Xavier sat on the front deck of the ship, clenching and unclenching his fist in silence when Edward came out and found him seated there. There has been a resounding silence in the last two days since their father’s death and the mourning had continued since then, despite them being a long way from home. It was a tradition to mourn those born into the royal bloodline for at least a week. For an alpha king and an alpha of alphas; it was three weeks. So being away from the kingdom was not an excuse. Today, however, was different. Xavier had sat on the deck since the ninth hour and now it was the thirteenth hour and he was still there, unmoved. Edward had come out of his cabin to have a view of the sea and the journey ahead and also to clear his head. He had tried reaching Kailani again today, but just like the last two days, his magic had failed him. He concluded it was grief taking a hold of him and tempering with his magic and chose to believe she was fine. This wasn’t the first time

Kailani and Sir Aira hurried through the path and, getting out, they found a carriage already waiting for them. It wasn’t the one she had been used to in the last few years of becoming a princess. Nothing of it screamed royalty, just like the hood she had on.They approached but didn’t get in though because Aira held onto her hand to stop her from moving closer to the carriage and it surprised her at first, but a moment later she saw two men around the carriage. They weren’t a part of the king’s army. From what she could tell, they were watch guards, not soldiers, but she couldn’t risk not obeying Aira at this crucial time. The men soon noticed them standing not so far away from the carriage, and they approached.“Can we help you?” the tall guard with blond hair asked with his brow raised. Aira raised both hands as her way of telling them she wasn’t there for trouble and she stepped towards them. “Fine men of Wahala. My carriage broke down a while ago and I had to put it together.”

Mia’s eyes were barely shut when she heard a small bang against the bars of her dungeon. Her eyes fluttered open immediately, and the drowsiness vanished. She wasn’t even deep in her sleep because most dreams she had dreamt since coming on shore had been nightmares and most times like today; she stayed half awake and half asleep. There was someone outside her dungeon. There usually was no one there at this time of the night, but today there was. Mia knew it, and it scared her.It’s been a terrible first week, being poked and dragged, spat on and stoned by people for fun. She was treated worse than an animal; she was treated like filth. The guards barely gave her food and when they did, it was rotten or sour. She hated what she had to eat, but there was a life in her growing and she needed the food and the strength it gave. The most morning she’d get dragged off to the market square and paraded as Mia Ainsworth, Luna Queen of Wahala and the people would laugh and tease her. Yes, the kin

She stood, not daring to sit as she watch the king dig at his food without uttering a word. He didn’t command her to sit and so no matter how her legs ached and trembled from standing for so long; she didn’t sit. The dungeon guard told her those who came here never returned, and she didn’t want to end up like those people. She wanted to live and this would keep her safe.After a long moment of eating, king Ferro Damien picked a white serviette and wiped his mouth before tossing it on the table and looking up at her.“Queen Mia,” he called out with a smile too good to be true. He signalled the guard to take off the chains on her hands and legs before ushering her to sit with his hand. She sat, and on the table before her was an empty plate with a knife and fork. He beckoned to the chef, and she stepped forward, picked the plate and moved to fill it up with meat and salad. The chef then moved the plate over to Mia and set it down before stepping back.“Eat, you don’t have all day!” he to

Xavier and Edward had devised a plan to rescue Mia. Since the two of them were the only ones rescuing Mia, they didn’t have the luxury to start a fight or be discovered, which would put her and their child’s life at risk. With Edward’s magic, they located Mia using the child in her and they ended up determining how far they were from shore. Then they made plans to sneak in and out of the Palace despite not knowing their way. It was good news to them both to learn that Mia and the child in her were still holding on and hence gave them hope that everything will be fine. “This is the safest plan, but there’s still no guarantee our entry into Foth will go safely. If we are caught within the palace, we could be executed and it would be within their rights.” Edward spoke as he tossed him a sack having clothes in them. Xavier picked up his unsteady heartbeat. “You’re afraid.” “I am.” he admitted, “I’m afraid for you and for me. We lost our father, you lost Mia, and I lost Kailani. One mor