I breathe out shakily as I take in this kindhearted, handsome man sitting next to me. This man doesn't scare me, I have full trust in him as I know he does with me. He had a chance to take advantage but he didn't.

Words can't describe how much tonight has shown me what I feel for Seb. He's precious to me and I never want to let him go.

He plants a final kiss on my forehead, his eyes thoughtfully gleam from the orange and red dawn that is arriving. My worries and fears melt away at the gesture. And I finally relax again.

His damp hair is standing on end from my wandering fingers. I can't help but smile at the now glowing man. We may have gotten a little carried away.

Seb grins back showing his teeth and leans to the side where the bags are. "We should get dressed. Eli packed us some spare clothing and food for us."

Good idea... The cold air nips at my wet skin. Thank the Divine for the Captain. I hope he and his family are safe. "Oh. How considerate of him." I say sitting up to take a look myself.

"Yes. His kindness and loyalty has no bounds." He says quietly as he hands me some clothing. His head lowers so I can't see his face.

"Seb..." I say placing my hand on his shoulder. "He will be all right. The Captain is smart and can handle himself." I don't know Eli like Seb does but I have no doubt that the captain can handle it. He wouldn't hold such a high title for nothing.

Seb breathes heavily through his nose before turning to me. His face somber and slack. "I hope so but I am more worried about Maude. With every fibre in my being, I pray that my uncle won't destroy what is left of my home and family."

Maude and Adelaide, his home. That's all he has left in this world. At that thought my heart sinks further but I grip his shoulder harder. Maude has her wits about her, she can take care of herself as well... This time I'm the one to pull Seb into an embrace to soothe his worries. As he lowers his head onto my shoulder I wrap my arms around his neck. What he is facing is much larger than any nightmare I've had. His life was ripped away, torn to pieces and was forced out by his own kin. Someone he trusted.

He lets out a long shuddering breath, putting more weight on me as his head sinks down. I don't complain, I don't move. Seb needs this and I'm glad I can return that reassurance, that warmth that he gave me. A single tear lands on my thigh as he silently cries. My hand finds its way to his head and I stroke his hair softly just like he did to comfort me.

The world around us shifts into early morning, birds have started chirping and small animals have woken from their slumbers. We haven't moved or shifted while I hold Seb. He has lifted his hand to wipe his face but other than that, nothing.

When he does move again, he raises his head to gaze into my eyes. I give him a small smile then ask if he is okay. He chuckles softly, closing his eyes and shakes his head. Well, that's expected... I just hope he is a little better...

Sitting up straight, he tilts his head back, breathes in deeply then releases it. "Nope, not in the slightest but thank you for comforting me." He answers with a lopsided grin.

I drop my hands into my lap and watch him put the spare clothes on. My eyes turn to the pile he gave me and start donning mine. Pants and a long sleeved shirt, not the right size but it is easy to form my slim body to it.

"I won't be okay, not until I get my kingdom back." He declares quietly as he rummages through the pack again. "Until I know everyone I care about is safe."

Well, that might be a while but I understand... If it were me, I would feel the same. Growing up in a place like that, surrounded by loved ones. Even without his parents, he still had a family. He was a Prince then became a King, only to have it taken away on such a special occasion. There were a lot of people there to celebrate with him. All the gifts they wanted to give him. He couldn't even have that...

"I think I have something that will cheer you up."

He frowns tilting his head to the side. Not saying another word, I leave him standing there and return to the pond where our clothing sits. I kneel down and rummage through the tattered ball gown and find my gift waiting in the pocket. I smile to myself and walk back to Seb with my hands behind me.

His arms are crossed over his chest as he waits patiently for me on the bedroll. "What you got there?"

"Your birthday present."

His eyebrows lift up. "You... you have a gift for me?"

"Yes." I laugh, stepping up to him.

His arms fall into his folded legs and watches me sit down in front of him. All of a sudden, worry twinges in my stomach. What if he doesn't like it? His present is very small and insignificant compared to what I seen his guests give him. What can you give someone who has everything, especially when I had very little to give at the time when I bought this for him.

Biting my lip, I gaze into his eyes and Seb smiles back in reassurance. No matter what I get him, I think he will appreciate it.

With a sharp breath, I shift my hand around my body so it hovers between us. My fingers are wrapped tightly around the gift and I release them so it is sitting in my palm.

His reaction is not what I expected. We look down at the same time but his eyes shoot up to mine after a moment and his lips part then he looks back at the gift.

Is he going to take it? "It's not much but I think it will have a lot of meaning now. I bought this before even moving into the castle, it was meant as a token of my appreciation." I say as a way of explanation, holding up the rock closer to him. He had fed me and gave me a place to stay, paid for it all without evening knowing who I was.

A small smile cracks at the corners of his lips and he finally grabs the stone carefully between a thumb and middle finger. "A sunstone..." He says after examining it closely in the sunlight.

A sunstone is literally what it means. The transparent round stone captures a sunset or sunrise perfectly. Swirls of the mineral inside hang in the centre as if clouds float against the sky are painted in the orange and red hues of whatever the rock is made out of, that imitate the dawn. When I saw it, I was going to keep it for myself but after saving Seb from jumping, I knew to give it to him. To remind him why it is worth living.

"So you can never miss a sunset." I say softly, reminiscing that night and how I made a promise to myself to appreciate everyday like it is my last.

Our eyes meet and he replies. "So we can never miss a sunset."

A smile creeps over my face. "Yes." A promise that I hope never breaks.

"Thank you Cam. This is the best present I've ever received, it is a close second to you." He says with a wink, his long fingers closing over the stone and he shoves it into his pocket.

I laugh, "You are most welcome." And shuffle closer to him to give a kiss on the cheek. Then I lean over to peek into the bags. There are an assortment of fruit and dried meats, not much to last us for very long. We are going to have to hunt for our food. Does Seb know how? The other bag contains two small knives, a sword and a bow with a quiver of arrows. Seb must know, if the Captain thought to pack these things. Or maybe these will be used to protect ourselves once we reach the Faelands.

"Grab what you want to eat then you need to rest." Seb tells me while reaching for the meat and an apple.

I do the same, turning to the fire and bite a piece from the tough meat. Drowsiness hits the more I eat, making it difficult to finish this small meal. It's as if somehow the food is pulling my lids further down over my eyes. Seb and I are quiet as we eat. We are both exhausted.

"I'll wake you in a few hours." He tells me as I lay on the bedroll. While I get myself comfortable, Seb takes a spot by a tree to rest against and yawns.

I've grown too accustomed to the castle beds now, that the ground is hard. But I don't think it will take me long to drift off. A heavy sigh leaves my chest when I roll over. What will tomorrow bring? How long will it take us to get to the Faelands and once there, what is going to happen? Will we be able to find them? What is over there that makes it so dangerous? The Fae or other creatures? I open one eye to Seb looking back at me and I smile. "G'night."

A corner of his lips turns up. "Sweet dreams Cam."

Seb wakes me around noon so I let him sleep until the early evening. It was hard to convince him to get some rest. He was still worried that something out here might find us but I reassured him that I can handle it. What was most important was that he got some sleep. He needs it most. I wish I could give him more time.

After a while of Seb rolling over a few times on the bedroll he finally stopped. Leaving me with the trees and small creatures scurrying around. The occasional twig snapping or gust of wind sound through the forest but other than that, nothing. No person, or Adelaidean soldiers come bursting into our camp, thank the Divine. I wonder if they know where we are or have a way to reach us quickly. Neo is the only griffin I saw in Adelaide.

When Seb wakes from his four hour slumber, he asks if anything happened. I stifle a laugh and answer with a 'no.' Now that we are all rested, we start packing up our small camp, gathering up our discarded clothes. I'm a little reluctant to throw my gown away but I will have no use for it where we are going. Unless they hold grand balls in the Faelands, then I won't be needing a gown. Seb takes my gown along with his royal attire and tosses them into the water. I watch them sink to the bottom while he puts out the fire. The last evidence of last night, as if it never happened... I sigh to myself quietly and turn away feeling a heaviness in my heart.

What will the Faelands be like? Will we be able to find a Fae easily?

"What if the Fae are extinct?" I ask Seb as I walk back with my arms wrapped around myself.

He is sifting through one of the bags and lifts his gaze up in my direction. "You can't think like that... They are out there, I know it."

Quite the faith that I don't have... "The professor said it himself; no one has seen a Fae or an Azure in hundreds of years. They were all almost wiped out in the Great Cleansing."

"Just because we haven't seen any doesn't mean they aren't out there. Fae are believed to live lifetimes." He says then smirks. "We thought there were no more Azures but here you stand. That could only mean that there are Fae."

I shake my head. He is right. If I am here, able to wield magic without the Zythine and have pointed ears then there must be Fae still around. "I guess so..."

"There has to be Fae." Seb says looking towards the west. If they aren't there what would be our next move? We can't be doubting whether they are there or not. We just have to leave it up to fate. And I hope with all my being that it is on our side because knowing that there is a chance that I am an Azure I might be the last of my kind. And that brings sorrow to my heart.

We stand in silence for a moment then Seb whistles sharply for Neo. The large beast strides in through the bushes, stopping at the line of trees in our small clearing.

"Let's go." Seb says quietly as he steps towards the creature. He lifts the bags up on Neo's back and turns back to me. "There is only one way to find out if they are there or not." He says with a smile.

"Right." I smile back and step over to him and the griffin. Our destiny awaits. Who knows what dangers we will face once in the Faelands but I know that Seb and I will fight together.

So. Much. Water. It stretches as far as the eye can see in every direction. The blue is vast on our journey towards the Faelands. It seems to never end as the moon fades into the morning sky. Is there even land in this direction? According to the maps, we are heading in the right direction. Westward, that is where Silver Stone Vale is yet we have been flying for an entire night and have not seen land. How long can Neo fly for without resting? Worry grows when the sun hangs high above us and I ask Seb how much longer do we have.

He shrugs his shoulders, turning slightly so the side of his face shows. "I don't know, I thought we would have landed hours ago. Neo won't be able to fly for much longer."

I blink back at him. "So what do we do?" The worry grows into panic. We flew high up over the ground to be above the trees and I can't imagine we would survive a fall like that even in water. My gaze turns down to the water waiting below us and I gulp down on a drying throat. Why did we think we could do this? We should have acquired a boat to travel a distance this great.

"We keep going." He says evenly. "But I have a feeling we are close."

A thick fog has surrounded us as the evening draws closer. The horizon has disappeared, the water evaporates from my sight. All there is is a grey cloud hovering over us. I'm about to ask Seb what is going on but a sinking feeling drops in the pit of my stomach that I know all too well.

Although I can't see much around us, I know we are falling. Not fast, the wind still catches underneath Neo's wings as they slowly fold into its body. He can't hold them open anymore and we continue to descend toward the water faster with each passing second.

"Neo!" Seb yells gripping the hairs of its golden mane tightly. "Come on buddy! Don't do this!"

Wind rushes past us, wiping my hair back as it whooshes through my ears. The world plummets along with my heart towards the watery surface below now that the griffin's wings are fully in. My arms are a steel grip around Seb's waist as I shut my eyes, waiting for the fatal landing.

"Cam!" Seb yells at me, bringing me back. He's not giving up. He is still holding Neo, trying his hardest to rouse the creature from exhaustion.

"Use your magic!"

My magic... My magic! Use wind to carry us softly to the bottom. Just like I did with the horse when we fell. How could I do that again? I didn't know what I was doing then. But I know more now...

"Okay!"

Slowly, I tear my grip from Seb and place my hands on each side of me. Maybe I can transfer some of my magic through to the creature and help it.

Create a pair of wings that can catch the wind to stop us from falling and carry us to safety. Or slow us down at least.

The first time I did this, I didn't know what I was doing. Nothing was going on in my mind to tell me to try. All I did was wait for that contact with hard ground and the end. But I didn't want it to end. I wanted to live. I still do.

I close my eyes, focusing on that feeling. The lightness, how my heart halted from falling further towards the ground. Heat ripples from my fingers and the wind doesn't whip against my face as harshly.

We are still free falling but not as fast. I'm not strong enough to hold onto whatever is pulling us down but at least we won't meet our fate quicker.

Seb urges me on, encouraging me to push further. I do, I try so hard. My head pulses under the stress and now I'm leaned forward with my forehead pressing into Seb's back. A low grunt rumbles up as I keep pushing, forcing us to stay in the sky a little longer until Seb sees ground for us to land on.

Everything within me pulses now. The heat has spread up to my elbows and I can feel beads of sweat forming then instantly being brushed away by the wind. No matter how hard I try, it's not good enough. The pull is stronger and brings us with it mercilessly.

Seb curses and brings an arm back to grip onto my shirt which makes me open my eyes. The last thing I see is trees appearing out of the misty gray veil and lush green ground.

I was never good at landing. It was something that should have come easily to me. I've done it enough times so it should be easy for me now.

Twinkling stars above me shine brightly in the velvety night sky. Little white gems on a dress. So beautiful... Where am I? Are we in Adelaide? Or is this a dream?

I breathe in and pain shoots through my back, my legs, my hands and my head. Throbbing pain rattles through my body. Why? This isn't a dream.

As I look around me, it all comes flooding back. The trees, Seb wrapping his arms around me, Neo hitting the ground... Oh no. Forgetting about the pain, I shoot up onto my knees.

"Seb?"

A groaning sound comes from my right and I twist my head to the noise. Seb is laying on his stomach with his arms out and Neo is nowhere to be seen.

I crawl hurriedly to him, breathing heavily. He rolls onto his back making more pained noises along with curses under his breath.

"Are you okay?" I ask him when I cradle his head in my hands.

He looks up to me with hooded eyes and lifts his arm up to touch my face. My smile drops when I focus on a white stick poking out from his forearm. It's about the length of my finger and there is blood seeping out from the broken skin.

"What is that?" I ask horrified.

"Huh?" He mumbles, following my gaze and he pales. "Oh Divine preserve me."

"What? What is that?" It looks bad, whatever that is. Is it from a tree or a piece of rock?

"It's my bone." He says, his voice wavering. "That's my bone sticking out of my skin. I don't know whether I'm going to throw up or pass out."

What? His body chooses the latter and I turn to see his eyes starting to roll up to the sky.

His head hangs slack in my fingers. "Seb?" I shake him gently to wake him. What do I do? What is a bone? Whatever it is, it needs to be on the inside and underneath the skin...

For some reason, I look out around me thinking that the answer is out in the trees but they aren't. Panic builds when I see more red flowing out from the wound. He can die if this continues. I have to fix him somehow.

Again I try to wake him and his eyes flutter open.

"Cam..." He says with a lazy smile.

"Seb please don't faint again. You said there is a bone sticking out of your arm and I don't know what to do. I'm going to heal you."

He blinks at me a couple times then turns his eyes down to his arm again. "Oh no. Ow. Oh Gods." He gasps this time sitting up and cradles the wounded arm with the other.

He breathes out shakily, holding himself steady. I rest my hand on his shoulder to calm him and hover my other hand over his wound to heal it.

"Wait! No." He shakes his head and groans. I look at him with a frown but he continues. "You are going to have to push the bone back in then heal it."

"What?" Why can't I just use my magic?

Seb shifts his body, fully facing me with tight lips. "You're still a novice in healing so it won't set the bone. If we do it, then use your magic to close up the wound, it should work."

My heart pounds against my chest but I nod, "If you say so..." And shift closer to him and raise my hands up to his arm.

He nods and a hard line forms between his brows. "Keep going no matter how hard I scream."

I chew on my lip and stare down at the smooth bone, it's jagged end shooting up. My hand hovers over it while Seb readies himself. He grabs a fallen stick and holds it between his teeth.

"Go." His voice is muffled against the wood.

My finger moves forward and presses against the hard object. It doesn't move as easily as I thought, I'll have to put more force into it. Seb flinches momentarily, sucking air in through his mouth and nose. The pain sets in the corners of his eyes and he screws them shut. I hate seeing him like this. This must hurt a lot.

I clench my jaw in order to focus on making him better again. In one swift motion, I push the bone with my thumb into his flesh until it disappears in the wave of crimson.

Even though Seb is biting down on the stick his screams echo through the forest, it rings in my ears. His eyes are still screwed shut as he leans his head forward.

I don't stop and move my hands over the flooding wound and weave the magic in between the parted pieces of skin. They stitch together, closing the gap.

That pain that throbbed through my body comes back even worse than before. My eyes shut, trying to block it out and my body falls forward while Seb falls back breathing heavily.

I land on top of him with a thud, he grunts catching me and I feel his hands wrap around my shoulders.

"By the Divine that was painful." His voice fills the air. "Beyond anything I have ever experienced."

A rough but hearty laugh slips from my chest. "I'm sorry."

His upper body heaves up and down but he chuckles. "I think I'm good on not getting injured for the rest of my life."

"Yes, I agree." I've seen enough of Seb battered and bruised to last my lifetime.

After a moment of peace, Seb sits up lifting me along with him and whistles for Neo. I forgot about the griffin... I hope it is okay.

A few heartbeats later, Neo limps from the shadows, making my stomach drop. The poor thing. Although there is no blood, it looks injured. He's not putting any weight on his front right foot and a wing drags in the dirt.

I quickly stand up and run over to him to give the creature its well deserved comfort. Seb follows close behind as I place my hands on its neck.

"You poor thing." I choke out, tears building in my eyes. "I'll heal you right away." Neo's golden eyes lock with mine when I pat it gently on the head then start working on healing him.

Once I am done, Neo rubs his face against mine in appreciation. A light chuckle floods out in relief and I hug him back. Seb comes up and grips my shoulder tightly then we work on finding our things.

With the help of our orbs of light, we were able to find the bags scattered amongst the grass. We waste no time pulling the bedroll out first and not bother with anything else. Seb makes a small fire just for a little warmth, although it is warmer here.

"Are we in Silver Stone Vale?" I ask as I look up to the dark sky. The stars seem to glow brighter and the more I look around, the trees look different from the ones on the mainland. They are taller, more spread out with thick moss growing over the bark.

The most prominent difference is the light purple ribbons that float around us. Back home, I could faintly see them wrap around the trees or hang above certain people or animals, even around Seb. As if some sort of veil. But here, I can see them clearly. Everywhere I look they're there, pulsing through the cracks of the branches of every tree and flowing between the rocks in the dirt.

"Yes. This is definitely it. Everything here feels more alive." He says looking up to the sky as well.

I feel it too. Like an ancient whisper calling to me, same one as the one I heard at the Heart. We finally made it.

Our gazes lower to each other's and a smile spreads across Seb's face. We step closer to each other and he pulls me into his embrace. We survived another day, we can continue on together once again. Our next step is to find the Fae now. Hope, faith, relief and a hint of fear blooms in my chest.

Every step we take will have consequences that will ultimately decide our fate. We can't make any mistakes, we can't lose. We have to win, we have to live in order for this to work. Both of us need to survive.

I shift away from Seb when his hand snakes between us and grips onto my chin. He lifts it up so he can look into my eyes. Our faces so close that his warm breath brushes against my cheeks.

"Once again you are saving me. Thank you."

A wide smile tugs at the corners of my lips. "Anything for you My King." I would give my life to him.

Soft lips graze mine. His gentle touch washes every negative thought and fear, it ignites that fire in the pit of my stomach again. Every time we touch it burns ferociously and I savour it every time because I can't get enough. Our bodies sink and melt into each other. We become one in these moments.

That night was the safest I have ever felt, even if it lasted for a fleeting moment. Even if we were in foreign territory. I felt a security being in Seb's arms as we drifted off to sleep.

Some animal grunting in the bushes wakes me. What is that? Is it dying or trying to scare some other creature off?

"What on Zythinia is that?" I say without opening my eyes. No answer... How can he sleep through this? He's quiet, I don't even hear him breathing. Panic courses through me as my eyes shoot open and I lift my head up to look behind me.

Last thing I remember was Seb wrapping his arms around me from behind as we laid down to sleep. Sebastian is nowhere in sight though. Embers glow warmly in the pile of ash and dawn has approached. He wouldn't have been gone for long. What would he do in the dark that couldn't wait until morning?

I place my hand to where Seb was sleeping on the blanket next to me. It's cold. Another wave of panic hits me, he could have got up sometime while I was sleeping to relieve himself or maybe an animal attacked him. Where could he be? He might be injured somewhere. I stand up quickly to take in my surroundings and call out his name.

After a few moments of no reassuring replies, fear settles in. "Seb!" I shout louder.

His sword and dagger are still here. I know he wouldn't venture too far without them, especially in an unknown land. The ground around where he slept has some long marks in it. Was there a struggle? I kneel down to find one of his gold rings among the dirt. He must have been dragged away by a big creature. He was definitely taken by something... But what?

Now my legs are shaking and the world becomes blurry. Was it an animal or something else that took him? There's no sign of blood so he couldn't have been hurt too badly. What do I do now? How am I to find him out here? I'm not a hunter, I can't track him.

I spin around scanning the trees hoping to see him strolling through unhurt but he doesn't appear. I open my mouth to call his name again and a voice cuts me off.

"You won't find your little human out here."

'Little human?' Does this person have Sebastian held somewhere? My heart pounds in my chest as I lunge for the sword resting against the tree nearby and point it up to whoever is talking. I hope Seb is okay. Whoever this person is, they better not have hurt him.

"Who are you?" I ask after a calming breath. "Why do you have him?"

The person chuckles. I can't tell where its coming from. The trees beyond our camp are empty as I spin around so I'm facing the campfire now. Red and orange glow from the still hot embers.

"Don't worry about who I am. For now, worry about your precious little human." The voice hisses at the last word. "I would've taken you too and killed you both but I scented something ancient about you."

He can scent me? As in smell the Fae blood? The voice sounds male, deep and disturbing though. My fingers twitch at the feel of heat searing through them. Whoever this person is, they have Seb.

I shut my eyes tightly. "Please don't hurt him. We came here seeking help." If he is hurt, I'll claw my way to him.

"And why should we help? His kind nearly destroyed mine and yours." He speaks in almost a growl. Pure anger behind those words. If I am not careful, he could kill us easily.

"You are Fae?" Silence. We finally come into contact with the Fae and they already want to kill us. I peek out towards the ocean, we travelled a great distance to get here and it can't end this way. We have to get them to help us, this one could lead us to the rest. "If you are a Fae then you should know what it feels like to be driven out of your home. To be betrayed... All we, me and the human you hold, want is peace between the Fae and humans again."

"I'll tell you what," Their voice has moved to a different area, on my left side. "How about you do something for me first to prove you are worthy of my time. If you are successful, I will set your human free and let you pass."

"Will you show us to the Fae?"

Nothing... I guess I have no choice but to agree. 'Don't trust your senses. The Faelands are a dangerous place.' The hidden voice could be a human impersonating a Fae, or they might not even have Sebastian and is tricking me into some sort of trap. There's no way to know.

"What do I have to do?"

Check Out the Sequel Iron and Blood!