Roland read the letter from Shayn and Kyler a second time. The creature described by Simone as having come through the portal wasn't anything he was familiar with.
Then again, the jungle of Pink Sky World had been teeming with creatures of all kinds. There had been poisonous flowers, insects, and all manner of bizarre life. He was thankful on some level that it wasn't the Darkness which had been on the other side of the portal, but then again, there was only one thing to fear from the Darkness.
There were all manner of unknowns from other worlds.
He didn't even know how many worlds there were! He shuddered, wondering how long he could maintain his facade of calm amongst the increasing indications of upheaval coming to this world.
It was then that a messenger nearly beat down his door.
Though he kept a normal home with his family, he had commandeered a room within the City Hall to use as an office for his official duties. When he was home, he wanted to be a father to his children, not a leader to the nations.
"Come in!" He called impatiently. There was no need to knock quite so loudly.
"Sir! Your Majesty! The Ceto, they are here!" The messenger panted.
"Pardon me? Caspian has come?" Roland clarified. He had expected a visit of explanation. He'd been very worried, as several days ago the river had flowed backwards for a short while. No word had been gotten since, and a riverboat had been sent downstream yesterday to check on their seafaring neighbors.
No news had come yet, but if the Cetoans had sent a delegation, that was hopeful.
"No! Well, yes, but… All of them. All the Cetoans have come." The man said.
"I knew it!" Lily nearly shouted from the corner, startling both men. Roland had forgotten she was there.
She had begged to come to work with him every day as soon as she finished her lessons lately. Ever since the river incident, she had been unsettled. Deeply so. It had worried her parents intensely, for her own sake, but also because of what their daughter's intuition might be indicating about the state of the world.
"What did you know, Lily?" Roland asked a little sorely.
"Something is wrong with the sea." She said confidently. "I'm glad they made it here. I don't think… I don't think they're safe down by the water anymore." Her voice wavered as it continued.
"We can discuss this in detail later," The king assured her, ringing a bell on his desk. "Right now it sounds like I have a situation to deal with. Prepare horses for me to meet them." He said to the servant who appeared. The man bowed and left.
"Your Majesty," The messenger went on. "They're refugees. All of them. The settlements, all they know of, were completely destroyed."
"Destroyed?" Roland shuddered. "What could do such a thing? I must go out and welcome them. They must have walked, since I have the river watched for news. What an arduous journey! Please tell my men to begin making arrangements for places to stay."
The messenger paled. "I will do my best."
"It has been warm recently at night. We can use the spare military tents on a temporary basis," The king provided an initial suggestion to get the ball rolling, but he really did need to go see his cousin in person.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will see it done." The man nodded and left.
"Can I come, Papa?" Lily asked hopefully, hopping down from the high stool where she'd been sitting to read.
"I ought to ground you instead." Roland shook his head.
"Is that a yes?"
"I suppose. But your guard is coming and if I need to send you home you will obey immediately without question or complaint, understand?"
"Yes, Papa!" Lily smiled.
She came and took his arm like a young lady might, warming his heart. His sweet daughter was slowly showing fewer signs of the little girl and more glimmers of the woman she would become. He escorted her out of the room and out of the front of the building.
Along the way, their bodyguards joined a short distance following behind them. Someone had managed to quickly prepare enough horses for the four of them to mount.
"You all right up there, Lily?" Roland asked after helping her to get atop the animal.
"Yes," She said proudly. "I'm a very good rider."
Wasting no more time, Roland mounted his own horse and nudged it into a trot. He wanted to move faster, but seeing the King/Commodore galloping through the streets would be undignified and might provoke fear, even panic.
There had been peace for ten years, and he was not about to unnecessarily disturb it. News of Ceto's destruction would spread quickly enough. He needed to exude confidence and calm to stabilize the people.
By the time he reached the gate, the influx of weary travelers was overcoming the front of the city. A way parted through them, and he spotted his cousin amongst the throng.
"Caspian!" He called, garnering the man's attention from where he seemed to be discussing something with a high-ranking military officer.
"Roland!" The Cetoan embraced his cousin and leader as Roland got off his horse. "We are glad to have made it here."
"I'm surprised you did! Could you not send word ahead? I would have sent help to you instead of just waiting for you to arrive here." Roland frowned.
"We had no horses with us, no messenger birds. Everything we had was destroyed." Caspian explained.
Roland looked at the people again. Their clothes were dirty, most were barefoot, and they looked hungry.
"Did anyone fall behind? I will send wagons and horses to feed them and bring them here." He said.
"I kept who I could together, but it is likely that other settlements have survivors that need aid." Caspian's brow creased. "Please, send all you can to help our people."
Our people. The words reverberated in Roland's heart. Though the nations were more or less united under his leadership, he felt a tug for the people of his mother's birth.
"I shall. All of you here will receive food and shelter. It is still early spring, I think there is time to get more crops planted…" Feeding all these people would be a monumental task.
"We can help with that," Lily said quietly. "My brothers and I."
Roland hadn't noticed her creep up beside him, but he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for the offer, Lily. Can you go home and let your mother know what has happened?"
The girl dropped her eyes obediently, clearly knowing that protesting now might rob her of more opportunities to tag along with her father in the future. "Yes, Papa."
The king watched her go with her bodyguard following, and then turned to Caspian. "What could have done this? A storm?"
"No. A portal." Caspian's words stuck in his throat.
"Leviathan?" Roland asked. "They've never let in anything bad before, have they?"
"It was not Leviathan. It was in the sky. A great portal in the heavens, and something fell through. Like a star falling from the sky. I began the evacuations as it fell. I knew it would cause a tsunami when it hit. Thankfully, it landed far enough out to sea to give us time to get up the cliff face to the West of the settlement. Everything was wiped away. We have no houses, no ships, no crops, and the people are afraid it could happen again if we try to rebuild."
Roland paled. A portal large enough for a star to fall through?
"Go to my house, you and your wife and mother can stay with us. I will encourage everyone who has room to take in families, and send word to the surrounding townships. I have military tents being set up now for those who cannot be immediately found proper shelter."
"Thank you, Cousin," Caspian looked at him with profound relief and sorrow in his eye. "I am sorry to see you again like this, to bring you trouble and burden. You have the weight of leadership on you already without us adding to it."
Roland gave him an understanding smile. There were those who had wanted Caspian to take over as Commodore when his father, Haf, had died. Understanding leadership to be what it was, Roland's cousin had refused to take the position.
It had fallen to Roland, in line with Haf's wishes. Now, it seemed, the foresight to unite the nations made taking in the Cetoans a natural reflex rather than a diplomatic problem to be solved.
"You are not a burden, and your problems are ours. We will find a way to feed, clothe, and house everyone." The king assured him. "Now go. You look tired to the bone. Serafina will cook you a good meal."
With a deep breath, Roland turned toward the crowd of people. There was much to do.