Realm of Wings

A/n: Here's a long, long chapter... and a rollercoaster of emotions!

Jade, watching helplessly how something terrible was about to happen:

There was no force on Kyalthemar alive to fight this creature, as that was something certain as soon as I sensed it in the air. I had known for something big and strong to be up there, even before I had seen it. Of course, I hadn’t known what kind of creature it really was, as I wouldn’t know of the existence of all the creatures on this planet, but I had felt its energy and it felt enormous.

Even Poseidon had taken a run towards the edge of the village, realising that the storm wasn’t raging at the place where we had come from, minutes ago.

But, I didn’t have to use my imagination to get confirmation about what I thought the monster in the sky could be, as its head just came pushing through the clouds.

Scales, fur, feathers, claws, teeth and a roaring growl, this creature had it all. I might not know of its name but I’m sure it must be something in the range of a dragon. Yes, of course, there are Fae, Pegasi, magic, so why not a dragon?

The red-scaled, golden-feathered, magnificent but very ominous dragon, or Draconic Wyrm, as Kallan just thought of, came soaring down to unleash his magic upon anyone who stood in its way. He opened its mouth, showing rows and rows of sharpened teeth, roaring, bellowing a sound that could only compare to that of a lion, except a hundred times louder and more ferocious, while he used the energy of the storm to form an attack. His body was like a lightning rod in the sky, sucking up all the thunderstrikes, which then got embedded in the sides of its body, making the red scales glow with a dangerous shimmer.

And all this time I had taken these small looks to witness what the creature was doing, I tried my best to get Neil out of the mud and into the house with us. But as Neil was still moving forward, he stumbled over his own feet as the mud wasn’t cooperating with him trying to get away. Neil fell down, and before I knew it, I had decided to walk back towards the middle of the street again, to get him back on his feet.

“Kallan, take her with you!” Neil shouted, giving up on his life.

“No, don’t you dare!” I yelled, trying to get myself through the mud, dragging myself back to reach him again.

But as instructed by Neil, Kallan agreed to what he said and he had already grabbed me by my waist to drag me towards the house. I screamed and squirmed, I fought and pushed... But this sight in front of me would never leave my mind.

In slow motion I saw Neil stand up, telling me that it was alright, smiling gently as only he could do, while a blue ball of lightning surged down from within the creature’s mouth, raging through the street to find its destination... Where only a few seconds had passed, when running to the house and hurrying back to him, watching how the attack came rushing in, it more felt like minutes or hours, tormenting me with the sight in front of me. Of Neil being scorched, burned to cinders, while his last look was that of me reaching for him when he vanished before my eyes…

He was gone!

I don’t know how long it took for me to stop screaming, but when the door of the house closed, I closed my eyes too, to savour that last moment before he got hit, smiling towards me.

I never had the chance to say goodbye...

“I couldn’t say goodbye! I I couldn’t say goodbye... to... NOOO!!” I started screaming again, not bothering myself with anyone that might see me break down right now.

Kallan, still holding onto Jade while she is crashing:

Her heart just broke by seeing her companion getting killed in front of her eyes. She kept on saying she never had the chance to say goodbye, keeping it in a steady tone, repeating herself like a broken record, until she finally fell asleep from exhaustion. Still lying in my arms, letting go of her clutch onto my arms, finally silent from her living torture.

This was not how any life should end, not Fae, not human.

Neil has always been her guiding partner, for years he had been her rock, her saviour and close friend. I could tell, as the way they talked about their adventures was with devotion, loyalty and love towards each other. He was always the wiser of the two, guiding her through dangerous situations, either talking to her through an ear piece or while standing beside her, shooting at their assailants; he was always there.

But now she couldn’t even hold his body as it had been incinerated, brushed away in the storm. There was nothing to say her goodbyes to...

The mother of the family we just barged into, cleared a spot for Jade to sleep on, while one of the older Fae children took an extra blanket from the cabinet upstairs and put it on her.

Trixie sat in a corner, silent and shocked of what had happened. She wasn’t able to talk or do anything, but I wasn’t in any situation to help her with what she was going through, as I was on the same page as her.

“What is a Draconic Wyrm doing here?” I finally managed to ask the family inside this house.

“He has been around here for years. We have found out ways to protect our houses from his attacks, with magic, so that’s why we stay indoors at nightfall.” She said, a little confused. “But don’t you know about him? I mean, he goes from place to place every change of season, praising the lands with his rains. Every Fae knows him, so why don’t you?” She asked.

“We, we aren’t from around here.” I stammered. “We came from the other side of the rift.” I explained to her, even showing my pointless ears to make sure she understood.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” She said empathically and hugged me.

She didn’t ask about why I’m here, or what we were doing here, she just helped me, us, with our loss and never judged us. I was grateful for her, just taking us in and helping us with Jade, but I didn’t want to surpass their hospitality too much.

“Thank you so far, but we will be leaving again as I don’t want to bother your family.” I gently told her.

“Nonsense, you can’t leave while she just lost a dear friend of hers, at least let her sleep here.” Gerald, the head of the family spoke up and his wife agreed to it. I was about to disagree, but once I took another look towards Jade, seeing how her normally scarred face was now also red from crying, I knew that they were right.

“Besides, she needs you right now.” The wife, Gail, said smiling gently. “She needs you.” She said again, emphasizing the word ‘you’ which only now dawned on me what she meant.

“No, we are not anything like that. We are not together.” I said, explaining myself.

“Not with that state of mind you’re not, but I know a couple when I see one. You two belong to each other.” She argued, still gently smiling.

I don’t know how she would know, but I can’t disagree with the feelings I have for her.

“I can’t, I have to protect her at all cost. You don’t know who she is. She is too important... I can’t protect her if I choose to-

“Love her?” She finished my sentence and I nodded. “That’s where you are wrong, son. Love is the most powerful motivation to keep someone protected. Have you realized that when the attack occurred, you used your black skin to protect her from the blast? Have you noticed that you already had a hold on her, even before your lost friend told you to?” She asked me and I had to answer both of those questions with ‘no’.

Gail chuckled before she continued. “It doesn’t matter how important she is, or how loyal you think you are, if you act on instinct, it is your heart that chooses to act upon a feeling that it’s already certain of to feel. The only thing you have to do now is to let your brain connect with your heart’s desires and accept what it is feeling.”

My mind was working overtime, trying to comprehend what she was saying, but instead of connecting with my brain, it was just colliding. Fighting against the feelings I know I have, with the reasoning that I shouldn’t be following on to them. If my brain is being compromised by the information that I’m loving her, I don’t have enough focus to keep her protected. ‘Love makes you blind.’ Someone I know used to say that to me, making sure that I wouldn’t fall in love with people I had to work with on missions.

My father had told me numerous times to keep myself focused on the assignment, that there is nothing more important than succeeding in the mission. The time to fuck around could be spent when I came back home again, with anyone I wanted, but not during missions. And this motto of his was not alone of me being the Prince, having to uphold some sort of stature; It was also because we are Fae, proud creatures that always work to perfection into our presentation.

If I should tell Jade this, she would laugh, make fun of me and the old fashioned way of thinking. She would tell me that this woman would be right, even though Jade is a formidable fighter on her own and would actually agree with my father’s ideas about having sex on the job. But on the other hand, she had shown to me that love for one’s companion or partner, only makes you stronger as devotion and determination would be present in a greater amount.

When Neil’s safety was compromised in the rift, she saved him, no matter what the cost would be; When Trixie and I were trapped at the roots of the willow, she saved us, no matter what the cost would be; And if she could, she would have attacked the Draconic Wyrm, to save Neil again from what was coming for him... She wouldn’t have had these thoughts if she didn’t believe to love or appreciate the people around her. She wouldn’t have risked her own life to act upon it if we were just people. Just people...

But that’s the whole point, isn’t it? She isn’t ‘just people’.

Jade is my person.

Jade is my woman to protect. I would do anything for her.

Jade is...

“I love her.” I said in an epiphany.

“Yes, you do.” The woman said with a big smile on her face.

Even her children, that had hidden themselves behind the stairs, watching from between two steps, were giggling from how I must have looked right now.

“Yes, I knew I loved her already, but you made me realise that I just have to give in to it. I shouldn’t be afraid of what might happen.” I continued and Gail nodded.

I turned my head again, watching how Jade was still asleep, and I put some of her blond hair behind her ears. The scars on her face showed the physical battles she has been through, but the lines around her eyes showed the mental ones. She has been through so much already and besides me being unaccepting of her love towards me, even though she explained to not be related to me, she now also lost her life’s companion.

There is no sane part of me right now that would know how to fix this, how to fix my mistakes or how to ever get back in her good graces, not after I had prevented her from saving Neil. She will probably blame me for his death or find something else to be angry about, as she should...

“Just be nice.” A little voice said. I turned around to see it was probably the littlest girl of the family that said this to me. “Here, you can give this to her. Beebo will help.” She then said as she handed me her stuffed critter that must represent some sort of animal, but because it had been cuddled so much it was no longer clear of what it had been in the first place.

“Miria, that is so nice of you, but Beebo needs all the love he can get from you.” Her mother said to her while guiding her towards the back of the house. When she returned she smiled. “Sorry, she has been gifted with a stronger version of my talent, which you might have found out already.”

“Compassion? Empathy?” I suggested with a small smile, as I wasn’t truly sure of what her talent would actually be called as to where I come from, people have never been this level of understanding.

“Yes, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but we are good at it. And I think my daughter is going to excel at it when she grows older.” Gail said proudly. “And she is right though, you should just be nice to her.” She continued, for me to not know what she was talking about.

I must have looked confused as she continued to explain. “You talked out loud when you spoke about how you were going to fix things.” She smiled again.

Was that true? I thought I was thinking that... Anyway, I can’t disagree with anything they both have said, so I’m going to try and fix it, even if Jade is going to be hell-freezing-over pissed towards me.

Gail had arranged for two more blankets and pillows for me and Trixie to sleep on as well, but I couldn’t sleep. My worries about Jade kept my mind busy and tormented.

I went to Earth to find myself a wife, I fell in love with Jade, then rejected her love as she would become the next Queen, and now? Now I am accepting it again just because of that talk with Gail? Is it the right thing to do? Is it justified for me to accept her? Haven’t I lost my right to have her as my own the moment I declined her when she came back from the Oracle?

I turned myself around, to try and sleep in a different position as this was not the time to be only thinking about myself. She had lost Neil and that’s something she has to process first. And I will be waiting for her, no matter how much time she needed to work this through.

“Kallan, shut up.” Jade suddenly said when she turned herself to face me. She had her eyes open and was clear to show me that she had heard my thoughts.

“I’m sorry.” I apologised.

“For what? For rejecting me, or from pulling me away from Neil?” She countered. “Or is it for stopping me at the King? Or for wanting to demote the Fae that made a mistake at the Monk’s monastery? What? Because you have made plenty of mistakes yourself, so maybe I should just take away your magic? I mean, I probably could as I can draw magic from the roots of the original tree as well, so drawing it from you shouldn’t be a problem.” She continued, showing no mercy whatsoever.

I know she is devastated by losing Neil, angry even, and this was just her way of letting out her emotions. And if I am the beneficiary of that wrath of hers, then so be it.

“If that’s what it takes to make you understand that I am sorry for all the things you just said, then, by all means, take my magic.”

“Aghh! You are impossible!” She shouted, pushing away her blanket to get up and walk towards the door. She might not have liked what I said, but it was true, if she would trust me or even accept the connection that is in between us, by taking my magic, then I’m willing to grant her that.

The rain had subsided by now and so was the thunderous cloud, so I suppose that the Draconic Wyrm has made its way over towards another orchard to rain upon.

I followed Jade, into the dark of the night, while she stomped her way through the mud, right where Neil had been standing before.

“I never wanted any of this to happen. I never wanted to feel like this, like I’m powerless!” She grunted, letting herself drop into the mud, her knees sinking deep, her hands lost in brown.

“And right now I needed someone to be angry at, someone that would shout to me, to make me feel more miserable than I’m already feeling. But even that is something I won’t get. I have lost everything, but no...” She laughed hysterically. “I’m not even going to get shouted at for not being able to save Neil.”

She was crying again and it broke my heart to see her like this. “Just be nice.” The little girl had said. Right. I made my way over towards her and let myself drop into the mud as well, picking her upper body up and holding her in between my arms. Again, she screamed, became angry and fought me to try and let herself be free. But I would never let her go again. I am going to show her that I’m worthy of receiving her love, of sharing my love with her.