Hi my beautiful loyal readers! Thank you so much for all the reviews and good wishes last chapter! It was so great to hear that you all enjoyed the chapter and it was worth the wait. Thank you also for your amazing words for my grandfather. It was so thoughtful and I really appreciate it. He is doing a better the last two weeks, which I hope remains, so to celebrate I have written a brand new chapter!

Special shout out to LuckiestWitchAtHogwarts, RogueJacksonators, Kerfluffle, You Don't Know Me150, AngleCutie ChildAt Heart, Love Horimiya Series, SunshinewithHurricane and all the Guest reviewers for reviewing the previous chapter.

I hope you love this chapter and again it was worth the wait!

Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club or any of its characters, except for my OCs.


Cold. That was what Musa felt. Icy cold running all over her skin that it felt like little pins were sticking into her. What was the blast that she felt? Like a shock wave had come out of nowhere and knocked her mother and herself off their feet. Why did the loud noises and yelling stop? Why did silence follow the icy cold that she felt? Mumbling and ringing sounded in Musa's ears, clearly people were talking around her, but she could not make out what they were saying. Like the wave had momentarily deafened her. Soon the cold dissipated to a mild numbing feeling and she finally got the energy to open her eyes. What she saw would forever be engrained in her memory.

There lying at Musa's feet was the collapsed form of her mother. Musa did not remember screaming but she must have because her throat started to get sore. Ignoring the aching in her muscles from the shock wave, Musa crawled on her knees and wrapped her small hands around her mother's arm and shook her. A female voice echoed somewhere in the room and suddenly Musa's arms were grabbed and was pulled away from her mother. Musa watched in horror as two knights she had never seen before picked up her mother and started taking her away. Musa thrashed and screamed for her mother, tears running down her face, but the hold on her arms was too strong. Finally, her hearing started coming back. Everything felt like it was on the lowest volume, but she could hear enough by those closest to her.

"Restrain the child!" an angry voice ordered a few feet from Musa.

Musa ignored the voices and desperately tried to free herself to save her mother. Clicking of heels sounded and a tall dark-haired woman crouched in front of Musa and grabbed her chin to force her to look into the dark eyes.

"Queen Matlin had a brat," the woman said with polite disgust. "Your mother protected you till the end. Not so lucky for you."

"Darcy," a booming voice called, gaining the woman's attention. "I gave you an order! What is she doing here?"

"Sire, it was not my fault-"

"I do not want excuses!"

"Father," a young voice called, getting the attention of the woman causing her to step away.

A few people yelled in anger, but Musa could not care less. She just wanted to see her parents. She had no idea what was going on. She just wanted her family, just wanted to be left alone, pretend that everything was a nightmare.

"I told you to keep him in the throne room! How long has he been here?"

"He escaped, Your Highness. He saw the ladies collapse."

Musa stared down at the ground, ignoring the tears that continued to roll down her face as she wished with all her might to wake up. Running echoed on the tiles and the sight of small boots in her vision caught Musa's attention. She looked up and saw a young boy, around the age of 10, standing in front of her. The boy said nothing for a few moments as he stared at her, almost studying her, and reading everything about her. How much more did the boy need to know? Apparently, he had watched her since her and her mother collapsed. Musa had no idea how long she had been unconscious, she wanted to run away from the boy.

'Ah ah, oh oh…ah ah, oh oh…..'

"Riven! Go back with Sir Hammon!"

The young boy ignored the order and continued to stare at Musa.

"Release her!" the boy suddenly yelled angrily and kicked one of the men's legs out from underneath him.

The knight yelped and released his hold on Musa's arm to brace his fall. The second knight, taken completely off guard by the sudden weight, dropped Musa and she fell on her hands on the tiles.

"Riven! Do not interfere!"

The boy ignored the man's order again and glared at the knights, daring them to touch the girl again.

"Mother is avenged," the boy said grimly. "Leave the girl."

'Ah ah, oh oh…ah ah, oh oh…..'

"Son, this is none of your concern."

"Sire, your son might be right. If we left this little Siren, we need some sort of encouragement to show the Melodians what happens when they defy you."

"I do not care," the young boy said with disinterest. "She's now lost a mum too. Leave her alone, Father."

'Ah ah, oh oh…ah ah, oh oh…..'

Musa's eyes burst wide open at the familiar tune. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but she never remembered that dreadful day like that. For years, Musa had managed to forget most of it or block it out, but she never remembered meeting Prince Riven then. When they yelled at each other the other day in the garden, the prince did mention seeing her for the first time when she was collapsed by her mother, but never once did she remember seeing him till now. Not only that, but he was also the catalyst for the king and Darcy sparing her and her father's life. Musa always assumed it was their plan all along but even at ten years old, the prince was a fighting machine and wicked smart. Now that she saw that dream, pieces of it were starting to come back to her. That familiar tune though was never heard that day.

Musa sat up on bed, turning on her side light, and looked around the room. There was nothing in her room that could cause that tune. By the shadows underneath her curtain Musa assumed it was the middle of the night, but she was the only one disturbed by the tune. It sounded like someone was singing into the wind. It was beautiful and haunting all at once. Musa remembered her parents telling stories about Melody singing their emotions however she always thought they were fairy tales. How could a realm sing? Although now that she thought about it, the tune was indeed familiar. Perhaps her parents sung it to her? No, there would be something in her mother's journal about those songs.

It did not matter right then. Musa would figure it out eventually. What she was more concerned with was the fact the tune came at random points. First it was when she was in the training room with the prince, after the kiss with the prince, and while having dinner with the king. Now she can add while dreaming about her mother's death to the list. If she had not been hearing the tune more frequently over the last 36 hours, then Musa would not have cared. If it continued though, would someone else be able to hear it? Would she be punished for music being in the palace? Being punished for something she did not do sounds unsurprisingly familiar. Her mental rambling did bring up a good point. Her mother's journal. Musa had not finished reading it with the Winx so perhaps her mother had an entry about that tune somewhere in there.

There was no time restriction on Musa's ability to roam the palace, so she decided to pull on her long silk robe and slippers and quietly sneak into her secret room. The lights and candles that littered the hallway made Musa's trip smooth. There were not many guards on duty so when she bumped into a pair walking down the hallway, she panicked for a moment before hiding behind a pillar.

"Did you hear about Madame Darcy?" one of the knights said to his colleague as they walked down the hallway.

"No. What has Madame Crazy done now?"

"Apparently she stormed into the king's study again rambling on about something not being right."

The other knight scoffed. "And he tolerated that?"

"Mildly from what I heard as whatever she was saying had merit. She was last seen leaving his study with a smirk and has not been seen around the palace since."

"She disappeared?"

"That is what the boys are saying."

'Great,' Musa thought. Just what she needed. Another AWOL power hungry tyrant that is keeping everyone on their toes. Trust Darcy to follow any sniff of threat to her position with the king, even if it is following drunk morons in town. Once the knights had turned the corner and their footsteps disappeared, Musa tiptoed down the hallway and entered the library. Since most Valkarians in the palace were not fans of the written word, Musa sighed with relief once she entered the safe zone and quickly made her way to the bookshelf and into her secret room.

Musa ignored the pull of going towards the instruments. She was focused on finding the source of the tune so she could finally have a good night's sleep. She walked over to her mother's desk, pulled out the journal, and made herself comfortable on one of the couches. Flora was kind enough to have given Musa a bookmark and opened the journal to where she had left off. There were many entries about her father courting her mother, how he proposed, and their coronation when she became queen. Writing a song for a proposal was, in Musa's mind, completely perfect and so romantic. 'Magic in my Heart'. Musa thought it sounded perfect and something her father would write. She hoped to hear it when she reunited with him someday.

A few hours went by as Musa lost herself in the pages of her mother's words. Learning everything about her and what she felt before she became a queen, a wife, and eventually a mother. It was a side to her mother that only her father knew that she never got a chance to see.

Soon, Musa came across entries that sent chills up her spine. They were entries about her mother's friendship with the eventual Queen Miranda of Valkaris. Musa laughed to herself at the name since Flora and Layla told her that evening about their lovely lunch with Lady Miranda, one of Lady Mitzi's friends. Clearly, her parents were very fond of the late queen and not so subtly sucked up to the royals by naming their first-born daughter after her before she died. Someone needs new material. After reading through her mother's excitement at meeting the Valkaris prince and seeing his spark with her friend made Musa a little uncomfortable. She would never believe the king once had a good side until she read it in the journal. Love at first sight, her mother said. Then Musa came across where her own trouble began: the death of Queen Miranda. Musa immediately felt tears well in her eyes as she read her mother's pain at the loss of her friend and finding her on the floor.

I do not believe Kataar's investigation. Golden Dewdrop is a common plant on many realms, particularly Linphea. Sure, Melody has the plant, but it is hardly common. It is an introduced species for our herbalists. One could say it is a weed but of course this information fell on deaf ears.

It was a very quick investigation. I know Melody were not responsible for this. Miranda was my best friend. She was Melodian. We had nothing to gain by hurting her. There is something else going on and I am determined to figure it out. Though Kataar's words when Ho-Boe and I last saw him still haunt me.

'You will know the pain of losing a loved one.'

Seeing the hatred in his eyes are what I see every night since our return. He wanted a villain to blame instead of learning to cope with the loss. I guess Melody is the villain in his narrative. He threatened me. I now fear for my family's safety. Musa is only a small child. She has so much to give this world, so much to learn that I fear I may be soon unable to teach her. One thing is for sure though is that if Valkaris decides to start a war, I am convinced that it would not only be Melody in jeopardy. I have never seen Kataar like what I saw before. He was possessed by anger and vengeance. Very little can bring someone back from that cycle.

I am sensing negative energy on Valkaris outside of grief and despair though. The realm is dying. I gave Miranda the crystals to use sparingly. Now I fear she used them too much, relied on them, and now with her gone, the realm is dying. This stress cannot be helping Kataar's grief and anger either. I do not know if Kataar ever knew about what Miranda was doing but I hope for Melody's sake he does not.

I hope my dear friend Miranda knows how much I miss her and how her absence has left a void in my life. I was there for the birth of her son. She helped me pick out names for my daughter. Our children were supposed to meet someday. Ho-Boe and I will continue to attempt speaking with Kataar to avoid conflict. He needs to see sense that this was all a setup. A setup where I do not understand the reason or goal. Who can benefit from a war with Valkaris? As long as my darling daughter is safe then I know that Melody will be ok. Musa is my heart and soul, and we will protect her with our lives.

That was the last entry in her mother's journal. Musa did not realise that she was crying until she felt the tears fall on her hand after closing the journal. True to her word, her mother protected her with her life while her father rotted away his in the dungeons. Musa gently placed the journal on the coffee table in front of her and wiped her eyes of the tears. In some odd way, after reading the journal she felt somehow closer to her mother. It was also comforting knowing that she was right about the rumours that Melodian rebels killed the Valkarian queen were fake. Even better knowing that her mother believed it was a conspiracy too. Shame her and her father were unable to discover who was behind it or convince King Kataar not to fight. Her mother did raise a good question though: what would one possibly gain for Melody and Valkaris fighting? What would they gain by Melody being invaded? The only thing valuable to anyone was the Melodian crystals but Miranda was gifted some Melodian crystals by her mother. Musa and Tecna did believe that the crystals somehow granted resources to realms during hard times. The time of great prosperity.

Musa thought long and hard about the words she read from the journal and from the books her and Tecna studied. They now knew that Musa's music could bring back her powers, and the crystals brought prosperity to Valkaris but then nothing after Miranda's death….That's it! Musa jumped from the couch in shock. It was Miranda. Miranda's magic – Melodian magic. Without Miranda knowing how to use the crystals, there was no Melodian magic to bring the resources and since the Valkarians had gotten so used to an abundance of resources, they forgot to do it themselves and eventually starved. Clearly, they had no idea what Miranda did for their realm. They wanted Melodian's resources. But…..the crystals allowed Melody to prosper too. Even though she found the amplifier, how was Musa going to activate the crystals and save her realm?

Musa decided that those questions were best answered in the morning. She put away the journal in the desk, next to her mother's cream and letter. Musa was still unable to read it, but she knew someday she would be strong enough to. She smiled around the room and closed the door behind her and snuck back out of the library. The hallway outside the library was dark and quiet. She did not hear any knights or courtiers walking around so she walked out and turned to close the doors. A shiver suddenly shot up Musa's spine.

"Siren….."

Musa jumped and turned around, slamming her back against the library doors, to find Darcy standing behind her. The shadows. Musa forgot about the shadows. Musa's blood ran cold when she looked into the dark eyes and smirk on the witch's face.

"M-Madame Darcy," Musa stuttered in shock. She suddenly realised just who she was standing in front of and immediately dropped into her low curtsey, nightgown on and all.

"What are you doing out of your quarters at this time of night?"

"Ah….I….I could not sleep, Madame," Musa stuttered out, looking down at the ground in her curtsey. "S-so I decided to read."

The witch was quiet as she stared down at the woman.

"Stand up," Darcy ordered. "It is rude to not look someone in the eye."

Musa did as she was told and stood upright to look Darcy in the eyes.

"Where have you been recently, Siren?"

The question confused Musa. "The library, Madame."

The witch rolled her eyes. "Not now, Siren. I have been watching you and the courtiers."

Musa's blood turned to ice at the comment.

"I have heard whispers from some of the ladies that you have not been seen recently. There are times that I find it hard to find you myself. Where have you been?"

Musa went into internal panic mode. She had no idea that Darcy was following her. Could she have followed her to the training room with the prince? Most likely not since she never follows the prince and Musa would have been sentenced to the dungeon already by the king. How long had Darcy been keeping an eye on her? Was their last encounter so horrible that Darcy found reason to spy on her?

"I have been in the palace, Madame Darcy," Musa answered truthfully.

The witch raised an eyebrow to her. "Clearly not since I have been wandering the shadows for the last few weeks. I have seen you talking to the other princesses and courtiers but at certain times of the day I have not been able to find you, just like the courtiers. I know you are lying."

"I can assure you, Madame Darcy, that I am not lying. I have indeed been in the palace. I have not left the palace grounds as ordered by His Highness. I have been reading a lot of Valkarian books that I sometimes like the quietness of the library or speaking about what I have learned to the other princesses."

The sound of footsteps down the hallway stole Musa and Darcy's attention. Down the end of the hallway was Princess Stella and Sir Darien.

"Haha, that is so funny," Stella said in a high pitch tone as she brushed her hand on the man's shoulder.

The knight raised an eyebrow at the comment, clearly not used to a non-Valkarian flirting with him. Stella's giggling echoed down the hallway until the pair noticed Musa and Darcy. Stella's face immediately changed to shock before it melted into her formal façade. Musa wanted to kiss Stella in that moment for her interruption. Stella quickly whispered in the knight's ear, who nodded, before briskly walking off after bowing to Darcy. Stella gave a perfect smile to Darcy before sauntering over to the pair.

"Good evening, Madame Darcy, Lady Musa" Stella said in a regal tone. "It is a fine evening we are having, is it not?"

Musa was silent as she looked at Stella with slight fear in her eyes. Darcy looked unimpressed with the interruption.

"You know, it is rude not to answer a princess, particularly one that was invited by the king," Stella added with a smirk.

Musa heard the tone in Stella's voice and quickly did a quick small curtsey to show face. "Good evening, Princess Stella," Musa said formally. "It is a nice evening."

Stella's face did not change but Musa noticed the apology in her friend's gaze. Musa knew that Stella had nothing to be sorry for. She was just grateful for her friend's interruption.

"Madame Darcy, I will not remind you of who I am again," Stella said lowly.

Darcy growled quietly under her breath before looking Stella in the eye. "It is a nice evening, Princess Stella."

Stella put on a wide happy smile. "Thank you, Madame Darcy. So, what do I owe the pleasure of running into you ladies tonight?"

"The Siren was caught roaming the palace after dark," Darcy answered lowly.

Acting oblivious, Stella slightly tilted her head to the side. "Forgive me, Madame Darcy, but is Lady Musa not permitted to roam these areas of the palace whenever she likes?"

"The Siren never roams around after dark," Darcy growled.

"She was never permitted to before," Stella answered with a smirk. "Her behaviour changed with changed permissions. She has not broken anything. Are you harassing Lady Musa, Madame Darcy? I would hate to waken the king at this hour with such nonsense. I do prefer to settle things as ladies."

"Listen here!" Darcy yelled, shoving Musa aside and standing in Stella's space. Stella did not seem fazed. "I am the advisor to the king. What I do here is none of your business. You do wise to leave the king alone."

"Madame Darcy!" a new voice yelled from down the hall.

Darcy's eyes widened as she stared at Stella. The smirk on the blonde's face simply widened at the interruption. Darcy whipped around and saw Prince Riven walking down the hallway towards them, with Sir Darien and Sir Hammon behind him. The prince looked annoyed as he walked towards the group in his normal clothing. Had the man never gone to bed or had the knights woken him up? If the latter, he was a quick dresser. Musa and Stella, acting the part as always, dropped into curtseys once the prince stood in front of them. The prince stood tall with his hands behind his back as he stared annoyed at Darcy.

'Ah ah, oh oh…'

Musa suddenly widened her eyes at hearing the echo. She looked at Stella, seeing that she had not heard it, but she noticed Darcy's body go rigid.

"Please tell me, Madame Darcy, that I did not see you yelling at Princess Stella?" The prince asked, his eyes staring daggers at the witch.

Darcy returned the icy glare to the prince. "I did not yell, Your Highness."

The prince rolled his eyes. "Princess Stella is a guest of the crown. You are under strict orders to be respectful. Am I clear?"

"But Your Highness….Princess Stella was interrupting my-"

"Did I stutter?" The prince said, mimicking his father.

Musa's heart jumped at the warning tone of Riven's voice and glare. She saw his father in him at that moment. Stella just stood behind the witch trying to hold back her laugh. Darcy kept her mouth shut as she continued to stare at the prince.

'Ah ah, oh oh….'

Darcy broke her gaze with the prince and looked around the hallway as Musa pretended not to hear. Suddenly Musa started to feel a slight warmth on her chest before something grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Musa turned to her right and noticed Stella and positioned herself almost in front of Musa. Stella's grip tightened around Musa's wrist causing her to panic. The warmth intensified to the point where Musa could feel sweat forming on her brow. She subtly looked down and noticed a light subtly appearing from the top edges of her nightgown along her chest. Musa bit her lip to hide the gasp. Stella's sudden movement caught both the Valkarian's eyes and witch's.

Darcy took a step closer to Stella and stared at the pair, her body tensed like a panther ready to strike. Stella kept her face neutral as she returned the witch's stare. Musa tried to return the same neutral expression, despite the heat on her chest and glow. The prince stared at the pair for a second, noticing the way Stella protected her friend before turning his attention back towards Darcy.

"Am I clear, Darcy?" The prince repeated, his tone forcing the witch to turn back towards him.

"Did you not hear that?" Darcy hissed, ignoring the prince's question.

Sir Hammon and Sir Darien raised eyebrows at the witch while the prince rolled his eyes. Despite Musa knowing that the prince had to keep up the appearance that he was indifferent towards her, she could tell from his eyes that he was starting to lose his patience with Darcy.

"Hear what, Madam Darcy?" Sir Hammon eventually replied with a bored tone.

Darcy looked around the hallway again, like a mosquito was annoying buzzing around her head and she wanted to smack it.

"That echo!" Darcy exclaimed.

Musa heart skipped a beat at the reply. How could the witch hear the echo but not her own friends? The prince sighed with annoyance and started massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. Musa and Stella subtly looked over the prince's shoulder and could not help but notice Sir Darien failing miserably to hide the smirk on his face at the prince's reaction and the witch's odd behaviour.

"Madame Darcy!" The prince yelled, causing all three ladies to jump. "It is two o'clock in the morning and I not only find you out here harassing not one but two young ladies, but you are also ignoring your prince's questions and, quite frankly, your behaviour is so ridiculous of that of a member of the court that I am losing my patience."

'Ah ah, oh oh…..'

"There it is again!" Darcy yelled in annoyance.

Stella could not help the snort that came out of her mouth at watching the witch's annoyance. The heat was starting to get to Musa, and she carefully placed her other hand on Stella's back to keep her from fainting. The witch spun till she faced Stella and glared at her.

"You dare mock me, pixie?"

"Madame Darcy, calm yourself!" Prince Riven warned.

The witch was too annoyed to listen to the royal's orders. Stella smirked at the witch.

"What is there to mock, Madame Darcy?" Stella replied innocently. "As the prince has made it clear, your behaviour is embarrassing you enough as it is."

Musa had never heard someone outright insult the witch like her friend did. She was so shocked that even she, with her mastery of hiding one's feelings, could not fight her mouth from opening like a fish. Musa's expression caught the witch's attention and her gaze drifted over.

"And you!" Darcy growled. "I know you are up to something, you little wench. I know this is all your doing."

The prince's stance straightened, and his eyes grew dark as he stared intently at the witch from behind. Funnily enough, Darcy was wrong this time. Musa had no idea what was causing the echo, but it certainly was not her.

"Madame Darcy!" The prince yelled but it still fell on deaf ears.

'Ah ah, oh oh…'

"Everyone in the court has not seen a hair of you over several days. Your pretty eyes and sucking up may have the king fooled, but I can assure you, Siren, that your call will not fool me."

"Madame Darcy…." Sir Darien dragged out, warning the witch as he looked at his prince.

'Ah ah, oh oh…'

"Remember your station here. You are our prisoner. You belong to us."

Musa and Stella were in so much shock at the witch's lack of self-control as she verbally gave the pair a slam, that they barely noticed Sir Hammon place his left hand on Sir Darien's right shoulder and subtly took them a few steps away from the prince.

"I intend to spend every second that you are alive ensuring that you remember your place. And if I find that you have been lying to us this whole time, I can assure you that your life will end right then and there."

It all happened so fast. Before Darcy could add more to her tirade, the prince shot forward like lightening. He shot towards the witch's back, pinned her wrists in his left hand behind her back and grabbed the back of her collar with the right hand and forced the witch up against the wall of the hallway. Stella and Musa took a step back in surprise, the blonde unable to hold the gasp of shock from her mouth. The two knights merely stood in their new place, unfazed by the prince's sudden action. The force of the impact caused Darcy to swallow her words as her face was turned to the side by the position. The prince leant into the witch, his face next to hers, and his voice deadly serious and calm.

"I will say this once and once only, Darcy," the prince growled. "You are to remember your place in this palace. If I find you threatening a guest of the king again, then it shall be your life that ends then and there. Do I make myself clear?"

'Ah ah, oh oh…'

Musa could not take the heat anymore, it started to burn her skin and she was going to faint, despite the action happening in front of her. Musa gripped her friend's dress, the only sign she could give before suddenly, a small burst of light burst from the crystal on her chest to the ceiling. The two women tensed at the light while the rest of the entourage stared in shock at the light as it dissipated into the air. Musa was ready to vomit as the fear bubbled in her gut and tears sprung to her eyes. Magic.

Magic shot out of her crystal, and in front of Darcy and the prince. Before Musa could think of an excuse, Stella kicked her leg back, digging her heel into Musa's shin. Musa gasped in pain, distracting her from her fear and heat on her chest and fell to her knees. Stella's left hand glowed yellow, similar to the colour that shot out of the crystal, as she bent over to her friend.

"My dear," Stella said sympathetically. "I am so sorry. The sudden display by the prince took me off guard and I kicked you as we stepped back. I thought brightening up the hallway would help me check you over."

Staring down at Musa, Stella's face showed no fear, but apologies. However, if you looked deep into her eyes, you could see the fear in them and hope that the cover story worked. The prince looked at the pair for a second before turning back to the witch in his grasp, unfazed by the interruption. Musa and Stella let out a sigh of relief, as Stella pretended to look at her friend's shin before helping her to her feet and removing the light. Musa looked down and saw that the crystal light had disappeared, and the heat was gone. Musa grabbed Stella's hand in both of hers and tightly squeezed in appreciation. Stella, not one for missing out on gossip, turned to focus on the scene before them.

Darcy, her gaze still on the ceiling had yet to acknowledge the prince yet again. The prince growled in annoyance and tightened his grip on the witch, earning a gasp of pain out of her. She might sound sadistic, but Musa felt a tinge of satisfaction that someone was finally inflicting pain on Darcy and not the other way around.

"I am tired of being ignored, Darcy!" The prince growled. "If you do not answer me now, I will send you to the dungeon. You may be a witch but here you are the king's advisor. You take orders from us, and we do not tolerate disobedience. Now, for the last time, if you harass another guest of the crown one more time, it will be your last. Your job is to assist the king. Back off, Darcy."

Darcy growled in annoyance, angrily staring at Stella and Musa before responding. "Yes…Sire…."

The prince held on to Darcy for a few more seconds before he released her and stepped away. Darcy immediately straightened up and massaged her wrists to rid the redness from the prince's grip.

"Go directly back to your quarters, Darcy. Dismissed," the prince growled.

Without another word, Darcy gave a quick bow before disappearing into the shadows. The group was silent as the prince stared into the shadows with a glare. After a minute of silence, the prince spoke, his eyes never wavering from the shadows.

"Sir Darien, please escort Princess Stella to her quarters. Sir Hammon, ensure that Darcy follows orders."

"Yes, Sire," the pair said before Sir Hammon bowed and walked off to head to Darcy's quarters.

Sir Darien walked over to Stella and gestured with his arm to lead him the way, waiting for her to leave. Stella looked at Musa, noticing the fear had left her face.

"Thank you, Prince Riven," Stella said, looking at the prince.

The comment caught the prince's attention and he looked at the princess.

"I apologise for Darcy's behaviour. It will not happen again."

Stella's face finally fell of its façade, and she gave a real smile to the prince. Musa was shocked at the niceness that Stella was displaying towards him. Was it genuine or was she trying to keep up appearances since they needed him for the rebellion?

"I believe you," Stella said before she curtseyed and walked off with Sir Darien.

Musa watched as her friend left, her heart rate slowly returning to normal. Musa wanted nothing more than to jump in a bath or shower and rid herself of that night. She also wanted to check that the crystal's unusual behaviour had not burned her skin. Musa stared at the hallway end that Stella had just left before a hand on her waist caught her attention. Musa jumped, pulling away from the hand, and turned to face the prince. The prince raised an eyebrow at Musa's response. Musa had never felt so scared in her life. They were a knife's edge away from being caught with a crystal, Darcy had cornered Musa as she left her secret room and saw the prince in action. Truth be told, she was grateful for his help with Darcy but his reaction to her made her remember just who he exactly was. It was a reminder that she clearly needed. She was forgetting who and what he was – a Valkarian warrior prince that could kill without hesitation. Who would kill Musa the second he smelt treachery. Why did she keep forgetting that?

"Are you alright?" the prince asked gently, never moving from his spot in front of her to avoid her jumping again.

Musa did not know how to respond. Should she lie? Should she be honest? She did not know exactly what she was truly feeling at that moment anyway so the truth could not hurt.

"I do not know," Musa answered sadly, looking away from him.

The prince held Musa's chin and gently turned it so she was staring into his eyes.

"I am sorry you had to see that," Riven said.

Another apology in the span of a few days from the prince. Musa would never had believed it if she had not seen it with her own eyes. Not only that, of all the things the prince would have said in that moment, Musa would not have guessed that.

"She crossed the line and had to be dealt with immediately or she would think she could get away with it again."

Musa nodded her head. She knew that. That was obvious. It was not the fact Darcy was disciplined. Musa enjoyed that part. It was the shocking reminder of what he was capable of.

"I did promise that you were safe with me. Darcy was giving you trouble. That alone was not going to stand with me. Her behaviour to Princess Stella and her insubordination just added to the list."

"I know that," Musa said truthfully. "Thank you for what you did."

"You still fear me though."

Musa was about to deny his statement, but the prince cut her off by kissing her quickly and gently on the lips.

"It is ok," he said calmly. "After her behaviour towards you, I can understand. I see my words are not enough to convince you so I hope my actions will."

Musa could not help the small blush that appeared on her cheeks at the prince's words. How was he so eloquent for such a rough exterior?

"They are not doing bad," Musa answered causing a smirk to appear on Riven's face. "What were you doing here anyway?"

The prince was silent for a few seconds as his eyes drifted over Musa. After being so close to the prince the last few weeks, Musa knew exactly what he was doing. He had done the same thing after the incident with Sir Jet. His eyes were subtly tracking her entire body to see if she was hurt. With Sir Jet, he was assessing how bad the damage was, but the intent was the same and Musa kind of liked it.

"I was awoken for patrols," the prince eventually answered.

The answer confused Musa. Judging from Stella's reaction upon seeing the witch, she had assumed that she had convinced Sir Darien to fetch him. The girls did agree to get his knights cosied up to them but perhaps Stella was losing her touch and had not gotten the knight wrapped around her finger that quickly yet.

"The prince is doing patrols? That is very nice of you," Musa joked.

"How can I expect my men to do the mundane tasks and risk their lives in battle if I not do the same?"

The response shocked Musa. She suddenly had a small bit of respect for the prince after that comment. Only a little – let us not get ahead of ourselves. The prince smirked in response and slowly walked closer to Musa and wrapped his arm around her waist again. When Musa did not jump away this time, he gently turned her, and the pair started walking back the way Riven had come from.

"My quarters are the other way, Riven," Musa whispered.

"I know," he replied.

The pair were quiet as they walked down numerous hallways, trying not to wake anyone else. The pair seemed to have an unspoken agreement that the less people were awake, the easier it was for them to sneak around together. After a few minutes of walking in silence, Riven opened a door and gently put Musa on top of something soft. Without a word, he stepped away and turned on a light. Musa's eyes closed in response, the sudden light hurting her eyes. After adjusting, she finally opened her eyes and saw that Riven had taken her to the doctor's area. Musa felt uncomfortable sitting in the room for the first time since Sir Jet. The prince seemed to sense Musa's discomfort and walked over and ran his hands up and down her arms.

"Everything is fine," Riven said, kissing Musa's forehead. "I just wanted to check your leg."

Her leg? Right…..Stella's quick thinking plan turned minor injury. Musa had almost forgotten about that. The prince pulled a chair in front of Musa on the examination bench. Waiting for a nod from Musa, who nervously gave it, Riven held Musa's leg, placed the foot on one of his legs, and lifted her nightgown high enough to inspect her shin. Musa suddenly felt embarrassed at the situation and fought the urge to pull away from him, but to save face she pushed it down. The prince was silent as he checked Musa's leg. Without a word, he turned in his seat, grabbed a small jar, and gently lathered small amounts of gel from the jar onto Musa's shin. The coolness surprised Musa for a second before it warmed against her skin.

"Nothing serious, just a bruise," Riven said as he gently rubbed the ointment into Musa's skin.

"What is it?"

"An old remedy from Valkaris. We call it the warriors ointment. It has natural ingredients aimed to reduce swelling, pain, muscle fatigue, and increase recovery."

The remedy sounded something like Flora would love to get her hands on, Musa thought.

'Ah ah, oh oh…..'

"May I see?" Musa asked.

Riven nodded and handed Musa the jar and read the ingredients as he grabbed a small light weight bandage next to him and started wrapping it around the bruise. If the gesture were not so oddly sweet, Musa would have thought that the bandage was over kill.

Wintergreen, Lavender, Peppermint, Aloe Vera, Camphor, Helichrysum, Golden Dewdrop.

The last ingredient made Musa gasp and drop the jar. Riven's quick reflexes caught the jar before it smashed on the floor. He placed it on the table and looked at Musa with concern.

"What is wrong?"

"The ingredients. There is Golden Dewdrop in it!"

The prince smiled at Musa's reaction, seeing it as an overreaction.

"Yes, our herbalists have used it for years for ointments. The leaf properties prevent the ointment from expiring."

"But….but that is….."

The prince's face fell and went neutral, hiding his emotions from Musa.

"I know what Golden Dewdrop is," he said grimly. "I see people have been talking around you."

Crap. Musa forgot that Riven had not told her what killed the queen. Musa had just read it in her mother's journal.

"I…I ah…..sorry….I just overhead…." Musa stuttered out.

The room went eerily silent as the prince finished wrapping the bandage around her leg. Musa wanted to throw herself out of the window. She had made the entire situation awkward. In the prince's eyes, she was the embodiment of a society that was blamed for murdering his mother. And she had shown a big light on the subject that neither could avoid.

"Courtiers love to gossip. It is almost impossible to ignore hearing something," Riven eventually said. "There, you should be fine by tonight."

'Ah ah, oh oh…..'

Riven was about to step out of the seat when Musa gently grabbed his hand. It was a reflex. She had no idea what made her do it.

"Do not do that," Musa blurted out without thinking. Musa was stunned by the comment as much as the prince was. Well, no going back now. "Do not shut yourself off. I….I know how it is without her."

There she goes again. Digging the hole even bigger! Now she brought up the fact that Riven was the embodiment of a society that killed her mother. What a pair. The prince cleared his throat as he turned to pack away the items back in the cupboards.

"Am I….am I safe using this?" Musa nervously asked.

The prince froze his movements and turned to face Musa. "Do you really think that I would try to poison you? You think so low of me?"

Musa wanted the ground to swallow her whole then and there.

"No!" Musa exclaimed, jumping down from the bench, "That is not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Musa was silent for a few seconds. "Go on, I know what you want to say."

"I…..I do not….how can something so deadly be so comforting?"

'Ah ah, oh oh…'

"Are we still talking about the plant or are we talking about something else?"

Musa was talking about the plant. What was he talking about?

"The plant…" Musa answered with confusion.

The prince did not respond immediately. "The plant is only poisonous if ingested. If you have sensitive skin, then you should wash the ointment off immediately if you get a reaction. You should…."

The prince stopped himself before he finished the sentence, but the damage had already been done. Musa raised her eyebrows in shock and felt her heart sink.

"Oh no," Musa angrily said. "No, you do not get to stop there. If I am not allowed to stop my sentence, then neither should you. Go on, finish what you were about to say."

The prince was silent as he looked away from Musa.

"You should know that," Musa hissed out. "That was what you were about to say, was it not? How can you say that? You told me to trust you! Well, funny, here is me thinking that it went both ways."

"Look, Musa, I-"

"Nope," Musa interrupted. "No, do not try to talk your way out of that. You thought it, you believe it. Well, since I have your permission, Your Highness, to speak freely, let me say something that I have been dying to say to a Valkarian for years. My people did not hurt your mother. We are not responsible for her death. And as you so wonderfully proved to me, the plant responsible is found on many realms aside from Melody, including Valkaris. Now, I am very sorry for what happened to your mother, truly I am. But my people do not deserve that blame. My mother did not deserve what happened."

"We should not be talking about this."

'Ah ah, oh oh…'

"Too late!" Musa yelled. "You brought it up. If this is to work, then we should get it all out on the table. Melody was not responsible for your mother's death! I am not responsible for your mother's death."

"I know you are not responsible!" Riven yelled back, his eyes brightening.

"Then why would you say something like that?"

"Because the plant is also on Melody! I thought you would know what it can do since it is here."

"I was too young to be taught many things about Melody!"

"That is not my fault!"

"Yes, it is!"

The room went silent as soon as the words fell from Musa's mouth. Musa brought her hands to her mouth in shock as the prince's demeanour suddenly changed. His eyes went dark, his face lost all expression, and he stood tall and rigid. Musa wanted to smack herself for what she said. How could she have let her emotions spiral so out of control like that?

"I said we should not be talking about this," the prince said grimly.

Musa needed to fix the situation fast or all her effort would have been in vain. The thought of the prince walking out the door right then somehow scared her. She was scared that she would lose the rebellion, scared that her treason to her people to kiss a Valkarian would be for nothing, scared that she would be punished by the king.

"Riven…I know it is not your fault."

Riven scoffed. "Do not lie to me. Just as you said, you want me to trust you, despite saying that?"

Musa could not help the tears that fell from her eyes as she stared at the prince. They had both said things they were not proud of. They had bad history, mainly between their parents, but Musa hated to say it, the prince personally never did anything bad towards her.

"We…..we cannot change the past, Riven."

"This cannot work if we do not trust each other. This was a mistake."

The prince turned to leave the room but Musa, out of panic, ran to him and grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.

"No, you cannot do this," Musa said, wiping her tears with her free hand.

"Then do you expect us to do, Musa?"

"I just know you cannot walk out like this," Musa cried softly.

She was desperate to keep her plan from failing. She was desperate for him to not leave that room, or she would never salvage the plan again.

"I am sorry for what I said. I know you did not do anything to me. I do not know what is wrong with me. I….I cannot sleep. I…..I dreamt about that day. The last time my mother was here. You were there! I remember you being there, and you saved me from Darcy. Then you do it again tonight. That is why I was in the library. I wanted to escape. I cannot….I cannot handle what is happening. I am feeling so many things that I cannot think straight when I am around you. I hear voices whenever you are around, when I think of you, when I dream of you. I do not know what any of this means. Please tell me what this means!"

Riven hauled Musa against his chest without warning, halting her monologue. Before Musa knew what he was even about, Riven's mouth was on hers, stealing her breath and scattering her thoughts. The kiss was hot and raw, a clash of lips and teeth. Musa was reminded again of how the prince held himself back when he kissed her, and how much he hid. It was his power. His raw power that would harm anyone he wanted and yet she only ever got his gentle side when they were alone.

Musa could not help the moan that escaped her lips when she felt one of Riven's hands slip into her hair, gently tugging it to give him better access to her lips. The other, took her waist firmly and pushed her body up against the nearest wall. If Musa had been paying attention, she would have had flashbacks to Riven pining Darcy to the wall but this way, Musa could not deny that she liked it.

"You remember that day," Riven repeated between kisses.

"Yes," Musa gasped, her arms wrapped around the prince's neck.

"I know it is not your fault," Musa lied, earning an appreciative growl from Riven before he peppered kisses down the side of her neck.

"I know it was not you," Riven said into Musa's ear. "I knew the moment I saw you."

Musa would take that at least. At least the prince knew Musa was not responsible for his mother's death. It just begged the question, who really was? The pair were too caught up in their argument that they failed to notice a dark figure standing by the slightly opened doorway to the room. Although the pair were successful in keeping quiet as they roamed the hallways, they forgot that walls echo and voices travel. So, when one courtier overheard the prince's raised voice, they investigated to find the prince making out with the Siren.

"You think you can fool me, Siren, and keep the prince for yourself? Well, we shall see about that."


Sorry to end on a cliff hangar but I promise the next chapter will come soon and will be so worth it! There are plenty of chapters coming so this story is far from over. Please R/R and let me know your thoughts.

Till next time!

~AngelAlexandra~