Chapter64: Shared Power

*Brook* I’ve never been particularly close to River, to no one’s surprise. He was born to be the King of Oceana, the favored child of the realm. I was born to be his spare. And that’s how we existed for our entire lives before we met Maerilee. He was always so loud and arrogant before, quick to dismiss people who don’t meet his impossibly high expectations. He walked like the world was supposed to part for him, and for a long time, it did. He’s changed in these last few weeks since the war started. Hell, he changed a lot the moment he chose Maerilee over our kingdom. At first, it was hard to reconcile the fact that we would spend the rest of our lives locked into a competition for Maerilee’s love. Now, though, it’s clear that Maerilee’s happiness is more important than any petty squabble we’ve had over the years. It’s our duty to protect her. And we aren’t alone on this quest. We have Permiton to help us as well. While he’s an enigma at best and very odd at worst, I’ve never disliked h