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“ A viva,” a voice whispered, drawing me from sleep.

I'd spent the last four days of our trip training with Quinn, and it’d been exhausting, to say the least. Not only did she teach me how to find and move crystals, but how to sprout them into different shapes that I could use as weapons.

She also taught me basic fighting moves I could use in battle, though a lot of the basics were ones Dimitri had taught me.

Instead, I asked her to show me how to take somebody down without killing them.

I decided that if war ever broke out again, and I was forced to fight my own people, I wanted to give them the opportunity to survive, at least.

She showed me where different pressure points were on the body, and how to effectively knock somebody on the side of the head to render them unconscious. In return, I showed her where to snap the bones on Northerner’s wings in order to ground them, but not kill or cause permanent damage.

I was proud to say that for all Quinn taught me, I taught her something new, too.

“ Aviva, ” the voice came again, and this time I recognized it as Robyn.

I groaned, turning my head away from the sound of his voice. I simply wanted to rot in bed, but I knew that wasn’t an option.

Today, we headed back to Cairnyl. I didn’t get to spend much time there before we left for the cabin, and now, things would be different when we returned.

Before we came here, I still viewed the Valwain as my enemies, but now I’d accepted them all as my friends.

Not only that, but I wanted to find out more about my mother’s family after our return. Knowing that there were pieces of her still out there, and I could get to know them, was almost too much to process. I had to get to know them, but something was holding me back.

I planned on talking to Robyn about it soon, and asking for his help. If anybody would know more about the noble families of the South, it’d be him. I’d been so busy with Quinn the past few days, I hadn’t gotten the chance.

“Get up, my love,” Robyn said quietly, and I felt him run a hand over my hair in gentle strokes. I turned back around to face him, forcing my eyes open to look at him. He was already fully dressed in his brown riding leathers, and I realized a second later that the sun hadn’t even risen yet.

“What’s going on?” I asked, sitting up. I immediately began to worry, thinking something was wrong.

“Everything is perfectly fine,” he said, likely sensing my bubbling anxiety. “I want to take you somewhere before we leave.”

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “Where?”

“Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, would it?” He stood up from the bed. “Get dressed. I’ll go grab us some snacks to tide us over until breakfast before departure.”

And with those parting words, he slipped out of the room.

I got dressed and washed up quickly, not knowing how long I had until he’d be back. I dressed in my own leathers, dark gray to match my gloves, and my black boots. It’d be a long day of travel, and I wanted to be comfortable.

I slid all of my daggers into place, hidden in different sheaths all over my body, my mother’s dagger sitting close to my heart. I didn’t imagine needing them as much anymore, now that I didn't view the Southerners as my enemy, but I still drew a sense of comfort from having them near.

I had just finished brushing my loose, white waves when I heard a familiar knock on the door. Robyn entered the room once again, arms full of different fruits.

He set the fruits on the small table in the corner. “I wasn’t sure exactly what you liked, so I got some of everything,” he said, and I could see the tip of his ears flush lightly.

Walking over, I saw he not only got fruit, but also an array of small pastries Chess had made the day before for our travels.

I smiled at his genuine efforts. “Thank you.” I grabbed one of the bright green apples from the pile.

He held out his hand. “Ready to go?” he asked.

I placed my hand in his and nodded. “Ready.”

As we walked, I thought about how comfortable I’d become in my husband’s presence.

I found peace in his company, and I’d even grown used to falling asleep in his arms. I’d become accustomed to our open talks as we fell asleep, about what we both liked, and what life was like before we met each other.

I felt genuine relief when my eyes landed on him after a long day of training, like I could finally relax as long as he was nearby.

I realized with a start that I felt completely safe with him; like together, we could take on the entire world.

The only other fae I’d ever felt peaceful around was Dimitri, and even with my brother, it was never to this level.

But the more I reflected back on it, the more I realized how tiring it was becoming to keep such a big secret from him—that he wasn’t the rightful heir.

It was weighing on my heart, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I would’ve lasted without combusting if I hadn’t been sent away.

I knew Dimitri loved me, but sometimes I also felt as though I were a burden, or an extra weight on him. If he were here, I knew he’d tell me that wasn’t true, but deep down, I was confident we both knew it was.

But with Robyn, things were different. He didn’t allow me to spend so much time around him, talking and falling asleep in his arms, out of a sense of obligation or because he felt a need to protect me, as I imagined Dimitri likely felt.

Robyn did those things because he cared for me—and I could actually feel how deep those emotions went.

We may not have known each other for long at this point, but his feelings towards me had always been clear— I saw that now. I’d been the one holding us back.

But not anymore.

I felt the ground below my feet change, and I realized we were now on the beach, down at the bay. Robyn veered left, taking us on a walk along the shoreline. The sky was slowly beginning to lighten, the stars blinking out one by one.

He explained as we walked that the reason we were leaving so much earlier than the first time we journeyed is because of the communication Rayven had with Cairnyl the past couple of days.

Apparently, Robyn’s officials and nobles were not happy with him for being gone so long, especially after such an uncertain peace agreement.

They were not convinced of the peace between the South and the North, and were kind of freaking out since the entire Valwain was on this trip.

As a result, we were not stopping in Diorum on our way back to The Haven—we were traveling nonstop all day and into the night, until we reached Cairnyl.

Part of me was stunned that he was telling me all of this so openly. I was so accustomed to being told next to nothing, the open communication still took me by surprise.

He looked at me curiously, and I could tell by his expression he was wondering why I felt surprised.

“I’m… not used to being kept so in the loop about things,” I said after a moment. “It’s a good change, and I appreciate you telling me. I simply have to adjust.”

Robyn nodded in understanding, likely recalling one of our previous nightly conversations.

He looked up at the sky suddenly, watching as more stars blinked out, and a crease appeared between his brows. “We have to hurry,” he said, quickening our pace.

Soon, we came across a rocky part of the beach and approached an ivy-covered wall of stone.

From the looks of it, this part of the beach was usually a couple inches under water.

I looked around and could note nothing special, until Robyn, with a flick of his wrist, shifted some of the thick vines out of the way with his zirilium, revealing a hidden tunnel in the surface of the rock.

I gasped, shocked that something so large could be hidden so thoroughly. Robyn, still holding my hand, smiled at me.

“After you, m’lady.”

I didn’t hesitate, knowing that he wouldn’t tell me to venture somewhere unsafe. I plunged ahead into the darkness, tucking my wings close to my body. The space was too small for us to walk side by side, though Robyn’s hand on my shoulder was a constant comfort.

After a couple seconds of walking blindly, I could see the end of the tunnel, and I realized it was a rather short passageway. Before I could step out of the tunnel, Robyn gently tugged on my hand.

“Do you trust me?” he asked quietly, close to my ear. I could hear him holding his breath as he waited for my reply.

“Yes,” I said with no hesitation, “I trust you.”

I didn’t have time to think about the significance of what I just declared before his hand gently took its place over my eyes, obscuring my vision. His other hand landed on the small of my back, and gently led me forward out of the tunnel.

Once we were out, I could hear the sound of the waves softly crashing onto the shore not too far off. He turned me slightly to the side, then slowly lifted his hand away from my eyes as he said, “We made it just in time.”

I blinked a couple times, but considering the sun wasn’t up yet, my eyes adjusted easily to the soft light—Northerners could see better than Southerners in the dark. I was facing the ocean, watching as the waves kissed the shore. The sun should be rising any moment.

“Turn around, Avi,” he called to me softly.

Turning on my heel, I realized we were in a small, hidden cove. There were the same cliff faces surrounding us, blocking off this part of the beach from everything else. When I turned around, my eyes landed on Robyn, then jumped to what was behind him.

And suddenly it dawned on me why he wanted to bring me here so badly.

Moon lilies.

Behind Robyn, there was a small waterfall cascading down from the cliff face and landing in a small pond. And surrounding the pond were dozens of moon lilies.

A piece of home.