The next evening was bitterly cold as the whole kingdom gathered at the riverbank; Dick vividly remembered the location from the night that G'narah was murdered by the Citadel and Kori sent her down the river.

There was faint crying and sniffling from the crowd of people that had emerged to witness King Myand'r's funeral.

Kori had become somewhat numb since seeing her father die. She had barely left her room and there had been no smile on her face at all. Her eyes had become glassy and she chose not to speak to many people. She was slightly hurt that Dick had not been very comforting but she understood that he probably wanted to give her space. The only person that she had said more than one word to was Ryan who was handling their father's death well. Ryan knew that losing their father was always a risk but he also knew that they had to carry on if there was any hope of bringing an end to the war.

However, Kori had decided to take charge during the ceremony this evening. She felt like it would be a form of closure for her to be able to move on from the depression of losing her father.

There was a member of the Tamaranian council conducting the ceremony and he spoke in a low, monotone. He paused and turned to Kori who was gripping her father's sword in her hands.

"Could Princess Koriand'r place the item of value upon the King's resting place?" He asked, carefully,

Kori swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly glanced down at the sword in her hands. It had a shiny, silver blade with an ebony hilt but it was adorned with a small encrusted emerald. She inwardly smiled at the small gem. It was like a family token that each of them had somewhere upon their swords.

She ran her fingers over the emerald stone gently but shook her head to bring herself out of her thoughts. Kori looked up at the council member and cleared her throat.

She took a couple of small steps over to her father's body and looked over him quickly. He looked so cold and so pale; she was reasoning with herself about how the world could offer so many opportunities and yet it could be so cruel at the same time. She shut her eyes tightly and carefully placed the sword beneath Myand'r's frozen hands.

As she placed his hands over the hilt, she clasped her own hands over his and rested her forehead down for a mere second, saying her final goodbyes to him through actions instead of words.

She stood up and deeply exhaled, knowing that the burning of the body was next and she was the one to send the arrow soaring. She pulled her bow from around her torso and stood at the very edge of the riverbank.

Kori watched as the servants pushed the King's resting boat into the river. She shivered as she heard the Queen's wailing from the front of the crowd. Kori glanced over at her mother and saw Ryan comforting her. The Princess briefly smiled; she was glad that her mother was not completely alone.

The main council member handed Kori an arrow that was tipped with a substance that caused the body to go up in flames immediately. She controlled her breathing so that she wouldn't mess up the shot. Kori placed the arrow against the bow and pulled her arm back.

A moment passed before Kori released the arrow and watched it as it soared through the night sky. It struck the resting boat that the King was placed upon and the whole thing became engulfed in flames.

Kori stared at the burning boat as she lowered her weapon. There was silence among the crowds with the exception of quiet sobs.

The Princess slowly turned around and glanced at all of her people who were now in need of someone strong more than ever. Kori was finally beginning to understand how Ryan could be so accepting of their father's death. As she looked over her people, Kori realised that she had to accept the passing and make a point of it. The King's death was not for nothing; it wasn't something that should keep Kori down and depressed. She now understood that it was fuel for the already roaring fire.

Kori gritted her teeth and stood up straight, "This treachery will not be forgotten. We are going to wipe the Citadel army out if it is the last thing we do." She took a breath and the venom dripped through her next words, "My father's death will not be meaningless."

The surrounding group cheered at her statement and mentally prepared themselves for the inevitable bloodbath of a battle that was sure to follow within the next couple of days.
With her opinion voiced, Kori marched away from the area.

Dick watched her closely as she left but decided not to follow her. He wanted to be there for her but he couldn't read her at the moment. He wasn't sure what she wanted.

However, Dick noticed that her wonderful fiancé wasn't present and his suspicions began to resurface. There was something strange about Prince Da'akaar. He was hardly around and for someone who was supposedly helping the planet; he didn't seem to have a lot of input on things.

As the dark skies of night time drew in, the kingdom was quiet. There were no war discussions and no bustling for parties or banquets.

Dick stared up at the ceiling as he laid upon the big round bed within his guest chambers. He sighed loudly and placed his hands behind his head.

He desperately missed Kori and everything in him screamed to go and see her but he didn't want to make her mad. He had never been good with situations like these. Obviously, he could understand from the point of view of losing his own father when he was a child but he still didn't know whether or not Kori wanted to see him or anyone for that matter.

Suddenly, there was a quiet knock at his door. Dick raised his head from the pillow and raised an eyebrow in confusion about who would be visiting him this late.

He pushed himself up from the bed and wandered over to the door. He opened it and felt his heartbeat increase. Kori offered him a small smile and tilted her head to the side. Dick smiled back at her with a soft expression on his face,

"Greetings," She said, quietly,

"Hey, Kor..." He returned, in a soft tone,

"May I come in?"

"Yeah, of course,"

He stepped to the side and watched her as she came into his room. He quietly closed the door after she was inside and locked it. The two of them were always conscious about someone walking into the room when they were together.

Dick walked closer to her but still kept his distance so that he wasn't smothering her with feelings.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, gently,

Kori tilted her head from side to side and shrugged. He nodded and it left them simply staring at each other.

The Princess sighed and hurried across the space between them. She leaned against his chest and buried her face in his shoulder. Dick immediately wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. He didn't realise how much he loved holding her until now after what felt like an eternity of not holding her close.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you," He whispered, "I thought you would want space to be with your family..."

Kori smiled against him and nodded her head, "I know," She murmured,

Dick kissed the top of her head and swayed with her, still in his arms. He would always be there when she needed him...