The Jem

~39~

"Why do you want to be important to someone, when being important for yourself is enough?" He ran a hand through his blonde hair, Darya sighed, "Because sometimes I feel like I'm not important enough for me."

"Your important to these people." The prince gave her a comforting smile as he gestured to their friends who were probably sleeping soundly by now. Good, they all needed rest.

"And am I important to you?" She dared to ask.

"I don't know you very well-yet. But be prepared for my answer soon." He winked and the water holder laughed.

"What a beautiful laugh."

Now she beamed at him. But after a long silence he whispered,
"Don't worry Darya, you will find that person one day." He patted her arm and walked away. Darya opened her mouth to say something back but quickly shut it again. She had nothing more to say.

                                        ~

They had all rested well and were back on track and Crimson was happy. Maybe not about Kazili's warning but things had begun looking brighter again. Even Brice and Darya were smiling once more at one another.

The Heir of Camalla.

She shivered as the thought zapped her head. No she wouldn't let that distract her from her mission.

Every hour Brice would heal a little more of Hunters wounds and he finally began walking again. And was now back on that horse, his calluses around Crimson's abdomen. She would usually rest her head on the spot between his neck and shoulder and loved the warmth that flowed off his body and over to hers. It made her feel...safe.

Darya and Brice sat on the cream horse together, speaking every once in a while. And Deeja and Jermine remained leaping through the trees like wild animals, which they both were. But Crimson loved to see them so free and high spirited, she loved to see all her friends as joyous as her.

~

Three days had past and the 7th realm was too close for comfort. But Jermine wasn't going to abandon these people. These were his friends. These were people who trusted him and he wouldn't let them down.

Currently these past few days, all his thoughts pranced around Deeja. That wicked feline made him purr and he couldn't help it. Something about her set him on edge. Oh how he'd come so close in that cell but that stupid fae bastard had to ruin the moment.

Unaware of his surroundings as he was lost in thought, suddenly an arrow shot right in the tree before him, only a couple of inches away from his face. A warning.

"They're attacking!" Darya put up a water wall around them.

"We have to find cover now!" Crimson ordered as they ran like hell. More arrows pounded the wall and Darya was losing her strength. But before any of them could see what was occurring, the wall turned to ice. Brice. Brice had combined their elements together. Jermine marveled at it only for a short while like the others, then they began running again.

~
Crimson opened the pendant and placed it in her hand. It took its usual turn around her, Brice then Darya then began leading the way. So the last one was here. Arrows banged rapidly against the frozen wall. It had shocked everyone when Brice had frozen the wall into place. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before. But he was smart.

~

Ember was merely a filthy kitchen boy, his life a complete waste. He lived in poverty and had put shame to his family's name. But it was worth it because every day he got to see Autumn. He got to sneak her food from the kitchen. The beautiful dark haired fae that was chained to the king's throne. Wearing nothing but an over-exposing two-piece that differed in colours every day and had painfully beautiful, jewels, crystals, gold and much more encrusted on them.

The king's personal whore. Ember wanted to snap those iron chains and set her free.
But where would she go? She was blind and powerless against the iron. The king had taken away her sight then chained her up to his throne and used her in his bedroom.

However, even after all the suffering she had encountered, she was still kind, caring, understanding. And it hit Ember so hard that he had vomited when he saw the king grab her and did unspeakable things to her right there on that metallic throne, when once Ember had brought him his meal and snuck an apple in for Autumn.

And although she was immortal, she still looked incredibly young-in her late teens was more like it-but the king was an old, old man. Ember couldn't bear to see her without that shred of sympathy pulsing beneath his veins.

He had spoken to her everyday and fed her. But he knew that she would never be able to see his short hazel hair or his ash gray eyes.
Maybe it was good that she couldn't see him. He was a disgrace.

But one day he will tell her how he looked like and let her see the world even if the only thing she saw was pitch black. And he would set her free. Ember didn't know how but he would.