Unconditionally - DanRos FanFic

Chapter 5

Danaya exited the portal and looked around her wistfully.  The vibrant colors of the trees and the small flying pashneas flitting through the bushes affirmed that she was home.  Back in Encantadia.  To face her sister Pirena who had framed her and was to blame for her banishment to the world of mortals.  

Lira stepped up to stand beside her as the portal vanished behind them and she was reminded of their current situation.

Her banishment was all in the past now.  She had come back with the true heir to the throne, to expose Pirena's crimes and finally prove her innocence.  It was providential that she had been able to capture a barbarro male and forced him to let herself and Lira through their secret portal.  

Now she needed to find her way back to Lireo.  She pictured Aquil's face and meeting him again and felt delight wash over her for a moment.  Against her will, however, Muros' handsome but somber features kept superimposing on her thoughts and she frowned.  

"Ashti Danaya, why are you frowning like that?" Lira asked as she looked around her with interest.

Before Danaya could reply, there was a rustling noise from a nearby bush.  That sounded too big to be a pashnea.  She shushed Lira and silently walked to the bush.

Suddenly, out burst an encantado, dark, short and dressed in mandirigma clothes.  Danaya knew him at once.  

"Are you not Wantuk, friend of Ybarro?"

"Sang'gre Danaya!" was his elated reply.  "Who is that behind you?" he asked, staring at Lira.

She introduced Lira and explained as briefly as she could.  "Now can you lead us back to Lireo?"

"But Sang'gre, don't you know what happened at your palace?"

She listened with growing horror to his narration of the events in Lireo, of how the hathors had stormed the castle and Pirena had overthrown Amihan.  When he was finished speaking, Lira already looked scared.  Well, she should be, Danaya thought to herself.

"Take us to Amihan then," she prompted Wantuk.

Their hideout was closer than she realized as it took them only an hour to get there.  And when she and her party entered their camp, the first person she saw staring at her was Muros. When she glanced at him, however, he looked down.  

She decided to find Amihan first.  There she was, already striding towards her and the two sisters had a tearful reunion, with Amihan asking for her forgiveness.  It was enough for Danaya to feel vindicated.

She next introduced Lira to Amihan, who as it happened already learned the truth from their treacherous sister Pirena. Mother and daughter embraced amid even more tears and Amihan thanked Danaya profusely.

Muros raised one of his swords in salute.  "Long live Sang'gre Danaya! Ivo li-ve!"  The rest of the camp cheered and she saw him actually smiling at her.  

Just then, Aquil and Alira walked into the camp.  They were in the middle of a conversation but immediately stopped when they saw her.  Aquil rushed toward her and she and Aquil met halfway.  Everyone could see how happy they were to be together.  At the moment, Danaya didn't much care.

She was faintly disturbed though because she knew Muros was watching them.  It was her turn now to avoid his gaze.  At the back of her mind, the thought registered somehow that he looked... Pained.

Muros was, in fact, doing his best to look away from Danaya and Aquil but could not seem to stop himself from stealing glances from time to time. There was a resigned palpable sadness on his face.  The Sapirian mashna, Alira, however, looked furiously from Aquil to Danaya and back again.  This made Danaya wonder slightly but she brushed the thought aside.

Amihan cleared her throat, "Danaya, Aquil, we have much to discuss.  Let's go inside my tent."  The three of them headed for the tents.  

Behind them, Muros stared after Danaya, Aquil and Amihan ruefully.  He seemed even more subdued than usual and when Alira angrily hit the teasing Wantuk, he glanced at both of them but didn't say a word.