless we have to. I'm also not sure that Claudia would appreciate me stopping by her old boyfriend's house to ask about parenting advice."
"Oh yeah, Claudia and Roman used to hook up when we were younger," Jorah recalled. "It drove Abe crazy. That one time it was even on the news and he almost had a full-blown tantrum. I'd nearly forgotten about that."
"Well, she certainly hasn't. I'd never hear the end of it if she heard I was chatting up Roman."
Abe paused, unsure of what to say when he got to the Durant's front door.
"Hi, my husband is going crazy because your bitchy sister won't let him see his kid?" "Could you ask Maura to let her wife's affair partner meet his daughter?"
Nothing sounded convincing enough. If Abe were in Maura’s shoes, he'd probably slam the door in his face too. Georgiana wasn't legally Roman's child and there was little he could do to change that.
It needed to be changed though. Roman was a mess of guilt and self-loathing, convinced that he was about to lose his son to a blood thirsty coven of witches. If Abe could just fix one of the many worries of his husband, surely Roman would improve. There was no way to throw himself at the mercy of the Maricourts, so he'd asked his sister to help. Lucy was currently grilling her godson with possible questions and good legal answers in Pleasantview, which was the best Abe could hope for his son. Lucy would teach Theo to protect himself and return the witches' questions without incriminating himself.
So, unable to continue to watch his husband deteriorate, Abe had walked over to the Durant house to speak with Jorah. If anyone would be sympathetic to Roman, it would be him.
"Abe? How are you?"
Jorah watched as Abe Helios-Bellamy crept nervously into the backyard of the Durant house. It was truly a shock to see him again, and without a clear reason. Nervously, Jorah leaned against Ewan, trying to look nonchalant about his visitor.
"This is my friend, Ewan," Jorah said quickly, interrupting Abe before he could answer Jorah's question. "He's visiting for a barbecue. He's from out of town, you wouldn't know him."
"That's great, Jorah. I'm happy for you."
Abe stood in nervous silence for a moment, while the two other men returned his stare.
"This is awkward, I'm sorry," Abe said quickly. "I don't want to ruin your barbecue or anything, I just wanted to talk to you quickly about something. I can come back if you're busy."
"No, don't worry about it," Jorah replied. "We're just waiting for the burgers to finish and chatting about the kids. Why don't you join us? Here, have a beer while we wait for the food. Come join us."
Abe nervously took a bottle from Jorah, glancing at it briefly before opening it up.
"Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me," he said. "I wasn't sure if you'd see me or not. Things have been strained between our families for a while now."
"Not by my choice," Jorah replied. "I know that Roman regrets the affair; you can see it all over his face. The cakes he brings for Georgiana are all made with a father's love. It's not fair what Maura is doing to him. It's wrong."
"That was exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Abe said. "Roman's not in a good place lately. Theo had another episode and now he has to answer to a Pleasantview coven. I don't know what they can do to him if they don't like his answers. Maybe he might get expelled from school, who knows?"
"So he's taking after Roman then," Jorah laughed. "It's Bellamy family tradition to get expelled from a Pleasantview academy."
Abe shot Jorah a dirty look, one that Ewan mirrored. The last thing he needed was Jorah treating the situation as a joke.
"Sorry, I was just trying to break the ice. Valerian always tells me my nervous jokes aren't funny."
"Yeah, well, we're hoping it won't come to expulsion," Abe continued. "Roman's been freaking out about it, and it was recently Georgiana's birthday and...well, he's not himself. I'm really worried about him."
"So Princess Georgiana is the biological daughter of Roman Bellamy?' Ewan asked, looking concerned all of a sudden.
Jorah assumed Ewan's concern stemmed from this information being scandalous and shocking.
"Yes. Well, no. Sort of," he rambled nervously. "She is, but we're not supposed to talk about it. She's legally Maura’s daughter no one is supposed to know. Don't tell anyone, I don't want it to become part of the Arkhelios rumour mill."
"I'll take it to the grave," Ewan replied cryptically. "And he's never been allowed to see Georgiana? That doesn't sound like Maura. She's always been such a sweet girl and a great friend to Claudia. This doesn't sound like her at all."
"She's not exactly a teenager anymore," Jorah pointed out. "Do you see her often since she became queen? Losing her family changed everything for her. She's incredibly rude at family dinners, if she even comes at all."
Ewan weighed this new information in his mind.
"Does Claudia know about this?"
"Yeah, I'd say so," Jorah answered. "She and Ulyssa got into some kind of fight about it the day you and I met. Ulyssa was pretty shaken up after, even when we'd teleported back to Arkhelios."
"I see," Ewan murmured, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his messages. "Abe, let me see what I can do for you. This goes against everything the Siew family stands for and I know my wife won't be happy to hear of this. I'll make some calls. Vicki? Get your things ready to go, we're leaving in a few minutes."
A gleeful princess rushed into the house to grab her things, happy to be going anywhere but Arkhelios. Abe gave Jorah a confused look as Ewan started dialing his phone beside them.
"Who is that guy and why does he think he can help?" Abe whispered. Beside them, Ewan waved and then dissolved into a shower of magical energy along with his granddaughter.
"Some one who may be able to help." Jorah answered, still looking at the magical remnants of his friend blinking in and out of existence. "He knows some people in high places."
"Why would you let some random guy handle the situation?" Abe asked. "You're the leader of the Durant family, and Ulyssa and Georgiana are Durants. Can't you just talk to Ulyssa yourself?"
Jorah frowned at the idea of trying to use any kind of authority on Ulyssa. His sister was stubborn and set in her ways, and definitely wasn't going to listen to her brother about anything, especially Georgiana.
"No, she'd never listen," Jorah said with a resigned sigh. "It's better to see what Ewan can come up with. I have a feeling that Maura might listen to him."
Abe tried to hide his disappointment, but failed.
"Oh, okay then. Uh, thanks I guess."
Abe looked nervously around his surroundings, unsure of what to say next. He'd been hoping that Jorah would take some initiative and help personally, instead of pawning off the task on some random guy who might know Maura. If he asked something of the Helios or Bellamy heirs, they'd get the task done in seconds. Unfortunately, Jorah wasn't that kind of leader. Who even knew if that random guy would help Abe, or if Jorah would follow up with him?
This was a dumb idea. I shouldn't have assumed that Jorah would do anything to help Roman. I have to figure something else out.
"Hey, thanks for the beer, Jorah," Abe said. He looked at his phone for a moment, pretending that an urgent text had just come in. "Sorry, I've got to cut this short. Roman needs help with dinner. See you around though. Good talk."
Jorah stared at Abe's retreating form, feeling oddly disheartened. Abe was disappointed with him as a leader, and Ewan had left to try to deal with the situation himself rather than talk it through with his friend. Was Jorah in the wrong in this situation? If so, how did he change?
The smell of burning hamburger jolted Jorah from his thoughts.
Let's finish lunch before I set the yard on fire. There's plenty of time to feel bad about myself after.
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