Maeve

It took nearly a whole day before Elyas came back to full consciousness. Kalon and I carefully sat him up when he awoke. He looked down at the work I'd done. And redone. Several times. When he looked back up at me, I was pleasantly surprised to see him smiling.

"Thank you, Maeve."

I smiled only slightly, nodding.

"What's our next move now that Prince Charming is up? Azriel has probably already put you on his hit list by now, we need to have a plan," Kalon pushed.

I looked at her, arching a brow in surprise. "We?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, but there was a slight flush on her face. "I've been gone for too long. They likely suspect me too at this point. It's too late to go back."

"I have to go back to the castle. My people can't think me dead," Elyas added firmly.

I looked at him, my stomach turning at the idea. "It's a bit late... They already think you dead. Honestly, Elyas, what do you expect me to do? Fly you to the castle and drop you on the front steps?" I asked, incredulous.

He shrugged. "Sure," he added too emphatically.

"What then, dipthong? How will we explain who we are, why we're in contact with you, where you went and how you're back?" Kalon fired off, looking as fed up with Elyas as I felt.

He only stared back at her.

"Not to mention, you want to go back to the woman who wants you dead," I added bluntly.

He shot me a sharp glare. "My mother does NOT want me dead. I concede that it is possible that the Mariposa were sent by nobility, but never my own mother. I have plenty of enemies that wield too much power."

"What are you talking about?!" Kalon suddenly shouted.

Elyas' eyes widened and I blanched, sighing.

"She doesn't know?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head.

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Kalon's blue eyes became ice cold as she stared at us. "Tell me what you two are talking about. The Mariposa would never work with the likes of the nobility, or worse, the queen!"

I looked her in the eyes, pleading that she'd listen with an open mind. "The Mariposa aren't what we've been raised to believe. They've been lying to us all our lives... Only recently did I begin to see through it and start seeking the truth."

Kalon grit her teeth. "Oh yeah?! And you kept it from me?! What's the truth, traitor?!"

I hesitated. "One night... I did the forbidden and talked to a target. The target revealed that the Mariposa work for the queen... That we kill all who oppose them." I paused, glancing at the very uncomfortable Elyas. "Elyas has been opposing some ides of the royal court and this has made him enemies. Those enemies are the reason the Mariposa are after him now."

Kalon kept her cold stare, but the longer she tried to keep it up, the more it cracked. The ice in her eyes eventually melted into tears. She quickly averted her gaze. "That can't be true. It doesn't make sense."

I bit my lip, holding back tears myself as I watched her grapple with the news the way I had. To my surprise, Elyas suddenly took my hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze. This gave me the strength to speak past my own pain.

"Yes, it does, Kalon. You know it as well as I do. Why else keep all the secrecy they did? Real families don't keep secrets like that. I may not know much about how a family works, but I know that much."

Kalon suddenly broke into sobs, folding to put her head on her knees as she cried. Elyas looked at me, hesitant. I shook my head at his silent question.

"She just needs a minute. She doesn't want attention," I vocalized, tearing my gaze away from her to look at him. "You want to go back to the castle," I affirmed.

He nodded. "I NEED to."

"And we have to protect ourselves... Including you."

He nodded again, tilting his head. "Any ideas?" he asked, a sheepish smile on his face that acknowledged how crazy his request was.

"Yes," I answered.

He broke into a wide smile. "Let's hear it."

"The story is that you were kidnapped by some thugs. Kalon and I were able to rescue you and return you to the palace. We make this announcement so that all of the kingdom hears. No one will be able to silence or refute us and the whole kingdom will be watching."

He considered it a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'm on board."

I crossed my arms across my chest. But that is a temporary fix, Elyas. The Mariposa and nobles will still be after you. If anything, even moreso."

His smile faded, his brows furrowing. "What do you suggest for the long term plan then?"

"Eventually we'll have to get them at their source," I said grimly, my tone and expression leaving no room for argument. "Eventually we'll have to fight, possibly even KILL the Mariposa and the nobility that hires them."

Elyas swallowed.

My eyes narrowed. "Even if that nobility is your mother."

His demeanor instantly flipped. "Absolutely not. I won't allow any harm to come to my mom. Forget it," he bit out, his voice a dark warning.

"Even if it turns out she wants you dead?" Kalon interjected suddenly, having apparently pulled herself together.

He looked at her, the same hard glare on his face that Kalon herself had worn earlier. He showed no sign of cracking.

'We'll see what happens, hm?" I digressed, sighing.

You can lead a horse to water...