In the Shadows~zayn au~Completed ✅EDITING

~Chapter 14: Best Nation in Dalitrise~

A/N: Many many apologies for taking so long to update!!! I have no excuse except that life is so busy I can't even describe. ... Thanks for sticking with this everyone; it means the world!

"Would you care to read it yourself?" Kalysta asked carefully, mentally kicking herself for extending their time alone. It was a risk, especially after the confusingly intense moment just a bit before.

"I'd rather have you read it to me," he said, smiling softly and sitting in his previous chair across the council table from her. Maybe he, too, was trying ease the effect of whatever had happened earlier.

She was glad for the space, her mind still reeling. She'd have to analyze all of this later.

"Very well," she said, keeping her voice on a tight rein to prevent further embarrassing discrepancies.

"Princess Kalysta," she began, her excitement returning as she read it, "I hope this finds you safe and before your country has fallen to Mullingar as mine did. I entrust this letter to Ambassador Zayn, Murdoch's son, with the hope that he will deliver it at the proper time. I cannot express the gravity of this situation, but I hope you read this letter in a safe place and keep it close, because I have put my life and the lives of my people in jeopardy writing it."

"Dreadfully cheerful, isn't he?" Zayn chimed in.

"Hush, or I'll stop reading," she admonished.

He bit his lower lip to hide a smile and nodded in agreement.

Kalysta continued.

"You're reading this because the ambassador has shared our secret, the secret of our plans to stop Murdoch's collection of Dalitrise, for I believe that is what he intends. He has my nation in his grasp, he clearly desires yours, and I have no hope that he'd stop there. We must thwart him before he gains momentum and especially before he makes a full move on Elysium.

"Unfortunately, my hands are tied. Many of the other nations are not as committed to the resistance because they don't have a motivating factor. Their countries are not in immediate danger while Murdoch's attention is on you and Elysium. They aren't as ready to engage with Mullingar, but I am doing my best to change that. I could use your help, and I'm sure I don't have to impress the importance of a resistance on you. I have been reticent until now to make these advances to you, but nothing is gained by cowardice.

"I know it's difficult to believe that someone so close to Murdoch-I speak of Zayn in this case-could have good motives, but the ambassador has given more to this cause than can be described, and I owe him my life in the process. He was the one who first approached me, warily, I might add, with the idea of working to regain our independence and thwarting Murdoch's greed. At first, I believed it to be a trap." Kalysta smirked at Zayn upon reading this part. "However, Zayn has proved himself time and time over. I can't make you trust him, but I can tell you that he is determined to see that his father does not continue this reign of madness. He has spoken to me considerably about his convictions on the matter and the difficulty in being raised in the royal family. Perhaps you may gain more in discussion with him.

"We are doing our best to stop this, but I feel I am alone at times. Your help would be of the utmost value and I am sure Zayn would be most obliging in facilitating any needs you may have.

"Faithfully hoping,

Naseer, King of Bradford, Bearer of the Broken Sceptre."

She finished the letter and looked up at him.

Zayn's face was a mixture of amusement and surprise. "I didn't realize he thought so highly of me," he laughed, getting a fond look on his face. "He is never so open about his feelings in public."

"Is that so?" she said, musing. His expression was lighter, more joyful than she'd seen it since she met him. The previous amusement he had shown had always held a cynical air. He was more open now, freely expressing what he couldn't before.

"He's not one I would describe as austere, but he does tend to hide his emotions more," he explained. "It's considered a good thing in Bradford, especially among the royals, if you are adept at hiding your feelings."

"I don't believe I'd fit in well there," she said lightly.

Zayn's laughter rang out, the first time she had heard him laugh with abandon. It was such a pleasant sound that she couldn't help wanting to hear it again.

"No, you most definitely would not fit in well," he agreed, "but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Emotion has its place. It is a dangerous thing to expel emotion from your life, because it can take love with it."

Kalysta was surprised once more. She had never thought him capable of such a profound thought. He was a completely different person in this moment than she'd known before.

"Don't look so shocked, Princess," he admonished. "A belief in Mullingar's ideals is not the only front I set up when I'm around others. Intelligence and wisdom is less touted than cunning and wile is, so those qualities often go unnoticed and hidden in Mullingar."

"That's a shame, because here those qualities are prized and elevated," she replied solemnly.

"Yes, yes, Elysium is the best nation in Dalitrise, I know."

Was he teasing her? She was flabbergasted by this change in his attitude. Every time she thought she'd gotten a handle on him, he showed some other facet of personality previously hidden from view.

He stood up abruptly.

"You have my thanks for reading the letter to me," he offered. "However, tomorrow is a big day; our people will be meeting here again tomorrow evening to discuss a settlement. We'll need our rest and our wits about us."

"I agree, Ambassador," she said, rising from her seat as well.

He gave her a pondering look for a second, then bowed and exited.

The minute he left, Kalysta dropped back into her chair. She was exhausted. So many things had changed in a matter of hours, between Hayden, Zayn's tale, and the knowledge of the resistance, her mind was spinning. Then there was the strange moment when he held her hand. What had she been thinking? There was nothing she could do now, but she knew what to watch out for. She simply couldn't allow him to touch her again.

Now, it was time to meet with her father, regardless of the late hour.

A/N: Again, I apologize for taking an eternity to update!!

Keep voting and commenting! Both will make me more inclined to update quickly! Pleeease let me know what you like or maybe dislike about the book! Bear in mind, there's a lot to go. It seems slow-moving at first, but it's going to get infinitely better!

Love you all, and a million thank yous!

Also...
I was thinking. Maybe a little bit of extra motivation would move all the voting up a notch, so when this reaches 100 votes, I'll do an update from Zayn's POV... From when he first meets Kalysta, or from a future scene that I may or may not have written already. hehe

Don't worry, I'll be doing the other updates no matter what, but maybe this will be a bit of an incentive. ;)

Lemme know if you guys want that!!