I expected him to say his room, but instead he said, “To a room adjacent to mine. There’s a connecting door so I can get to you if you need me.”
We picked up my few things and walked through the hallway in silence. What had happened in France had changed Mason and I didn’t know what to say to make him feel better.
The room was spacious and beautiful.
“Do you need anything?” Mason asked me.
“No.”
“All right. You can always have room service brought up if you need anything. I’ll leave the door unlocked.” He dipped his head in the direction of a door to the right. “It connects to my room.”
Later that night, Pearl came to see me. I was sitting on the large bed when she entered after a quick knock on my door.
“May I come in?”
“Yes, of course.”
With a concerned expression on her face, she walked across the room. The bed dipped when she sat on the edge next to me. “You didn’t come down for dinner. We’ve tried giving you space to process everything, but I worry about you. How are you feeling, Belle?”
“Guilty. If I had renewed my pregnancy prevention implant like I was supposed to, none of this would have happened. Or if I hadn’t offered Mason that we could have sex.”
Pearl took my hand. “Do you believe things happen for a reason?”
Staring at my lap, I nodded. “Yes, but maybe this was a mistake.”
“This child was created against all odds. It will be the first child with a French mom and a Northlander father. The entire existence of this small miracle in your belly was a result of endless details along the way. From the Motherlands deciding to hold yearly summits. The decision of your government to pick you. The avalanche that brought you and Mason closer. There were a million other things that led you and Mason to the moment in your life where you created new life together. It might seem like a coincidence, but maybe the universe conspired to make it happen. What if your child is part of a bigger plan?”
“I’m not sorry that I’m pregnant, Pearl. It’s the part about Aubri being in danger that saddens me. If something happens to her, it will be my fault.”
Pearl pulled her hand back. “Many people will feel that way. It’s natural, but ultimately Aubri made that decision for herself and knowing my brave niece, I suspect she saw it as an opportunity to prove that she can do anything men can do.” She sighed. “Aubri wasn’t raised like Freya and other girls. Magni and Laura were always so proud of her eagerness to prove that she could keep up with the boys. They taught her to fight the same way they taught Mason. With him, Thor, and Indiana as her training partners, Aubri is a far better warrior than any woman before her. At one point her dream was to become a Huntsman, one of the elite soldiers here in the Northlands. She was even allowed to train with them a few times, but something happened that made her drop that dream. In a way, it’s not surprising that she wants to try something else where she can put all her hard training to use.”
“The life as an Explorer is dangerous.”
“Hmm. My guess is that the element of danger is part of the appeal for Aubri. All we can hope for is that she has a good time and comes back in one piece.”
“Do the others blame me?” My question came out as a whisper.
Wrinkles appeared at the edges of Pearl’s blue eyes as she gave me a sad smile. “Is that why you’ve been keeping to yourself? You think we blame you?”
I nodded.
“No, sweet Belle. No one blames you. We’re happy that you and Mason can be together and raise your child without worrying that someone might take the baby from you. Our grief and worry for Aubri and Indiana have nothing to do with you. Any anger we feel is directed at that awful prime minister in Old Europe. He’s a vain and hateful little man.”
“I can’t disagree with that.”
We sat for a second looking at each other.
“When the summits first began, you had a lovely woman prime minister, called Beatrice; do you remember her?”
“Vaguely, I met her twice, but I was always in the background. We never spoke.”
Brushing a hand over her red pants, which contrasted the white bedsheet, Pearl said, “Beatrice was suspicious and careful by nature, like most of you French are. But she conducted herself with grace and intelligence. Rafael is delusional and arrogant in comparison. He and Khan have clashed from day one and it’s been difficult to keep my husband from going after Rafael for what he did.”
“Mason and Thor were sure they would be sent back to kill Rafael and bring Aubri home.”
“They would have been right, but violence isn’t the answer and we would have lost all the respect we’ve built with the Motherlands. We’ve worked hard to establish ourselves as a civil country in their eyes. Back when I was a council member there were so many awful rumors about the Nmen. People thought they were cannibals and that they kept their women in cages. We considered them monsters and the fact that speaking of them was illegal made them more feared.”
“That’s how it was for us growing up as well. We were told that there were other pockets of people left on the planet, but that they would kill us if they ever found us.”
“Hmm. Sounds like the fear of the original survivors stayed firmly planted for generations to come.”
“There’s a museum that showcases pictures of the original survivors and their written stories about their lives before the Toxic War. They wrote the consumption that we all live by.”
“Consumption?” Pearl tilted her head.
“Yeah, you know – a document with our rights and obligations.”
“Oh, you mean a constitution.”
“Right. They wrote that. We consider them heroes for not giving up but making the best of their dire situation. Some say the originals had it the worst. Because they were adults when the Toxic war broke out, they had lived most of their lives above ground and missed nature. Their children and many generations after that were born and died underground without ever stepping foot on grass or touching a tree.”
Pearl looked out the window. “The Toxic War was such a devastating disaster that could have been prevented. If the people in power hadn’t been ruled by vanity, pride, and greed, things wouldn’t have escalated so fast. That’s one of the reasons I insist that the answer to solving this conflict with Old Europe isn’t to turn to violence. To be honest, I’m shocked that Rafael would be foolish enough to taunt Khan and Magni the way he did. A war between us would be disastrous to the French. Do you even have soldiers to defend your country?”
“Not that I know of. Until I visited the Northlands for the first time, I’d never seen a warrior in real life. It was something I’d learned about in our history books. Old Europe has faced many problems these past four centuries, but war wasn’t one of them.”
“I’m hoping to keep it that way, Belle. In any war, it’s always the innocent who suffer the most.” With a last pat on my hand, Pearl got up to leave. “Let’s go for a walk tomorrow. It’s cold outside, but some fresh air will do us both good.”
I smiled at her. “I’d like that.”
“Good night, Belle.”
“Good night, Pearl.”