MY MEN walked stiffly behind me. It was clear by their reactions that they were slightly disturbed by the stares of those aggregated around us, meeting them with hard glares. Their expressions weren't friendly toward the outsiders I brought with me. They were skeptical and full of distrust, but because they were with me, they didn't have the guts to speak their thoughts and feelings as they respected and trusted I wouldn't bring trouble into our Kingdom. I quickly got used to the frequent stares of curious eyes. Whether they were full of distrust, awe, lust, appreciation, anything; it was part of the job. With a title and a name like mine, getting stares was nothing new and something I would experience a thousand times again.

As we walked, I recognized the people we passed and they recognized me. I gave them nods of acknowledgment upon our passing. On an island like this, we all know one another. For most people, if you were born here, you die here. It was home, and it is sacred to those who reside on this island.

People of the island barely left these comforting shores for extended periods, but those who did rarely returned; and for good reason. Some people comb through every continent and every sea looking for this island, never to find it, or to die trying. They yearn to find the island, only to take advantage of it and its resources. Hence, the people's skeptical looks toward outsiders.

"So, where to?" Arius asked me as he walked up to my left side. Leland strode at a consistent pace to my right, Evander and August were behind us.

"The Three Crown Tavern," I replied, "Everything that we are going to need will be there."

"At a tavern?" Evander sneered. "Please, I highly doubt we will find anything useful at a tavern." I paused in taking any further steps forward and turned around facing him with an irritated expression. I crossed my arms at the first glance of his challenging expression.

"Yes at a tavern." I retorted. "If you have a problem then you can gladly go find yourself a place to stay, but I guarantee you won't find anyplace else willing to take you in. You're an outsider. You won't last a day here without my help. Now you can shut up and listen to me, or you can gladly go wait back on that boat."

Evander seemed surprised by my abrupt response as if he was surprised Idared to speak to him in such a tone. I think the only woman who ever had was his mother. In a rage, he drew his brows together. Anger radiated in thick waves from his body, but it did not affect me. It energized me. Evander was a thorny and irascible character. That's a kind of attitude I won't tolerate, ever, from anyone.

"Take your pick," I demanded sternly, emphasizing each syllable as I awaited his answer. Arius, Leland, and August had fallen silent behind me, their heavy breaths hushed in anticipation.

Evander locked his gaze on mine, sensing the danger they presented. After a few moments, he sighed loudly and mumbled, "I'll stay."

I continued down the crowded street without saying anything, the crowd parting around us. The four men trailed me without saying anything and didn't express any thoughts or opinions about the plans I'd devised. They couldn't comment on them even if they wanted to. I had devised plans, but I hadn't voiced them yet. I was just trying to get them through the crowd without somebody getting shot. These men didn't even know what gunpowder was, let alone the damage a weapon powered by gunpowder to a body.

We approached a long building that occupied almost the whole block. On the far corner a wooden sign hung over the sidewalk; "The Three Crown Tavern." The brick building held a black painted door with a window occupying the top half and on either side. I marched down the street and stood in front of the door. I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I reached for the brass handle.

The inside looked the same as it did the day I left Calflalm, from the scratches on the brass door handle to the grey-whiskered faces sitting in the barstools. The bar itself was shaped like an uppercase L and backed against a stone partition that housed barrels of beer. The same dark-colored hardwood ran throughout the entire building. Tables filled with people covered the floor space between the door and the bar. A raised, railed-in dining area also filled with tables and chairs stood to the right of the bar and up a set of about 5 stairs. Along the left wall, a staircase leading to the second floor where the rooms we would be renting for the time being were. Barrels were stacked high under the staircase. Not an inch of space was wasted. At the base of the staircase was a heavy wooden door with iron hinges leading to the back room.

My gaze fell on the buff man behind the bar. He was casually polishing beer glasses with a cotton cloth. He laughed to himself occasionally as he caught bits and pieces of the conversations around him. His dark brown hair was pulled back into a thick bun that sat at the back of his head and his dark brown eyes swept over the tavern every so often.

We continued to walk forward as he did this. His eyes landed on me.

His eyes widened and he stopped cleaning the glass in his hand, "Well I'll be..." he scoffed, setting it on the bar with an audible thump

"Arley." I greeted with a small, forced smile, "How are you? It's been a long time."

He slammed the rag down on the counter and returned my smile with a sour look, "Aislin. You got some nerve showing your face back in these parts."

"What? No 'Hello'? No 'I've missed you?'" I teased widening my grin. I continued walking towards the bar and when I reached it, I stepped between two occupied stools and leaned forward on the bar on one arm, letting my chin rest on my other hand, just level with the buttons on the collar of the man's dirty cotton pullover shirt and slightly to his right. I turned to look up at him.

He tsked down at me with a raised eyebrow. He spread his arms along the counter and mirrored my stance with an annoyed look, "You are brave just one walking up in here as nothing happened, aren't you?" he loudly whispered in my ear and he moved back slightly and turned his head to face me.

I shrugged with a smirk, "Oh, you know it." I whispered back. At this point, I was grinning from ear to ear.

Our conversation ceased to be dead silent as our eyes met and we stared at each other head-on, faces mere inches from each other. I could feel the uneasiness radiating off of the men behind me. He pushed off the counter and walked around the bar, coming to a stop right next to me. I pushed myself off the counter, turned my back to the bar, braced my hands against it, hopped, and scooted my rear end up onto the bar, between the patrons on either side of me. The men behind me held their breath as the tension grew until you could cut it with a knife.

A few seconds of his glare clashing with my playful gaze and a large smile broke out on his face and lighthearted laughter bubbled out of his chest like it had been trapped there for years. He opened his large muscular arms, pulled me into his chest, and hugged me so completely that I was almost lost in his arms. I tried to wrap my arms around his large figure but failed as he stepped backward and pulled me from my seat on the bar. He held me at least a foot off the ground as if I weighed no more than a feather and twirled me around. All I could do was laugh as my feet flew through the air.

He put me down and his face was glowing with a happy smile, "My goodness! I missed you!" He took a step back, placed his hands on my shoulders, held me at arm's length, and examined me, "You're getting so big! Look at you! I bet you've become quite the heartbreaker!"

I laughed, "I haven't been gone that long, Arley."

He shook his head, "It was long enough! Now tell me, what are you doing back here?" I felt the smile on my face fade as I remember why we were here in the first place.

"We need your help," I stated, gesturing to the four behind me.

Sensing my serious tone, his smile dropped as well. He took a glance at Leland, Arius August, and Evander then looked back at me, "Follow me."

He let go of my shoulders and quickly called an employee to the bar. He then nodded to the back of the tavern, gesturing for us to follow him.

We walked across the tavern, weaving in between the tables and rowdy customers. As we passed, some men hollered at Arley, offering a greeting, and remarking that it was about time I showed up, but Arley only offered curt responses and kept pushing through.

Once we got to the base of the stairs, Arley opened the heavy door that led to the backroom for us to talk privately. He held the door open and swept his arm inward, beckoning for us to enter.

The back room of The Three Crown Tavern was where all the important business in town happened. There was no sense in meeting at town hall and trying to talk out issues. Nothing got done. Everything important was worked out in this room, usually over a pint of beer or a fifth of whiskey. It hosted a weekly poker game among some of the older patrons; those who were there to see Arley's father open the place over fifty years ago. I had grown up in this room. If I wasn't running around like a wild horse, training, or on a mission, I was here, with Arley.

The room hadn't changed. It was exactly as I remembered it; exactly how I had always remembered it. The side door of the tavern, leading to the alley stood directly across the room from the door we had entered. A rough rectangular table occupied the center of the room and most of the floor space. A wooden bench lined either side of the table and an armless, wooden chair occupied the head and foot of the table. Along the far wall stood a set of shelves with a cabinet occupying the bottom section, leaving space for alcohol, food, or whatever you pleased on the counter before the ascending shelves filled with whiskey glasses and beer mugs.

The boys took turns shuffling into the benches and sat at the table, making themselves at home in a place that was not their own. I stayed standing, Arley waiting patiently off my right shoulder. I looked down the long axis of the rectangular table at the four men who had accompanied me into town. I could feel Arley's gaze boring into the back of my head. I could feel his questions burning a hole in my skull.

"You want to know why I'm back," I stated without looking at him.

"Yes, I do. You swore you'd never set foot on this island again." All traces of playfulness and jesting had vanished from his voice and stature.

"Long story short, the King of Kavan has been taken, hostage. The Queen recruited me to help find him. The kidnappers are leaving a trail of breadcrumbs that are sending us on a wild goose chase. The most recent one led to this island, but I don't know where to go next." I summarized it.

"Well, that seems like quite a pickle you got yourself into. Why do you want my help?" Arley asked.

"Because you're the only one on this island I trust enough to get this right," I told him bluntly. The tension in the air shifted as my travel party slowly realized the kind of danger they were in while they were on this island. I know that at least half of them thought this place was nothing more than a myth until we emerged from Dedlock Coil and they saw it with their own eyes.

"Let me see the clue," Arley demanded, ignoring the growing discomfort of my escort.

I pulled the carefully folded parchment from the pocket of my vest and handed it to him.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" Evander demanded. "You can't just give that away! That's my father's life on the line!"

"And I was entrusted with it because you and all your bookworminess couldn't figure it out." I spat back at him, letting my words fall with full force. "I trust him with my life, which is more than I can say for you, but I let you see it, now didn't I?"

Evander looked at the floor as Arley stifled a laugh. "Some things never change."

Arley unfolded the parchment and read it carefully. "Congrats on finding clue number two. Assuming that you've Lived to see the next Full moon. I see your steps, I see your breath's, I see you're curious of who looks into the depths. Look up At me. Look up at me in the darkness, feel me shining with depths of the Moon's lonesomeness."

A hush fell over the room as Arley carefully read the words aloud. As soon as he finished he met my expectant gaze with wide eyes.

"They need to leave." was all he said.

"You heard the man. Go get a drink at the bar and cool off." I told them after they had met Arley's statement with blank stares in my direction. They rose and filed out of the room.

"Why did they have to leave?" I asked Arley once the door had closed behind them.

"Why are you favoring your right arm?" Arley shot back.

"That's not important. What's important is what that clue means." I contradicted.

"I disagree. Let me see your arm." Arley replied.

"No!"

"Yes, now!" He grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and pulled me toward him, bending down until our eyes were level. "Are you going to show it to me or am I going to have to remove your shirt myself?" he demanded, his face close to mine. Reluctantly I undid my vest and removed it. Then I turned my back on him and unbuttoned Leland's shirt enough to bring my right arm out the neck hole, exposing my wounded and bandaged shoulder. The blood had seeped to the outer layers of the bandage and dried until the fabric had become crusty and brown. I turned back to face him, my bandaged arm hanging limply at my side and my left hand holding the collar of the shirt closed over my left shoulder and around my torso.

"How did that happen?" Arley gasped.

"I got into it with some pirates," I replied dully.

"Well, I'm sure they got the brunt of it, knowing you. How did you get it bandaged so neatly? I'm judging by the way you're trying to hide it that your men don't know."

"One of them does. The Commander. He caught me trying to wrap it myself and bandaged it for me."

"I see," Arley said with a glint in his eye. "And is that same Commander the original owner of the shirt you're wearing? It doesn't seem quite your style." he quipped.

"Tastes change!" I defended. I felt my cheeks flush warm. Was I blushing? Maybe my arm was getting infected and I had a fever. I don't blush.

"Let me redo the dressing for you," Arley said, serious again. I winced as he began removing the fabric and dried blood from my skin before I had the chance to reply.

"If a military commander bandaged this up, why didn't he sew it up for you?" he asked as the last layer of rust-stained fabric peeled away and my wound was exposed. "He should know enough about wounds to know this needs more than a bandage."

"It was dark. He probably couldn't tell." I replied, letting the familiarity of home wash over me and make me relax for the first time since the Queen had arrived at Elowen's. Arley was right about my wound. Why was I defending Leland?

"Wait here," Arley commanded. He crossed the room and opened the cabinet against the wall. He removed a small wooden box and a bottle of liquor. He offered me the bottle as he rummaged through the box.

"It'll dull the pain." he offered. I took the bottle from his outstretched hand and looked at the label. Whiskey; old whiskey.

"Why are you hiding the good stuff back here?" I asked as I opened it and took a swig.

"I've been saving it for something special." He replied nonchalantly. He turned back to me wielding a curved needle, a spool of thread, and a pair of scissors. He cut a length of thread, fed it through the eye of the needle, and sat me down on the table.

"What's so special about today?" I asked, taking another drink of the amber liquid. I felt it burn down my throat and warm my stomach. Arley took the bottle from my hand, took a sip, and wordlessly brought the rim to my shoulder. I felt the air torn from my lungs as he poured the alcohol over my gaping flesh.

"You came home safe and sound," Arley said somberly as I struggled to catch my breath. I took the bottle back from him and took another drink.

"Why did you want them to leave?" I asked again, looking for a distraction from the sawing of the cotton thread on my skin. I didn't want to drink too much of the liquor. I needed my wits about me.

"That clue leads to somewhere no outsider deserves to know about, let alone see," he responded stone-faced. I felt the wound draw together as he carefully sewed a series of x shaped stitches along the length of the gash.

"What do you mean?" I asked. The whole island was covered in things no outsider had ever seen before.

"Maybe you've just been gone for too long. It's referring to the Hall of the Hallowed. It's talking about Fortune's Copper Blade." Arley said.

Fortune's Copper Blade was one of the weapons of the great warriors of old, displayed in the Hall of the Hallowed. It was not for an outsider's eyes, but how did the clue point to that?

"Do you remember when we used to sneak out at night and meet there?" Arley asked as he stitched. "One night we discovered that when the moon is full and the sky is clear, it illuminates Fortune's Fortress. At exactly midnight it shines directly on the sword and the jewel in the hilt catches the light and reflects a prism over the whole room." Arley explained.

I felt my pupils widen and my pulse increase as realization hit me like the sunrise had hit the wooden deck of the ship that morning. Of course! How had I missed it? How did the kidnapper know about that? How did the kidnapper know I knew about that? I had a growing feeling that I needed to be a lot more afraid of the King's captor than I was. I looked over at Arley's concentrated face. He met my growingly bewildered gaze with one of understanding. He knew why I had left; why I had vowed to never return; why I hadn't remembered what we discovered that night; the night I came home from my adventures to find my family slaughtered in a bloodbath.

×××××××××××××

Author Note!

Hi everyone, Mickey here!

Chapter 23 babyyy! We have two more chapters to go before the end of part 1!!

Thoughts >

Feelings >

Predictions >

Random >

How is your day today? Was it bad? Good? In between?

QOTD: Favorite book? (wattpad or not, doesn't matter)

I am working on having my own personally library in my room lol

So I am buying books i want to read but I am yet to read them lol

So I just started and I started with a book called Amazonia by James Rollins. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Its a VERY good book, and Its better if you prefer action and mystery books.

- Mickey ✨