The bond

17. A heart worthy of a queen

"Mother?" Aiden says wide-eyed.

"Yes." she says with a smile.

"I......... But I saw you get stabbed! How are you...... This?" Aiden gestures to her appearance.

"It's a long story I'm happy to tell you but please give me a chance to explain." Aiden closes his mouth and watches Reina.

"I was given warning Verillia were coming for us, after I told your father, all the kingdoms came together to attack Verillia first."

"That day the battle separated many of us, and I from your father, I kept a dagger that was given to me, with a special purpose. I searched everywhere for your father to give it to him, I never got to him before I was attacked."

"King Kintarbie knocked me to the ground and the blade fell from my hand, I tried to get to the dagger before he could... but I failed, he picked it up and thrust it into my chest." Reina winces as she remembers.

"The dagger was coated with a capium poison that was meant to kill Kintarbie, but when the explosion went off, I ran at him sending us both out the window, I remember waking up down the stream in the morning, that's where Madeline's scream woke me." she says, shuddering.

"You try fetching water and finding an Akuma, OUTSIDE the capium fields." Reina rolls her eyes and continues.

"Yes, well as you can gather, I looked like this. I explained to Madeline what had happened and it so happened Madeline was in the woods that night where she saw Kintarbie cast the illusion on himself before setting your father in crystal, we have been working together ever since." says Reina.

"What is going on?" Logan says getting up.

"We are not of Nigalia, we can't understand what she is saying." Madeline gets up ushering everyone outside.

"I'll catch you all up, let's leave them for a bit." Answers Madeline.

"Would you prefer if I go too?" I ask.

"No child, please stay you understand me fine." Reina says encouraging me to stay.

"I've wondered why for a while now but I believe it to be true, you too are bound aren't you?" She asks. Aiden looks at me with a twinkle in his eyes, taking my hand in his.

"Yes mother." he says with pride, she smiles a big smile.

"I'm so happy for you, I thought I would never see a true bond in my lifetime but here you are, my son." she says, with equally as much pride.

"I have been following Kintarbie as best as I can, his definitely up to something. I don't know where your father is but I know he has him somewhere in the far reaches of verillia, that's where he's been traveling to ever since Bree came back." she exclaims.

"Came back? You know?" Aiden and I say at the same time.

"Oh, you too were never very good at keeping away from each other." she says with a laugh.

"The first time you two met. I was picking Lillulian's in the orchard with Aiden, a bright blue light filled the orchard, as fast as it had appeared it was gone, that's when I heard Aiden screem, he had fallen into the river that split the orchard, I dropped my basket and ran to Aiden as fast as I could, but when I got there this sweet little girl was there, she made a rope appear in a flash of blue light and threw it to my son pulling him to safety." says Reina with pride.

"Once Aiden was out of the water, she stayed by his side making sure he was ok, I thought it best to stand back and see what would happen, you are light magic and I couldn't believe you would save someone not your own kind but as I watched the two of you, I saw you were not what I expected." she admits.

"So, when you kept meeting up, I didn't say anything, I thought having someone of light magic, especially one so young and innocent, knowing we are not the monsters they make us out to be. I made sure it was all kept quiet and no one got in your way when you were together." Reina says. Aiden and I look at each other in shock.

"We thought no one knew!" Aiden and I say in unison

"Oh... No one knew besides me, one maid spotted Aiden sneaking out of his room late one night but that was it, my husband didn't even know as long as no one was getting hurt, I didn't see the harm and I didn't want the fuss that came with explaining Aiden was safe with someone of light magic."

"The night Aiden disappeared frightened me. I was so worried, but when he came home, I was relieved until I caught him climbing through his window. I told Aiden not to sneak out at night anymore and when he replied it will never happen again, I was concerned, after that, it got worse, Aiden stopped going out, he stayed by his father a lot more and he stopped laughing, then when I found out King Kintarbie's only daughter went missing around the same time." Reina tells us.

"I didn't have a clue you where the princess, when you disappeared Bree, your father went mad storming all the kingdoms searching for you. No one knew a thing about what happened and I never had the courage to voice my suspicions that the last person to see you, was my very own son." She admits quietly. I look to Aiden.

"He was the last person here to see me, but I don't know why he did what he did, even with our bond, it's never been revealed to me." I say, not taking my eyes off him, Aiden sighs......

"I snuck over to the castle to see you one day, when you didn't meet with me, I was worried, when I was sneaking through to your room, I came across a room where I overheard your father talking to a man, he called brother. Bree they were talking about taking you to the in-between maiden." Aiden exclaims.

"Even though I was just a boy, I knew that was a death sentence. I'd rather you gone but safe, than dead." he says, as tears threaten his eyes.

"I don't know what is going on but I do remember things that terrify me of that man, and my uncle killed my mother right in front of my eyes." I say angrily.

"If it was you, I would have done the same." I say, Aiden wraps his arms around me in relief.

"What happened, where did you go for all this time?" Reina asks curiously

"We were asking you what was going on? You're an Akuma and you had Madeline poison our fields and blow up our kitchen without good reason, we still have to take her back." Aiden says, Reina sighs.

"The field was to force Kintarbie's hand to find a cure, so I could get a cure for this." she gestures to her form.

"But he didn't do a damn thing! It was all Bree, I followed everywhere you both went trying to keep you safe in the shadows but when the Akuma attacked I tried to intervene but I ended up getting flung into a bush instead." she winces.

"I'm sorry, we didn't know and if it wasn't for Bree........ Oh no." Aiden realizes.

"I almost killed you!!" he shouts.

"Aiden it's ok, you were protecting the one you love and I'm not exactly standing out as your mother right now." she chuckles.

"It's not funny, if Bree wasn't there, I could have..." he starts...

"But you didn't, we are all here now together, getting long-awaited answers." Reina interjects.

"Ok, the good thing is Kintarbie hasn't seen you yet, he's been away on business a lot so our trips have been mostly unnoticed, he probably has informants but we have had good reason for what we have done so far so we need to go back and find out why he's so desperate to give Bree's life to the maiden." Aiden says. Reina looks at us.

"It is said that only the heart of a worthy queen can stand before the maiden, if he takes Bree to the maiden, it's for one reason, he believes Bree to be worthy of judgment, if she has such a heart, the maiden will judge her, but all who have stood before the maiden until now have all perished." states Reina.