For a moment everything was quiet. The three of them didn’t make a ruckus or speak loudly. That was until another woman came bursting in. She was far from quiet. Her name was Toya. And her language was far from lady like. Clyde’s eyes widened as he watch the woman confront her sisters. Lily was right, it had been rude but this wasn’t Clyde’s sister, so he didn’t want to say a thing. Standing beside the windows, he stayed out of their confrontation. It was amusing to watch and made memories appear in his mind.

“Ana. Watch your language! Ladies do not talk like that.” Clyde said to his sister as her hit her lightly over the head.”You can’t make me.” Ana yelled at him. Clyde wasn’t ready for the first that hit him in the cheek and the ground coming up quickly. “Hmph.” His little sister smirked at him as she ran off into the distance.

Toya mentioned that Angela knew what was going on. His eyes snapped over to her. For a moment her felt anger towards the woman, but pushed it away. He didn’t want to get in the middle of family. Especially, sisters like these. They were both powerful in their own way and family always stuck together. They might get mad at each other but when someone comes in unexpectedly they will both go at them. Together.

With a mental smile, he pictured his brother and the fights they would have, but as soon as there was danger towards the family. They would help protect them at all cost, together.

The moment Toya hit the wall, his eyes looked at her then to Angela. Then as soon as Lily spoke up, it was like the fighting was over. A small smile crossed his lips.

With a slam of the door, Toya was gone. Calm filled the room as soon as she left. Clyde’s eyes moved back to Lily as Angela spoke. He nodded at her words. Then she was gone as well. As soon as Angela was gone, Clyde moved over to the bed to help Lily stand.  He shook his head at her words, “We can save that for tomorrow, Lily. You need to rest.” He said as he put the jars into his pocket and picked up Lily into his arms. That was when he noticed the rose he had gave her was gone. “Maybe the cemetery?” He thought to himself as he walked over to the door.

When he stepped before the door, it opened automatically. A man held open the door for them and with the other held out his arm. “I will escort you to your rooms.” He said with a nod and closed the door when Clyde stepped out.

As Clyde followed the man, he continued to hold the queen in his arms. “Your sister, Toya, reminds me of my sister Anastasia. She is very high spirited and headstrong…. “ He paused as he turned a corner. “Family should be fought for no matter if they’re is a bad egg.” He said thinking of his daughter Angelique. “They are the ones you need to fight for the hardest….and who cares the most in the end….Don’t give up on your sister just yet. MiQueen.” He said to her as they came to her doorway. The man opened it and bowed. “I’ll only be just a moment.” Clyde said to the man as he walked through the doors.

“The sun is down and you need to get your strength.” He said with a smile as he laid her down on her bed. “Sleep.” He said as he pushed back a strand of blond hair behind her ear. He wasn’t taking no for an answer and walked away towards the door. “Goodnight, MiQueen.” He said with a bow as he closed the door.

The man from before stood beside the door still. With a nod he motioned for Clyde to follow and he did. The room just  beside her room. “You will stay close to the Queen because of the..situation.“ He said as he opened to door for Clyde. Another nod and he was gone.

Stepping into the room, Clyde shut the door with a sigh. It had been a long day and he was glad for the bed he was going to sleep in. Taking off coat, he draped it over a nearby chair, and then his vest. It wasn’t long before he was just in his underclothes and he was in bed. His eyes staring up at the ceiling for a long time as today's events went through his mind, and then he was asleep.

Lily chuckled a bit. “The Queen of Flames. The Queen of Wildfire. The woman with a dragon’s soul. She has many, many names, Clyde. Her husband is much more down to earth and quiet. He is who we normally talk to if we need things.” Looking away she frowned a bit. “Cyprus has been dead for a long time. I’m not even sure if she has a heart anymore. I think you lose that once you start to kill your own children. When she killed Angela’s son… earthquakes of the greatest kind happened. To be Angela means you have to be calm. The slightest inch of frustration or anger can make the world shake. It’s a great power and a heavy burden. Which is why no one likes to even think of being in her shoes. Especially Toya. She respects Angela but it’s that respect that gets her in trouble. She is rough because she knows Angela can take it.”

Once Lily was into bed she smiled up at him and stared towards the open balcony. “It is what it is. At night time I am more vulnerable. I don’t heal as well and well, I can’t defend myself anyways.” She chuckled a bit. “Defensive magic is only good if you know the attack is coming.” He pushed her hair back and she blushed just a tad.

Even with the pain, she was able to sleep well. There was a battle coming and she knew she needed her rest. She would have to be one of the voices of judgment and that weighed heavily on her mind. In the morning she managed to creep out of bed and open her balcony doors back up. The sunlight and heat poured in. The breeze fluttered her gold hair and she took a heavy breath. This was a good place to live. She would have it no other way. Therefore, Arri could never fall.

She moved from the balcony and threw off the nightgown. Instead dressing in a low-cut dark green halter top with a fluttering white skirt. Her hair was pulled up into delicate braids and pinned against the back of her head. It was a lot of hair and frustrating when she was hurt but she was satisfied with it.  She was thankful the dress wasn’t so deeply cut down her chest that the bandages showed. She didn’t want anyone to panic.

As the sun started to shine through the windows, the rays hit Clyde’s face. His eyes fluttered opened and looked over to the windows. Stretching slightly with a yawn, he climbed out of bed and made his way over to a table near the dresser. A washbowl with water was set there. It only took him a few moments before he was cleaned and his hair was pulled back in a small ponytail. Next was his clothes, he looked over his clothes, they had been moved and neatly folded on the small coffee table. Picking up his jacket, he brought it to his nose, the smell of roses was all over it. His clothes had been cleaned while he was sleeping. With a shrug, he put on his clothes and loved the smell that was around him.

With the sudden grown of his stomach, he had a thought. “Breakfast in the garden.” She did need the sun to heal. Grabbing his cane besides the door, he walked out of the room, and made his way through the halls until he was near the front door. The servant from the night before, and as soon as he saw Clyde, he bowed. “Sir, breakfast will be served in the dining hall momentarily.” He said while he waved his hand to the doors. “Thank you, but can you serve it in the garden the Queen was at yesterday? She needs the sunlight to heal.” Clyde asked the servant. “What a marvelous idea.” The man nodded and walked to the dining room to tell the rest to move everything.

Turning around, he made his way back through the hall. His cane clicked slightly on the floor of the castle until he was in front of her door. With a few knocks, he entered the room. A smile crossed his face upon seeing her. “Queen.” He said while he bowed. “Good Morning. You look well.” While he stood, he held out his hand to her and looped her arm into his. “Breakfast will be somewhere different.” He smiled down at her and lead her out of the room and into the garden. A garden table was set up with food for them both.

As they reached the table, he pulled out her chair for her and pushed it in slowly as she sat. The sun shone brightly above them and seemed to make her glow. “How are you feeling today?” He asked not really to make conversation, but he was generally worried and wondering.

Lily’s eyes met Clyde’s and she just smiled. “You can call me Lily. It’s much preferred actually.” She looped her arm with him and tilted her head. “Well is an overstatement. I’m very good at hiding my pain. One must hide the pain in order not to stir panic to those around. No matter what, you must smile and tell them that everything is well even if there is a storm brewing that you cannot control.” It had happened with Yaeger… After that when she prematurely gave birth to Nymphaea, she remembered the panic. 

She was pleasantly surprised by the breakfast in the garden. She sat down in the chair and let her skin soak up the hot sun of Arri. She let out a pleased sigh as if she could feel the energy already drifting back. “I feel like I should have been dead yesterday had my race not been involved. Anyone else would be dead after all.” She mused a bit. “Just like when Nymphaea was still in my womb.” She looked pained for a moment. “I’ve only loved one man you see? It didn’t even start out like that. We were just two people in a tavern. Rowan was older and was able to be left alone. I am a social butterfly and I loved the atmosphere in Adeluna more than anything else.”

There was a fond look on her face as she remembered. “And I met him there. He had tufts of gray in his hair but overall he had this dark chocolate hair and wild brown eyes.” It sounded like she was describing Nymphaea. “Gods when our eyes met there was electric running through the room. It began as a pleasant just meet once in a while. We would part and not even think about it. Eventually that changed and we spent ten years going back and forth with one another. Then… We found out that we were going to have a baby. He was absolutely terrified. He took off until he could handle it. He never could. When he finally showed up he was irate and yelling. Our baby would be at the low end of every spectrum. She would be a half demon, never really accepted into any race’s halls. She would be constantly hunted. Called weak. She would be an abomination, is how he put it.”

There was that pained look again. “So he attempted to kill her before she was born.” Lily held out her hands and showed the oath marks on her palms. “These hands? They did what they needed to. I ripped him to shreds. A powerful shadow demon… to bits. Then I forged him into a weapon that one day our ‘weak’ daughter could use… That she could protect herself with. I’ve done a lot of things I regret but killing him? That was the best and worst thing I’ve ever done.” She pulled her hands back and frowned. “Nymphaea I think loathes me for my decision but Yaeger? He… is at peace with himself. We fight sometimes and I feel dumb fighting with a sword but he is highly opinionated when I let Nymph get away with things that he would not. He’s come to see her like I do. She’s not weak and she certainly isn’t an outcast by force. She’s just different.” 

Lily seemed upset with herself. “This mess that Arri is in… Brings me back to those days. It was shortly after that when Cyprus was killed. I don’t know what happened and I don’t dare ask Angela. If it were me I know what I would do, I lived it with Yaeger. To lose a child? That is a tragedy on a whole other level. Whatever it is that our sister is doing… will start a war. Many people will die. Nymphaea could very well be one of those people if I am not extremely careful. Angela wasn’t very vocal on all of the details. She knows more of the motives than I know which means her silence is aggravation. She is feeling powerless in a situation she should be able to crush. Which leads me to think Cyprus must be based on Parvpora.” Lily poured herself some of the hot tea and smiled at Clyde. “These are just my thoughts on the matter. It’s the only thing I can think of that has her on edge this much.”

Clyde eyes watched her as he poured her tea. She poke of her pain he nodded. Sometimes people have to force a smile on their face, no matter the pain. Especially when you're a queen. He set a scoop of eggs on her plate and a slice of ham, then put the same on his plate. The smell was amazing. “Only the best here at a castle.” He thought to himself as he took a bite of his eggs.

When she started to speak of her first love, he straightened and stopped eating. It reminded him of when he first met his first love. A pleasant smile crossed his lips as he listened. Memories swirled in his mind as she spoke. The man must of looked a lot like her daughter Nymphaea. “Your daughter must look a lot like him. I can see you in her but not as much like your son.” He commented. He picked up his tea and took a sip. The tea tasted of lemons and sweetness.

Lily continued to speak and he started to remember the short time he had with his love. Only few shared moments because Margaret was married to a man who wanted to rise in power and knew too many people. He was almost shocked at the words she said about her daughter but it was what her first love had said. “Some men shouldn’t be fathers.” He commented thinking of the man Margaret was married to. He was never kind to Angelique.

Clyde looked at Lily, she was a very strong woman. Not many would go through what she had and still be walking. He couldn’t do that to Margaret, but she was different. “Sweet, innocent, caring Margaret.” He thought to himself as he took another sip of tea. “You and your daughter are very strong.” He said with a smile.

Taking another bit of food, he looked over the woman before her. As he heard her story, he continued to think she was a compassionate strong woman who would do anything for her daughter. Her blonde hair made her unique eyes shine bright.

“I don’t know your sister, Angela. But I think she will come to you when she knows everything. Maybe she wants all the facts before speaking with you with rumors.” He started to eat a few more bites, but sighed. His mind was on what what she said about her first love. “First loves always leave a mark that can not be erased..” He said softly. He wasn’t open like the woman before him. He hadn’t talked about his love for Margaret in weeks and before that in centuries. Speaking of his love to his daughter and confessing to her could of been the worse thing he had ever done. Because of him, his daughter was missing and her soul was gone. It would take everyone who care for her to get her back.

Straightening, he took another sip of his tea. His mind in a different place. Where could his daughter be?

Noticing his silence, he pushed his thoughts away. "If it comes to war, Nymphaea wont stay out of it, will she? Might have to lock her in the dungeon to keep her safe." He said with a light laugh. Trying to lighten the mood, even just a little bit. The mood had got too serious. But then a thought crossed his mind. "If it comes down to it…Will your sisters kill Cyprus or fight to get her back?" He still stood on his words from before. Family should be fought for not given up on. "Will you fight for her?" His eyes locked with her wondering what she would say.

Lily thought about it and chuckled. “Nymphaea is almost a spitting image. Rowan’s father was a unique man, a warrior mage from a distant place. I only found out I was pregnant with Rowan after he left. Though I must admit that I fear his father might be dead. Not all beings are as long-lived as we are.” Even she could tell that Clyde was very old.

Again she smiled and nodded. “Agreed some shouldn’t be. Sometimes, though… the greatest gifts come from the loins of a man who shouldn’t be. A father is a man who raises his children with love and guidance. If they are anything but those things I don’t consider that a father. Just someone who makes children and screws up. Yaeger in his years has become a better father but he can’t hold her or hug her. The only thing he can do is give advice. She needs his advice more than ever right now. I’m not a demon and I can’t tell her how to feel when she is angry. Only he knows that.”

She tapped her fingers on the teacup. “If it benefited Angela she would hide it. No one knows how she killed Cyprus or how Cyprus has managed to come back. Only Angela knows that and she isn’t talking. It’s very possible that she committed a taboo. Now that would be a rumor.” She shrugged and sipped at the tea. Her eyes went soft at his words but she did not comment.

At the thought of Nymph in a dungeon, she laughed. “The dungeons under the main castle would do her well! They are anti-magic and everything. I don’t think a soul but Angela could get out.” She chuckled a bit more. She was sipping more on the tea when he asked her that fatal question she put the cup down and folded her hands into each other. “I would kill her. I would kill her over and over again. The crimes and taboo that woman has done… There is no saving her.”

Feeling like she had to explain she took a sigh. “She’s always been different. The age gap between the five of us is very large. At least for some of us. She’s never felt the need to be loved or want to be loved. It’s always been about power. There was an empty feeling in those red eyes of hers. She was the only one of us to ever get those eyes. Those… murderous eyes. It started as a small thing.. Animals… Magic golems. She would kill them and take them apart as if seeing how they worked. Slowly she worked her way up until one day… Well her first child went missing. We weren’t sure if she knew what happened to the poor baby. She said she didn’t and we wanted to believe her. But there’s only so many times we can believe a story like that once two or three of her own children went missing. Then one day eleven children were missing of hers. We had heard whispers of a child being born to her that moment and we rushed in and cut the cord. We stole the girl for ourselves. We just wanted to save one or two. In truth, we saved two. One is named Eldora, an exceptionally powerful oracle, and Kirika the current fifth queen after taking her mother’s spot. Eldora is emotionally compromised. I’m not sure she understands her emotions but her gifts are so powerful that she knows right from wrong. Kirika is the child that broke the war out. She got her mother killed.”

Taking a breath Lily looked up. “It was a day like today I think. Before Nymph was born actually. I was trimming the garden and suddenly the earth began to quake and the port was yelling about an incoming tidal wave. The power was Angela and she was upset. It took a while for us to figure out what had happened. Cyprus was angry about Kirika… so she took Angela’s son Raven… And well, you couldn’t tell it was him when she was done. All in all, Kirika has buried around two hundred of her own court’s people. We keep finding skeletons and bodies charmed not to decay. All bodies her mother has left in her own sick and twisted war path.”

Lily looked him in the eyes and stared. “So, I would kill that woman myself. Taboos and murder… nothing can change that woman back. The suffering she has brought to her own people and her own children has to be put to an end. The longer she lives the more people will die. A true great evil if there ever was one. Rosenites make few vows in their lives but one of our taboos is killing children. Many have been put to death over it. She will be no exception to our rule.” 

Clyde sat there quiet as Lily talked. He didn’t know what he could say. He truly believed that everyone could be saved no matter what. He believed Angelique could be saved no matter how far she had gone. He set down his tea and felt his hands begin to shake. Putting them in his lap he listened to her speak about her sister. The image of his daughter floated into his mind.

Clyde had only just recently heard the stories of when Angelique went mad. It only happened once before but the damage was heartbreaking. “You took children’s fathers from them…right before their eyes.” He thought to himself as Lily paused. Angelique grew up differently from the Queen’s sister. She was always a happy little girl who loved life and lives around her. She wasn’t one to hurt anyone. Maybe that is why she took whatever her father did to her without telling anyone or stepping up for herself. “He was cruel. How could I leave her…” He thought as he started to hate himself. He had to save her. She could be saved. Couldn’t she?

“Everyone can be saved. Maybe if you believe that, you could’ve saved your sister.” He stood up, instantly regretting he had snapped. Pushing out the chair from under him, he stood and stepped around the table. “I forgot the positions.” He said without looking at her and walked off back into the castle.

The elemental mind began to race. Could he save his daughter? Could he bring her back before she killed a child? With her soul gone, could she see a child before her or just something to kill? A sigh left his lips as he pushed open the door to his room. He couldn’t believe Lily was making him doubt himself. Taking a moment, he walked over to the window and stared down at her. How could someone he didn’t know make him doubt himself? How could she? Turning away from the window, Clyde made his way to his nightstand where the vials were. As he reached for them, he ended up sitting on the bed. His eyes looking out the window. “Where are you my sweet girl?” He whispered to himself.

Pushing his thoughts away, he had to apologize to Lily. He shouldn’t have snapped at her because of his own feelings being questioned. Grabbing the vials he shoved them in his pocket and went back to the garden. Hopefully she took his apology. He had to explain to her what was going on.