Hi loyal readers! Thank you so much for being so patient with this update. Life has been crazy and finding a moment to write long chapters has been difficult and I hate giving small chapters to stories. I hope this makes up for the wait.

I cannot believe this story has over 200 reviews! It is so incredible and I cannot thank you all enough. Writing has always been a passion of mine but to be so lucky to have so much support is amazing! Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed or followed this story and any others I have written. Particularly those of you who cut out of work early or paused what they were doing to read my stories - that just makes my day hearing that and I hope no one got into trouble ;)

Special shout out to the following people for reviewing the previous chapter:

Saraaaaaaaa, Melanie, You Don't Know Me150, AngelCutire ChildAtHeart, Whelefhie, EmotionalBerry, PigtailswithBangs, and all the Guest reviewers!

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

Now, on to the chapter! Enjoy :)


Tecna felt guilty as she heard the whispers throughout the stronghold that afternoon about the princess' meltdown in the Solarian sunroom. She sat at the table in the large cafeteria, her fresh salad sitting before her uneaten, as she heard fairies and warriors scattered around her whispering.

'I heard she collapsed in the sunroom' one person whispered to two fairies at her table.

'She mistrusts us all. How can we follow her?' a wizard said to a few men at his table in front of Tecna.

'I heard Madam Darcy bewitched her.'

At that last comment, Tecna pushed her chair out, forcing it to slam against the tiled floor, the echo causing everyone in the large eating space to stop and stare. The last woman immediately stopped her comment as she turned around and saw the death glare from the princess' handmaiden. Clearly no one in the room took notice of her presence. Well, Tecna thought, that would be last mistake they all made.

"How dare you speak so ill of my princess," Tecna hissed refusing to take her eyes off the woman.

Tecna could not pin where the woman was from. Her mother could have been Solarian and her father from elsewhere judging by her eyes and facial features so Tecna thought she must have been from Magix. As far as she heard from the other rebels, Magix had no royal leader so marrying amongst other people was common, so to was freely stating opinions of her princess. The woman's face went bright red, and her eyes turned into saucers causing Tecna to smirk.

"What? Got nothing to say now that Princess Musa's confidant is standing before you. If you or any of you here have something to say about my princess, please, say it to my face."

A lot of people, as Tecna scanned her eyes around the room, looked down at their meals with embarrassment and shame. Others awkwardly stirred their forks or spoons amongst their meals trying to avoid the tension. Tecna was about to say something further when she felt a presence stand next to her, their hand resting casually on the weapons strapped to their hip.

"You are all here for one goal," the man standing next to Tecna exclaimed. "And that is to protect the Melodian royal family and save their people. Gossip or any disrespect towards them will not be tolerated."

Again, the room fell silent. A few members of the army scattered throughout the room stood up from their seats and nodded their heads towards Tecna. After Tecna swept her eyes around the room a second time, she was satisfied that she had embarrassed them enough and learnt their lesson. She nodded her head towards the standing guards before picking up her chair and sitting back down at the table, looking at her forgotten salad.

A soft exhale sounded next to Tecna and suddenly the man next to her walked around the table and took the empty chair sitting across from her. A head of bright orange hair came into her view and the man gave Tecna a small smile.

"How does it seem like I always catch you in a precarious position?" Timmy joked.

Tecna felt heat rise to her cheeks at the statement, but she refused to let it show. She slowly brought her eyes up to meet the ex-Sir Lance before her.

"How does it seem like you are always following me?"

Timmy chuckled causing goosebumps to rise on Tecna's arms. She clearly was not cold since she wore sleeves on her shoulders and long pants but of course she would never admit it. Timmy smirked at Tecna causing a slight dimple to form in one of his cheeks. Good god, Tecna needed to get a grip.

"Let us analyse the facts, shall we?" Timmy replied before clearing his throat and putting on a fake serious voice. "You fell into my arms while cleaning, you were about to get arrested by a Valkarian knight during our rounds, and you were about to let loose a tirade to end all tirades amongst our associates. Tell me, how in any way is that following you?"

Tecna was silent for a few seconds. When he put it that way, her argument was flawed but she could not admit defeat.

"You came up behind me while cleaning-"

"I needed to pass on a message from the prince," Timmy interrupted.

"I did not know that you were doing rounds then, and these people deserved it."

Timmy chuckled again. "But you must admit that each time you were in a precarious position and needed my help."

Tecna gave a playful glare to Timmy, causing that stupid dimple to appear on his cheek again.

"The only thing I admit, Sir Lance," Timmy chuckled. "Is that you may have prevented a concussion when we first met."

"I can accept that although you could not have jumped out of my arms quick enough if you had tried."

"At the time I thought you were a Valkarian knight."

"Be that as it may, I had done no ill will against you since we met so how did my being a Valkarian offend you?"

Tecna pushed her salad to the side as annoyance surged through her.

"Before you insinuate what I think you are insinuating, let me make this perfectly clear. You were pretending to be a Valkarian knight, part of a team that followed Princess Musa everywhere she went, prevented her freedom and forcing her to hide who she was. That is a Valkarian knight – not their blood but what you helped do to her. That is what I found offensive. I am sitting before all these Valkarians with no ill will or offense because they are on the right side of history. They are not stealing other people's freedoms. It would be the same if a Solarian was a knight in that palace and treated Musa that way."

Tecna was about to stand and walk away when a hand grabbed hers. Tecna jolted and stared at Timmy's hand clasping over hers. She looked up and saw sincerity in his eyes.

"I apologise," Timmy said softly. "I did not mean to offend, and I was not insinuating anything. I just did not like the idea of you thinking badly of me. Riven has had to overcome a lot of negative feelings towards him, even at Red Fountain. We, as his friends, were also subjected to that at one time. It is still nice to see people like you feel as we did back then. We did not judge Riven based on his family's actions."

"Still, it must have taken a while."

"It did," Timmy nodded. "He was not the easiest to get along with when he first arrived. He was very closed off, refused to let anyone get close and never talked about himself. Just arrived, moved into his dorm quietly, sat at the back of the class and was always one of the first to leave afterwards."

"How has he changed then?" Tecna joked causing Timmy to laugh. A deep laugh that went through to Tecna's soul.

"His father may have done terrible things but one of the only best decisions he has made was letting Riven attend Red Fountain."

"I thought sending Riven there was the king's choice?"

Timmy shook his head. "Riven fought his father for years to let him attend. He finally convinced his father when he said he would learn more skills in fighting and leading an army there. Well, he was right about that."

"So how did he go from being the Valkarian prince to the rebel leader at Red Fountain?"

"That is unfortunately not my story to tell, Tecna. One that I am sure he would eventually be willing to share."

Tecna sighed. She should have known that question was a long shot.

"Fine," Tecna sighed. "Then let me ask you this-"

"More questions? I am shocked," Timmy joked causing Tecna to playfully throw a piece of lettuce at the man.

"When Musa and I first heard about the rebellion, Zenith was not an ally. What made them change their mind?"

"Why are you asking me about Zenith?" Timmy asked with a knowing smile.

"Because I know you are from Zenith."

"Sort of," Timmy replied causing Tecna to stare at him in shock. "My father was from Zenith and my mother was from Magix. I was born on Zenith before moving to Magix. My father once worked with yours, actually."

Tecna froze at the comment. She rarely spoke about what happened with her family. Timmy looked at her with concern and tightened his hold on her hand. Tecna did not even realise his hand was still on top of hers until then.

"It was I who convinced the Zenithian royal family to join the rebellion. Your father was a great inventor on Zenith, Tecna. He was responsible for a lot of things we now take for granted there. When he moved you two to Melody he still worked for the royal family."

"Then why did they stand by and let my father die at Valkarian hands?" Tecna hissed, pulling her hand away from Timmy's.

"I cannot answer that, Tecna, I am sorry. But, when I heard from Riven that Electronio's daughter was still alive and working as the princess' handmaiden, I had to get the royal family involved. Zenith owes it to your family to protect you. My father always spoke highly of your father."

Tecna was silent as she stared down at her hands, unable to process the new information.

"So, I should thank you for Zenith's involvement in the rebellion?"

"Of course not. I am just sorry that it took us a long time to get to you. When I finally met you in person, it was hard not to break cover."

"Why? Because all of Zenith thought I was dead?"

"Well that but mainly…just….I was amazed by you."

"Amazed?" Tecna repeated with confusion as she brought her gaze back to Timmy. The orange haired man rubbing the back of his neck with embarrassment.

"Your mother died when you were a baby, or so I have heard, then your father died at the hands of someone else and left you alone in a foreign realm. You were forced into servitude, hiding your magic in fear of punishment and yet you still showed such strength in protecting the princess and standing up to the Valkarians, even myself when you thought I was one."

"Compliance is not courage, Timmy. I should have fought harder. Compliance is just allowing people to treat us that way."

Timmy's face lit up with a large smile, causing dimples to appear on both cheeks now. Tecna raised an eyebrow in response.

"Why are you smiling?"

"That is the first time I have heard you say my name since discovering who I really am."

"Oh," Tecna said in embarrassment. She had not even noticed.

"Your strength to keep going even after all of that tragedy is what amazed me, Tecna. Your defiance towards me was also amusing."

"I was not trying to be amusing."

"I know," Timmy smirked. "It intrigued me. You intrigue me."

"Really?"

Timmy nodded his head. "Yeah, you do. I have wanted to get to know you for a while and may have accidentally broken my cover once or twice."

"I….I did not notice…"

"I can see that."

Tecna could not stop the blush that appeared on her face, so she tried to look away but the feeling of Timmy's hands on hers stopped her.

"Don't look away, Tecna," Timmy said softly. "I see you and I want to get to know you further if you would let me."

"I…How can you? I have practically lived a sheltered lifestyle. I have nothing to offer. You may not like what you find out."

"I beg to differ. I see a strong beautiful woman who has finally tasted freedom and will do amazing things with that newfound freedom. I want to be able to see it. I want to get to know this amazing woman if she would let me."

Tecna was silent, unsure of how to respond. A part of her wanted to scream out in happiness, knowing that this amazing guy had noticed her and wanted to get to know her as she did him, but the other side was scared. He may not like what he saw.

"If she does let me, it would be greatest honour and reward. If she does not, then I can live with that for I know that I have tried. Just know that I will help her anyway I can regardless. Tecna, you do not have to answer right now but know that the Zenith royal family allowed me to join the rebellion on their behalf. My main mission is not only to help the Melodian royal family but also to help you."

"I….I do not understand what you are saying."

"I want to help you because I wanted to from the start, never doubt that. I want to get to know you because I love what I have seen so far and want to get to know you further, but once this war is over and we win, the royal family want me to return you home to Zenith."

"What? L-leave Musa, her father. Leave them behind when they need me most? So, you are getting close to make your mission easier?"

"No! Not at all. As I said, do not doubt that I have always wanted to help you on my own. It is just that you have family on Zenith. Both of your grandparents are still alive on Zenith and the royal family want to protect you. They kept your father's old lab and office safe since he moved to Melody and will give that to you when you return. They want you to take his place as lead inventor of Zenith. They have also offered you asylum if you want to leave the rebellion too. Just say the word and I will take you home."

Tecna immediately stook up from her chair in shock causing Timmy to slowly stand up to meet her shocked gaze.

"Abandon the rebellion? You cannot be serious."

"I am not asking you to do that. I am simply giving you all the information available to you. If you want to go home to your family at any time, Zenith will protect you. I will escort you back whenever you want."

"I will not leave Musa right when she needs me most. I cannot believe I was stupid into thinking you were telling me the truth, that you wanted to know me."

"That is the truth," Timmy said, rushing around the table to stand in front of Tecna. "I do want to get to know you, very much so. Everything I just said was the truth, but I could not live with myself if I kept that information from you. It would hurt me knowing that you wanted to go home to see your family and I was the one who prevented you from doing that all because I was selfish and wanted you here with me."

Tecna again was stunned into silence. Timmy looked around the room and saw that a few people had started turning their way again. He quickly grabbed Tecna's hands and led her out of the lunch area to one of the abandoned hallways, away from prying eyes.

"I should have told you the minute that we got here but I was afraid that you would have jumped at the chance to be home, and I would never get the chance to tell you that I think you are a strong, amazing, beautiful woman. Your courage and bravery to stay by Musa's side is admirable and the fact you kept going on after losing both of your parents is inspiring. No one, not even I, can match your intelligence, and anyone who has had the pleasure of being in your presence should be honoured. You grace everyone, even those who do not deserve it, with kindness. I have seen it. I have watched you do this every day since I turned up on Melody. I want to get to know you, Tecna, and if you had gone home then I would not get that opportunity for I must see this rebellion through. It is my duty as a specialist, and I must keep my friends and other Zenithians safe."

Tecna was staring at Timmy in shock, frozen by the man's sudden explosion of words. Had she really made that much of an impression on the man without even realising it? He was rarely with her alone when he was undercover but since he was playing the role of a knight, he could have been watching her for longer than she realised. Though the idea that he wanted to be selfish and not tell her that she could go home at any point just so he could know her better was in an odd way flattering. Leave Musa, though, she could not do it. They had both sacrificed so much to get to this point and just to turn around and leave the first chance she got left a sour taste in Tecna's mouth. Tecna's silence made Timmy nervous. She still had not said a word and he feared that him blurting out the Queen's request may have been the wrong move.

"Tecna, I cannot imagine what you are thinking at this point, and I know you are overwhelmed by everything. I apologise for blurting all of this out but if you do go to Zenith and I had not told you this then I would regret it for the rest of my life."

Would Tecna? If she left with him to Zenith, would she regret it? If she let Timmy walk away know thinking he blew his chance, would she regret it? Would she regret not taking a leap like he did? He said that he liked everything that he saw so far but she was hiding a part of herself. Would anyone want her once this was all over and she finally showed the magical dimension who she was? Isn't freedom meaning that she had the choice to do whatever she wanted without fear, so when a handsome, smart, funny guy was standing before her asking for a chance but also promising to whisk her away from danger why was she not taking it? She finally has the freedom to put herself out there!

"Again, Tecna, you do not have to give an answer right now" Timmy rambled but before he could continue, the words died on his tongue when a pair of soft lips suddenly slammed against his.

Once the sudden shock passed, Tecna felt Timmy's lips move over hers so gently, so tenderly. It was the type of sweet slow kiss one dreamt about for their first time. Such a tender kiss as if he was learning the shape and feel of Tecna's mouth against his. Too soon, the pair broke apart and leant their foreheads against each other.

"I am staying," Tecna said firmly. "And so are you. I need you here, I want you here."

The smile on Timmy's face spoke louder than volume, showing both dimples in his cheeks before the pair moved closer and their lips touched again. His mouth found hers, and this time the kiss went deeper. Tecna melted into him as his tongue stroked her lips, gently parting them. Small shivers ran all over Tecna's body, and she knew that they would both end up breathless afterwards.


Musa was grateful that she had run into Headmistress Faragonda. The elderly woman was such a breath of fresh air for Musa and gave her hope that strength did not discriminate between ages. The Alfea headmistress sat with Musa the entire time she spoke to her long-lost warriors, hearing their stories from the dungeons to when the prince freed them, and the rebellion forces grew. She felt like a small child that eagerly heard the tales of war and freedom from people she felt like long distance relatives. Although Faragonda said little once the pair entered the training arena, having her presence gave Musa support. She did not feel like she had to hide her emotions from the woman, or from the men in front of her. They did not mock or blink an eye when silent tears ran down her face upon hearing the mental torment of the dungeons as they waited for execution, and the look of disbelief at their rescue. Even some of the fiercest looking men in front of her could not hide the shine of tears in their eyes when they spoke of their failure to protect the royal family. The whole discussion brought some form of closure to both Musa and those who followed her.

Once the pair had left the men to resume their training, Musa should have felt mentally and emotionally drained but in fact she felt the opposite. She felt rejuvenated and determined. Just as the doors closed behind them, Musa spun to face Faragonda, the headmistress giving her a confused look in return.

"Is there somewhere private that my father conducts meetings in?" Musa asked, lifting her head high.

The question caught Faragonda off guard. She thought that after the breakdown in the sunroom to the realisation that most of her warriors had been spared would have drained her and she was going to escort the princess to her room.

"Yes, Your Highness," Faragonda replied with a smile. "The war room – the same one Tecna took you after you awoke."

"Can you take me there? I need to have a word with someone."

Faragonda gave a knowing smile to Musa and nodded her head before starting down the hallway. Musa was hot on Faragonda's heels as she looked around the different hallways and doors they went through, forcing the route to her mind. If this was going to be the rebellion stronghold, then she was going to memorise it, just in case someone was to invade their hideout. She did not want to be caught helpless again. As before, each time they passed members of the rebellion, they immediately stopped and bowed in front of her only this time Musa gave a simple nod in return. She hesitated for a second when they were Valkarian, but she thought that no one noticed.

Soon, the familiar doors appeared in front of Musa and Faragonda opened one and turned to the young princess. She held out her hand ushering her inside.

"It is undisturbed, Your Highness," Faragonda said with a smile. "Shall I go send for someone?"

"How do you know who I wish to speak with?"

Faragonda smiled again. "I heard the same stories and spoke to the same men as you did, Your Highness. Men that you have not seen for a long time, ones who were sworn to protect you and your mother. I know exactly who you want to speak with."

"Then please," Musa responded.

Faragonda nodded her head and watched as Musa tentatively walked towards the doors but stopped under the arch way before turning her head back.

"My friends call me, Musa," she said before closing the door behind her.

Musa let out a breath finally being alone again for the first time in days, excluding the melt down in the sunroom of course. She casted her eyes over the room finally taking it all in. The large wooden table in the centre of the room appeared to be handmade by a skilled craftsman. The large maps of Melody and the royal palace remained on top of the table with other maps of realms hung on the surrounding walls. Musa stepped towards the table and gently glided her fingers over the soft wood as she gathered her thoughts. The Valkarian prince had protected her people, saving them from execution for years. Even at a young age when his heritage was unknown, he saved her people. Why? Of course, Musa wanted to dive deeper into that question, but her mind kept returning to her own personal mental hell. Her conflicting emotions regrading said prince.

Riven had been good. He had said and done all the right things, and Musa had been so desperate to make a real connection with someone, to experience life and feel alive for once in a decade. She was so desperate that anything that may have served as a warning about the prince's intentions towards her and wanting to achieve her personal goal was not even acknowledged. Whether the others chose to believe it or not, Musa felt used. Riven had come back to Melody to gain access to her. He had done that and more. Against her own better judgement, he had gained her friendship, her trust, her…..

A pulsing, pounding anger and sorrow swept through Musa again like poison. She wanted to scream and throw another dagger, but the sound could not make it past the knot of emotion caught in her throat. Why did he have to….do what he had? Be who he was? Everything the prince had said and done to Musa was nothing more than a clever ruse. When he told her that she was brave and strong, that she did not need to pretend. When he said she was beautiful. Was anything true? Why did he have to go so far? Why did he have to get under her skin and into her….. Him saving her people could have been another ploy to tighten the lie he had created around himself. Musa had thought that she could not trust him. She had given herself to him, all of her. And it had been a lie. Or was it? Could she trust him?

Musa groaned in fury as she placed her hands on either side of her head. These questions were making her head split and her body ache. She should have just played the game, left things alone. Sure, it was not a life but at least she would have been safe, unharmed.

The sound of knocking on the door took Musa's attention away from her thoughts for a moment until she realised who was standing on the other side of the door. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest, instantly regretting asking Faragonda to summon them but it was too late. She knew she would not get very far from them. She needed to follow her own advice and face her problems.

"Enter," Musa called out, hoping the shake in her voice went unnoticed.

The door slowly opened, and the person walked in. A brief look to the hallway behind them showed two Solarian soldiers standing on the other side of the doors. The sight caused a small smile to appear on Musa's lips. Faragonda must have sent them too. The person before Musa closed the door behind them before immediately bowing before her. The sight of it caused Musa to stumble back, her hip hitting the side of the table causing her to gasp in pain. The person kneeling looked up and she swore she saw a flash of concern in their eyes.

"Your Highness," the person kneeling before Musa said.

Musa was silent for a few moments, her chest rising and falling quickly. She was stunned into silence before she took a deep breath, steadying herself, and gave a look of determination back.

"Sir Hammon," Musa said. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course, Your Highness," Sir Hammon replied immediately. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine," Musa muttered, clearing her throat to rid the embarrassment of her stumble. "I, um, you can stand?"

Sir Hammon raised an eyebrow back at Musa.

"Is that a question or an order, Your Highness?" Sir Hammon asked gently.

Musa's cheeks reddened with embarrassment. "An order."

Sir Hammon nodded in response and stood up tall, his hands behind his back. Musa thought she was ready for this meeting but perhaps she overestimated her confidence. The silence in the room was thick as Musa fidgeted with her hands and the edges of her jacket. She felt Sir Hammon's eyes scan Musa's movements, increasing her nervousness. Musa knew she had Solarian guards out front but it did not seem to ease her. She was alone with the Valkarian knight who had been ordered to keep an eye on her since she was a child. The man that ensured she was kept under lock and key and called her the Siren until recently. What was she supposed to say to him? Everything she had wanted to say flew out the window the minute he knelt down and addressed her by her own title. How the tides have turned.

"May I speak freely, Your Highness?" Sir Hammon asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Musa fought back the urge to sigh with relief. She instead nodded her head.

"My presence makes you nervous," Sir Hammon stated. "I was surprised by Faragonda's message that you needed an audience with me."

"You are Valkarian…" Musa finally said, looking at the man with confusion.

"Yes."

"You were my guard."

"Yes."

"You are the rebellion's second."

"Yes."

"I do not understand!" Musa yelled out in frustration.

"What is there to understand, Your Highness?"

"You were ordered by the king to be my jail keeper and yet I am supposed to believe that you have been the rebellion's second this entire time? And stop calling me that!"

Sir Hammon raised an eyebrow again. "You are the heir to the throne of Melody. The rightful ruler of it once this war is over if your father is not well enough to take it back. How else am I to address you?"

"No, for 10 years you and the rest of your guards engrained into me that my name is the Siren, and I am to address you all as knights. I am supposed to bow before you, not the other way around."

"You cannot accept the role reversal?"

"I do not understand how you, someone close to the king, could betray him."

Sir Hammon's face darkened at Musa's unsaid words. "You doubt my allegiance to the rebellion."

"Can you blame me? For the last 10 years, even though you technically were one of my jailers, have been the closest thing to a father figure and it was a pretty messed up relationship. You swore an oath to the king while the whole time you were plotting against him. How do I know that your work with me is for something other than my benefit?"

"First off; you honour me by equating me to something of a father figure. Secondly, I swore an oath to Valkaris and the royal family. I swore to protect it even if it meant from the royal family themselves. I was the king and queen's personal guard until their son was born. I have watched him grow up and saw the greatness within him, and I also saw the darkness consume the king. Melody is dying the same way Valkaris did and myself and my men here find it no coincidence that it occurred with Valkarians on them. Being a nomadic race and hurting others is not what is good for our people. We cannot survive without a realm to call our own, we cannot survive with constant battles for land, and we cannot live with ourselves to continue thriving at the expense of others. I kept up my oath by supporting the prince's rebellion as it was to help restore Melody and undo an unjust act, and to stop the king from destroying his own people. That is our motives for this, Your Highness. I apologise for everything that has been done to you, and how I treated you. I have never laid a hand on you, but I also did not stop others from doing it to you. I had to keep my cover for as long as it took for the knights to be replaced by rebels."

"Then why did you break it?"

"I did not."

"The moment I started playing the role of a perfect Valkarian lady, you started treating me a bit better. After seeing you on that rooftop, I know it was you who alerted the rebellion of Darcy's arrest of me."

"You were running down the hallway like a madwoman. I heard Lady Mitzi's cries from a few floors down. What was I supposed to do? Allow you to get arrested and executed? Without you Melody could not survive. Your father was held captive for years and is still regaining his strength. For all we know, he may not fully recover. You were our top priority however I never broke my cover. I informed other rebellions in the castle. I called you by your Valkarian title as you were acting like a Valkarian lady. To continue calling you the Siren, degrading you like that, was not feasible. I thought calling you Lady Musa instead of the Siren to, for the lack of a better word, reward you for playing their game and not degrade you without breaking my cover was the best option. I apologise for being your jailer. I did not want to do it, but I kept you safe to the best of my ability and cover. We are not here to betray you or your father. We are here to free Melody. Yes, I betrayed the king, but I did so without breaking my oath to Valkaris. I am here to help you but also help save the future of my realm. If you can believe anything, it is that. So, yes, it is not just for your benefit but benefit for all."

"You allowed Sir Jet to harm me!"

"I never did!" Sir Hammon yelled, breaking his calm exterior. "If you recall, Your Highness, I did everything I could to ensure you were never alone with him and when I did, I tactfully reminded him that you were the king's guest, not prisoner. Not under any circumstance were you to be harmed. I also was the person who heard the commotion and notified not just Miss Tecna but the prince. I was there to help you. The prince was there to protect you. We have never been against you, Your Highness. We have always been on your side; however it was just from the sidelines. I had no idea you were involved in any of this until Miss Tecna brought you down to the post office."

"You said that night that your allegiance was to the rebel leader and the rebellion, not me."

"Yes. I follow the rebellion and the prince. Both goals are not exclusive, they are the same. They both want Melody free. I could not show myself to you without harming the rebellion's plans. No one was to know that the palace was overcome with rebels. If Darcy had read your mind, our covers would have been blown. She has done it to you as a child, I could not risk it."

"How am I supposed to be ok with all of this? Everything that I have known for 10 years has been a lie. What would you do in my shoes?"

"Accept the help with caution," Sir Hammon immediately answered. "You have the chance to finally save your people and you are pushing away everyone who wants to help. I understand your weariness on trust, but do you want to risk your people's freedom?"

"Would I not risk their freedom if I trust people who do not deserve it? One would think dethroning would be another outcome from all of this."

"Touché. However, right now they do not have any freedom so if you are wrong, your people are no worse off than when they were before. At least though you tried. The only difference is that their royals may demise. You two being alive right now gives them hope so the only risk is to you and your father. His Highness has taken that risk."

"But as you so eloquently pointed out, I am the rightful heir to Melody and if something happens to my father, I can take over. I will still give my people hope and the fight to continue rebelling against the oppressors."

"I know from Faragonda that you saw the Melodian warriors. You know the story of how the prince, myself, and his followers freed them and successfully transported them to the rebellion. The prince oversaw their execution, so the night before they were due, we saved them. No one would be the wiser that morning when all the cells were empty and no Melodians in sight. So, you already have agreed to this rebellion and working with the Valkarians. You asked me here to really discuss the prince."

"I did not. I needed to see you as the last time we talked, I saw the Siren and you were my jailer. I needed closure."

"The fact that you compared me to a father figure tells me that you received your closure. It will take you time to get used to our role reversal, one which I have no concern with, but you are not worried about whether I will betray you. Again, you are really talking about the prince."

"Prince Riven is not my concern."

"It was before."

"Excuse me?"

"You and Miss Tecna were very eager to learn more about the prince, particularly after learning that he is part Melodian."

"I was there for a job. I was trying to help the rebellion."

"I understand that Your Highness, and your plan of gaining the prince's trust for information was good and could have worked. However, I saw how you behaved with the prince."

"We never showed affection in public. There is no way you knew of my plan."

"The prince entrusted me with your protection. Do you really think that when you could not see me, I was not watching you? Not even one of the greatest actors in the entire magical dimension, or even the best undercover spies in the Valkarian army could have portrayed the emotion needed to break Prince Riven. His goal was to save you. He and I got close to you to ensure that. Once we got close to you, and the time was right, we could have extricated you from Melody within minutes. That was the plan. Kissing you was not."

"You know nothing."

"Really? I am the rebellion's second. You are angry, and you have a right to be. Terrible things have happened to you and your family, and your realm. However, you cannot be angry with the prince. He never laid a hand of you. He did not use you. One could say that you charmed your way into his heart."

"We are not here to discuss the prince."

"Cutting me off will not keep you away from the truth for long, Your Highness. The prince did not betray you, and neither did I. We will not betray you. We are here to help you and until you accept that, the rebellion cannot continue like this. We cannot keep walking on eggshells, and we cannot have hostility between cultures. Fighting amongst ourselves will make us weak against our enemy."

"I cannot risk losing my father or my realm, not again."

"If you fail, your people cannot be worse off than they are right now. You are scared to lose your father. Of getting hurt. I do understand but we cannot risk the rebellion becoming weak, not when we are close to succeeding."

"I will not be lectured by you. You and the prince have given me little to show that I can trust you, that you are here to help me."

"Is that so?" Sir Hammon asked, receiving a nod from the princess in return. "Then tell me, Your Highness, did you ever stop to ask yourself who ordered me to give you that birthday cupcake?"


So, what did you all think? I hope it was worth the wait too :)

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Till next time!

~AngelAlexandra~