Princess Elodi's Arc

Chapter 48 of 55

The next morning, Elodi began the work of emptying the gray castle by the sea. Blackwell's ship would sail in three days, and everything her family owned had to come aboard. Erik gave the order, and the halls filled with movement. Elodi carried the first crate herself. Her aunt worked beside her, folding gowns into trunks. Ella smoothed each fold with care, her sea-foam dress dusty at the hem. She had lived in these cold rooms alone for years, raising a daughter after her husband died. Now she packed a whole life into wooden chests. "I keep thinking I'll forget something," she said. "But there's no one left here to remind me." Elodi took the gown from her hands and set it in the trunk. The servants moved fast. They wrapped shoes, bundled food, and stacked toys into baskets. Erik's men, the ones who had washed ashore with him after the wreck years ago, hauled the heavy chests down to the shore. They had waited a long time for a way home. Now they carried it out the door piece by piece. Elodi found Emmy alone in her room. The girl sat on the bare bed, holding a stuffed griffin against her chest. Around her, drawers hung open and empty. She looked up at Elodi. "Will I like my new home?" Elodi lifted her cousin into her arms. Emmy was light, her braid falling over one shoulder. "Your aunt will love you and spoil you," Elodi said. "I'll come by often to play with you. The castle is bigger than this one. You'll love your new home." The otter climbed down Elodi's arm and nosed the stuffed griffin. Emmy laughed, and the fear left her face. By the third evening, the castle stood empty. Every gown, every shoe, every toy sat in the ship's hold. The last crate went down the ramp as the sky turned orange. Erik stood in the doorway of the home that had held him for years. He looked back once, then turned to the sea. Blackwell met them on the deck. "Everything's stowed," she said. "We sail at dawn." Elodi stood at the rail with Emmy's hand in hers. She had done what she came to do. Her father, her aunt, her cousin, all of them were aboard, all of them going home. The castle behind them was hollow now. There was nothing left to return to on this shore.