The Vice Captain of the Crimson Lions

A Path Home

Mynx woke up with a start. She immediately tried sitting up but yelped out as a sharp pain in her chest stopped her. She felt hands on her shoulder immediately,

"Hey, hey, calm down. You're hurt you have to take it easy,"

Blinking through the pain, Mynx looked up to find a pair of concerned purple eyes gazing at her with a mixture of worry and relief.

"Fuego?"

Fuegoleon smiled softly and nodded,

"Hey, Mynx,"

Mynx immediately hugged him as she let out a sigh of relief,

"It wasn't a dream!"

Fuegoleon chuckled and hugged her just as tight,

"It wasn't...you hurt your ribs, you have to take it easy until we get you to Owen,"

Mynx released him slowly, the reality of her injuries settling in as she took in her surroundings. The rustic stone walls, familiar wooden beams, and the faint scent of herbs were unmistakable.

"Hage?"

Fuegoleon nodded,

"Yeah...we ended up right outside in the forest here...SIster Lily did her best healing you,"

She nodded, processing it all. Fuegoleon shifted to sit beside her on the bed, his tone turning gentle as he asked,

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Mynx looked down at her hands. He placed his hand gently on top of hers and she glanced at his fire arm,

"Cool arm, by the way. How did that happen?"

Fuegoleon shrugged,

"Apparently, during the attack on the capital I was kidnapped for a few minutes and came out with a missing arm and my pendant gone,"

Mynx immediately tried standing up but Fuegoleon stopped her,

"Hey!"

"The capital was attacked?! Is everyone alright?"

Fuegoleon nodded,

"Yes, very few casualties. We have been working on rebuilding. I just woke up two days ago,"

Mynx frowned,

"Was I really gone for six years?"

Fuegoleon sighed and nodded,

"Yes...It's been a hard few years,"

Mynx looked down at her right wrist to the sun tattoo,

"Did...Is...Did they really think I died?"

Fuegoleon stood, gently lifting her chin so she had to look him in the eyes.

"Listen to me. We never gave up on you. King Augustus announced you dead after we looked for two and a half years...but we never gave up. I knew you would come back, it was only a matter of time."

Mynx slowly nodded and stepped away from him,

"Did you accept a new VC?"

Fuegoleon pouted,

"The Wizard King forced me to-"

Mynx slapped his shoulder,

"Fuego! You need a VC all the time. Hell, the gray deers had both Will and Yami as their Vice Captains. Who did you choose?"

Fuegoleon smirked,

"Ah, you have much to be caught up on. Randall became the Vice Captain,"

Mynx smiled,