The moon was shining so brightly that night that the couple couldn't sleep. They sat under a tree on that quiet night, facing each other and hearing the breathing of all the others that joined them more clearly than ever.
It was at times like this when they all looked and sounded human.
When they were fast asleep with their eyes closed and were breathing peacefully.
"How long must we continue?" Mina asked. She watched the man that sat across from her, the man she had fallen so in love with.
He was plucking blades of grass from the ground and thinking deeply about something else.
"Lumyryn?"
He looked at her, "sorry?"
She couldn't help but smile, "how long? How long must we continue?"
"Not long, I hope."
"I hope so too," Mina responded. She had a slight accent as she spoke. "I do not think many of these people can continue on for much longer."
His eyes flickered towards the small group of people who had joined him.
There were many people. Many.
Most of them red eyed like he and Mina.
All of them wanting to escape the persecution of being a little different.
And then his eyes fell on the child.
The first child that he had saved from the dangerous hands of the ignorant man.
He sighed.
His love was right. They had to find a place to call home as soon as they could.
These people couldn't continue on forever.
He sighed once more before he went back to plucking the grass from the ground.
Mina watched him. She knew well that this man always found the need to fiddle with something when he was thinking deeply. Let it be the buttons of his tunic or the grass on the floor... When his fingers were active she knew he was deep in thought.
"What are you thinking of?" Mina asked as she crawled over to his side.
"Hmm?" He questioned, still not paying attention. But when she rested her head on his shoulder, she had his attention.
"What were you thinking of?"
The young man leaned against the tree trunk, "my imagination is running wild."
"With what?" She pushed, "what is filling your mind?"
"Hopes... I think..."
"Really?"
He nodded, looking up at the moon. "A town..." He said, very softly.
Mina took his hand in hers, showing him that he had her attention.
"For us... A nation, even. A place just for people like us and people who accept us. So we can be safe."
Mina smiled.
"Wouldn't that be nice?" Lumyryn continued. "A home for every family here... A school for children to go to... A field for them to play in... Without the fear of being ostracized."
"That would be very nice."
"That's what I hope to find... A place that can be our home."
"We will find it." Mina said. "I know we will. If you guide us then we will find it."
Lumyryn let out a chuckle.
"And when we do, you can be our King," she smiled, "every land needs a King, am I right?"
"I don't want to be a king."
Mina giggled, "why not? No one would do a better job."
"Our land should not have a king," Lumyryn said, "that leads to corruption, to envy..."
"Fine," Mina said, "then be our protector."
Lumyryn thought about that.
He liked the sound of it.
"I can do that," he said with a smile. "Well, I can try."
"You will be an excellent protector," Mina continued to smile as she spoke, "the protector of our very big family."
Lumyryn smiled. Protect people.... That was something that he was sure he could do. He could be a protector.
He would be their protector.
Lady Kiaryna walked into the throne room of the Red Palace with a smile on her face.
As always, everyone fell to their knees and did not dare to look her in the eye.
Everyone except for Avaryn and her son.
The only sounds that could be heard in the room were the heels on Kiaryna's shoes clacking against the floor as she stepped.
And that sound too sent fear into the spines of some of the onlookers.
Her smile grew as she saw the angry Avaryn glare at her.
He was a brave young man.
Clearly he should have known better then to glare at the Protector of his Clan. The only person who stood higher than the King of Raffyre himself. She was technically the King of the King.
Or, at least the Queen of the King.
His glare was steady, and it made the Lady want to laugh. But she kept herself unreadable and stopped walking when she reached the two new guests at the palace.
"Welcome home." Lady Kiaryna said to the human woman and her Lumynos daughter.
The sight of the two made her sick to her stomach. Humans and the Lumynos should never mingle. That was where everything went wrong. But she kept her smile on.
The widow of Kyryn didn't smile. But she nodded her head in respect.
The young girl however smiled widely at Kiaryna.
Lady Kiaryna reached out and took the hand of the younger sister of Avaryn and from the corner of her eye she saw the young man flinch.
But he didn't move.
"The two of you belong here," Lady Kiaryn said as she held the girls hand with both of hers, "with the King. Your family. This is your home."
Avaryna nodded as she looked over at her brother, she agreed whole-heartedly.
Lady Kiaryna dropped the hand of the young girl and turned to her brother, who was standing in front of the throne with his hands balled up into fists.
Before she looked at him though, her eyes flickered at Vilaryn.
Or Master Red, as everyone liked to call him.
He too was glaring at her and stood with discomfort in the presence of his distant mother.
"Avaryn." The Lady called just as she looked at him.
"My Lady."
"I hope you aren't upset with my decision to bring your family home to you," Lady Kiaryn said, "I truly believed that you all belonged together and as the protector of our people I believed it was my job to bring them to you."
"I understand."
Both he and Kiaryna knew that that was a lie.
They both knew that he was upset.
And they both knew that Kiaryna had something up her sleeve.
"But anyhow," the Lady started, "since everyone is here right now I think I might as well make my plan for this nation clear."
Avaryn narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I hope you, Avaryn, understand that as the protector of our clan, I am as much of a mother to you as your real mother is?"
The words made Queen Tabitha look over at the two.
Avaryn wanted to snort.
As did Master Red.
But no one said or did anything.
"And as that figure in your life I expect you to understand that I want only the best for you and our people."
"Of course." Avaryn lied.
"So let me make this clear... I plan on bringing some order back to this horribly order lacking nation," she said as she started to walk closer to Avaryn, "and that means putting an end to many of the changes that your father, King Kyryn brought about."
For the first time since she arrived, the crowd in the throne room broke out into whispers.
"I understand his intentions were righteous but his reforms have clearly failed," Kiaryna said, "Knights are still corrupt, the people are still suffering and worst of all... my children, my red eyed children, are starting to turn against each other."
Avaryn's glare grew fiercer as she stopped walking. She was standing such a short distance away that he could smell the scent of the famous roses she grew in her garden.
"Your position is being undermined because of the foolish things your father made you do and I have had enough with his careless moves."
"You cannot–"
"To start off," Lady Kiaryna continued, "I will begin to think of whether or not to call off your engagement to the daughter of Lord Darien Kyrus."
Avaryn's glare turned into a smirk. "What?" That sounded ridiculous.
Her voice fell to a whisper. "I truly do believe that we should stop this dirty association with the inferior people of our land."
Avaryn opened his mouth to argue but she turned around and started walking away. "Of course, I'm still thinking about it. I'll let you know my decision soon enough."
As she left the throne room, Avaryn stared in shock.
"She's threatening you again, I hope you realize." Master Red said to him, his voice was soft and his eyes were angry. "But this time, she's using Meenu."