The Kept

The Voyage

In the days that followed the attack, Nerys and Dadien made sure Amparo was never without one or both of them at all times. They explored the ship, studied maps of foreign lands, and played tricks on the good-humored captain.Although during the day she seemed much like the child she was before, Amparo cried herself to sleep every night; wailing for her lost mother in the security of the space between Nerys and Dadien. 

Nerys remained awake long after Amparo had disappeared into a world made of memories and fairy tales, and observed the man who slept mere inches away from her. The man who had wholly abandoned every princely responsibility aboard the ship to devote his attention to the orphaned girl in their care.  The man who would be king of two nations, if she so chose. She studied the slight flicker of his eyes beneath his thick-lashed lids and wondered what he dreamed of. His face scrunched in concern at the soft cries that escaped from one of Amparo's nightmares.
"Shhh, I'm here," he mumbled half-consciously. 

Amparo nuzzled her face into Dadien's neck, and he gently kissed her forehead before drifting back into his own dreams. Nerys's reflected on their peaceful faces and gasped.  

"Oh!"

 She compared his long eyelashes and the gentle slope of his nose to the child curled beside him.

"What?" Dadien mumbled. 

It did not take much to disturb his slumber. 

"She's yours, isn't she?" Nerys whispered.

"What?" Dadien's eyes flew open. Amparo twitched in response to his startled voice, and he lowered it to a whisper. "What did you say?"

"Amparo is your daughter, isn't she?" Nerys repeated. 

Dadien's inability to form a witty retort betrayed the truth. 

"Who else knows?" she asked. 

"Tanek." 

"No one else?" she pressed. 

"Not alive. Trygve knew, and Mari, of course." 

"What about Vayk?"

"No."

"Your family?"

He was silent again. 

"Are you sure she'll be safe in Kenton? What if your brother finds her there?"  

"No one in my family would ever harm her." Amparo stirred and Dadien fell silent until she settled back into a deeper sleep. "We need to talk about this somewhere else." 

They squirmed out of bed, and Dadien paused to tuck the blankets up around Amparo's shoulders and give her another kiss before tip-toeing from the room. He gestured for Nerys to stay silent, led her to the top of the watch's nest, and dismissed the young deck hand on duty. 

"The princess and I require some privacy," Dadien said. "Your discretion in the matter would be greatly appreciated. We wouldn't want to start any rumors." 

He winked and the young man grinned. 

"Rumors about what?" 

The young sailor winked back as he slid down the ladder. 

"Play along," Dadien murmured, taking her in his arms. Nerys tried to pull away, but he held her tighter. "We have an audience."

Nerys turned her head to see the young man's dark form on the deck below. Dadien grasped her chin, turning her face back to him, and kissed her. She grabbed his shirt by the collar and sank below the rim of the nest, pulling Dadien down with her. Though safely out of sight, they did not immediately break off their charade.