Fantasy, Heist, Romance, Found-Family - Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Felix was on him as soon as Ronan and Tony made it back to the living room. Ronan's face wound up smushed into his shoulder - God, he was so tall - and Ronan could feel his erratic heartbeat.
"I'm going to miss you," Felix sniffled. "So much."
Ronan hadn't even said he was leaving yet.
"It feels so much more real this time, and I don't- you're doing the right thing, I know you are, it would be selfish to ask you to stay but I- will you..." he pulled back and gripped Ronan's shirt, and Ronan marveled at how Felix could at once look down at him and look up to him. "Can you write me? When you come to port, and maybe after that too?"
"Felix," Ronan said, crushed. "Of course I'll write you. We're brothers, aren't we?" Felix sniffled, and Ronan pulled him in again. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
"You'd better write me," Sadie demanded when it was her turn, screwing her face into a glower to mask the quiver in her bottom lip. She battered his shoulder with light punches then dragged him in. It struck Ronan that this was it, this was goodbye, and he didn't have the first idea what to say to her. He clutched her tight and searched frantically for the right words, something that could capture everything she was to him, and when they didn't come, he began to cry.
Sadie held his face. "Hey, it's okay. Promise me you'll find your everything, yeah?"
Ronan had sworn off promises. He hated receiving them and especially hated making them. But for Sadie, he nodded his head, and she pushed him away and accepted a handkerchief from Elena to noisily blow her nose.
Mitch clapped Ronan's hand and told him brusquely not to drown.
Ronan grinned. "Keep going up, big guy."
His sister lingered at the edge of the group like she still wasn't sure he wanted her there. Ronan thought of how much time he'd wasted being angry, time he'd never get back, and hated himself just a little. But he was proud, too, that he'd stood up for himself.
He held out his hand. She reached for him, paused. Removed her glove. Then she took his hand. Her skin was impossibly soft.
Ronan tugged, and she tripped into him. This was the second time he had ever hugged his sister and would probably be the last, so he made it count, breathing in her vanilla-sweet perfume and horribly wrinkling her dress. She was one thing he would never get closure on, and he had to be okay with that. He wasn't, yet.
"You know I forgive you, right?"
Elena sniveled loudly. She jerked away from him to wipe at whatever she'd gotten on his shoulder, horrified, and Ronan gave a watery laugh. A body appeared at his back, wordlessly taking some of his weight. Ronan eased into Amir and watched as Sadie and Elena did the same for each other, leaning shoulder to shoulder.
"That's it. Let it out, princess."
Sadie, Elena, and Amir. Ronan had wished for forever with the three of them and had gotten one night. It would take some time to get over that. Maybe he never would. But then, Ronan was no stranger to moving on.
One person was missing from the scene.
He found Vito halfway across the backyard with his long limbs spread out, nearly hidden by the overgrown grass. "You're missing the teary goodbye," he said, leaning over Vito's view of the sky.
"Has it been that long? I was...preparing."
"Have you figured out your lines, then?"
"Not at all."
"That's unlike you." Ronan sat facing him in the "V" between his arm and leg and looked out into the woods. "All of this is unlike you. I don't understand. You finally got into the castle, but you didn't do it as the Merry Men."
"Seems we switched." Vito's head lolled to one side. "Imagine my surprise when I found out you were the one to kidnap the third prince."
Ronan gave him a look, pointed and impatient. Vito sat up. "All good things come to those who wait, right? It's a bit early to have the crown itself on our tails. You were right - it'll be dangerous if we're not ready. Deadly, probably, and I won't risk their lives."
Theirs, not ours. Vito would die for his cause, but he wouldn't ask the others to. Frustration bubbled hot in Ronan's gut - why did he have to realize this now, after he'd thrown Ronan away?
"Don't go thinking I've changed," Vito said soberly, like he knew what Ronan was thinking. He usually did. "I'm slowing down to keep my family safe, but I can't stop. You know that."
Ronan knew well.
"We've always wanted different things," said Vito. "I'm not sorry for that. But I used you to pursue what I want and never helped you go after what you want, and I'll be sorry for that 'til I die."
They looked past each other, facing opposite sides of the yard.
"You've always been so good. Better than all of us. And you care so much. I wish I would have done things differently-"
"I don't."
Vito's voice dropped away. Ronan looked at him and appreciated his surprise.
"I am so, so grateful to you for hurting me the way you did."
If Vito had been even a touch more gentle, Ronan might have never broken loose from his orbit. And what a fate it was to be trapped in his gravity - to revolve around him day after day, only ever getting so close. All those years he'd spent picking petals only to land on "he loves me not" every single time; Ronan had been satisfied with so little.
Vito drew a hand over his face, stopping over his mouth, pulling at the skin of his cheeks. His eyes closed and he nodded, ashamed.
"I'm grateful for the rest, too," Ronan said. He would never forget that Vito had saved him. But he couldn't forgive, either. Neither of them moved for a minute. Vito eventually let his hand fall and forced a smile. He stood, offering a hand, and Ronan took it.
"That was a dirty trick you pulled, by the way. Breaking in here, then immediately getting arrested - I didn't even get half a day to be pissed."
Ronan's chest warmed, pleased. Elena had been right: it felt good to act childish.
Vito must've caught onto his smugness, because his smile twitched into something more genuine. Even when it was small, his grin had a crookedness to it.
"You got everything back, didn't you?"
Vito shrugged. "Left it all with Abrams. It's rightfully hers, now: thief code."
Ronan cracked a small, bewildered laugh. Who are you? he wanted to ask, but there wasn't nearly enough time. He would never find out. That, he was okay with.
They walked around to the front of the house, where Ronan watched, feeling outside of himself, as his three bags were loaded onto Bandit's saddle. Rogue was loaded up, too, with Amir's things and four sacks filled to the brim with coins. Amir hid a smaller pouch in Ronan's coat and kept one for himself.
"Christ, how much are you all giving me?"
"Your sister's loaded, Ronnie," said Tony.
"You stole from Dumas?"
Elena smirked. "I am trying to take after my older brother. I hear he's a hero."
Sadie laughed breezily, slinging her arms over Elena's shoulders from behind. "You are magnificent." Elena's smile became something more like herself, private and gentle. They would be friends after Ronan was gone. He was relieved and a bit nauseous.
Felix offered him a massive book. "Don't get lost."
It was a well-loved almanac. Property of Felix Jackson took up most of the inside front cover, in the terrible scrawl he'd had when he was still learning to write. Ronan fought very hard not to cry again.
"Heads up!"
He just managed to catch Tony's throw with one hand. Inside the small velvet box was a pair of tiny ruby droplets embedded in gold.
"Since those bastards took yours," she said. "Make sure you cover 'em with your hair."
He fought a little harder. "Thank you," he murmured to both of them. Amir came to stand before him, reaching for the almanac, but Ronan handed him the box instead. "Can you?"
Amir slipped the earrings through Ronan's piercings. "Beautiful," he whispered, hands lingering over Ronan's cheeks. "I'll meet you at the port?"
Ronan nodded. He hesitated for a second, then leaned up.
Kissing in front of an audience felt terrible, but also pretty incredible. Flaunting that Amir was somehow his, and doing it without fear. Maybe the ship would take them somewhere they could do it in daylight.
He mounted Bandit, but he didn't direct her to the port. There was one more person he needed to see.
The urge to turn tail and run was formidable, but Ronan doubted the pair behind him would let him get very far. He barely knocked once, right over the carving of the redheaded bear, before the door flew open. "Um," he said. "Hi."
Amos damn near bowled him over. He was so large, hugging him was a little suffocating, but Ronan didn't dare let up. His legs felt sort of liquid. He'd never had anything like this before. Thankfully, Amos only eased off to hold him at arm's length, saving Ronan the embarrassment of slumping to the floor.
"We were so worried." Amos examined him thoroughly. "Are you okay?"
"I didn't kidnap anyone," Ronan blurted. He watched Amos' eyes, begging him to believe it. So he saw the way Amos' face screwed up, pronouncing his sunborn wrinkles, right before he pulled Ronan back in.
"Oh, son, of course not. Of course not. Don't tell me you thought any of us fell for that?"
"I..."
"Not for a second. Not one," Amos said firmly. This time, he let Ronan go fully. Ronan barely managed not to crumple like a ragdoll. "I'm serious, are you hurt? Do you need anything?"
"No, no, I'm okay, but," Ronan looked down at his feet. "I have to go. I can't stay here anymore. At your farm or...or on the island at all."
A huge hand clamped down on his shoulder. Ronan nearly toppled.
"You'll stay safe, yeah?"
Ronan looked up. Amos' eyes were glassy. "Yeah," he rasped.
"And you'll be happy?"
"I...I think so. I really do."
Amos beamed.
"There's so much more I wish I could learn from you," said Ronan.
"Me, too."
"I, um. I want to introduce you to someone."
Amos looked past him, smiling warmly. "I can see that."
"If you still need a hand around the farm and the shop, he's- well, he's got a tighter schedule than I do, and he hasn't practiced a trade before, but I've never met anyone smarter. He loves to learn, and he knows his way around a forge."
Felix stepped forward, hand extended. His whole arm shook with the force of Amos' shake. Ronan thought of the circular burn scars beneath his sleeve, the brands of a bad father. They would be good for each other.
Sadie bumped Ronan's hip. "Thank you."
The sky was beginning to lighten. He needed to leave. He could see her smallest freckles, the flyaways frizzing from her braid. Edgar's face popped up from behind her shoulder, and she scratched his head with one finger as he nuzzled her neck, chittering happily into her ear.
"Hey," Ronan said, quiet but urgent. "Will you watch the sunrise with me today?"
"I watch the sunrise every day."
"Listening skills, Sadie. Watch it with me."
She made a pitiful little squeak. He snorted, and she shoved him. As far as goodbyes went, he was pretty happy with it.
At the edge of the thin spread of trees separating city from port, Ronan pressed his forehead to his horse's and said, "Come visit me, okay?"
Bandit let out a low, mournful groan and nuzzled his face. He stalled there for a minute or three. It would be so simple to climb onto her back and tell her to bring him back home. Out of all the friends he was leaving behind, she was probably the only one who would allow it.
But he didn't have much of a home to go back to. And besides, that would make for a pretty pathetic leap of faith.
She butted him with her nose, and he trudged forward.
Amir was waiting just inside the treeline. Past him, Ronan could see the port. It was vaster than he'd anticipated, stretching as far as he could see in either direction. The line of ships was intimidating and enticing. For such a full space, it was surprisingly quiet. He could only see one crew in the distance, milling around a clipper vessel.
Amir took Ronan's hands and kissed him behind the trunk of a pine tree. He squeezed twice, then pulled away- then chuckled when Ronan stubbornly followed him, then really pulled away.
"Much as I enjoy your stalling tactics, they're waiting for us," he said. Ronan reluctantly released him.
On a wooden pier in front of the clipper, Amir introduced him to a wiry man with deeply tanned skin and an oily smile.
"Sanford Crawley," the man said with a shallow bow, holding out a knobbly hand. It was covered in calluses when Ronan shook it. "Pleasure to have you on my ship."
He had two heavy sacks of coins over each shoulder. Of course it was a pleasure.
"What's her name?" Ronan asked. He was finding it hard to look away from the ship. Despite a life lived on an island, he'd never seen one up close. It was so long, bustling with twenty or thirty crewmates. And there were so many sails. He itched to draw closer, to plant his feet on the deck.
"The Bella Mourre," Crawley said proudly. "And yours?"
Ronan said the first thing he could think of. "Abram."
Crawley clapped his hands together. "Well, Abram, Amir- welcome aboard. We'll dock in Oswall."
Ronan didn't stay in their quarters longer than it took to drop his bags off. They had opted for a tiny closet in the bowels of the ship over the hammocks in the crew's quarters. The sad arrangement of mats, pillows, and blankets looked even more uncomfortable than his prison bed, but he would be alone with Amir. That was all he wanted.
Up on the deck, he leaned against the rail as the ship set out over the water and watched the sun rise.
The Bella Mourre's many masts cast slow-growing shadows over the glistening waves. It felt like they were barely moving, but when he looked back, the port was a jagged silhouette in the background.
"I'm so sorry," Amir said beside him. "For making you leave this way."
He didn't have to sound so regretful. He didn't have to be sorry at all, but Ronan doubted saying it would make him feel better. Only time would do that, and they had all the time in the world. That part still felt surreal. The floor rocked gently beneath him, soothing as a lullaby, and he rested as discreetly as he could into Amir's side. He was dead tired, but he knew that miles inland, Sadie sat on the hill overlooking the crop fields thinking of him. He would watch the whole sunrise.
They weren't alone for long. Amir laughed when Phoebe appeared, scutting along the railing to jump onto his shoulder.
"Careful, now," he said. "You'll end up a long way from home."
Phoebe planted himself down as if to say, and what about it?
Ronan watched the fond way Amir stroked beneath the dragon's chin and listened to the water lapping against the hull. "Mercenary of the Merry Men," he thought aloud, catching Amir's eye with a playful smile. "Rainer of the crown. Amir of...mine. You'll have to come up with a last name eventually, you know."
"Why? I'll just take yours." He chuckled as Ronan buried his face in his hands. "Hey." Ronan shook his head, but Amir nudged him insistently. "Hey, look up."
Out over the ocean, too distant to catch the attention of the rest of the crew, was Bandit. She flew as close as she dared, hovering with dark wings spread wide just near enough for Ronan to make out the white spots on her belly. Like the show-off she was, she dove down to the water and spun. Her wings caught the surface, and the spray traveled so far Ronan could feel mist over his knuckles where they gripped the railing. Someone else caught on with an excited shout and she turned around, back to the island.
"I'll see you later!" Ronan shouted after her, smiling so big his cheeks hurt. He turned to Amir, vibrating. If he played his cards right, he could be like her. He could go anywhere. "How do you feel about Oswall?"
Amir quirked an eyebrow. He wasn't even doing anything, but he was brilliant in the early morning light, with his hair tossed over his forehead by the wind and a dark mark on his lip where the cut was healing. He was nervous and determined and so breathtaking Ronan's chest hurt. Somehow, Ronan had managed to run away with his treasure. He was the thief of all thieves.
"Is there somewhere else you want to go?" said Amir.
"I..." Ronan laughed helplessly. "I don't know. How many places are there?"
Amir laughed, too. Ronan still struggled to believe someone could look at him like that. "At least a few, I think. Why don't we make a list?"