I know that I said that I'd update when I got to the 20th review. But I just typed it up and it's pretty important to the rest of the story. But now, I'm looking for 25 chapters now. Anyway, here's the 7th chapter of Life on the Run. So enjoy!


Chapter 7: The Long Lost Brother

She was scared, that much was certain; Karigan knew that she was afraid of this. It had to be Timas, who else did she kind of know who had TM as their initials? But, how would Timas know about her and Zachary's plan already? And, above that, how did he know that she was in Coutre Province?

Karigan looked around her anxiously and then her eyes fell upon the door, and then one of the windows beside it. Outside, Karigan thought that she saw someone looking into the establishment and at her. So she stood up and strode over to the door and she swung it open. But no one was there; instead, a man was running away from the building and wasn't looking back.

"Rider?"

Karigan turned to see the young woman who took her supper order, "Yes?"

"You're soup is ready at your table," she said, pointing to Karigan's vacant table.

Karigan cleared her throat and briefly glanced back down at Timas's letter still in her hand, "Thank you." The girl nodded and turned away and walked back to another table. Karigan looked back out into the streets again before going back into the inn and reclosing the door. She walked back to her table as calmly as she could and began to eat her soup and drink her ale.

After she was finished and the teenage girl picked her plate and cup back up, Karigan quickly gathered up the message and went to her room. Where she quickly locked the door, closed and locked the window, and closed the curtains before she finally thought about going to sleep.

As odd as it sounded, Karigan sat down on her single bed and thought happily of Zachary. She thought about how wonderful it felt like to kiss him. How it felt to have his arms wrap around her tightly and how she felt safe and protected while in his arms. It was almost like she would never have to worry about getting wounded again, or even killed while on an errand. How delightful it felt when he simply held her hand as they walked down the dark corridors toward his bed chamber. Her heart ready to burst out of her chest at the nervousness that she felt if they were to be seen. How shivers ran through her body as Zachary ran his hands through her hair and how she felt him shiver and press her tighter as she ran her hand through his soft, amber hair.

Karigan found herself smiling stupidly as they all just continued in the privacy of her thoughts. And, after a while, Karigan realized how late it was getting. She slipped her boots off and laid in her bed without even thinking about changing. She fell into slumber as her dreams were filled with Zachary.


Stevic G'ladheon sat at his desk working on ledgers and inventory from the last season of trading. Usually, if Karigan was still here instead of at the castle working, she would be the one who would check the inventory or calculate the profits and losses for the G'ladheon Clan. But, Karigan's not here anymore and Stevic didn't see her returning anytime soon. So, he was stuck doing it.

A knock at the door made Stevic look up and call out, "Come in."

Gretta opened the door and said to him, "There's a Green Rider here for you Stevic."

His ears perked up at the words, 'Green Rider' but he was able to keep his seat as he nodded and his sister ushered the messenger into his study. After she left again, he said to the king's messenger, "Please sit and rest." The Green Rider did so and let out a large sigh before Stevic asked, "Now, what do you have for me miss?"

The girl smiled slightly and pulled out her message satchel from under her and replied, getting them out, "One is from our Captain and the other is from High King Zachary."

She gave them to Stevic and as he opened the one from Captain Mapstone, he asked the girl, "Do you know of my daughter, Rider G'ladheon?"

"Karigan? I think she's been sent to Coutre Province on an errand. Um . . . we, as in all of the Green Riders, were sent with King Zachary and his army to fight against Mornhavon the Black. Karigan defeated him; she really is an exceptional swordswoman. And she's gotten a new sword, but no one knows where she got it from." The girl paused, thinking, "But other than that, she's as fine as a Green Rider could be."

Stevic nodded, reading over the captain's message. She said that her brooch had abandoned her finally, and that she had nowhere else to go. Laren asked if she could come and stay in the G'ladheon mansion until she could find a more permanent place to stay. He folded it up again and took up the King's message. And then he asked the girl, "Do you happen to know of any romances in my Kari's life?"

The messenger gaped at him and then leaned back in the chair, thinking. So, as she thought, Stevic opened King Zachary's message. "Do you know her well?" he asked her.

"Yes I do," she thought, "I don't think that there's really anyone that she's interested in any men. But, we have noticed a change in behavior since we've returned from the battle against Mornhavon."

Stevic looked up at her with raised eyebrows, "Really? What kind of change?" He finally felt like he was onto something.

"There's a . . . oh how do you say it . . . her eyes sparkle when a certain person's name is said. And we, as in the other Riders, haven't really seen her much lately," she said.

"Really? Whose name would that be?" he asked, getting very excited.

She hesitated, and then she cleared her throat and pointed to the letter in his hand, "You're about to read his message." Stevic froze, the king? Is his Kari in love with King Zachary? He looked back down and fumbled with the wax seal before quickly opening the letter and scanning its text.

Clan Chief Stevic G'ladheon,

As Karigan's father, I believe that you should know that I love your daughter. I care about her deeply, as that comes with loving someone as I'm sure that you know. She is a brave, beautiful, stubborn, caring, kind, and simply an amazing woman that you've raised. And it's because of this, that I would like to ask you a question. I wish that I was able to ask it face to face to you but sometimes being the king of Sacoridia has its less liked features. I would like to ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage. I promise you that I have and will treat her like the queen that she'll be from the moment that we walk back down the aisle. Karigan deserves to be looked after and cared for after all of the things that she has done for me and for Sacoridia. And even though she is a commoner, I will find a way to marry her, even if it meant resigning as king.

Please think about your answer. You do not have to have an answer immediately, and if you like, you may come to the castle and we can both talk it out.

Written by my own hand,

High King Zachary Hillander

Stevic really felt like a fish at that moment, his mouth fell open and closed, and then open again. He was speechless; he couldn't believe it. High King Zachary wanted to marry his daughter. It really was that serious? Apparently it was serious, very, very serious. "Clan Chief G'ladheon?" the messenger asked.

He finally looked up at the other person in the room. "Um . . . do you have a place to stay the night Rider―"

"You can just call me Sophina," the girl said.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight Sophina?" Stevic asked.

"Yes, I'm staying at an inn in town," Sophina answered.

"Okay, then you're free to go," he said.

Sophina stood up from the chair and bowed briefly before turning and walking back out of the door. Stevic sat in silence for some time before standing and going to look out of the window. He watched the waves clash against the shore under him. That sea was his life when he was younger, when he was just starting out as a clan leader. And in a small log house on the shores of Black Island, his first child was birthed by his Kariny. Kariny, the love of his life and the holder of his heart, and the mother of his children.

Stevic thought about his first child, a son. Who disappeared one night when he and his mother went out one night to watch the stars. Kariny was carrying his Karigan in her womb at the time, so Karigan didn't know about her long lost elder brother. And he never told her about him either, as a way to hopefully prevent her from going out and looking for him herself. Stevic rested his head on the wall and continued to look out the window. He missed his son . . . Aleron.


After three weeks of being away from the castle, Karigan was oddly giddy to be back. The feeling of being trapped inside the castle walls still did not appeal to her at all, but Karigan figured that it was probably the fact that she would see Zachary again after all this time made her happy. Of course she was also happy to see her fellow Green Riders but she was happier to see Zachary again even more than the other messengers. She rode Condor under the last city gate before she reached the castle. People were walking about on their daily business, some were shopping, relaxing at a café with a friend, or working on selling their products or making their products.

Condor trotted under the castle gate and into the courtyard. Karigan steered him towards the Rider stables to pass him over to a stable hand before going to give Lady Estora's reply to Zachary.

Karigan was still shaken up about the death threat by who she thought to be Timas Mirwell. And she intended to take it up with either Captain Mapstone or even Zachary himself. Even though it might just cost her her freedom of going back out on an errand, well then she'll just have to talk to King Zachary about it. And she still didn't know how he might know of her and Zachary's relationship, or even of their intent to marry. That question will probably just have to stay unanswered for a while.

Once she finally passed Condor's reins to Fergal, who was going stable duty, Karigan headed toward the one of the castle's many outside leading inside doors. She moved along the many corridors quickly, which resulted in Karigan's arrival at King Zachary's study within minutes. One of the weapons on guard knocked on the door and after a, "Come in," from inside, allowed Karigan to go through. The weapon opened the door and let Karigan go to and then closed it behind her after.

Karigan bowed to the king and noticed that someone was sitting in one of the chairs before the desk. "I'm sorry sire, I'll just come back later," she said, just about to turn back around.

"No, it's okay Karigan, it just your father," he said, smiling widely.

Karigan turned back around and gazed at the man in the chair. He turned around and he too was grinning, "Kari, haven't I told you that you can tell me anything." Both men stood from their seats and approached. Zachary came with a spring in his step and gripped her waist to lift her up and spin her around in the air, making her shriek. When he put her back down on the floor he held her face and kissed her deeply on the lips. Karigan returned it happily until they finally pulled away, panting for breath. Zachary wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him as they faced Stevic G'ladheon. Karigan's father asked her, "Are you happy Karigan, with Zachary?"

She looked up at the man beside her and smiled when they locked eyes. And then she said without looking away from him, "Yes." She and Zachary shared another kiss before both looking back at Stevic with smiling faces. "I am very happy with Zachary. I couldn't be even more . . . fulfilled than I am when I'm with him," she said.

Stevic nodded and then said to Zachary, "Well, I'm satisfied, you have my permission."

Karigan looked at the both of them oddly, "What permission? What is he talking about?" she asked Zachary.

"You'll find out later love," he replied jokingly. Karigan huffed at the both of them. Zachary leaned down to whisper into Karigan's ear, "Karigan, there's something that your father needs to tell you." Then, he said to all of them, "Come and sit we all need to talk." He led them to a part of the study where there was a group of 5 chairs and a loveseat and they sat down in them; with Stevic in one of the chairs and Zachary and Karigan in the loveseat.

"Karigan," Stevic said, "there's something that I have kept from you ever since you were born."

"What?" Karigan asked, leaning into Zachary and giving her father an odd look. Zachary took Karigan's hand as Stevic visibly calmed himself. "What's wrong father?" she asked, a little worried.

"You . . . you're not my only child," he finally said, looking up into Karigan's eyes reluctantly.

Karigan stared at her father in shock, "What? Were you having an affair and you didn't tell me or . . .?"

"No no no no, there was never an affair Kari. He's your blood brother with Kariny as his mother," Stevic replied quickly.

"W―well why haven't you told me about him? Where is he?" Karigan asked, feeling Zachary squeeze her hand comfortingly.

"He disappeared before you were born. I didn't want you to know because I feared that you would go out after him and look for him, then you both could be gone from me forever," Stevic said.

"How did he disappear?" Karigan asked.

"He and your mother went out one night to look at the stars. And he just walked off while your mother wasn't looking. We sent search parties out but never could find him. I'm sorry Kari, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you all this sooner," Stevic said.

Karigan became teary eyed as she sat, trying to take everything in as calmly as possible. She looked up at Zachary and asked quietly, "Can anything be done to find him?"

Zachary wiped her tears and answered just as quietly, "I wish I could Karigan, but you and your family are still commoners and to call out a search party would cause suspicion among the lords―"

"To hell with the lords!" Karigan stood up from beside Zachary, "My brother is out there and hasn't been seen since before I was born! Those lords are supposed to think about the people who live within their provinces the least they could do is help to find someone who's gone missing!" And then she quickly took out Estora's reply to Zachary and gave it to him before storming out of the study and going back toward the Green Rider housing. Tears fell from her eyes freely, and Karigan didn't even try to stop them this time.


This chapter is officially the longest chapter so far. Kind of important as now a new character is put into the picture. And, now we all know how Karigan feels about the lord governors. I hope that you all enjoyed it. I'm looking for 25 total reviews now, even though this was posted earlier than what I said in the previous chapter. Review please!