Safe

Chapter 7

Eventually, we stopped to make camp by the beach. It was a nice night. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold. The sunset was red and orange that told me that it was going to be a hot day tomorrow. It was the late spring, so summer was on its way. I carefully got out of the wagon and then helped the guys get the wood out of the back of Luka's wagon. I walked over to the sand and helped Luka start a fire. It wasn't too hard since we both have magic that can produce a fire that can last all night.

"Riverlyn. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Kai asked as he came up behind us. I looked over at Luka to see if he was okay to be around. He nodded and then I walked over to a huge boulder with Kai. It was really quiet and I was getting a weird vibe coming from him.

"So... what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked Kai uncertain of his intentions. He looked at me from the corner of his eye and sighed the same way that Kovit does when he looks at me. "I'm just wondering... are you and Kovit related somehow?" I asked. That was when Kai started laughing a lot. He had an almost cackling laugh that came from his chest. I scooted a bit further away from him.

"I wish we were!" Kai said before wiping a small tear from his eye from laughing so hard. "You don't know much about Kovit do you?" He said. I looked down at my feet that dangled off of the rock.

"Honestly, I don't know anything about him other than he is an assassin who has anger issues. He likes to pick on me, but he has a good heart." I said. Kai scoffed and smirked as he looked back at the water.

"He's the dark prince of the Northern Kingdom." Kai said bluntly. My eyes widened. Kovit didn't seem to be that kind of person. He seemed too... rough to be a prince of anything. "I'm from that kingdom so I remember everything that happened before I joined this group of idiots." He said. I tilted my head in curiosity.

"Why? What happened?" I asked him uncertain if I should even ask this guy.

"The war with the Middle Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom." Kai said, obviously not wanting to go into detail about the war.

"How come I didn't hear anything about it?" I asked.

"Probably because nobody knew that the King of Leven, the Middle Kingdom knew about you or Luka. Your father probably wanted to keep it that way, so he hid all evidence of the war from you." He said. "Honestly, the whole reason why Kovit is the way he is, is most likely because of the war... Honestly, I am probably like this because of the war too. I grew up in it." Kai explained. I thought of how horrible the war must be if these two people's lives were ruined from it. Not to mention, Luka, and my mother as well as myself were ruined by the war. It was silent for a few moments. "Do you trust him?" Kai asked me. I assumed he was talking about Kovit. I sighed and then looked at the sun setting above the water, making the colors reflect beautifully off of the ocean.

"Not really." I said. I then looked at Kai. "However, I trust his anger." I said. Kai smirked and then looked at the water.

"Smart girl." Kai told me.

"But I'm not afraid of him." I told Kai. His attention focused on me. You could tell that he was surprised by my words. "He saved me after all. I owe it to him to at least try and understand him." I said. I sighed and then pushed myself off of the rock and my feet fell with a thud against the sand. Out of nowhere, Kai stood in front of me, preventing me from going back to Kovit.

"Why are you forcing yourself to be so comfortable with him? Do you have any idea of how many lives that he has ended? What he has gone through? He could hurt you!" Kai stated in a panicked tone of voice. I stared at him wide-eyed before relaxing my face and smirking at his reaction.

"I don't think you can destroy a monster without becoming one. Besides, I think you should know something very important, Kai." I began. Kai tilted his head and stared at me. "I believe that the horrors that you have seen do not make you who you are. You know, some people are just born with tragedy in their blood. Our reactions to the tragedy and horrors are what make us who we are. One day, I will get revenge on my father, but until that day, I will live a lie until I can live one that is real." I told him before turning around. I started walking, only to hear Kai whisper to himself.

"Unbelievable." Was all he said under his breath. Once I snapped back into reality, I bumped into Kovit. He had heard the whole thing. I could tell that he did by the look in his eyes. Kovit took my hand and led me carefully over by the fire. I don't exactly understand why, but when I was with Kovit, I felt safe, yet I knew that he was capable of snapping at any moment. I was slightly afraid of Kovit, but I knew that he wouldn't intentionally hurt me... right? I tried not to stare at the fire, I focused on the stars that were becoming visible in the night sky. I knew that my mother was up there, looking out for me, knowing what is best for me and Luka.

"Riverlyn?" Kovit stated, grabbing my attention. I looked over at him in curiosity. "I want to be the one to help you live a life that's real." He said. My heart skipped a beat when I heard him say that. Suddenly I felt water dripping down my face, until I noticed that I was crying. I bowed to him slightly in thanks. He put his arm around me and pulled me into a hug.

"What are you-" I started.

"Luka said that you like affection. He said that hugging you always helps when you're sad or sacred." He stated bluntly. He never smiled, he just hugged me, not knowing if he was doing it right. I smirked and then hugged him back. I felt his body relax and not be so tense when he hugged me.

"Thank you. It did make me feel better." I said, smiling softly at Kovit. He nodded and then stood up. I took the sleeve of his shirt and stopped him from leaving. "Where are you going?" I asked. "Can you just stay here for a few more minutes? Just until I fall asleep?" I asked him. Kovit scoffed but then smirked and sat back down next to me. I hesitantly leaned against his arm, which made him tense up, but then after a few seconds, he put his arm around me and I began to drift off to the first dreamless sleep that I had had in a very long time.