Hi everyone!

Here's the new chapter! Thanks so much for reading and I've had such a blast reading all the comments recently!!!! <3

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Thank you so much!!!

Love, Luckycharms!

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When Theus heard the bell of the shop jingle, he put his pen down and sighed after his eyes flickered over to the clock. It was only just half past seven in the morning "You're going to have to have to come back in a bit," he said as he sat up straight and looked towards the door. "We're not open until nine..." his voice trailed off when he spotted someone unexpected at his door.

The bookkeeping would have to wait.

He let out a breath and leaned back to get a better view of her, seeing her dressed in light brown trousers and a neat white blouse under her heavy, brown winter coat. Her neck and bottom half of her face were hidden under her thick scarf and she was covered in the snow that had been sprinkling across Abureth all week, hiding the town in a blanket of white. Strangely, she looked older, standing there in her brown heeled boots and her long hair pinned back at both sides. It seemed the last few months may have changed her.

She was his little sister... but she didn't seem as little as she was before she left.

But what concerned him was that Thea looked at him with a look that he was quite familiar with. It was a look of distress and exhaustion that she was trying very hard to hide.

Despite his anger and frustration towards her and her decisions... despite the fact that he hadn't seen her in months and forced himself to maintain his unhappiness towards her choices, he couldn't help but feel a rush of anxiety.

The thought that she was even remotely upset seemed to upset him too.

It had become a bad habit of his... or maybe it was a bad habit that all older siblings had.

Nevertheless, he pretended it didn't.

He pretended to act indifferent as his mind raced at the sight of her. He saw the swollen eyes and the dark circles. He saw the fact that her cheeks were reddened from all the rubbing she did to wipe away the tears. He also didn't fail to notice that one cheek seemed more swollen than the other... maybe even bruised.

His eyes moved down to her suitcase and the fact that she came here first was another indicator that something was wrong.

Why wouldn't she just go home and drop off her luggage first?

Why did she feel the need to come straight to him? To his shop, no less.

What was it that couldn't wait.

Was she hurt?

Who had hurt her?

"What are you doing here?" His voice came out colder than he would have liked.

Thea put her luggage down with a deep thud before straightening herself up again and tangling her fingers together. She was doing that thing she always did when she was trying to find the right words... trying not to upset someone.

His mind began to run wild in a different direction now. What was she afraid to tell him? What had she done? Was she in danger?

"I..." she started before stopping herself to think. Then, after sighing, she looked at him with a more determined gaze, confusing him.

That wasn't exactly the look of someone in trouble.

She started walking towards him, her heels clacking loudly against the floor of his shop, and since no one else was here, the sound echoed through the large room filled mostly with vehicles. When she reached him, he stood up.

He didn't expect her to hug him, but when she did, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face into his chest, he welcomed it all the same.

Somehow, his anger was forgotten as he let out a soft breath and hugged his little sister back, warmed by her embrace despite all the snow on her, and comforted by the familiar smell of her hair. It was only then that he accepted that he was happy that she was back, even if it probably wasn't permanent.

He was happy she was safe.

And he was happy to see that she seemed to have grown, even if it may have been simply in his imagination.

"What are you doing here?" He asked once more, but this time a little more kindly. "Are you alright?" he pulled away and looked down at her, pushing her hair away from her face and touching her swollen cheek.

When she looked at him, he could tell that she was suddenly a little happier. He knew it was because she was happy that he was being nice to her, and the thought embarrassed him enough to audibly sigh. "I'm fine," Thea responded, her smile suddenly turning sad. "I just..."

She hesitated, so Theus pulled away and grabbed a stool for her. "Have a seat... the trip must have been long."

Theus made her a coffee after that, hoping that the warm drink would calm her a little and prepare her to tell him whatever it was she wanted to tell him. It was cold outside but also rather cold in the shop, seeing as it wasn't insulated well. Any sort of warmth was good.

"Well, what is it?" Theus asked after they had exchanged some small talk as they sipped at their drinks. "Why are you back?"

"I needed to talk to you about something," she held her coffee in her lap with both her hands, looking down at it with a frown.

"Then talk to me."

When she looked at him, Theus, who was lifting his mug to his lips, paused. "Aaryan," she started. "He's... alive."

Theus lowered his drink, his eyes widening as he felt something squeeze at his heart. "What?"

Thea nodded. "He's been at the Capital this whole time," she said. "He's... part of my team."

"So you've known for a while?"

She shook her head. "He hid from me... everyone hid it from me. I just found out."

Theus raised a brow. "Why?"

He watched as his sister shrugged, seeing a sadness wash over her face. "They all knew he was alive and they kept it a secret from me."

Theus couldn't seem to understand... what purpose would they all have had to hide Aaryan from her. "Are you sure... it was intentional?"

The tears began to escape as she looked up at him. She then proceeded to explain the events of the entire week to him. The meeting she spoke at to try and save this Rue character, how well it went, how the President had sided with them, how Killian had put all his faith and trust into her... how she had done the same for him... how the Secretary of Defense blinded Rue and how a barmaid had accidently let it slip that Aari, the officer in charge of the Screeching Crow, was Aaryan.

Throughout the whole story, she repeatedly begged him to keep it all a secret. Though he knew there were a lot of details she was leaving out, he did appreciate that she was being some level of honest with him, so he made his promises. Nevertheless, the details of the story she did choose to share surprised him.

Aaryan.

Alive.

An Officer of the State... and in charge of the Screeching Crow.

He thought of Amara, her face and memory feeling slightly distant now after all these years, but his heart feeling the old, dull and deep pain it always did when he thought of her. What would she have thought of her baby brother now?

Despite his deep dislike for all of these people that Thea was talking about, and despite his extreme unhappiness to know that Aaryan was working with the State too... worse yet, he was in charge of the Screeching Crow, Theus felt the need to try and be practical.

Even if he was a little happy that Thea had chosen to quit, he knew his sister felt betrayed... and his personal opinion, she was overreacting.

He felt himself go into big brother mode– a state that he had not been in for what felt like years. "Thea... you can't simply quit because you're angry people may have lied to you." Just hearing the minimal amount of information she had told him, he felt a sense of pride but also, reasonability. When he was a little more level headed, he knew when to admit that he was wrong, and it looked like he was wrong when he tried to force her to not take the job.

She was doing good work in Achlis, it seemed. Her words helped convince the President himself to potentially free a Crow prisoner... whatever plans Killian had for him. If this was the work she was doing there, if there was any kind of progress, quitting would be a mistake.

Quitting because she was upset with someone lying to her was a mistake.

In spite of her tears, she smirked. "I thought you'd be happy I quit," she said, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "I thought you'd encourage it."

"Trust me, I want to," he responded, smiling a little himself. "But if everything you've said is true then you really have been helping Crows. I don't trust Killian, but you seem to, and I trust you. So dropping all of this... abandoning a chance to continue to help the Crows because you're emotional is a mistake. You said it yourself back when you first started working there... working with Killian would be your way of helping the Crows. It may not be the way I would have chosen but if it's working, don't give up on that for a stupid reason."

The mention of Killian made her look down at her drink, frowning.

Now Theus hesitated before leaning closer to her. "You do trust Killian, right?"

She didn't respond immediately. "I trusted him... he told me we're like his family–" Theus snorted, though Thea chose to ignore it, "–he told me that he would be completely transparent with me and I believed him."

"You're speaking in the past tense."

"He lied to me about Aaryan," she looked up at her brother.

"He didn't lie per se." Theus couldn't believe he was defending the half-breed traitor.

"Omission is still lying," she responded, sounding frustrated. "The fact that he just happened to leave out the fact that one of his very important subordinates who he wanted me to trust and consider family was once my best friend, a fact that he most certainly knew... is lying."

Theus kept frowning and watched his sister closely. Her expressions, the way she spoke... everything felt... odd. "Why do you care so much about Killian being dishonest with you? How does his dishonesty affect your work?"

She hesitated. "I..." she thought for a moment. "We're... a team..."

Theus cocked his head to a side, keeping his eyes on Thea. He felt an uneasiness fill him, starting to understand. "This has nothing to do with your work."

She shook her head. "No... it does."

Theus eyed her closely and carefully and it was when she looked away, looking embarrassed, that he knew for certain.

She had feelings for the man.

Theus leaned away from her, his eyes narrowing. "Thea."

"What?"

He felt an anger and a panic begin to fill him. "You can't be that stupid?"

"I'm not," she responded, sounding rather silly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"He's the General of the Aiverian Army," Theus emphasized. "He's a traitor to our people."

She looked to get a little defensive, despite only seconds ago calling him a liar herself. "You don't know him the way I do, Theus... he's not like what you think."

If Theus wasn't trying to be as reasonable as possible... if he wasn't trying to be the brother she really wanted him to be... he would have smashed something right now.

His sister had feelings for... that man? How could she simultaneously be one of the smartest and stupidest people he knew. "You're going to get yourself hurt, Thea," he said. "Badly. This is not good. He's a half-breed, traitor, son-of-a-bitch–"

Theus cut himself off when he heard the bell of his shop jingle. "Fuck," he heard his friend Rek curse before loudly dusting the snow off of himself. "Shit it is cold. Theus. You–" Rek cut himself off as his eyes fell on Thea, who smiled and stood. "Thea!"

"Hi, Rek."

Rek laughed boisterously as he rushed over to Thea and pulled her into a tight bearhug. "Look at you! We've missed you so much, you know?"

His sister laughed and hugged Rek back.

Though Theus was happy to see his sister laughing, he couldn't help but curse his best friend in his mind for coming to work early for once. Theus had so much to say to her and now he'd have to hold back until he can get her alone again.

He had to make sure she didn't get hurt.

He had to protect her from Killian.

He couldn't let her get hurt... not again.

Niall was massaging his temples with his finger and thumb as Mayra left him and Julian behind in his home office. She had come to apologize, an apology which he, of course, accepted, and though Niall was annoyed with her slip up, he knew he couldn't blame the woman. It was on him. He should have acted sooner, yet he didn't. And now the mess was on him to clean up.

Julian, who had only joined him moments before Mayra showed up, had spent the morning with his own tasks, monitoring the progress of the news they had leaked and thankfully he had good news. Despite it only being just past noon, people in Achlis were already talking about Rivier's drunken outburst. Nevermind his attack on an Elorian Prisoner, a detail no one in Achlis really cared for, what was really upsetting people was his attack on the female State employee, whose race they never specified.

It was understandable that everyone assumed the victim was Aiverian... there weren't many Elorians working in Achlis, after all.

Nevertheless, people were talking. The rumors were traveling and soon, once the news left Achlis and hit more ears... the ears of people who would also care that a defenseless prisoner was attacked... Niall knew that the Secretary of Defence's already tarnished reputation would be mocked further and the President would be given whatever reason he needed to move on getting rid of the incompetent, alcoholic and abusive tyrant.

Things were moving in the right direction... yet Niall still felt dismayed.

"Niall," Julian suddenly called. "Tell me, what's the plan?"

Niall hesitated. Plan for what? For Rue? For Thea? For Rivier? What was he referring to? There was too much going on and Niall was just as overwhelmed as he was this morning.

"For Theavi," Julian clarified, probably seeing exhaustion on Niall's face. "I'm certain we don't need to take her words seriously... she's not quitting."

"And how can you be so sure?" Niall asked as he kept his eyes down. Pen in hand, he was trying to organize his thoughts onto paper, seeing as they were useless right now in his head, floating around aimlessly with no rhyme or reason.

Julian - monitoring the Rue and Rivier situation, he scribbled messily in his notebook.

Rivier - hiding at his estate

Kaya - taking the reins while I sit here...

Luana - guard duty for Rue

Aaryan - gone to Abureth to complete the task I assigned to him last week

Rue - still unconscious. eye gone. will he still work with us??? will he even wake up??

Thea - in Abureth... quit(?)

Milo - doing all the paperwork on his own because i do not have the capacity to do it myself!!!!!

Niall only stopped his barrage of exclamation marks when Julian stood and grabbed his pen from him. "You have too much pressure on you right now, Niall, and it seems like you aren't handling it well," Julian said as he placed the pen back in Niall's pen holder as he sat back down and picked up Niall's silver cigarette case. He opened it up and handed Niall a cigarette. "This is quite unlike you."

Niall took the cigarette with pleasure.

"Normally I would attempt to discourage the smoking," Julian continued, "but if that'll get you to calm down, even if for a moment, then so be it."

Niall lit the cigarette, taking a drag so deep that the end glowed a hot amber colour before burning away most of it. He held the breath in for a moment before letting it out and leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes. He then sighed, opening them again and staring at the ceiling. "I need to quit," he said. "I'm becoming too reliant on these death sticks."

"I agree wholeheartedly, but that's neither here nor there," Julian said. "You need to get back on track, starting by throwing out your worry that Thea has quit. Her supposed resignation is absolute garbage and deep down you know it."

Niall lowered his eyes and looked at Julian. "Do I?"

"You do. You're just not thinking with your brain right now," Julian sighed, closing his own eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking at Niall with a severe look. "You've got feelings for this girl, whether you want to admit it or not, and you're upset that she's upset with you."

Niall frowned and closed his eyes again.

"And because you do not want to admit it to yourself, forcing yourself to think of her as just your subordinate, you're not allowing yourself to differentiate between work affairs and personal affairs," Julian continued. "So here you are, confused and incapacitated. It also doesn't help that you haven't slept in days."

He didn't respond to that, mostly because he didn't know what to say. He knew Julian was right, he knew that this was exactly why he was having so much trouble focusing, nevertheless, he still would not accept it.

"So... since you won't do the thinking, Niall, let me do it for you," Niall heard him shifting in his seat, leaning forward. "Thea isn't going to quit. She said that out of anger. If you would allow yourself to be reasonable for a moment, then you would remember that she cares about Rue way too much to just drop all of this and go. She's smart enough to eventually figure out that there's absolutely nothing she can do for the man as a civilian, so she'll come back. Maybe it'll be within the next day or so, seeing as Aaryan is already in Abureth and I can't imagine he wouldn't try to sort things out himself... or maybe it'll take a little longer. Whatever the case, the girl will be back. So stop worrying about that."

He was right. Niall straightened himself up, undeniably feeling at least a little better, before he took another deep drag of his cigarette before smashing the tip of it into his ashtray. "And Rue?" he asked, his breath smoky, "if he wakes up–"

"Thea got him to trust her once before. She'll do it again," he said. "Frankly, it may not be as complicated as we're thinking it will be. Thea did nothing wrong to Rue and Rue knows that. He's smart and he seems to care for the girl too."

Niall nodded slowly.

Yes. Julian was right.

"Just give it... I don't know... a week, Niall," he said, sounding oddly desparate. "Let things play out for a week. We will use that time to watch our leak turn into a flood, use that time to hope that Rue wakes up, use that time to wait for Thea to come back, and you use that time to recuperate."

Niall raised a brow. "I don't–" Niall was cut off by the sound of his door swinging open and slamming hard against the wall, revealing a serious looking Kaya. At the sight of her, Niall sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "What is wrong with you women... always trying to destroy my doors?"

Kaya kept her eyes on Niall for a moment before her frown deepened. "I've heard enough," she ordered, making it quite clear she was eavesdropping on their conversation. "Get up."

To that, Niall raised a brow, looking at her. "What's wrong?"

"You," she said, walking over to him. She grabbed his chair and spun it around so that he was facing her before grabbing the arms of the chair and leaning forward, her face inches away from his. "You. That's what's wrong. Look at you. You look horrid. Fuck the cause, fuck all this bullshit. You need to sleep."

The concern on Niall's face faded as he rolled his eyes. "Stop exaggerating–"

"I'm not exaggerating," she said, her expression hard, and after a moment of just glowering at her, Niall realized she was being serious. She was being very serious. Something that was incredibly unusual for Kaya. "Niall, you know I would die for you right? The same way you've already nearly died for me?"

He felt the scar on his left shoulder from when he took a bullet for Kaya tingle a little bit as she spoke. Though completely healed, the old wound still ached a little when the weather changed or if he lifted things that were a little too heavy. He nodded, though not understanding the relevance between him needing a little bit of sleep and Kaya promising she would die for him. She was certainly being at least a little overdramatic.

"So you know that when I tell you something... when I try to give you advice, I'm looking out for you, right? You know that I only want the best for you?"

Niall nodded again.

"Good. Because I see how hard you've worked. I see all the things you've done. I see that a significant change may be coming and it's because of your leadership," she continued. "And yes, this is all good news, but you've literally given up absolutely everything for the cause and I'm tired of watching you struggle like this. Go to sleep, please. Take at least a day off. If not for yourself then at the very least for the people you lead. I have a feeling we're going to need you more than ever very soon and we can't have you like this when it really matters."

He let out a soft breath, feeling his heart warm a little, knowing that the woman meant well.

Kaya sighed too, straightening up. "I'll cover for you, you can trust me to handle things for at least a day, can't you?"

Niall found himself smiling for the first time in what felt like forever. "You're such a fool," he said. "But yes. I trust you. I've always trusted you."

"Good," she repeated. "So go to bed, Niall. Please."

After turning and seeing Julian give Niall an encouraging nod, Niall let out a breath and stood. "Fine."

Kaya still wasn't smiling. "Julian will be with me. I'll check on the others and make notes of everything that happens and leave it on your desk for you to review in the morning tomorrow. I'll get Mrs. Railer to set up a meeting for the two of us around ten a.m. for us to discuss and you to ask me any questions you might have."

As silly and aloof as Kaya might have been when they were alone, there was a reason why she was such a highly respected, high ranking official in Achlis. And Niall trusted her. He also realized that he had to trust the rest of them too. He had to trust that they would do their best to make things work. He could rely on them.

Including Thea... despite her apparent resignation.

"You're right. The both of you," he said. "I need to sleep."

Kaya stepped aside, letting him pass and even 'helping' by giving him a push towards the door. "I know you're not going to, but if you need another day, then take it."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kaya," Niall said to her with a smirk as he reached the door.

Julian chuckled.

"Hey," Kaya called, her tone still a little stern.

Niall looked at her with a frown, his hand on the frame of his door. "I said don't push it–"

"You take nothing for yourself, Niall. Nothing," she suddenly said.

He raised a brow, confused.

"The only things you legitimately call your own is that dangerously abandoned shack up in Imanay, the piano, some books, a few pictures and gifts, and that ribbon that belonged to your mother," she continued. "So if you have feelings for this girl... let the control you have over those feelings be yours and yours alone. You deserve that, at the very least."

He didn't know why but his heart felt heavy.

"Your feelings belong to you. You don't have to justify them to anyone the same way you don't have to justify why you decided to buy that ugly house. Not to me, not to Julian, not to our bosses, not to the cause... not to anyone," she said firmly before finally smiling at him, "and... if she lets you, when the time comes, let her be yours too."

Niall looked down, both embarrassed that she seemed to know more about his feelings than he would have liked, but also feeling warm.

"Plus, you holding yourself back would be depriving her of a good man," Julian said with a silly smirk on his face. "She may have issues controlling her emotions but I think she deserves a good man."

"Shut up Julian," Niall muttered. "But thank you... the both of you."

"Now leave," Kaya said, taking a seat in the chair that Niall was previously in, "before I start making fun of how oddly unsurprising it is that you would start falling for a girl who thinks your eyelashes are pretty."

Niall was already walking away, rolling his eyes but smiling.

Theus was more than a little eager to go home and it was mostly because he wanted to continue his conversation with Thea. Conveniently, today felt like an incredibly long day and by the time he was getting ready to close up, one of his Crow comrades walked into the shop. "Yo, boss is looking for you," he said when he reached the back of the shop where Theus was. "Wants you to drop by after you close."

Theus looked up from under the hood of a very old car with a frown. "It can't wait until tomorrow?"

The kid, who couldn't have even been in eighteen yet, shrugged. "I dunno, just telling you what he told me."

"Right. I'll be there." The kid didn't say anything else, turning to leave as he played with the barrel of his revolver. "Put that thing away, you idiot," Theus called after him, scowling. "Or I'll have it taken away. You don't play with guns, you might hurt yourself."

The kid glowered but did as he was told.

Theus began mumbling to himself, annoyed that Orynan continued to allow little boys who just wanted to play with guns into the force, stopping his rant only when he heard the bell of his door jingle again as someone else walked in. "You're going to have to have to come back tomorrow," he said as he looked towards the door. "I'm closing up..." His voice trailed off when he saw a man walking over to him.

The kid, who was still making his way to the exit, looked up, nodding at the man before leaving.

Theus crossed his arms and let out a breath when the man stopped a few meters away from him, putting his hands in his pockets. "Hi, Theus."

"Two surprise visits in one day," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The young man standing near the entrance of his shop was not immediately recognizable, the height, the hair, the beard... but Theus knew those eyes quite well.

They were Amara's eyes.

"It's been a while," Aaryan said.

Theus narrowed his eyes. "Running off to join the Crows? You should be ashamed of yourself. Your sister would have been horrified with your decisions."

"Your sister is horrified with your decisions, I'm sure," Aaryan responded. "I heard you are a Crow."

To that, Theus smirked. "Touché."

Aaryan let out a breath, a small smile on his face. "So Thea came through... I suppose that's what you mean by two surprise visits?"

"She's at home right now," Theus responded. "You've really upset her."

"That was never my intention."

"Then what was?" Theus asked. "You disappear to become a Crow to avenge your sister, then somehow manage to join the State Military, and now I'm hearing you're the head officer of the Screeching Crow? What the hell are you doing, Aaryan?"

"It's... complicated."

Theus rolled his eyes, walking over to the sink to wash his hands. "Of course it is," he responded, turning on the tap. After washing his hands he grabbed a towel and continued speaking. "What are you doing here? If you want to try and make amends with my sister, she's back at the house, not here."

"I'm here to talk to you... not Thea."

Theus looked at him.

"The General, Niall Killian... he sent me," he continued.

"To speak to me?"

"Yes."

"Well, spit it out then," Theus said, getting impatient. He had never been a big fan of Aaryan, well aware of how the boy had treated his sister once they were in highschool. The only reason he even tolerated him was because he was Amara's younger brother and Amara adored him. Of course, Aaryan had always known how Theus felt about him, and despite them both being adults now, it was clear that he was still rather uncomfortable in his presence. "I have a lot of things to do."

"The General knows... that you're a Crow."

Theus's eyes narrowed.

He wondered if he should have been worried. Maybe if he had heard this news yesterday, he would have been, but just this morning Thea had gone on and on defending the trust she had in that man even though he had apparently just lied to her. Despite everything that had happened, he still couldn't believe Thea could be that stupid. Would that same man she trusted enough to defend come after him?

Though Theus also assumed that Aaryan being the one who was here to tell him this instead of the State Police was a significant indicator that he shouldn't be worried as well. "So what?"

"He also knows that you're incredibly gifted," Aaryan jerked his chin towards the vehicles and other miscellaneous objects that his shop held, "with mechanics. Thea spoke to him about your old dreams and all... so he wants to offer you something. A deal of sorts."

Now Theus was interested. He crossed his arms and kept listening.

"General Killian knows you're working under Orynan and he also knows that you're too smart to be just some Crow. For that reason, he assumes you're close to him to some extent, or at the very least that you've got some high position within the Revolutionary Crows... and he needs someone on the inside."

Theus let out an amused breath. "You want me to spy for your General?"

"Not for nothing," Aaryan continued, "if you agree to be his eyes and ears on the inside, General Killian will guarantee you a position in the Aiverian National Space Agency."

The smirk on Theus's face faded a little.

"I'm sure you know what this means. ANSA is growing but struggling and you would easily be one of the smartest people there. A sure asset to the organization. With your brain and your contributions, you could skyrocket in status at the agency, even without a degree. It's a win-win deal... you can do what you always dreamed of doing."

Theus felt his heartbeat rise. Thea had clearly given the General of hers way more information about him than he was comfortable with, but he could not deny that this was an enticing offer. "And all I'll need to do is turn on Orynan?"

Aaryan nodded. "We both know he's incompetent."

Theus kept his eyes on Aaryan, trying to decipher his relatively solid, expressionless face. He got nothing from him that seemed to suggest that this was some sort of trick or trap, but whatever the case, though he agreed with his statement about Orynan, he already knew his answer. "Does your General think I'll so easily turn on my people, the way you did?"

"You know Thea's smart, don't you? She trusts him." Aaryan countered, seeming to expect this answer.

"I'm not entirely sure about that," Theus responded. "She seemed quite peeved with him when I last spoke to her."

"So I'm going to take your response as a no."

"I'm not turning on the Elorians just for my own dreams to come true. Tell your General that," Theus said, firmly. "Sure, Orynan is incompetent, but I have my own way of doing things and I'll continue to do things my way."

"Theus–"

"That's my answer."

Aaryan was frowning. "Well, the General assumed as much, and told me to tell you that the offer will continue to remain on the table so long as you stay out of trouble."

"You can tell the General to shove his offer up your President's ass," Theus said, walking off so he could begin closing up. "Now tell me what you're going to do."

Hesitation. "About what?"

"About my sister."

There was no response, However, Theus didn't say anything as he continued to close up, waiting for Aaryan to speak up when he was ready. "I don't know."

Theus paused his work and looked at Aaryan, unable to help himself from finding the boy to be so... childish. "Why did you stop talking to her?"

Aaryan was frowning and Theus could see his Adam's apple move as he swallowed. "The shelling."

Theus raised a brow. "What?"

"You don't remember?"

"Of course I remember," Theus responded. It was the day he threw Thea and himself off the little bridge outside his neighborhood to save her from the only shelling that ever occurred in Abureth during the Civil War. He had run all the way to her from school, scared that she would already be dead. There had only ever been one other time that Theus had ever been as scared as he was at that moment, and that was when Thea had called him during her incident in University. "What does that have to do with you not talking to her?"

"I was supposed to be walking home with her that day," Aaryan said, looking down at the floor, his hands balled up into fists. "She and I had argued about something stupid so I stayed back with my friends instead."

Yes.

Theus remembered.

"You ripped into me that night," Aaryan continued. "My sister had to hold you back from actually beating the crap out of me."

"You stopped talking to her because of that?" When Aaryan didn't respond, Theus let out a short laugh. "She's going to kill you," he said. "And there isn't anyone here to hold her back."

He didn't say anything to that. Instead, he looked back at Theus. "I answered your question about your sister, now will you answer mine?"

Theus frowned again, knowing immediately where this was going, and Aaryan didn't wait for him to agree to his terms before continuing.

"You loved her didn't you? My sister? And she loved you too?"

The dull pain in his chest returned, and though he didn't want to answer Aaryan, he figured that though Amara was long gone, dead for years now, she would have wanted her precious little brother to know. She would want him to know that she was happy and loved dearly before everything was taken from her. So his response to Aaryan was a simple, curt nod.

Aaryan didn't seem surprised, nodding slowly. "Why was it a secret?"

"Your parents," Theus responded.

"Why?"

"You know my mother came from a poor family... an incredibly low caste... but my well respected father was in love and my grandmother couldn't care less about caste or class or rich or poor and was always supportive of my father's decisions," Theus responded. "But your parents cared. Didn't think my blood was good enough for your sister."

Aaryan was upset by this, his brows furrowing. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"My parents are horrible. They always were," he said. "You made my sister happy... you didn't deserve their disrespect."

Theus started rubbing the back of his neck. "That doesn't explain why you are apologizing."

Aaryan hesitated. "I don't know. But I'm sorry."

The unpleasant look still remained on Theus's face for some time before he sighed. "Fine, if you want to show you're sorry, then do me a favor and fix this shit you've got going with my sister," he said, walking over to Aaryan. When he reached him, he stood right in front of him, looking down at the boy who, despite having grown exceptionally tall, was still a little shorter than him. "I'll be clear, I don't trust you. I think you're a fool. But Amara loved and trusted you and you loved and trusted Amara. So for the sake of the man who you say made your sister happy, sort things out with my sister and promise me you'll protect her... from the people in Achlis... from whatever comes her way... from that General of yours."

Aaryan was surprised by this. "You may not believe it but she's holding up rather well on her own... and the General isn't as bad as you think he is."

"Just promise me that you'll do what I say," he said. "I'll accept your apology and even forgive you for leaving my sister to walk home alone that day."

There was hesitation on Aaryan's part, but he smiled a little. "Yeah... I promise."

"Good," Theus said, walking over to the register to finish with his bookkeeping. "Now get out, I really do have things to do."