It was a dangerous time, he told himself furiously. Plus, this could be dealt with after the war. Confronting him, and telling him the truth... there was too many risks. Yet Aedion stayed behind the crumbling pillar, watching the Fae warrior make his way around the rubble. He knew the warrior like the back of the hand, yet he didn't know him at all. His golden hair... so similar to his own.
Aedion was frozen, watching his father make his way around the castle of Orynth. Had Maeve sent him to track down Lorcan?
The Lion suddenly stopped in his tracks, sniffing the air. And if Aedion could smell him... the Wolf of the North quickly backed up quietly. Gavriel wasn't pursuing him, though. He kept sniffing the air and then... was that alarm showing in his tawny colored eyes?
Aedion kept backing up. He was just here to scout; Aelin was expecting to be back by now... the alarm had disappeared from Gavriel's eyes, now replaced by a tint of sadness. The Fae warrior stared at the pillar hiding Aedion, and then he turned around, leaving.
Some phantom force propelled Aedion to go forward, to call out.
"Wait!" Gavriel turned, slowly.
"You shouldn't have shown yourself," he said mournfully. Had his father walked away earlier to keep him away from his queen?
"Because Maeve might have claim to me." His father blinked at him slowly, like a cat, but Aedion knew that was the truth. Deciding that now that Gavriel knew that he had a son, and to Hell with Maeve, Aedion stepped forward. His father smelled like snow, mountains, and forests. He was sure he himself smelled something terrible, but Gavriel just cocked his head to the side, studying his son.
"I loved your mother," he whispered.
"Aelin calls you Rowan's kitty-cat friend," Aedion said as a response. His father's lips twitched as if fighting the urge to smile or bare his fangs at the nickname. Silence stretched as the northern wind swirled around them.
"Hi Dad."