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“When the time comes to face all the Kings, Queens, and Council members, I’ll stand by you,” she said heavily, although not entirely pleased. “I just…want to be sure that you’re sure. As long as you’re true to what you really want, I’ll protect you.”
There was a lot at stake, but for the first time, Aria didn’t want to run away like she had run away every time the discussion of her becoming the next Fairy Guardian came up.
She couldn’t run from Travus either.
“I’m doing it,” she said firmly despite feeling a little shaken, and Hector immediately got to work. He pulled the string around Travus’s neck and held his head, looking at Aria for confirmation.
“Pour everything you’ve got into the amulet,” he guided her. “I’ll redirect every drop of it into his body. Just make sure to stop when I tell you to.”
The Fairy Guardian suddenly grabbed Hector’s wrist. “Will this harm the baby?”
“I’m not certain,” he replied a little regretfully, “but this is all up to Aria.”
Aria didn’t waste another second. Even if it was a decision the entire realm would be against, she had faith that she could take on the mess that would follow. After all, she’d come this far and had experienced the impossible. Her finding her mate, seeing Travus’s cold heart turn tender, and seeing her father well after his passing.
What couldn’t she do?
The ground under her shook as the sound of marching came from the mist-covered trees, and her mother stood up immediately.
“They’re here to take the Council Stones,” said the Fairy Guardian. “I’ll hold them off. Get to work.”
Taking a deep breath, Aria redirected her attention to Travus and channeled everything into the amulet within her palms. It was difficult as the pain in her abdomen grew, the child in her womb perhaps sensing the shift in priorities and protesting. It was not uncommon for the fetus of non-human beings to be parasitical, and she still felt guilty for taking away her energy from the soon-to-be-child even for a moment. Yet, she couldn’t imagine that the innocent soul would have to exist in a world where their father didn’t exist either, especially after all the time and turmoil it took to create them.
She opened her eyes to look at Travus, finding hope as his body started to revive. Muscle returned to his form and lifted against his skin, bringing his youth and strength back. His empty and faded eyes brightened, and his lids twitched. His hand rested on the ground near her knee, and she noticed his fingers flex.
The Fairy Guardian’s look of determination wavered in Aria’s periphery, and she knew why. The magic in her body suddenly felt different. Hotter, a little spikier, and flowed much faster and stronger with a fluidity similar to candle smoke. There was an essence of uncontrolled vigor to it which she felt was quite dangerous, and she finally understood why her mother was so against the practice of dark magic.
The essence of it was rather unbridled. If Aria thought she was strong before, it was incomparable to what she feltnow. The gold of her magic turned red and green and black, and even her wings felt lighter, yet stronger. Her glow was replaced with an eerie shadow that brought her a deceptive amount of confidence.
“Aria, stop!” Hector said.
“I can keep going!”
“No!” he scolded warningly. “Don’t fall for that feeling, Aria! Practice restraint before it consumes you entirely!”
Despite the voice in her head telling her to keep going, she heeded Hector’s words and stopped, pulling her hands away from the amulet and letting it drop.
Travus gasped as the amulet hit his chest with a pulse of light. His body convulsed with energy rapidly filling up his body, and Aria panicked until he settled. His eyes cleared up as he looked around, catching her gaze. Aria’s heart almost jumped out of her chest from relief.
The Fairy Guardian pulled her away immediately, a shimmering hand upon her daughter’s abdomen that frantically searched for the child. With a sigh of relief, she let Aria go.
“Thank goodness, the child’s fine,” she said. “Are you?”
Aria nodded and went toward Travus who pushed himself up to sit. Unable to contain herself, Aria sobbed andthrew herself onto him, arms around his neck so tight that he coughed.
There was commotion around her, not of battle, but of yelling. Yet, it didn’t matter to Aria as Travus’s strong arms wrapped around her, encasing her in his warmth that she’d become so familiar with. That she’d become so used to. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she knew that she would’ve missed his closeness so much.
“What…what happened?” Travus said with genuine confusion, his voice sounding very tired. “I remember the River of Mortality. The light. I saw my parents, and they took me away so happily.”
“How could you go with them so easily?” she demanded quietly, her sniffly voice muffled by his neck as she smacked his shoulder. “Howdareyou? You forgot that you had to come back to me.”
“Mier–Aria,” he said, although a little uncomfortably. “I’ll have to get used to that. Surprisingly who I didn’t see, was Niette.”
“Maybe you truly, only have one mate.”
“Maybe.”
With that they held each other in silence in the protective dome of the Fairy Guardian outside of which she,the Sentinels, and the Faes were caught in a verbal conflict with the rulers of the other realms.
