KAVAN WAS exploding with colors and laughter. The city seemed to be in its topmost spirits no matter where you turned. It was impossible not to be happy the instant you stepped into the street. Smiles were plastered across every face, ours included.

We all walked about together, watching the locals laugh, the children run around, and the shops all had their doors propped wide open.

"Everyone is so lively," Blakely-Rose commented, "It's wonderful."

Prince Grey agreed with a sigh "That's true, but it wasn't always this way. When my father inherited the throne, he worked so hard to make a better life for our people."

"Our grandfather had squandered everything and pulled our kingdom down into a hopeless situation," Evander went on, "and when father returned from his travels to seize the throne, he was able to boost the nation's spirits and correct the economic imbalance that our grandfather had left him to deal with."

"He has a natural talent for problem-solving." Princess Senara said. She then gazed attentively at the syndicate before saying, "But you guys already knew that, didn't you?"

Mèabh chuckled thoughtfully, "Kole used to try to fix anything and everything that we faced."

Kingsley gave a nod "True. It took him some time to realize some fights needed fighting and that we were just as strong as he was. We didn't require assistance, and he could rely on us."

"I see where you get it, gargoyle," Mèabh remarked, poking Evander in the gut with her elbow. He just rolled his eyes and just brushed her poke away with his fingers. "Seriously though, your father assisted my father and Kingsley's father in resolving many challenges, and we still utilize his methods today."

"What are your kingdoms like?" August asked.

"Our cultures are very different," Kingsley said shortly. "Mine is very strict with everything, our royal and military hierarchy, how we sit, what order we eat the food in front of us, down to how weddings and funerals work, but without that, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Merk is less technologically advanced than Kavan. It has to be more adaptable to the needs and sometimes desires of the village which can be drastically different during different times of the year. We work hard for each other and our chief, and he does the same for us." Blake-Rose elaborated.

"That's right," Mèabh added, "even though my father is the leader, he is a citizen just like everyone else. That is what makes him such a good chief. He doesn't try to be better than anyone, he becomes friends with everyone instead. He gets to know them all on a personal level and then he can know what they need. When it's my turn, I want to be as good a chief as he is."

Evander lifted his hand and placed it on her shoulder, "I am sure you'll be completely fine."

"Agreed," Willow said, "Why wouldn't you? Everyone in your village loves you, especially the children." I saw Kingsley shudder out of the corner of my eye. The rest of the group was eyeing her quizzically.

"What? Don't like children?" August asked.

Kingsley shook her head, "No. They are sticky little germ factories. I don't like them nor do I ever want them."

"She's never been very fond of the concept of a child," I elaborated, shrugging.

Our chat devolved into small talk amongst smaller groups, and I felt at ease. I wasn't on high alert like usual, and there seemed no need for me to be. I hadn't had a chance to unwind in a long time. I've been in Kavan for six weeks already, and even though it flew by, my life with Elowen feels like a lifetime away. What happened to all of my time?

Now that everything was back in its proper place, I could resume my normal life, apart from everyone, with only Elowen and me. But I had a strong sense that my adventure wasn't finished yet, and the envelope in my pocket with my name scrawled on it proved it.

The truth was that I didn't want to leave. The syndicate would disband once more, and I'd never see August, Arius, Leland, or even Evander or Grey again. But what could I do? I wasn't going to put a halt to my life simply because I made some new acquaintances. I knew I'd run across them again sometime. The question was simply, when?

I had to stop worrying about that now. I was with my family and friends. What more could I need?

"You seem lost in thought," Leland said softly. I looked over at him to see him already looking at me, "A penny for your thoughts?"

I shrugged, "I was just thinking. Now that my job is done, I go home."

Leland nodded, looking a bit sad, "But that's a good thing, isn't it? You get to go home and be in your element again."

"I suppose," I replied, "it doesn't matter to me; I'm just grateful I got to spend this time with you guys and experience this." I gave him a kind smile.

"I'm glad you got to meet me too," he said with a smile. I didn't want to look away for a second. His eyes drew me in and made my stomach do somersaults. I felt a self-conscious blush crawl across my face as I watched his gaze scan every aspect of it. Our silence was broken by laughter around us as his gaze fell on my lips.

Looking around, we found the source. August was lying on the ground, completely surrounded by youngsters. He grinned as he interacted with the kids, who were chanting his name. I felt a nudge on my arm and turned to find Mèabh pointing at Kingsley.

She was staring at him and the kids with wonder, amusement, and what appeared to be just a little compassion. We approached her, one on each side. "I thought you didn't like children?" Mèabh teased.

Kingsley jumped, not expecting to hear Mèabh's voice in her ear. She set her shoulders, "I don't."

"I doubt you'll be saying that for very long," I began teasing, "Looks like your man August over there can handle the kids while you're dealing with all your official stuff."

Kingsley glared at me, "I am going to cut your head off as soon as I can get my hands on my katana."

"Oh calm down," Mèabh playfully scoffed, "We're just teasing you." Kingsley just rolled her eyes and chose to ignore us.

"It's getting dark guys," Arius said to the group.

Evander grabbed Mèabh's hand, "Come. I wanna show you something." August did the same with Kingsley and Grey with Blakely-Rose. They all split off in different directions.

"Come on my dude, let's go." Willow said, patting Arius on the back, "Who needs girls? We got bromance."

I simply laughed as they walked away. I felt a tug at my elbow and I turned to see Leland looking at me expectantly, "Come on."

I began following him when he paused briefly, and turned around, "I need you to keep your eyes closed."

"What?" I questioned, "Why?"

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

Trust. I don't trust people. The human species has too much capacity for cruelty to be trustworthy, but without hesitation, I nodded, "Of course."

×××

Leland carefully guided me to a sitting area on the ground. "Okay, you can open your eyes. I'll be right back." I heard his footsteps grow softer as he descended through the brush we had just come through. I opened my eyes and looked around in awe.

The stars were as bright as candles against the inky sky. It looked as if a mighty painter had painted a landscape with the stars; unreal. The moon was only a tiny sliver but still shone brighter than all of the stars in the night sky.

Looking down, I realized I sat on a small cliff overlooking Kavan. I slid my fingers across the dewy grass, leaving them damp.

Kavan looked just as lively and full of life as ever. Lights of all different shades were shining and lighting up the city. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

The wind blew softly, bringing a slight chill with it. It reminded me of them. My siblings. They would've loved the view and the smells the wind carried up from the town below in its chill. I could just imagine them sitting here with me, in a comfortable silence just thinking. I miss them.

With slow movements, I took out the letter that was burning a hole in my pocket. My name is still beautifully penned on the front.

Should I open it? What if I do and it is just terrible news; news of another war maybe? What if I am not meant to open it yet? What happens if I do open it and all hell breaks loose? We still don't know who put the letter there in the first place. What if the contents inside are just lies?

But what if it is good news? What if I am meant to open it? What if it is all truth? It could be good news. It could be devastating. It was in a drawer in my father's desk that had been stuck shut for as long as I could remember.

So who put it there? What could it mean?

Done with the inner battle ravaging my head, I decided to just open it and get it done with.

Dear Aislin,

I am not entirely sure when you will receive this letter, but when you do, I need you to have an open mind as you read.

You are in grave danger, my daughter.

Why was the handwriting so familiar. It couldn't be; but here it was, right in the palm of my hand.

I first should address the obvious, I am alive. Your brother and sisters as well as your father didn't make it. We were being hunted by a dangerous enemy of your father's. When we first wed, he assured me that our family would be safe, and we were. Until the battle of Ruby.

You were your father's pride and joy. He greatly influenced your fighting technique. In the battle of Ruby, it was clear who your parents were. They came to us for revenge.

When you killed their leader, you killed the man who was out for our blood. There was only one person willing to continue his vendetta and seek revenge for his death; his daughter. I wish I could remember her name.

Always remember, this is NOT your fault by any means. Your father's past caught up with us and it was their time to go. I am so sorry that I hid away and left you all alone to deal with your emotions. I regret it to this day but nothing can change the past no matter how much I want it to.

Now the other thing I must tell you.

The man who raised you isn't your father.

As crazy as it may sound, it's true. Even though he knew you weren't his blood, he didn't care. You were and will always be his daughter. He loved you so much. He was always telling me how much he loved you.

When I was young, before I met your father, I fell in love with a man I had met on his travels. He completely swept me off my feet. I was a warrior prodigy and he was the crowned Prince. We couldn't be together. We tried to make it work anyway, but in the end, it broke us. What I didn't know until after we split, was that I was pregnant with you.

There was no point in telling him. It would have only made matters worse. I decided to leave him to his kingdom and new family and to raise you myself. Then I met the man you know as your father and the rest is history. Now you are out risking your life for your birth father and I felt you deserved to know the truth.

King Kole is your father, my darling. It may sound crazy, but it's true. My only request now is that you remember this letter and all it contains.

I will be seeing you very soon my love, I swear.

Love, Your Mother.

I felt the letter fall out of my hands, tears flowing freely. I didn't know how to process all this information. What could I do?

Memories of my dead family swarmed my vision uncontrollably. I had seen her. She was dead. I saw her. There was no way she was alive, was there? And Kole was my father?

The world seemed to spin around me and a sharp, throbbing pain took hold of my insides. All I wanted to do was vomit and hope the pain would come out with my stomach contents. An overwhelming feeling of dread took over and for a moment it seemed the pain would only get worse and worse until it killed me. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes until I was seeing spots, praying for some kind of relief from the burning inside me. The voices in my head that normally contradicted each other now screamed in unison and told me to stop everything and find a way out of this misery. My breaths were coming too fast. My vision was fading. The pain should not have been any more than a minor inconvenience, but right now it was consuming me.

I took a deep breath, then another, and then another. A semblance of calm returned to my mind for a fleeting moment. There was no way I could give in to the pain, there was no way I'd ever give up.

In my fleeting moment of clarity, I could hear Leland coming back. I didn't want to cry in front of him, but what was the point of putting up a facade anymore. He certainly didn't care and I could not possibly care less right now.

He walked over to me silently and sat down, pulling me down next to him. He didn't say a word. He simply wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. My sobs became completely uncontrollable as he held me and whispered sweet nothings in my ear until I could compose myself.

We sat that way for what felt like hours. My sobs turned into hiccups which eventually faded altogether. I looked back at the stars, still pressed against his chest. "It's beautiful."

I felt him nod, "Yeah, it is."

I lifted my head off his chest and looked up at him. He looked back at me with a worried expression but didn't ask what had happened. "Thank you." I managed to whisper.

He cocked his head to the side furrowing his eyebrows, "For what?"

"For just being here for me, and not asking questions."

He nodded and rubbed my shoulder, "Of course. I am always here when you need to talk, or if you need to not talk and just need a shoulder."

I nodded, my eyes getting teary again, "Thank you."

He lifted his hand to the side of my face, cupping my cheek in his palm. With his thumb, he wiped away my remaining tears. His gaze traced my face and fell on my lips. As if someone was tightening an invisible band between us, we began leaning closer and closer. We both stopped when we were about three inches apart. Then I felt our foreheads connect. Leland looked down into my eyes. The emerald orbs completely took my breath away. I almost missed it when he spoke.

"Can I kiss you?"

×××××××××××××

Author Note!

BAHAHHAHAHA IM SO EVIL

WANNA KNOW WHY?

Bc that was the last chapter of part two and y'all are going to have to wait for MONTHS

Hehehe

What do you think was her answer? >

Thoughts >

Random >

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

QOTD: You like pork chops or steaks?

how about BOTH! I'M A MEAT LOVER!

that's the way to my heart

that and Redbull



Love you all thank you for reading! Xoxox 💋💋

- Mickey ✨