A/N- Finally finished chapter 34! I'm giving 'Eye of the Storm' a small break so I can complete 'A Twist of Fate'. This chapter I think is one of my longest? Things are starting to wrap up and questions are getting answers, so sit tight for some long awaited explanations. Hope everyone has had a great weekend and I'll see you all in chapter 35! Bethany x

Chapter 34

Tris's POV- the morning of the ball,

I pace up and down the carriage, chewing on my lip. My heart welcomes the heightened speed of its new beats, taking it in its stride. I don't know if it's from my time underwater, or just my restless anxiety, but the intense strumming seems to be here to stay.

The sway of the carriage almost makes me lose my footing, which doesn't help my spinning head. It should be an incentive to sit down, but I can't. My legs are jittery and my mind won't shut off; like a tornado of thoughts- scenarios blowing around, smashing down. And there's no sun in my future, the angry clouds keeping it from me, holding onto my obsessive peace.

"Beatrice," a warm hand on my arm, a gentle voice. I tense for a second, turning around. It's Natalie's sweet face I'm looking back into. Her Abnegation grey dress looks worse for wear, her once neat bun unrecognisable as her hair hangs around her face after the jump onto the train. Pretty. "We're going to go through the plan again, before we get back to the castle. Did you want to join us?"

I breathe a sigh of relief. The plan. Something structured to think about; something I can keep surface level.

"Yeah," I croak. Coughing away my raw throat, I nod my head, "yes, I'd like to go through it again."

She tenderly moves her palm to my hand, pulling me back to the group.

Zeke, Uriah and Eric are sitting on the floor, backs against the carriage's corrugated wall. I separate from Natalie, moving to sit next to Uriah. He welcomes me in, putting a comforting arm around my shoulder.

Eric looks at me, concern ever so evident. I avert my eyes, uncomfortable with everyone's sympathy.

"Let's start with Arthur," Zeke says. He nods at me once, a confirming nod. No answer is needed. "Arthur is going to be at the Castle, waiting on Eric and Tris to bring him the journal." His hand ruffles through his bag, and holds up the paper with the image of the Silent Cliffs, "we obviously don't have that, but we do have one of the pages that seem, to Celia, to be quite important."

I lean forward, holding my hand out to Zeke. He places the page into my hand without conversation, and I lean back into Uriah. Cliffs, a calm sea, and a bright figure. Who is that figure? And what does the other page look like? I gently sigh, looking away from the page. If only I could knock some sense into that girl in the cavern- scream at her to just concentrate.

"But I don't think Arthur is going to be very pleased when we show him a page from the journal that can't be translated- and Tris's image is unreachable." Eric taps his hand against his bent knee, "do you think if we gave the page to Celia, that she'd be able to see the image, also?"

I'm nodding before I know it, "we share the same magic, no doubt she can see the image." What's on that other page? Another image? "Do you guys have any other ideas about what's on Celia's page?"

There's silence, until Uriah speaks, "you were the only one to get a look at it."

And a good look I did not. "Let's speculate?"

"Two missing pages in the same cavern- two currents pulling you towards them," Natalie muses, legs tucked underneath her, "they must have something in common."

I nod, "maybe they're both images?"

"Images of landmarks?" Uriah questions. I look back at the picture, running my finger over the person floating above the water.

But then my breath shortens, and I'm finding it hard to fill my lungs. I take short breaths until I'm finally able to take in enough oxygen that my throat doesn't burn.

And everyone's looking at me, again.

"You should have listened to Robert, Tris." Eric chides, shaking his head. If I felt like I could hit back with a snarky remark, I would have. But with Robert staying behind in Dauntless pulling together a short notice strategy to hunt down Celia, and in succession, Tobias, I thought I was free of his useless scolding.

"Let's get back to the plan," I say instead, passing the paper back to Zeke. "The girls should be with him, as he'll know we won't pass over the journal without knowing he'll pass them to us." I blink away the tears in my eyes, the lack of oxygen making them water, "without the journal, whatever the Prince is planning should fall into disarray."

"But he's not going to give us back the girls without the journal," Eric adds sharply, "aren't we better off giving the page to Celia, she'll no doubt give Tobias back if she knows there was a second piece of paper."

I cut in quickly, "we're not choosing who to save and who to not, Eric!" I'm losing my temper, because I know he's right. Without the journal, there's no doubt Arthur will keep Christina and Marlene- and who knows if he has the others by now? I take a deep breath, "you make valid points, but we're not choosing. We just need to find another way to get the girls, and get Four and Lauren back without giving Celia the cliffs."

But silence follows, and I know no one else has another plan. I look over to Natalie, losing hope. She looks just as lost as the others, opening her mouth to suggest something, but closing it soon after.

And then the sounds of nature turn to humanity, and when I turn my head, the train station is waiting in the near distance.

"This is the last time we're going to be able to talk in absolute privacy," I say quickly, feeling the seconds whiz past. "We're going to focus on Arthur. We'll have to trust that Dauntless has Tobias and Lauren's backs. So, Natalie," I try to find my authority, somehow having lost track of it over the past few days, "you're going to figure out who invited the other countries, why they were invited." She nods without complaint. It should be an easy task, with her being Evelyn's lady in waiting. That kind of small talk is basically in her job description.

"Uriah, Zeke, I need you to figure out where Arthur's keeping the girls- if he's there already." It may be easier if he's not there. There's only one main entrance into the palace, hopefully they'll be easier to follow than to track down. Another set of nods greet me.

And then there's just our new Erudite recruit. I look at him sternly, his eyes just as hard, "we're going to figure out what's on that twin page."

…

"If we're thinking of the other image being a landmark, maybe it's famous like the Silent Cliffs?"

Leaning back into my chair, I think it over. My eyes bounce off the objects in my office, churning over Eric's suggestion. But it's hard to concentrate, even in the silence of my personal work area.

It felt good, coming back to the castle. Somehow, it felt like I could get things under my control, unlike when I've been in foreign places. My office was the first place I thought I'd be able to think properly. It's pretty devoid of emotions here, my friends and Tobias have only stepped foot here once or twice. My bedroom was a big no go.

But with the office came that pesky camera. Luckily, choosing the Erudite to accompany me had its perks. The recording device now sits on the middle table, wires cut.

"It's a good idea." I sigh, rubbing my pulsing head. Did I get a look at that page, and just not remember it? It was so dark down there, even if I did look at it, would I have seen anything?

Eric, sitting on the other side of my desk, leans forward. "Why haven't you healed yourself already, Tris?"

I look into his brown eyes, feeling uneasy. I can heal when feeling strong emotions. Since the cavern, I've felt shock, anger, loss. But I'm still coughing up blood, still feel uneasy on my feet.

Back in the cavern, Uriah had thought I healed myself. There was a moment, after I touched that cold, jewelled water, I had felt better. My head cleared, my nerve endings pieced themselves back together. And then I did what that voice had asked, I went back under. And I've felt like hell since.

I slowly pick up the image sitting between us, eyes locked on that gold figure. Not divinity, no- something more.

"An old wives tale," I mutter to myself, shaking my head. Could it really…

"Vocalise your thoughts, Tris." Eric says, intrigued.

His eager eyes stare back at me, "I think," turning around the image, "that the other page is of the lake, with another figure floating above it."

"Any reason?"

I press my lips together, "something gave me the energy to go back under, to grab this picture." My eyes stay glued on that figure, "I didn't heal myself down in the water, I think that it was the Asher."

He recalls ever so slightly, brows pulling in. "From that old tale?"

"It's the only thing I can think of, I mean, it could have also been Aridam in the lake, but this," pointing at the once calm cliffs, "seems more fitting for the god of death." I wonder if any strange phenomena has been happening at the cliffs? Like the heating up of the lake?

"So, what?" He asks, "you think Celia is trying to contact them? Awaken them?"

"I don't think they're asleep," I state. "I think they've been slowly waking up."

Celia wants something with these Gods, and from the sounds of it Arthur is on the hunt to figure this out too. But what would he want from them? And what does he know without that book?

"What if this is all just a made up story, Tris? What if we put all our energy into pretend gods?"

"It's our only lead." I say firmly. Of course they may be just a story, but I can't explain my powers, and I can't explain how the lake is heating up. "Do you have any Erudite stationed at the Cliffs? For like research?"

His face morphs into annoyance, "I don't know, I've not been told anything since I came of age."

"Can you contact someone to find out? One of your advisors? If there has been a change in the cliffs, then it's pointing us in the right direction."

He nods, leaning over to grab the corded phone on my desk, "I'm going to need a bit of time."

Nodding back, I stand, "I need to put my phone on charge, I'll meet you back here in an hour?"

"Sounds good."

I leave then, making my way towards my room. I keep my head down, not wanting anyone to talk to me. It's unnecessary, though, because the castle is packed with the staff getting ready for the ball, and guests roaming around.

Finally alone with my thoughts, Tobias is at the forefront of my mind. The idea of just giving Celia the page, letting her summon these Gods, and giving us back Tobias and Lauren, did cross my mind. One is the God of good fortune, of life? The Asher wouldn't do Celia's bidding? But Aridam? I couldn't count on the God of death not causing more issues.

But it would be so easy to get him back.

Coming up to the staircase that will take me up to my staff quarters, my heart feels heavy.

I walk past Christina's bedroom, and have to keep my head down to keep my throat from not burning. It's insane how much I miss her right now. I think this is the longest we've ever been separated. I try not to let myself think of what will happen to her if I can't come up with a plan. All I know is I can't do this without her.

Heavy bones weigh me down, and all I want to do is cry myself to sleep. The last few steps up to my room are agonising, but I still pause before I open the door.

It's odd, being back here. It seems like months since I slept in this room, since Mar and Chris had a sleepover here. Years since I had that argument with Tobias over Xavier.

I don't feel like the same person, and it makes my stomach drop.

Pushing open the doors, I re enter what was my safe space.

And there they all are. My phone falls out of my hand, a brick hitting the floor.

Their faces turn to me, my family scattered around the room. But then Mum stands up, and I can feel my body shaking.

She rushes to me, her long dress flowing behind her, wavy dark hair a halo around her head. And then I'm encased by her. Warm, familiar arms wrapped around me, strong enough to hold me together. My own wrap around her middle, my grip tight.

Her hands run up and down my hair, her words coming out as mumbles against my head.

I pray for this sweet relief to stay, to just hold out that bit longer. My family is whole again, this should be the only thing that matters.

But I can't forget the danger they're now in.

I feel Dad's large hands on my shoulder, and when I turn my head against Mum's chest, I watch his glistening eyes take me in, his voice thin with emotion. "You've grown up so much."

My wobbly mouth tries to smile, but I think it comes out more of a grimace.

With some coaxing from the other boys, Mum lets go of me. But she never lets me out of her sight.

We move to the small sofas, Mum and Dad squishing me between them, whilst the other boys either take up the sofa in front, or sit around the coffee table.

"What happened to your face?" Ash asks.

My hand flies to the left side of my cheek. I had completely forgotten the scrapes I got from being pounded into the rocks down in the cavern.

My eyes catch Xav's, then Calebs. They're standing just above the other princes, and I know whatever lie I tell the rest of my family won't be good enough for those two.

Mum grabs my face, turning it so she can get a better look. "How did I not notice this?"

"Is it that bad?" I question. I haven't looked at myself in the mirror since… I don't actually know.

"Have you not seen it?" Gideon asks oddly, "and why are you dressed so casually?"

"I was in Dauntless," I reply truthfully, then go to twist my tale. I injured myself in the training room? Slipped on some water? Scraped my face against the chasm wall?

But as I look at my family, my eyes landing on Xavier, I find myself not able to lie. How is this lie for their sake? If anything, keeping them in the dark is putting them in more danger.

"I'm going to give you the short story," I start, then feel my throat start to clog. I cough into my sleeve, trying to keep the amount of blood dislodging to a minimum. Holding my sleeve close, I hope they don't look. "There's some bad people in this country, trying to get their hands on some allusive book." I hold their attention well, Xav and Caleb's more so than the others. "A lady called Celia has it in her possession, and the old Erudite Prince, Arthur, is after it. I don't know what they want to do with it, but from the clues we've been given, it's not any good."

"And where do you come into this?" Dad asks, his hold on my shoulder tightening. I glance over at Mum, her face whitening.

"I'm not sure," I reply back, "but they've both got my friends, so I can't not be involved."

Dad's shaking his head, his temper slowly rising. "This isn't a game, Bea. These people don't sound like they're going to let you go scot free when this is all over. Where are the authorities? Why are they not involved?"

His concern usually takes its form in anger, which has always annoyed me. "I've just got back from being held at Celia's little encampment. I haven't had the time to tell anyone, Dad."

"You were held against your will?" Seb asks, shocked.

It's going to take longer than a morning to explain this all to them, so I just hit them where it'll hurt, hoping they'll understand. "Arthur's holding Christina. So I need to find a way to get her back without him hurting her. If I involve the authorities, even the King and Queen- I don't have a doubt he'll harm her."

Silence ensues. Widened eyes look back at me, and I'm tempted to make Celia's prisoners more specific, but I just don't have the energy to explain why I care so much for one of the Princes. "I'm not telling you this so I can get you help," I start again, "I just want you to be extra careful tonight. Natalie is trying to get some idea why you were all invited, but I'm sure it has to do with Arthur." He's the only person with enough connections to send out that sort of mass message. And is one of the only manipulators talented enough to get people listening.

"Natalie?"

My mother's small voice bounces off of the room, and I almost fold into myself. Why say that name?

"Now's not the time," I say firmly, standing, "but I do need a moment of your time, Mum."

Having got the message, the boys leave. Dad makes a fuss, but finally gives in when Xav and Caleb offer to give him a tour of the place.

"You have a lot to tell me," Xav says, giving me a pointed look on the way out.

"Tomorrow, I promise." A fickle thing, promises. Just words hanging on a string.

But he takes it, then leaves us to it.

My poor, loving mother, stands in front of the sofa, looking like she's ready to collapse.

"Let's sit outside. Let you enjoy the nice weather while you're here."

She nods solemnly, then follows me out on the curved balcony.

We squish on the small sofa, just like we used to when I was young. Her hands wrapped around me tightly, my small body protected against the world.

But our hands keep to ourselves this time.

"I don't know how much you know-"

"Not enough," I cut her off. "But you're going to tell me everything, okay?"

"I think that's for the best." Mum answers. "It all began with you Father's mother, Maria."

Dads Mum died from complications after childbirth, a few days after he was born. A Queen's death is not a happy occasion, but it also isn't anything to fret about. When all five children have been born, it is deemed as somewhat insignificant.

"Your grandmother was a Seer, someone who had the ability to see into the future."

A Seer? Like Robert's story of Asher and Aridam, it was just a tale, one you would whisper to children to keep them on their best behaviour.

"They're real, Bea, but highly illegal. The Divinity do not like anyone having a power they cannot possess themselves."

Of course. It's probably how the old stories of the Gods died out. Even if they are purely myths, the thought of a higher power would put their authority in jeopardy.

"Your Grandmother had a vision, a set of cascading dates. One that seemed to line up for each generation. For many years in her youth, she didn't know what those dates meant. But one was of her own birth, so the page of dates never slipped her mind.

"Odd happenings started to occur after Maria's 18th birthday. With two diamonds in her possession, her other abilities started to slowly show. Reports of sickly children miraculously healing, of people blacking out, then awakening with burns over their bodies." Mum shrugs, "most likely uncontrolled powers. Having no one to learn from, she must have been scared out of her wits." She stares out into the distance, watching the morning waves beat down against the innocent sand. She's silent for a time, lost in her thoughts. "But I'm sure her death sentence was set when her still born son started breathing."

Knowing ripples through me, "Dad?"

She nods, "People called it a miracle. But the medical staff knew, and that information must have gotten into the wrong hands. She died a few days later. Reports of complications after her youngest's birth shadowed the obvious. There was nothing natural about her death, that I'm sure of."

She picks up my hand, holding it in her lap. Laced in Athua's crisp white, she looks like a goddess. "When I came of age, I moved into Maria's old apartments in the palace." She smiles warmly at me, leaning in, "you would have loved it. Vaulted ceilings, high windows, and still all the original furniture from your grandmother's short stay.

"In her old nightstand, I found that piece of paper. Crumpled and worn, but still readable. 4 dates. 3 having already passed. The 4th coming up in the coming years. Having more access to world records, I started looking into these dates out of curiosity. Already knowing Maria's date, I decided to see if any other queens around the world's births coincided. And there they were. An older Queen from here, Tosken, born in the winter. And another, Louisa, decades after Celia, my own age. She was from Calcia, born in the winter, too. All with odd happenings surrounding their short reign.

"Both had died, Celia of a freak accident, and Louisa, of a misread prescription. But it was so odd. Why did all these names have the same things happen to them? A Queen, a death, and a date.

"Those dates kept me up at night for years, slowly counting down the days until the last came close. Xaver had only turned a few months old, and I knew the next Princess was to be born. After crossing off the countries that had already declared their new princesses over the years, there were only two left."

"Tosken and Athua?" I guess.

Mum nods, "A few days until the elusive date, your father and I are sent a message. Athua's Princess had been born to an Erudite official, a hundred or so miles down south. As customs have it, both your father and I are to meet with the parents, declaring the Princess that day. But she wasn't my Princess on the paper, so it had to be Tosken."

She smiles thoughtfully, her head knocking slightly to the side, "you're father knew of my obsession with those dates, letting me get on with it for the past few years. So when I told him I had to go to Tosken instead of declaring the Princess, he didn't bat an eye. With no one else knowing of the Princesses birth but her parents and us, we sent them a message, feigning a sick queen. The declaration would have to wait.

"And that evening I was on a boat to Athua, awaiting the arrival of their own queen. But knowing the birth country of the new Princess was just the tip of the iceberg."

She squeezes my hand, "As you most likely know by now, Tosken is a fairly large country. And just like Athua, there are multiple factions the Princess can be born into. So my only option was to seek out a Seer."

"How did you find one?" I ask, "if they're illegal, wouldn't they be near impossible to find?"

"Near impossible," she replies knowingly, "but your mother is quite the flirt."

I raise my brows, smiling. Of course that's how she got her information. Manipulating unknowing men.

"It was easy enough to keep my identity hidden, it being a foreign country. Back then, there wasn't much coverage of the other countries' royal families. If I had bumped into the young king and queen of Tosken on my brief visit, I wouldn't have had a clue.

"The Seer lived close to Dauntless, on the other side of the mountains. For a hefty sum, she told me what I needed to hear. The Princess would be born in Abnegation, the street name and house number coming with ease. When I left the Seer's cottage, it was early morning. I wasn't given a time for your birth, having not specifically asked. So I followed my gut. I got to Abnegation early in the evening, and finally questioned my motives. What was I going to do with a child's birth? I knew you were in danger, but it seemed to be years down the line. Why was I here?"

She takes a deep breath in, "but I went to the house anyway. I knocked on the door, waiting only a minute or two until it opened. Out bounded young Arthur, a splitting grin across his face. He didn't even give me a glance as he bounded across the Abnegation street."

My own heart rate increases. I've heard this part of the story from Natalie's point of view, but hearing it from my mothers makes it actually feel real.

"And then there was Andrew and Natalie. They recognised me straight away. From that, I knew they must work for the royal household. High positions, most likely. They both seemed on edge, like they were ready to flee at the tick of a clock. But they let me in, made me a cool drink, and entertained my presence- even with Natalie only having given birth that morning before."

Heart clenching, I look away from my Mother. An Abnegation to their core, or just kind souls to begin with. The last time I saw Andrew was before I left, leaving him with Caleb and Xav, his budding anger prevalent.

"I explained my best, what I had learnt the past few years. The list, the deaths. He didn't seem shocked, and I started to wonder if he knew about all of this too." Mum shakes her head, "he didn't know much, just some story of powers with jewels that Arthur seemed hooked on. Our issues seemed to overlap slightly, but at the time Arthur's obsession with using you as a weapon was the most pressing issue."

"I know about Arthur, Mum," I say. His plans never changed. He wants to use me as that weapon. And if I can't get him his journal, he may just get one.

"Your parents were terrified for your near future, Bea. He's a power hungry man, that Erudite Prince. After making it clear that he would be taking over your care, your parents knew you couldn't stay in Tosken."

I look back over to her, and see the swimming tears encased in her eyes. "Call it fate, but I knew I was meant to keep you safe. We ran through scenarios until the early hours of the morning, sitting in your nursery. Your parents held you and Caleb so close the entire time, the first moment I got a look at you two was when I was leaving."

"Why didn't they come with us?" I ask weakly. The question has already been answered, but I still feel like I need the validation.

"It would have been obvious, Bea. The only solid plan was to fake both of your deaths, and take you two back to Athua. They let me take the two of you to keep you safe, not because they didn't want to come."

"So how does Nita fit into all of this?" I swerve away from the harder hitting information. I know Natalie and Andrew would never have shipped us off to another country without them if it wasn't absolutely necessary. And over time I know I'll come to understand. But for now, it still hurts, thinking about the life I've missed out on.

Mum knowingly looks at me, but moves on anyway. "Nita was born prematurely, not by much, but enough that by the time I travelled back with you two, she still looked like a newborn. I had dropped you just in front of the castle gates, and ran back in to get Jasper. I would tell him the full extent of what was happening when our lives were slowly sewn together, but that night he just had to keep up with my plan.

"I knew Nita's parents vaguely. One thing that stuck out about them was that her father was in quite a hole of debt. Some start up company that didn't take off. Every few months, your father and I would get word from his lenders, seeing if there was anything we could do. Apart from paying off his debt, there was nothing to be done. And when you pay off one person's debt, you'll end up paying for everyone.

"But this situation was perfect. I ran down to the entry, one of our staff finding the two of you in a basket, curled up into each other. Knowing you were in safe hands, your father and I took off to Athua's princess. I told them how we could help. The Crown would pay off their debts, only if they'd moved to Tosken, declaring her Athua's princess. They'd have to pose as merely town folk, and stay out of the public eye for the rest of their lives. It wouldn't be hard, the Princesses parents are not important to the crown."

She leans back into the sofa, "they agreed, no questions asked. They left early the next morning." She's silent for a while, the birds in the nearby trees talking to each other the only sound.

"We raised you as our own, which I'll forever be grateful to Natalie and Andrew for allowing." Her soft eyes look into mine, and it's almost like I can see our shared childhood memories flashing across her gaze. "We saved you from one fate, but I'm afraid I can't keep you from your other."

Her words sit nicely, finally some explanation to my endless list of questions. My parents, both sets, have done a wonderful job of preserving my life so far, but it can't last forever.

"Arthur knows everything, Mum. He still needs me for something." My hand rubs my necklace together, the gem rolling between my fingertips. "And then there's Celia."

Those other queens, they had the same power as us. She tried to kill me to keep the pot full, so is it such a rash idea that she tried, and succeeded in doing the same to them? "The old Athuan queen. She never died, and she lives on, past her allotted time." Her face morphs into confusion, "it's quite the story, but I'm sure she's at fault for the deaths of the other queens." I breathe in, "she tried to kill me, too."

She touches my scratched face lightly. That's just the beginning of it.

"I don't know how to protect you, Bea."

I smile tightly, "I don't know either." Heavy air hangs between us, so I try to steer away from what feels like the inevitable. "But I do have these weird powers?"

She laughs lightly, and the air blows away. "I'd love to know what they entail! I've only got what I've pieced together from stories."

I nod, only glancing at the rising sun once. I have enough time to talk with my mother. "Well, it all started when me and the Dauntless Prince, Four, went to the Southern Shore."