Hello loyal readers!

I know, gasp! She has updated so quickly ;) It is all thanks to you and the huge support this story has received. I cannot thank you enough for reading/reviewing/following this story so far. The reviews I got for Chapter 9 were so amazing and supportive, you all inspired me to write chapter 10 so quickly.

Thank you :)

I do hope that Chapter 10 lives up to your expectations.

Enjoy!


It had been three days since Musa's trauma in the library. Within a day, the news had been all over the palace and everyone knew about it. By the second day, those with close connections to the palace knew had overheard but, following the king's orders, the whole kingdom was prevented from hearing the gossip. The last thing the king wanted was an early rebellion and, judging by the seamstress' loyalty the previous week, it seemed that his concerns were justified.

The first night after the incident, Musa took Tecna's offer of a bath and sat in the warm pool of soothing oils for over two hours. However, Tecna sat on the floor reading a book as Musa was scared to be alone. As the loyal friend she was, Tecna then slept on the couch in the parlour so that Musa had someone with her while she slept. Musa woke up several times in the night screaming but luckily Tecna was there to comfort her. By the second night, Tecna slept on the couch again but Musa only woke up twice from nightmares. She was slowly getting better but Tecna knew it would be a long road to recovery and there was a part of her that feared that on some level Musa may not ever fully recover from her ordeal. Not that she could blame her. The only good thing was that the rebellion took a lot of Musa's attention away from reliving the nightmare during the day and at night it was the only time her mental health was impacted. Distraction was good but Tecna knew that Musa needed the time to get over the incident, but the young royal was desperate for some sleep. There was nothing more she could do though but continue to support her friend. Tecna was so proud to watch Musa be able to get out of bed the first morning and continue with the rebellion. Musa was so strong and Tecna truly admired that.

The first morning though, as predicted, saw Lady Mitzi bursting through the doors while the pair had breakfast that morning and pulling Musa into her arms. Mitzi's eyes were completely glazed over, clearly trying to hold in her tears, and demanded Jet's head on a spike.

"I am going to kill him!" Mizi growled as she looked over Musa for injuries.

"Get in line," Sir Hammon said, standing guard by the doors.

Since the incident, Tecna had noticed Sir Hammon being more vocal in his opinions towards Sir Jet. It also appeared that he had let some of his cold persona down. Tecna was not sure if it were to make Musa feel more comfortable or if he generally did like Musa and hated Sir Jet. Either way, Tecna was liking it. It seemed that Sir Hammon did believe Musa's façade and on some level trusted her.

"Where is he?!" Mitzi demanded, her eyes darkening. "I will gladly do it myself."

Sir Hammon gave a smirk to the little spitfire in front of him.

"As much as I would love to see that Lady Mitzi, and believe me, I would, and have no doubt of your abilities, I am under orders to not reveal such information."

Mitzi stormed up to the knight and stared directly into his face. Although Mitzi was at least a foot shorter than the knight, her death glare would have caused most men to cower. The knight simply looked amused. The knight was only a few years older than Mitzi, and it seemed that the pair grew up in the palace together since Sir Hammon was not so easily swayed by the woman's behaviour.

"Sir Hammon," Lady Mitzi said getting agitated. "My friend, and a lot of ladies in the court for that matter, was attacked by that thing that once was called a knight. I demand to know where he is so that I can end his miserable life."

Sir Hammon walked up so that he was only a hair's breath between Lady Mitzi and said softly so that Musa couldn't hear, "Nothing would give me more pleasure, Lady Mitzi, than to give you that information but my Prince has given his orders. I can assure you though that he will not see the light of day again."

Lady Mitzi was quiet for a few seconds before a slow smirk appeared on her face. "Is that a promise?"

Sir Hammon returned her smirk. "Yes, Your Ladyship. It has already been done."

"Good riddance," Lady Mitzi said before she quickly ran back to Musa to fuss over her.

Tecna could not help but see a spark between the pair but Lady Mitzi had made it clear to the whole female court of her intentions to the prince. Once Musa's plan was over, throwing the prince into Lady Mitzi's clutches seemed like a good start to a fitting punishment.

Following their run in with Mitzi the first day, the prince arrived to escort Musa to the library. She was nervous at first, at being alone with the prince, but the man kept his distance as they walked to the library. Musa was not ready to speak to Riven since their run in at her bedroom door. She kept looking around as she walked, expecting Sir Jet to suddenly appear and finish what he started. Suffice to say that she got little study done during her hour in the library and just wanted to get back to her room.

By the second day, Musa was a little more confident but Prince Riven remained stoic and non-vocal since picking her up from breakfast.

Now the third day, Musa and Tecna were again finishing their breakfast as Sir Hammon remained at his post by the doors. Luckily, they hadn't been disturbed by Lady Mitzi since the first day. The woman can be a handful and Musa did not have the energy for her as she once did before the incident. She will soon, Tecna believed. A knock on the doors sounded and Sir Hammon opened them and bowed upon seeing Prince Riven walk into the room.

Tecna and Musa quickly got up from their seats and curtseyed to the prince.

"Good morning, Sire," Musa said softly.

Prince Riven merely nodded his head in reply. He still was not one to talk much. Musa took his silence as his readiness to go so she placed her napkin with the crockery and started to follow him. Tecna would help the servants with the clean up before she left to continue researching with the new books Musa had brought back the day before. Musa was not one to keep the prince waiting since he only gave her an hour at the library. He had a knight training session right afterwards and he hated tardiness.

Musa said goodbye to Tecna and Sir Hammon before following the prince to the library. Like all times before, there was no talking between them, not that Musa minded. She kept looking in the shadows between rooms and corridors for Sir Jet. Everyone had told her that Sir Jet had been punished and that he would not harm her again but there was still a part of her that thought they were lying and that the knight would suddenly appear to finish the job.

Two nights in a row Musa had awoken multiple times from the same nightmare. She dreamt that Prince Riven never made it in time to save her. Each time she could still feel the knight's hot breath and cold fingers on her, even after awaking. Every night before she fell asleep Musa prayed that she could sleep happily and that her powers would return by morning but so far nothing has come true.

Musa was pulled from her thoughts when two large double doors opened, and they were suddenly at the library. Musa must have been lost in her thoughts for longer than she thought for she remembered the walk to the library being a lot longer. Musa smiled at the prince in thanks before walking inside the library. Before she made it to another new shelf to begin her search for a new book, something caught her attention.

"There is nothing to fear, you know."

Musa stopped dead in her tracks and turned to the owner of the voice. Prince Riven stood still in his place in the library entry way, clearly watching Musa slowly walk into the library with trepidation.

"I'm sorry?" Musa replied with confused.

"There is nothing to fear," Prince Riven repeated, his voice non-cold.

"I am not fearful," Musa answered wanting to maintain her Valkarian façade.

Prince Riven did not say anything for a few seconds, instead slowly walking up to her until he was an arm's length away. That fact alone made Musa a bit surprised as normally the prince replied with sarcasm and eye rolls or dead silcence.

"I am trained to know when someone is lying," Prince Riven began softly. Musa's heart rate immediately sped up at the response. "I see what you are doing. Your eyes scatter all over the place whenever we walk to and from the library. You choose to sit at the desk closest to the exit. You avoid the area of your attack, and you dare not be near men."

Musa could not help but widen her eyes at the Prince's observations. She had never said it to anyone since that day, but he was right. She was scared. She was scared to go to the library and be reminded of that day. She dared to be close to other men and always made sure to locate the exits upon entering any room. Prince Riven was completely correct but Musa never thought that he was paying her attention. Musa was stunned into silence. Mostly because he read her to a T but also that it was the most the prince had spoken to her since his return home. She could not think of a response to him.

"Your behaviour change is nothing to be ashamed of," Prince Riven continued. "It is a normal response from your experience. However, you have nothing to fear."

"Don't I?" Musa scoffed in response. Her eyes immediately widened. She had not meant to blurt that out.

The prince merely raised an eyebrow at Musa's response, clearly curious but unfazed by it. "Yes, but you do not share my opinion. Enlighten me then."

Musa was caught off guard by the prince's invitation again. He really was in an interesting mood today. The prince continued to stare into Musa's eyes for a few seconds before he added, "You are free to speak openly. You will not be punished, Lady Musa."

Musa suddenly took a step back and collided with the back of a chair. That was the first time in years that Prince Riven had called her anything but Siren. What was going on today? Was this all just a ploy to get her to pull down her defences and blurt out her secret plan? Was he just being strangely nice because of the incident? Musa had not been expecting any of this today and she was completely blind sighted. Musa noticed a slight smirk on the prince's face clearly noticing her stumble and surprise. There was no annoyance or disgust on his face at being alone with her. He was not bored compared to the previous two days and he seemed patient as he let her surprise ware off.

"Um….I…..forgive me, Sire, I just, I am still out of sorts from the incident," Musa quickly blurted out hoping that it was a good enough excuse.

"The incident," Prince Riven repeated slowly, clearly not buying anything. "Of course."

Damn! Musa internally thought. If any other person were standing in front of her, Musa would be chastising herself for letting her weak state impede her Valkarian façade but for some reason she was embarrassed. Why should she feel embarrassed? Prince Riven was a means to an end, that is all.

"I am not fearful," Musa repeated with more confidence.

"I hate repeating myself," the prince immediately answered, his smirk gone.

"You want me to enlighten you, Sire?" Musa replied.

When the prince gave no response, Musa took that as yes. Well, if he wanted to be enlightened, she would happily oblige. Every logical part of her was screaming to not meet the challenge, that she needed to maintain her façade, but her emotional part had been a roller coaster for days and she was struggling to control it. He said she would not be punished for speaking openly and her emotional part was dying to jump at the opportunity.

"How can I not be fearful when someone attacked me only three days ago?" Musa blurted out. "He was assigned to protect me, and you all let it happen. How can I not be fearful when he could be anywhere right now?"

"He will not harm you again," Prince Riven said sternly, his face suddenly serious.

"Oh really?" Musa replied sarcastically. "How do I know that? No one will tell me anything. To me, he was just dragged away, and I do not know when he will come back."

"He will not come back."

"Why will no one tell me anything? How can you expect me to not be scared when I am kept in the dark?"

"We are trying to protect you."

"Some protection!" Musa scoffed.

She knew she should stop but she was already on a roll and once that gate was open, there was no hope of closing it again.

"You lot are meant to be warriors!" Musa continued. "Warriors with honour and yet you let a creep slip through the ranks. You drone on about truth, but you have been keeping things from me. I am the victim. I deserve to know what happened after you apprehended him. I am not weak and defenceless so tell me the truth!"

Musa was about to continue when she was cut off by a grasp on her wrists and was suddenly pulled so that she was directly in front of the prince. Musa suddenly tensed at feeling of someone else's hands on her again and she gasped at the quick movement. Suddenly the incident with Sir Jet came rushing back to her and her heart started racing. Musa slammed her eyes shut, willing for the images to be erased but they were on constant repeat in her head.

A warmth slowly moved up from her wrists to her elbows and Musa kept hearing her name. For a few seconds all she could feel, hear and smell was Sir Jet but the warmth on her skin was almost soothing, and after a minute she finally heard the voice.

"Lady Musa," Prince Riven said a third time.

Musa's eyes opened again, finding the prince still staring into her eyes. The warmth she felt was the prince's hands softly encasing her elbows. He must have sensed her slip into her memory when he grasped her wrists. Despite how much of a powerful warrior he was, the prince's touch was soft and warm. Nothing like Sir Jet and the smell of the knight's hideous cologne that she remembered was suddenly erased with something pleasant. Like a soft spice mixed with something that Musa could not explain, something almost Riven like. No! Musa thought. She cannot go down that rabbit hole. He was the enemy and she was only feeling that way because she was vulnerable. Any man would seem better to her than Sir Jet.

"You want to know the truth? I ordered my men into silence as I knew nothing good would come from it," Prince Riven answered, his voice serious but calm.

Musa was shocked by the prince's answer. He was always so guarded when he spoke, but this was the first time she felt that he spoke the truth. She needed to know what happened to Sir Jet. She cannot keep living her life always looking over her shoulder. Prince Riven could be right but Musa felt that not knowing was ruining her.

"I need to know," Musa replied softly. "Please."

"I know what it is like to want answers," the prince replied in a monotone. "The nightmares replay in your mind in the hope that you do things differently until you get the information you seek. They do not. Nothing good will come from knowing the truth."

Musa heard what he had said but she desperately wanted the nightmares to stop. Surely the knowledge that Sir Jet will not come back will make them stop. The logical part of her wanted to re-evaluate his response, wanting to know why he knew what she was going through but her emotions clouded her judgement.

"Please," Musa softly begged.

The prince seemed to examine Musa's eyes for a few seconds before he gently took his hands off her arms and step away from her. Musa suddenly felt cold when he did that and involuntarily released a soft gasp. Riven's face went back to cold and distant in a blink of an eye before he spoke.

"Sir Jet was a traitor and attempted adulterer. He was sentenced to death."

Musa suddenly had the wind knocked out of her and immediately had her left hand over her stomach and her right hand on the back of the chair behind her to stop her from vomiting or collapsing on the floor in shock. Someone was dead because of her? Sure, Musa knew that when the rebellion happened there could be a few casualties, but a war was different to the death sentence for a crime. A person that she had known for years is suddenly gone and it was her fault. Musa tried to breathe to get over the shock and soon looked at the prince. He stood completely still in front of her, hands behind his back, his face void of any emotion.

"Who….who did it?" Musa asked.

The prince was silent. Musa knew she should not be asking what she was, but she had gone this far and she intended to go all the way. She had to know who took the man's life.

"Your Highness, please tell me who did it."

"No good will come from knowing that information," Prince Riven answered sternly.

"I disagree," Musa said harshly. "A man is dead because of me and I need to know who did it."

"His death was not your fault," Prince Riven immediately replied, choosing to ignore Musa's tone. "He committed a crime against you and against the crown."

"I am nothing. He is dead because he broke the rules and that is not punishable by death."

Prince Riven's eyes suddenly darkened and he took a step forward until he was back in Musa's space again. Musa was for some reason not afraid.

"It is true that he was a coward and a traitor for he disobeyed the rules and attacked an unarmed opponent, however, you are not nothing. He attacked you. He tried to assault you. His punishment met the crime. That is not your fault."

Wow, Musa thought. That is the nicest thing the prince had said to her in years. Musa was wrong. Sir Hammon and Prince Riven did save her not only because Sir Jet broke the rules but because they wanted to help her. One some weird level, Musa was flattered by that. Sure, it was because of the ruse she was playing and they on some level trusted her, but they still did it not only out of obligation but for her.

Musa started to take real notice of the prince's eyes when she looked at them. They were still dark from the seriousness of the conversation, but they were oddly calming. She was truthful the other day when she told Tecna that she felt somehow safe with Sir Hammon and Prince Riven, despite them being Valkarians. A part of her wanted to believe that the darkness in his eyes was due to something other than the thought of war and bloodshed. That maybe he cared. No! Once again, you must stop! She had to finish the conversation before it got out of hand, or at least hide away until the vulnerability was gone.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Musa whispered in response after a minute.

Prince Riven did not respond at first, merely continued to look into Musa's eyes. A part of Musa knew that she should be sick and afraid, knowing that once again the prince took an innocent life, but another one scoffed knowing that Sir Jet was not innocent. Then there was the smallest part of her hidden secretly away that took satisfaction in the fact that not only was the prince the one who saved her but was also the one to punish him. The prince kept her safe, and that small part of her made Musa terrified, not the prince himself.

"The punishment fit the crime," Prince Riven eventually replied sternly. "I would do it again, Lady Musa."

Vulnerability was a funny thing. It makes you do and say such stupid things, and Musa was about to do just that. Without thinking, that super small part of her suddenly took over and she pulled the prince into a hug. A hug! That is right. A hug. The prince was stunned at the movement and was stiff as a board when Musa's arms wrapped around his waist and her head fit nicely under his chin. The prince clearly did not do hugs for he stood there completely still and silent, unsure of how to respond, choosing to keep his arms at his side.

"Thank you," Musa said honestly.

Of all the responses the prince was preparing for, a hug and gratitude was clearly not one of them. Again, vulnerability can make people do such stupid things.

After the awkwardness of their conversation, Musa pulled herself away and almost ran to a bookshelf to start her research. The pair had wasted a bit of time in the with their conversation, but Musa felt that it was good since she felt the prince opening up to her. Perhaps she really could pull off her plan and get the prince to fall for her and get the intel that she needed.

The prince, clearly taken aback by the hug, remained by the doors the rest of the visit, eyes constantly scanning the room for enemies. Musa was embarrassed by her action. She could not believe that she let her emotions get the best of her. She just had to rebuild her façade and move on. Sadly, her embarrassment was in vein as she found little in her research. She learnt about Valkarian food and the ancestry of Lady Mitzi's family but other than that, diddly squat.

When the hour was up, Musa packed the books away and followed the prince out without a word uttered between them. The walk back to her quarters was, as always, silent. She was surprised to see that she was not looking over her shoulder compared to their walk to the library though. When they arrived at her door, Musa was shocked to see a new knight standing outside her door. The man was roughly her height, had blonde hair that sat just below his ears but was wearing the formal knight outfit, complete with the helmet. It seemed like he was a young recruit for his skin was lighter than Prince Riven's and the rest of his senior men. Musa had noticed over the years that the more senior members of the knights had more tanned skin from training out in the sun for so long. Where was Sir Hammon? Before she could ask, the prince answered her for her.

"Since Sir Jet will no longer be assigned to you," Prince Riven said in a serious monotone. "Sir Hammon still needs a partner to monitor you to allow him to rest."

Musa got nervous at seeing the new face since Sir Jet.

"He has been thoroughly profiled by me and Sir Hammon. Sir Caelum follows orders to a T and has a sterling record. He is no threat."

Musa slowly nodded her head at the young recruit but for some reason she felt a little happier knowing that the knight had been examined by Prince Riven. King Kataar had assigned Sir Jet and Sir Hammon to her years ago and one of them failed miserably. Musa hoped that Prince Riven's opinion was better than his father's. The new outfit was unnerving to her, but all young recruits were ordered to wear them until the superiors deemed them ready to wear the training uniforms. Musa thought it was a weird initiation but at least everyone was treated the same.

Musa nodded her head in response to Prince Riven and gave a small curtsey. Riven nodded his head in reply and before he continued down the hallway towards his training session, he walked over to the knight and whispered something in his ear.

"Yes, Sire," the knight immediately replied.

Musa muttered a goodnight to the prince and the knight before watching the prince head down the hall. She took a few seconds to steady herself knowing that Tecna was inside. She had to figure out what to say to her friend before going inside. She just did not know what.

After a few moments, Musa opened the door and walked through the parlour to find Tecna sitting on the couch in the small loungeroom with books all over the floor. Tecna gave an excited smile and ran over to Musa.

"You're back!" Tecna said happily. "I have great news I have been dying to tell you."

Thank god Tecna had a distraction, Musa thought.

"What is it?" Musa asked with a smile.

Tecna pulled out a letter from behind her back and dragged Musa to the bathroom, closing the door and turning on the water to prevent the knight from hearing them.

"My latest secret letter from Bloom!" Tecna said happily. "Zenith have joined the rebellion!"

"That's is amazing!" Musa said softly pulling her friend into a hug. "How did you manage that?"

"It wasn't me," Tecna replied back happily. "The rebel leader! He got some new recruits and some of them were from Zenith. They got him an audience with the rulers of Zenith and somehow he got them to agree."

"Does that mean Solaria, Erakleon and Linphea will agree now?"

"Bloom did not say," Tecna answered. "But I am confident that they soon will. Zenith has the technology we need to help defeat the Valkarian war ships."

"Can we trust the new recruits?"

"Apparently they are getting more recruits every day and the leader profiles each of them to make sure that they are not spies. In terms of trust, that is as much as we can get."

"What does Zenith gain from agreeing to help us though?"

"I am not sure," Tecna answered. "Bloom did not say. But it is nice to know that my people are going to help."

"Maybe when this is all over you can go back to Zenith."

"Why would I?" Tecna questioned. "My home is here."

"Yes," Musa said with a smile. "But you and your father also had a home on Zenith. That is your birthplace. You still might have family over there that you can find."

"I also have family here," Tecna said. "You are my dearest friend and my family too."

"Then I promise that you will have the freedom to decide where you will go after this. If you want to stay, I would love nothing more than to have my best friend at my side. If you want to go back to Zenith to find your father's family, then you can too."

"Or I could move between the two freely," Tecna added. "Freedom means I can do anything."

"That it does," Musa said before pulling her friend into a hug.


"Are you sure you do not need me to stay with you?" Tecna asked with trepidation.

"I am sure," Musa answered.

For the last hour as Tecna helped Musa prepare for bed, Tecna had been checking constantly that Musa was indeed fine to sleep on her own. Since she now knew what really happened to Sir Jet, she felt oddly comforted that he would not be a threat to her or others again. Sure, she should have been disgusted that the prince was responsible for carrying out the sentence, but it was a punishment, not a murder. Musa thought she should be disgusted with herself for not having sympathy or guilt for Sir Jet's fate, but she truly was not. Musa did not know how she felt about it. So, she decided that she would be ok for Tecna to sleep in her own room.

Of course, Musa had come clean about what happened in the library to Tecna. Tecna was confused at first by the prince's behaviour towards Musa but she agreed that it was a step in the right direction for their plan.

"If you need anything, immediately tell that knight outside and I will come running," Tecna said worriedly.

"Tecna," Musa laughed. "I promise I will be ok. I think I have a bit of closure."

"Closure on what happened to Sir Jet, yes you do, but I do not think three days is enough for closure of the situation," Tecna said seriously.

"I know," Musa replied. "But you were right. I need to continue, or the rebellion will fall and there will be no coming back from that. I have come too far to let it fall apart now. I have come too far to fall apart."

"You have come far but you are also allowed to grieve."

"I will grieve, as you so call it, when my people are safe and there is time. There is no time for this, and I need the prince to see me as the strong Valkarian he thinks I am and not the vulnerable Melodian."

"For some reason I do not think that is what he thinks."

"Go sleep in your own bed tonight," Musa said, gently pushing her friend towards the door. "I promise I will call for you if I need you."

"Alright," Tecna finally relented. "I will see you first thing in the morning."

Musa gave a hug goodnight and watched as Tecna left. When she was met with silence, Musa still felt safe and comforted. She could do this.

"Let me go! I haven't done anything to you," Musa yelled as Sir Jet clung tightly to her waist, preventing her escape from the library.

"You know you have," Sir Jet spat out, his eyes almost black in colour to what Musa remembered. "You and your siren call have done something to me."

Sir Jet threw Musa against the wall, pinning her arms either side of her head. Musa started kicking her legs out, trying to push the knight away, but it was no use. Sir Jet trapped Musa's legs with his, pining his whole body to hers. Musa's heart raced at being in the same situation again.

"You really think the prince can save you again?" Sir Jet whispered against Musa's ear.

Musa could feel the man's hot breath on her skin, the smell of his thick cologne invaded her senses, making her nauseous.

"I am not so easily defeated. You cannot run from me," Sir Jet added.

Sir Jet pulled Musa's arms till they were above her head, clasping them tightly in one hand. The other trailed down her side. Musa tried to lean away from his touch, but the knight held her tightly in his grasp and against the wall.

"Please don't do this!" Musa cried, tears rolling down her face.

"You did this," Sir Jet said harshly. "I meant it when I said I would end the siren call for good, one way or another."

"The prince defeated you!" Musa cried out. "You should not be here!"

"You cannot escape me," Sir Jet said, gripping Musa's waist with the free hand, fingers digging into her skin.

Musa felt fire on her skin as Sir Jet's fingers dug into her skin. Musa screamed and tried to kick the man away, but it was useless. Where was the prince? Where were Tecna and Sir Hammon when she needed them? They came before.

"Riven!" Musa yelled out. "Riven, help!"

Musa had no idea why she had the overwhelming urge to call for the prince. Perhaps it was the fact he saved her once and was the only one strong enough to subdue Sir Jet. She did not know but she could not be in the situation a second time.

Sir Jet chuckled darkly, fingers digging further in, drawing small amounts of blood. Musa screamed again.

"No one can help you now, Siren."

"Musa!" a feminine voice called out to her.

Musa looked away from Sir Jet, towards the library door, but no one came. Surely it was her imagination.

Sir Jet's fingers relented on her side but quickly ran down to rip the side of her dress like before. She could never forget that horrible sound for as long as she lived. Musa screamed out again, thrashing around to loosen his grip.

"Stop!" Musa begged. "Let me go! Riven!"

"It's not working…." The feminine voice echoed. "….Get help…"

"I will silence the siren call and you will obey me!" Sir Jet yelled.

"Riven!" Musa cried out, still fighting her attacker.

"He cannot help you!" Sir Jet hissed, his free hand coming up and yanking Musa's hair. "What do you think the prince would do to you if he discovered your rebellion? Look what he tried to do to me, a Valkarian. Imagine what he would do to a traitorous Melodian? Probably more than what I will do to you."

"No!" Musa yelled, shaking her head to free her head. "He wouldn't."

"He's a Valkarian, just like me. He and I are no different. We both have fought and we both have killed. He will end you the moment he discovers your true intentions."

Musa could not help but have more tears flow freely down her cheeks. The nightmare was supposed to end when Sir Jet pushed her to the wall. Why was it continuing? Why wasn't anyone helping her?

Sir Jet pushed against Musa further, causing her to struggle breathing, and he leant close to her ear again. "I would be doing you a favour."

Suddenly, Musa could no longer smell Sir Jet's cologne or feel his hot breath. All around her the smell was replaced with a pleasant new aroma. It was like spice mixed with something else, something unique.

"Musa," a new voice called out. "Wake up!"

Musa looked around, trying to find the source of the new voice but there was only Sir Jet and her in the library. Sir Jet ripped the shoulder of Musa's dress to expose part of her neck. Musa screamed again.

"Get her out!" the voice ordered.

Musa was terrified. Tecna was right. She should have listened and not been left alone. Now she was stuck in a nightmare that she could not escape. Riven promised that Sir Jet was gone. But, that smell…..it was so familiar. Where did it come from? Why did it make her feel….braver? Safer?

"Get off me!" Musa yelled, suddenly feeling brave at the familiar smell.

Sir Jet slapped Musa across the face with his free hand. "No one is here to help you. No one will ever help a low life Melodian."

"Forgive me….." the voice other voice sounded.

"Make it stop!" Musa begged, trying to get away from Sir Jet.

Musa watched in horror as Sir Jet moved his hand back down to her dress. It was like it was happening in slow motion. His hand slowly crept down her side towards the rip, intending to rip it further. Musa screamed again and tried with all her might to escape. She would not go down without a fight. Suddenly, a cold wave struck her, shocking her system to reality.

Musa cried out in shock and threw her eyes open, suddenly finding that she was awake and being rained on. Rain? The last thing she remembered was going to bed. How did she get outside? After a few seconds she realised that a warmth encased her, despite being underneath cold water. That was not rain, she realised. She was in a shower. But how did she get there? Musa turned her head slightly to the left and saw the striking eyes of Prince Riven. The man was dripping wet. His hair fell over his face, looking far too good to be legal. His white t-shirt clung to his skin, showing off his pecs, abs, and other toned muscles, as well as his grey sweatpants. Musa looked down and noticed that she was still in her nightgown and was completely soaked as well, leaving nothing to the imagination. Thank goodness she had underwear on. Despite being a Valkarian, Musa noticed that the prince's eyes never strayed from hers, and he was holding her bridal style as he crouched on the floor of the shower. Blinking back confusion, Musa suddenly noticed the tiniest glimpse of worry in the prince's eyes. What the hell happened?

"Sire?" Musa whispered confused.

"You're awake," the prince simply stated.

If Musa did not know any better, she would have sworn she heard relief under his serious tone. But that could not be right. Wait, why was the prince in her bathroom? Before Musa could ask that very question, the prince reached up and turned off the shower. Silence soon filled the bathroom as she watched him grab a nearby towel and gently wrap it around Musa.

"What…..why…..Sire…." Musa was so confused and simply babbled out words.

The prince did not respond as he finished wrapping Musa in the towel. He suddenly stood up, still with Musa in his arms, and walked back out through the open bathroom door and gently placed Musa back on her bed so that she sat upright.

"Sire, you're soaked too," Musa suddenly exclaimed. She was about to stand and grab him a towel when he gently eased her back to the bed.

"That is not necessary," the prince replied unfazed by the cold water.

Due to his training, Musa knew that he had learnt to endure harsh climates and temperatures so cool shower water was nothing to him. Although she initially wanted the towel to keep him warm, now she wanted it so that she could avoid staring at his clearly see through shirt.

"Are you alright?" the prince suddenly asked, his face and eyes masking his emotions again.

Musa was still confused at the situation. "Um…..yes. I am well, thank you."

The prince was silent for a minute, crossing his arms over his chest, and his eyes examining Musa up and down.

"Why…..why are you here? Why did you bring me to the shower?" Musa finally asked.

The prince was silent for a moment before he walked over to the main door to the suite and opened it. Suddenly a loud voice echoed, and rushed footsteps sounded. Tecna suddenly appeared in the bedroom and sighed loudly with relief and ran to Musa's side.

"You're awake!" Tecna gasped with relief as she pulled Musa into a hug.

Musa looked over Tecna's shoulder and looked at the prince who was staring at the pair, with Sir Caelum standing on the other side of the room.

"Everyone has been saying that a lot," Musa replied confused.

Tecna pulled away to stare worriedly at Musa. There, Musa started to notice everyone's attire. Tecna was in her pyjamas and the soaked outfit of the prince was clearly his as well.

"You don't know what happened?" Tecna asked worriedly.

Musa looked between the prince and Tecna again waiting for a response. When she noticed that neither of them was going to continue she shook her head no.

"My lady," Tecna began, putting it on in front of the prince. "Sir Caelum heard you screaming and had me brought back to check on you. I tried to wake you up, but nothing worked. You were stuck in a night terror."

"A night terror?" Musa repeated in shock. "But….but I just went to sleep."

"My lady, it is one o'clock in the morning. We have been trying to wake you for a while. You went to bed over three hours ago."

Musa looked at Tecna in shock before her eyes drifted over to the prince and the knight for a few moments before back to her friend.

Noticing her confusion, Tecna continued. "Unlike the other nights, I was unable to wake you immediately or you awaken yourself. Sir Caelum ran out to seek assistance from His Highness."

Musa's eyes widened and she looked directly at the prince, who still had yet to put on a shirt!

"Y-Your Highness…..I-I am so sorry for disturbing you-"

The prince interrupted Musa's stuttering by raising his hand up to stop her.

"There is no need," he interrupted.

"But you were awoken in the middle of the night to assist me. Again, I had to inconvenience you, and for that I humbly apologise."

"I said it is not necessary," the prince repeated sternly.

Musa decided to leave it there. She had never felt so embarrassed. She had a simple nightmare and just could not awaken from it. Who does that? Yet again the prince had seen her vulnerable. Who wants to continually help the Melodian weakling? He should be falling for the confident woman, the Valkarian woman that he would always want. She could not win him over if all he saw in her was a defenceless girl who simply needed him to bail them out all the time.

"Even His Highness was unable to wake you for some time. He ushered us out and used cold water to shock you," Tecna added. "I am eternally grateful, Your Highness."

The prince did not respond, merely nodding in return. To others, one would think he was dismissing Tecna, barely acknowledging her. But looking at his body language and his earlier comments, Musa and Tecna knew better. The prince was trying to be humble. A strange concept for a Valkarian but it was there. Musa felt worse. Helping Musa was not a big deal for the prince. There was no way her plan was going to work now that he saw her as just someone who always needed help. Must be draining on the helpers. Musa looked down at the ground in embarrassment, subtly pulling the towel closer to herself.

"Miss Tecna, Sir Caelum, leave us for a moment," the prince suddenly ordered.

Tecna tensed a little at the order as Sir Caelum bowed and immediately left the room. Tecna subtly looked at Musa and reluctantly left after Musa's slight nod. She stopped by the prince and curtseyed before following the knight into the parlour to wait.

Musa was a little nervous as to why the prince was suddenly wanting to be alone with her when he was the one who brought Tecna and Sir Caelum back in.

"I am grateful for your assistance, Your Highness," Musa began softly, her eyes looking straight ahead, trying to bring her Valkarian persona back again. "I am sorry you had to be disturbed though."

There were a few seconds of silence before Musa received a response.

"I told you that no good would come from knowing the truth."

That was not the response Musa was expecting. She turned to face the prince, her face twisted in confusion and shock. The prince slowly walked back over to her till he stood in front of the bed again.

"This morning in the library, you wanted to know the truth as you believed it would bring you comfort. I warned you that knowing the truth would not keep the nightmares from replaying, they only make them worse. You did not listen."

Musa was too stunned to respond. She had no idea how to respond to that.

"You dreamt of the attack, did you not?"

"I…..I did…."

"You have been since that night," Riven stated.

"How did you…."

"And now knowing the truth, you may not continue to look over your shoulder during the day but at night it is the only time your mind can process the trauma. The nightmares are now worse though after hearing of Sir Jet's fate," Riven interrupted. "You are the first though in a while that was unable to be awoken from these nightmares. You were warned."

"Sire, how can you possibly know all of this?"

"Warriors see a lot of trauma," the prince responded. Musa waited for him to continue but it was all the information he was willing to give. "I will speak to the medical team to have sleeping potions prepared for you."

"It is not necessary, Sire," Musa began but was interrupted by the prince again.

"That was not a request," the prince interrupted. "They will be delivered to your door by Sir Hammon and Sir Caelum. They will help you sleep and prevent further nightmares. A good mental state helps with recovery."

"Why?" Musa blurted out without thought.

The prince was confused by Musa's sudden question. Musa noticed his confusion and knew that she had to clarify now that his attention was caught.

"Why are you doing this? Why help me? I am your prisoner."

"You are the guest of the king," the prince answered after a few seconds.

"But I am Melodian," Musa continued. "I-I'm studying hard, but no one can change my blood."

The prince nodded his head once. "No one can change your blood," he agreed. "However, a guest of the palace is treated the same. No one deserves suffering."

If he believed that then why was she punished for previous rebellions over the years? Where was he then? At school? Why not help her after he learnt the truth when he returned,Musa thought. He may not have held the whip, but he also did not try to stop his father when he returned from school. Did he not know what really happened? Musa internally scoffed at the idea. Of course, he did. He was helping her because she was, in their eyes, the perfect image of a Valkarian lady now. Melodians do not get treated well by Valkarians.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Musa decided to respond with. "I am grateful for your assistance."

"Drink warm milk with magnesium for tonight," the prince said in a monotone. "I will arrange for the potions. Goodnight."

Musa quietly muttered a goodnight back and watched as the prince quickly escorted himself out along with the knight before she could drop to a curtsey. Once the pair had left, Tecna rushed back to Musa's side.

"Were you really unable to wake me, Tecna?" Musa immediately asked.

"Yes, aside from your attack, I have never felt so helpless," Tecna answered.

"What really happened?" Musa asked now that the prince was gone.

"I told you the truth," Tecna began. "You were screaming and, as ordered, Sir Caelum had sent for me to care for you."

"As ordered? By who?"

Tecna shrugged in response. "Sir Caelum did not say. I tried waking you any way I could, but it was like you were stuck in the nightmare, reliving everything all over again. Aside from screaming, you kept calling the prince's name, begging for his help."

"I was?"

"Yes," Tecna answered. "I was so worried, and I did not know what to do, so I listened to you. I sent Sir Caelum to get help and I asked for the prince, and he came. He tried waking you up just as I did but then you started thrashing and crying. It was like Sir Jet was right there, hurting you. I-I struggled to see you like that."

Musa pulled her friend into a comforting hug for a few moments till she was calm enough to continue.

"You were violent, trying to fight Sir Jet off in your nightmare but out here you were screaming and begging for help. The prince gently restrained you, but you would not respond to either of us, so he ordered Sir Caelum and I out of the room. He did not know what you would do next. Judging from the way you look, it seemed that he took you into a cold shower and it worked."

"Did I call the prince's name when he was here?"

"I do not think so."

Musa sighed with relief and thanked however was watching over her.

"I heard both you and Prince Riven through the nightmare, but as you said, it was like I was trapped in my own mind. I could not escape but it was worse than the real attack. Sir Jet kept comparing himself to Prince Riven and I kept looking to see if he would help me again, but he never did. I was on my own and useless."

"I am so sorry, Musa."

"Wait," Musa suddenly realised. "If you were gone then that means…..Prince Riven called me by my name."

"What do you mean?"

"He called me Musa, not Lady Musa or the Siren."


So what did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Sadly I cannot answer all your questions, otherwise spoilers, but I love to hear from readers.

Till next time!

~AngelAlexandra~