A/N: Hey guys! I was reading over what I have written so far with author's notes and everything and I realized that at one point I swore that would finish Tiger's Redemption even if it took three years. That promise still stands, I will finish, but that three years is looking wayyyyy more likely now than it did then, just as a heads up. Either way, we're a little over halfway through, I think. Maybe about 65-70%? Hopefully I'll have more time to write from now, and I really wanted to finish this before the year is out (my New Year's Resolution actually) and I thought I could get it done over the summer, but that ends in less than two weeks, and no way could that happen. I have no idea, just hopes. Also I tried to post this (almost two months ago and then right after I did my life fell apart and its still kinda in pieces) but it was in code AGAIN so I took it down right after, sorry about that. But we hit 100 reviews last chapter! Y'all are crazy, and I can't believe the response I've gotten from this, it's something I could only have dreamed of. So thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, feliz navidad and all that good stuff. AND I HAD THE GREATEST IDEA THAT WILL COME IN SOMEWHERE IN THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS OMG I AM SO EXCITED! And sorry for the long author's noteAnyways! R&R!
The paradise is just as I remember it. There is a warm breeze that sightly lifts my hair and curls around m body in just the right way so as to make me feel like a princess floating down a marble staircase, no matter that I am wearing a heavy overcoat, hat, and clothes. I quickly pull Nilima over to a grove of trees and send the boys away to change into clothes more fitting for Shangri-La.
"Shorts and light tank tops, please," I ask the Scarf as Nilima marvels at the work of the divine object. The threads whisper around us and playfully weaves threads through our hair, tying it back out of our faces. She and I giggle together as we walk back to the boys who are wearing loose cargo pants and loose cotton button up shirts in brick red, cobalt blue, and forest green for Kishan, Ren, and Sunil, respectively. Nilima and I are dressed in linen shorts with loose racer-back tank tops in light green and light blue, matching our significant other.
Ren trots up to me and picks me up to whirl me around and I smile wider than I have in several months.
"It's beautiful here, rajkumari," Ren says absolutely in awe of the area. We are surrounded by groves of beautiful trees with branches stretching to the emerald grass mingling with the warm brown earth, and I quickly kick my shoes off to squish my toes into the ground.
"I know," I say blissfully. "Kishan, is this where we came in before?"
"Yes," he says shortly. "We made camp just over in that area of trees," he answers as he points to a grove just about one hundred and fifty yards off to our left.
"Hey, Kishan?" I call playfully.
"Yes, bilauta?" he says, still morosely.
"I have the use of both my legs and we didn't get attacked by a bear."
"I know, I know. Once we get away from here I'll be okay, let's, just go," he says with a slight smile.
The five of us walk quickly through the perfection as the sun sets behind us and with us on our way to retrieve my precious little baby, I can't help but think of our other child.
Tears sting the back of my eyes as I think of the last few months and everything we've been through. I tightly grab Ren's hand and breathe deeply for a few moments to calm myself.
But my thoughts won't stray from her. I know they said that our baby was too small and they couldn't tell, but I know it was a girl. My darling little Madison… Madison Deschen. Just a few months ago we were worried about Artie and thrilled about Nilima and Sunil's engagement, and now look at us. On a quest again, missing both our children and we'll only be able to get one of them back.
One tear escapes and suddenly I can't stop them. I try to keep them back, try to keep moving for Nik, try to keep walking so that Kishan can find his family again, but I just can't. Ren sees that, and motions to the others to keep going. He quickly wraps me in his warm embrace to calm me down and it sort of works, but not really.
"Iadala, what's wrong?" he says urgently.
"Our baby..." I cry into his chest. "She's gone" I whisper unintelligibly.
"No, he's not gone," Ren says soothingly into my hair. "We're on our way to get him, we'll have Nik with us soon enough," he murmurs to me, pressing soft kisses to my temple.
"No," I say pushing out of his embrace, tired of being emotionally fragile. "Our... daughter."
Ren's eyes tighten and I back away.
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I shouldn't have said anything."
I turn to catch up to everyone, but Ren catches my arm and pulls me into a searing kiss that surprises me more than it should.
"Never say that to me again. You can always say what you want to me, rajkumari."
"No, I shouldn't have brought it up, we need to move on, we can never have her back. I just... I feel like we're forgetting her and that kills me."
"Oh, iadala, never. We are not forgetting, we are continuing. As much as I wish we could, we can't sit in bed for the rest of our lives. We have to move on, hridaya patni," he says, rocking my body with his.
"I know, I know. Let's catch up with the others, I'll be better once we have Nik back," I say as I climb up to my feet, wiping tears away as I go.
"Kelsey," Ren says, not unkindly. "I... I know."
I cling to my husband just as tightly as he clings to me, neither of us sure how we are supposed to grieve a child we had just found.
~TR~
Shangri-La is exactly as I remember it. The trees are tall and lush, the grass soft and flourishing. We walked past a pride of lions at one point and Ren shoved me out of the way before Kishan and I could explain. Nilima knew about the lack of violence in the animals from Kishan's and my stories of the second quest, but Ren had been... occupied, and Sunil didn't exist in our time, so the two of them were quite startled when, similarly to when Kishan and I had stumbled upon them, the lions were grazing on apples in very close proximity to a herd of zebras.
However, once we explained, Ren had been fascinated. He quickly transformed into the white tiger that I know, and love, so well after a quick kiss to my temple. He circled around the group several times, and then nearly gave me a heart attack when he growled rather loudly at the predators. The biggest male lazily lifted his massive head to look at Ren but only for a moment before turning back to his very strange dinner.
Ren quickly trotted back to our small band and morphed back into a man.
"That may be the strangest thing I've ever encountered," he said very seriously, still confused by the lions.
"We told you, Ren," I laughed. "It's like the Garden of Eden before Eve ate the apple. They don't know what violence is at all."
"I understand, but it's so strange. Lions and tigers... they aren't supposed to be able to be peaceful," he says confusedly.
I laugh at the look on his face and pull him along.
"Come on. If you can't believe this, wait until you see the Silvanae."
"Yeah, I remember those from the stories," Ren says. "No meat for them either, right?" Ren says dubiously.
"Technically no. But their food is still amazing. But they are also the wisest, kindest, most amazing people I have ever come across. So let's go!"
~TR~
But when we reach the Silvanae's grove, everything is gone. It is still beautiful, but hauntingly so. The brightly colored doors are neatly shut tightly and curtains flutter in the breeze, but the place has an abandoned feel, like something sinister happened.
"Kishan..." I say slowly. "This... something's wrong."
"I know... what do you-"
Before Kishan can finish his question, a door painted a pale green flies open, and a paper is fluttering in the wind. I hear a slight cry and I just know my son is in the room.
I sprint into the little house and see my son sitting on the dirt floor, just beginning to cry. I quickly scoop Nik up, cradling him close, now crying myself.
"Oh, my darling, darling boy," I croon to him. "I love you so much."
Ren is behind me instantaneously hugging me tightly, and I can feel his tears falling onto my shoulder. I turn, and Ren embraces the both of us, and in the corner of the house, though my tears I see one of the Silvanae beckoning to me.
None of the others can see me, I hear in my head.
I turn away, not trusting him, but then I hear something that makes me stop in my tracks.
I am Tarak, the child you named when you were last here. I can return your daughter to you.
I try to pass Nik to Ren as normally as possible and follow Tarak through the house, though Ren looks at me with an extremely confused look on his beautiful face. I give Nik one more longing look before ducking out of the door.