MERA X RIVER VISIT
918 Words
Ansel is the first one to break away from his parents.
He’s already seated on the floor with Rowan and the twins, legs crossed, toy animals scattered between them like a miniature battlefield.
Reagan is explaining, very seriously, why Encanto has better songs, while Rosalie insists Frozen has better drama.
Ansel listens, nodding gravely.
Then he looks up at Elora, eyes bright.
“So… I’m really happy you guys are here,” he says simply. “I’ve never had this many new friends before.”
Elora smiles before she can stop herself.
And then Ansel tilts his head.
“But why were you guys exiled?”
The room stills.
It’s not accusatory. Not curious in a political way. Just… a child asking for context.
For a brief moment, no one speaks.
Fleur’s posture tightens. Jasper exhales slowly.
Elora feels that familiar knot twist in her chest.
Before anyone can redirect, Caspian speaks.
“Oh,” he says easily, leaning back in his chair. “That’s because I lied and told everyone I was the real king."
Silence.
Ansel’s eyes widen.
“And,” Caspian adds, thoughtfully, “that I was working with vampires.”
Ansel gasps, hand flying to his mouth.
“You told everyone you were my daddy?!”
Caspian nods solemnly. “Yes.”
Aslan straightens.
Caspian continues, completely unbothered. “But I won’t do it again. Lying is bad.”
Ansel considers this very seriously.
“Well,” he says slowly, “I told Mom I didn’t eat the cookies when I did.”
He pauses.
“…oops.”
Caspian nods in understanding. “See? Growth.”
Ansel nods back, satisfied. “Okay.”
Just like that, the tension dissolves.
Elora hears Lysander exhale a laugh beside her.
Fleur presses her lips together, shaking her head. Odette reaches over and kisses Caspian’s cheek, murmuring something only he hears.
He grins.
Across the room, Leo has gone very still.
Not offended. Not angry.
Interested.
Later — much later — Leo finds himself beside Caspian near the edge of the grounds.
“You really didn’t think that would work,” Leo says quietly.
Caspian shrugs. “Oh, I did. Just not for long.”
Leo huffs a laugh despite himself. “You don’t care what people think.”
“I care,” Caspian replies easily. “I just don’t let it decide who I am.”
Leo looks at him then. Really looks.
Aslan watches from a distance, expression unreadable.
Caspian isn’t loud. He isn’t rallying anyone. He isn’t plotting.
And somehow, that worries Aslan more than if he were.
Because this kind of trouble doesn’t announce itself.
It changes things.
......
Elora POV
I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.
That’s the thought that follows me as I smooth my hands down my jeans for the third time and glance out the cottage window.
Everything has been… good. Too good.
Lysander’s parents have been welcoming without hovering. The grounds feel peaceful. My family is settling in.
And that alone makes me uneasy.
I’ve learned that peace, for people like us, is usually temporary.
Still—today isn’t about fear. Today is about them.
A familiar car pulls up the drive, and my chest loosens all at once.
“Mera,” I breathe. “River."
Before I can even reach the door, my parents are already there.
Fleur opens it first, her smile genuine and warm. “You two look taller every time I see you.”
River laughs. “We say the same thing about you.”
Mera barely gets a chance to speak before my mom pulls her into a hug. “You’re family here,” Fleur says firmly, as if it’s always been true. As if it doesn’t need explaining.
I realize, distantly, that this is the first time in years my friends have been welcomed into a home without hesitation.
No glances. No whispers. No caution.
Just… open arms.
And that’s when it hits me again—how much I’ve missed this. How much we’ve all lost.
We pile into the car together, laughing too loudly, talking over one another like nothing has changed. Like we’re still just three friends heading out after school.
The pack’s theater room is larger than I remember—sectioned seating, deep couches, a pantry stocked with food I forgot existed, a massive screen glowing softly at the far wall. Games are scattered across tables. Music hums faintly from hidden speakers.
River stares. “I forgot places like this were real.”
“So did I,” Mera murmurs.
Lysander is already there, leaning against the arm of a couch, talking with a small group.
When he sees us, his posture shifts—subtle, instinctive. His eyes find me immediately.
And soften.
“Hey,” he says, smiling as he approaches. “I’ve seen you both around school.”
River grins. “Hard not to notice a prince.”
Lysander snorts. “Please don’t start.”
He gestures us forward. “Everyone—this is Elora’s friends. Mera. River.”
There are about fifteen people total—spread out, relaxed, not overwhelming. Familiar faces. Curious ones.
“Casper,” Lysander says, nodding toward a guy lounging back like he owns the couch. “Everest
. Kaden. Kaelynn—you already know.”
Kaelynn waves enthusiastically.
Casper looks up.
And something shifts.
I don’t know how else to describe it—but I feel it. The air tightens. My skin prickles.
Mera goes very still beside me.
- Writer
