The World Walkers: Pendragon: Grania: An Accident

[k_a_webb]

“It was an accident,” Grania said, looking at Stian. “There was nothing you could have done to stop it from happening.”

“I was the captain.”

Grania shook her head. “So what? You did everything right and you couldn’t have known about the storm front that was coming in. Even the forecasters didn’t know about it.”

When it had first happened Grania had wanted to be angry with Stian, but there had been every chance that he might have died in the accident too and when she saw him her anger faded. He’d still been shivering when she pulled him into her arms. It took a while for him to accept the comfort she’d been offering, as though he’d been certain he didn’t deserve it. Then she’d headed into the kitchen to make him soup to warm him up more, because the last thing she wanted was to lose him too, after she’d realised how much he really meant to her.

“Your mother and grandmother died.”

Hearing Stian say it hurt, reminding Grania that she had plans to make, but it didn’t change the facts. “I know and I still don’t blame you. Sometimes accidents are just accidents. No one should be blamed for the weather suddenly changing.”

“As soon as I realised I turned back. It just wasn’t soon enough.” When Grania turned to look at Stian she could see that he was staring at nothing and she didn’t want to know what he was remembering. “I should have died too.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Why not? It’s true. The only thing that kept me floating long enough to be rescued was luck and it was luck someone else should have had.”

“Maybe you still have a life to live.”

“Everyone on that boat still had a life to live.”

“You know I believe in fate. There was a reason for what happened and there’s a reason you survived. All we need to do is work out what they were.”

Behind her Grania heard the soup begin to make boiling noises, so she turned back to it, and as she did she saw Stian shaking his head. “How can you still believe that after what happened?”

“Some days it is harder than others.” Grania couldn’t work out why it had been time to lose the two women she’d loved all her life, and wouldn’t stop just because they’d died, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a reason. “Maybe this happened to remind me that I still love you.”

When Stian didn’t say anything Grania focused on getting a couple of slices of bread onto a plate and putting the soup into a bowl, before turning to face him. Their eyes met for a moment, so she could see the mix of emotions in them, before she put the food in front of him. He looked as though he didn’t know what to say either, picking up one of the slices of bread and dipping it into the soup. She sat down opposite him, craving food but feeling like she couldn’t eat it.

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.