He repeated the words until Queen White nodded through her tears. Only then did he pull her into his arms and hold her close.
"Don't be a stranger," Ava said, walking up to Nnenna and pulling her into a hug.
"I won't," Nnenna replied softly, hugging her back.
"Plane's here," Darius reminded them.
Carl nodded, taking Nnenna's backpack. She had packed light, everything else she might need was already waiting for her there. Carl had made sure of that.
"Arthur," Queen White called out.
"Yes, Mom?" he answered, stepping closer to her, a little away from the others.
Queen White gestured for him to bend down, he was taller now, and she wanted to whisper something to him. Arthur leaned closer, wondering what she wanted to say.
"I don't care how long it takes," she began with a sweet smile, "a year, two years, five years…" She paused, and her voice dropped coldly, though her smile never faded. "Come back with Nnenna as your fiancée, or don't come back at all."
