To Owe a Favor

Killian’s POV

Yasmil and I stand in front of the kitchen counter, both of us reading out of a cookbook when my mothers arrive. Lona flits over to us and looks over our shoulders, “Pasta? That should be easy enough.”

Adrin nods, “You two can make the noodles from scratch. Killi, you remember the recipe?”

“Yeah, just not all the steps,” I admit.

Yasmil waves her hand, “I’ve got the steps down.”

We begin working together and soon enough we’re rolling out the dough.

Yasmil turns to Lona with a slab of stretched out dough in her hands, “Look Lona! It’s evenly spread!” Lona applauds her for her work before squinting at the odd lump of dough in front of me.

Lona shoulders toward me, “You mind helping Killi with his dough?” Yasmil laughs and pushes me out of the way to fix my noodle dough.

I trade spots with her and watch as she kneads out the dough. We’re quiet, so when Lona leans over to talk to Adrin I can easily hear her.

“Do you think Lillianna will show?” Lona asks Adrin.

Adrin sighs, “She may be embarrassed, love. Her and the prince nearly set the kitchen on fire.”

I turn fully toward Adrin and Lona, questioning, “What did they do? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

Lona huffs, “We’re fine. It was a simple mistake.”

“What happened?” Yasmil asks before I can.

Adrin looks around the empty kitchen, lowering her voice, “Lillianna saw us making dinner for the kingdom and wanted to learn how to cook. Then, Prince Elik, all of sudden, also wanted to help. And the two of them not knowing how to cook with fae ingredients made the water go from a boil to a fire.”

Yasmil and Lona laugh while I scowl. Lona shakes her head, still laughing when she says, “Lillianna now wants to start coming to the cooking classes to make up for it. Says she’ll learn how to make all my favorite meals.”

Adrin’s eyes widen playfully, “Making Lona food? That’s a tough deal with a picky eater.”

“It’d be faster for her to make all your favorite winter drinks,” I say, hinting toward Lona’s infinite love for any warm drink. “Hm,” I mumble, “Like that time she owed me a favor, and had to make drinks at the coffee shop.”

Lona goes back to cutting vegetables a smile still on her face, “I forgot about that.”

Adrin turns from me and Yasmil, “How about we go there for dessert after dinner?”

“At the coffee shop?” Yasmil asks skeptically.

“They’ve got Adrin’s favorite pastries,” I answer her.

"I didn't know you liked sweets, Adrin," Yasmil starts, before looking at Lona with a cheeky smile, "Maybe I'll learn how to make some our next cooking lesson."

Lona's eyes widen, and I've seen that look a million times before while growing up. No way in hell is Lona going to teach anyone else Mom's favorite desserts. It's one of their date-night activities that's now become a tradition.

As conversation changes, I bump Yasmil's elbow as she continues to knead the dough with precision, "How do you have time for all this? I mean, the cooking classes, and the sports games, and whatever else you do."

She stares into the dough for a second with a dreamy smile on her face, then she sighs, "I decided a while ago, that while being a royal warrior means a lot to me," she glances up at me for a second, "and it really is a large part of my life."

She sighs, shrugging her shoulder, "I decided that it is not going to be my entire life, especially for those ungrateful princes. So... with a bunch of small steps, like learning how to cook and making time for my family and friends, I've started to enjoy my life." Yasmil takes a second to bump my elbow in return, "And I actually enjoy the honorable duty of serving the kingdom, now that I enjoy my own life too."

"I always thought I had to put duty first so I wouldn't lose it," I admit solemnly.

"The duty isn't worth it if they're willing to put you second to your tasks," Yasmil says, and then laughs, "and if putting duty first was the case... Selivan would not be a royal warrior."

We laugh and I think about her words for a bit longer. Of course, life is worth more than just being a warrior, but it's about time I actually put myself first.

I look around at my mothers and Yasmil combing the ingredients and placing certain items in the oven. My first steps can be enjoying the people around me.

"Four of the chocolate truffle desserts, please," Adrin places her request at the register of the coffee shop. Lona, Yasmil, and I watch as Adrin's wings flutter just enough to make her hover on her toes.

"Is she always this excited for dessert?" Yasmil whispers into my ear.

I nod, "That's one way to put it." My mom is undeniably known for being able to eat a family-sized dessert in one sitting. If you didn't eat fast enough, she'd help you finish it.

Sure enough, by the time we all have our desserts, Adrin finishes first. Lona scoops off a few bites from her own plate to hold her off until the rest of us finish.

As we talk, the chime above the door opens and three warriors enter, followed by the seven princes, and four more warriors follow at the rear.

Yasmil and I exchange looks, nothing had formally been planned for all the princes to meet. We realize soon enough that this isn't a formal meeting at all. Their loud voices echo throughout the cafe, something about courting future fae at some upcoming gathering.

I put an elbow over my chair and turn back, attempting to find a certain long-haired, black-winged fairy. Instead, I catch the cocky stare of Prince Elik. "Where's Lillianna?" I demand, my tone deep and foreboding.

“How am I supposed to know?” he responds, quickly laughing to offset his own snarky tone, "Just another fairy enraptured with all this." He gestures to himself and only a couple of his brothers laugh.

I snarl, standing from the table and nearly knocking my dessert plate onto the floor. When it's righted, I look up to my mothers, "Should I-" I hesitate. Why am I suddenly hell-bent on finding one fairy, a barely-fairy who was raised by humans and chose to hang around the prince? I slowly sit back down, grunting, "Never mind."

Adrin and Lona share nervous glances but shake the nerves off by suggesting Lillianna turned in early for the night. I try to do the same.

A few more minutes of talk go around the table, but I can't join in. My mind in another place. Yasmil touches my forearm, the corner of her mouth pulled down in worry, "Killi, I know I told you to take your mind off her for a while. But I don't trust Prince Elik to have kept her safety in mind."

I nod, standing from the table once more, "Thanks, Yasmil."

Pretending to not have eavesdropped from less than a yard away, Lona inquires, "Where are you going?"

"To find Lillianna."