"Son of a bitch," were the first words out of my mouth when the ancient wizard turned to face me. From my periphery, I saw Zayll's eyes widen in shock. Mikael, however, simply smiled.

"Caley. It is good to see you again," Mikael said. I felt anger bubble up inside of me.

"Son of a freaking bitch," I repeated.

"You are angry, I presume?" he asked. He didn't need to see my face to know that. He could hear it in the tone of my voice.

"Oh, angry doesn't even begin to cover what I'm feeling right now," I said, striding forward and leaving a slightly alarmed looking Zayll at the doorstep. "I have traveled around the freaking globe looking for you and all you left for me was a trail of unanswered questions to go off of. I've wasted an entire year looking for you, following your stupid maps and your vague hints. Do you realize that I'm on a time crunch? That I could fall to my death at any moment because I'm in too deep?" I exclaimed, getting angrier and angrier by the second. I was pacing, trying to find an outlet for the frustration that was overwhelming me at the moment.

"You are not going to die anytime soon," Mikael said, his face calm. 

"I could literally kill you right now," I said, to which Zayll hissed my name to show some respect. I ignored him.

"That would do neither of us any good," Mikael replied simply, his hands crossed on top of the orb on his staff. 

"You're right. I'll get my answers first. And then I'll kill you," I said. He chuckled.

"I know you have much to ask me, but we hardly have the time to talk right now. I simply wanted to see that you made it here alive and well," Mikael said.

"Oh, I am going to ask you all my questions right here and now. Damn the time," I replied, stopping my pacing to stand in front of him.

"Dinner is in less than an hour, Caley," Zayll reminded me.

"Screw dinner," I snapped. 

"Caley, you must remember that you are a guest here and a very important one at that. We will have plenty opportunity to talk in great length," Mikael said. 

"I don't think you understand. I've been looking for you for almost a year now. I am not waiting another minute," I said. 

"And you have waited that long already. A few more days won't make a difference," Mikael said. I opened my mouth to argue, but he stopped me. "Remember what you have learned about patience, Caley. Right now would be an adequate time to apply that information," he said. I clamped my mouth shut then and crossed my hands over my chest.

"Fine. But I am not happy about this," I said.  Mikael smiled.

"It is nice to know that you haven't changed so drastically over the past year that you've become a different person. I am happy to see that you are still the same stubborn young witch I met in the woods so long ago," Mikael said. I made a face at him, which he obviously couldn't see.

"Caley, we must leave now or we will be late. Mother and father won't be happy about that," Zayll said, wrapping his fingers gently around my wrist to tug me away from the old man.

"Isn't he coming?" I asked, remaining rooted to my spot. Zayll shook his head.

"Mikael prefers to be alone most of the time. He wants to keep his presence here a secret," Zayll replied for the ancient wizard. 

"No one knows you're here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Some say I am a legend, but I do not want to find out," Mikael replied simply. "Enjoy your dinner, Caley. We will speak again very soon," he said. And with that, he turned back around so he was looking out the window. Looking, but not seeing.

I sighed and then followed Zayll out of the tiny house. Once we were back on the road towards the palace, I spoke up.

"You know, that was like a teaser. All I'm going to be thinking about now is talking to him," I said. "It's like a form of mental torture."

"Mikael insisted that when you got here, I was to bring you to him. My family is the only one that knows he is here, though. He wants to keep it that way. He wasn't joking when he said he was a legend. The world would go insane trying to ask him questions," he told me. 

"That crazy man sent me all around the world looking for him," I said.

"I realize, but there was probably a reason for that," he replied.

"Yeah, with him there always is," I grumbled. 

For the remainder of the walk back, Zayll pointed out different places to me. He gave me a small tour of the buildings that were surrounding the plaza and then we had to rush inside to get ready for dinner. When he dropped me back off in my room, I realized that I was both hungry and exhausted. 

I walked into the bedroom part of my room to find my maiden girls waiting for me with a fresh dress and smiles plastered across their faces.

"Here we go again..." I groaned as they pulled me into the bathroom to get me ready for dinner.

About thirty minutes later, I was being ushered into the great dining hall. The floors here were a shade darker than the white floors in the rest of the palace, but still lined with little squares of blue mosaic tile. The walls were a warm honey color and the chandeliers were set to cast the room in a comfortable glow. In the center of the room was a long table set with plates and glasses and surrounded by large, straight-backed wooden chairs. Most of the royal family was already seated, with the king at the head of the table and his wife sitting next to him and then the remainder of their family sitting around the rest of the table. They were all chatting when I walked in. Zayll looked up and smiled, coming to my side immediately to take me to my seat, which was to his left. 

"Caley, you look positively radiant," the queen said with a warm smile. Even in the warm glow of the light, she looked sickly pale. I wondered if she was suffering from an illness or if it was just the color of her delicate skin.

"Thank you," I replied, returning the smile.

"Did Zayll show you around the city?" the king asked.

"He did. This is quite a spectacular place," I replied. 

"We pride ourselves on the unique set-up of our land," the king said, beaming proudly.

"Caley, these are our other siblings," Isla said, who was sitting on my other side. 

"This is Trent, our eldest child," the queen said, indicating the man to her right. He was a very broad shouldered man wih chin length blonde hair and blue eyes rimed with thick lashes. He looked kind of intense, but when my gaze fell on him, he smiled and seemed less menacing.

"This is Ross, our second oldest," the queen continued, pointing to the handsome man to Trent's right. While his elder brother was bulky and muscular, Ross looked to be more lean and tall, built more like Zayll. He had sharp features, dark hair like his father, and piercing blue eyes. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Caley Lucia," he said to me, a friendly glint in his eye.

"I'm Sabrina. The oldest daughter," said the young woman to Ross's right. Like her mother, she had flowing long blonde hair, blue eyes, and pouty lips that increased her attractiveness. She seemed exuberant and strong, like a powerful female leader.

"And I am Lynn. Second oldest daughter," said the petite woman to Sabrina's right. As strong as Sabrina looked, Lynn looked all the more fragile. But she had a kind, wise face, like she was beyond her years in intellect. Her dark features matched her father's and Ross's, with a delicate heartshaped face and blue eyes lined with long, curly lashes.

"And you've met the rest of us," Isla said with a smile. I returned it.

"It's really nice to meet all of you. And I just wanted to thank you for being so incredibly kind to me. I really appreciate everything you're doing for me," I said. 

"It's not every day you get to meet the girl that is destined to save our people," Ross said with a slight smirk. I felt heat rise up onto my cheeks and I averted my gaze. 

"Right," I muttered under my breath. Zayll nudged me and I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. He nodded slightly at me and then smiled, assuring me once again that he and his whole family were here to help me. I was not in this alone.

"Well, now that we have all acquainted ourselves with one another, shall we dine?" the king suggested. Everyone at the table voiced their consent and the food was brought out to us on silver platters. Most of it was seafood decorated brightly with various herbs and spices. It was rich to the taste and smelled nothing like the seafood that I was accustomed to eating.  My rumbling stomach was satisfied.

"So where are your families?" I asked the eldest five children as we dined. 

"Ours are back in our own palaces in the states. We figured it would be too overwhelming to meet the entire clan," Trent replied.

"Each of us have three children. It would have been impossible to keep us all straight from the very first day," Sabrina added.

"You all are so young and attractive," I accidentally blurted out. The entire table laughed as my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

"That is why we are the royal family," Ross said with a wink. I flushed again, groaning internally at my awkwardness. 

The rest of the meal went by comfortably. We joked and told stories. I told them about how I visited three other elemental nations and recounted some of my adventures from there. They told me about how their family had come to power after the last royal family was entirely wiped out by an epidemic that had hit the nation. King Caspian was the nephew of the previous king and so he inherited the throne. 

"It is unfortunate because we must always have back-up measures in case of a calamity," King Caspian said. "So if I am struck by the curse, then Cordelia will take over. And if something should happen to Cordelia, then Trent will take over completely with his family. Zayll will take Trent's state. And so on," he explained.

"That's so sad that you all have to prepare so early on for your deaths," I said.

"Unfortunately, it is a consequence of the curse," Lynn said. 

"The curse that I have to break," I said.

"You have our full support, Caley. You may not realize it, but you carry an aura of strength about you. If anyone can break the curse, it's you. Not only because of your destiny, but because of your character," Queen Cordelia told me. I flushed with pride at this. It made me feel so much better that she wasn't accounting the task I had to do on the prophecy that was created at my birth. Instead, she was holding it to my character. And that made me swell with pride. I looked at her and she smiled at me, but I didn't see her face. Instead, I saw my mother's face beaming down at me and my heart wrenched in pain.

I felt my eyes well up, as I was suddenly overcome with emotion. The Queen reminded me so much of my mother and it was now more than ever that I was feeling her loss. Being around the royal family, their good naturedness and their close ties, it made the loss of my own family sting even more. When they noticed the tears in my eyes, they all cried out.

"Caley! What is wrong, my dear?" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Nothing!" I said in a high-pitched voice, cursing at my overly emotional state. "Nothing, I just...you..." I trailed off. I blinked back the tears in my eyes and put down the fork in my hand. "I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me. Can I be excused?" I said quickly, pushing my chair back and getting up. They nodded, slightly alarmed and I rushed out of the dining hall, my heart beating fast. When I was in the hallway, I broke down completely, sinking to the ground by the wall.

It was all so overwhelming. The kindness of the royal family. The ever-looming task that I had ahead of me. The constant reminder that I didn't have a mother. Missing Trey because of Zayll's actions. It was too much to handle all at once and I needed time to process my thoughts and collect my emotions. 

I wanted to talk to Gerrard. 

I heard footsteps coming toward me and I looked up to see Prince Zayll standing over me. He reached down and pulled me up, a pity smile on his face.

"Come on. Let's go for a walk," he suggested, taking my hand in his and leading me away from the dining hall. 

He brought me outside. The air had cooled significantly over the past few hours and the coolness felt nice on my warm skin. We walked in silence out the back of the palace until we reached the beach area. On this side of the central island, there weren't as many people. I guessed this was because the plaza was on the other side along with most of the night life. On this side, it was quiet and peaceful, the sounds of the waves masking the distant voices of the people of Atlantis.

We sat in the sand and didn't say anything for a while, just stared out at the sea. The water reflected the night sky, the silver dots of the sky dancing around as the water moved with the wind. The water lapped up the beach, stopping a few feet away from us before retreating back into the body of water.

I looked to my side at the prince who was sitting quietly beside me. His expression was pensive as the wind mussed up his golden brown hair. He looked down at me after a moment, catching me looking at him. I averted my gaze and looked back out at the water again, but I could feel his lingering gaze on me.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked. "Even though you know I can't feel the same way about you as you do about me, why are you still being so kind?" I asked.

"Regardless of how I feel about you and the situation that we are in, Caley, it hurts me to see someone as pure as you to be so confused and lost," he replied. I looked at him, raising my eyebrows.

"Confused and lost?" I asked.

"Every time someone mentions the curse, you get this hopeless look on your face. And despite our reassurances that we are here to help you, I can tell that you are overwhelmed with the responsibility on your shoulders," Zayll told me. 

"So you just feel sorry for me?" I asked, bringing my knees up to my chest and letting the long dress I was wearing flare out over my legs.

"Is that such a bad thing? I empathize with you, Caley. And empathy is not a bad thing," Zayll said. 

"I don't need your empathy," I said, retreating into myself like I always did when someone got too close to me. 

"What else can I offer you besides that? I have already offered you my heart and you could not take it," he said. Ouch. That stung. 

I bit my lip and then sighed, rubbing my face with my hands. 

He was just trying to be nice to me. And I was acting like a bitch. I wasn't used to people being so kind to me. I had grown comfortable with Trey, Gerrard, Abbey and Lance. They were the people I could confide in. But even after all this time, It was still difficult for me to open up. Zayll was trying to make a place for himself next to me, among the others that I had let in and I all I was doing was shutting him out. He was right; it was bad enough that I had inadvertantly broken his heart. The least I could do was accept his friendship.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "One thing that you need to understand about me is that I'm not good at letting people get close to me. Yes, you make me feel comfortable. But at the same time, I have trust issues," I said.

"And I am willing to work with you on that. But you cannot fix your trust issues if you don't even give them a chance to be fixed," he told me. I frowned, scooping up a handful of sand and watching it run down between my fingers. I was silent for a long moment before I spoke again.

"Your mother reminds me of my own," I told him. "That's why I ran out of there. She died trying to break the curse. She died saving my father and me. And that's why I can't fail. Because if I do, then she'll have died for nothing," I said. "And what's more is that I can't fail because I would be letting down an entire nation that's depending on me. Your family with their system of who will take over in case of a death...that's just wrong. No family should have such a long-term protocol of what to do in the event of a death. It's not fair. You all are so nice. You deserve to be happy," I said.

"Your mother raised a beautiful and strong person. There is no taking away your character, regardless of success or failure. If we measure who we are by our successes and failures, the world would be a miserable place. Your character is what makes you unique, Caley. And you have an excellent character," Zayll said. I drew the Trinity crest in the sand next to us.

"I just hope it's enough," I said quietly. He reaced out to put his palm against my cheek. He gently brushed my skin with his thumb as our eyes held each other's gaze. 

"It will be," he said.

I felt overcome with emotion as thoughts of Trey flooded my mind, so I moved away a little to create some distance between us.

"I miss my fiancee," I whispered, bringing my hand to my neck and wrapping my fingers around the pendant necklace. 

"Tell me about him," Zayll offered.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I replied, looking at him pointedly. He smiled.

"I can handle it. I'd like to know how the man that stole your heart from me did so," he said. I raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled. "I'll be fine. Go ahead," he said, nudging me with his shoulder. I shook my head, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. And even though I felt bad for Zayll, I recounted mine and Trey's love story to him, from the moment we crashed into each other at Trinity High to when we said our good-byes at the airport in the beginning of the year. And after I did, I felt better, and I think Zayll knew that.

About an hour later, Zayll walked me back to my room.

"You don't have to be this nice to me," I said to him as we stood outside my room. He laughed and opened the door to my suite, leading me inside. When we stepped inside, however, the room was not empty. Sitting on the couch in the living room was the one person I was hoping to talk to all day.

"Gerrard!" I exclaimed, rushing forward. As he stood up, I threw my arms around him. He laughed, steadying himself and wrapping his strong arms around me. I felt myself sink into his embrace and I buried my face in his chest. "I thought they had hurt you," I whispered. He pulled me away, bringing his hands to my face and gently caressing my cheeks.

"I'm perfectly fine. What about you? Are you ok? Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?" he asked. I put my hands on top of his, pulling them away from me slightly.

"I'm fine, Gerr. I'm just really happy to see you. It's been a really long day," I said. He let out a hollow laugh.

"That's an understatement," he said. We heard a small cough from the doorway and we both looked over to see Zayll still standing there with his hands clasped behind his back. 

"Is this your fiancee?" Zayll asked. I glanced at Gerrard and shook my head.

"No, no. This is Gerrard. He's..." I trailed off and looked at him. "He's my guardian." Gerrard smiled. 

"Oh, well...you two seem very...close," Zayll said.

"You know, we get that a lot," Gerrard noted. "You're one of the assholes that locked me up, aren't you?" he said to Zayll, crossing his arms over his chest to appear more menacing.

"I am also the asshole that let you go," Zayll replied, quirking an eyebrow. I gasped. It was the first time I had heard him curse all day. "I thought I told you your quarters were on the first level," he added.

"I haven't seen Caley for days. First she was unconscious and then she was being paraded around the city with a guy she barely knows. I'd be damned before I went another day without seeing if she was all right," Gerrard said. 

"She was with me," Zayll said.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Gerrard replied, going up to Zayll and sticking his chest out slightly to intimidate him. I snickered from where I was standing. It was cute watching the two of them argue over me. I went up to them and pushed Gerrard away from Zayll.

"That's enough you two," I said, looking between the two of them. "Zayll, I need to talk to Gerrard, so he's going to stay in my suite tonight, ok?" I said to Zayll. He pursed his lips. "He's my best friend, Zayll. I tell him everything," I said. He sighed.

"Fine. I'll come get you in the morning. My parents have a lot to discuss with you," he said. I nodded and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"Thanks for everything today," I told him. His cheeks colored a bit and he smiled at me.

"Good night, Caley," he said and then he backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"That asshole's trying to make you fall for him," Gerrard said once he was gone. I rolled my eyes at him and went to the bedroom, Gerrard following behind me.

"He wanted to marry me," I informed him. "He wanted to marry the Chosen One. But I told him I already had a fiancee."

"Serves him right," Gerrard snorted. I gave him a look. "What?" he asked.

"Zayll and his family have been nothing but nice to me ever since I got here. Show them some respect," I said flatly.

"Of course they're going to be nice to you. Not only are you one of them, but you're also the Chosen One," Gerrard pointed out. I retreated into the closet to change into something more comfortable. The only night-wear that they provided me with were some silky white night gowns that looked more like wedding lingerie than anything else. I opted for the sweats that I had brought from back home instead.

"Where's Anoki, by the way?" I asked.

"He's asleep in the room they gave us. Kind of rude, if you ask me. They put us on the level of the house maids and servents," Gerrard told me as I walked out in a t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. "There's the Caley I know," he said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and climbed into bed. He sat at the foot of the bed.

"What did they do to you guys?" I asked. 

"They put us in their holding cells and questioned us. It wasn't as brutal as what they did to us in Aghbad. But they weren't nice about it, either. Not until you told them to let us go," he replied. "How did you get out from that storm?" he asked me.

"They said a water phoenix saved me," I replied. 

"That's what that thing was? I thought it was another dragon," Gerrard said.

"You saw it?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. 

"I saw its shadow in the water. It was enormous. Not as big as Anoki, but it was still big," he said.

"How did you get out?" I asked.

"Once you disappeared, the storm got even worse. And then something attacked us and Anoki and I both fell into the water. Anoki shifted back into his human form and we both thought we were going to drown. And then we both blacked out and the next thing we knew, we were in a holding cell," Gerrard told me. 

"They said they only reason they saved you was because they had seen you with me," I said.

"Well, thank Merlin for that," Gerrard mumbled sarcastically. I yawned and climbed under the covers, resting my head on the pillows. 

"I have so much to tell you," I said, relishing the feel of the soft comforter. 

"We haven't seen each other in three days and you've only been conscious for one. How much can there be to tell?" Gerrard asked. 

"You have no idea," I replied, Mikael's face flashing into my mind. 

"Well, we've got all night," Gerrard said, sitting on the bed next to me.

And we did, so I told him everything that had happened to me from the moment I had woken up until dinner. I left out the bit about me and Zayll on the beach, though. I could tell Gerrard didn't approve of Zayll. But what he failed to see was that Zayll was almost the same as him; he just wanted to look out for me.

                                                              ~**~**~**~**~

The next morning, Zayll came to get me for breakfast and I requested that Gerrard and Anoki to tag along. When I saw Anoki in the kitchen, I threw my arms around him.

"Good to see you, too, Caley," Anoki said with a laugh when I pulled away. 

"I'm so glad you're ok," I said to him. "I never got to thank you for bringing me here." 

"I would have died without a thank-you. How sad would that have been?" Anoki joked. I punched his arm and he laughed. 

"I have never actually met a shape-shifter. I thought they were extinct," Zayll said, passing a basket of assorted breads and muffins to me and a cup of tea.

"Well, that's what most of the world thinks of water masters, too. But here we are, in a nation full of them," Anoki remarked snarkily. I smirked and Zayll didn't say anything else to him after that.

"My parents would like to speak to you after breakfast," Zayll said.

"Can I see Mikael today?" I asked.

"He's here?!" Anoki exclaimed. I nodded and turned my attention back to Zayll, who shook his head.

"Mikael said that he will come to you when he thinks you're ready to talk to him," Zayll said.

"I've been ready to talk to him. It's been a year!" I exclaimed. 

"I know, Caley. But he thinks you still need to gather some more information before you two speak," he said. I groaned. I was really growing tired with Mikael's antics. 

"Fine. What do your parents need to talk to me about?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Probably your speech to the nation, I presume," Zayll said. "And then we want to see you use your abilities,"

"Abilities?" I asked.

"How well you fight as a water master," he clarified. I frowned. Aside from the basics that Gianna had taught me, I wasn't sure I could do any magic using water. Gerrard seemed to read my thoughts and he laughed.

"You'll be disappointed," Gerrard commented. I elbowed him in the side and he snickered. 

After that, Gerrard and I went with Zayll to meet the king and queen. Anoki wanted to get out of the palace and explore the city since he had been holed up inside the palace for the past few days. 

Zayll led us to the council room, where the king and queen held important meetings. They were waiting for us with Trent and Sabrina.

"Caley! I trust you slept well last night," Caspian asked me as I entered the room.

"Are you feeling better now, my dear?" Cordelia asked me, her eyebrows knitting together in concern. I nodded and smiled slightly.

"I'm fine now. It was just a really long day yesterday," I said. "This is Gerrard. He has accompanied me so far throughout this entire journey. I share everything with him, so I asked him to come to this meeting as well. If that's ok," I told them.

"You are the one that is a half-breed?" Caspian asked. Gerrard nodded.

"I'm part water, part air master," Gerrard said. 

"I see..." Caspian said. "Very well, then. If that is what Caley wishes, we will deal with it," he said. "We have important things to discuss with you, Caley," he told me. I nodded and gave him my full attention.

"I think Zayll mentioned to you yesterday how you will need to address the people of this nation. Most people have heard of the prophecy of the Chosen One coming to save the nation and they are expecting you. Many saw you walking around with Zayll yesterday and so there are already rumors floating around of your presence," Caspian said. "We were going to host a celebration for your arrival at which we would like you to address the citizens. Like Zayll said, it is imperative that we do whatever we can to keep up the hopes of the people. If they lose hope, then it will harm the nation even more. We must encourage them to keep fighting. Do you understand?" Caspian said. 

"Isn't giving them false hope a bad thing?" I asked, frowning. 

"They are already cursed, Caley. And they know they are. Feeding their hopelessness will do them no good. Many fight for their lives everyday because they have that hope that someone will come and save them. If they didn't have that hope, they would give up fighting," Caspian said. I bit my lip, tracing the tattoo of the Trinity crest on my arm.

He was right. My mother knew she was going to die, and yet she continued to fight against the poison in her veins. She did it for me, to give me a chance to live a normal life. If she had given up, I wouldn't have even been alive now. I had to do this. This is what my mother fought for and this is what I had to fight for, too.

"Ok. I'll do it. What should I say?" I asked.

"That is why Sabrina is here. She will give you advice on how to address a nation. She is an eloquent speaker and she can give you helpful tips," Caspian said. Sabrina smiled at me. 

"The celebration will be tomorrow night, Caley. You will have all of today and tomorrow to prepare," Cordelia told me. I nodded.

"Will that be enough time?" I asked.

"It is ample time. I will help you every step of the way," Sabrina assured me. 

"All right," I agreed, nodding.

"The other thing we wanted to discuss with you was yoru training," Caspian said. "How well have you mastered your element?" he asked. I let out a small cough.

"Ummm...about that..." I mumbled.

"She knows the very basics," Gerrard replied for me. "Our teacher--the one who trained both of us--didn't have much time to teach her very much. So Caley knows the very basic spells, like making water energy orbs."

"Well, we will have to work with you on that. Our Chosen One should be a proper water master. Trent here will help you train," Caspian said.

"Me and my wife will help you to train. I will help you to increase your endurance and she will help you with the finer details," Trent told me. I nodded. 

"I have only two months until I have to go back home," I said. I had to be back before the end of the semester. We couldn't send Nina back home in my place. It was one thing to lie to my friends and family over long-distance communication. But to send an imposter in my place would be obvious. Although Nina looked and sounded like me, her personality was completely different. Everyone would see right through it.

"That is plenty of time," Caspian said. "But you will have to work very hard," he added. 

"I can assure you that you don't need to worry about me working hard," I said. He smiled.

"That is what I like to hear," he said. "Zayll took you to meet Mikael?" he asked me. I nodded. 

"Mikael gave orders that he would contact Caley when he thought she was ready," Zayll told his father. 

"Very well. We will not interfere with what Mikael needs to discuss with you," Caspian said. "For now, that is all we needed to talk to you about. Do you have any pressing questions for us?" he asked me. I shook my head. "If not, then you may be dismissed. Sabrina and Trent will take over from here,"

With that, we were free to go. Sabrina and Trent brought us to one of the drawing rooms. 

"I have some things to take care of back in the North. I will return this afternoon with my wife to see what we have to work with. From there, I will create a training plan for you," Trent told me. I nodded and he left, leaving me alone with Sabrina, Gerrard and Zayll. 

"All right. Let's get started," Sabrina said, taking a seat on one of the couches. 

For the next few hours until lunchtime, Sabrina taught me how to give a public speech to an entire civilization. She taught me how to speak properly, how to be eloquent, how to be both general and specific. She helped me with my posture and the way I held myself, telling me that a leader has to look powerful to gain respect. She said both verbal and non-verbal gestures were important in keeping up an image. 

The image that Sabrina told me I needed to create for myself was one of strength and compassion. She said that I needed to look like a strong witch, one that was powerful and sure of herself. This was so that the people could be assured that their fates were not in the wrong hands. At the same time, she said I needed to appear compassionate and empathetic. Zayll also stressed this, saying that the people needed to be assured that someone cared about them. Because if someone cared, then they wouldn't give up. And that someone had to be me.

Once the session was over, Sabrina told me to write a draft of a speech by tonight and that we would go over it the next day. 

I was exhausted by the end of the session and I felt slightly overwhelmed. In just one day, I had to transform the independent and closed off person that I was used to being into a strong and powerful leader. I wasn't sure of how convincing I could be, but Zayll and Sabrina seemed to have enough faith in me. I guess now, I just needed to have faith in myself.

After we ate lunch, Gerrard, Zayll and I went out to the training grounds that were on the outskirts of the central island. The training grounds were closed off by a short wall on one side and then surrounded by a body of water on the other side. Trent was waiting for us, but his wife was nowhere in sight.

"How did the public speaking lesson go?" Trent asked. He was a lot taller than me. I found out that he was only six years older than me, but with the way he held himself, he looked to be much older. I found him to be pretty intimidating, even though he was just as good natured as the rest of his family.

"It was brutal," I replied. He laughed.

"Sabrina enjoys talking. If anyone can help with speech making, it's her," he told me. I pursed my lips.

"Where is Naomi?" Zayll asked his older brother. 

"She had to put Kai to sleep," Trent answered.

"Is Naomi your wife?" Gerrard asked curiously. He nodded. 

"So what I'm going to have you do is perform some spells, show me how you can manipulate water, and how long you can withstand using magic," Trent told me. 

"Fair warning, I don't know very much," I said. 

"That is what I am here to help for," he replied. 

"Trent!" we heard a voice call out. We turned to see a beautiful young woman walking towards us. Her dark hair was braided and pulled back out of her face and she looked to be only a few years older than me. 

"That is Naomi," Trent said as the woman came up to us. She smiled as she reached us, reaching up to kiss her husband on the cheek.

"Forgive me for my tardiness. I had a child to put to bed," she said. "You must be Caley. It is so nice to finally meet you," she told me, pulling me into a tight embrace. When she pulled away, she beamed at me. 

"Naomi, this is Caley's friend, Gerrard," Trent said, pointing to Gerrard who was staring wide-eyed at Naomi with his mouth slightly agape. I frowned and elbowed him in the side. Naomi's smile faltered when her eyes fell on him.

"No way," Gerrard said.

"It can't be," Naomi breathed, bringing a hand to her mouth.

The rest of us looked between the two, thoroughly confused. 

"Do you two know each other?" I asked.  Gerrard and Naomi stared at each other unblinkingly.

"Caley, this is the girl I told you about. The one who ran after me when I fled the orphanage," Gerrard told me. I looked at him, confused. And then I remembered him telling me a long time ago about a girl he said I reminded him of. I covered my mouth with my hand in shock.

"The one you thought was killed," I whispered.

_____________________________________

A/N: Meh, that seemed like a good place to stop. This chapter is a bit of a filler. I'm just trying to bring in all of the characters right now and develop Caley's relationships with them.

To the people that say that there's not enough action in this story, tell me this. What story have you read that is full of constant action? A good story needs development. You can't have fight scene upon fight scene. Information and background development is extremely vital to a story because it moves the story along. All of the information chapters that I write serve a purpose. So don't tell me that these chapters get boring and long and that they lack action. I realize they're not fast-paced. But sometimes information is needed, too. Otherwise, the story falls apart.

Moving on...

I think it's hilarious that you all have created a Caley/Zayll ship name. Unfortunately, I won't be able to pursue a romance between the two (even though I kind of want it to happen, too). Her one true love is Trey; it's too late to change that now. 

Who is your favorite royal family member so far? What did you think about the revelation at the end? 

Don't forget to vote! Trinity War reached #31 on the Adventure list and #35 in Fantasy. That's the best it's ever done! Thanks to whoever comments/votes! You all are making this happen!

XOXO