Luma looked at her father stunned. “What are they talking about father?”
Zavier went to his seat and sighed out. “Reyna is the woman of prophet. She is born of demon and angelic blood, she holds peace and love above anything else. She refuses to kill or to harm anyone. She will become a strong woman who not only connects the angelic kingdom in the kingdom of Mirfield but this very kingdom as well. It is said that she will be strong enough to take down all that oppose her with those who she aligns herself with. Luma, I have trained you as I have to be as she should be. But I know now...you could never do what she is capable of doing. The cold angelic temperature would freeze your blood before you step anywhere close to the main kingdom. Reyna has the blood of the angels within her, she may withstand it-even if she cannot stand those who have birthed her.” Zavier said sadly
“You know...I thought Rey left me here cause she hated me...but hearing what would happen to Luma. I’m glad I didn’t go there after her. I wouldn’t want to die there.” Nala said sadly
Reyna was soon able to turn herself to look at Nala as her uncles went back to their seats once more. “I did what I had to protect you, you mean so much to me. I know I should have said something to you but you were resting and I didn’t wish to wake you.”
Nala nodded her head. “I...I understand Reyna. And that’s okay. I’m not mad anymore-hearing what Lord *face said...it’s just how things gotta be.”
“I have to go back to where I am now. I feel the burning in my arm, I’ve been here too long. But when I’m able to I will call upon Avery, when I do he’ll get you and the two of you can meet me where I summon him okay?”
Nala hugged Reyna tightly. “Be safe and don’t do anything too stupid.”
Reyna smiled and hugged her friend back. “Will do Nala, take care of yourself and your brothers okay?”
“Mhm, will do!”
Reyna then looked at Avery and kissed him on the cheek. “Stay around Nala, I don’t want you to end up getting killed by your grandfather or your father, okay? I feel what you feel. We’re bonded together so don’t be stupid okay?”
“I won’t, and I’ll be around her not a problem. I love you.”
Reyna smiled and rubbed the side of his face. “I love you as well Avery. I’ll see you as soon as I can.” She said before she looked at Hyun and Zeph. “Time to go back boys, when we do it’ll be as if we never left. The wraith mark stops time where I have it till I come back if I leave into the portal.”
“Oh..well that’s convenient.” Zeph said in surprise
Reyna nodded her head. “Mhm, but only for a certain period of time...and that time is just about up. So let’s go.” She said before she opened the portal and the two males left through.
She then looked at her father and sister. “May Tyche make hell rain upon the both of you, you are no family members of mine.” She said coldly before she went inside the portal herself.
Once she did, both males hugged her tightly which made her smile a bit. “Sorry about that guys.”
“It’s quite alright.” Hyun said with a smile “You’ve gone through a lot and have had to hide a lot to stay strong.”
“As long as you’re around us, we won’t judge you for showing your emotions.” Zeph said with a smile
She gave them a weak smile. “T-Thank you...both of you.”
“Question for you princess...do you know how to dance?” Zeph asked curiously
She shook her head no. “Sadly I don’t.”
Zeph smiled and pulled her away from the table and he showed her how to dance where she was. Once she had gotten the hang of it, they joined in with the other couples that were dancing as Hyun watched before feeling a large energy build up, which made him go into his dragon form and fly around in circles around the people that were dancing keeping his eyes on the royal couple that were dancing in the middle of the threshold of people around a campfire. It was two hours after the party had ended that the three of them ended up sleeping together in an inn not far from where the celebration had taken place. As they slept figures had come into the room quietly and slowly before going to the three of them with blades. After stabbing the beds many times they pulled the blankets back only to see pillows.
Reyna came out of hiding and tackled one of them down as Zeph and Hyun got the other two. Zeph pulled the hood back on the one that was on the one he had tackled down only to see his elder brother. “B-Brother?! But why?!”
Reyna and Hyun had done the same, Reyna had the queen pinned down as Hyun had the princess pinned down. “What the heck?! Queen Yolanda? Why would you wish for my death?!”
“I don’t wish my son to be associated with a disgusting woman like you! You have impure blood inside of you! I let you take that damn trial cause I wanted you to die! Not so you can show up my two smart and loyal children! I’ll never accept you!”
It wasn’t long before Zeph’s father came into the room. “Good thing it isn’t your choice to accept the princess or not. You see I knew something was up and Zeph has been rather smart and clever to warn me of this. I didn’t expect this out of you or our elder children.”
“F-Father please! I was only doing as mother told us!” Minerva said sadly with tears in her eyes
“S-She threatened to kill us if we didn’t help her kill Zeph and the two that came here.” Austin said sadly
“Zeph, Princess, dragon please leave the room I will deal with them.”
When they left the room, Zeph took the duo to the palace and they stayed in his room for the night. When morning came around, Zeph was the first to wake up, he wanted to know what happened to his brother, sister and mother. When he saw his father down the hall, his father stopped and had his hands together.
“Father, what happened to mother, brother and sister?”
“Your siblings were spared, but...sadly your mother.” His father said before he shook his head. “I had to execute her this morning for what she had done.”
Zeph sighed in relief. “Okay, Minerva and Austin would never do anything like that on their own accord, they are too much of a coward to do so.”
His father raised an eyebrow at him. “You are not upset that your mother is gone?”
“Father, Yolanda was never my mother in my eyes. Her thought about me was always one of hate and thinking that I would fail because I was the last of the children the two of you had. She never taught me anything that she showed my elder brother and sister. I knew what I knew from them, not her. I’m not below asking my siblings for help, and that’s exactly what I did. She never saw me as her child and because of that I never saw her as my mother. So what if she died? One less piece of darkness for the princess to deal with on her road to connect this world together in peace.” Zeph said seriously
“I see...well I’m glad that you are safe and well rested here. Come with me and I will give you the sword that belongs to the young princess.”
Zeph nodded his head and he followed his father to a casing where the sword was placed, he unlocked it and gave the sword to Zeph. “Here you go son, I’m very proud of you for finding your place in this world. I hope that one day you’ll be able to come back and tell me everything that you’ve accomplished by the princess’s side.”
Zeph smiled and nodded his head. “Yes, of course father. But...before I go. I need to tell you something rather important.”
“What might that be?” His father asked with a raised eyebrow
“I...I am marked to be beside the young princess, which from what I’ve seen-makes our bond between one another stronger.”
“I am well aware of that, unlike that woman who didn’t believe in such things-I do. I know you are the only one of my children who has such a mark. It is probably why she treated you differently. To me you are still my child, marked or not. If being around the princess is what you must do, then so be it. I would rather you be around her and do what your purpose is than ignore the calling from the gods.”
Zeph smiled at his father. “T-Thank you for understanding.”
“Of course. Now go on son. You have a destiny to fulfill.”
He hugged his father tightly before he rushed back to his room with the sword in hand. As he did he could hear a female voice in his head. “You are a smart one elemental prince, the doubt you once had is gone. Is it because of Reyna?”
Zeph stopped and looked around before he looked down at the sword. “Goddess Ryse?”
He heard giggling in his mind before the female spoke up again. “The one and only, I knew it would have been you that Reyna would be marked with. So?”
He sighed and shut his pink eyes before he opened them and looked at the sword. “It is because of her, she made me realize that even though I am not my siblings, I still have the power and ability to do great things by her side. That I am just as important to this world as they are.”
“That’s a lesson she has learnt on her own over the last few years. First with Luma acting as she has, being the greedy but slothful woman she is. Wanting everything and always getting what she wants while her sister-Reyna suffers in the background like nothing ever happened. Then lastly with Astra, her acting in the Prideful and gluttonous ways that she has been. To do nothing when her mother had done what she had to her younger sister. Reyna was thrown out of the kingdom by the woman who birthed her because of my husband and I’s choice to give her the wings that we have.”
Zeph blinked his eyes a few times. “I...I had no idea that Reyna went through so much.”
“There’s a lot that Reyna has hidden because she believes if she shows what bothers her and what makes her go on, that people will brush it off to the side. That they’ll make her feel like her feelings and anguish isn’t valid.”
Zeph furrowed his eyebrows as he sighed out. “T-That’s going to kill her if she keeps that up.”
“Which is why you and that smoke dragon need to talk to her about that before you two move on. I don’t want to lose Reyna before she has the chance to do what she needs to do.”
He nodded his head before he began to walk again. “I’ll be sure to talk to her about it, I don’t want her to think that hiding what she feels is okay. She can talk to Hyun and I, hell even that wraith Avery and her acid Drago Nala would hear her out if she just trusts them enough.”
“Trust is something that Reyna knows next to nothing about, it is very rare for her to go about things with that type of thought process.”
Zeph said nothing more as he got to his room, he walked into the room to see that Reyna had just woken up and was running her fingers through her hair. She smiled a bit as she saw Zeph. “Hey prince, where did you go off to?”
“I went to speak with my father-and...I got this back for you.” Zeph said as he gave her back Ryse.
Reyna’s eyes widened in shock before she took the sword with one hand and hugged him tightly. “Thank you so much!”
He hugged her back and smiled a bit. “You’re welcome, whenever you’re ready we can leave out.”
Reyna nodded her head before she kissed him on the lips. “Okay! Let me wake up Hyun and we can leave out.”
Reyna literally had to push Hyun off of the bed and made him whine out before he saw Reyna laughed amused. He got up and rubbed the back of his head. “Was that nessa?” He whined out
“Mhm, get your dragon butt awake. We’re going to be leaving out soon.”
“Alright, I should have seen that coming.” Hyun said with a small huff.
“Before we leave off though, Princess. Might we have a word with you?” Zeph asked sincerely to her
Reyna tilted her head to the side. “What’s up Zeph?”
“It’s come to my attention that you hold a lot of emotions back-trust me I know all too well what it is like to hold yourself back. To be the youngest of three and be cast aside, My mother never saw me as her son and just recently my father has chosen to accept me as I am. If there is anything at all that you wish to speak about that you’ve kept from people. We are here to console you and comfort you in your time of need. You don’t need to hide yourself from us.” Zeph said sincerely
Hyun nodded his head in agreement, he didn’t know how to bring it up to Reyna. But he was glad that Zeph had, Hyun was no good with words. But he was more than happy to see that Zeph was more than good with his words. Hyun didn’t want to lose the princess to her own mind and emotions. It was something that he personally knew since for a long time he wouldn’t be able to do much but wallow in his own emotions until he found a friend in one of the other dragons to talk to, who helped him with the emotions that he felt.
Reyna sighed out before she sat down on the bed holding Ryse in her hands as she looked down at the sword. “Honestly, I didn’t think I could trust anyone with anything. I conceal myself so I don’t hurt, but I’ve chosen to trust the two of you so..”She started before she looked up at both of them. “Don’t break my trust in the two of you. What I say to the two of you stays with the two of you. No one else but us here will ever hear the words that come out of my mouth understood?”
Both males instantly nodded their heads quickly before Reyna held the sword tightly in her hands. “I’m afraid, confused and depressed. I don’t know what the * I’m doing, I hate that it’s just me that has to go through all of this. My entire life has been nothing but * since I was born. Neither one of my parents actually *ing want me, I didn’t grow up with either one of my siblings so I feel like I’m nothing compared to them. What’s the use of having angelic and demon blood in me if I can’t be accepted by either one of them?! I feel like I’m nothing more than a useless piece of garbage.” Reyna said as she slowly began to break down crying
Both males were quiet as they heard her speak, they had no idea how much was going on inside of her head till that morning. Both males sat on either side of her before they hugged her tightly. She just shut her eyes as she cried her eyes out finally letting her emotions go that she had been holding in for years. Once she finally stopped crying she leaned up against Zeph sadly.
“This sucks...I don’t like crying. It makes me look ugly.” Reyna said sadly
Both males looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Do you really think that about yourself, Reyna? You are beautiful no matter what.” Hyun stated
“I’d have to second that comment, who the hell told you that you don’t?”
“It’s a personal opinion.”
They looked at each other once more before they stood up and pulled her up making her sword fall to the ground. They both kissed one of her cheeks before kissing her hand softly. Reyna felt more than a bit flustered getting the affection that she had from both males.
“Zeph? Hyun? What’s gotten into the two of you?”
“As your angelic dragon I cannot accept that you place yourself down so, as your marked mate I do not wish to see you talk down about yourself in such a way. You are an amazingly beautiful young woman. Even if so much bad has happened to you, even if your parents are *s and your siblings are worse. You have as of right now four people who would die to see you smile and be happy. You are better off surrounding yourself with those who’d love you than those who do not.”
Zeph nodded his head in agreement. “I must agree with Hyun, even if he is a dragon-he speaks the truth. As your fellow royal companion, I feel displeased when you talk down upon yourself like that. You shouldn’t need to do so when you have so many who see you as a beautiful young woman. As your marked mate in more ways than one, I do not discourage you from speaking about what bothers you as long as the words of self hatred do not leave your lips.”
Reyna blinked her eyes a few times. “W-Well damn, I wonder if the other two will be as warm hearted as the two of you.”
“Avery will, without a doubt. He loves you while we were around him. There was definitely no way in any shape or form that he didn't.” Zeph stated
“Nala on the other hand...ehhh, she dumb Reyna.” Hyun said scratching the side of his face
Zeph nodded his head in agreement. “Are the dragons in Militia not cultured in common sense?”
Reyna shut her eyes as she laughed before she leaned herself against Zeph. “Oh my your question got me. To answer it-no...no they aren’t.”
Zeph sighed out. “That would explain her lack of intelligence, listen Reyna-take it from one royal youngest to another. This isn’t going to be a walk in the park, things like this never are. But you have people that love and care for you, even if some are lacking intellect than others. You’ll never be alone from this point on, your suffering won’t be alone. So if you ever want to speak about anything that you think or feel. Hyun and I will be here at your side to do whatever we can to help you out and make things as best as we can for you to continue on.”
She gave him a weak smile. “Thank you, that...that really places me at ease.”
“Good, now let’s get going. We need to eat before we head to the kingdom of shapeshifters, they are the ones that will help us get across the ocean without too much trouble. They trade with the middle land a lot, be it with the vampires or Humans. Trade is a lot that they do.”
“O-okay.” reyna said with a nod of her head
The three of them then left out together after Reyna got her sword. The three of them then left the room and had breakfast with Zeph’s siblings and father. When they all sat down his siblings didn’t say a word to the three of them, they were both ashamed of what had happened the previous night with the trio’s mother. Zeph knew that there was something going on with his siblings and looked at them.
“You two aren’t usually this quiet, are you two alright?”
Minerva looked at him sadly. “Are you sure you can forgive us for almost killing you and your friends?”
“I know that you two would never do something like that on your own, you two were threatened most likely by our mother. Which I figured would have happened, she didn’t like that I had successfully made it through the trial with Reyna when the two of you couldn’t do it with the people that chose the two of you. The goddess of fate must have done it for a reason.”
Reyna spoke up with a sigh. “Goddess Tyche does not like those of angelic blood and knew that things would happen with me. She believes in the words of Goddess Ryse, so of course those who were born before me would never make it through with the two of you. Zeph has been marked to be at my side so it is natural that she makes it so the two of you constantly fail until I come here.”
Neither one of Zeph’s siblings knew what to say to Reyna, they had no idea that she even knew that type of information. Reyna shut her eyes as she had her hands on her lap. “While I slept last night, Goddess Tyche came to me in my dreams. She explained everything to me that had happened. It’s literally randomized how things happened, she had apologized for how I ended up being raised. Since it was due to her that I ended up being *ed over as I was.”
Reyna then opened her eyes. “Goddess Tyche is the goddess of fate and the ruler of the demonic race that she had made with her husband Toni-The god of time. It was because of those two that things were planned as they were. Nothing that had happened between your family and I, will I take as a personal attack. Being that Fate is a harsh demoness goddess, I can only expect things to get worse from worse people. Neither of you asked to be pulled into what you had. So don’t worry too much about it alright?”
Both of them nodded their heads and breakfast went rather smoothly after that. Once they finished eating breakfast the lot of them left the castle. Zeph was the one who managed to show Hyun and Reyna where they were going just to find the shapeshifters. It was a three day walk past the Fire elemental territory to finally get into the kingdom where the Shapeshifters lived. It was then that the three of them heard Ryse speak up.
“Do not let your guard down, those here in Tamworth aren’t pleasant after things between the elementals and shapeshifters have gone down hill. I can assure the three of you that you will be fighting your way to getting them to be peaceful. Which means boys you will have to protect Reyna. The moment she has red on her hands is the moment all of this is for not.”
Both males nodded their heads and kept alert as Reyna walked with her eyes shut holding onto Zeph’s arm. She trusted the elemental male to guide her to safety, Zeph knew she had her eyes shut and kept rather alert while Hyun was in his dragon form in front of the two of them. Zeph had to make sure to guide her to different paths through the snowy trees and bushes before they were ambushed by a group of five people that had bows pointed straight at them. Reyna sighed out as she kept her eyes shut, she placed her hands up to show that she wasn’t a threat. “We come here in peace, we only wish to make it to the middle lands. My name is Reyna. I don’t wish to harm anyone neither does the dragon or Elemental that is beside me.” She said calmly
“I highly doubt that you have a sword on you.” One of them said seriously
Reyna opened her eyes and she looked at who had spoken up. The person who had spoken up was a young male with strawberry blond hair and pink eyes. He looked no older than ten years old. Reyna sighed once more. “I assure you that I wish to do no harm. If I had then nothing would have survived the blast coming from the dragon in front of me. Not to mention I would also have my wraith boyfriend with me, and my Acid dragon from Militia here if I was here to kill everyone here in Tamworth. But that’s not the case now is it?”
One of the females that was beside Hyun had placed her bow down. “Wait a tic, you’re not even from around here? Is that why you want to go to the middle ground? To go back home?”
“Well taking into consideration my dragon can’t fly-yes. The wings are just for show.”
“Guys bow down, she must go to aunt and uncle. They’ll know what to do.”
The male whined out. “Aww but Maya, we haven’t had any excitement in a long time. Can’t we just kill these guys and go on with our day?”
“No! Father had directly said that if we find anyone to take them to aunt and uncle. Now stop being a brat and get moving!” Maya hissed out before she went up to Reyna. “My name is Maya, I’m the eldest of the group here. Please follow us.”
She nodded her head. “Alright, Thank you Maya.”
While they walked with the shifters Zeph looked at Reyna. “What were you doing earlier?”
“You mean when I shut my eyes?”
“Mhm.”
“I was seeing if I could ever feel out where things were, and I can. I knew they were around, it’s why I wasn’t startled. They all have auras that are similar to that of nature.”
“Oh I see, is it because of your blood or because of something else that you can do that?” Zeph asked curiously
“I believe it’s because I calmed myself to do so, your body is mainly one element Zeph. If you focus your energy and mind you may be able to do so as well.”
“I’ve never been good at things like that Princess.” He said sadly
Reyna giggled a bit. “Well it’s something that we can work on later on, it’ll be helpful on the road to deal with the nonsense that we’re going to be dealing with. I can assure you that everything happens for a reason Zeph. The more you learn the better it’ll be for yourself and for the long run.”
Zeph nodded his head. “Very well, I can try to learn what you know.”
It was an hour walk to a snowy castle where guards were at the front gates that were made out of bones. “Maya, who are these three?”
“They are travelers, the girl is from the Militia kingdom. The King had told me that if we ever found anyone to bring them here that is what I am doing.”
The guard let them through and Hyun stayed out front in his dragon form as Zeph went with Reyna inside. When they were escorted inside Maya stayed in front of them while the others were behind the duo keeping a close eye on them. Reyna at that time heard Ryse speak to her through her mind.