Chapter 18 - Breakfast With Rose

The night passed quickly. When Zell awoke, he found his way into the main hall where little Rose and Kaitlyn were chatting. Rose had made a full recovery and Leon was cooking the two some breakfast.

"Ah young man!" Leon yelled as he saw Zell enter the room. "Have a seat, I will crack you a few eggs as well."

"Thank you." Zell said as he pulled out a chair and joined the girls. "Are you well Rose?"

"I am, thanks to you, big brother!" Rose said with a smile. "I still can't believe how strong you are!"

"Yes, I heard you did something ridiculous again!" Kaitlyn chimed in. "To defeat one of the strongest non-humans with ease. That shouldn't be possible but yet, you did it."

"I don't really know what happened." Zell said. "He just made me so angry, I kind of lost control."

"So big brother." Rose looked to her brother. "What are you going to do now? Are you going to show everyone how strong you are?"

"I don't think that would be wise." Zell said. "Listen Rose, I have an important quest. One that will require me to change the hearts of both man and beast alike. I don't think an overwhelming show of force would be the way to achieve that."

"Why not?" Rose asked. "You are so strong you could just make both sides do what you want."

"I don't think I want to be king of the world." Zell said. "I just want to find a way for peace."

"Okay big brother," Rose said, "but I don't think there is any other path to peace."

"Your sister may be right." Leon chimed in. "You saw how the humans acted last night when you tried to help your sister. You saw how quickly they turned on you, how quickly they blamed you. It may be a simpler solution to just conquer them and impose your will."

"I suppose that is always an option." Zell said. "But I would prefer to try a different approach first. One that doesn't involve stripping others of their will."

"Let me help you, big brother." Rose said. "After meeting these beast people, I understand they are not the savage beasts that dad made them out to be."

"Wait dad told you about beast people?!" Zell asked.

"Of course." Rose said. "He told me a great many things."

"I wonder why he never tried to teach me anything." Zell said.

"Probably because you are so aloof." Rose said. "Aside from disappointing father with the not being a hero thing. He always told me you were hiding something and that one day when you were man enough you would tell him. He decided to give you your distance until you came to him. You never did though."

"I had no idea." Zell said. "How much I have missed due to my secret?"

"Mother worried about you too." Rose said. "She would come into dad's study and attempt to get him to go talk to you. He would always say that you would come to him when you were ready and to not meddle."

"So why were you so mean?" Zell asked.

"Honestly, I just wanted our parents to love me more." Rose said. "I could see how they were upset by your distance. I thought if I showed them how much better than you, I could take their mind off of it. So, I tried to best you in everything and when I did, I was sure to point it out. I also hoped that it might cause you to be competitive and snap you out of whatever was going on."

Zell placed his hand on his little sister's head. "And now you know what I have been hiding." Zell said. "I never thought my secret would hurt so many people, especially those close to me. I thought I hid it so well."

"The fact dad said you lifted furniture as an infant was a pretty strong clue." Rose said. "Dad was not disappointed that you were not a hero, he was disappointed that you lied to him."

"Why did he never call me out then?" Zell asked.

"Because when you became man enough, you would tell him the truth." Rose said. "Dad really believed that."

"I feel awful now." Zell said. "I had the wrong impression of everyone."

"We love you, big brother." Rose smiled. "We always have."

"Eggs are done." Leon shouted as he put plates in front of the children. "Eat up while it's hot." He sat down to join them. "It sounds like you should bring your family in on your secret at least, young man."

"I guess I should." Zell said. "I had no idea how I was hurting them."

"We often hurt those we love, without ever knowing." Leon said. "What's important is now that you know, you do something about it."

"So Rose, how did you mean you could help me?" Zell asked.

Rose finished chewing and swallowing. "Let me handle the humans." She said. "One day I will be queen, I can use that post to change how we treat the non-humans. I can alter our course and make a better future."

"So, while you handle the humans, I would handle the non-humans?" Zell asked. "A two-pronged approach might actually work best. Yes, let's do it."

"First you need to tell our parents everything." Rose said. "We can use the events of last night to explain your absence in the kingdom. So, you can focus solely on rebuilding humanity's reputation with the non-humans."

"But what if someone tries to hurt you again?" Zell asked Rose. "I want to stay with you and make sure you are safe!"

"I have a solution to that problem." Leon said as he produced another stone. "Young lady, if you need your brother, simply focus on this stone. The one he carries will respond and he will be whisked to your location to save the day."

"Thank you." Zell said. "That is one less thing for me to worry about."

"Go talk to your parents and tell them everything." Leon said. "No parent should have to worry about their children. When you finish, come back to me. Before you try to rebuild relations, as I said before, you need training."

"Right, will do!" Zell said getting up from the table. "Let's go tell our parents everything Rose." Zell reached and grabbed Rose's hand.. As he did the two of them teleported away.