I sat across the bed from Juko while the triplets played on the floor. They were surrounded by a bunch of my old toys Juko had dug up out of the castles basement. It was a convenient distraction for the moment because our children were hitting their terrible twos and they were driving me up the walls.
Just this morning I had caught the boys shoving a shit load of toilet paper and clothes down the toilet. Ultimately it took Juko two hours to unclog the pipes and fish out all of their soiled clothes. Eden had a bad habit of scribbling on the walls with old pencils and crayons and all three of them had some strange obsession with my old stuffed animals. One in particular was a frog that neither of them liked to share so I had to hide it because if one of them had it and the others saw then they'd all want it. Akeno also had this bad habit of screaming like a mad man, I was pretty convince the child liked to hear his own voice.
It was a stormy night and soon enough the triplets would need to be put to bed. Though they were growing fast and needed as much sleep as they could possibly get I wanted them to have as much free time before they slept for hours on end.
"So I'm guessing this means we have no choice but to head back to Unity." I say as I picked Eden back up to get started on her hair. Her hair was by far thicker and coarser than mine so I tried to keep her hair in cute little twists.
She cries for a little until I grab a toy and sit her in between my legs to finish off the last three twists in her head.
"We don't have a choice, we don't have many resources here and I need to see how J3 is going to affect them. On top of that we need to make sure Eden hearing isn't deteriorating, I have hopes that she might just need a hearing aid and possibly surgery in the near future."
I nod my head slowly, we had found out not too long ago that Eden could barely hear us and it made my heart break. Juko being the Jack of all trades conveniently knew sign language and so he had been teaching the four of us ASL. It was actually pretty easy to pick up on but that didn't mean I was perfect at it. It was still a work in progress but I had no choice if I wanted to communicate with my baby.
"I understand, when do we leave?" I ask as I dip my fingers into some hair butter to add to Eden's thick strands of hair.
Juko pauses for a moment before answering, "next Monday. I had Leon and Uri come by a few days ago and drop off a car. I just need to head out and get us some more supplies before we head back to Amorite."
"The closest town is nearly a days trip away by car."
"Yeah, I think I'm going to head out tonight and be back by Tuesday morning to get some more supplies. We're running low on food and water."
I raise a brow looking out the window of my bedroom, it was storming horribly outside and the wind was gusty. I could barely stand on my own two feet without stumbling from the wind.
"Are you sure that's safe, maybe you should wait until the storm dies down." I suggest.
Juko shakes his head and leans back against the headboard, he looked tired and I felt bad because he had already done so much for me and our children. "It'll save us time so we won't have to worry about stopping once we make our way back home." He says running his hands through his hair. It was getting longer and was nearly shoulder length. "The kids are also going to need clothes for the trip since they destroyed them." He says stealing one of my hair hands to tie his hair up. A few loose strands fall from the ponytail and frames the sharp edges of his face.
"I really think you should wait for the storm to pass Juko."
"It's going to be raining well into next week, we don't really have a choice."
I sigh moving on to the last twist in Eden's head. "I guess."
"Is there something wrong?"
I look up at him as I take some oil and rub it along each end of Eden two strand twists.
When I'm done Juko takes his baby girl in his arms and kisses her nose, "your hair looks so pretty bunny." He signs to her as he smiles softly.
Eden giggles signing back a, 'thank you,' before wrapping her tiny arms around his neck squealing and bouncing excitedly.
Juko laughs softly patting her back, once her hands unravel from his neck he sits her down next to her brothers to finish playing.
And although the moment was heart warming I couldn't help the unsettling feeling that forms in the pits of my stomach from his question.
Patting my hands clean on a towel my head spins with the recent dreams I've been having about Tatsu and Shyra. For the past week I have been dreaming about the two coming to me as a child in that dark room of oblivion telling me that my time was almost up. I had convinced myself when I had my first dream that it wasn't real but now that the dream was repeating itself over and over again I couldn't shake the feeling of it being real.
They had warned me and I had let so much time pass before I finally came to a realization that there was a huge possibility that it was real. If the King of the North didn't end this war once and for all Tatsu and Shyra would wipe mankind off the face of the earth.
I didn't want to be the one that bared this responsibility but the moment I came in contact with the two dragons the path I chose to take became inevitable. I had to tell the King even if it made me sound mad, insane and completely and utterly foolish.
I also had to tell Juko and right now telling him made me feel almost sick to my stomach. I feared that like the King he wouldn't believe me and might think I was insane. He might push off the truth as a dream and I didn't want that. If this dream turned out to be true then I could be saving the lives of millions. The fate of the world was now in my hands and I had to make a decision, now.
Nervously twirling a curl around my finger I watched as it bounced when I released it. I was trying to avoid eyes contact with Juko because right now those stormy gray eyes were burning a hole through my skin and it was making me nervous.
"I might sound suicidal but I need to go to Unity and speak with the King urgently." My voice it low and quiet but I know Juko can hear me as clear as day.
He sits up and now I know I have his full attention when he leans over and tilts my head up forcing me to meet his curious gaze. "You're doing a damn good job of convincing me that you are. You won't be safe going anywhere near the capital, why do you need to speak to him?"
I swallow thickly, "when I was in that mini coma several months back I had this dream... or so I thought it was a dream. Shyra and Tatsu came to me, telling me the origin of their story of why and how the war came about. I had learned that Tatsu and Shyra are the King and Queen of the dragon race. That their people have been trying to keep peace between man and dragon for thousands of years. They no longer want to fight for peace they are tired of war."
"What does that have to do with talking to the King? In his eyes they are the enemy and unfortunately to a lot of people think the same." He says searching my face.
"They told me that they would not be hibernating for the next five year war. If I don't convince the King to end it then they will come back in a years time and wipe mankind off the face of the earth. They're going to kill everyone Juko."
Juko stares at me for a full minute not saying a word but his eyes are still searching my face as if he's trying to figure out if I am lying. He looks at me like he doesn't completely believe me before he speaks. "It's a dream Ivy I wouldn't think to much on it."
I shake my head frantically, "I thought so too, I told myself that if it was real then they would come to me again. They did, I've been having the same dream over and over again since last week and each time I do it only comes with more and more details. Shot I shouldn't even know about. Juko I believe that what Shyra and Tatsu has told me is the truth. We now have less than four months before they come and I fear that no one will survive if I don't try to stop this from happening."
I could tell he didn't want to talk about the dragons, his relationship with them was still on the fence. I understood that this conversation would be a lot for him which is why I had been putting it on the back petal for some time now.
"It could be a coincidence." He tries.
"It's not." I state firmly.
"Ivy..." Juko sighs.
"Im not lying." I'm starting to get slightly annoyed, irritated in fact and I'm sure it's evident in the tone of my voice. He wasn't even showing a small indication that he may very well believe me and without physical prove it would be nearly impossible to prove to him that I am not lying, that this wasn't just some silly coincidence and that this would be our reality if we didn't act joe.
"I'm not saying that you're lying but..."
"You don't sound like you believe me either."
"I can't risk you going to Unity to prove something that may not be true. What you had was a vivid dream, it happens, I have them too but that doesn't mean that they're real. What you're saying would be a high impossibility."
I scoff. "Impossibility Juko, really? Look at you, you're a fucking impossibility in itself. You're a superhuman that can possibly wipeout a entire city if you really wanted too. Dragons, just two hundred years ago seemed like a impossibility. Being blood bonded with a goddamn dragon seemed like a impossibility so don't try and play off my dream like I'm just making shit up or like I'm might be going crazy because I am very aware of how fucking insane I sound. This is real and if we don't do something about it we all die."
Juko continued to stare at me still seemingly unconvinced, so I push. "Ask me anything, anything that you think I shouldn't know about the dragons and I'll tell you."
"Tell me about my missions, the ones no one should know about." He tried.
I nod my head thinking back to a particular dream that opened my eyes to the reality of the man I had been forced to marry.
"I was told in my dream that the old King of the North had found out that there were more dragons than what humans had initially thought..." Juko tenses his eyes sharpening as I continue on with my verbatim. "That a lot of them are still in hibernation, I'm talking in the millions. I know that you and a group of your strongest men including Leon went on secret missions to bomb the volcanoes they hibernated in. A lot of them didn't go over so well and some of those bombings woke up the dragons that didn't die in the crossfire. I also know just as much as you do that you have well over two thousand confirmed kill compared to the two hundred me and your people think that you have. I know Juko so please, keep trying to convince me that my dreams aren't real."
"How did you know..."
I cut him off, "my dreams. Are you finally convinced?"
Juko sits there his face expressionless but I know deep inside he is shocked by my findings and at the moment possibly lost in thought. He glances over at our children before looking back at me his face hardening with something fierce.
"We leave when I get back." Juko then stands to his feet and heads into my closet to pack a small bag, I follow closely behind him.
I sigh relieved that he finally believes me. "Two days?"
"Two days." He confirms then stops to laugh, only it's humorless, frightening and takes me by surprise. "Taking over Unity like this wasn't how I had planned in mind, but it needs to be done regardless. Once we get to Amorite and get the triplets settled in we'll head out to the capital and pay the King a nice fucking visit. Just know, if this doesn't go over well and the dragons end up coming do not think the blood of millions will be on yours hands." He leans down until we are face to face and are noses are just a hair length away from each other's. "You are the messenger but I am the executioner." He smiles evilly. "Man or dragon if they hurt you or my family I will do everything in my power to paint this fucking world red with their blood."
His eyes flicker to red momentarily, "I promise you that."
~~~
After Juko finished packing I let the triplets stay up a little bit over their bedtime to see their father off. I had carried Eli while Juko slung his bag over his shoulder and carried Eden and Akeno to the front door of the castle.
"I'll try to be as quick as possible, I don't want to delay things any longer than what we have too."
"Everything we need will be packed so when you get back we can just go." I say shifting Eli in my arms.
"Good. Before I go I need you to understand a two things."
"Ok."
"Do not keep the lights on once the sun starts to set, I don't want anyone wandering the area to know that there are people living here. Using a candle or a flashlight to get around is fine but nothing more. It may look like the King isn't actively looking for you but I assure you he is. Do not answer the door for anyone under any circumstances. No one but Leon and Uri knows that we are here and I plan on keeping it that way, do you understand?"
I nod my head firmly, "I do."
"Good," he smiles softly. "Now give me my kiss before I go."
I suppress my smile and playfully roll my eyes. Walking up to the giant I wait for him to bend at the slightest before cupping his face with my free hand and kissed him ever so softly. I pull away with a light sigh and proceed to let him say goodbye to the triplets.
He talks to them for a little, telling them how much he loves them and how much he is going to miss them until he gets back. After giving them all a bunch of hugs and kisses he reluctantly hands them all back to me. With my slight increase in strength I am able to hold them with ease and watch as Juko opens the front door. He looks back at me one more time, a promise in his eyes before he leaves out.
I am sad about him leaving yet I couldn't dwell on my feelings too much. I had a lot of packing to do and a speech to prep for the King to somehow convince him to end the war between man and dragon. I knew regardless of what I came to do him and the whole lot of Unity was going to want answers. Answers about me harboring dragons, answers about my husband and answers on if my family was on to the little secret I had been keeping.
There was a lot on my mind that I barely had time to stop and wrap my head around it all.
I start first with putting the kids to bed, once they're bathed and all tuckered out I place them into their own little beds and tuck them in. When they're sleep I began packing up all of me and Juko's belongings. I find myself wearing one of his oversized t shirts that I had to tie in a knot into at the bottom to fit me a bit better. His scent is all over the shirt and it brings some comfort to know he's coming back to me in just two short days.
Once I'm done with packing our clothes I move on to toiletries and so forth until I'm about four bags done. After that I begin to make my way downstairs to pack up some non perishable items in the pantry that we all could eat on the way back to Amorite. Just as I am walking past my grandmothers room for some reason a key that had been sitting on her vanity catches my eyes.
I pause contemplating on if I wanted to make a slight detour. It doesn't take me long for my curiosity to peak and I am heading into my grandmothers room. I pick up the shiny silver key in the shape of a heart.
What it could have possibly went to, I wasn't sure but there was something significant about it that made me want to go hunting for whatever it could be. On the key there's two letters beautifully engraved into it.
𝒞𝓂
The letters EM are carved in perfect cursive and yet I am still at a lost. There was no doubt in my mind that these were the initials of a name but who and what in the world could the key possibly fit in? Nothing in my grandmothers room has a lock but her door and when I tried it on the door it was a miss.
Frowning I am examine the key some more, maybe there was something in my grandmothers room that went to the key and I just wasn't looking hard enough.
I move around making sure not to miss a thing as I begin searching under the bed, a treasure chest and even in the vanity. I also check her closet filled to the brim with nothing but designer clothes and gifts that my grandmother had received over the years from her people.
There's nothing in the closet or even under the many fur rugs she had in her room. I come up empty but for some reason I had the strong urge to continue to search.
Leaving the room I head back to my kids room just to check on them when I flip the key over.
UP
These word up isn't in cursive so I know right away that it isn't initials.
"Up. Up. Up." I look up and above rested the door of a attic with a small keyhole.
Me and Rose many years ago had tried to go up there a few times. Our grandmother had told us that it was too dangerous and that the floors was unstable. As she stated once, there was nothing up there but that didn't deter us from trying to get inside but it was always locked.
I look back down at the key, this had to be the key to the lock.
Quickly I rush down to the garden getting soaked by the storm and grab the heavy ladder. Rushing back to the attic I quickly set it up and climb the steps. When I'm at the top I hesitantly pushed the key inside and twist.
Like a charm it clicks notifying me that the door was unlocked.
I swallow wandering why in the world my grandmother had the attic doors locked in the first place. She had never been a secretive woman for my entire childhood and even teenage years. She had always been very open and honest but if she was hiding something it only meant that it was for a good reason.
Part of me did feel like I was violating her privacy and it only made me feel bad about doing what I was going to do.
Pushing the heavy door open I met with a gust of wind and cobwebs that makes me cough until my lungs hurt. There is barely any light shining through all of the dust that's collected in here from the small attic window a few feet back.
Using the flashlight I grabbed on my way back up here I turn it out and push myself all the way up into the attic. Once my feet hit the floor I look around noting all of the old toys from years of use and neglect, a wooden rocking horse and boxes overflowing with clothes and other nick nacks that would be ridden of any worth.
Regardless I still look around going through the things I'm sure my grandmother had ordered the help to place in the attic.
I am here for a while until I stumble over a strange box with cursive written on the side. When I open it I find a box full of photos, I look through them. I find many old photos of my grandmother and what I assumed to be her parents and brother. There were many pictures of them back when they lived in Paris and it made wonder why she never left any of them out. But when I thought back to a particular moment of her telling a old friend that had visited her once that she didn't deal with death very well it made sense.
"I'll never be able to heal if my past is staring back right in the face." I could remember her saying.
We all dealt with death differently and so would I.
When her husband died Margie had told me that she had gotten rid of all of his belongs yet the further I dug in this box the more I see she wasn't necessarily telling the truth.
For the first time in my life I see a picture of my grandmother and grandfather smiling together. They way that they look at each other in each photo is chilling to the core and not in a bad way. In a loving way, I could practically feel the love they had for each other pouring out of the photo and onto the floor filling the room with a kind of warmth I wanted for me and Juko.
We had a ways to go but I knew soon enough we'd be getting there. I smile, taking my hand across some of the photos ridding it of collected dust with a small smile on my face. My grandfather to which Margie had told me they called Papa Hart looked like he has such a sweet and gentle soul. I had remembered on several occasions my grandmother telling me and Rose that we would've loved him. That he had to be the most kindest man she had ever met with a gentle soul a heart of gold. He would give his clothes if his back for his people if he ever saw them struggling which wasn't often. The people of Esaro flourish because their leader had made it possible.
He was a handsome dark skinned man with long beautiful dreadlocks that flowed down his back. Dark freckles coated his cheeks that made his brilliant white smile pop and a black and gray beard that always seemed to be clean cut.
There's many pictures of them together and the further I dug the more I saw.
Setting the pictures aside I keep digging until I come across a photo that makes me suck in a harsh breath.
There in my hands was a another family photo of Eden, Papa Hart, Margie and then another woman. This woman looked exactly like Margie the only difference was that the woman's hair was coily compared to Margie's softer curl.
Margie had a twin sister.
I frown when I feel my heart face and tears pool in my eyes. The woman looked so happy in the photo, so alive, welcoming and warm. For some reason I feel this deep connection with the woman and I cannot for the life of me put my finger onto the reason as to why. But if felt like I knew her.
I am not sure how long I have stared at the photo blinking away unshed tears while listening to the unsteady beat of my heavy heart but when I finally snap back into reality I continue digging only to find more. More pictures of the mystery woman and Margie going all the way back until I finally fish out the very last picture. Margie and the woman as newborns and when I flip this picture to check the back I find their date of birth and both of their names written in perfect cursive.
𝑀𝒶𝓇𝑔𝒾𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓎𝓃 𝑀𝑜𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓊
"Evelyn." I whisper gliding my thumb across the name.
I was confused, confused because in all of my years of living Margie nor did Eden mention her. But why? Like I said my grandmother wasn't one to keep secrets or so I thought. You would have thought by the many times my grandmother had brought up Margie's childhood she would have mentioned she had a second daughter but she didn't. She nor my mother and it made me wonder why they would even keep her identity hidden from me and Rose. I had no idea if the woman was dead or alive, where she was buried or if she was living in unclaimed territory or even in Unity.
Thinking about it only makes my head spin and I have more questions than I do answers to in regards to the woman but one thing I had to know for sure was who the woman in the family photos?
I am lost in thought when suddenly the castles bell begins ringing. As if the button was being pushed over and over again repeatedly.
I freeze my heart dropping into the pits of my stomach as I leave the photos and scramble to my feet. Rushing back over to the door of the attic I climb down and close the door. Moving the ladder to the side I quickly check on the triplets and when I see that they are fine I close the door.
All of the lights are off so I am confused as to who could have possibly come here ringing the bell in hopes to greet someone. If it was an intruder I doubted that they would ring the door, no they'd forced their way inside by any means necessary.
Rushing into my room I quickly take out the gun Juko left with me and keep it at my side as I stay as quiet as possible and head down the stairs. The ringing has stopped but by now I can hear someone banging on the door begging to be let in. The voice is hardly audible over the sounds of the horrific storm outside and as soon as I make it to the door I stand on the tips of my toes and take a peek.
"Please, if anyones there let me in!" The woman cries weakly. "I'm begging you!"
Regardless of her innocent cries of help I wait until lightening strikes, lighting up the sky. I get a good look at her face and when I see the woman standing behind the door I frown.
My sister, soaking wet from head to toe with a gnash on her forehead and blood coating her dress. She looks scared, frantically and pleading to the high heavens for someone to help her. When no one answers the door she cracks and bends over sobbing uncontrollably.
Was she in danger?
Was she sick?
Clearly she was hurt.
I move before I can think.
Swinging the door opens a gust of wind blows rain through the entrance soaking Juko's t-shirt.
Raising her hands in surrender she slowly looks up at me her eyes bloodshot as I raise my gun to her head.
"Ivy?" Her voice cracks weakly.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"