Fantasy I Was Sent To Kill You |Closed|

[bambi-under-the-sky]

For most of her life the idea of childbirth had been terrifyingly mysterious to her. Yaena was the youngest of her siblings so she had never seen her mother in a state such as that, the closest experience she had was when her cat had kittens. Then when she got old enough to decide that she was never going to get married or have children she would never have to think about it again. However, despite her attempting to repress it she was scared she had no idea how to approach this. It wasn’t like an exam where she could study it was just going to happen whether she was ready or not.

Yaena had gotten to regularly exchanging letters with her sister, she was still too shy to talk to Briar’s mother (she was probably the only person in the palace who has not gotten know Yaena’s dry sense of humor mainly because she was the only person in the palace who still intimidated her) and while she now had other elven women she could talk to, she sought out the advice of her sister. All Viria could tell her was that she had to accept the fact that nobody truly knows what’s going to happen when you’re on the birthing bed, you just have to accept that you’re in the hands of fate.

Useless advice for someone whose way of feeling comfortable about the world was by knowing everything.

But as the due date came closer and closer, she forced herself to relax, she trusted the doctors here and she trusted that this birth would go smoothly it had too. Inka was one of the sweetest, most positive people that Yaena had in her life which was why it always broke Yaena’s heart whenever she had seen Inka cry because of a failed pregnancy.

By the time that Briar ran in, Yaena was already being coached on her breathing. The doctors warned her that later on, she may not want to talk as her contractions would be too painful, but at the moment they seemed manageable, they hurt, and while it was not the most pain she had ever felt it was so unlike anything that she’d ever experienced that she had nothing to compare it to.

She smiled at her husband, he looked more frazzled than she did at the moment, and she debated on whether or not she should tease him about the fact that he forgot her book. Yaena wished that she could have seen her face when the servant dropped the news on him, it reminded her of their first morning together and they had had to sprint through the palace because his hippogriff had somehow escaped.

Yaena had never doubted that Briar would be here, she had a feeling that even if he had heard the news in a war meeting that he would have done everything he could to get to her but it was a relief to see them nevertheless. Over the past few months she had been able to become familiar with the palace doctors and the royal midwife, however, in this moment she needed to be with her husband. It was easier to go through all this when she had someone to talk to, even if it would get to the point where he would have to be doing all the talking.

“I am calm,” She reassured with an easy grin, because if you said something, that made it closer to being true, “Never felt better.” She added, and it was amazing. Yaena was so excited to get to know their child, she wanted to see them grow in this new world and thrive, she wanted to be there for their first words, their first steps and anything else. Outside of the fact that she wanted to win every bet she ever entered, Yaena truly had no preference whether it was a boy or a girl, just that they were theirs and that would be happy.

Every mother (or maybe every mother except one) loved their children, but Yaena felt like she was already in a unique case because she already felt indebted to her child. The doctors had told her that her baby saved her life and it was so beautiful that it almost pained her; she was supposed to protect their child not the other way around.

Yaena took her hand in his, not aware that she may make her husband react differently. “I told you it’s going to be a boy, I know these things,” She said before she groaned in pain, gripping his hand tightly. She had always thought giving birth would just feel like a more painful version of her time of the month but she was wrong. I twas like comparing a paper cut to a slash.

The contraction stopped and Yaena sighed tilting her head back. One contraction down, so many to go.

She looked at Briar a pant in her voice, “Is it true what they say, that elves are more durable than humans or did someone make that up?” She asked breathlessly, holding his hand in hers, “Because let’s all pray that is is.”
____

“Okay your grace I just need you to push a little more, you can do that right, you’ve gotten so far already!” The midwife now was stationed between Yaena’s legs. Honestly, Yaena was grateful to have a midwife, while she and Briar were both excited parents, neither of them knew much about childbirth and to be honest…Yaena was just happy to have another woman in this room with her.

By now Yaena has moved past the need to speak, over time she had both wanted Briar to be as near to her as possible before demanding that she needed her space before continuing the cycle again. While she wasn’t sobbing, her face was wet from both tears and sweat, her heart was beating so loudly that it was going to break her ribs. The closest way to describe how she was feeling was when she had ridden on Briar’s hippogriff for the first time and it descended, it had been way too sudden for her and she was scared that she was going to fall off.

How the fuck did women have multiple children? Her mother was a goddess so it was probably easier for her to have human children, but her paternal grandmother, who as far as Yaena knew was human had six children. In the scheme of things, Yaena wasn’t having a long labor at all, in fact she was on the shorter end of the spectrum but it felt like she had been in here for days. She couldn’t eat, she couldn’t get up to move, and the contractions were not stopping.

At this point she had squeezed Briar’s hand so tightly that there was a good chance that she had broken it. Good, now he was able to be in solidarity with her.

She was panting, thankfully, for everyone in the palace she wasn’t screaming, but every few minutes she would have to cry out in order to have some form of release. It was taking all her strength to not use her powers and make everyone here feel her pain.

Suddenly there was relief, there was pain but it was the relief when you ell off the cliff.

The midwife opened her arms able to catch a little, beautiful bundle that Yaena couldn’t see right now before Yaena felt a snip. There was a sense of quiet washing over the birthing room, before it was filled with a high pitched cry, a baby taking their rest breaths. And despite not being able to see her child yet, Yaena cried too, that was her reward. That was the proof, she gave birth to a living child, everything else that had happened these hours, all the pain was wroth it. She laughed softly, looking at the ceiling not even being able to open her eyes right now.

The midwife wiped a cloth over the baby bringing her to Briar if he felt like he would be able to hold her right now while Yaena was still gathering her strength. “Congratulations,” She whispered to both of them, before putting a supportive hand on Yaena’s shoulder, “You’ve given birth a beautiful little girl.”

Yaena couldn’t even speak, from pain, from the relief, from just pure emotion, all she could do was look at the little angel. It was too early to figure out the baby’s features, but she could swear that the baby had golden eyes like coins.

 

[Average.]

When Briar first rushed into the birthing room he thought he was prepared and that he knew what to expect, however when Yaena started squeezing his hand... oh. He of course tried to hide his pain as best as possible, either by curling his lips inwards or just clenching his teeth tightly. He wasn't going to act like he was the one who was in pain where here Yaena was literally giving birth to their child. Even if his hand would just fall off by the end of this he promised himself to not even let out a single peep.

The hours felt long and exhausting, and watching her face, wet with tears and sweat, it made him want to try and help her in any way he could. He wanted to help her in any way to at least ease her pain, yet he should know that he would be the most help right now if he just stays here by Yaena's side - or away from Yaena, depending if she wanted space or not - and stays out of the midwife's way.

He felt sweaty too, yet he didn't cry. He felt like he was holding those in for later. He remained quiet, figuring that the midwife's instructions were move valuable right now than his comforting words, choosing to focus on his own breathing instead so that he doesn't get a damn panic attack. He was so excited and so scared at the same time. While he was excited to see their child, all he could simultaneously think about was every possibility of things going wrong. There were so many things that could happen.. and all he could do was pray to any God who would listen for everything to go as smoothly as possible.

It was then that he suddenly felt a crack in his hand and he couldn't help but wince this time. Gods when will this end-

Suddenly, everything went quiet, and even he was able to ignore the throbbing pain in his hand. Every sense of emotion in him stopped like a dam closing to restrict the flow of water in a river. He was holding his breath the entire time, until he heard a high pitched cry, and he felt like he could breathe again. That was when the dam opened, and all his emotions came bursting out like a waterfall. He looked up at the midwife who was holding the baby, feeling like his heart stopped for a second before it was given life again.

Congradulations, you've given birth to a beautiful baby girl.

A girl. A baby girl. Their little precious girl.

He felt tears well up, beginning to stream down his face, yet he wasn't sobbing. He just looked so.. stunned. Dumbstruck, even. His hands were shaking so much, raising them slowly as if contemplating whether he wanted to hold her or not.

He brought his hands back down, deciding not to hold their baby for now. His heart was beating as if he has ran hundreds of miles, as if it would burst out through his chest at any second. He wanted to hold her, but he was just afraid that he would drop her. As one; his hand was probably broken. And two; his hands were shaking to the point where he didn't feel confident enough to not drop her by accident.

It was normal, especially for first time fathers to be hesitant about holding their babies. He has heard his mother telling him stories of when he was born and his father backing away from the bed and standing in the corner in shock for almost a whole hour before finally agreeing to hold his son. His father then was a little more confident when it came to Lhoris, however he still didn't want to hold him immediately. He needed time for that too.

Instead, once Yaena felt ready the midwife carefully placed the little girl into Yaena's arms instead. She would of course need to return to proceed with any further check ups that were needed to ensure that both the baby and the mother were okay, yet for now the midwife left them alone to allow the new parents to have their private moment together with their baby.

Once the door closed and the room was filled with silence once again, that was when Briar could truly focus on their little angel. She was so beautiful, and perfect, and innocent. She had tiny little ears, only slightly pointed. He has loved her even before she was born, yet now that she was here... that love became greater than he could have ever imagined it could.

Briar was crying, both of them were crying, only their little girl no longer was. She was so peaceful now, asleep in her mother's arms, finding comfort in the lullaby of Yaena's heartbeat. The sound of her mother's heartbeat was all she has ever known until now. Only now was she beginning to learn all these new sounds, to feel all these new things. And soon she would be able to see them. He couldn't wait till he could show her the beautiful world she was born into. Yet for now being sheltered in her parent's loving arms was enough.

Briar could barely find the right words, could barely get any voice out past his lips. It was so difficult to believe that he was now officially a father. He has always been prepared for everything in his life. Reina was always relentless in her teaching methods, and she along with his parents have prepared him for the biggest moment in his life - his coronation. Becoming king. Taking on the weight of an entire kingdom onto his shoulders. The weight of a crown onto his head. He was prepared for that.

And yet he somehow felt less prepared to be a father to a living, breathing child. He feared that somehow he would fail their daughter, that he somehow wouldn't be a good father. It was one of his biggest fears. He didn't want to be like his father who sent his own son out to die. He wanted to be better. He wanted to raise their daughter to know what it's like to be loved by her parents.

Once he finally found his words and the courage to speak, he smiled tiredly at Yaena, letting out a breathless laugh. "Yaena, you did so well..." his voice was barely louder than a whisper, not only because he felt like he couldn't be any louder, but also because he didn't want to scare or wake their daughter by being too loud. "I'm proud of you."

He genuinely was. He knew deep down that Yaena could do it, despite his fears of things going wrong. She has overcome tougher challenges, a childbirth was nothing that she couldn't handle.

"And.. I guess I won the bet." even in a moment such as this he felt like being a tease. He was smiling at her, brighter than ever before. He felt like the happiest, luckiest man ever. Like he was on top of the world. He felt like he was glowing with happiness.

"Hm.. our little angel needs a name." he hummed, looking down at their daughter's sleeping face. She remained still most of the time, however sometimes she would squirm a little bit before going still once again. She wouldn't be very vocal so early, the only time where she would be vocal would be when she cries, however that would of course change the older she gets.

"I was thinking about the name's you've suggested, and I have to admit that I think I like Daella the most. I think it would make a perfect name for her, what do you think, sali?" he asked.

Daella. Their little bundle of joy.

The thought of having to go to another court meeting seeded dread into him. He was honestly tempted to tell his guards to tell anyone who wanted something from him right now to fuck off because being with his family right now was so much more important to him than to listen to some stupid Lord Ardreth try to show everyone how wise he is. If he was so wise then why not abdicate his crown and throne to him then.

It didn't matter for now though. None of it mattered because their daughter was here. That was what truly mattered.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Yaena was also afraid to hold her little girl, not just because she was understandably exhausted but because she was terrified that she would accidentally hurt her. She looked so small and fragile that it made Yaena feel dark and twisted in comparison.

However, she really wanted to hold her daughter for the first time so when her arms were no longer trembling she put them out and the midwife gingerly put the baby in her arms and Yaena held her breath. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, perhaps she was worried that somehow her very presence would disturb her, as though her daughter would know that her mother was some sort of monster, an abhorrent figure. It still didn’t feel real to her, she had nine months to prepare and now the realization that she was a mother now was like a sea of blinding lights.

Yaena pulled her daughter close to her, holding her by her heart and she watched in amazement as her daughter calmed down her repressed breath finally having been left out. She had known even before she was pregnant that the sound of their mother’s heartbeat calmed down newborns but she had never thought it would apply to her.

Unlike Briar, Yaena found that she wasn’t prepared for anything. She was a princess, but she was the fifth-born meaning that she was very unlikely to have power in her own kingdom and she had never wanted to get married to her marriage was just willingly tying a leash around’s one neck. Yaena had people she loved of course but she saw herself an inherently solitary being, her loved ones were exceptions not the rule. And now, here she was, the queen in a nation that still felt foreign to her with a husband she loved beside her and a baby she loved in her arms.

The more she stared at the perfect little sleeping face, the more she worried. There was a saying in Zhicra: there are no more effective instructors than your parents. In the end, her instructors could try as much as they wanted but they would never be as influential as her own mother and what did her own mother teach her? Her mother quite literally attempted to kill her.

Her mother, who once was in this very position eventually tried to kill the woman she once held as a baby. It was sickening, over the years her opinion of her mother worsened and worsened but never once did Yaena think she would ever devolve into trying to kill her own children.

What if it was inheritable? Yaena had inherited so many things from her mother from her eyes to her powers, to her preference for spicier foods. Even if she never reached the extremes of Selantheia what if her daughter eventually grew her to be a monster? Her mother never loved her she only saw her as a possession, as a means to an end. That cycle was going to end today, her and Briar’s daughter would feel valued and treasured not because of whatever powers they may have but because she was their little girl.

She looked up at Briar, they were going to be responsible for a whole new person, it would be their job to make sure their daughter grew up safe and happy. It was a momentus, humbling duty. Yaena would feel more confident drafting peace agreement by herself than raising a child, but infilled more rewarding. They were going to be able to watch their daughter bloom, perhaps she would take after one, or both or neither of their parents. Only time would tell.

Yaena you did so well, I’m so proud of you.

It never occurred to her that neither her or Briar have spoken a word since their daughter was born, because what words would do this moment justice? He should know that Yaena was completely and utterly in love with him, and she knew the same was true for her and both of them, in different ways were finally coming to terms with the fact that they were parents now.

Hearing that though, Yaena beamed with a proud smile on her face, because fuck yeah she did a good job. She mad an entire person breaking only one person’s bones and they weren’t even hers! She had spent her pregnancy with her nose in every book and her ears to every mother who would be willing to answer her questions, she worried if she was eating the right things, sleeping the right amount. She had wanted to eliminate as much risk as possible, and while it would be impossible to know how much of her lifestyle affected what happen here to day she still did it.

At the mention of the bet she laughed softly with a mock offended look on her face, keeping her tone low to not wake up their sleeping daughter. She blinked back tears before grinning up at him, “You’re lucky I can’t hit you right now,” She teased back, her eyes going back to their daughter when she stirred in her sleep. Every single one of the baby's movements got all the attention of her parents no matter how small. “I’m sorry about your hand..”

Daella, it was a pretty name for a pretty girl. Princess Daella. For months she had only been thought of as ‘her/their baby’ but now she finally had a name, she was officially a person in this big world.
______


Truthfully, Yaena had no desire to bring little Daella to court she could be sure that she and Briar would love her unconditionally and she could be sure that his parents were happy to have their first grandchild. But the court? She had wanted to put it off as long as possible.

When Briar and Yaena looked at Daella, they didn’t see a potential heir to to Eurus or the first ‘official’ half-elf human child, they simply saw their daughter. But the other elves wouldn’t see it that way, she could already imagine them trying to see if the baby had more elf or human in their features. Personally, Yaena thought it was perfectly even, Daella having the golden eyes of her father and her hair somewhere between Yana’s inky black and Briar’s pale blonde, not to mention she had the most precious little ears.

But eventually, Yaena had to acknowledge that if they wanted their daughter to grow up intros world, she would have to meet the people in it. First, she started with some of the elven ladies who she had grown fond of, she had grown close with the young Lady Jeyne in particular, mainly because she confessed that her father was sending her here in the hopes that she would ‘straighten out.’

While she was sure that some of them were lying…Yaena would do better if she was a bit more confident in her personality. Yes, she could be a bit intense and strange sometimes, but the new Queen could be incredibly entertaining, especially when she was in smaller groups that she did not feel overwhelmed in and she had more friends in the palace than she may think. That was why they were now having tea in the courtyard near Yaena’s former quarters, they were finally going to meet the new princess.

At two months old, Daella was already showing endless curiosity about the world, being able to roll around and occasionally burst into amazed giggles.

“She’s precious” One of the older women squealed, as Daella giggled in her mother’s arms, “May I please hold her?”

Yaena had letter other people hold Daella of course, Briar, the midwife, servants, and even the former king and queen have already held her but she always clenched whenever she saw her daughter in the arms of someone else. However, Lady Hana had three children, she was more experienced than even Yaena was and she forced herself to trust her.

The other three women she were with leaned over Lady Hana’s shoulders, already calling dibs on who would hold her next, “Look at those eyes! She looks like she’s made of porcelain.” One of them cooed. “You and the king may have to watch over her early, you know how boys are.” She teased and Yaena paled but accepted the compliment anyway.

Another one put her hand on her chest and sighed dreamily instead cooing in a baby voice to Daella who promptly became fussy, realizing she was no longer in the arms of her mother.

 

[Average.]

What was more tedious than a court meeting? More court meetings. Ever since the sun has poked it's head out from behind the horizon Briar was up and about, travelling back and forth from court room to the throne room and then to wherever his parents wanted to meet with him.

The entire time he was looking forward till when he could finally go see Yaena and Daella. He has heard of where they were; in the courtyard enjoying some tea, probably obsessing over the new princess. For once he couldn't be certain of how Yaena must be feeling; while she may be feeling uncomfortable having to associate with a group of elven women who were stuck to Yaena like glue only because they had to be.. she at least has others to keep her company. It wouldn't be good for her or Daella if they just remained isolated to themselves and only interacted with Briar whenever he could come. It pained him that he couldn't keep Yaena as much company as he used to, however he would go to see her whenever he could.

At least their life has been peaceful ever since that day with Selantheia, so they really had nothing to complain about.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, he couldn't help but smile at the scene, and his chest swelled with pride as he heard the adorable little sounds of his daughter giggling at whatever amused her. When one of the ladies noticed Briar, she immediately stood up and curtsied with the other ladies following suit when they noticed the presence of the king. Yaena of course was not obliged to such formalities around him. He was used to seeing people curtsy or bow to him since he could even remember, yet never has he felt this much respect towards him, even as a prince. There was a huge gap between a prince and a king. With a queen it was the same however the gap between a princess and a queen was smaller than it was with a king (unless of course the queen was the only female left in the royal family).

"Afternoon, ladies," Briar nodded his greeting towards them. He would have leaning in to give Yaena a kiss, yet because they were technically in public right now he restrained himself from doing so. Even if they were married now, they still have to refrain from being too affectionate with each other in public, even if these ladies were part of the queen's inner circle.

He didn't even need to ask before Lady Hana carefully placed Daella into Briar's arms. Over these two months he has become a lot more confident while holding his daughter, probably because his hands were no longer shaking whenever he did. Little moments like these were precious to him as the time he had with them was limited. Soon he would once again be forced to delve deep into the very pits of hell - or the court room in other words. It was so damn mundane just sitting there... he felt like he was getting stupider the more he listened to those buffoons ramble.

Daella looked up at her father. Her eyes were so bright, like molten gold or tiny little embers. Their irises were so much clearer and more opaque than his, it was so easy to get entranced in them.

When the little girl noticed that her father was smiling, she giggled brightly. Her chubby little hands reached up and she cooed as if trying to reach for something. Briar instantly knew what she was trying to reach and he brought his arms up a little higher so that she could reach his hair and ears. Daella always had this strange yet oddly amusing interest with Briar's hair and ears, though she had a curiosity about everything to be honest. Yet whenever Briar was holding her, she always needed to play with his hair or pull at his ears. Briar didn't mind that at all and he let her do it whenever she wanted to, even if sometimes she would pull a little too hard since babies often don't understand their own strength or that they have to be gentle.

She was also interested in his eyepatch, yet she tended to be much more delicate when it came to it, almost as if she knew. Briar highly doubted that she actually knew about his missing eye, it was more likely that she just didn't know what to even do with it, but it was interesting to think about.

"Ladies, I hope you don't mind, but I must speak with Queen Yaena for a couple minutes." Briar turned to look at them. "I promise that she will be all yours again once she returns."

"Don't keep us waiting for too long!" one of the ladies joked before taking a sip from her tea cup.

Briar flashed a small smile before he left with Yaena, Daella still in his arms, still finding entertainment by playing with strands of Briar's blonde hair. He would have left Daella in the company of Yaena's ladies in waiting, however much like Yaena he too didn't trust anyone else around their daughter, let alone leaving her alone with someone. He wouldn't have even left her alone with his parents. It was an overprotectiveness that he just couldn't get rid of. For now it wasn't much of a problem since Daella was still a baby, however what would he do when the time would come for Daella to meet her suitor? The very thought sickened him, and if he had to sneak poison into the drink of an elven heir of an allied nation... he would gladly do so without hesitation.

Nowadays his and Yaena's conversations often tended to revolve around his meetings, along with Briar of course asking Yaena how she and Daella were both doing. Private moments where they could be their complete selves around each other have shrunk only to late evenings, where both of them were able to retire to their private quarters.

They ambled their way further into the courtyard, towards the grand marble fountain. It had a statue of a hippogriff in the middle of it. Briar hasn't gone near the gardens ever since Selantheia pushed Yaena into the lake and he set everything ablaze in blue flames. The gardens have recovered by then, and new trees and flowers have been planted. However still despite that, he still couldn't bring himself to go in there. The very thought of the lake brought anxiety to him to the point where he felt nauseous, and all he could think about whenever he thought of the lake was the image of Yaena getting pushed into it.

"I have some troubling news." he said as they walked. Daella giggled, pulling on her father's ear, not a care in the world. "Nothing about she who shall not be named.. but still they're troubling." he and Yaena have made a promise to each other to never mention Selantheia's name in front of Daella. It was worse than any curse word, than any vulgar term or sentence. It was the worst thing they could ever say in front of her. "A ship delivering supplies from Zhicra has recently been sunk out at sea by some unknown vessel. It didn't have a flag, but survivors of the attack claimed that those responsible were elves." Pause. "And now... I have to get to the bottom of it of course." he sighed.

Of course he should be treating such matters seriously, as any hostile interaction between human and elf can be seen as an excuse to start another war, which would be disastrous. Yet it was still.. tiring. It was tiring to have so much control, to have so many people looking up to you. Along with that, he also had to remain a good influence to his daughter at all times and a loving and attentive husband. He didn't treat the last two things as a chore of course, yet still it was much harder to keep track of all of those things when you had to carry the weight of an entire kingdom on your shoulders.

He didn't expect Yaena to have any advice for him, all he needed was someone that would listen to his ranting, hence why after a short moment of silence he continued to speak. "So, how are you and Daella? Is everything going well? Is she eating well?" he wished that he didn't have to ask her these things. He wanted to just know these things, to be present long enough so that he didn't have to ask her because he would just know.

He was tempted to surprise Yaena that they were going to go away. On a vacation, anywhere away from here. His parents sometimes would take him and Lhoris out to their holiday home which was on the very outskirts of Eurus, where they had their own private beach. He remembered loving those trips, and it gave the family a chance to only focus on each other and spend time together. Yet at the same time, he didn't want to claim that he needs a holiday where he's only been king for less than a year. It wouldn't leave a good impression. Perhaps in three months or so he could take Yaena and Daella out for a holiday, but because he couldn't promise it, he wouldn't mention the idea to Yaena right now so that she wouldn't end up disappointed if it didn't end up happening for whatever reason.

Briar felt Daella soon stop pulling at his ear, seemingly losing interest, and instead she looked up. She must have heard the calls of a seagull colony as they flew over the courtyard in an almost perfect v-formation and towards the sea. Her eyes were wide and full of wonder as she stared with a bright smile on her face.

He couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed that. "She reminds me so much of you. I know that babies are naturally curious of everything... but whenever Daella is curious about something all I can think about is you." he turned to look at Yaena, a loving smile on his face.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Yaena’s face lit up in relief when she saw her husband. Even if she would have to be more formal with him in front of everyone. Lady Hana, the woman currently holding Daella often mentioned how much are “personal” Yaena and Briar were compared to other couples. What Yaena wanted to say was just because Lady Hana hated her husband it didn’t mean that Yaena hated hers. The reason she didn’t wasn’t just because she had basic understanding of etiquette, but also because arranged marriages were often the luck of a dice throw and not everyone could be as lucky as Yaena was.

The relief came two-fold when the Lady put Daella in her father’s arms, now that they both knew that Briar was capable of it. Whenever they got the opportunity to spend time together, Daella would be in his arms. Yaena had ample opportunities to hold their little girl throughout the day, unfortunately, Briar didn’t. When Yaena was small enough to be held, her father was the same with her, wanting to pick her up even when Yaena was five-years-old and perfectly proficient at walking.

Yaena also tensed when they walked by the lake. It was a shame, the lake was where they had their first kiss, the lake was where they went after their horrible Zhicran voyage, hell, the lake was also where Yaena threatened to kill him (now that they were far, far past that it was a treasured memory for her). Now she couldn’t help but feel sick just looking at it. Sometimes, when they walked by here, Daella would find herself entranced by the lake. The obvious conclusion was that a glowing body of water was fascinating to a baby (it was fascinating to her mother when she first came here as well), but Yaena couldn’t help but wonder if her daughter and the lake had a connection now.

"A ship delivering supplies from Zhicra has recently been sunk out at sea by some unknown vessel. It didn't have a flag, but survivors of the attack claimed that those responsible were elves.”

Yaena frowned, she never expected that conflicts would just stop. After all, no matter the compromise there would always be elves who would think that the humans had gotten too much and vice versa. Yaena was inclined to believe the Zhicrans, not because of it being her homeland, but simply because the only other explanation was that they attacked their own ships or another human nation did which seemed fairly unlikely. She didn’t think the problem would be getting to the bottom of it, however, it would be the aftermath. And even if Yaena was the type to give advice on such matters, she wouldn’t want to.

At talking about Daella, she grinned, because both of these two would rather talk about their precious daughter than the state of elvish-human relations “I think she’s seen the both of us rad so much that she is trying to mimic it, I accidentally left one of my books on the bed with her and she rolled over and stared at the pages.” She recalled before nodding at her eating well, reassuring him that things were fine. Like Briar, she wished that he could see the things for himself, but he couldn’t. She wondered distantly if her brother was going through that same problem as well, after all her nephew would be around nine months old now and Tristan would probably want to be an attentive father, but circumstances forbade it.

Was it possible to be content and restless at the same time? Yaena adored her husband and her daughter and would never do anything that would cause her to be away from them, but she didn’t just miss the fact that she couldn’t spend as much time with Briar, she missed that she had less time to challenge herself. Jeyne had become a very dear friend to her, and she enjoyed aspects of the others, but in the end Yaena was who she was. She missed doing spells, and making potions, she missed doing medical research, and all those hobbies had been taken from her.

As the seagulls flew over, Yaena was blind to the obvious similarities. It was sometimes hard for her to believe that her daughter took after her in any way despite some traits being obvious. Yaena never struggled with holding her (the hard part was letting her go), but the idea that this child looked like her mother in any way was still a surprise to her.

“You know, according to my sister, I looked like a barn owl when I was a baby,” She admitted, with an exaggerated serious nodding, pretending that Viria said something that truly cut her deep. In a few minutes he would have to be back at a war meeting and she would be back entertaining the ladies, but that was why moments like these were important. “I keep pointing out every little thing to her because I Want to teach her everything.”

______
It was the end of the day, all of Briar’s advisors and all of Yaena’s ladies had gone to their own homes and it was a relief. For Yaena at least, today wasn’t even that bad of a day except for th fact that Lady Jeyne had news for her that Yaena had to make sure wouldn’t cause a scandal. Although she tried to tell herself it was lower stakes than any of the problems facing the nation, it still made her nervous because she never had to deal with ‘social’ problems like this before. Honestly, it was “unspeakable” but she was tempted to talk to Reina about this, swearing her to secrecy of course.

“You know, today marks a year since I landed in Zhicra,” Yaena told him, laying on the bed besides him, two of the palace servants were inside their daughter’s nursery and a guard was posted outside. While Yaena only felt secure when her daughter was where she could see her, at this point she didn’t hold any distrust of the palace staff (to be clear she didn’t trust them, but they hadn’t given her a reason to distrust them, yet). All babies struggled with sleeping through the night and their precious girl was no exception but she was finally starting to be able to sleep eight hours without crying.

What a year it had been, on the first day, she they had barely been able to look at each other and by the end of the night they both loathed each other and then well…things changed. It didn’t feel like a fast transition at the time, it was more like they got reintroduced to each other, but now it was kind of amazing to think about. How many married couples were there that didn’t love each other the way they did? Even Inka confided to her that she and Tristan shared a love more common in friends than husband and wife.

And that was what made things easier because even if they couldn’t see each other as often, they still had each other. If Yaena had to live a life In which she didn’t just spend her days with politicians, but her nights with one too, Daella would be the only thing to keep Yaena from jumping off the seats.

“I was going to slap you,” She tased before leaning up to kiss him softly, how long since they were able to just talk to each other like this? “Somehow you managed to turn the situation.”

Despite both of them struggling with boredom and stress in many ways, Yaena was never ungrateful to live a life where boredom was a possibility. Not only was it a big year in the sense that two strangers turned into lovers, but she was reminded of just how much they went through. Yaena would rather talk to hundreds of ladies daily than ever have to think of Selantheia again.

However, it wouldn’t last for long because Yaena suddenly paused. When she was in Zhicra she could sense every person in th palace just by the sound of their heartbeat. Over time, she was able to do it in Eurus (it was a strange recalibration as elves in general had slower heartbeats than humans). The most important people to remember was Briar, Daella, and…the servants who were most often tasked with caring for the latter and that was why without even saying anything she walked to Briar’s door and open it.

“Josephine, what are you doing out here?”

Yaena was good with names, and she knew all the servant’s names both to their joy and fear. When they did something good, they got to be spoken to by the queen, but when they did something bad…they couldn’t just get lost in the crowd. Josephine, a lanky auburn-haired servant stopped in her tracks and looked at her with wide eyes, because the worst thing would be getting the attention of both the king and the queen.

“U-uh, didn’t you and the king send a guard to the princess’ room to ensue the windows were secure?” She asked, stammering through her words, but what she said was such a shock that Yaena had no time to truly scold her for this.

Yaena didn’t even turn to her husband to make sure, and he didn’t turn to her. They both knew that was wrong, there were sometimes things that Briar may not be able to tell her, but they would never keep any secrets when it came to caring for their daughter and that meant that there was someone in Daella’s room and that was enough for the two of them to bolt.

She didn’t have much time to think of the implications, or even pray for the best, the only thing that Yaena’s mind was urging to do was get to Daella’s rooms. It was as though he was numb, she couldn’t feel her heart beating, she couldn’t even feel her legs moving, she wouldn’t feel anything until she saw their little girl and they knew what was happening.

Briar got to the door before she did, and the first thing she saw was an elvish man dressed traditionally like a soldier over Daella’s nursery. What Yaena didn’t notice was that Peony, one of the other servants was currently lying on the ground with her throat cut, the blood pooling on around her, to be blunt, act the moment Yaena only cared about the fact that the blood was not her daughter’s.

She had used her powers before on people, but this was all instinct, hell for some this would be their first time seeing Yaena use her abilities as she threw her hand out and an attempted-assasin got thrown against the wall with a sickening crunch, their ribs already protruding out their skin.

Daella had been sleeping soundly, but ironically it was her mother who woke her up, and she began to cry at the commotion.

 

[Average.]

You know, today marks a year since I landed in Eurus.

It was so difficuly for him to believe. A whole year has passed since the day he has first set his eyes on her. How far have they come since then, how much has their life changed. They were both older, they were both wiser, and they were closer than ever before.

Only a year has passed, and yet it felt like a whole five years have passed instead. There was so much that happened in such a short amount of time that it was difficult for him to even comprehend.
He barked out a laugh upon hearing that she almost slapped him. Honestly, he was surprised that she didn't. He remembered her angry face, eyes shooting daggers as they stared up at him. And then she stormed off to her room and ended up going the wrong way. He smiled with amusement at the memory. "Yeah, I've managed to turn it because even back then you thought I was incredibly charming." he teased back, grinning proudly.

A lot has changed since then, despite them being crowned king and queen of an entire nation. With Yaena there, he felt like a hole has been filled in him. A hole that has only gotten bigger when he lost Lhoris, yet healed over because of her. It still hurt, but it no longer hurt as much because of one simple reason; he wasn't alone. He had someone to turn to who wouldn't judge him for being too emotional or not emotional enough. It just felt good having someone like that in his life again, and not only that; she gave him a daughter. As if their bond wasn't already strong enough, it has gotten even stronger with their daughter in between them, reinforcing their bond to be stronger than ever.

However, when he noticed Yaena pause he frowned. By now, he knew her well enough to understand her powers to some degree. Of course, he would never understand them as well as Yaena did, however he knew that her magic allowed her to reach inside people. With it she could feel every vein, every organ, every bone all the way down to it's marrow. If she wasn't a queen Yaena would have most certainly made a fantastic healer, probably one of the best in the whole world. If she could reach into people like that she could detect any abnormality better than anyone else.
But he could recognise that look anywhere. And he could immediately assume that perhaps she felt like something was wrong.

U-Uh, didn't you and the king send a guard to the princess' room to ensure the windows were secure?

He felt his blood run cold as he paled - as if that was even possible - though because it was dark in the room that probably wouldn't have even been visible. Instantly, without the need to even look at each other, the two bolted out from their bed and out towards Daella's nursery.

His mind was racing, quickly going through every single horrid possibility of what could have happened.

When he reached the door and stared at the soldier, all he saw was red. He caught a whiff of that familiar metallic scent of blood and was about to scream, until he noticed the servant laying on the floor, blood pooling around her throat like a tiny lake of blood. It was selfish of him, yet everyone knew that a parent would grieve more for the death of their child rather than the death of some servant that he didn't even know the name of.

Before he could even lift a hand, the assassin was already slammed against the wall by some invisble force, chest splitting and bloodied ribs portruding through their skin like knives or spikes.
He felt bile rising up his throat from the shock, from how weak his legs felt. They felt like brittle stilts, and his heart was hammering so hard that he thought his chest was going to split open just like the assassin's chest had.

Briar didn't need to look back to know that Yaena was behind him. He could feel her presence, and anyone who had the capability to feel the presence of magic would be terrified of her right now. A dark and sinister aura was emitting from her, yet he didn't feel fear, after all why would he? Around her, he had nothing to fear.

He could hear the cry of their daughter, and because he was still recovering from the sheer adrenaline and shock, all he could do was stumble forward. He reached Daella's crib and gently picked her up. His hands were shaking, yet despite that he knew that he wouldn't drop her.

Once he had her in his arms, he walked much faster, stepping over the pool of blood, the tips of the fur that lined his white royal mantle getting slightly stained in the crimson fluid. He wanted to carry Daella out of that room as quickly as possible, he didn't want her seeing any of this. His breathing still sounded shaky, and once he left the room with Yaena and with Daella in his arms he tried his best to start calming their daughter down.

Their little angel was still crying, clearly frightened, and he kept her close, rocking her gently in his arms. "It's alright... it's alright, my little sali, my little feather... nobody can hurt you while mommy and daddy are here.." he whispered to her. Daella soon started to quiet down, finding comfort in the presence of her mother and father.

Soon, more guards came rushing in to see what all the commotion was about, and if Daella wasn't so distressed then he would have probably told them all to fuck off. He knew that they were just doing their jobs, however... that assassin was dressed like a guard. He would have never guessed that guard was here to kill an innocent little baby girl in her crib unless he saw it himself.

He held his daughter closely, glaring at every single guard that passed them and rushed inside the room where it all has happened. One guard however made the mistake to stop and turn to Briar. "Your Grace, I can assure you that-"

"If you take one fucking step closer I swear I will burn you alive." Briar snapped all of a sudden. Well there goes him hiding his vulgar mouth in front of his daughter.

The guard blinked and immediately scurried away, and rightfully so, because if he didn't take the king seriously Briar would have no doubt used his powers again exactly like he has done to Selantheia on that one guard. Everyone has witnessed what Briar has done to her, everyone has witnessed the roaring blue flames engulfing the royal gardens. They now knew what Briar was capable of, and who knew if that was a good or a bad thing. Yet even that wasn't enough for that assassin to think twice about coming near Briar's family. He thought he was going to get away with it.

There was no way that he was going to allow for Daella to sleep alone in the nursery ever again. If anything, she was going to sleep in his and Yaena's quarters from now on. They would move her crib in there, and no one would ever try to harm her again.

He turned to Yaena, still shaken from what has happened. Yaena was no doubt shaken too, and now was the time where they needed privacy more than anything. So they headed back to their quarters, for once having an excuse to just hide away from everyone. Briar held Daella close to him at all times, eye darting around the hall as if he was fearing that there was more assassins waiting in the shadows for them.

For the first time in his life he didn't feel safe in his own palace. While yes he also felt that way once they received news of Selantheia.. that was different. At least with Selantheia they knew who they were dealing with, while with these assassins... could they truly trust nobody?

That was no clone. That was a elvish man, acting on his own accord to murder some innocent little baby girl in her crib. He was dressed as one of the guards, and before the end of today Briar has probably laid eyes on him multiple times and he would have never been able to tell that he was a killer. He has heard of assassinations on royalty, but he never would have guessed that there would be an attempt on the life of a small child. A child.

It was sickening, and terrifying. Now, even with only one eye, he felt like he could see better than ever before. Nobody could be trusted, and he couldn't believe that he was naive enough to trust anyone else other than members of his family.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

All Yaena wanted to do was hold her daughter and husband as well, to reassure her that they were here and alive. But Yaena stopped, she was scared not just for all the reasons why anyone in her situation would be but she was also afraid of herself.

She held absolutely no guilt about the assassins death, in fact she was happy. Yaena walked in and saw a man trying to murder her child in her crib there was nobody in this world who would blame her for killing him. However, it had been a long time since she used her powers in that manner, touched into a darker side of herself and she was afraid that somehow she would hurt little Daella if she got too close. Or that Daella would somehow be afraid of her after all, the baby just saw her mother practically crunch someone.

But, she would wither away if she wasn’t near her family right now so after stepping over the servant’s corpse she wrapped an arm around Briar, her eyes focusing on Daella. She was so small, and perfect, and someone was going to kill her, she almost was sad that the guard was dead because if he was alive he could be interrogated. Was he paid for or did he do this on his own? Neither of those options would be comforting, if he was paid for then that meant his benefactor was still out there and he did this on his own…how could she trust anyone now?

Yaena had always been aware of assassinations, after all, until this year Zhicra and Eurus had been at war, but this was a level of depraved. She could understand why someone would want her dead, and unfortunately, she could understand why someone would want Briar dead but Daella? The same baby who looked at a flock of seagulls with such an innocent look of amazement? The thought didn’t do anything to repel her darkness. After all, would that be needed to protect her family?

It was funny, the assassin didn’t target Yaena and Briar, probably because of their powers so they took the cowards route. Yaena always felt she could protect herself from assassination and while she of course worried about Briar, she had faith in him to protect himself to but Daella? How would either of them bear being away from their daughter even for minutes at a time?

It was torture, but she couldn’t help but think of all the ways this could’ve gone wrong. What if Yaena had been asleep? What if she and Briar had decided to go to the library together or even the stables because they wanted to reminiscence? What use was anything, what use was the fact that Briar and Yaena were the king and queen or the fact that they had powers that terrified others if they couldn’t protect their daughter?

It was hard for her to speak that night, what did she and Briar have to say to each other? When they got into the room, she put her arms out, asking wordlessly if she could hold little Daella and try to coax her to sleep. She also wanted to remind her daughter that while Yaena was capable to hurting many people, she would never be able to hurt her daughter.

——

It had been two weeks since the assassination attempt and it sent shockwaves through the castle. From now on Yaena could not look anyone in the eye. All her ladies and even the lords who sought her out, spoke their disgust with what happened and attempted to offer any comfort they could. However, she couldn’t believe them. It was unfair to not believe their soft words, after all if someone had attempted to kill one of Lady Hana’s children Yaena would have certainly been horrified and attempted to comfort her.

The fact that the assassin was an elf was even more painful for her because what did that mean? She would have been dismayed if it was a Zhicran but at least that was a problem that could be more easily solved. Over time, Yaena had thought or hoped that she had done her part to end any bias they had about a human queen. Yaena spoke elvish fluently, was clearly beloved by the king, she had done everything yet there were still people who hated humans so much that they would kill a baby.

Before Yaena had been trying to become more social, attempting to find joy and make real friends, but now she found herself reverting to the person she was before she left Zhicra. Someone who didn’t trust anyone and only found solace in her family. Yaena even had trouble looking at Lady Jeyne in the eye.


How did people even move on from this? The worst thing was that an assassin only had to succeed once. She and Briar could protect Daella ninety-nine times but it would all be naught if they slipped just once. Was she just supposed to go back to acting like a perfect queen, and leave her daughter to be taken care of by servants? Even if none of her servants were worthy of hatred, they were all clearly useless. Peony had attempted to fight off the assassin (something that after putting Daella to sleep, Yaena was more fully able to appreciate), and she was now a corpse. Should elven soldiers now be tasked with babysitting duty?

At the moment, Yaena was in her room, Daella napping soundly in her crib. While she still talked to her ladies, not wanting to offend them, she had a preference for even smaller groups now. Even if Yaena was not an overanxious mother, she wouldn’t have been handle talking to six people at the same time.

There was a knock on the door and Yaena looked behind her at the window, to make sure nobody was out there and wanted to distract her. Feeling”safe” she opened it only to see an out of breath serving boy with a letter in his hands. “This came from Zhicra,” He panted and Yaena’s eyes perked up, “The king has already read his letter but this one was specifically sent to you.”

“Thank you,” Yaena murmured, sending the servant off before opening it, excited to see if it was from any of her siblings, or even her mentor.

Dear Yaena,

I hope you forgive me for talking to you informally but at the moment I am not talking to you as a king, but as your brother.

First of all, how is your sweet princess doing? I hope that I may finally get to meet her one day? Haydian would probably love to meet a cousin his age. He is finally gotten able to stand on his own two feet it feels like like he is growing up so fast and I do not have the privilege to see it. How is the king? It feels strange to think that despite me feeling so much older than than the two of you that we’re going through the same situation together.


Yaena laughed darkly, Tristan had probably not gotten the news yet.

Now, I regret to inform you that the circumstances of this letter are tragic. Two weeks ago, Inka reported stomach pains at a royal feast. I wish I could be able tot ell you all the details,, but even now my hands quiver to inform you. Inka died last night, Haydian and I were at least able to be by her side.

I have known Inka since we were nine, and I have loved her since then aqs well. She was my friend, my wife, the mother of my child, and before all of that. My partner, I hardly imagine where I would be without her and what I would do without her. Haydian hardly understands what is going on, and he keeps asking where his mother is.

I was not the only person to love Inka, and I know you did too and I hope you have people who you can turn to for comfort. Her funeral will be..

Yaena couldn’t read anymore, Briar had probably gotten a letter too, though much more formally written. Hers was personal because this was personal. Inka was practically her sister, the woman who took the most care of her throughout her life, and now she was gone? By a virus? It felt like a part of her world just disappeared and she couldn’t even be there to talk to her.

Although Yaena wasn’t a crier, all energy left her body and she laid down on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest as her grief started to fully make itself known. She didn't even ask someone to call for Briar, if he knew Inka was dead, he would come comfort her when he had all the time and that was all she needd.

 

[Average.]

Briar doubted that he would ever be the same after that night. After all, a parent just doesn't forget and move on from their child almost getting murdered. He spoke less and found it difficult to focus during court meetings. This time at least he had an excuse, and instead he would get sympathetic looks from people - even from Lord Ardreth - instead of annoyed looks.

Daella was never left alone again after that. All the time it was either Yaena, Briar or both of them watching over their daughter. They were both just so afraid, and nobody could blame them for that. Never again since then has Daella felt what it was like to be in the arms of someone else other than her parents'. Briar wanted Daella to get to know other people other than them as it was good for her, yet how could one expect him to put trust into anybody else after that?

Now however, he was on his way to his and Yaena's quarters where he knew she would be. He was aware of the terrible news, he has read the letter, and right now he was just trying to get to Yaena as fast as his legs could carry him.

He returned no greeting to any servants that he has passed, and to no guards either. In fact, his fists clenched whenever he passed a servant or a guard as if preparing himself to set them ablaze if he needed to. Briar held no hate towards his guards and servants; after all, just because one assassin was disguised as a guard didn't mean that they all were. Yet it still made him question on who he could trust. Anyone who was skilled enough could just waltz right into the palace, murder a guard or a servant and steal their clothing and go wherever they pleased. The body of the guard that has been killed by that assassin still hasn't been found. He certainly hoped that at least he and Yaena would never find it somehow. But if it was hidden close enough they may be able to tell by a certain stench...

Briar has spent time over these past few months practicing his newly discovered powers in secret. While he and Yaena rarely ever kept secrets from each other, this was something that he felt that he shouldn't tell her. He just didn't want to worry her, as he clearly shown fascination and fondness towards his powers. Selantheia has also shown fascination and fondness towards her powers. While he insisted to himself every time that he was different and that it wasn't the same, he could understand if Yaena ever made that comparison. Hence why he chose not to tell her about it.

Soon, he reached the door to their quarters. He didn't knock before he carefully opened the door and let himself in. He figured that if he didn't knock Yaena would know that it was him, since it were only really servants, guards or anyone else who knocked on their door.

His movements were as quiet as he could make them as he was aware that their daughter was sleeping. At least Daella was calm about all of this. Even if she seemed frightened on that day, it didn't take long for her to return to her normal curious and bright self. Once again she would look up in wonder whenever she saw seagulls fly through the sky, and she would giggle whenever her parents would coo at her. She didn't understand the severity of the situation, how could she after all. She didn't understand that someone just tried to take her two - almost three - month old life.

Briar felt a crack appear in his heart upon witnessing his wife in such a state. She was just laying there in silence on the bed, knees up against her chest. He didn't even need to ask before he took off his shoes and laid down on the bed next to her, gently pulling her closer.

Even if Inka was not a biological sister to her or a mother... she was like a sister to Yaena, and that was enough. He didn't want to compare this situation to him losing his own brother as this wasn't about him, he didn't want to make it about him. Now, it was Yaena's turn to show that she was grieving. And he would be there for her every step of the way.

There was little need for words, as he didn't want to accidentally say anything that she would consider insensitive. Should he say something like 'she was a great woman'? No, those words were pointless, and they meant nothing. Yes, she was a great woman, and she didn't deserve to leave this world so soon. She had a husband who loved her, and a child. She had a child, and now that poor child was probably confused and oblivious to the situation at hand, asking where his mother is.

He was never close to Tristan, but he respected the man. No conversation that he ever had with Tristan was unpleasant, and finally after many failed attempts Inka has successfully gave him a child. And she wouldn't even have a chance to see her son grow up. If there was such a thing as an afterlife, then she maybe could watch him from above, yet she would never actually be present, and her absence would be felt like a cold wind.

The world was unfair, the Gods were unfair. And if fate existed; it was also unfair.

However, they could all continue complaining about life's unfairness and never take any step forward. Or, they could just come to terms with it and move on with their lives while they still had the chance and the privilage to. But still, it hurt. It hurt like a fucking bitch, and it was so much easier to just stand still and stare up at the sky and scream why instead of picking yourself up to continue trudging forward.

Briar ran his fingers through Yaena's hair gently, leaning in to kiss her forehead affectionately. Even if there was indeed little need for words, he still felt the need to say something to her, even if was simple. He didn't need to be a philosopher to help ease someone's grief, he just needed to be there. If she wanted to cry, she could cry all she wanted and he would be there and listen to her for every second, every minute, every hour. They have seen each other cry multiple times, so if she needed to let it all out then she could. Here in this room they could wipe off their facades and show their true colours to each other, even if they consisted mostly of dull greys and blues.

"If you need to cry... you know you can, right?" he whispered, embracing her cheek. "I will always be here for you, Yaena. The idiots back at court can go fuck themselves and solve something on their own for once."
It was true. Upon receiving the news of Inka's death from one of the servants, Briar just stood up and walked out of the court room without even saying a word to anyone.

"Just let it out, sali.. I'm here." he felt like getting emotional as well, but for once he was more than determined on holding those emotions back. Over the past couple months he has gotten much better at controlling his own emotions. Suppose that was the one good thing he got out of these court meetings. And while he wasn't afraid on letting any strong emotions he had festering inside him seep out in front of Yaena... he didn't want to distract her from her own emotions.

This time, he wanted to hold his own tears back for her, just this once. He just wanted her to focus on her own emotions, on any grief that she felt and just let it flow like a waterfall down a cliff. His emotions didn't matter right now; hers did.

Any tears that she has shed after that he gently wiped from her cheeks, until there were just too many so he just let them fall as they pleased. He didn't care if they would stain his shirt, his shirt was expendable. On the first week of them meeting he would literally ruin an entire outfit every single day, so why would he care about ruining just one shirt this one time?

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

It was strange thinking on how much family she had lost. By the time she was twenty-two, Yaena had lost both of her parents, her brother, and her sister-in-law who she had known her entire life. One strange thing about being the only Narayan in the palace meant her grief was different. Before, she had always thought that her grief wasn’t as important as others. When her father died, she assumed it would be harder on Tristan because he was older and now king, when Haydian died, she put more attention on comforting Calum. And when her mother died well…Yaena had trouble exploring the emotions she felt. While what she felt wasn’t grief per say it was still difficult to accept that her mother was no longer in her life.

But now, she was the person in this palace who would be most effected by the news and in a way, it was a relief. While she was are Briar was saddened that Inka died as although the two didn’t have many conversations, she had been perfectly warm and kind to him in Zhicra, Inka was her sister.

When she heard Briar lay down next to her, despite her grief, she couldn’t help but remember the first time that they had turned to each other for comfort. It had been the morning after they left for the city and Yaena well…When Yaena saw him she was sobbing uncontrollably, it had been the last time she cried like that since she found out Haydian died and she was afraid that it was her fault.

Briar being here was enough, there were times when their sadness needed words as everyone needed someone to listen. But now was not one of them, she wouldn’t have slighted him at all if he brought up his brother, he understood her pain and that was enough. Yaena just needed to be around someone who loved her right now, and someone she loved back and the only person who could fulfill that was Briar. They were like two trees that grown into one, they both relied on each other and they both were always there for each other. Briar knew that if the situations were reversed she would be doing everything to comfort him too.

If you want to cry, you know you can right?

She realized now that she felt uncomfortable crying, Daella was sleeping soundly but she didn’t want her daughter to ever see her cry or even hear her cry. She had so many more reasons she wanted to be strong, she wanted to be a good queen, not just for her sake, but for Briar, he had so many things to worry about he didn’t need to be the king who had the “strange human wife.”

Even in front her husband she was still embarrassed she she buried her face in his neck, the tears silently fell down her face. The world hadn’t just changed in the year since they met, they changed but this would always remain the same. She began to wrap her arms around him, wishing that nothing would ever call him out this room again. If Inka had died while she was in Zhicra it would have even been more crushing because her world was emptier, but now at least she had Briar and at least she had Daella and she no longer felt alone.

“You know, when I was four I had a nightmare that my mother was goin to force me to kill my pet cat and I wandered all the way to Tristan’s room, they had been married for two years by then and I knocked on their door.” She could tell him how sad she was, how it felt cruelly ironic that within the same year her “mother” died, the world managed to also take the woman who was the closest thing Yaena had to a real maternal figure. But she wanted Briar to understand why Inka was important to her. Just as she wanted to know Lhoris, she wanted Briar to know just what kind of person Inka was.;

She smiled wryly, “In hindsight I think I was interrupting something as Tristan insisted that one of the guards walk me back to my room.” She used to think that marriage was just when you slept in the same room together and held hands, honestly, that view of marriage didn’t fully change until she met Briar. “But Inka waved him off and they let me sleep between them, Inka even told me a story that her own mother showed her.”

“I always hoped that I would be able to turn to her for advice for all my life,” She admitted softly and it was true, especially now when they were both queens and mothers. Inka had married her brother when she was fifteen and when she died she had been queen for over ten years. They were the queens of nations that once hated each other but it was Inka who served as her inspiration.

Looking at Briar, she realized just how much she could not lose him, there were many people who she would grieve for if they died, both of her brothers, Master Yuhan, and even Viria. However, she felt like she would be able to survive it, to let the wound scar, but if Briar or (and she would not even think about it) Daella died, she would too. She simply could not imagine herself living in a world without them, and if it made her weak, then so be it, she was strong in every other regard.

“When I first left Zhicra, I didn’t know how I would be able to function. For so long I had Tristan, Inka, and…” She trailed off, he should know who the other two were, her mother and her other living brother two people she did not mention for obvious reasons. “But then I met you and now we have our daughter…”

She smiled softly though the sadness was apparent, “What I’m trying to say is that you’ve made my life immeasurably better in ways that I didn’t think were possible back then, and you better not leave me,” She said with a dry sense of humor, “I love you too much for that,” She admitted before going back to laying against him.

 

[Average.]

Briar didn't realise how much he needed to hear those words until he has heard them.

You've made my life immeasurably better in ways that I didn't think were possible back then.

Even if he wasn't the one who was grieving right now like she was, he still found comfort in those words. He couldn't help but smile, yet unlike in her smile, all there was in it was happiness. He knew that they loved each other, there was no need for words about that as they have already proven that to each other countless of times before. Yet still, everytime, anytime he has heard any sort of confirmation from her that he meant something to her, that she loved him and that he had a place in her life... it made him forget all that they have suffered and were currently suffering.

He listened to every word she had to say, and now he felt a greater need than ever before to thank Tristan and Inka for caring for Yaena and giving her the love that she deserved at the time. He could not thank Inka now but... at least he could thank Tristan. He liked to think that it was because of them that she wasn't moulded into whatever shape Selantheia wanted to turn her into. While Selantheia had influence over Yaena, now he was certain after hearing her story that it wasn't as great as one might have thought. Selantheia has always been a figure of fear in Yaena's life, and while fear is an effective tool to shape someone... love was far more effective in the long run.

"I will never leave you." he whispered. It was a vow, from him to her. He had no intention of leaving before and he had no intention of leaving now. "And if I ever do have to leave," he knew he needed to add this, as he couldn't promise that they would be by each other's side forever. He didn't know what the future would bring, and he hated making promises that he knew he couldn't keep. But he knew that he could keep this one. He let his words sink in for a moment before continuing on. "I will always come back to you, one way or another."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her close at all times. He was about to close his eyes, since desire for sleep was already waiting to pull him down into a warm and fitful slumber - until he suddenly heard a high pitched cry coming from the crib. During the first week of Daella's life, each one of their daughter's cries sounded the exact same to him. It was difficult to tell what she wanted when she cried, and despite him trying to figure it out, Yaena always seemed to be the first to figure it out most of the time. She was just naturally better at it than him, however over these couple months both Briar and Yaena have started to understand Daella's cries better. Now, they started to sound a little different from each other.

So now, Briar didn't feel alarmed in any way that perhaps another assassin was trying to take her and he didn't even need to look up, as he could just tell from her cry that she wasn't frightened. It was slightly quieter, and there was more rhythm in it each time before she took a breath. She should have been fed not too long ago according to her schedule, which could only mean one thing - she wanted attention. It was normal for a baby to want attention from their parents after all, however Daella especially seemed to want it very often from her parents. And especially since she probably knew that they were there since she could hear their hushed voices.

He remembered his mother telling stories of when he was a baby himself, and since there was never any assassin that tried to take his life at that age, his parents felt comfortable to keep him in the nursery. During the night it were mostly the servants taking care of him whenever he cried, so his parents never really fully experienced what it was like to be a parent; by having to get up even during their night to tend to their baby.

Yet even if Briar was aware that it was going to be exhausting; he preferred this over being terrified over his daughter's safety if she wasn't under his and Yaena's watchful eyes. And besides, getting to know what it was like to be a true parent felt crucial to him. He was already seeing Yaena and his daughter less than he would like to, and he felt like their bond between their daughter would be even stronger if they exclude any servants from taking care of her and only take care of her themselves.

So he stood up from the bed and headed to Daella's crib, gently picking up the baby girl into his arms before bringing her to his and Yaena's bed. He carefully lay down, with Daella laying on his chest, already calming down from the sound of her father's heartbeat and warmth. She didn't close her eyes though, and when she saw her mother, she giggled brightly. She still had no teeth, and from what the doctor has told them, she should begin teething once she is six months old, however she can start teething as early as four months. They still had so many milestones ahead of them, yet they would be so rewarding once they did reach them.

"See? Even Daella wants to cheer up her mommy, don't you, little feather?" he grinned, gently tickling their daughter's belly and the baby girl broke into a fit of laughter, trying to grab at her father's hand.

________

"For the third time, Your Grace, it is true. No, Lord Ardreth has not drank too much. Yes, he can read." one of the elves in the court room let out a little irritated sigh. "Zhicra has declared war upon us. If I do say so myself we should have acted more against those damn terrorists."

"This is ridiculous!" Lord Ardreth suddenly slammed his fist against the table. "This just proves how weak the alliance was in the first place! If all it takes is just a band of hooligans to destroy the foundations for peace that we have worked so hard to build, then it was all hopeless since the very beginning. King Tristan is being an unreasonable and irrational fool. I bet the leader of the Iron Forces himself convinced him into doing it. They're all bloodthirsty savages, all the want is to see elvish blood flow at their feet!"

"If I do say so myself," another elf spoke up. "King Tristan is a weak king if he succumbed to the words of his younger brother."

The longer Briar listened to them all squabble, the more tempted he was to just fling himself off the balcony. When he walked into the court room this morning it was complete chaos, and it has not died down until now, and it was early afternoon. He had his hands braced against the war table, against the piles of maps that were scattered across it.

"If you wouldn't mind, gentlemen-" yet they still continued talking. They were just so caught up with rambling to each other like a flock of panicking hens that Briar wondered if he walked out right now would anyone even notice him do so. So, realising what he had to do to shut these idiots up, he took in a deep breath and shouted "Quiet down!"

Immediately, the entire court room was filled with silence, and all eyes were on him. It felt almost strange. The court room was so loud up until now that not hearing someone try to talk over someone else felt like a breath of fresh air.

Briar cleared his throat before he continued speaking, back straightening as he folded his hands behind his back. "What I was trying to say, gentlemen, is that I would like to have a moment to myself. I declare this meeting as over."

Lord Ardreth opened his mouth wide as if he was about to protest yet Briar held out a hand, and that was enough for him to hold back whatever he wanted to say. He needed to make it clear to them all that he was not in the mood for accepting their criticism and protests right now. So in silence, all of the men shuffled their way out, leaving Briar alone.

Once again, he braced his hands against the table, hunched over all the maps that were scattered across it. He set his gaze upon the map of Zhicra, and then the map of Eurus. There had to be a way to reverse this... this all felt like some horrible nightmare, except he just couldn't wake up from it. Their peace treaty... it lasted for only year. For only a damn year, and now they were about to be back at each other's throats.

Briar has hated his father, and he still does. He rarely spoke to him, partly because his pride forbade him to and partly because there was simply nothing to talk about with him. But now... he never felt more tempted than to just crawl up to his father's feet and start begging him to take the throne back for himself, so that he would have to deal with this war and not him. Not only that, but Tristan already had experience with war, and Briar did not. Briar has only seen the losses from it, yet he never actually had to make any decisions that could either lead his kingdom to glory or to it's destruction.

While he would hate to see his home and people burn, all he could think about was Yaena and Daella. If Eurus was ever attacked by Zhicrans... what would they do? Where would they go?

He had advisors to help him, and his father was still here, so if he was willing to swallow his pride for once and ask him for advice... he always could. Yet still it was just so daunting to be in charge of all the major decision-making. He would have tens of thousands of opinions and pieces of advice thrown at him at once, yet in the end all he could ever do was make one decision. He can't walk two paths at once; he can only walk one.

What would he even say to Yaena when he heads back up to their room? 'Hey guess what, the peace treaty was all for nothing! Zhicra has declared war on Eurus.'

After a few moments to himself, he finally gained the courage to leave the court room and head up to his and Yaena's quarters again.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Inka dying in a way gave Yaena new strength, it was corny, but it did force her to live her life to her fullest. When Inka died she left behind a husband and a son, she would never get to see them again. Yaena, still got to see Briar and Daella every day, and that was an immense privilege that Yaena was not going to let go to waste. It was hard trying to be social, even in the best circumstances it was clear that she was an introvert. Briar was probably the outgoing one in that couple, and considering that he had a lot of introverted traits, that was an accomplishment.

She wasn’t being social because she wanted to be a respectable queen, no she was doing it for herself. Both her sister and her sister-in-law used to tell her about how isolation caused people to grow insane and she never believed them. Yaena still didn’t fully believe them, but it had to work. Yaena knew herself to know that she would never be able to fully trust anyone who wasn’t Briar or Daella but she couldn’t live a life where she was afraid of everyone, where she saw enemies in all the shadows.

Especially as there may be even more enemies soon. Yaena wasn’t an idiot, and while it stressed her out, Yaena did what she could to keep track of current affairs and tensions between Zhicra and Eurus had reawaken. That blasted elven terrorist group, they viewed themselves as liberators, feeling like Eurus surrendered to Zhicra. After all, how come Zhicra wasn’t forced to have an elf ruling over them? To Zhicrans though, this was just proof, the elves couldn’t be trusted. Briar could personally kill every terrorist himself and there still would be people who believed that he supported them now.


She always knew that there would be tension, but she prayed every night that there wouldn’t be war. Yaena had always been a pacifistic person, seeing no reason that thousands of people die each year when those countries could easily put that money into self-improvement. When Haydian died it became personal and she had to go to sleep thinking about how Calum was on the front-lines and how all it would take was him losing one fight to die for the universe to rip another brother from her.

When she was in Zhicra, she could talk to Inka and other people in the castle. Although she thought no war would benefit everyone, including Eurus, she was born in Zhicra, raised by Zhicrans, if she was on a side she was obviously on the side of her home country. When she confessed her fears, people may call her naive or misguided but nobody thought she was a traitor.

That was not the case here, people still saw her as a Zhicran. For some, she was an exception to the rule, for others they were just waiting for her to show her “true colors.” Yaena’s greatest skill was being able to listen while other people thought she couldn’t hear and she could hear the lords mumbling about how much influence the Zhicran queen may have. It was almost hilarious because outside of informing her about Inka’s death, Tristan had had to resist sending her letters because Zhicrans now felt like the elves have made her one of them.

That would be worsened during war, during peace people could grumble about how she still had a slight accent when speaking Elvish or how she still wore a lot of dark colors, but in war there would be some who believed that Briar was literally sleeping with the enemy. While Yaena never truly cared about what people thought of her, she cared what people did and she didn’t want to think about what people would do during war.

When Briar opened the door, Jeyne was just leaving and she curtsied at the king. Despite possibly being Yaena’s “best friend” in the palace, she and the King have only spoken once and to be honest, sh could tell that the king had something important to say to his wife s she respectfully left.
Yaena’s smiled at Briar, not immidietley guessing was something wrong, the attempt on Daella’s life had made them spend more time together. Most of the time, Daella was in Yaena’s sole presence, but when the situation allowed it, they would try to find time where Briar would get to be around her. However, Yaena may be getting a little jealous about how Daella was starting to become a daddy’s girl, especially as she immediately made grabby hands at Briar when he walked in.

It didn’t matter how Briar would phrase his news, whether or not he was blunt or led into it. The message was the same.

Zhicra and Eurus were going to war. It shouldn’t be a surprise, it really shouldn’t but her blood ran cold. It was like he dropped a brick on her.

She looked at his face and all her questions were answered, yes it was unavoidable, and she knew that Tristan was the one that declared it. Tristan was a patient man, and a kind man but he was not a weak one. Yes, Calum may have rallied the public, but Tristan would never go to war unless he believed that he should. He valued peace too much to so callous throw it away.

Tristan, who would be her enemy now, everyone in Zhicra was now supposed to be her enemy. Tristan, Viria, Calum and all her little nieces and nephews were now on the other side. When she was little, she would be told stories about how the elves would kill her and his siblings without a moment’s notice. How it didn’t matter that they were children, and while both countries probably exaggerated their enemy’s ferociousness, it didn’t erase the fact that her family, especially Tristan, would now be targets.

And what of her own family here? What if Tristan won? Despite her love for her brother, she coudln’t even think of it, all her life she was supposed to feel pride in Zhicra’s militarism, her father told her stories about how her ancestors united the continent under one leader. Even when she was against the war, she used to love watching her brother’s fight and now…it just made her feel sick.

Usually in these situations, one of them would crack a joke, but this felt like no laughing matter even if it was just the two of them. Later she would probably try to parse how she felt, but instead all she did was try to urge Briar to sit next to her, she would probably get to see him even less as time went on.

“I always prayed that this day would never come,” Yaena admitted her voice solemn as a funeral…a funeral that she was still intending on going too soon, “Is there truly no other recourse?” She asked, usually she wasn’t someone who asked questions like that, but this was personal and political. Nobody liked war, except for blacksmiths, and Yaena was probably the one person in the world who had family on both sides. "I know this is selfish, but I heard war broke out and the only thing I'm fully thinking about is you two."

 

[Average.]

I know this is selfish, but I heard war broke out and the only thing I'm fully thinking about is you two.

Briar stared at her, letting out a sigh, slowly heading over to sit beside her. "You're not only thinking about us two." he shook his head. He knew that it wasn't true, after all she had family on the other side as well. Not only that, but they were people that Yaena still cherished too, he would be surprised if she didn't think about them.

But that brought up the question; what would they do? Yaena had loved ones on the other side, so how far could he even go with this war other than defending his city? It was the same with Tristan, and if Tristan was anything what Yaena described him to be, he would not allow innocents to burn.

"I don't know what to do, Yaena..." he frowned, looking up from his hands at her. He never usually expected any answers from her about political matters, all he wanted was that she would listen to him. But now... at least some answer would have been nice. His eye was searching her face, searching for any signs of eureka, yet there were none. He didn't know if there was no other recourse, he didn't know anything. This was just another thing that he felt unprepared for. No matter how confident he was in his role before, nothing could ever prepare him for having to deal with an entire war.

Perhaps there was a way to talk it out, to make things right (even though that has never worked before for literal centuries) and to explain that he was not supporting those terrorists. What they were doing was beyond his control, he would have to track every single one of them down and kill them, and now that Eurus was forced to go to war he couldn't afford to place resources into tracking them down where he should be focusing on strengthening the nation's defenses.

That was when he heard Daella cooing from the crib, clearly wanting to be picked up. So he stood up from the bed and gently picked up the baby girl from the crib, sitting back down beside Yaena. The longer he looked at his daughter, the more he was beginning to realise that he has failed her. He made a silent vow to himself that Daella would grow up in a safe world, yet he wasn't even able to keep that up. He should have done something, he should have done more. Everything, he should have done better. Maybe if he didn't underestimate those terrorists the war would have never been declared by Zhicra.

"This is my fault," he looked down, at their daughter's head. She looked so oblivious, so innocent. All he wants is to protect her, and while he knew that eventually she would have to experience some of life's misfortunes to grow as a person... it was still hard. As a parent, of course he would want her to grow without feeling or experiencing any pain in her life. He wanted to keep her sheltered, but at the same time he couldn't allow his daughter to remain a caged little bird all her life.

All he could do was hope and do everything in his power to prevent the war reaching Eurus. If it was to happen, then let it happen on a battlefield far from here, and not right on their doorstep. He was prepared to take on all the stress of it all, he was prepared to never even tell his daughter that there was a war. Yet the war can never reach Eurus. Deep down he doubted that Tristan was willing to go that far, even if there was an opening, he would pretend like there wasn't one. Yet at the same time, no matter how much respect he felt for Tristan before, he still couldn't trust him if he would make that decision.

Perhaps Tristan was planning to take the city and kill everyone except for Yaena and Daella. Or only leave Yaena alive. It didn't fit in his head that Tristan would do that, yet he should know better than anyone that people could be deceiving.

_______

Four months have passed since then, and their little girl was growing, now over six months old. Time was flowing so much faster now. It was escaping, making it difficult to keep up.

Briar should have went to see Yaena and Daella right now, however something has held him back. Perhaps he has lost track of time, or perhaps he had no intention of going to them right now. But it was clear that the stress of war has been taking it's toll on the young elvish king.

Briar was always an insomniac since he could remember, and he often tended to struggle with sleep, however ever since he started sharing a bed with Yaena sleep seemed to come a little bit easier to him at least. However now, even with her by his side every night, he hardly slept at all. He would often get up during the night and stare out the window, at the silver moon, and then at the millions of little fireflies below that was his city.

Any second. Any damn second the bells could start ringing and those tiny fireflies would start getting bigger and bigger until the entirety of Eurus is engulfed in flames. And the screaming of men, women and children would fill the air.

He didn't want to think about it, yet he needed to. If he was to make decisions, he needed to understand the consequences of what could happen if his decision was poorly made. The war so far was being fought on the battlefields. Some battles have been won by Eurus, and some have been won by Zhicra. However right now it felt like the war was standing still. Nobody had an edge against the other just yet, and yet still soldiers were dying and new ones were being sent in to pick up the swords they have dropped.

So, over these past months Briar has been coming here to the gardens, alone. He would come here in seek of some sort of release when he couldn't find it in books or by speaking with Yaena. As of late, this was proving to be the most effective, and he would leave the gardens feeling powerful, confident and refreshed.

Slowly, Briar held out his hand like he always has done and he picked one of the blue flowers with his other hand, holding it up to the blue flames. They danced on his fingertips almost happily as they gladly swallowed up the delicate flower, turning it into nothing. They would slowly get bigger and bigger until his entire hand was swallowed by them. They were not this raging uncontrollable thing like the first time that he has used them, now he was beginning to feel like he had power over them and not the other way around.

If he had the chance to practice somewhere where there was a smaller risk of setting everything afire again, he most certainly would go there instead. However right now, the gardens was the most private place he could be in if he truly wanted to be alone.

Despite the fact that he felt right when he was using his powers, he still didn't want anybody to find out that he was using them. It was like a guilty pleasure, like a drug that brought him joy and satisfied his addiction.

But Yaena had a terrible power of her own, so why should he be guilty of his own power? Her power was literally capable of breaking someone in half if she wanted to.
The difference between him and Yaena was this; yes, she could do all these things, yet it never brought her any pleasure. She always felt horrible after doing it, and even after two elvish men literally tried to rape her that one time when Briar found out about her curse for the very first time... she still felt guilty for killing them so brutally.

He loved that about her, yet it made him feel wrong and vile in return. If he admitted to her that he felt satisfaction when he watched Selantheia burn... would she hate him for it? Despite the fact that Selantheia was a monster, was burning the wicked considered wrong if the person doing the burning was enjoying it? Would it be okay if he hated himself instead for what he has done? In both cases, people would be getting burned, yet was the person who was enjoying it more evil than the person who wasn't enjoying it?

For now, burning a flower wasn't the same as burning a human or an elf, so he would try to push aside his guilt and continue doing what he was doing.

He remembered himself and Yaena promising to each other that they would never keep secrets. Perhaps that was the true source of his guilt. He was already breaking a promise, all because he felt too guilty to admit to her that he felt a need to use his powers.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

There was a thick fog of tension in the palace, as though the air itself was filled with war. Even when conversations were not about the war, they were still about the war.

It was horrible to say, but Yaena was lucky, in Eurus Briar was far from the frontlines and even if Daella, had been born a boy he would be too young to be anywhere besides his parents loving arms. Even in Zhicra, the only person who was truly risking his life was Calum (a fact that she thought about in secret, there were many thoughts she shared with Briar, her worry about her youngest brother was not one of them). However, even if people quieted down when Yaena walked by she knew it was all some people think about.

Yaena thought she had gotten use to seeing less and less of Briar when he first got coronated, but she was wrong, this was a lot worse. It was one thing when the worst he had to deal with was petulant lords and sleeve business, now it was war. She tried not to be too clingy, as it would cause undo stress, but all she wanted was just one day where they didn’t have to think about the war. It was selfish but it was true.

At least, she got to watch Daella beginning to grow up. While she wasn’t yet saying true words, she was able to make distinct sounds that let Yaena know when she was happy, sad, or frustrated. Daella wasn’t aware of war, she wasn’t even aware that someone tried to kill her when she was sleeping in the crib, to her, the world was still soft and inviting. It broke her heart that one day Daella would have to learn the truth of this world, the mother in her wanted Daella to stay sweet and innocent forever, but she knew from experience that sheltering hurt more than it helped.

Four months passed since that unspeakable attempt on Daella’s life and Yaena was starting to feel a bit more comfortable with leaving her in others care, it wasn’t easy and she still preferred to do it somewhere that she could at least sense everything that was going on, but it was still a start. The easiest place to start were with Briar’s parents, while she wasn’t close to either of them, by blood they were Daella’s family and by marriage they were Yaena’s as well. On a more cynical level, they shared the same interests ergo f there was anyone besides Briar she could even think about trusting, it was them.

What Yaena hated was how useless, she felt, she couldn’t do anything that changed anything. Hundreds of elves and humans were dying every day in a pointless war and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. There were many things that were required for Yaena to feel fully functioning in the world. One of those things was love and thanks to Briar and Daella she would never have to be without it. But, Yaena realized now that she needed to do something with her talents to avoid feeling hollow.

She had never really noticed that trait of hers in Zhicra because the problem was that her mother forced her to use her powers too much, and on a more positive note, she was able to just walk right to the palace healer and demand that he let Yaena, a sixteen year old princess train under him. Before Tristan announced her engagement, she sent a letter to the Guild of Knowledge explaining how despite her gender, that she would be a worthy student of theirs.

If by chance her scheme had worked, she would have never met Briar and they would have never had Daella and both of those would be unbearable consequences but a naive part of her wished that she could be a loving wife and mother, a worthy queen, and a scholar all at once without any of those ‘jobs’ suffering.

For the first time in months, Yaena left Daella napping in the presence of her grandmother and servants. The only reason why she was not around was because she wished to see Briar at a meeting, just to be the one initiating for once, and if on the off chance there was anything graphic being shown or spoken about at the war counsel, she didn’t want her daughter to see it. She assumed that she and Briar wouldn’t be able to speak much anyway so she would probably be able to get back to her daughter before she even woke up.

It felt strange walking alone in the palace, usually she had Daella, Briar, or one of the ladies with her. She was reminded of her very first day when she didn’t know a soul in the palace and she felt like the loneliest person in the entire world.

When she saw someone in the gardens, she immediately thought it was some intruder, nobody had gone into the garden since well..their wedding reception. Yaena and Briar especially always seemed to tense whenever they walked by. Daella always looked at it curiously, and why wouldn’t she? Any baby would want to play in a beautiful garden but she felt nervous, even if they just laid on the grass she would worry that something would happen as it always seemed to.

However, she immediately realized it was Briar, and rather than making her presence known, she watched. She was never especially interested in what Briar was like in meetings, even if she wasn’t there Yaena knew both Briar, and politics well enough to have an idea. But for the first time since they met, she was seeing him when he thought he was alone and she was curious. Her first reaction was to be sad that he didn’t immediately go to her and Daella but she tried to tell herself that he may need to destress, not wanting to bring negative energy to them.

And then she saw it, she knew about his fire-fire-like abilities, but she had never really seen them. Yes, he used them when she was pushed into the lake but she had been so focused on holding on and not dying that she saw them without really being them. Whereas Briar has seen her dark side of her abilities multiple times, But now she was fully aware, it was a simple act, burning a flower, and in any other circumstances, it wouldn’t even be particularly notable.

However, they had hardly spoken about it. Yaena herself didn’t talk about her powers a,lot, but she told him enough that he would know so that he would be able to understand her. Her magic was an aspect of who she was, even if she was ashamed of that, and she wanted Briar to know everything about her, not just the appealing parts.

Instead of saying anything, she simply walked into the gardens and quietly sat next to him once it was safe to do so, it appeared that every time they had an emotional conversation, there was a chance that one of their outfits would be ruined.

“How often do you come out here?” She asked simply, wrapping her arms around herself.

 

[Average.]

He didn't notice her presence until she sat down beside him. He didn't even sense her magical aura like usually would be able to, he was just so focused on the blue flames that he didn't even sense her approaching until she was right there beside him.

They were not near the lake, unlike normal where they would head straight to the beautiful enchanted lake and let it watch them as they spoke to each other, usually their conversations being very emotional. However, the longer Briar practiced his magic, the more he wanted to test how strong it would be if he was away from the lake's water, which he imagined was the source of his powers. The lake was a source of everything to him; his life and now his magic too. It had so much influence over so many things, and not just him, that it was frustrating.

So now, they were sitting at a gazebo, which has been overgrown by vines from neglect. The entire garden wasn't being cared for anymore ever since their wedding, so it would only be a matter of time before it would be impossible to even enter it. So for now, the garden was taking care of itself as well as it could, living off any rain that would occasionally fall, some flowers dying and some surviving long enough to disperse their seeds and create new life. Exactly like it happens in nature.

Briar couldn't help but tense when she sat down next to him. It wasn't because he felt distant but he did seem uncomfortable. Not because it was her but because she was here, and she has most likely seen what he has been doing under everyone's noses. It was a gamble on how she would react, but now he had no choice but to come clean to her.

He looked down, staring at the dead flower in his hand which was now nothing more than just a blackened deformed thing. "Quite often." he sighed. He still hasn't looked her in the eye once since he found out that she was here. Perhaps he felt too ashamed to even look at her? But why would he be ashamed when they have both seen each other at their best and at their worst? "I've been coming here for the past few months to practice my powers."

It was difficult to admit that, as now she knew that he has been hiding something from her for this long. Yaena hasn't told him about her curse until it took control of her itself and she had no choice but to show him that side of her. She probably wouldn't have even told him about it until much later, if at all, since the moment when he found out about her curse was when they have gotten closer than ever before.

Yet Briar on the other hand has found out about his powers when he and Yaena were already together, when they have gone through so much together. When they promised to each other that they wouldn't keep secrets. And even after all that he was too cowardly to tell her about what he has been doing over these past few months.

He didn't know if he should apologise, if an apology would even be enough. Where should he even start? How should he even explain this to her? He wished that he didn't have to, yet he owed her at least an explanation for hiding this from her.

"I... I didn't tell you because I was scared about what you'd think of me." he admitted, still refusing to look her in the eye. "I like using them and I'm interested in exploring my powers further no matter how destructive they are."

He paused. Usually when he would open up to her it would make him feel better, but this time it made him feel even worse. Her silence was killing him, she was just sitting there and listening to him. This is what Yaena would always do, she would listen intensely with eyes wide like an owl and only after she was certain that someone was finished speaking she would act or say something. He knew her well enough to take that into account, however still that didn't change the fact that the the sheer suspense was making him feel so nervous. If she would be furious with him then so be it, but he would rather be able to at least read what she was thinking rather than be left in the dark.

His eye was searching her face in attempt to find any sign of what she may be thinking of him right now, yet he couldn't find any. So he felt forced to keep talking. He felt like he had to justify himself, so he immediately jumped in to something else.

"B-But just because that I enjoy using my powers doesn't mean that I think burning people is okay." he cut in, stuttering a little. His nervousness was begininning to show it's nose now, it was apparent. "I'm not like your mother." he insisted, finally looking Yaena in the eye instead of anywhere else other than her. He was worrying in advance of what she may think of him despite her not even having a chance to say anything yet.

Briar wasn't the type to care what people thought of him by nature. When he was younger he was convinced that he already knew what everyone thought of him. After all, he dressed well, he looked refined, he always smelled like fresh lavender and he never forgotten about his etiquette in front of the public. He was the embodiment of perfection, and he was proud of it. How could anyone think negatively about him when he was just so flawless?

Now, it was the same, except life has taught him to know when to put his pride to the side. He has experienced what it was like to lose a loved one, he has seen elves get their throats and chests ripped apart by a beast, he has been tortured to the point where he begged for death.

He was now a respected king who always dressed well and acted well, and he has never feared more in his entire life what other people thought about him than he did now. He was supposed to be an embodiment of perfection like he was when he was a prince, yet he didn't feel like he was. As a king, he was of a higher rank, so his pride should be even greater, right? It was not, and he felt more pathetic than he ever has in his entire life. More people were judging him and his every move, and now after the attempt on Daella's life he felt like he couldn't trust any of them on top of all that.

Wait.

Daella. Where was she?

Briar's brows furrowed when he noticed that Daella wasn't in Yaena's arms, that she wasn't anywhere near them. "Yaena, where's Daella?" he asked, his tone sounding a little sterner. "Why isn't she here? Who is she with? Did you already forget that an assassin tried to kill her?"

Oh Gods, what if she was already dead? What if he was going to walk into their quarters and right now and see their little baby girl dead, surrounded by a pool of blood?

He felt his heartbeat getting faster, feeling a sense of panic rising up in him, making it feel like his lungs were shrinking into themselves. It was now clearer than ever how much the stress has taken it's toll, he was never this easily panicked or stressed about anything, not even after he was rescued from Selantheia's and Camden's clutches.

Suddenly, Briar stood up and started to walk away, quickly, wanting to find Daella as quickly as possible. He walked away from Yaena without even saying a word to her about where he was going. He didn't even look back to see if she was following after him.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

If there was one easy thing about talking to Yaena is that you should be reassured that anything she said was only said after much thought and deliberation. When she was younger, there were entire days where the only people she would talk to were her parents or her siblings. It wasn’t because she was shy, she was usually apathetic enough about what others thought of her to avoid such a trait, but because it was in her nature to think about an entire subject before giving her opinion on it. With Briar, she was able to speak more openly, but now she was reverting back to that side of herself.

She also realized that she was going to be out for longer than she thought so she walked until she took Daella from her mother’s arms. Occasionally she would look at Briar, and to his dismay probably she didn’t say anything, and the inquisitive, pensive expression on her face made it hard for anyone to reach her inner thoughts. Despite the fact that she tried to keep no secrets from her husband, she was a bit proud of the fact that she was a reserved enough person that she could think through situations without the interference of others.

And what a situation was this.

First, he kept something from her, something important from her for months now. This may sound extreme, but it was that secrecy that truly made her nervous, because the fact that he kept it from her spoke volumes. Surely, if there was one person in this palace who would understand, it would be her! Yes, Yaena thought of herself as a pacifistic person, but she wasn’t Inka she wouldn’t dissolve if she learned that someone liked to use their powers. If he had told her, they would have spoken about it together.

"I like using them and I'm interested in exploring my powers further no matter how destructive they are.”

No matter how destructive they are; that was what Yaena was worried about.

She had no problem with people exploring their powers, she resented that her mother forced her to fully embrace her magic at a young age, but at the very least that meant that she knew how they worked and what her limitations were. Knowledge meant control. But Yaena had always been afraid of exploring the darker side of them, one of the reasons why she was so fascinated by healing was that she was able to tap into her powers and use them for something that brought good into this world.

But it wasn’t just because she was a good person, it was because she was afraid of what going into her ‘dark side’ would mean. It wasn’t necessarily the fact that she killed the two men who tried to rape her or the man who attempted to kill her daughter that made her conflicted. She would make that decision over and over if she was forced to. But the more she used her powers the more she wanted to use them, the more she could feel her powers want to be used and that was what scared her.

Yaena wasn’t a priest, she wasn’t going to pretend to know what was “good” and what was “evil” but she did know herself. What if it started with her killing rapists and assassins, but that wasn’t enough for her? Even if she killed every rapist and child-killer in the world (something that was tempting ever since what nearly happened to Daella), her urge to use her powers would never go away, she would want to use them on everyone.

Briar would never be her mother, he has shown more empathy and care in one hour with her or Daella than her mother has in her entire life. But he didn’t need to be her mother, hell the reason why her mother became so influential was because good people enabled her to become so. Tristan was a good man, and Yaena would always look up to her elder brother, but he had the choice on whether he wanted to allow his mother to use blood magic on elven soldiers, and he allowed it to happen. He was never proud of it, but the end result was the same.

She didn’t speak to Briar outside of bidding him farewell until they were back in their quarters, she was already in her night gown and she was laying on the bed.

“I’m not mad at you,” She murmured still clearly in deep thought, “I’m sad that you didn’t tell me, because you’re the only person in the world who I want there to be no secrets from.” She moved on her side so that she could look at Briar, subtly scrutinizing his expression so that she could tell what he was thinking. She felt bad for taking so long to speak, but this was a complicated issue and she didn’t want to give a simplistic response. “I love you and I want to know everything, even if you’re not sure about my reaction.”

Yaena gave him a soft smile though her violet eyes were still clearly worried, “You’re not my mother, never once have I even come close to thinking something like that,” She put a hand on his cheek and her face grew srious.l

“Every person who died of my powers, deserved to die,” It was blunt, but it was true, and she doubted Briar was going to disagree with that statement, “But the reason I get worried is because when I use my powers, it’s as though I’m walking on a path I can’t get off of and I have no idea where it leads and I don’t want that to happen with you.”

Her worry wasn’t that he was like Selntheia, her worry was that he would become like a version of herself she was afraid of.

“Just be careful okay? You may think that this won’t lead to anything more than burning plants, but that will eventually not be enough for you and war already brings out the worse in people.”

——


“No.”

When Yaena lived in Zhicra, she could remember the first time war was on their shores. Eurus had broken through the Zhicran line, and there was panic in the castle. Everyone around her was scared…besides her father, he had a glint in his eye, he thrived in war…to the point where it really was not that surprising that he married a goddess of chaos and strife.

She had been six years old and she had to watch Haydian and Tristan go off to war. She, Calum, and Viria were all kept in the secret room in her mother’s room. Selantheia had many flaws, but that was one of the few moments where she acted in a maternal nature. She had the children play a game where they all had to tell a story with each of them contributing a sentence. However, even at six Yaena was aware that there was danger outside, and when she found out her two eldest brothers were leaving she cried so hard that she made herself sick.

Now, this was the second time she knew danger was outside, and instead of being baby she had one now and instead of worrying about her brothers, she worried about her husband now.

Despite Daella not even being a year old yet, she could sense the distress around her and had been fussy all day. If she was in anyone’s arms besides her mother or father she would cry until the situation was rectified. Yaena didn’t want to think of what would happen if the palace was broken into but as a mother she had too. Daella was a baby, but people didn’t care. Especially if Briar was dead (something she also didn’t want to think about) if something happened to Daella, then Eurus would be without an heir.

Yaena was not an inherently violent person, but she realized now that she would kill every single Zhicran soldier outside if it meant she could ensure the safety of her family here. But she hoped it didn’t come to that, before, she had been so against war that she didn’t really think in terms of who she wanted to ‘win’ but Eurus would have to win. People always wondered what Yaena’s allegiances were with, but now all she wanted was for the enemies to just go away.

Before Briar walked in, Yaena was trying to calm Daella, gently bouncing their daughter against her chest, “Shhh.” She whispered, kissing her forehead, “Everything’s going to be alright,” She promised, stroking her crying child’s hair, “They’re making all your favorites.” She couldn’t help but think about how many women were in her situation right now, worse, there were probably women who had to worry about their children and husbands in the war and that made her heart break. While she didn’t always show it, there was a part of Daella ruled by empathy.

When Briar came in, she originally was waiting for him too ay something but then he dropped on the news.

“Don’t do this.”

There were so many reasons, first, Briar would be the number one target, Tristan wasn’t in the fight, Tristan was all the way in Zhicra, he wasn’t going to die tonight, and his son wasn’t going to die tonight. Even if Zhicran armies suffered a massive loss, he would at least have two weeks to formulate a plan. “You promised me that you would leave me, please.” She pleaded although she could only speak so loudly as Daella was just beginning to calm down.

She understood all the reasoning, however there was one thing that jumped to her mind, “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want to use your powers on them?” She demanded, “Tell me that the only reason you’re going out there is because of your city and your country, please.” This was what she was worried about.

Her mother didn’t align herself with Zhicra because she cared about war, in the end, she loved using her powers, she wanted to use her powers and war was what enabled her to do so. Yaena knew that feeling too, she was ashamed to admit it but she used to love cursing people. She always tried to tell herself that they deserved it, and sometimes they did but that was not the point.

Even if he denied it, she could tell, and it made her nauseous. She understood if people thought of her as naive, this was war after all, but people were allowed to have their thoughts and she was able to have her own.

“That look is what reminds me of my mother,” Yaena finally said, her voice soft and filled with emotion, not being able to stop herself from crying despite appearing as strong. dEspite her disapproval, she still wanted him home safely,k to be back with her and be back with Daella. Inka would never get to see how Haydian grew up and she would be dammed if that would happen with them.

The queen looked away, she couldn’t wipe tears in her eyes because she didn’t want to acknowledge she was crying int he first place. “Just stay please, I love you, I need you too much to lose you.”

 

[Average.]

Before he has made his way down to Yaena's room, before he has made the decision that he will be going out there, he was hearing the bells start ringing through Eurus. Those bells had different meanings; sometimes they would ring if there was a wedding, sometimes they would ring if the city was surrendering... sometimes they would ring if the city was under attack. Currently, it was obvious what their ringing meant.

Briar was inside the war room before then, plotting his army's next move with his advisors, but it turned out that Tristan was already one step ahead of him. They were caught by surprise, and all of his advisors looked up from their maps to stare at him instead, as if they were expecting him to have a solution for them immediately. Though he needed to have one, or else the city was going to fall. And he couldn't allow that to happen.

Now, he was in Yaena's room, breaking the news to her of his decision... and she fell apart. He should have expected this reaction from her, however he still couldn't help but be taken aback by it. She was begging for him to stay, begging for him to not go.

Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want to use your powers on them.

He did. He wanted to use his powers on them more than anything. He didn't want to deny it to her and he felt confident in his choice. His people were in danger. Yaena and Daella were in danger.. how could he not want to burn them all?

"I do. And I will." Briar frowned. He wanted to make himself clear with his tone that there was no stopping him, no matter how many times she would beg him not to. He felt like he needed to do this. He didn't trust that his soldiers will be able to hold them off, after all... they were the Iron Forces. They had a magnificent fleet and this wasn't their first time attacking a city. The Iron Forces were here again to kill innocents, and nobody else was going to die to them like his brother did. Lhoris was the first and last family member that he lost to them. He would make sure of that.

But while it did hurt to see his wife like this, while it did terrify him that if he went out there there was a hefty chance that this is the last time he would get to see his wife and daughter ever again... what Yaena said next ended up hurting far more than he would have liked it to.

That look is what reminds me of my mother.

What reminds me of my mother.

Briar stared at her with silence, and at this point he didn't even know what to say. He thought that she told him that she has never once came close to thinking of him like that, and now that has changed. He didn't want to doubt her love for him, they have been through too much for that. The love between them was still strong, he knew it, and what she said after that confirmed it.

He could feel the emotion in her voice, the desperation, but he couldn't let her convince him into staying. He was going to come back alive and their beautiful city would remain standing, and that vow he was not going to break.

He approached her and Daella, leaning in to give his daughter a kiss on the head before giving Yaena a loving kiss on the lips. It was short, yet it was a kiss either way. "I told you before; if I ever leave you I will come back, didn't I?" he smiled, a hint of sadness in his smile. "So just wait for me, okay? And keep a close eye on Daella." he said before turning around to make his leave. He didn't turn around or wave them farewell as he didn't want to suddenly back out at the last second. He feared that the longer he looked at them, the more he would want to stay and change his mind.

He knew that those words most likely provided Yaena with zero comfort, as how could he know if he was going to come back. But she would just have to trust him, to trust that he was going to come back alive.

With the help of Darfin - the hippogriff stable boy - he was able to get his armour on. It was simple and light, which made it fit for riding. Of course, it had no guarantee of stopping an arrow, it could ease the blow, since while he could handle an arrow, he couldn't handle a fall off a hippogriff while it was still in the air.

The armour didn't have any unique embroidery or etchings, yet that was because it wasn't designed for him. No blacksmith or army ever would have expected for their king to join them in battle, so no armour was ever made specifically for him like it has been made for Lhoris.

Darfin hasn't said a word to him as he helped him with preparing Talula for flight as well, yet even he had a look of concern on his face. Briar has heard of battles, have felt the loss and consequence of battles, yet he has never actually been in a battle. Anyone who doubted that he was going to come out of this alive had a perfectly valid reason to doubt him. He had no experience and no training, and all he has ever done was taken calm flights with Talula around Eurus and that was it.

Yet there was a trust in Briar that he felt towards his hippogriff. Most soldiers who rode in to battle on hippogriffs only had a couple weeks or a couple months time to work with their mount and bond with them. While Briar? He had years. He has known Talula since the day she has hatched out of their egg, and they grew up together. She was a part of his childhood, and he was confident that Talula would not fail him during the battle.

Once both Briar and his mount had their armour on, Briar climbed on. He wasn't the religious type, and he only ever said prayers when he had to, however this time he wanted to whisper a prayer before the battle, to any God that was willing to listen to him. He had a wife and a daughter. He had to come back to them alive.

He just had to.

_______

One moment the Iron Forces were firing flaming balls of fire over the city's walls with the catapults that they had on their ships, and the next the men on those ships were screaming in panic or agony as some dark shape flew over them and sent blue flames right at them.

It came from the skies, diving in from behind the clouds before it rained fire down from above. At first, the Zhicran soldiers were convinced that it was a dragon, however now that the dark shape was flying lower, they could tell that it was a hippogriff with a rider on top of it.

The longer Briar was casting his flames, the stronger they were getting. He could feel their energy, he could feel the magic, the heat pulsing through his body. It was like waves of electricity, like shockwaves. It felt good watching those ships burn, the men on it who caught fire desperately jumping overboard into the sea to put the fire out that has probably melted their armour to their skin by then.

He could exactly tell on which ship Calum was. The ship was greater, it's sails had a giant silver dragon painted onto them while the other ships only had black sails with the Narayan sigil painting on their flags.

And he was doing everything in his power to burn it last.

He was creating a circle of blue flames around Calum's ship, like a ring of fire, except that ring also consisted of burning ships that belonged to his own fleet. He wanted to witness it before he would burn his ship next as the grand finale. He didn't care if that made him cruel or if that painted him as a monster under many people's eyes. Calum murdered a child and was glorified for it, so now it was his turn to be glorified. And his people should be thanking him that because of him many of his soldiers would get to go home tonight alive and get to see their families. And Briar would get to do the same.

Finally, the last ship was Calum's, and as Talula swooped over it, Briar relished in the moment as he set it's sails afire, watching as the silver dragon painted on it burned into nothing.

_______

By the time that Briar landed back inside the stables his face was stained with soot and smoke from the burning ships. When he flew over the city, he remembered how people cheered his name, how they praised him. Yet none of those praises satisfied him as much as burning those ships did.

However, he wasn't done yet. He was aware of there being survivors, and Calum was one of them. He was a persistent little fucker who just refused to die, so Briar would have been more surprised if they have found his body rather than finding out that he survived.

Calum was dragged into the Palace of the Sun in chains, through the city, where the crowd jeered and spat on him. And now he was in the dungeons, also in chains, with dozens of guards watching his every move.

And Briar was planning on making his way right down to him.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Yaena wanted to cry, she wanted to sob as she walked her husband walk away. He promised her that he would come back, but how much was that in his control? She knew that the second the door closed that until Briar was laying by her side again that her more existential worries about his powers would be put on pause. For now, she was just praying that he returns, they could talk about her fears later, but she just could not lose him. She lost her father, her brother, and her sister, she could not lose him too.

But, she could not cry tonight, not in front of Daella and not in front of the women and children. Yaena would have to be strong, a source of comfort and strength and she could do that. This was different than shallow social interactions over tea because at least it came from a real place. They were all scared and even if there were still people who did not trust her, she hoped they would at the very least understand that she loved her husband and she loved her daughter and that all she wanted was to ensure their continued safety.

Daella was now staring at the door too, surely wondering why her daddy didn’t hold her. That look was harder than any of the times she had seen her daughter cry so Yaena nuzzled her nose against Daella’s cheek, causing her to burst out into giggles and Yaena couldn’t help but laugh. All Yaena had to do was keep a group of scared women and children calm, she could do her job, Briar could do his and soon at the very least, the battle would be over and there would be some quiet (not peace) until the battles started.

—

It was going…better than Yaena thought.

Although Yaena did not drink, everyone over the age of fifteen was allowed to partake but not get drunk.

Daella currently on her lap, being held by her mother, Yaena had given up on getting her to go to sleep now, and she would just have to deal with a fussy baby in the morning. Her daughter was enjoying the attention more than she was, all the women of course cooed over what a precious and beautiful little girl she was and even if Daella couldn’t comprehend what they were saying, she was soaking the attention in. Yaena couldn’t help but be reminded of Briar, she still remembered when she attempted to compliment him on his eyes and his response was I know.

Briar, who was out in a battle right now, a battle that her brother was also most likely engaging in.

In the holdfast there were no windows, and that was good, they would hardly be able to tell who was winning. No instead they were all sitting lined up against the walls. Yaena was not usually a talker, but for once she found it easy because she also didn’t want to wallow in her thoughts. After they prayed, she attempted to guide the conversation keeping it light enough that people didn’t fall into panic, but not so superficial that it was an insult to everything that occurred outside.

It was almost like a game, she would ask a question and everyone would have to answer it, this current question was what was your favorite trait about someone fighting right now.

“Your grace it’s your turn.” Lady Vera spoke, she was only about fifteen, and Yaena always had a soft spot for younger people. Maybe it was because she was so often the baby of her own family that she enjoyed feeling like she was the experienced ne.

Yaena blinked back tears, not wanting to cry in front of everyone but thinking of Briar did that to her. Their last conversation before he left was an argument, shell the last time they fought was literally their first day meeting together and now they broke that streak right before he left for battle. She couldn’t say that she would never speak her disagreements, but that would be for the morning.

Speaking about Briar was strange, but she smiled, and it was genuine, “He’s always there when I need him, even when we first met, though I hope you don’t mind if I tell you guys a little story,” Nobody did, at this point everyone knew that the king and queen had a loving relationship their wedding proved that, but they were also both reserved people.

“Well, I was nervous when I first come to Eurus,” Yaena carefully avoided any mention of Zhicra, “I tried to hide that I was scared but I really couldn’t and he walked in on me and I was crying, and he just sat down next to me and comforted me. He didn’t face me to explain myself or judge me, and well..I fell in love right away.” It was a softened version of the morning after her curse was shown for the first time, but whenever Yaena thought about when she realized she first loved him, it was that day. The hippogriff ride was fun, but it just made her a girl with a crush.

Lady Hana laughed a bit, “Your grace, if I may…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush before.”

Before Yaena had a response to respond, a slurred voice broke in, “Your grace may I ask you a question?

Lady Beatrice appeared to have a different definition of inebriated than she did, her dark brown hair was neatly tied, and she dressed like the picture of dignity. Yeana had not been around many drunk people in her life, but she could recognize it (and as a result of her blood powers, she could feel it). Even the ladies who were not fans of Yaena tensed up, it was one thing to talk behind her back, it was quite another to drunkenly talk to your queen when she was lifting the spirits.

“Of course you may, I hope I give you a suitable answer.” Yaena’s voice was cool and she mentally had to keep herself from tensing her arms too much as she was still holding her baby daughter on her lap.

Lady Beatrice sat up straiwght, grinning at Yaena from across the room, “Are you scared right now?”

Yaena had to make an effort to not call her stupid to her face, “I’m worried, of course I am, not just my husband but for every-“

“What about your brother?”

The room went cold, like everyone was encased in ice, and everyone was staring at Yaena. She always knew this day would come, so simply finished her cup of tea, having been one of the few here who did not have a drop of wine. She never liked alcohol before and after that night with Briar at the pub, she had lost any desire she had to get even tipsy.

“If I recall correctly, you’re was from The Crossing, and your lord husband was from Seastone?” Yaena asked as though there wasn’t a night where she asked Briar to quiz her on lord and ladies like she was preparing for a medical exam. “Why did your parents agree to such a marriage? Come on, answer me.” She urged.

Lady Beatrice didn’t respond, perhaps she was beginning to sober up. Yaena just sighed, “Well, I guess I will have to answer my own question, which is a shame because I always enjoy learning about the past from those who lived it,” She admitted, “There was a war correct? Over who had ancestral rights to the river, like many wars it was ended with a marriage so I will ask you a question: if soldiers from The Crossing threatened to storm you and your husband’s castle, where your children sleeps? Where the women you’ve gotten to know so personally reside, would you wish them to succeed?”

Yaena had enough, and while she was okay with playing the perfect lady, she was not going to let people question her loyalty, especially in a time like this, where it was important people don’t view her as a traitor.

“Your grace, I apologize, I was simply asking I didn’t mean to offend you,” Lady Beatrice professed to an unmoved queen.

Yaena put her hand up, “It’s okay I know you are not the only person who has said those things, you were just th first to say it to my face, which makes you brave.” She took the chance to look at every single women and child here, beginning with Lady Jeyne and ending with Lady Beatrice, “I will never lie so please believe me when I say this: I want to wake up next to my husband tomorrow, I want my Daella to be able to live in a world where she can feel safe.”

The memories of the assassin rang through her and she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, “I want every person here to experience the same, I don’t want shopkeepers and blacksmiths to worry that their residences will br raised, and I don’t want any woman with a young son to worry about what’s gong to happen when they go to war. Now, I will let you answer: which nation do you think I would hope is victorious?”

The room was tense, and Lady Beatrice looked like she thought Yaena was going to have her killed right now, she was not.

—-


Calum Narayan, Prince of Zhicra, Leader of the Iron Forces, The Last Dragon was currently tied up in a dungeon.

He was only twenty-four but he had seen much in his twenty four years, he first joined the military when he was sixteen and in the eight years he’s served he’s seen villages run to the ground, corpses come back to life and now, for the first time, he seen a man bring fire down from the sky. His men prepared for many things, but that wasn’t one of them, and they jumped into the sea, his own mate died screaming.

But Calum...he was harder to kill. Yaena was not the only person who benefitted from being the daughter of a goddess. While he couldn’t heal people and bring back the dead, there was something in him that was fueled every time he was in war. It was as though he was the personification of battle, but what did that mean if he was taken in?

Oh, he knew he was special, and he simply smiled at all he elves spitting and throwing rocks him, all anyone could do to him was cause him pain and at this point, he was practically immune. Let them throw, let them look at a Zhicran prince in chains, he was sure it was a wonderful sight for the bastards. But there was only so much satisfaction you could get when your target didn’t seem to care.

His attitude remained when he was put in a cell, this wasn’t the first time he was kept in a prison cell. Though it may be the last. Calum always knew he would die early, and he made his peace with that. He just wanted to die on a battlefield, not a prisoner, but it was okay. This was always a possibility, if they tried to interrogate him, he wasn’t going to talk. He was only sad about the fact that Yaena was probably in the palace but he would not be able to speak to her.

While he responded to most of the guard’s jeering with a sly smirk, even putting his neck closer to their swords only to watch them move them away. His face lit up when Briar walked in. “It’s okay guys, we know each other, we’re brother-in-laws.” He grins, looking as though he was on vacation and not about to be executed.

“Oh wait, you’re king now so I can only assume that I’m about to be publicly executed.” He shrugged his shoulders, before doing a weak attempt to move the chains, as though to remind Briar of his state, “I know that I’m not in a position to make requests but do you think you can not have my sister attend? I still love her dearly and I don’t want her to see another one of her brothers?”

There was something so frustrating about Calum, it was as though he won by simply not caring. The guards have kicked him, mocked him, and stabbed him, but he seemed fine. And not only that, he was not naive, he wasn’t afraid of death so when it was brought up, he just shrugged. He had no wives or children, no lands and titles, and he liked to believe there was a place in the afterlife for soldiers.

 

[Average.]

The guards immediately bowed upon seeing the king approaching. When Briar saw Calum in chains, he stared down at him in disdain, but at the same time he felt irritated at the sight of him smirking. He probably thought that was confusing him or throwing him off guard, but he didn't care whether Calum cared about what was about to happen or not.

"Leave us," he glanced over his shoulder at the guards, and one of them looked like they were about to open their mouth to protest yet the king's stern glare was enough to make them think twice, and the guards left, closing the door of the cell shut behind them.

Once there was complete silence, Briar walked closer, his steps slow almost as if he was a predator that has just gotten his prey cornered. "How many ships were there? A hundred? More? Less?" he rose both brows. If Calum was willing to play that game, then he was willing to as well. They could see who pull off the most victorious and proud smile; except currently, Calum had nothing to be proud of. "Well, now they're all gone. Every last one of those ships."

He was going to enjoy this. Every damn moment of it, he was going to enjoy reminding him how his men burned, how his ships burned. How Zhicra has barely made a dent in Eurus' defenses while simultaneously losing their most prized soldiers.

Yes he was going to rub it in his face. He just couldn't stand that smirk, and he would do everything to try and wipe it off his face.

"The Iron Forces are no more, and if Yaena didn't care about you as much as she does you would have perished a long time ago and I would have made sure of that." he hissed. "You may not believe it, but I happen to love Yaena too. Dearly. So count yourself as lucky. I will take your request into account, and I will send her down here to talk to you."

And it was difficult for him. The devil on his shoulder was trying to pressure him into just killing him. His brother's killer was right there, so why wasn't he doing it? Was he truly so terrified about what Yaena would think of him? Yes.

But then what would the other people say? What would they think of their king when they find out that he showed mercy towards the leader of the Iron Forces himself. The one who was responsible for the death of their beloved prince Lhoris. Briar may have loved Lhoris, but the people loved him too. In fact, they loved him even more than they loved Briar. One may think that with his prideful nature Briar wouldn't have liked that, but he actually didn't mind. Lhoris was an exception to that, and if only him would be standing in the light while Briar would remain constantly overshadowed by him, he wouldn't mind either.

He realised that he would be faced with a very difficult situation, yet in the end he needed to make a choice. Still, he assumed that Yaena would be able to get more out of Calum than he ever could no matter how long he talked to him.

So he knocked on the door and a guard opened it from the outside, leaning in when Briar started to whisper something into his ear. The guard didn't look like he wanted to protest this time, and if he did he kept it better hidden. He left to head towards the cobblestone steps - here where the dungeons were it was nowhere near as elegant as the palace interior up above - presumably to head to Yaena's room.

Briar sighed and rested his back against the wall, folding his arms to his chest. "They call you the Last Dragon, don't they?" an amused smirk appeared on his face. "Tell me, what are people going to think when they find out that the Last Dragon's forces has been burned into a crisp? I thought dragons had fire." he huffed. "Turns out the only fire in you appears after you get showered with praise from people back at home. You must have felt powerful after killing a child on the battlefield. You do know who I'm talking about, right? Or was that just sport for you so you don't even remember his name?" his smirk was still there, yet it was beginning to become clear that there was more than just amusement in his voice. Now, there was more emotion, and his grief was beginning to show it's nose. "He was a prince and a commander, but still a child. And I'll never forgive you for what you have done."

He looked away from Calum when he heard the door opening again, and there was Yaena being escorted inside by the guard. For now, he did not move, and he only would move when Yaena asked him to leave.

He spoke enough, and while he could growl all he wanted at Calum, he doubted that he even cared or felt any regret for what he did. Though good, that made Briar not have to feel obliged for burning his fleet.

Calum was a strange man. Briar was used to seeing emotion in people, even in those who were doing everything in their power to hide it. Even in Selantheia he had the chance to see something in her that indicated that she too was capable of feeling emotion. In Caum, he hasn't seen any of that.

No matter what happened to him, he just wouldn't stop smiling. He was either the best in the world at concealing his emotions from view or he simply just didn't care. Was it because there was nothing tying him to this world? Did he not care because he knew that Briar would never hurt the one true person he loved in this world, and that being his sister? If Briar wasn't going to hurt Yaena, then who else was there? Tristan? Haydian? Viria? He didn't show the same amount of care towards them as he did to Yaena, and either he was doing this because that was true or because he didn't want to give Briar any leads and make him want to go after one of them.

Yet even if threatening the life of one of them would make Calum crack and show some emotion... was it worth it? Briar didn't want to drag innocents into this, and he had nothing against them like he had with Calum. He only wanted to keep it in between him and Calum. And as of right now, the only way he could get revenge was to publicly execute him. But even that felt so empty and shallow. He doubted that would fill the hole in him, and not only that, but Yaena would never forgive him if he allowed that to happen.

So then what should he even do with Calum now that he had him here, chained before him?

He should already know the answer, yet he wasn't planning on revealing it now. The walls still had ears, and he still wasn't certain if that is what he wanted to do.

Briar looked at Yaena then, searching her face, trying to find any signs that would indicate to him what she was thinking about all of this. After all, he could only imagine how she must be feeling right now upon witnessing her husband, face and armour stained with soot, and her brother getting dragged inside in chains.

Yet even then, he still had nothing to say to her. He did what he had to do, and that was all there was to it.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Calum leaned back on his chains, the guards made sure he was uncomfortable as possible, but he’s gotten used to them in a way as he listened to Briar speak with an amused expression on his face. He knew that he loved his sister, he wasn’t naive, he hardly doubted that he would be here if it wasn’t for the fact that Briar probably wanted Yaena to at least talk to him.

It was complicated, it wasn’t that he didn’t care, he did care. He wanted Tristan to leave even if the bastard could be annoying, he wanted his niece and nephews to grow up healthy. He wanted his men to return safely to the arms of their families. However, he found he could only control so much, at the moment he couldn’t do much but be an annoying bastard and that was what he was going to do. Him crying or complaining wouldn’t do a damn thing for anyone so why bother?

He was a bit similar to Yaena in the way he held himself, when someone else was speaking he stared at them until they stopped, not being one to interrupt. It was true, he had always been closest to her out of his siblings. Tristan was a good man, but it was hard to be anything more than a subject to a king, Viria was nice, but they simply had different interests and Haydian was currently in the ground. His baby sister was perhaps the only person in the world who loved him for him, and not because of what he could do or what he could provide. It felt like a sin to send her to such a garish location.

However, Briar got his first reaction from Calum when he brought up his brother, a look of disbelief on his face, “For fuck’s sake that is what you’re mad at me for? Because I killed a child?” He mocked, his golden eyes bright as though he had never heard such idiocy before. “I’m sure your brother was there for holy reasons, and that he also wasn’t to try to swing and kill at me, because if not, then I have nothing to apologize for. And you have nothing to forgive me for.” He rolled his eyes, sounding tired as though he had to have this conversation before.

Calum tilted his head, “How many children do you think you burned alive today? If you’re going to kill me, kill me, if you’re going to torture me, torture me, but I will not be lectured by someone who is infinitely worse and more depraved than I will ever be.” He scoffed if he wasn’t chained he ran his hands through his hair, before he smirked a bit, looking as though he could pounce out of the chains, “You may love my sister, and my sister may love you right back, but take this from someone who was hr brother before you were anything to her, if she saw you tonight she would feel nothing, but disgust.”

It was good he got that out of his system now because not two minutes later, the guard brought the woman herself. He was a bit sad she didn’t bring her daughter, but he supposed that if he had a daughter, he would not bring her to the dungeons of all places.

“…Evening Yae, I would give you a hug but, I’m all tied up right now.”

——-

This scene was too much for her to take in, she was grateful she wasn’t holding Daella right now because she felt she could pass out.

Yaena had been in dungeons before, multiple times but never had she seen her brother in such a state. Calum had always been the indomitable one, Yaena didn’t think he even felt pain. Seeing him like this brought out such a sisterly protectiveness that she wished she could punish every person who had a hand in it. She understood why, she was a reasonable person, but this Calum. The man who could make her laugh when nobody else did.

She looked up at her husband, she had never seen him in such a state, and in her ears all she could think of was the servants breathlessly telling her about how the king sent fire from the sky. She should be happy, and a part of her was, she would have another night with him, Daella would have another night with him. When they woke up, there would be at least a day where she didn’t have to worry about attacks and there would always be a part of her that was okay with anything that ensured that to keep happening. But..

Yaena couldn’t think about it right now, she was not one to hide her thoughts from anyone, but she could save them. So she gently kissed him if to reassure him if he had any doubts that she still loved him, “I’m just…happy to see you’re okay right now,” She admitted in a whisper before her eyes going to Calum and back to him, “May I…have a moment alone with my brother?”

When they were completely alone, Yaena couldn’t even think of the words to say. When was the last time that she and Calum were in a room alone? Probably when he was comforting her weeping about leaving Zhicra. How things changed. What could Yaena even say to him? He was going to die, she knew it, her brother was going to die, in the country where she was a queen and she felt like there was nothing that she could do about it. If she was anything less than in love with Briar, she would have helped him escape. The only reason why she didn’t, not because it was ‘treason’ but because Briar would never forgive her.

“Do you think you’ll be able to make it to my funeral?” Calum asked, and while he was speaking like he didn’t care, Yaena could see the emotions in his eyes, he genuinely knew he was going to die, and he genuinely cared about his answer.

She swallowed hard, what she wanted to do was ask him to please not talk like that, but why, it was the truth. “I couldn’t go to Inka’s funeral,” She didn’t know why she said that, she wasn’t trying to make it about her, but why did it feel like she was always losing her family. “Maybe there’s something I could do-“

Calum scoffed, “What? What are you going to do?” He asked before shaking his head to himself, “I’m gonna die, just like Haydian died, our dad too, and hell with the way the battle went, Tristan’s probably going to die, I just hope Viria and the little ones don’t-“

When Inka died, Yaena laid down, and not only did she not cry until Briar was comforting her, her tears were silent…now…she just burst into tears. Her violet eyes were watery and she could find herself sniffling. Yaena tried to wipe her tears away but she felt it just made it more obvious that she was crying. Her throat hurt, her chest srtrained, but that didn’t stop it. She was sobbing and she just hoped that nobody else could hear her.

Even Calum was surprised and his face softened as he went into “older brother” mode, “Come on Yae, don’t cry,” He gently urged, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have phrased it that way..shit..”

“I just don’t know what to do,” Yaena confessed, “It’s not just that I can’ lose you, you can’t die here,” What she wanted to say was Briar can’t kill you but she didn’t even want to verbalize that thought to herself. “I can try to do something, maybe you can…”

“Be a prisoner for the rest of my life? Or be a traitor?” Calum’s voice retained some of it’s strength but he was still soft with her, “I’m sorry but I’d rather be hung…”

He could see that his sister was speechless, and he had never seen her more miserable so he tried to cheer her up, how ironic, the guy on “death throw” was currently trying to cheer up the queen of the country about to execute him. “But if my time is up, I don’t want to see you cry…tell me about your daughter. She would be about six months right?”

Yaena sniffled and nodded, “Her name is Daella.” She whispered, “I never thought I would ever have children but she’s so beautiful.”

Calum smiled softly getting up so he was on off his knees now, “You know, I can never have kids, but if I did I’d want a girl, I don’t think I would be able to handle if my son was another dragon.” He admitted, he moved his hand as though to put it on his cage but he was brutally reminded of the chains.

There was a knock on the door, their time coming was an end.

“I love you,” Yaena choked out, “And I’m going to do everything I can, I know it might not change anything but I have to..” However, she was starting to get back to her old self so she smirked a bit, “Don’t do anything stupid okay? The guards here are not nearly as patient as I am.”

“It’s not my fault people don’t have a sense of humor!”
—

Yaena didn’t ask him about the battle, and Briar didn’t tell her, she just wanted this night to be over. She hated feeling so emotional, and worse than that she hated feeling so conflicted. She didn’t think that Briar could do anything that would ever get her to stop loving him, and that included killing Calum, but she could never forgive him.

It was selfish, but if Briar could want to burn a guy alive because of his brother, she could have complicated feelings involving her own.

It was hard thinking about how Yaena went to sleep in a big bed, her brother probably slept on the ground. He acted like he didn’t care, but Yaena knew him, he was scared. He always had a lot of love in his heart, he loved her, he loved Tristan, he loved Viria and all he wanted was to be loved back. Calum always bragged about how he had a wife in every port but Yaena knew it wasn’t just because he was vulgar, he needed that sense of affection to survive. He would never want to die alone, surrounded by people who hated him.

Despite her conflicting feelings, the morning felt brighter, there was a sense of relief over the castle, what people thought would be a brutal battle turned into a decisive victory. Everyone loved her husband, he saved so many people, and she understood why he did what he did but he couldn’t help but ask.

“What was it like, going into battle for the first time?” She asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Calum existed like a wall between them and she wanted to figure some things out before she brought him up.

 

[Average.]

It took every fibre of his being for Briar not to show his own anger right now. And he would have said something, he still had a lot to say, however right then and there Yaena was brought in by the guard. Once Yaena asked him to leave, he gave her a grim nod before heading out.

He wouldn't eavesdrop on them, he had no desire to. If he had to hear Calum's voice for another second he would not have been able to hide his frustration anymore.

He called him worse than him, more depraved than him. And with a smirk plastered over his face, he told him that Yaena would have been disgusted with him if she saw him. At that moment, Briar wanted nothing more than to punch him, and he probably would have if he was still the way he was a year ago. He found it difficult to control his emotions, and often anyone who had eyes or ears could tell exactly what he was feeling. As a king, working with plenty of people who would want nothing more than to stab him in the back - no matter how heroic he was tonight - forced him into strengthening his own defenses, and shut himself out from everyone a little bit more. Even from Yaena.

How did Calum except him to be rational in this? In Briar's eyes, it should have been Calum who died in that fight in Lhoris' place. His father has sent him out there in the first place, yet it was always easier to blame the enemy who actually did the killing. He didn't know if Calum cared about Tristan, Viria or Haydien, but he knew that he cared about Yaena as he has showed that to be true in front of him.

Calum was refusing to put himself into Briar's shoes, and it was apparent. Because if him and Yaena never loved each other the way they do and if she did try to kill him like Selantheia wanted, then Briar would have done everything to protect himself as well. And if he came out victorious and killed Yaena, then he wondered if Calum would have been thinking rationally about it all then. Or would he stop at nothing to avenge his beloved sister and destroy the man that was responsible for her death, no matter if he was just protecting himself or not.

But deep down, no matter how angry he was or how much he hated Calum... he couldn't kill him. Before the battle, Briar suspected that Calum would be present at that fight. During his time at the gardens alone before Yaena discovered him he had a lot of time to think things through. And one of those things have been what would he actually do with Calum once he gets his hands on him. Killing Calum wouldn't bring Lhoris back, and all it would do is destroy bridges that he has created between people that truly matter to him instead of strengthening them. All it would result in is Yaena hating him, and it would only create another hole next to the one that already exists in him.

So, he knew exactly what he was going to tell Yaena in the morning.

________

As usual, he did not sleep for the entire night.

He didn't remember the last time he had a peaceful sleep, but now even Yaena sleeping next to him wasn't enough. Nothing was enough anymore. He thought that maybe he would feel better after that fight, as he certainly felt good while he was out there. All that fire, he was just letting it out of his system, and at the same time he had an excuse for doing it. I am allowed to do this, he told himself. If I don't do this, my city will fall.

But soon after the fight was over he once again felt like there was something missing. He shouldn't be feeling this way, he was a hero now after all. He has saved his city, he destroyed the Iron Forces, his wife and child still loved him and he loved them, and he captured his brother's killer. So what was missing? He should be over the moon with happiness right now.

What was it like, going into battle for the first time?

Briar almost jumped when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He didn't expect her to want to talk to him, as while he didn't doubt that she still loved him, he was convinced that she would be too uncomfortable to even say anything. Usually he would lean into her touch, but this time when he touched him he tensed as if it was an effort for him not to flinch away. It wasn't that he didn't want to be around her; he was still afraid of what she thought about him.

"It was fine." he answered quietly. "I did what I had to do."

Fine. That was it. I did what I had to do.
He wasn't going to admit to her that he felt right out there, don't think he has forgotten how desperate and upset she was when he broke the news to her that he would be joining the battle. He didn't know if this was his last time, and if he felt the need to go to battle again then he would. Yet Yaena... how would she feel about him if he did want to go again? What would she think about him?

But there was something else in his eye. If someone wasn't observant they probably wouldn't have noticed and would have just assumed that he doesn't want to talk. But he did want to talk, however not about how he felt going into the battle.

"I want to talk about Calum." he said all of a sudden, meeting her gaze for the first time since she has spoken to him this morning.

Well that was a first. Could it be that he was going to get executed this afternoon? Or that he didn't feel any pity for him? While the second one was true, he wasn't going to get executed. He has decided on this, and now all he needed to make this work was Yaena's cooperation.

"Just let me explain," he sighed. "I know what you're thinking. You're probably convinced that I'm going to execute him, aren't you." he rose a brow. "Well... I was going to. But.. I can't. I don't want to anymore." he shook his head slowly. "So I'll need you to cooperate with me on something, okay?"

He noticed that she was listening like she always did, so he continued on. "I will need you to tap in to your inner powers and create a clone of Calum. You said that your powers come from your mother, you can do that right? I need you to do this so that we can get the real Calum out without causing any suspicion, and then the Calum clone would be the one getting executed publicly instead." he explained. "And before you ask; no there is no other way. I can't just let him walk free or I will never hear the end of it. Eurus doesn't want a weak king on the throne, especially not during a war. They will stop at nothing to dethrone me and then you and our daughter will be in danger too because they will think that you influenced me into doing it or whatever. So if you want your brother to live... this is the only way."

There was no other way, there was no other choice.

________

"Time's up."

Night fell upon Eurus once more, and Briar has made his way down to the dungeons, except there were no guards outside Calum's cell. And he was alone.

He wasn't going to waste his time explaining to Calum what the plan was, he would tell him more once he was certain that the walls had no ears, and that would be within the secret passage. It was a passage located within the dungeons, and nobody knew of them except for the royal family. Nobody has gone down them for quite some time, so they were most likely infested with cobwebs and Gods know what else. They were designed as secret escape routes in case the royal family ever needed to flee the palace, and it led right outside the walls of the city. The dungeons were a lot bigger than many thought them to be, and their only purpose wasn't just for keeping criminals and prisoners of war.

Briar pulled out a golden key from his pocket and unlocked Calum's chains, grabbing his arm and helping the man up off the cold ground. "Just follow me and keep your mouth shut." he hissed, voice barely louder than a whisper. "Yaena is waiting for us nearby. I don't want a word out of you until we reach the passage."

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Calum wasn't alseep but he was more relaxed than he had been and he grumbled in irritation when Briar came in. This was the night, he was surprised that it was at night. Usually such executions were in the morning, but nevertheless, the time of day didn't make anything hurt less so he followed. He was about to say something funny and charming but when Briar mentioned Yaena he grew silent. Was he escaping? Did Briar really love his sister that much? The shock was enough that it broke through his facade of general smarminess.





He was then face to face with his sister who seemed to be preparing something, she had a simple doll made out of straw with a strange black ink on it, a needle, and a knife, and when she looked up she couldn’t help but smile. She looked at Briar, as though asking if she could say the news before she spoke up.





“Please let me finish explaining without interrupting me.” Well, now both the king and queen of Eurus asked Calum to shut up and Calum did, wanting an explanation.





Yaena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “You’re not going to die, at least not today,” She whispered and although she tended to keep her emotions close to her chest her eyes were shining with hope, “Our…mother.” Both siblings face contorted at the thought of her, “Had a way of making…copies of people, and I know how she did it, I’m going to make one of you, it was his plan not mine,” She admitted with a smile before becoming serious.





“But…when you get out of here, nobody can know, not Tristan, not Viria, not any of your friends from the military or your various partners, nobody. Promise me that please or,” She straightened her posture, clearly not wanting to come across as weak, “Or I can’t do the spell and you’re going to die.”





Calum blinked, because that was a lot to take in, but he shook his head, “No, so I live like a criminal? No I’d rather-“

“You’d rather live,” Yaena insisted, her voice cracking a bit, she didn’t think that getting Briar on board would be easier than Calum, “Go to a new country, become a sellsword, or hell, become one of those traveling priests, you’re still young, you’re still talented, don’t waste your life here.” Yaena had to keep herself from raising her voice or else she would draw attention, “Promise me, on my life, on the graves of our father and our brother that you won’t tell anyone.”





The two men who probably loved Yaena the most in the world were in here so Calum relented, nodding his head, “Well, now I will never have to deal with the hell that is Zhicran courts then,” But to show he was in all ways aren’t he looked her in the eye, “I promise, I will not tell a soul living or dead.”





“Good.”





It felt awkward, how many deep emotional connections were there in this room? Between Yaena and Briar you had two people who were clearly in love with each other, between Yaena and Calum you had siblings who had grown up together, and between Briar and Calum you had two people who would gladly see the other one dead..





—





Yaena swallowed hard, “Don’t speak while I do this, if I ask you a question, nod or shake your head, I can not be distracted by anything.” She insisted, she looked up at Briar thousands of things she wanted to say to him, but now was not the time, while he was still in a room with Calum. “You may want to turn away for this.” While part of Selantheia’s torture was just because she wanted to torture him, this ritual..was painful and she did not want to bring back any memories.





She would feel nervous if she was doing this for her entrance exam, much less when her brother’s literal life was on the line. But, she worked well under pressure, I am just as strong as my mother. Yaena thought and if she told herself enough times, she would eventually believe it and it would come true, it had too.





“It’s going to hurt,” Yaena noted, “Thankfully, we don’t need the clone to act like you, so I need to draw blood from beneath both your eyes, your tongue, your abdomen, your arms, your legs, and..” Yaena unceremoniously reached out and cut a strand of Calum’s black hair with the knife she was holding, “I need some of your hair.” It was easier to do this when she pretended that he was just one of her patient. If she let herself think about how he was her brother, she would start crying and cry babies couldn’t do spells.





Calum scoffed, “If it’ just pain you don’t need to worry about me.”





“What did I just say?”

“You didn’t start yet, ow!” Calum’s hand went to his eye. Yaena, annoyed and needing to focus used the needle beside her to poke beneath Calum’s eye and put the blood on the doll’s face. Calum seemed to understand that Yaena really was starting now and he had enough sense to be quiet while the witch in the room worked.





Yaena, without looking up, went down to her knees, shifting into an intense focus. For now she couldn’t think about Calum, or Briar, or the fact that she was using her powers, she had a task and she would have to finish it. “Open up,” Yaena commanded, before sticking the needle in his tongue holding it in until a suitable amount blood pooled up and she put it on the ‘mouth’ of the straw doll.





This continued for what probably felt like hours for Calum but was actually only about fifteen minutes. Yaena would cut at a part on his body then put the blood on the corresponding part of the straw doll. She used a needle for his face, but when she went to his body she had to use a knife. Any nerves she had in the beginning seemed to be gone, her hands were steady. Everyone who knew Yaena knew that she had a gift for healing, but what was shown wasn’t her talent at magic, she would simply just make for a good doctor.





With the setting up finished, Yaena closed her eyes, and chanted, “May I create a new life that may serve you in all you need,” Her palms suddenly developed cuts and they began to bleed to, the blood falling onto the doll, “May I create a being whose mind and body both belong to you. Bring my creation life.”





The blood from Calum’s now open wounds began to stream out like a interwinding streams before pooling around the doll that began to get ripped open. As though whatever she was making would come out of the doll itself.





In a bit of comedy, the nose was first, a pale human nose, and then the flesh began to form around it, eyes were made with the iris first and the rest being built around. It was a bloody, bony process, first it looked more like a circus than a human. But then slowly it started to become something more humanlike, with the bones and blood finally all being covered in flesh and eventually…to even Yaena’s surprise, there was a completely naked “Calum” laying on the floor. As though her brother had a twin.





She looked to both Calum and Briar if he was still here with a stern look to remind them to be quiet before she stared down at what currently looked to be a sleeping man.





And then the clone jolted up to life, although he looked like Calum, given that it wasn’t a person, he would not be able to act like him. If you wanted to be gross, it was almost as though Yaena created a child.





—-





Her brother was executed, and her brother was free. Because she knew it was her brother, Yaena attended, not needing anyone to think that their human queen was at all sympathetic to Zhicra, especially the leader of the Iron Forces. Although, it was hard not to have a guttural reaction, she was able to get through without saying anything.





Calum was given a small boat and he was going to the nearest human country, they had hugged so long that Yaena was worried that they may never let go. There was a good chance not just that this was the last time that she would ever see Calum, but that this was the last time she would se any of her siblings. Both countries now seemed to distrust peace pacts, and this would end when one country dominated the other. But, that was different, she would have grieved, but she would have, in time forgiven Briar if he had killed Calum in battle, but she would have never forgiven him if it was in an execution.





But now, she and Briar were finally alone, and there was so much she wanted to say to him, “I love you, and before you say anything I need you to let me finish what I’m going to say.” She asked, she had been thinking about this a lot. “You did something, incredible for me, one that I know must have been unspeakably hard for you.” She admitted before swallowing.





“I shouldn’t have said you were my mother, not just because of today, but I got scared that I was losing you, not just to Zhicra but..to your powers.” Yaena laughed dryly, glancing down, “IT’s funny during the battle I completely forgot all my reservations because I just wanted you home and if you told me you were doing magic that required priest blood, I wouldn’t have cared.” If allowed she went to put her hands on his face, “I feel like you’ve been pulling away from me, and I know that there are things that I may never know, but you’re not just my husband you’re my partner and I don’t ever want there to be a wall between us."

 

[Average.]

There was silence between them until he heard Yaena's voice. He was still watching the boat, it was fading away slowly behind the curtain of fog, with the little lantern on it soon disappearing out of sight too. He has truly allowed Calum to get away then. He has captured the one who was responsible for his brother's death and then shortly after that he allowed him to walk free with no consequences. It was funny how the entirety of the Iron Forces fell victim to his flames and yet Calum was the only one who walked away unscathed, and he was the only one Briar wanted revenge on. But suppose that life held unexpected turns like that sometimes.

He wondered if letting Calum go made him weak. He wondered if his brother was watching him right now, and if he was hating him for what he has done or if he was relieved by his choice. The latter seemed to fit Lhoris more, as he was always a pacifist, much like Yaena.

He would never get an answer to any of those questions, so he wouldn't waste his time wrecking his head over them. Yet he made his choice, and all that mattered to him was that he felt no regret. He didn't feel happy, yet he felt no regret either. And if he did in fact choose to execute the real Calum... regret would have came to him a thousand fold, the moment when he saw Yaena's face. Then he truly would have seen that disgust that Calum was talking about earlier.

Briar only turned to meet Yaena's gaze when she put her hands on his face. It was his turn to listen now, and he did, yet his features were soft. He tilted his head a little, into her touch this time, raising his hand and placed it over one of her hands. There was a smile on his face now. There was sadness in it, yet at least he was smiling. He doubted that he would have been if his choice was any different.

"There was never any wall between us, sali." he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "I love you too, and I never doubted that you loved me back for a second. I just... didn't know what you were going to think of me."

He knew that if every citizen found out about his choice right now they would all hate him and brand him as a traitor. Perhaps he was a traitor to his country, perhaps he was a terrible king, perhaps his parents would have hired the best assassins in all the land to end their own son if they found out... yet somehow despite all of those things he didn't care. His choice felt right to him, and if he had to lie to his own people for it to be accepted then so be it. His choice was correct, and as king- no... as himself he felt confident that he has made the right choice, even if it didn't satisfy him.

At this point, nothing would satisfy him, so he may as well focus on letting it go instead of getting revenge. It would bring him more peace than anything, and if he truly needed somebody to hate, he would simply hate his father and do nothing else about it. Calum was out of their life, out of his life. He could pretend that he has been executed, and that he is dead, and that he doesn't walk this earth. He will never have to see his face or hear his voice ever again, and he can finally put it all behind him.

To him, Calum is dead. The real Calum. He has died, swinging by his neck from a rope, surrounded by a jeering crowd who hated him and enjoyed watching him swing. And he has died when he disappeared into the fog.

He then pulled her into a hug, arms wrapping around her and holding her close. "I was scared to tell you." he admitted. "I enjoy my powers, Yaena, and... I want to explore more of them. Even if they can't heal or bring luck or anything good like that.. they have still saved this city." he looked down at her, smile disappearing yet the softness still remained. "All I ask of you is that if you ever think you are seeing me stray down the wrong path... I want you to give me a nudge towards the right one again, okay? I don't want to be afraid of my own powers just because all they can cause is hurt and death, but I also don't want to get consumed by them. Selantheia is an example of that, and I don't want to be like her." he sighed, looking down. "Which is why when you said that I reminded you of your mother... I thought that I already failed at that."

He leaned in to kiss her before he pulled away, offering her his hand for her to take it. "But I'm glad that's not the case right now." he smiled again. "Let's go back to the palace. I still don't know how to feel about Daella being out of our sight. My parents would never hurt her, but I still doubt that they are keeping as close of an eye on her as we would."

Even if he hated Calum, he didn't know why but he still felt like he would have trusted Calum around Daella more than he trusted his parents around her. Perhaps it was because Calum actually had fighting experience so he would be able to protect her? Perhaps because he shown love towards Yaena so he probably would have been fond of his sister's daughter as well?

He did hate Calum, yes... but after talking to him and watching him interact with Yaena more, he felt like he has put at least a tiny bit of that hate behind him. He would never tell anyone about this of course, not even Yaena. Yet he would use that as a source of relief for himself, that maybe one day if he ever met Calum again he would tell him that even though he may never forgive him for what he has done, he was prepared to stop hating him. Maybe. He wasn't certain yet. He would much more prefer to never see him again, but if he ever had to, then he definitely wouldn't try to send blue fire his way.

Which was always a start.

________

About two weeks have passed since that night, and it felt almost odd to say that life has been going smoothely for them. The king has been making good use of the excuse lately that he is still recovering from the battle so he absolutely must leave this war meeting right now to go see his wife and his daughter.

That was bullshit of course. He has long since finished recovering, yet hey, the excuse was effective and he much rather be with Yaena and Daella than sit in a tedious war meeting that was undoubtedly shortening his lifespan by a second for each minute that he spent in there.

So he was excitedly making his way up the stairs and to their quarters where he knew that Yaena and Daella were. He entered the room, his smile turning into a grin, face brightening up. In what felt like a long time, there were no signs of stress on his face, and his dark cycles under his eyes have gotten a lot less noticeable. He has been sleeping much better lately.

"There she is, there's my little girl!" he laughed and headed over to the crib, gently tickling Daella's belly who responded with a series of happy little giggles. He then turned to Yaena, smirking at her. He was in a teasing mood as well, then. "Oh, I almost forgot about you, sali. My apologies." he teased, leaning in to give her a quick yet affectionate kiss on the cheek.

Things have been going well for them. Daella was happy and she was growing, Briar got to spend more time with Yaena and their daughter, the city was at peace for now and everything just felt right.

And then there was a knock on the door, and Briar seriously started to contemplate about opening the door and then slamming it right in their face. Didn't he make himself clear?

"I thought I made it clear that I am still recovering from the battle?" Briar rose his voice a little so that whoever was at the door would hear him.

"I am terribly sorry sir," a muffled male voice spoke from behind the door. "But this is urgent, you must hear this."

Briar couldn't help but roll his eyes and groan. Of course. Everything was urgent. Even that one time where Lord Ardreth ruined his shoes in a mud puddle, that was also very urgent. "I wonder who got their favourite shoes destroyed by mud this time." he muttered to Yaena before heading towards the door and opening it to step outside.

It was a guard, in fact the same guard that would usually come up here whenever there was urgent news. Whenever Briar saw him at this point it was like a bad omen. Something was amiss, always. Briar didn't know the guard's name, yet he knew his voice and remembered his face, and that was enough.

The guard hasn't spoken with him long, and Briar slowly returned back inside the quarters once he was finished talking to him. In fairness, Briar hasn't done much talking during that, and all he could do was listen like a dumbstruck fool as the guard broke the news to him.

"Yaena... I need to talk to you alone." he said. His voice sounded grim, it was such a stark contrast to how happy he seemed before. Now, all that happiness was gone, and instead it was replaced with disbelief.

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

One beautiful thing about her and Briar's relationship (out of a list of hundreds) wasn't that they never faced troubles, but that they never let the troubles ruin them. Just think, they've known each other for less than two years and in that time they discovered that Yaena had a curse that forced her to eat people, they went to Zhicra, Briar was tortured by her mother, Yaena was almost killed by her mother, they had a beautiful daughter, and experience a literal military battle that forced them to figure out what to do with the man who was both Yaena's brother while also being the man who took Briar's own.

They didn't go back to their 'old selves' they simply moved forward, it wasn't just because they loved each other so much, it was that they were willing to talk things out. Yaena in particular was a blunt enough person that when something didn't feel right to her, she had no problem with bringing it up to the relevant parties.

While Yaena was, to her credit, beginning to expand her social circle in the palace, she was grateful that she got to spend so much time with Briar. It reminded her of the time before he became king, and they wouldn't even have to be doing anything to have a good time. Except now, they had a daughter with them. While Daella of course forced the two parents to be more mature (and for Briar to finally attempt to clean up his language), they were still able to be their truest selves. He didn't have to fake smiles to Lord Aardeth and she didn't have to suffer Lord Beatrice suddenly turning into a mouse because she was afraid that she triggered the anger of her queen.

Daella burst into happy excited giggles, also enjoying the fact that she got to spend more time with both of her parents. She was now at the peak of her curiosity, attempting to grab anything that caught her pretty golden eyes. Every day, it amazed Daella just how many things a six-month-old was somehow able to reach and bring into her mouth. Yep, their baby got to the phase where everything was a toy and food at the same time.

"You know, we should have another bet after I "lost" the last one," Yaena suggested, her eyes glinting, she technically lost the bet, but she got Daella out of it so she won too. "What will her first words be? If it's mama, ie the woman who spent hours giving birth to her," She gestured to herself, not being able to fully stifle her laughter, "Or dada, who just got to be there for the fun part." Let's ignore the fact that out of the two of them, only one of them had their hand broken. However, she still believed that labor was a bigger deal.

When she heard that guard's voice, Yaena made an annoyed face and Daella made an annoyed face too, making Yaena think that Daella was trying to mimic her. However, despite how adorable her daughter was, Yaena couldn't help but tense a little. She felt bad for that guard, clearly, he drew the short end of the stick because his buddies made him the man who was tasked with telling the king bad news.

Her fears were confirmed when Briar came back, his face was pale and she couldn't help but think of everything that could potentially have stressed him out. Was it about the war? While Zhicra suffered a brutal loss, they were not defeated, there was still a chance and she could see that Calum's death became a rallying for the military. Calum, the man loved by everyone low and high, the man who gave up his titles and lands for his country, was executed in a foreign land like a lowly criminal. She wouldn't be surprised if there were people begging to be in the Iron Forces now, to continue his legacy.

However, at best that just meant another battle and while that was clearly an anxiety-provoking event, it wasn't devastating.

Deciding that the only way she would know is if he told her, Yaena kissed Daella on the forehead before putting her in the crib...and away from any objects that could be in her small mouth. Yaena looked up with big eyes, expecting him to just tell her.

"No." Yaena shook her head, when the news dropped, she wanted to say it was impossible, but was it? Her mother never told her how old she really was, but she clearly had a long life, and she bragged about how she was made up of stronger stuff than the both of them. Her mother considered herself a goddess and for the first time, she was beginning to believe her. Of course her mother would find a way back. Where did you think Calum Narayan got his refusal to die from? "I was hoping so badly for everyone that she was dead truly gone so that nobody could hurt her again.

"Leara," Yaena repeated the name of the foreign country to her, she learned about all the allied Elvish nations before her wedding, in order to not offend someone by not knowing their nation, but she still didn't know a lot about it. "Why would she be in Leara?" Maybe Selantheia gave up on Yaena and Briar, but she thrived off of war and despite being allied with Eurus, Leara was a relatively peaceful kingdom. Her father actually used to be friends with one of the princes there.

The realization hit her, they would have to go there. If there was a 1% chance that Selantheia was out there, they would have to know, or maybe it was her..she didn't want to project her wants onto Briar. However, she didn't think that he would want to wait around for Selantheia to attack.

Yaena looked down, her left hand clenching, "We have to know for, I have to know for sure."Nobody else knew Selatheia the way they did, they could send the most esteemed practitioner of magic to Leara and offer to pay him half the treasury and he would still practically be blind.

 

[Average.]

Briar smirked when she brought up the idea of another bet. Of course, they weren't getting anything out of these bets except bragging rights and brief satisfaction before they both forgot about it. Still, they were fun to do, and they proved that even after everything the two have faced, they were still able to keep things entertaining like this.

"Well I won the first bet so I don't see why I can't win the second one." he grinned at her smugly. "And hey! I did not only get to be there for the fun part, what're you on about? You literally broke my hand, to be honest I don't even know how you managed to pull that off since it is true what they say about elves being more durable than humans."

But then the guard disturbed them, and now once again they had more questions than answers.

We have to know for sure, I have to know sure.

At that, Briar's brows at her. He was trying to comprehend how it would even work, what was she even thinking. "Woah, hold on, slow down." he frowned, holding his hands up in front of his chest. "In case you've forgotten; we're not a prince and princess anymore. We can't just leave, somebody has to take over. And what about Daella? Who's going to take care of her? My parents? And there's no way in hell that I'll allow Daella to come with us to a strange country with strange people where there is a slight chance that Selantheia might be there. I was able to protect you once from her, but I can't promise that I'll be able to protect you both, especially since she knows about my powers now."

A strange country with strange people. It was true. Even though Leara was an elvish nation who was allied with Eurus, not all elvish nations were the same. They had their own customs and their own beliefs, and the only similarities that Eurus and Leara shared were that they were both elvish and that they spoke the same language, and nothing more. And Briar simply didn't feel prepared enough to take his entire family there, especially with Selantheia possibly being a threat to them again.

Though he thought about it for a couple moments in silence, letting out a strained sigh. He began pacing slowly from one side of the room to the other, he tended to do that whenever he was contemplating about a difficult subject or topic. Daella watched her father from the crib in silence with great interest, and if she could walk she would no doubt try to mimic him too.

He tended to stop and open his mouth as if he was about to say something, but then he shook his head slightly and returned back to pacing. There was truly no way they could do this with zero risks, now could they. Soon, he stopped and looked Yaena in the eye. His expression seemed serious, yet softened. "Well, we definitely can't leave this alone. In the past we've learned that any rumours of Selantheia mean that she is plotting something, and whatever it is this time we can't allow her to proceed with it." he said. "While I do trust my parents around Daella, it won't be them taking care of her anyway, it'll be the servants. If we only want Daella being under their care then I will have to order them to do it and then threaten them with the dungeons if they don't." he chuckled with a shrug. And he was seriously contemplating about doing it.

Briar and Yaena knew Selantheia best, and knew what she is capable of. If they send someone else after her, they either wouldn't know where to look or they wouldn't come back at all because they would end up dead. So it were only Briar and Yaena who had a chance at this job, and both of them had to go because together they were of course stronger than alone.

"I guess we are really doing this then. Again... shit." he sighed, looking down slightly, seeming to forget that Daella was listening in on them right now. He definitely gotten better and cursed a lot less, especially around Daella, yet even then it was such a habit for him that it tended to slip out sometimes regardless.

After all, he wasn't perfect.
Well... he was but... he wasn't.

_________

Briar couldn't believe that he was already having to board another ship so soon but here he was. Last time he was on a ship he could barely look at himself in the mirror, as all he could see was his torturer staring back at him and not his own reflection.

Now, it was no longer like this, however they weren't going for any holiday. He had butterflies in his stomach, but not because he was excited, but because he was nervous. After all, how could he not be? He was leaving his nation behind in the middle of a war, he was heading to a completely different elvish nation where there was a chance that Selantheia was in it and they couldn't even take Daella with them. There would be an entire sea between them and Daella now, and that of course did not sit well with Briar.

They spent ages saying goodbye, and Briar found it extremely difficult to let go. He kissed his daughter's forehead over and over and would tell her over and over that "Mommy and daddy will be back sooner than you know it, don't worry."

He also made a list of what Daella needed every single day and went over it with his parents at least thirty- no fifty times... soon after he threatened them with the dungeons of course if they weren't going to be the ones taking care of Daella. Even his parents were rolling their eyes at him at this point, and they would just nod along to everything that their son was saying tiredly.

So yes, he was very calm about this. Very calm about everything.

Now, they were below deck, after at least fifteen more minutes of waving towards the crowd of people that has of course gathered to watch their king's and queen's departure from the harbour. Briar was sitting on the edge of the bed, tapping his left foot against the wooden floor rapidly as if he was finding it difficult to even sit still calmly. He was contemplating whether they should back out of this trip and return back to the palace while they had the chance, but that thought was quickly snuffed out when he felt the ship gently sway. Their ship was moving slowly towards Leara.

He loosened a sigh, and propped his elbows against his knees, burying his face in his hands. "We better not be gone long." he muttered, his voice muffled by his hands. "At least before Daella fucking grows up."

Yes, he was being a drama queen about this. Yes he felt guilty about leaving, even though they didn't have much of a choice but to leave, as it would have been foolish if they ignored the possible threat of Selantheia and stayed.

But still, he felt guilty knowing that Daella would be without her parents for a couple of weeks.

Silence grew over their private little cabin, and soon the dramatic little shit known as Briar slowly rose his head from his hands to look at Yaena. "Oh Gods... Yaena what if Daella forgets us when we get back?"

 

[bambi-under-the-sky]

Sometimes it was easier to console Daella than Briar.

That being said, it had been painful to leave Daella behind too. Yaena wanted to bring their daughter, so she could see new sights, but if her mother was potentially in one nation, then she did not want Daella anywhere near it. The only thing that powered her to not remain at the palace was that Selantheia provided a danger to her daughter and she wanted to make the world as safe as possible for her and Briar's little girl. Besides, Briar's parents have done this before, and it at least eased her stress a little to know that Daella would be with her grandparents instead of a servant or a noble. All of Yaena's grandparents died before she was born but according to Tristan he always had a good time whenever he spent it with his grandmother.

"We won't be," Yaena reassured him, they couldn't be. It felt wrong for their daughter to not be here, Yaena was so used to holding her that every so often she would jolt at the realization that Daella wasn't here before remembering that she was in Eurus. Was she scared? Was she crying right now? She still didn't know about babies as she hoped, but she just wanted reassurance that Daella didn't think that her parents were abandoning her.

In order to ease the anxiety that came from being separated from her only child, Yaena had to distract herself by thinking about how she was going to foreign lands to investigate if her mother was there. Honestly, she was not excited, she always liked seeing new places but even if she hid it, she had a paranoid streak too. At least in Eurus they knew everyone and being the king and queen meant that they were at nobody's mercy. Now, Yaena had met Queen Aelina of Leara at her wedding, and she seemed competent., saying all the things expected other such as saying that Yaena looked beautiful or how she wished she and Briar had a happy marriage. However, she would be a fool to trust anyone. No matter how long there had been ties between Eurus and Leara or how much it mattered that they were both elves, they were still foreigners.

Oh Gods... Yaena what if Daella forgets us when we get back?

Yaena sighed and wrapped her arms around him, "She's not," She insisted, "One, we're not going to be gone that long, and two she's a baby, not a puppy, she'll recognize us." She tried not to think about the fact that she was not sure how right she was. It took babies a while to fully recognize their parents simply due to the fact that their eyes and brains needed to develop but they had already reached that stage. And they were not going to be away that long. Unfortunately, it was likely that Selantheia already left the nation. She wouldn't be surprised if her mother could simply will herself to new locations, and Yaena was not going to let her mother drag her into a wild goose chase.

"I'm not going to tell you to relax, because I've known you long enough to know it's useless," She teased, playfully kissing his cheek, "But try? Believe me, I am already so close to jumping out of this boat and swimming back to her."

---​

While Daella never strayed too far from her parents' mind, this trip was reminiscent of their first boat ride together.

Zhicra and Eurus were a sea apart from each other, taking two whole weeks just to get there. Leara was almost infinitely closer, the whole trip taking about two days. However, despite the closeness, Yaena felt like she was in an entire world. It was strange, but despite Yaena knowing logically that just as humans had different traditions and cultures amongst themselves, elves did too. Over time Yaena grew to assume that elves and Eurus were the same things . That anything that was true for Eurus, must be true for all elves.

She was dead wrong.

Originally, Leara didn't look that special, just a forest on an island, however, the closer they got, the more was revealed. Before they reached the city, she realized that some of the trees grew from the ocean itself. They didn't look like a unique species, they had brown bark, and green leaves, yet their trunks were submerged in the sea and Yaena was sure that if she wanted to look. She would see roots. As they sailed through the path, the evening came early. The light of the sun only coming through the leaves.

And Yaena found herself feeling..safe? She grew to appreciate her adopted home, but she grew up in a world of dark colors and when she first saw Eurus she was worried she would somehow grow blind. They were in a foreign nation that potentially housed her mother so she would never fully relax but it was the closest she had gotten to feeling like she was home. Hell, she couldn't even feel at home when she was in Zhicra due to her mother's horrible influence.

The sky never opened up again, but they eventually docked at the city and she found herself amazed. The buildings themselves, looked "normal" if such a thing existed but they were in a forest. Yaena had been to towns and villages located in the heart of Zhicran woods but this was a city. But the second she found herself feeling like a whimsical child, the second she was reminded that this would be an excellent place to hide and that her mother could be anywhere.

One thing that would always surprise her was how there were crowds whenever she and Briar visited a place. There weren't as many as Yaena's arrival to Eurus or their shared arrival to Zhicra as they weren't making "history" but she was already counting dozens of people looking at them. The first thing that she noticed was despite their long ears, they were closer in complexion and coloring to her than Briar, many of them having darker skin and hair.

And there sat Queen Aelina, she was older than the both of them, combined having reached her sixtieth birthday, her hair was snow-white (and Yaena couldn't tell if it was always white...or if she was just old) and rather than a traditional crown, it was healed up with iridescent leaves that managed to catch the sun. She was tall, even for an elvish woman but she had a soft enough body that she didn't appear to be towering over the smaller servant in her shadow as much as she was just watching over them.

Yaena squeezed Briar's hand, "My least favorite part of any trip is the pleasantries," She admitted, they were supposed to be honored to be here (and she was) and Queen Aelina would be honored to take them in and she would have to feel like she was under a microscope.

Eventually, Briar and Yaena bowed and curtsied their way into the Leara royal palace with the queen personally giving them both a tour. "I hope you two have enough time to embark on a tour of the city, I understand I may be biased and that you're here for business but I believe you two may find it enjoyable and..romantic."