Dun Dun DUNNNNNN. Anyway, I have a few reviews to reply to. Honestly, if all you're going to say is "update," or "continues," I don't think there's going to be a reply. I have almost nothing to say besides, "Thanks," and saying thanks over and over again. Please don't think I'm being mean, I just have a personal, EXTREMELY HARD TO BREAK habit of trying not to repeat things over and over again.

Karategirl77: I'll try my best!

A: Could you tell me what was so confusing?

PrincessLover: You can be all OMG if you want to. Kim isn't weirded out by Stacy. She's just being inclusive.

Kim

"Jack!" I screamed. Tears streamed down my face. "Jack!"

Just when I'd let myself love him, let him smell the scent of love blossoming like a red rose, I'd thrown a thorn in his face!

"I need to find him," I turned wildly to Jack.

"No time for that. While you were gone, an elf, Fiolin came to us. Both Birari and Teril are being attacked by the Firezi Assassins and magical creatures. Teril has almost tasted victory, but Birari is having difficulty. It's your choice, Kim. Save Birari, or Save Teril," Kelsey shook her head.

I bit my lip. For the tenth time in three days.

Jack

I abandoned my horse and ran.

Over fallen trees. Over rocks.

Over birds. Over rivers.

Over trenches. Over people.

Away from Kim.

I had found the reason why she was so... distant.

She hadn't wanted to take the risk of loving me and then losing me.

She was afraid.

My Kim. My love. My life.

Her fiance. Her protector.

Her fear.

I collapsed as I saw Jerry and Eddie's faces.

Kim

"Grace! Kelsey!" The calls reached my ears. I look up to see two guards carting Jack.

"JACK!" I screamed. Running to his side, I cradled his face in my hands.

"Is he...?" Grace asked tentatively, coming to the taller guard's side.

"He's okay, love," the guard replied, intertwining his fingers with Grace's.

"We've never seen him this fast," the other one replied, as Kelsey wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Are you two courting my friends?" I asked them incredulously.

"Er... yes, Princess." the tall one replied nervously. Oh right. I'm a princess.

"No need to use my title. I've gone without one for so long, it doesn't matter anymore," I waved, as if waving the title away.

"This is Jerry," Grace introduced, patting her lover's chest.

"And this is Eddie," Kelsey butt in, giving Eddie a loving glance.

"But that isn't the matter," Rhiamon interrupted, coming to my side. "It's whether you're going to support Birari or support Teril."

I thought hard.

Teril is my home kingdom. It's where I was born, raised, loved (in a reserved manner,) and where my friendship blossomed. But it was a jail cell, despite its beauty. I was trapped, unable to leave the palace without a guard, unable to see the world alone without being disowned, and unable to marry a man of my own choosing. But the last one wasn't such a bother. I subconsciously loved Jack anyway, even back when I was newly engaged.

Birari is my new home. It's where I will give birth to, raise, and irrevocably love my own children. It will no longer be a jail cell, not under my rule at the very least. I will travel the land with Jack, observing and watching our kingdom prosper and simultaneously fall. But I will be a stranger. It will be like living in a home that isn't your home, but people expect you to think of it as home. It's the place where I will not know where to go any longer.

I've made my decision. Just as Jack awakens, I speak.

"I'm going to Birari."

Grace inclined her head slowly. "So this is where we'll say goodbye... for now."

My head snapped up. "What in the name of glorious sunshine are you talking about?"

"Jerry, Kelsey, Eddie, Fiolin and I are going to Teril to aid them. You, Jack, Rhiamon, Brianna, Lianna, and Alexa are going to help Birari. What say you? Do you wish to travel with us?" Grace asked.

I thought hard about it. The second hard decision in my life.

I could go to Teril, and aid my friends.

OR I could go to Birari, and aid my family.

"I'm going to Birari," I repeated. "If Jerry and Eddie aid Teril, no matter how small of a support group they are, Teril and Birari will be even more permanently linked. Birari and Teril will become allies, and the two of them will prosper," I explained.

"So this is goodbye," Kelsey said as we stared at each other. On Bella, Lianna and Alexa nodded, while on the other horse Rhiamon and Brianna simply stared, faces grim.

I couldn't see Jack's expression, as I was sitting behind him, but I only answered. "for now."

"May the light of the goodness of magic shine upon you," Alexa called out solemnly.

"And the glorious sunshine bring a new dawn," Grace replied, equally solemn.

As Jack turned his horse in the general direction of Birari, I turned around.

"May love and friendship bring us back together!" I yelled as we parted.

Today we may die.

Or Tomorrow, we will survive.

Not 1,000 words, but I must say it's full of drama. Yes, Jack was brought back WAY too early, but hey, I kinda needed him to come back.

~squirmyorchid~