Purity in the Stars *Maleficent: Mistress of Evil- Udo Love Story*

Chapter Twenty Three: Rise From The Ashes

The dock had gone silent under the captain's bellowing shout.
"Who the HELL are you?!"
The girl's cry was like a cornered lion's roar, and Yuna found herself intimidated by it. She looked to where the mysterious, angry girl gripped at her necklace tightly, and Yuna was scared she would simply crush it in her grasp.
"Calm down!" Yuna managed to find her voice, and none too softly, shoved herself away from the girl. "What is wrong with you?! I already told you who I am!"
The crewmate behind the girl tried again;
"Captain, CALM DOWN. What is with you?!"
Her hand locked onto the angry girl's arm, by which it was promptly thrown off.
"Let go of me!" The girl seethed. Her head whipped back towards Yuna; "Is this some kind of joke? Who put you up to this, hm? Do you think you're funny?" Her sharp eyes glared murderously at Yuna, and the herbalist gulped.
'Great. My first royal meeting of the crown, and I've already managed to piss someone off. The meeting hasn't even started yet!'
Yuna's silence only made the girl more furious.
"Answer me!" Her boot stomped into the wooden dock. She pointed at accusatory finger at Yuna's chest; "Where did you get that necklace?!"
Almost scared that the angry captain would lunge for her necklace again, Yuna placed a protective hand over it.
"It was a gift!" Yuna defended, her own scowl beginning to set onto her face.
'What is this girl's deal? Are all of the Corsairs of the Nether this hotheaded?'
"My sister and brother gave it to me; what's your problem?!"
Yuna's words made the girl go very still, and she looked almost ready to pass out.
The crew member eyed her warily, promptly tugging aside one of the dock workers.
"Report to your leader right now." The crew member spoke in a harsh whisper. "Tell them that if this meeting doesn't happen now, then it may not happen at all. Our captain...something's wrong."
The dock worker's eyes widened, and he hurriedly nodded, taking off in a quick sprint away from the ports and into the main village.
Yuna watched him go with furrowed eyebrows, then her eyes went back to the paling girl before her. She was unsteady, almost swaying and it wasn't due to the waves pulsing beneath them.
Her hands slowly went to her scarf covered head;
"I'm losing it. I've really gone crazy..." Her eyes were wide, and unblinking. They slowly blinked up to Yuna, and the herbalist was almost positive she was watching the poor thing have a mental break.
She blinked tiredly;
"Did Azazel send you? Is this whole meeting one big set up?"
Yuna could only gape at the girl as she roughly grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her;
"If you don't stop this whole big twisted game right now, I swear that I'll-!"
The girl was cut short as Yuna's palm met her cheek, a resounding 'crack!' echoing amongst the docks.
Yuan knocked the girl's hands away from her, her figure taken aback from the slap.
"CALM DOWN!" Yuna yelled, stumbling backward and away from the distressed girl.
The hit made the head scarf flutter right off her head and catch in the wind; hitting the dock between them.
The girl's oxblood hair revealed itself to Yuna, and the herbalist's eyes widened just as she heard a shout from across the port;
"Yuna!"
Yuna didn't react to the voice calling her, her senses short circuiting as her eyes soaked in the sun kissed ruby hair.
The girl's fully revealed face was hidden from Yuna; obscured by her newly freed locks.
The crew mate that had tried to calm her stepped forward, unsurely patting the now silent girl on the shoulder.
"Mina...?" She whispered, eyes trying to pry at the girl's face to gauge her.
The color of her locks, so like Yuna's own seemingly slapped Yuna hard in the face (like she'd just done to...Mina?), and the name finished her by knocking the breath right out of her lungs.
"Yuna!" The voice called out again, and Yuna felt something strong close around her shoulders.
Udo's hands, she realized.
"Yuna!" Udo's voice rang by her ear this time, finally tearing Yuna's gaze away from the girl as he turned her towards him.
Yuna felt her heart begin to race as his worried blue irises bore into her, hand frantically brushing the hair whipping about her face.
"Yuna...?" Udo tried again, the girl stiff in his arms.
"Doll, what's wrong?"
The pounding of footsteps on the dock sounded, and Yuna heard more familiar voices;
"What's going on here?!"
"Yuna?"
"Only you could've managed to get yourself into this big of a dilemma, wren."
Philip strode onto the dock, firmly planting himself between Yuna and the girl.
"What's going on here, Captain?" Philip almost hissed the title. Aurora quickly went up to the Yuna and Udo; pulling the couple away from the girl by their elbows.
Yuna kept her eyes locked on the girl, her face still obscured. She could barely acknowledge Udo's soft touches on her face, his calls of concern; she had to see her face...
"I'd hoped we could've met under better circumstances, Captain. I won't stand for the mistreatment of any of my right hands. Do you-"
"Oh, shut it." The girl mumbled out.
Her hand came to brush through her hair, and as her face lifted up to look after Yuna, the final blow hit her.
She knew that face; she knew it in her bones.
Yuna froze, as did the woman.
Wordlessly, Yuna pushed herself away from Udo and Aurora; boots thudding slowly on the dock.
Her friends watched with wide eyes as Yuna approached the captain; Udo couldn't even call after her.
He was just as much in shock as everyone else;
This girl...
All Udo could see was Yuna. The resemblance was...almost haunting.
Everyone else had noticed it too, and the port air had gone very still.
Philip could only state wide eyed and unblinking as Yuna shoved past him. It was her turn to spin the question around;
"Who are you?" Yuna whispered, her hood still obscuring her face.
Yuna could see her in her entirety now; sharp dark eyes, shining with an absent light. They were cold and observant, like she were constantly scanning; like she was constantly too scared to ever let her guard down.
But Yuna knew those eyes. Knew them when they were innocent and sweet and looked up to her like she were a galaxy of stars. But...it couldn't be her...right?
The face was the same. Grown up, sure. Matured. But it was the same. Just like how her face never outgrew that cherub charm Yuna had seen her born with, Yuna could only see the same child as she stared at her now.
Her little Mina.
"Who are you?!" Yuna repeated the question, voice breaking in her franticness.
'Please...'
The captain looked her square in the eye (well, at least from what she could make out on Yuna's hooded face), newly revealed face set in a harsh and stern expression and her oxblood hairs dancing about her.
The group of friends were silent; not daring to move a muscle.
They had to know too...who was she?
The girl's chin was slightly cocked, holding herself with pride.
"I am Mina of the Corsairs of the Nether. I am it's captain, and I am here today to meet with the royal crown of Ulstead." She scanned the group with harsh eyes. "Quite a way to roll out the welcome wagon. Out with it then; this all one big joke to you? You think I came all the way here to be ridiculed?" She barked out.
No one really heard the question.
The name hung in the air like a resounding bell;
Mina.
Mina.
Mina.
If Yuna didn't dig her heels into the port's wood, she probably would've passed out.
Wordlessly, Ini has to grip onto Borra's arm as she stared from one burgundy haired girl to the other; eyes widening in realization. Borra wasn't that much better; his usual haughty and prideful demeanor completely disappeared. He could only gape at the two.
Maleficent had to cover her mouth as she scanned the scene before her, Diaval had to resist every urge he had to run out to his friend. Percival and Philip seemed to resemble the sentiment.
Aurora licked her lips in a silent, foreboding apprehension; eyes glancing up to Udo with worry. "Do something!" It seemed like she was trying to tell him.
Udo felt like every nerve in his body had gone numb, and his heart was racing like it were desperately seeking out an answer; trying to outrun it. His heart beat with that concern, that anxiety... but also hope?
"Well?" Mina (?) waved her hands around in the air. "What? Never seen a female captain before? Sorry to disappoint, I guess." She scratched the back of her head, sighing in annoyance. "Damn, I knew we should've just handled it on our own..."
"Mina?" The name could finally leave Yuna's lips, a mixture of hope and unsureness. Her eyes couldn't leave her face; she knew that face. It was like looking in a mirror.
The captain glanced up at her name, "Yeah?" She glared. "You got a lot of nerve slapping me like that. Want to try it again? I'll have you laid flat-"
Mina's words cut off as Yuna tore her hood away from her face, taking her own turn in not only revealing herself but rendering the girl speechless.
"I-I..." Mina's eyes widened, and her shoulders went slack. She stared at Yuna like she were seeing a ghost; perhaps she really thought she was...
"Mina." Yuna repeated, face set determinately as she scanned the girl's face. "Mina. That's really your name?"
Very slowly, she nodded.
"Yes." Mina blinked rapidly, trying to dispel any possible tears. "Yes it is."
Mina took a wavering step forward.
She eyed the necklace around Yuna's neck, then slowly let her gaze wander back up to her face.
A familiar face, Mina realized.
One that haunted her dreams.
"Your...Your name is really Yuna?" Mina looked like every muscle in her body was tense, like she would be ready to dash in a split second.
Wordlessly, Yuna nodded with a pounding heart.
Mina's breath quickened, and she wobbly dropped to her knees.
"Hey...!" Yuna stepped forward with worry, quickly rushing before the girl.
Just before Yuna could touch her shoulders, Mina dispelled the movement with her hand flying out between them.
"Don't." Her head hung low; like she were so defeated, and so scared.
"I'm an herbalist, I can help you. I've studied medicine for a very long time...I won't hurt you, I promise." Yuna whispered softly, her hand gently coming up to brush at Mina's red hairs.
Yuna could see the girl suck in a breath at her words, her hand dropping with a shake as she muttered out;
"...Medicine? You studied...medicine?" Mina released a harsh, almost pained breath. "At university?"
Yuna smiled sadly;
"Accepted, but I'm afraid to say I was never actually able to attend." Yuna managed a giggle. "I'm afraid...pirates had other plans."
Mina's head lifted at that, and Yuna was taken aback by the almost feral look glimmering in the girl's dark irises.
"Azazel?" Mina gulped thickly. "You're talking about Azazel, aren't you? Him and his crew?" The question was almost frantic, an anxiety bubbling from Mina's throat and transferring over to Yuna.
"His name, what was the man's name?!"
"I don't know." Yuna quickly hushed her, eyes widening ever so slightly at the outburst. "I'm sorry. I don't know."
Yuna cast an unsure look to her friends behind her, and to Udo; all of them watching the exchange with a puzzlement and concern that indicated to her that they were just as lost as she.
Yuna turned back to Mina's fallen form;
"Azazel, you mentioned that name before. Who is he? Is he...trying to hurt you?" Yuna questioned carefully.
Mina almost started to shake.
Yuna heard a rustle at her side, and before she could look over, Philip had entered her peripherals.
"We will protect you, Mina. We'll protect all of Miyagata. That is why we are here."
Philip promised sternly; when a king swore something, especially a king like Philip, he meant it.
Yuna nodded along to his words;
"But we can't do that until we understand the gravity of the situation. What is going on? Why are you..." Philip glances unsurely to the healer at his side. "What is your relationship to my court herbalist?"
Mina was almost about to fall off of the dock and plummet into the sea from how wound up she was; cornered, scared, and still with that distrustful look that threatened to break Yuna's heart.
With shaky legs, like she were a newborn doe, Mina presses herself up back to her feet.
Her eyes trained onto Yuna, the two of them sharing a long and quiet eye contact.
Yuna could see the spark go off as a realization hit Mina; it happened at the exact same time for her too.
There was no denying it; they knew each other. It shouldn't be possible, Yuna had no idea how it was possible...
But it was.
Mina's shoulders hung with defeat, and with a sorrowful longing, her head shaking away any spark of hope as she went back to her ship.
"I'm leaving." Her voice was soft.
Like a fire that had just had the last of its sparks die out.
"Wait." Yuna was up onto her feet and clenching the girl's wrist tightly before she even knew it; eyebrows furrowed over her eyes that matched Mina's so perfectly.
Mina stilled, not fighting her grip and unresponsive.
She kept her back towards Yuna and the rest of the group.
Yuna took in a shuddering breath, her head dropping as her eyes closed. She didn't have the courage to look at Mina as she spoke.
"...I had a sister once." Yuna said in a hushed voice, butterflies swarming her stomach and her throat tight with anxiety, and anticipation. "I lived here long ago. I grew up in a house on the cliff with my mother and father, my little brother and sister. This necklace was a gift from them on my sixteenth birthday...the very same night that pirates raided the island and killed them all."
She watched as Mina's muscles tightened, the hand in her grip enclosing into a fist.
Yuna kept her hold steady;
"I only managed to survive due to sheer luck, a speedy jog and a rickety row boat. I left the island that night with the assumption that all my family had died." Yuna let her eyes slowly open.
"I took with me a doll that my father had given me at a summer festival, a hair comb my mother wore on her wedding day...and this necklace. The necklace that my little sister and brother gifted to me; Mina and Leo."
"You're lying!" Mina tried to rip her wrist away from Yuna, but the healer only gripped the tender skin harder.
"I only tell the truth." Yuna stated firmly. "All that sounds familiar, doesn't it? Too specific? Like something I couldn't just make up?"
Mina struggled against her, refusing to answer.
Yuna continued,
"I just visited their graves yesterday. All of them; yet now I'm under the impression that perhaps one of those graves is empty." Yuna struggled to not let her voice break as she held onto Mina's wrist. "Mina...please tell me... who are you?"
"I'm not your sister!" The girl yelled out, snatching her hand from Yuna and whipping around wildly.
"My sister died a long time ago! She left me to fend for myself; and I've gotten along just fine without her dammit!"
Hot and angry tears ran down Mina's face as she yelled, a wall finally being broken.
She screamed at the group, nearly blubbering over her words as she spoke through choked sob after choked sob.
"I'm not your sister, and I don't need any of your help! Not a single bit! I'm going back into this ship, and by the time I leave port I never want to see any of you again! Consider the alliance between the crown of Ulstead and the Corsairs of the Nether over! I never want to hear from or see any of you again!"
Mina's breath was coming in wildly as she yelled through her blubbering, glaring rather weakly at the group. She sharply looked to Yuna;
"You think you're my sister? Do you?" Mina sobbed out through her scowl, and Yuna could only watch the girl break with wide eyes as she followed her tears.
Mina stomped her boot so hard into the port's wooden dock, that Yuna was sure it was going to splinter.
"Then where were you these past five years, hm? Looks like you've lived one whole big grand life; buddy-buddy with the royal crown and a court herbalist. You moved on pretty fast, didn't you? Was it easy, being rid of all of us? Was I just some type of obstacle for you to get over then?"
The words stabbed Yuna like a blade doused in scorching hot lava; the feeling piercing into her gut and almost immediately rendering the girl to tears.
Mina might as well have actually sliced her open.
"Mina..." Yuna's hand went to her mouth as her eyes scrunched through their tears. "Mina... that's not true!"
Mina wasn't finished;
"Do you even know what these past five years have been like for me? I've been through absolute hell and back. I've been alone, I've been afraid and there were so many times where I just wanted to give up... but I didn't dammit! I didn't give up because I refused to stop until I avenged all of you; I don't know who you think you really are, but my sister Yuna is dead!" Mina bellowed. "And even if you are her... I don't want a sister who thinks it's okay to just leave." Mina's shoulder shook into a harsh sob.
"Why did you LEAVE me?!"
Yuna tried to muster up her words as a cry of her own began to rake through her throat. She had to say something; how on earth could she ever let Mina think such terrible things?
"I never wanted to leave you, Mina!"
"Mina, I'm alive and I'm here. I'd never leave you; I swear!"
"You're safe, I promise! Thank goodness you're alive Mina...I never got over the thought of you dying. I think about you every moment, of every day."
Yuna could only try to muffle her cries with her hand; the words dying on her tongue. The sheer pain of it all overwhelmed Yuna; the whole twisted situation did. Yuna couldn't even comprehend what was happening;
Her heart wanted to leap with joy at the sheer hope of Mina being alive, scream at the confusion the notion brought with it, and cry from the hurt she felt from the girl's words;
Not for Yuna's own sake, but for Mina's.
The happy girl she'd known for all those years...replaced by pain and by hardship.
Another sob raking through Yuna's body, the girl cried harder.
"ENOUGH!"
The sudden shout made both sobbing girls jump; Yuna lifting her head only to be greeted with a vision of snowy white wings. The voice belonged to Udo, but not in his usual calming and peaceful demeanor; no, he was angry.
Perhaps the most Yuna had ever seen him so in their time together.
The fey's outburst seemingly startled their friends, as well as Mina; Udo's wings flapping furiously with his magic as the docked ships rocked in their wake.
Udo stood in front of Yuna protectively; his eyes fiercely glaring and fangs bared as he effectively blocked the view between the two girls.
"Enough!" Udo repeated in a venomous hiss.
"Udo-" The Fey caught Yuna off by shrugging off the grip she held on his arm.
His eyes trained dangerously onto Mina;
"I don't know who you really are; I don't know if you're the Mina we all hope you are or not." Udo confessed lowly.
The fey's flaring wings, bared fangs and sharp horns frightened Mina as he directed his rage at her; the captain stumbling back on the dock.
Udo stole a glance back to Yuna's teary face, and he almost threatened to burst the dock into splinters right then and there.
He looked back to Mina,
"But no matter who you are, I won't stand for any of the horrid lies spewing from your mouth!" Udo's voice was a low and dangerous shout.
Yuna tried to get the fey to stand down again, but Udo only ignored her.
"Yuna never got over her family; she never got over you." Udo's chest was almost heaving in his anger. "Her life has been anything but "big" and "grand". It has taken her five years to even be able to think about what happened that night; I won't let you insinuate that she is selfish or shallow in any way! Yuna has dedicated her life to medicine and bridging the gap between fey and human; she always puts others before herself!" Udo's eyes softened ever so slightly as he stood before Mina.
"You were never left behind, you were never forgotten; Yuna dedicated her life to helping others because she never wanted to see another life be so wastefully taken. Everything Yuna has ever done has been for you; for your family."
Mina gaped up at the fey;
"You're right; we don't know what the past five years have been like for you. We still don't know who you really are, but I can tell just from looking at you; you're a girl who has been through too much to be a child, but isn't old enough to be an adult. Even if you aren't who we hope you are...I still want to help you." Udo scanned the girl's troubled face thoughtfully, finishing gently,
"But please don't put Yuna down. You've both been through too much; don't let yourself become rueful." He held his hands up to show he meant no harm, taking in a deep breath as he felt his own anger dissipate.
"There has clearly been some sick misunderstanding somewhere; Mina... are you Yuna's sister?"
Mina's eyes widened, and Udo tried again;
"Please just tell us; you can trust-"
The Fey didn't get to finish his plea;
"Just LEAVE ME ALONE!" The mere mention of the prospect seemed to spark a fear in Mina; the rough exterior she sought to keep up breaking apart. She was still a child, after all.
Mina moved quickly, boots pounding into the wood below her as she ran up the ramp and onto her docked ship just feet behind her. Her hair streaked through the air like red lightning, and she trampled over her forgotten head scarf.
A cover, Yuna now understood.
Something to hide behind.
Yuna didn't hesitate to break into a sprint after the girl.
"Yuna, wait!" Udo just barely caught the girl's hand, promptly Yuna to hurriedly rip it from his hold.
"Don't follow me, give us some space!" Yuna shouted out the command, just barely looking back to Udo and their group.
She didn't wait for an answer back, hurriedly running up the ramp and climbing onto the massive ship before her.
Udo made a move to follow after Yuna, worry evident on his face, and Maleficent was the one to stop him.
Her pointed nails a firm grip on his shoulder, Maleficent made a noise of disapproval.
"Leave them, Udo." She whispered.
"This is something that Yuna needs, just her and the girl. She'll be alright."
Udo's brows furrowed at the command, but he did obey. In his heart, Udo knew Maleficent was right...but it still filled him with a sense of anxiety as Yuna's figure disappeared below deck.
'Please...' Udo found himself in a silent prayer. 'Let this not end in disappointment for my Yuna...' He carefully bent down to retrieve Mina's scarf, fingers wiping at the dirt. '...For all of us.'
*
Mina was certainly fast, but Yuna could keep speed.
Yuna expertly outmaneuvered any rocking waves that threatened to send her off balance as she weaves through the tight corridors underneath the ship, just barely following Mina as the girl ran like a prey being chased by its predator.
"Mina, stop!" Yuna bellowed after her, heart racing.
Of course, the girl didn't listen.
A sharp corner here and a long corridor there, Yuna just barely managed to topple into room she'd chased Mina into; hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
Yuna heard a "thud!", followed by a book crashing into her view of the wooden floor. Another followed that one, then another followed that.
Yuna lifted her head, still panting as she realized she'd followed the captain right into her wooden bedroom. It was rather plain, nothing too personable, and Yuna had to evade another book being tossed aside as Mina ravaged at a nearby bookshelf.
"Hey, watch out!" Yuna cautioned, ducking before an old text on nautical coordinates could nail her in the face.
Mina ignored, eyes wildly scanning book by book as she tossed it aside.
"Mina, calm down." Yuna softly called, coming to a kneel by the hurried girl. "You're going to break something if you keep throwing things."
Mina continued to ignore her, face set in a scowl as she went through book after book.
"Mina-"
Yuna let out a huff as Mina shoved a book into her chest, the girl finally looking to her with a careful expression.
"This book. Do you recognize what this is?" Mina tried to keep the shaking from her voice, but was unsuccessful. "Tell me. If you're who you're trying to say you are...then I don't need to explain anything to you."
Yuna caught the book at her chest, taking it from Mina's hands. Mina kept her gaze looked on her face, scanning her for any signs of recognition or fraud.
Mina's eyebrows were set; and she took in an apprehensive breath.
Yuna looked to her with a raised eyebrow, slowly nodding before she brought the book up to see it.
All of the breath left her body.
The bound leather was worn, and slight faded. The pages were discolored and the text as a whole was obviously aged, but Yuna recognized the book in an instant. She didn't even register her tear hit the leather as she traced away at the faded title; only lifting her head to see Mina watching her wordlessly; intently.
"I gave this to Leo on his birthday...your birthday." Yuna whispered, watching as Mina's eyes refilled with tears.
Yuna set the book down in her lap, the weight of it comforting. Her fingers twitched; she wanted to embrace the girl before her so badly...but she couldn't risk her running away again.
"...Do you remember that night? What I told you?" Yuna softly asked.
Mina's head had dropped suddenly, eyes scrunched shut almost painfully.
"This isn't funny anymore..." Her hands gripped at her leggings. "You...you're dead."
Yuna took in a shaky breath; was she going into shock? She could hardly register anything anymore. It was like small sparks of electricity were coursing through her palms, her stomach, and her throat.
"I'm very much alive. I just visited your grave yesterday. If anyone thought the other was dead... it's me."
Mina's thick tresses masked her look of confusion;
"My grave...?" The thought perplexed her deeply. She took in an unsure breath, clearly upset as her voice shook. "But I'm not..."
"We can talk about everything later." Yuna quickly dispelled the girl's mounting concern. "We can talk about every little thing. We can try and understand the complexities and everything else at a later time..." Yuna gulped thickly.
"...But for now...can I just hold you?" Yuna's voice rose as another tear escaped her. "I don't care about the specifics, I don't care about how it's possible; I know who you are." Yuna's vision blurred as Mina lifted her face to look at her, own expression a teary disbelief.
Yuna offered her a warm smile.
"You're my Mina. I see you...and I see everything. You look just like I did at sixteen, do you know that?"
Mina's bottom lip quivered, her eyes scrunching shut again as fat and hot tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I always thought that you were so beautiful...don't tell me things like that." She croaked out, sleeved arm coming up to rub at her eyes.
"I'm sorry I broke my promise..." Mina blubbered out.
Yuna wiped at her own wet cheek, eyebrows slightly furrowing at that; "What promise?" She gently questioned.
Mina covered her face in a heavy cry, her shoulders heaving in her sobs;
"I promised you I wouldn't cry anymore!" She cried out.
Yuna's eyes softened, and she suddenly felt her whole being collapse in a cathartic cry.
"No! Don't be sad! I promise we won't cry anymore!"
The black haired boy turned to his other sister, tugging at his twin's arm frantically. "Right Mina?!"
Mina nodded enthusiastically, waddling over in the water so she stood up on Yuna's lap. "Yes! No more crying, I promise!" Mina's eyes glimmered up at her older sister. "I love you, Yuna."
Leo smushed into Mina, frantically adding in, "I love you too!"
The way the two looked up at Yuna like she was the most marvelous thing on the planet made her heart soar; "I love you more. Don't ever break your promise, okay?"
The cry felt like a rebirth; it felt like an intense relief and like everything had left Yuna's body in the most wonderful way.
Wordlessly, the herbalist grabbed the younger girl by the back of her neck and brought her into a bone-crushing embrace.
Mina embraced her back just as tightly, their muffled sobs echoing around the quiet bedroom.
"I...I waited for you. For so long I-"
Yuna hushed the teary words by pressing Mina's face into her chest, fingers carding through her hair.
"I'm here now; I'm never going anywhere ever again." Yuna breathed in her scent, the girl's dark hair spotted with Yuna's tears.
"I'll protect you now matter what; I'll stay by your side no matter what."
Mina's cries grew harder, and Yuna stared out into the cloud filled sky that peaked in through the window.
She managed a teary smile as she squeezed Mina; finally breaking.
'Thank you.'
The prayer rang loudly in her head.
'Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.'
Leo's book lay in-between them; a lone tear seeping into the leather cover.
*
"We've been waiting out here for twenty minutes now. This is ridiculous. I'm going in there." Borra growled, trying to mask his worry with a harsh scowl as he threatened to stomp up the ship's ramp.
A rough tug from Diaval sent him stumbling right back;
"You aren't going anywhere." The happy bird was unusually cold and focused, eyeing the ship.
The group had huddled on the dock, the air quiet and tense as they waited. They didn't hear yelling, screaming, crying...nothing.
It unnerved them, and it worries Udo most of all.
Said tundra fey gazed up at the ship with a rapidly beating heart. His fangs gnawed at his lip, his pointed ears were alert for any calls or signs of distress. Where his friends paced around him, Udo could only stand still as a statue in place.
He felt a hand touch his winged back;
"She's okay, Udo. You know just as much as I do that Yuna is stronger than she appears." Maleficent soothes him. "Trust your heart."
Udo sighed out at that, rubbing the back of his neck in resignation. "Of course I know that." He replied. "It doesn't mean I can just stop worrying..."
Udo glanced back up to the ship as he heard a creak, only to be disappointed to find it was simply a wave crashing with the wood.
"I'm not so much worried as I am...hopeful? Concerned? Confused?" Udo began to gnaw at his lip again. "I don't know what I'm actually feeling right now, truth be told."
Percival seemed just as uncharacteristically unnerved, pacing the dock with an ever present hand on his sword. "The resemblance was striking." He nodded in agreement. "But everything we know about Yuna would point to it simply being a cruel coincidence; there's no way-"
Aurora's voice shouted out with a firm shake of her head. "That was no coincidence, and we all know it!" She exclaimed, sounding rather angry. Aurora looked to the group with pained eyes, slowly looking to Maleficent.
"Mother, the same feeling I had when I first saw the dark feys that day at Castle Ulstead... I felt it all over again watching Yuna and that girl." Aurora whispered with a troubled expression. "I know what I saw. That girl looked just like her..." Aurora trailed off with another shake of her head, rubbing at her temples in resignation.
Philip comforted his wife with a firm arm bringing her closer to him, masking his own troubled expression.
"I believe I have to agree with Aurora." The king confessed, nosing into her hair.
"Did you see their reactions when they saw each other? They both knew it. I wouldn't have hired Yuna if I didn't trust her intuition, and it was that same intuition that just sent her sprinting after Mina and onto that boat." Philip sighed;
"Her name is Mina for heaven's sake! What more proof do we need?"
Shrike sat on the dock, bare feet dragging into the water lazily. While the fey had pledged to always be the one to bring positivity and optimism to the group (much like Diaval), the only thing she felt was a deep perplexity that clouded her mind.
Her colorful wings closing around her wonderfully dark skin, Shrike absentmindedly dragged her toes along the water's surface.
"Regardless of all the proof; it just doesn't make sense!" She exclaimed in frustration.
The jungle fey looked to Udo for some type of help,
"Yuna just took you to visit Mina's grave, Udo!" Her brows furrowed. "Is that just empty earth? No body? How does any of that even make sense?" She threw her hands in the air, a clear sign of discontent.
Udo looked away from Shrike, thoughtfully and quizzically staring down at his hands as the bunched into his robes.
"I don't know." The Fey quietly confessed. "I don't know how it could've happened... but I know that Yuna saw her sister. If Yuna believes it, then that's enough for me." He looked to the village;
"The chaos that took place here all those years ago was unmeasurable. Maybe the villagers don't even know for sure what happened..." The graves flashed through Udo's mind, and he slowly looked back to his hands.
Like Udo, Ini had refused to let her gaze leave the cruising vessel. Her loose canvas clothing blew freely in the wind, and unmistakable look of sadness gleaming in her eyes.
She spoke up softly;
"I would know my sister if I ever saw her again. No matter how many years it'd been." She confessed in sorrow, and remorse. "It's not something you could ever forget...that bond is not easily diminished, no matter what happens."
The fellow feys' shoulders seemed to droop as Ini spoke;
They hardly ever spoke of that day. The day all of their families had been ravaged; the day they fled to the Cavernous Nest and become the only family they'd ever know.
Wordlessly, Borra took Ini's hand and squeezed it.
Ini kept her gaze up at the ship.
"Udo's right. Many lives changed after that night; maybe some took the opportunity to flee amidst the chaos. It's much easier to simply see who's missing and count them as dead, rather than conduct an investigation." Ini's voice was quiet.
"Or maybe it's just simply a misunderstanding. Maybe Mina wanted to disappear. Maybe we don't know as much as we thought we did; Yuna included..." Ini closed her eyes, thick lashes meeting. "I don't know."
The air went quiet again, the group lost in their own thoughts and attempts at understanding.
Udo found comfort in the Phoenix standing at his side, the older fey obviously sensing the distress he was trying to keep suppressed.
Maleficent would probably punch Udo in the gut if he ever said it aloud, by the mistress of evil truly was a mother at heart.
"I just want Yuna to be happy...I don't want her to be disappointed." Udo whispered to the woman at his side, pointed eyes coming up to look at her.
His eyes flashed, worry fully overtaking his expression.
"I won't be able to take it, Maleficent. Seeing Yuna so upset will make me..." Udo could only trail off as Maleficent gently hushed him.
"If she's upset, then you comfort her and be here for her just as you always are. If she isn't, then you celebrate this with her." Maleficent spoke easily, and with a stern confidence.
"Don't fret over things out of your control; life will always throw things your way that you're not ready for or weren't expecting." She said calmly.
"Udo, you are promised to Yuna, are you not?"
The question made Udo blink in confusion; wasn't that much obvious at this point?
"Forever." He answered easily, and with no contemplation.
The hand on Udo's back gave him a firm slap, and the fey almost stumbled as Maleficent replied;
"Then act like it. As long as Yuna has you, I guarantee she will never be disappointed."
The statement made Udo's eyes widen, and he stared up at Maleficent's coyly smiling face.
The sincerity in the words burned within Udo, and he offered his own grateful smile to her.
'She's right.' Udo's thoughts rang loudly. The briefest image of Yuna smiling painted his mind, and Udo felt himself smile in return.
'Yuna will never know anything but happiness if she's by my side.' Udo's grip on his robes tightened. 'The same can be said for me too.'
"Thank you, Maleficent." He whispered.
Maleficent hummed;
"Someone has to steer you kids through life. I already have one pair married... need to make sure the rest of you get their too." She smiled warmly, before looking away from Udo.
Udo opened his mouth to respond, but a quick gasp from Aurora caught his attention.
His bed whipped to the boat before them, and Udo immediately had to resist the urge to fly up onto the ship and smother Yuna in his arms.
The group seemingly became stick straight as they caught a glimpse of Yuna's oxblood hair catching the sun, eyes training onto her instantly.
Rising up from below the deck, Yuna straightened to her full height slowly.
Her back was to the group, and they saw no sign of Mina.
Udo couldn't gauge her expression, but he felt his heart clench.
His wings fluttered, fully prepared to sweep Yuna into a comforting embrace as he soaked in her lonesome figure, but once again it was Diaval who stepped in.
"No." He hurriedly whispered, eyes wide and glimmering. "Look."
Udo followed his gaze, and his brows softened.
A second head of vibrant locks soon joined Yuna's side.
They turned to face the group now, and Udo instantly locked into their matching red and tear stained eyes, intertwined hands, and small smiles.
Udo felt tears of his own threaten his eyes.
Like the two girls, the group of humans and feys were almost in shock, unable to move or say anything as Yuna and Mina slowly trekked down the steady wooden ramp.
Coming to stand before them, Udo broke into a brisk stride.
He stopped before the two girls, wordless and tense.
Udo glanced at Mina, her eyes not meeting his with what Udo could only assume was embarrassment. Her hand gripped Yuna's tightly, and she planted herself slightly behind his heart; a clear sign of trust that she found protection in Yuna.
Udo then looked to Yuna, a found all the answers he needed with just one look of her face.
She was smiling; teary-eyed and brilliantly at that.
Briefly, Yuna let go of Mina's hand; already for seeing the Fey's intentions.
Udo's eyes becoming misty, he met Yuna's sincere smile wholeheartedly. He didn't hesitate to bring the healer into a tight embrace, cradling her head against his chest. His fingernails trekked along her scalp, and Udo breathed out a deep sigh of relief as he gave his heart a squeeze.
Udo enjoyed holding Yuna for a quiet moment before opening his eyes to gaze at Mina.
She didn't meet his gaze, and shuffled rather awkwardly on the dock.
Gone was the stubborn and angry captain of the Corsairs of the Nether; before Udo stood nothing more than a child overwhelmed by an outburst and unable to process their emotions.
However, Udo saw something more;
He saw his own sister.
Yuna was his family now; his future bride, his whole world. Just as they'd share their lives together, they'd also be sharing their families.
Udo had already welcomed Yuna into his. The Dark Fey were his home; Borra was his brother and Ini and Shrike were like his sisters. They may not have been related by blood, but Udo didn't give a damn. They had a bond like steel, their ties thicker than blood. They were a family who accepted him... and also accepted Yuna.
Now, before him stood a girl who Udo held no doubt was Yuna's sister. The same name, identical appearance, that spitfire personality that Yuna would so fondly recall to him... there was no denying it.
To Udo, Yuna's sister was his own sister. Just like how he still considered her parents, alive or not, his own kin... and just like he considered Leo.
Family was family, and Udo's heart soared at the fact that not only had Yuna been reunited with hers, but that his own grew as well.
A gentle, fond smile on his face, Udo dragged Mina into a tight embrace by her elbow.
"W-What..." Nestled between Udo and Yuna, Mina reddened to a shade that rivaled her hair. Udo's arm settled around her shoulders, and Yuna's on her back. Embarrassed, and flustered, Mina opened her mouth to protest.
But just as quickly as she opened her mouth, she soon shut it.
This shared embrace...felt nice for lack of a better word.
It was a kind of affection, a warm type of feeling that Mina had not felt in a long time.
She didn't make a move to fully embrace the fey and human back; but her hands did squeezing tightly into either one of their overcoats.
Mina let the embrace last only for a moment before she pulled away.
"I think we have many things to discuss." She whispered.
"Yes. We do." Yuna nodded in agreement, hand coming up to cradle the girl's dark locks. "We'll do it together."
The two shared a smile, and Udo finally let a tear slip out.
*
They should've reported back to Aisha's estate for the discussion, but it simply felt too harsh.
Took away from the intimacy and joy of it all.
They settled for the room aboard Mina's ship that served as both a nautical observation and study room and meeting area.
A long, polished dark wood table was placed in the center of the room, scuffed from years of wear. Charts upon maps upon coordinates littered the wooden walls of the ship, the windows bringing in a pale blue light onto the thick and heavy bookshelves.
The friends had each taken a seat around the center table, Mina unsurely standing at the head of it as she shifted from foot to foot.
She eyed the table occupants nervously, the humes and feys all rigid with anticipation and tracking her movements intently (well, minus Udo and Yuna).
Trying to find the right words, Mina blinked rapidly with furrowed brows.
"So...needless to say I'm not dead."
Silence; deadpanned stares.
Mina rubbed the back of her neck; "I mean...I guess you can clearly see that."
She sighed exasperatedly.
"Let me restart; My name is Mina...Asai...wait, I guess you kinda figured that too..."
Mina's nails began to dig into the skin on the back of her hand, clearly distressed when Yuna swooped in to help her.
"Everyone, this is Mina." Yuna smiled warmly, hands coming up to give her shoulders a squeeze. "My sister."
Mina relaxed under her touch, and Yuna continued;
"Also, Captain of the Corsairs of the Nether."
Unnervingly flustered, Maleficent tried to hide the shock on her face as she slowly nodded;
"It's wonderful to meet you, Mina." Her plump lips formed a smile, and Mina gave her back a small quirk of the lips in return.
"You must be Maleficent." With the smile on her face, Mina looked much more like the teenager she was.
"I...I only ever heard folktales about the Dark Feys. It was a true mystery if they even actually existed... I'm happy to know that they do." Mina's smile went from Maleficent, to Borra, Ini and Shrike; then finally to Udo.
"I guess the same could be said for you as well." Maleficent chuckled. "Just like the Dark Feys, it also seems like you went into hiding."
Mina's smile turned something painful, and she shrugged. "Not much of a choice."
Feeling reassured by Yuna's touch on her shoulders, Mina's dry throat swallowed.
"If you don't mind...We'd really like to know what happened, please." Aurora piped up quietly. "We care about your sister; and we about you too...that's the whole reason we came all this way. How on earth did this all happen?" Her voice was soft.
Mina's gaze fell to her hands;
"It's...not a day I like remembering."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*5 Years Ago*
"Where are we going, Mina? Yuna said she'd be right back. She'll only be down at the marketplace for a few minutes." Leo trailed after his sister with a deep sigh, following her through the thick forests surrounding their home.
Mina smiled back at her twin, cheekily winking. "You really think it'll be just a few minutes? She gets distracted so easily... plus, Mom wanted me to go and sheer off some of the Rosemary bushes." She patted the golden sheers strapped to her hip.
"Also, you know that you don't have to carry that book around with you everywhere, right?"
Leo frowned, the book in his hold held tightly.
"Yuna gave it to me. Why wouldn't I carry it everywhere?" He huffed, nearly tripping over a hefty root.
Mina decided not to tease him for it, dropping to her knees when they came upon tufts and tufts of the herbs. She went to snipping, placing the branches in her lap as she did so.
"Just kinda weird to carry a book everywhere you go. Don't you have anything else to read? Your room is practically a library." She absentmindedly questioned, snipping branch after branch.
Leo contemplated the question for a moment, before quietly reminding;
"...I had to sell all of them."
Mina momentarily paused in her de-bushing, Yuna's bright expression as she unwrapped their birthday gift to her flashing in her mind. The necklace wasn't cheap, expertly crafted with authentic materials. The twins couldn't bring themselves to ask their parents for borrowed money...so they had to come up with the money themselves.
"Right." Mina got back to snipping, not looking at the boy. "Sorry."
"It's alright." Leo didn't sound that offended at all. He eyed his twin's short hair, once long and pooling into thick strands.
"...I think you made the greater sacrifice anyways. You had to help me with my half of the necklace." He whispered. "Rather rare hair color...you got a lot for it."
Mina's rose to her feet, pinafore pinched up in her hands to create a makeshift bowl for the newly collected rosemary. "It's just hair. It'll grow back."
She turned around, giving Leo a small smile.
Leo knew Mina would never admit it, but she missed her long locks.
If Yuna had long hair, then Mina wanted to have it too.
"Come on. We should get back; Yuna wants us to all go down to the beach to finish out her birthday. We need to pack." The ever commanding twin instructed, brushing past Leo as they set down the forest path once more.
Leo followed after her wordlessly.
The crunching of twigs and dirt clumps sounded underneath their shoes, the forest air crisp and clean; distant calls of animals chirping and buzzing about them.
It was Leo who noticed the first sign of danger.
A tiny flake, dark and foreboding fluttered down from the sky and danced around him. The color of the flake rivaled Leo's own midnight hair, and the boy let it flutter down onto his open palm with interest.
He blinked, then his eyes widened.
"Mina." He called you the girl a few feet in front of him, prompting her to stop.
"What is it?" She asked with a sigh, adjusting her grip on her pinafore.
Leo let the flake fall from his hand, only for another to replace it.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
Leo looked up at her, fear and uncertainty beginning to bubble within him.
"Ash." He whispered. "There's ash in the air. A lot of it."
The statement seemed to concern Mina, but she tried to mask it. "Well it's probably from the blacksmiths down in town or from the bakery." She tried.
Leo went to retort, but soon the two noticed that the lighting around them became significantly less visible. The twins looked up to the sky, once clear and vivid and now dark and sinister; ash and soot and smoke painting it.
A sharp scream rang out, a loud bang sounded, and Mina's shaking hands dropped the rosemary in her grasp.
Eyes wide, she looked to Leo's own visibly terrified face.
"Leo..." She started.
Leo ran up to her, taking her hand into his own and tugging at his sister.
"Run." Another bang. "We need to go back to mom and dad!" He instructed.
Mina nodded, blinking back her worried tears as Leo guided them out of the dense forest. Her hand gripping his tightly, Mina could feel Leo shaking after each scream they heard.
The smell of blood and smoke grew as they entered a clearing; home in sight and Mina broke out into a sprint of pure relief.
"Mommy!" The girl called out tearily, their home becoming closer and closer as she ran.
"'Mina, wait!" Leo exclaimed in a hushed whisper, trying to grab at her as she broke from his grip.
Mina kept running, front door in sight,
"Daddy-"
She felt a harsh tug on the back of her dress, gasping as Leo all but knocked her back onto her bum.
Inches away from the sweet familiarity of home, the girl flared up at her twin.
"Leo!" Mina went to protest, and Leo silenced her by slapping a hand over her mouth.
"Quiet!" He lowly commanded, and Mina's eyes widened.
Hand still firmly over her mouth, Leo pressed them against the outside walls of their home; front window just inches above their heads.
Cautiously, Leo lifted his head to peek inside.
That was when Mina heard the unfamiliar voice;
"My corespondents told me that Miyagata was once the home to the Moorfolk. I know you know what I'm talking about."
The voice was cold; terrifying.
Like and electric shock spiking in their bone marrow.
Cautiously, and slowly, Mina followed her wide-eyed brother in glancing through the window.
Her fingernails dug into the sill at the sight.
Their mother and father were on their knees in the living room, fireplace ablaze behind them.
Before them stood a man, tall and looming like he were only made of shadow. His back was towards them, so they couldn't quite see his face, but that didn't mean that the siblings couldn't tell how... troublesome the situation was.
They could see their parents' faces, not quite so much fearful as they were concerned; worried.
They hadn't noticed them yet.
Leo and Mina shuffled closer together.
They watched their father shake his head,
"That's nothing more than a old folktale. You know that." Percy furrowed his brows. "The phoenix's all died out a long time ago. Your correspondents lied to you." His gaze was fixed hard on the man, unwavering.
A sharp slap made their father jerk his face to the side, the two children having to stifle a gasp.
Ilia was at her husband's aid in an instant, arms wrapped around his larger frame.
"Percy...!" She shot a glare up to the man before them.
"Everything we've told you is the truth. I'm sure all the other people on this island told you the same thing before you murdered them." Her pretty face held a bruise, presumably from before the twins had gotten to the house.
Ilia glared,
"Leave this island; stop this pointless bloodshed now. We have nothing for you here; your quest is selfish and it's going to render you fruitless. There is no such thing as a Phoenix on this island."
The man seemed to visibly anger at that, his hand raising to strike Ilia and Percy held her close in defense; turning to shield her.
"Don't!"
A harsh slap again, and Mina made a move to go for the door; hands gripping her sheers tightly.
"No..!" Leo grabbed her again, yanking her back to the ground.
Mina gave her brother a helpless, frustrated look, and Leo only cocked his head to the pointed and broad sword strapped to the man's hip.
The couple remained steadfast in their strength, expressions not giving hint to any fear as they stared up at him.
"The legend of the Phoenix holds true to the same story your island authored." The man's voice rumbled like dangerous thunder. "The story of the farmer boy and the girl who became the moon; it's all in the old texts of the Phoenix. What I'm looking for is here on this island, and I know it." He glowered.
"The prophecy tells of wishes and knowledge far beyond comprehension; a legend and treasure only for the people of the Moors. No other human has ever sought after what I'm after; you understand why time is of the essence, don't you?"
Percy still held Ilia close, glare never faltering.
"Humans poking themselves into the spiritual world of faeries without permission will always be burned. You'd do well to remember that."
From underneath his navy coat, the two could see muscles tense.
"Burned, him?"
The man's gaze wandered to the fireplace, then slowly his hand fell to his sword.
"I don't think you know the first thing about curses. Maybe someone should show you."
It was when he unsheathed his sword that Leo and Mina both couldn't help their cries ring out; the decision an instant regret as the man sharply turned around to face them.
Their blood instantly ran cold.
An aged and scarred face with long, unkept black hair; his eyes were as dark as the void.
So dark...and so evil.
He locked onto them like a predator would to prey, a pounding step forward nearly sending Mina and Leo into a sprint.
But they couldn't; the fear was paralyzing.
As fast as the man set out towards them, he was just as quickly taken down.
Leo and Mina shouted as they watched their dad take the man down; the two crashing into the living room table in a flurry of limbs and rough punches as they hit the ground.
Their father met their eyes frantically, the fear blown in them not for him, but for his own children.
"Leo, Mina, get out of here!" The man beneath him struggled, but Percy was not a man easily messed with; behind his age were years of training, years as both a sailor and fisherman.
"Find your sister and leave!"
Leo and Mina were still frozen; tears finally falling as they watched the intruder knee into their father's stomach and sending him spiraling to the floor.
Ilia, in the midst of the chaos, could just barely throw open their front door and crash before her children.
"Mommy!" Leo and Mina were in hysterics as they collided into her, arms hugging at her neck and waist frantically.
Ilia held them for a long moment, eyes shut as tears threatened to bubble over.
She allowed herself this last moment, breathing in their scents and squeezing them, before hesitantly pushing them back.
"You two need to go. Run for the coast, get off of this island. No matter what you need to do, you need to escape." She hurriedly instructed. "Find your sister and go!"
"We can't leave you and papa!" Leo exclaimed, wincing as they heard a particularly rough shout echo from the house their father caught in.
"We'll be okay." Ilia cupped either one of their faces, rubbing away at their teary cheeks and kissing their foreheads. "You trust us, yeah? Trust mama and papa. It's alright." She smiled.
Mina shook her head in a cry, "Mama-"
The thundering clap of boots rushing up the grassy hill stilled all three of them, and Ilia's eyes widened as she heard the shouts and cocking of guns, the brandishing of swords.
"Crew mates." Ilia cursed under breath, sending a worried glance into the home that her husband still fought desperately in.
The forms grew closer, and Ilia shoved her children;
"Go! Run! Stick together, no matter what!"
The two stumbled as they took off, only stopping once more as they glance back to their mother.
She smiled;
"Go. We love you. We'll be right behind you, okay?" She shooed then with her hand.
Leo and Mina still stumbled unsurely, hands clasped together tightly. Their limbs visibly shook.
A loud bang like thunder rang out, and Ilia's brow furrowed;
"GO! Hurry and don't look back!"
The fear turned to adrenaline, and the twins took off; eyes blurred with tears and hearts pounding like they never had before.
They didn't look back, and Ilia watched as their distant figures grew smaller and smaller.
She took in a shaky sigh, and finally let her lip fully quiver as she bit back a sob.
'Please. Whatever happens to us is okay...but please just let me children be okay...' Ilia let out a shaky breath, the distant footsteps growing closer and closer now.
'Please.'
A thud behind her sounded, and Ilia just barely managed to turn around to see the man's blade.
*
Everything was on fire. The smoke was so thick, so dark that Mina and Leo would've completely lost each other had they not been holding hands.
The market was ablaze; had Yuna been there, the twins could only assume the area overrun by pirates and blood had claimed her.
The night was a blur; they remembered being chased a few times, remembered an older man helping them by holding off a group of ruffians while they escaped, remembered dodging bullet after wildfire.
It was mainly just a blur of smoke, though.
It was near the back of the island that they'd found shelter; a large ship in their harbor surrounded by many more.
"We shouldn't go in there." Mina resisted, "They'll set the boats on fire, Leo! We'll be smoked if we go inside!"
Leo dismissed her protests, the two slipping below deck and Leo shoving them into the storage area.
"It's this or being left for dead out there." He had said.
The two of them huddled in the supply room, screams and shots echoing around them as they held each other tightly.
It was in that darkness, in the suffocating tightness of their corner hiding space that it all finally sunk in.
The shakes began, and the tears began to fall.
"L-Leo..." Mina whimpered.
Leo slowly nodded.
"Mama and papa...Yuna...they're...?"
Leo huffed his sister tighter, the two pressing into the dark corner so hard that it hurt as another bang rang out.
"I'll protect you." Leo whispered, voice pitching in his tears. "It's okay, mama said they'd be okay, right?"
Slowly, Mina nodded. The two knew better, however.
"I'll protect you too." She whispered, the two scrunching their eyes shut as they cried in that dark corner.
The ship rocked with every waking percussion of explosions, and neither one of the twins could remember when they finally succumbed to sleep.
Elsewhere;
It was the blood loss that got them, not the smoke inhalation or burning of their house.
They were rather safe from their spot in the very back, in Percy's study; the flames ravaging the front part of the house.
Percy's eyes barely focused on his wife, the two held up by the wallpapered walls of his office as their hands clutched at bloodied stomachs and stained clothes. The blood trailed from their spots in the living room to the study, and Percy wordlessly mustered up the strength to catch Ilia's limp hand.
Her head turned to him, skin pale and blood dripping from her lips as she gave him a weak smile.
Percy gave her one back, his breath shuddering through the searing pain in his gut.
He knew they only had a few more moments.
The fire roared from a distant part in their house, and Percy glanced at the framed illustration that hung on the wall to their side.
Their family.
"Thank you." He whispered out quietly. "For making me a father...for spending the rest of your life with me."
Ilia's eyes blurred with hot tears as she smiled back, squeezing his hand. "I promised, didn't I?" She chuckled weakly. "Now you get to be stuck with me in the afterlife too; don't think you'd get to die before me. I'm not going anywhere."
Percy smiled through his own trailing tears, brows furrowing. "You should've left with Leo and Mina. You should've left me behind, Ilia..."
She smiled.
"If I went with them it would've been a for sure death sentence. Those two are small, quick and cunning you know? I would've weighed them down. I'm sure I would've just sacrificed myself later down the line anyways." Ilia coughed, my blood beginning to drip from the corner of her mouth.
Her face twisted in a cry.
"My babies, Percy. I don't know if they're safe or not. I don't know what happened to Yuna. We can't be there to protect them anymore..."
Percy felt the same sense of helplessness, the same anger, but he knew he had to be the steady one.
"They're okay. We made them, remember? There's nothing those three can't do..." Percy suddenly felt a wave of grief, and he squeezed Ilia's hand tighter.
"I wish we could've seen what else they were going to do..." He sighed through a bubbled cry.
With the last drop of strength, Ilia dragged her body closer to her husband's. Her head on his shoulder, she gently pressed a kiss there.
"We will see." She promised, eyes closing in her tears. "We won't physically be here, but we'll see." She lifted her head, catching Percy's eyes.
"We'll see it together."
The words brought a sense of peace to the man, and he gently bent his head to kiss Ilia.
"Together." He promised. "Just like we spent this wonderful life, just like how we raised our children." Slowly, Percy began to feel a warmth envelope him. His pain was gone, and Percy's eyes fluttered shut.
"...Love you."
Ilia has already joined him, hands still clasped as they held each other.
"Yeah...love you..."
A peace overcoming them, a tranquility they had never felt before, Percy and Ilia left the world hand in hand and embraced in their love.
They entered their next stage of being together;
Never once letting go of the other.
*
"Hey. Wake up."
The twins stirred in their slumber, embraces still tight even as they slept.
A sigh.
"Hey. Brats. I said to wake up."
A loud clap made Mina jump awake, and she instantly clawed at Leo to bring him closer. The boy awoke just as alert, the two cowering in the corner before the figure before them.
The figure relaxed, "Hey. It's okay...I'm not gonna hurt you." She bent down, and Mina and Leo were greeted by her green irises, framed by black locks and dark skin.
"Name's Meg. You two stowaways?"
Slowly, Leo nodded.
Meg sighed. "You two must be locals...it's a miracle you didn't get killed last night." She scratched the back of her neck. "Well...you got anywhere to go?"
Mina's lip quivered. "We were waiting for our mom and dad...and our sister..."
Meg's face fell. "Oh." Her eyes fluttered shut with another sigh, slowly opening them again with a sympathetic gaze. "Listen, I'm sure I don't have to tell you kids, but... they're probably dead. I don't think you should be wandering around out there either; it's not a pretty sight."
The two let their heads drop, soft whimpers beginning to escape them again.
Even with all of her callousness, Meg couldn't help the sympathy she felt for the two.
She wasn't the best at comfort, didn't make a move to embrace them, but softly spoke up.
"You can stick with me, if you want. I'm not gonna be your mommy or anything, but I own this ship. I got a crew, a band of mercenaries. We can look after you, feed you and teach you the ways of the sea. Teach you street smarts that'll help you survive out there. We'll leave this place and probably never return... at least for awhile. Whole port is a mess." She cocked her head as the the twins eyed her.
"What do you say, hm? What are your names?"
A hand wiping at his eyes while the other still clutched his book, Leo sniffled.
"Leo..." He muttered.
Mina still hadn't let go of her brother;
"Mina."
Meg offered them a soft smile.
"Leo and Mina, hm? Strong names. The kind you give to people who are fighters." She rose to her feet, and offered either one of her hands;
"Since you two have already infiltrated my storage, what do you say to some breakfast, hm?"
Like she were a lifeline, Leo and Mina didn't need to be told twice as they grip onto either one of Meg's hands.
Sniffles still escaped them, and Meg let them cry into her leggings as she trudged through the halls.
"You're alright. No more crying once we get to the mess hall, alright? The others will tease you if they see ya weepin'."
The two didn't notice Meg take her time to get to said room, glaring at any lingering stares as she gently rubbed their back through a breakfast of sweet porridge and dry bread.
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Mina had to take a moment every once in a while as she told the story, detaching herself as she spoke rather emotionlessly through her tears.
By the time she finished, the room echoed with sniffles and collectively, there wasn't a dry eye.
Yuna had rubbed Mina's back through the whole thing, but upon hearing about her parent's demise and the twin's loneliness again (Mina and her had had their own conversation when they were alone in the ship) had her held against Udo's chest almost instantly.
Mina's fingers gripped into the table.
"Meg looked after us on that ship for the next few years. Taught us everything we knew; with her rigidness and Leo and I's promise to be strong... I completely forgot about who I was before that night. I didn't have time for any sadness or mourning...I only felt hate." Mina grit her teeth.
"Those are empty graves up on the hill. Well... my parents aren't, but Leo and I are. We just up and vanished; it was like we essentially were dead. The crew mates of the ship Yuna took her boat from that day must've recognized her; she was the only one of our family accounted for. She didn't just disappear like me and Leo. I never came back to Miyagata until today..." Mina shook her head.
They could've reunited so much sooner, had the timing of that day been just right.
"The man who killed our parents, who led the attack on Miyagata...his name is Azazel. I saw him one more time after that night; it was the night he killed Meg, the night I became the Corsairs of the Nethers' new captain, the night Leo left... and the night I got this." Mina tugged down the neckline of her shirt, revealing a scar across her collarbone.
Four years later, and at fifteen, the twins saw those dastardly eyes again.
The other mercenaries fighting off the crew, Leo took a shot at Azazel with a pistol as the man neared him, Meg and Mina on the deck.
Meg let out a straggled grunt as Mina pressed into her wound, pushing away the girl with a sigh.
"Forget it kid. I'm through." She winced.
Mina furrowed her brows. "Don't say that, you're fine. Just let me wrap it or...compress it or something..."
Meg waved away her attempts looking up to the burning masts with a sigh.
"No use. He got me good."
Effectively nailing Azazel in the leg and momentarily halting the Captain, Leo fell to the other side of Meg.
"Meg!" He cried out, long black locks tied back and covered in soot.
The girl gave them both a smirk, eyes already beginning to lose their glossiness.
"Taught you two everything I know. My time's up...I'm leaving it all to you." With her last bit of strength, Meg slapped her sheathed dagger into Mina's lap. "Ship needs a Captain. Corsairs need a leader... it's all on you now."
Mina's eyes widened;
"Meg, are you sure?"
She scoffed, "Questioning my judgement up to my last breath? Brat." Her eyes softened.
"Absolutely I'm sure."
Either one of her hands coming up, the twins slapped them into a tight grasp. Meg gave the hands a squeeze.
"Remember what I taught you. You two aren't the same scared little kids I found in the storage all those years ago... you're all grown. Brave. Courageous." Meg smiled to them,
"I'm proud. Real happy."
Their promise to Yuna still reigning true, Leo fought back tears as he smiled brilliantly.
"Whipped our asses into shape, that's for sure." He chuckled. "I'm happy too. Couldn't think of a more hotheaded woman to raise us."
Meg scoffed. "Ain't your mommy, kid. I didn't raise nothin'."
Mina rolled her eyes, "Sure. Whatever you say."
Meg smiled again, wincing with a hot flash of pain as her voice dropped.
"Stop Azazel. It's up to you two to bring balance back to the seas...to the world. If you don't stop Azazel, he'll...he'll..."
Her grip beginning to go slack, Leo nodded vehemently.
"No matter what. We'll stop him."
Mina squeezed her hand.
"We'll stop Azazel. I'll lead the Corsairs; we'll take him down no matter what... so don't worry."
Eyes half-lidded, Meg's smirk gave way to an actual genuine smile.
"You two better. Don't matter where I end up, I'll come down and rough you up real good if you don't."
Mina laughed. "Yeah, sure-"
Meg's eyes were closed, and she had gone limp.
Mina cut herself off, smiling instead.
Squeezing her hand one last time, Leo rose to his feet, Mina following after him.
The twins shared a look, then a silent nod.
Azazel was already readying himself atop the deck once more; those stupid eyes that they hated boring into them.
"Wandered into my waters and think I'd go down without a fight? Amusing." He winced as he put pressure on his leg, and Leo's gaze hardened.
"We won't let you raid another island, town or land ever again. No matter where you go, we'll always follow."
Azazel focused on the twins, his dark locks following in matted and greasy clumps as he observed them.
"...Miyagatans, hm? I get it now. Got a score to settle, hm?" He wasn't so much taunting them as he was just being...cold.
"I reckon I might even recognize you two. Sure have grown." Azazel rolled his shoulders back with a pop. "I don't know what propaganda that captain of yours as been fueling into your head, but let me make one thing clear."
He flicked his blade clean of blood, eyes hardening into a sinister kind of stare.
"Curse of the Phoenix or not, you won't stop me. I'm already far more cursed than you know."
Mina growled.
"Don't ever address Meg!" She glowered. Unsheathing the dagger, Mina heard Leo cock his gun for another round.
"You're looking at the captain of the Corsairs of the Nether right now; don't ever take your eyes off me!"
Mina launched herself forward, Leo firing off another round of bullets in her defense as dagger met sword.
"Took his eye that night." Present day, the dagger was now in Mina's hand as she twirled it, eyeing it indifferently. "Hated those eyes. How they looked at us. How they were devoid of everything..." Mina hand tightened on the hilt, stabbing the blade into the table.
"He got away that night...fell off the radar ever since. I've never stopped looking for him. Never stopped hating him..." Mina's eyes such in a scowl.
"Until recently." She breathed. "Azazel is back. He's back, and this time he's going to start an all out world war."
The room remained silent.
"This Phoenix that he's searching for...it's driven him to the point of madness. Ulstead, Miyagata, the Moors... everywhere. It's all in danger." Her eyes slowly opened. "This is my last shot to kill him. To put an end to everything."
The blade gleamed back at Mina, her reflection staring back at her almost tauntingly;
"...And that's it. I've nothing else to say."
The room remained quiet.
The only sound in the room was the slow creaking of the ship, rocking with the waves.
Finally, Yuna pulled from Udo. She wiped at her eyes, and came to stand beside Mina with a fierce look of determination.
It nearly stifled the group to see their sweet and sensitive healer so...aggressive.
"Today has been very... emotional for me, for Mina, for all of us. I understand that this is all a lot to comprehend, and we may all need to take a few moments." Yuna took a breath.
"But Philip, Aurora; I'm begging you to not refuse this request. I...I found my sister. I'm reunited with her again; and know I know my brother is somewhere out there too. I need to stay with Mina, I need to find Leo..." Her fists clenched.
"And we need to take down Azazel. This isn't just the Corsairs problem or Miyagata's issue... Azazel will threaten Ulstead; he'll threaten the Moors. That's my home...It's the home to everyone who's here!" Yuna bowed her head deeply.
"Please, I stood with you during the peace treaty and all these months...I'm asking you to stand with me now."
The room was silent again.
Yuna felt Mina reach down and loosely hold her hand, and Yuna gripped onto it tightly.
The girl heard steps behind her, then Udo's warm hand rubbed up Yuna's back;
"As partial leader of the Dark Fey...I'd like to believe my opinion counts as well."
Udo's voice was regal, composed and stern.
"I'm standing by Yuna, no matter what. Even if it means going against the crown or the fey. I won't allow us to ever be apart again."
Yuna's head shot up, wide eyed.
"Udo..." She wanted to scream at the fey with both adoration and frustration.
'Don't ever threaten to leave the fey for me!'
A chair scooted back at the table, and Borra stood tall.
"As the other leader of the fey, I second Udo."
Yuna gaped at the fey, heart swelling.
'Borra...'
"Any threat to the Moors, to my kin and my friends... I will not take that lying down. Azazel messes with one of us, he messes with me."
With a heavy sigh, Maleficent followed the two feys.
"A Phoenix curse, hm? Looks like I have a hit man after me." She chuckled. "Azazel is just like the humes who started that war with the Moors so many years ago. I will not allow another massacre like that to happen, not when I can stop it."
"And I won't let my mother go into a fight by herself; neither will I let my friends." Aurora smiled.
"Yuna's siblings are alive! This is so wonderful..." Diaval wiped at a teary eye. "Of course I'm going to support you. I don't know how useful I'll be...but I will fight for you."
Yuna smiled warmly, and Ini stood up next.
"Obviously I'm in." The fey beamed. "What Azazel has done is unforgivable. No one comes after our Phoenix, no one comes after our home; this is the fight for our kind."
"Well if you're all in, I'm in too." Shrike winked to Mina. "Hey kiddo, don't worry. I bring all the fun to the group."
Percival sighed. "Of course I have to agree if you all are involved. Never know when to quit; you'll get yourselves killed!"
Yuna's heart swelled, wordlessly sharing a bright smile with Udo.
All eyes turned to Philip.
The king regarded the eyes silently, then he chuckled.
"Well, it's not exactly like I can say no, hm?" He smiled to Mina; "I came here with the intention to help, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. Plus, you're also a sibling of a valued employee; consider it a family discount." Philip grinned.
Mina relaxed in her chair, slapping a hand over her face.
"Oh, thank goodness!" The girl groaned.
"This meeting stressed me out for days...not to mention once I figured out you're all my sister's friends that kinda made matters worse..."
Yuna smiled lovingly, tugging Mina up to her feet to embrace her tightly.
"I still can't believe it." She whispered.
Mina huffed, hugging the girl back. "Hey, not in front of your friends. I have a reputation to uphold you know-" She was cut off as Yuna punched at her back.
Shrike smiled fondly. "One day in, and the sibling fights have already started."
Aurora rose to her feet and skirted around the table, greeting Mina with a blushed grin.
"I do hope we can all take the time to get to know you more on our way back to Ulstead, Mina. I'm just...oh, I'm so happy for you both!" Mina went from one embrace to the other as Aurora hugged the girl tightly; the captain whining.
"H-Hey come on..." She wheezed.
The smile never leaving his face, Philip nodded to himself.
"I believe I should update the elder on our situation...it would be wise to make our way back to Ulstead post haste. We can come up with a plan there; I'll need to alert the national guard and our allied borders. If this truly is a war...then there's no time to waste." Philip's lips formed a tight line as he weaved through the room and out the door, beckoning for Percival to follow him. The rest of the room's occupants swarmed Mina in a sideshow-like curiosity, and Mina nearly died under all of the cooing.
A soft kiss was place on Yuna's ear, and Udo met her smiling face affectionately as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I can't believe it." Udo whispered, hand cradling her face. "You found your sister Yuna...Leo and Mina are alive..."
Yuna smiled fondly, kissing the Fey's fingers. "Hey now, don't start crying again." She giggled, her teasing stopping as she regarded him warmly.
"It's so much, I don't even know what to comprehend." Yuna looked away from his gaze unsurely. "Mina and Leo are alive... but I'm going to have to face the pirate I never wanted to see again." Yuna's brows furrowed. "I'm so happy...so happy I can't believe it... but I'm also scared."
A guilt washed over Udo again, and he gulped thickly.
Yuna wasn't supposed to find out this way.
"Yuna-" He started.
"Hey you." Mina broke away from the crowd, and eyed Udo's hands around her sister with a quirked brow.
"What are you feelin' up my sister for?"
Well.
Udo was certainly in double trouble now.
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WOW that was a long chapter! I know it was a giant exposition dump and was very plot heavy, but it was all very important!
Let me know what you thought, and also what you think about Leo and Mina's backstory and Mina and Yuna's reunion!
I really hope you all enjoyed! Stay safe out there, I will see you in the next chapter!
-Akahana