The Raven's Source

Chapter 19 - Yaya

It took another couple weeks for Shej to recover enough to where Cerno was comfortable letting him travel. Even then, he had only agreed because Shej and Leena had invited him and a couple Guardians to travel along.

Leena smiled at Rosalie who obviously hadn't traveled outside of Saorsa in quite some time.

"Why didn't I let you talk me out of this?" Shej asked. "Why did I think this was going to be such a good idea?"

"Because it is. And I can't wait to see the look on Twyn's face!" Leena said giddily.

Sundres had come into view in the far distance, meaning they would be seeing Twyn and Ilyana within the hour.

As the car pulled in front of the house, Twyn had already stepped outside to greet them.

Cerno and Leena stepped out first, Leena running over and tightly embracing her brother. She took his hand in hers as she knew he was about to try touch her stomach.

Not yet, she snickered to herself knowing his motive now.

Twyn looked up as two more women exited the vehicle before a bald man drove away to park it. Twyn set his eyes on the dark haired female and he leaned in to whisper to Leena, "Another guard?"

"That's Yaya."

"That's Yaya? But I thought she vanished in a fire?" he said, unintentionally more loudly than before.

"I died in that fire," she said. "Well, figuratively. But through Saorsa, Cerno was able to resurrect me."

"Isn't Resurrection a forbidden magic because of zombies and shit?" Twyn asked.

Sheja looked over at Leena who smirked, nodded and then tilted her head in a gesture toward Twyn with a playful wink. Noticing Sheja wasn't moving, Leena's grin turned into a more fierce stare and Sheja sighed softly before walking straight up to Twyn. She smirked and seeing him unable to take his eyes off her, she took hold of his collar and pulled him down to her, pressing her plush lips to his. After a brief moment, she broke away from the completely dumbstruck Twyn, stepping back and softly touching her lips as she pressed them together, giggling.  

"Uhh..." Twyn fumbled, "...Leena?"

"Hmm?"

"Where's Shej?" he asked as he just slightly turned his head toward his sister, trying to ignore the fact that a very gorgeous woman from the Angevin bloodline just walked up and kissed him, regardless of he himself being married. His eyes still didn't leave the woman. "He didn't get out of the car. You said he would be coming too. You said he was healthy enough to travel."

"Oh, yeah," she squeezed Twyn's hand more tightly. "Yaya...is a shortening for Sheja."

At first he didn't process why Leena didn't answer his question about his best friend not getting out of the car, but the gear very visibly clicked. "Shej...a? Shej's...had a sex change?"

Everyone standing outside chuckled, except for Twyn at first.

"Twyn, this body is why I was originally looking for freedom. This is me," Sheja answered, snickering. "I just had one more reason when I learned about Leena."

"Remember I told you Shej was hard to see in our family photo?" Cerno added. "You didn't know what you were looking for, and I didn't know how much I was allowed to tell you."

Twyn looked very lost for words.

"I'm sorry I harbored such a lie when I came to Sundres," Sheja said softly, looking like she was fighting with an inner demon again. "By the time you and Leena sort of woke me up from the abyss I sank into, I was already too afraid to tell the truth again. I didn't want to have to leave again because I was a Taboo, so I still just kept it hidden."