The Reunion of a lifetime

Chapter 2

Back at the Silvergrove, Ethari is working at his desk when he hears people yelling for him outside. Huh? That's weird, I wonder what they want he gets up and goes to check out what it is. Only to see that the assassins lily pond was glowing, Rayla's still floated atop the water, but the water below was glowing and elves were looking at the pond wondering what it meant when suddenly the light began to grow brighter. "What's going on?" he thought out loud and before anyone could answer the pond's water started to shake and then the light began to fade, it faded to one point, a small lily flower that now floated next to Rayla's. Ethari knew whose it was "Runaan..." he said dropping to his knees, "He...he's alive? How?"...

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Back at the Spire...

Runaan, Lain and Tiadrin were talking to the Queen about where they needed to go, "Oh I didn't tell you? Just go to Katolis' royal castle, that's where she's bound to be," the Queen said. She didn't want to reveal everything to them, she knew if she told them everything they would be too overwhelmed. One thing at a time she thought to herself. "The castle?? Why is she at the castle??" Taidrin asked both worried and confused, "Just go there and ask to speak with Rayla, she should explain everything to you three". After giving up on finding more out from the queen they rested two more days letting ethari get to the spire...

Two days later...

Ethari arrived at the base of the spire, "WHERE'S RUNAAN?!" he asked the guard stationed at the base.

The guard, at first confused, quickly realized he meant one of the elves they found and escorted Ethari up the spire. Runaan and the Queen were discussing how they would get to Rayla when Ethari burst into the lair seeing Runaan.

"Ru...Runaan!" he rushed to Runaan, crying as he hugged him hard enough to break both their backs "Etha...let go a second!"

Runaan couldn't even find the words to say to Ethari and instead just kissed him for so long. He held Ethari's face in his hands and smiled

"I returned your heart..." he said with tears in his eyes, barely getting the words out. Ethari then kissed him again. The Queen just stood there, watching and smiling.

"How... Everyone thought you were dead! THEY GHOSTED RAYLA WHEN THEY THOUGHT YOU DIED!" Ethari said through sobs, it left Runaan shocked he had forgotten about the flowers

"Ethari...." At this point the Queen decided to step in

"Well we have figured out why they were thought dead..." She waves to a guard who brings over the coins they had been trapped it "These coins are referred to as infinity coins, very powerful prisons, the dark mage used dark magic to force them into the coins and when he died the magic sustaining the spell slowly bled out, freeing them, there where a total of 4 coins 3 had Runaan Lain and Tiadrin... but the 4th was empty... he had threatened Rayla with that 4th coin"

It was a shock, none of them imagined they had been trapped in something like coins, but then Ethari spoke "Wait... Lain and Taidrin were also trapped!"

"Yes we were," Lain said coming into the room with Taidrin behind him

"My Queen we request taking a dragon to get to Rayla as fast as possible,"

"No we can't take a dragon we will be seen!" said Runaan but the queen didn't care

"Of course go now to your daughter all four of you... oh and Ethari may i speak with you in private?"

"Of course my queen", From those words Lain and them all left except for Ethari

"Ethari i want you to not tell them about all the changes in the world or of Rayla... they need to see the change for themselves, words won't convince their minds,"

Ethari knew the queen's words were true. They were too stubborn to believe words and it would only hurt them. "I understand my queen,'' He didn't want to hide the truth from Runaan, but he knew that if he told him it would cause more harm than good, besides, he wouldn't believe him until he saw it for himself...

After having told Ethari what to do she sent them on their way, Runaan had begrudgingly accepted riding a dragon to Rayla. They would soon see Rayla, and what has become of her over these 6 years. Why would she be at the royal palace? Who did she have a baby with? They asked all kinds of questions to Ethari hoping for answers. He told them what he could without disobeying the Queen's instructions, but his heart wrenched every time he told a half truth.

"Alright, we should be crossing the border soon," Ethari was happy for the change of pace, for one they would be landing to inform the bridge guard of their intentions, but also so Ethari could talk to Amaya.

He hasn't spoken with her since his last visit to the banthar lodge in the winter, "Can't believe that was 4 months ago..." he thought to himself as the dragon they rode landed. "What is this Ethari?!" Lain asked while the other just gapped at what they saw before them, a bridge, one of human and Xadian design. It was beautiful, unlike anything before it, what was once called the breach now called the Bridge, stood a long golden bridge leading to the other side of the river of lava below, On each side of the river were a set of hands both expertly carved from stone, on the Xadian side a set of elvish hands, on the human side, human hands.

"After the prince was returned and things died down this bridge was made to signify peace, all who cross the border have to cross here even if they arrive on dragon," as Ethari explained the familiar face of general Amaya was seen rushing towards him. Runaan knew the face, he had managed to slip by her once before, the most dangerous human general he has ever seen, thinking she was going to attack Ethari Runaan quickly moved in front of Ethari as she approached.

What he did not count on though was Ethari pushing Runaan out the way some before Amaya slammed into Ethari giving him one of her classic bear hugs. It left Runaan stunned, why was the human so familiar with Ethari? "Runaan, Lain, Tiadrin, it's alright this is general Amaya, a friend,"

Amaya quickly began to sign to Ethari, "How are you Ethari? What brings you here? And who are these people?"

"Don't worry Amaya, just some people who need to see Rayla,"
"But who are they?"
She gestured to them pointing out the fact that they all stood there gapping at all the area like it is a foreign concept.

"Ah.... They are Rayla's parents, the ones everyone thought were dead,"

Ethari knew none of them knew KSL so he started to use what Callum had taught him to explain to Amaya, he explained how they had been coined and all that happened recently with them and his order from the Queen.

"Ethari... Rayla and Callum are at the castle right now, y'all can keep going on the dragon" Amaya signed almost too fast for Ethari to understand "Thank you, They are desperate to see her.... I hope they are ready" He hugged her goodbye and then hopped back on the dragon, the rest following suit. After they were set they quickly took flight again, in just 5 hours they would see their daughter again, but are they ready to see her?

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OK I gotta admit, this took longer to upload than it should have, please tell me what y'all think.