Mizami was slowly coming to an end.

After the excitement of the twins Rising, both the Imperial Palace and the Academy fell into the steady lull of business as usual. Valon was back to his usual flow of steady intelligence reports from the outer veils of the human realm and the generals of the Imperial Army. As the General of the Imperial Army, it was his duty to ensure that security and training were all managed with a firm hand across all sectors.

Duty. Love. Treason. These words were all starting to blend in with each other. His duty as God Incarnate was battling his vow of General of the Imperial Army. His love for his future wife and the family they were all building together. His love of the rich history of his country was hard to separate from his fear for her future if the imperial family continued on its path. His distrust of if his King’s plan for his budding empire across the veils was the right path. His trust that his Goddess and love was correct in her assessment that she needed to intervene at the earliest and safest moment to prevent Lestania from further being tainted.

It felt right to continue to back her. They were unmistakably connected proven by the faint mark of Liero on his left hip. One day, his mark would be completed, like Miza’s mark of the Goddess, but at this moment, he knew that his duty to Mizarmonie, no matter how it affected the emperor he had sworn to protect, was his priority. That’s why he hadn’t initially told Donte about the mark that appeared the day Miza was born. He wasn’t sure it was safe to do so. It had taken him years even to start to trust that Donte was no longer aligned with the Emperor. When he saw it last year, it was almost the end of them, and they had barely started.

Sighing, Valon pushed aside the reports. He couldn’t concentrate on them. Turning to his laptop, he set to answer some correspondence before lunch. The sound of quickly pounding footsteps and hushed voices interrupted him from typing a letter to a foreign dignitary that they were considering introducing to Lestania. A faint prickling sensation, like the feel of a rose thorn sliced through their tether, like ice. He straightened as his nest-mate walked into his office, followed by his secretary. He waved her away, and she quickly exited, closing the door softly behind her.

"Don, what's happened?"

"We need to talk, Val." Donte stopped, taking a deep breath as he raked his hands through his hair. "Max has been made aware of a potential attack. The latest intel has reported that Mark intends to make a play for the throne as well, but that he intends to pass the blame on Our Lady for now to destabilize the little goodwill that becoming the hier has given her with him. Max doesn’t know this yet; his people just know that something is coming, but it won’t be long until someone brings up that the Crown Princess would likely desire to cut his reign short simply because she is the Goddess Incarnate.”

Valon sat silently for a moment, and then he dropped his head into his palms, groaning quietly. Negativity manifests, they say. He took a steadying breath. He wasn’t just General of the Imperial Army. He was in Command of Miza’s private guard, their nest, the newest consortium. It was time to get to work.

"Call the nest together. Miza is on a call with some American diplomat at the moment." He steepled his fingertips as he sat back in his chair. " We will give our lady love the one thing she wants to ensure her ultimate goal is accomplished and that she is safe. She is our top priority."

Valon dismissed his brother with a nod as he got to work planning.

⁓

“Do you all understand your assignments?”

Valon paused, sitting on a couch in the sitting room of their apartment, to ensure each member of the nest understood. The nest specifically consisted of Miza’s Chevaliers, a specific position in each member of the Imperial family’s guard who has taken a blood oath. In Miza’s case, as the Goddess Incarnate, it was sealed in a holy ritual only performed by a ranking clergy member binding the Goddess and her mates. Chevalier drinks an anomie laced with an enchanted poison. If any trace of disloyalty is present, then the person will not survive the ritual in which their minds and body are transformed to be a protective force for the person they have pledged themselves to. They become connected in a way that the typical anomie does not allow when used in a bind. The link that is typically known as the awareness or tether usually features access to the faint whispers of the emotions of those you are blood bonded to. With Chevalier, however, their awareness was fully open.

“Not all of the den will be able to come with us, at least not in the beginning. They should be fine under the factions' protections. We need to start taking steps immediately to find a location and secure it. This is going to be a big change for us, but it is not outside of our purview. The mission is the same. Protect our lady at all costs. Move in silence. Dismissed.” Valon concluded their huddle, giving no room for the mix of emotions the eight were experiencing to blind them.

Donte, Justin, and Peter stayed behind, waiting for the others to leave.

“ Alex is the most likely member of the den to stay in Lestania and be our liaison. Xe was recently instituted as Conseiller, so if xe stays behind, no one will question it. Xe would also be adept in traveling to the location we choose without being tracked.”

“Who all will go?” Peter asked solemnly.

“I’m sorry, brother,” Valon said, shaking his head. “Taking the whole den will draw attention. Miza going off will not be immediately seen as a problem, but if everyone starts disappearing for a long period, it will be an issue. For now, we have to take precautions.”

“ So you, Justin, and I to start?” Donte asked. “Can we protect her?”

“We will make due and modify as we can. That’s all we can do for now. We need to go within the week.”

The men stopped talking as they heard the door unlatch. Miza slipped into the room, followed by her secretary.

“Val, Donnie, what’s happening? Peter?” She looked between the men, waiting for a response. Despite his training, she could tell that Peter was visibly upset. “ I can feel something is off, and I saw Rayel on my way up. She said to talk to you.”

“Sir, I will dismiss myself to assist in the preparations.” Peter bowed to Valon and then to Miza, removing himself from the room quickly. As he passed her, a shooting pain went through the awareness.

“Wait. Pet- Valon, what the hell is going on.” Miza snapped angrily, turning to face him when Peter failed to acknowledge her.

“Sweet, calm down, " he said softly, using his voice and awareness to soothe her. We will explain everything.”

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⁓

“Yes, Miza, this is the best strategy.”

“This is the safest strategy for everyone? Not just me. For every one of your den-mates, this is the safest choice.” Miza asked, puzzled by the information she had been giving and the steps already in place.

“Yes. Even with you gone, our faction stands as a powerful force. They will be safe. And you are not disconnecting; we are just moving you away from danger. We will be in communication, and I will be coming back as needed. I will keep your people safe. You focus on adjusting to this new life. You must blend in. You are going to be an underclassman in a high school, not an heir to a throne or a goddess here on earth. There are adjustments you have to make to stay under the radar. How you speak to your new peers; how you dress; the expectations you have of others around you.” He informed his fretful mate.

“I know Valon. But can’t- How can I just ignore their pain?” She pleaded.

“Miza, every choice has a consequence. I can’t believe that in that pretty head of yours, you still believe we all would stay together while you are at school. The logistics alone. What would our new neighbors or your schoolmates think if we just plopped into a small neighborhood with a bunch of people?” Valon cautioned.

She blushed at the reprimand. She silently bristled at the idea that she hadn’t thought about it. It's not that she hadn’t thought about how hard it would be. She just had hoped Valon and Donnie would figure it out so that they could avoid the hurt of prolonged separation. Now, he is telling her that her hopes had absolutely no chance because their plans were further shifting due to imminent danger. This was too much. She glared at him.

“It's not that I thought we would all be together for this. I just didn’t dream we would have to leave like this. You are saying that I can’t return at all right now. For however long, I won't be able to see over half of my mates and family. This wasn’t the plan at all.” With her last words, her voice cracked, revealing the panic that she was experiencing over the situation. Over her den-mates being in potential danger. Over her not being there if they needed her. She knew she wasn’t a warrior, and that was never expected of her. But she was an active member of her faction and could handle herself. She had served on missions, even when Donte had not liked it. She had power, and she had been practicing with it since the Goddess blessed her. She wasn’t completely defenseless.

Valon looked at her. He always tried to ensure that the boundaries they set for themselves in their relationship were maintained and that slips were private, at least within the nest. Still, at times like this, it was difficult not to give in to the fact that she was his Goddess-given mate and that he loved her as much as she loved him.

It was hard not to pull her into his arms, soothe her, and let her know that he would move mountains for her if he could. That wasn’t the agreement. Her other lovers had more freedom, especially publicly with her, but due to their stance on their arranged marriage, he was always more careful. Right now though, the look on her face was tearing at his heart. Glancing over to his brother, Donnie subtly nodded to him, stepped behind him, and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

“Baby,” Valon started after taking a deep breath to recenter himself, “This is what we have to do. As the Blessed Goddess Incarnate, all of your plans now have to change. This is for everyone's safety. The faction. The Den. Our Nest. Every person and every child in our family, because you, even though you are young, are the head of THIS family and have to make decisions that are not fun. Is there more risk than we want to take? Yes, but with this impending coup, there is a war coming to the imperial family. As the heir, removing you from harm's way will simply help mitigate the danger and casualties within the Den. Your father’s people can handle this, but we have to protect you.” He said in hopes of persuading her with gentleness to prioritize herself.

If she chose to fight him on this it would be harder to protect her. He stood up. Walking towards her purposefully, he slowly knelt before her, concerned, lacing his features. He could feel the rush of emotions and the uncertainty coursing through her. He cupped her face with his palms. With the skin-to-skin contact, he immediately felt some of his tension leave his body. He felt calmer as she relaxed in his warmth.

“The less information that our Den-mates have about your whereabouts, the safer they will be in the long run. I know Peter’s reaction scared you, but he, as a soldier, knows that as a Nest-mate who is partnered outside of you, he can not be with you right now. He can not protect you, his wife, and the children for this mission, and if anything happens to Laura and the kids without him here, neither of you will forgive yourselves. Mizarmonie, it is our responsibility, our primary purpose, and our duty as your Chevalier and Nest to care for you. This is not the way that he wants to protect you because he feels the need to be there to keep you from harm physically, to see and feel that you are safe. Peter, Alex, Akierda, Rayel, and Sarafen will have to trust the 3 of us to defend you in an unfamiliar world and rely on the tether to know how you are just until we can reasonably get them to us. Most of us have not spent a full day without you since we met you, much less once the awareness was triggered. Baby, it's hard for all of us, but we will do this because we love each other and trust each other.”

Silent tears trickled down her cheeks, collecting between Valon’s fingertips as he held her gaze.

“It's ok to be scared,” Donnie added. “ Life as you know it is actively changing in ways none of us ever thought to prepare you for. We never thought you would be the heir with five siblings ahead of you. It was a shock for the whole Den. We didn't prepare for this life, and we have had less than six months to figure this out.”

“Why would The Mother choose me?” Miza let out a soft sob and rested her head on Valon’s shoulder as he offered her comfort. In her heart, she knew the Goddess had a wise plan, but her teenage brain was having trouble catching up.

⁓

Donte was on a secured video call.

“Mr. Wisdale, it is imperative that the property is ready for move-in no later than next Friday. We will be sending a security liaison to assist the staff you are hiring.”

“Yes. Sir. And as I mentioned, this is a newer development near one of the highest-rated high schools in the area. We are highly selective in our application process for residents in our ‘A’ level estates. We have details of all residents' social and business dealings. It is highly irregular for security details to be released. While we do, however, understand the need to protect the Lady, it would destroy of reputation if it ever got out that we released this information.”

“Evan, are you not lobbying to be an Unseen for this faction? Consider this a well-placed bid for our limited openings.”

“W-why, yes, Sir.” Wisdale breathed out, cheeks reddening, eyes wide with excitement. “It is my pleasure to serve a Goddess and honor the Blessed Mother.”

“Do you have any updates on Maximillian’s plans for the unveiling?”

“No, Sir. I have connected him with several potential investors and partners from the underground that he supposedly had not previously dealt with. I should be receiving some updates about his movement shortly after you move in.”

“Good Wisdale. And remember. No one is to know you are connected to the Lady. You must convince everyone that your alliances lie elsewhere.”

“Yes, Sir. I look forward to our next meeting. I will have security on my end to deal with this.”

Donte disconnected the call, sitting back in his chair. They had to finish preparations quickly. He momentarily felt guilt for being a traitor to Maximillian. He was his friend, and before Mizarmonie was born, he was the second-in-command in the King’s faction. He chose to focus on the fact that Max had given him to his daughter. He made the safety of Mizarmonie his responsibility 13 years ago. Working against the current empire was still honoring his promise, even if, at times, if didn’t feel that way. Even if when it was done, Max would not see it that way. His job now was to do everything he could to protect his little Lady.

⁓