"It's time to wake up, your highness."

Victor groaned, pulling his blanket on his face before he removed it grumpily like a toddler playing peek-a-boo. His eyes adjusted, and only then did it hit him that the voice that spoke to him was of a man's.

"Matthew?" he wondered out loud. "You're back?"

"Yes, your majesty." he smiled politely.

"I'm glad you're safe and healthy again." Victor smiled, his drowsiness now replaced with a sudden sadness.

He didn't like the formality anymore; it felt strange to him now.

"I'll leave you to get ready then." he bowed respectfully. "I've prepared your clothes and your breakfast is on the table."

"Thank you, Matthew." the manservant hid his amused smile skillfully and walked out the room, stopping when Victor called out to him. "And please, just call me Victor."

After he changed his clothes he sat at his table to eat his breakfast, but it tasted different. It was missing the slight spice that he liked.

Clara didn't make his breakfast this time.

He sighed and shook his head, turning his attention to Matthew, who had just entered the room to make his bed.

"Have we any news on Carmen's return to Elvaria?"

"Not yet, your-" he cut himself off once he saw Victor's raised eyebrow. "Not yet, Victor."

Victor smiled in thanks and returned to his food, eating solemnly and praying that Carmen would get back home safely.

After the attack on their group the other day, Carmen was requested to go back to her own kingdom, where she would be back with her family who had left Avelyn earlier than her. Ever since that day, the people were on edge. He had seen the fear in their eyes when he snuck out to town all alone. 

Guilt weighed him down; maybe if he had spoken to Hugo better, there wouldn't be a war ahead of them. 

Deciding to shove away his thoughts, he went over to his messy desk and attempted to go through his own tasks.

Key word; attempted.

And he clearly failed.

After an hour of hopelessly going through his papers and trying to organize them like Clara always did for him, he finally gave up, frustratedly running his hand through his hair. 

He then shot up from his seat and left his room, instantly going back in to grab a jacket to keep him from the cold of the hallways. As he walked around the castle, he heard shouts and swords clashing, so he went towards it assuming it was the knight's training, and he'd never really seen one before.

As he arrived on the field, he heard a woman's voice shout a battle-cry and the knight facing her fell down from the force of her charge.

Victor's breath hitched in his throat as he stared at the woman, her face determined and cold as ice. 

Clara.

Her breathing was heavier than usual but still steady due to all the training she'd had over the years. Her hair was an absolute mess but it was her eyes that really caught Victor's attention.

They were fierce, like a fire was blazing behind them; they planted fear deep inside him when their eyes met for a mere second before she turned back, having heard footsteps, and sidestepped her attacker.

The knight's blunt sword was big and heavy and he was able to disarm Clara with a swift movement, but she didn't back away; instead she dodged his attacks swiftly, being faster than the heavy weapon in his hands. Before the sword was able to reach her, she hit his forearm with her own harshly, making him lose his grip on his sword as it tilted towards the ground. Clara kicked him back, her hand on the hilt of the sword keeping her steady. The knight let go of the sword as Clara now clutched it in her two hands and swung down, planting it next to his head as he laid on the ground, breathing heavily. 

Victor watched in awe as she defeated every knight that came her way, using different tactics for each person, showing her capability of handling her own against anyone of any size and strength. Her braid fell loose on her leather clad shoulder, and her chest heaved with deep and steady breaths. 

"That's enough everyone!" Edwin called out, stepping closer to the fallen knights and the reason they were there. "That was great. Clara, you're done for today, go rest."

"But-"

"No." he said sternly. "You won't benefit from overworking yourself."

"I'm not!" she argued. "There's more to do, surely?"

"Clara," he put a hand on her shoulder, and she calmed down slightly. "do you trust me?"

"With everything." she said quietly, her voice sincere.

"Then take a break." he smiled at her, squeezing her shoulders in reassurance. "You've done enough."

She nodded tiredly, the adrenaline leaving her body causing her to ache from all the hits she'd received. With a final smile towards Edwin, she turned and walked into the castle, avoiding Victor's gaze.

"Alan, you're up." Edwin called out, and left the battleground for the knights to do their thing. He spotted Victor frozen in his place, confusion overwhelming his features. He chuckled and walked over to him.

"Your highness." he nodded politely. 

Victor didn't bother correcting him, knowing he was only teasing him with the title. Edwin has practically watched him grow up over the years, and there was no formality between the two anymore.

Besides, he had too many thoughts running through his head.

"She...how can she fight like that?" he asked.

"I trained her."

"Why?" he furrowed his eyebrows. "Isn't it against the law for a woman to be a knight?"

"No, not really." he smiled, looking over at his knights as they fought. "There just haven't been any who were up to the challenge."

"So she is a knight?" Edwin nodded, and Victor connected the dots, many of his questions about Clara in certain situations being answered. "How come she didn't have a ceremony?"

"Your father needed her for a secret mission."

"What was it?"

"Protecting you." his mouth turned into an 'o' shape, realization hitting him like a truck. "From an assassin that had targeted you."

"What?" he feigned surprise. "An assassin was targeting me?"

Edwin gave him an unamused look, raising an eyebrow at the young prince.

"I know you know." the sides of his lips quirked up with a small laugh escaping them. "She told me the day she told you."

"Oh."

"I know she might have come off as rude and bossy, but it was all to protect you."

"That's why she dragged me around everywhere." he chuckled, shaking his head. Edwin nodded and laughed along.

"She did whatever it took to protect you, even if she hated you at first."

"Oh, the feeling is quite mutual." he nodded; the teasing smile on his face grew when Edwin rolled his eyes at him.

He could see the family resemblance.

"She hates me still." he blocked all emotions from showing, his face stoic and no trace of a frown on his lips.

"She doesn't." he shook his head. "Trust me, I would know. She didn't shut up about how you annoyed her at first, but she doesn't anymore."

"Then why is she avoiding me like the plague?"

Edwin hid his amusement, noticing hints of care and hurt in Victor's voice.

"She's stressed." he tells him. "She closed herself up again; this is affecting her more than she'd like to admit."

Victor listened intently, relief washing over him that maybe she truly didn't hate him again. 

"She was like this when I took her under my care, but she opened up slowly. She's not as closed off to Lila and I, even Hazel and Julian; but everyone else, she puts up a front for them, to show that she's strong enough to handle it."

Edwin noticed the confusion on Victor's face, so he explained further.

"People doubt her." he spoke sadly. "I think that's why it's so important to her to appear strong and brave, to prove them wrong."

"Why did she train to be a knight in the first place?"

"That's not my story to tell." he smiled at the prince, before waving goodbye to shout some pointers at his knights, having found some small flaws in their movements.

Determined to make amends, Victor leaves the field and sprints back into the castle in hopes to find the brunette that clouded his every thought.

After checking the kitchen, Victor made his way to the library in the west wing, in which he did finally find the girl he had been searching for.

The glass rooftop offered enough light to light up the entire room and the white marble floor shone brightly. The green of the indoor plants contrasted greatly with the light colored bookshelves that were put it organized rows all over the large room. 

Clara had been sat at a table covered in books as she flicked through the pages, skimming through them to find what she was looking for. Victor could faintly make out the titles of various history books about wars and their strategies.

"Thought I'd find you here." he said softly, not wanting to startle her.

Not that he could have, she heard him entering a few moments ago. 

Clara looked up at him and hummed, looking back down at the book in her hands.

"It's a great place." she said. "It would do you good to read more often."

"You forget that I finished my education when I turned nineteen."

"You never truly finish education," she disagreed, glancing at him again, noticing that he had gotten closer. "There's always more to learn."

Victor sat down across from her, taking in her words before he remembered what was in his hand.

"Oh, I brought you this." he tossed an apple to her, which she caught easily. "Hazel said it was your favorite, and I figured you could use the energy after all that work."

"Thanks." she smiled slightly, her cheeks a little red as she took a bite from the apple, the sugar instantly helping her regain some focus. Victor stared at her for a little longer before he took one of the books and read through it.

Clara looked up at him, noticing him being too quiet. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, studying his posture, which seemed to be more relaxed than other times where there were other people in the same room.

"What are you doing here?" he shrugged, not lifting his gaze as he felt his neck heat up.

"I was bored." she raised an eyebrow at him, insinuating him to tell the truth. "Okay fine, I wanted to talk to you."

She smiled in victory before returning to her book, finding an interesting war tactic that she could suggest to Edwin later in the day.

"About?"

"I don't know..." he huffed. "You know, people don't make food half as good as you, they forgot the chili!"

Clara laughed, almost choking on her apple. Victor smiled, happy that he made her laugh. Maybe she didn't hate him after all.

"So you finally admit that you love my cooking!"

"Yeah, yeah..." he rolled his eyes with a smile, his eyes lingering on her smile as she continues to read through the book.

"I can tell you want to ask something." she said without looking, interrupting the trance he was in.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"You were staring."

"Maybe I'm just in love with you." he shrugged.

"Ha!" she snorted, covering her mouth and nose. "Sure, that's totally it."

Victor rolled his eyes again and closed his book, putting it back into the pile Clara had it in, making sure not to ruin anything.

"So, you're a knight?"

"Yup."

"And you were my protector, not my maidservant."

"Uh-huh."

"You weren't just casually in the way of the assassin that day, were you?"

Clara lifted her head from her book and slowly nodded, biting her lip in anticipation of the next question.

"...You killed him?"

"I had to." her voice came out small and shaky. "I'm not proud of it, but if I didn't..."

Victor understood her unsaid words and flinched at the thought. Clara's eyes were shut tight as she turned her head to the side before she took a deep breath and relaxed her fists to look back at the book.

"Why did you want to become a knight?"

"To protect people." she said simply. "I told you how I lost my parents, I couldn't be useless anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." she smiled lightly before it faded. "I'm not alone."

Her last words engraved themselves in his mind. He wasn't alone, so why did he feel that way most of the time?

Was he the reason he felt so lonely?

"My mother loved reading too." he spoke softly, breaking the silence. 

Clara's eyes shot up from the pages on the table and to his eyes. He looked straight into her eyes, but he wasn't really looking at her. There was a hazy look in them, as if he was watching a distant memory. 

She saw her own grief reflected in his eyes.

Her heart ached at the fact that he too lost a mother, despite the situations being drastically different; they still lost a person close to them. Nothing would ever heal a wound that deep, even time doesn't heal it, only making them stronger to handle the pain of it.

"She read stories to me every night," he smiled with glossy eyes. "and she'd teach me about the things she loved, like the stars or psychology."

Clara smiled sadly as she listened to him talk about her.

"She loved to learn about what people felt, and how they would feel them. She was brilliant. It's no wonder people loved her so much; she always knew what to do or say in every situation. She couldn't sleep if my father or I were sad or angry."

"She sounds incredible." Victor nodded, his tears pooling in his eyes. He wiped them away with his sleeve before they dared to fall down his flushed cheeks.

"Everything fell apart when we lost her."

Clara noticed a slight tremble in his hands, but she stopped herself from putting her hand on his, deeming it as improper. 

"My father completely changed." he explained. "He didn't change as a king, he's still incredible at it, but it felt as if I lost him as my father."

Clara's mind flashed back to certain months in her life where she felt the same.

"He didn't talk to me anymore; took away my bow and didn't let me train in the one thing that made me feel close to her." his voice grew angry as frustration built up inside him. "He didn't even let me say goodbye to her, because he thought he was protecting me. He took away my last moment with her."

"Seeing a death is...too much." Clara tried to reason. "He really was trying to protect you, Victor."

"By taking her away from me?" his tone was spiteful and a frown was etched on his lips. "He took away everything from me!"

"But he's still there for you." she said sternly.

"Right." he scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "He doesn't even bother to talk to me. Edwin is the reason he talks to me sometimes and includes me in his plans."

"He's still here." she repeated. "Grief changes people, and he's doing his best to care for you."

"He doesn't care about me."

"He does!"

"How?"

"Because he's still here!" Clara finally snaps, her voice rising before she controlled her tone again. "He didn't give up on you, and that takes a lot of strength. He's here for you first, not the kingdom."

"It doesn't feel like it."

"A little co-operation from your side would help, you know." she said. "Sure, he's not the best father, but you forget that he lost her too, and losing people breaks you."

"I know."

"Then go easy on him." she pleaded. "Initiate a conversation yourself once, instead of waiting on him. This is a two sided thing; you can't put all the blame on him when you haven't been doing your part either."

"You don't understand-"

"I don't understand?" she laughed humorlessly. "My mother left us. She didn't bother to fight for us."

Victor stayed silent, hearing the hatred in her trembling voice. Her eyes were red with unshed tears and it sent a pang of hurt through his heart.

"I saw him die in front of me." she said. "He died protecting me, and nothing hurt more than that. I needed my mom to be there for me, but she shunned me and didn't speak a word to me. I was the one who took care of Lila; I was the one who kept us alive in those months before-"

She banged her fists on the table, her shoulders shaking as sobs escaped her.

"She gave up on us." she cried. "She sent us to Edwin and killed herself. We weren't enough reason for her to live. She left me when I needed her most. I was just a kid and I had the weight of the world on my shoulders; but I didn't give up because I had a sister to take care of. The most precious little girl that she abandoned because she wasn't strong enough. She didn't even look at her after he died, she didn't look at either of us, and I hate her for it."

"Clara..."

"So don't you dare say your father doesn't care about you because if he didn't he wouldn't be here. He wouldn't try to keep you safe. Everything he does is for you."

Overwhelmed and heartbroken, Clara left the library in a hurry. Victor slumped in his seat just letting her words sink in as grief and guilt washed over him like a wave. He reminisced every time his father tried to include him in his work to teach him all he knew, and the times where he smiled at him proudly when he shot a perfect arrow at the bulls-eye like his mother taught him to. His eyes pooled with tears as he realized his father really did love him, even if he wasn't the best at showing it like his mother did. 

He assigned Clara to protect him, because he couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

As soon as Victor's heart clenched with too much grief, he left the room and ran to where he knew his father would be.

He opened the large doors, his face damp with fallen tears. 

"Dad?" he choked on his words as a sob left him.

"Victor?" he instantly left the table and rushed over to him, dismissing everyone to have privacy. "What's wrong, son?"

The king shared a glance with Edwin, who gave him a nod before closing the doors.

"I'm sorry." he cried, looking down at his feet.

"For what?" his father asked, putting his hands on his shoulders as he tilted his head to look him in the eyes.

"For being so cruel," he sniffed. "a-and not giving you the benefit of the doubt. I always blamed you, and I was wrong."

"It's okay." he comforted him, pulling him into a hug as his own eyes stung with tears. "I'm sorry too. I could have done more."

"No..." he shook his head in the crook of his neck. "I just miss her."

"I miss her too."

The father and son embraced each other tightly, letting their walls crumble down, allowing themselves to finally grieve together after so many years of being distant.

Edwin rushed back to his home.

As soon as Victor entered the throne room, he felt a weight in his chest, and somehow he knew that Clara wasn't alright, and he needed to get to her as fast as possible.

And so he ran, avoiding every obstacle in his way, jumping over hedges rather than walking around them.

Soon enough he arrived at his house and entered it calmly, making sure his footsteps were heard clearly as he knocked on the closed door behind him three times. He then walked into Clara's room, finding her sitting on her bed, cradling her necklace in her hand as she stared into the abyss.

"Why did she leave me, dad?" his heart shattered into a million pieces at her voice. 

Yet at the same time, he swelled with happiness at her calling him dad for the very first time. He felt tears brimming his own eyes.

He sat down next to her, gently pulling her into his chest as his arms wrapped around her. Her shoulders shook as she shed silent tears, covering her mouth to muffle the sounds. He played with her hair and rocked them back and forth.

"Was I not enough for her?"

"Clara, you're more than enough." he said gently but with an unmistakable seriousness in his tone. "I'm truly so sorry you had to go through all that. You're so strong, sweetheart."

Edwin too began to cry, reliving the loss of his best friend and the helplessness he felt when he took the two girls under his care.

"You are my entire world, cookie." he tightened his grip on her. "I promise I'll fight harder and harder everyday to be here for you. I'm here. I'm not leaving you."

Her sobs got stronger as she held onto Edwin like he was the only thing keeping her sane and alive.

"How about we go get Lila from school and then spend the day together? Just us." he asked once she calmed down.

"Please." she whispered, her voice weak from crying.

The father and his two daughters continued to spend the day playing and exploring, engraving the joyful moments into their hearts, reminding themselves that they're all safe and sound together.

So.

I cried like a baby writing this. I don't know about you guys though.

Just...so many emotions in this chapter!!

AND CLARA FINALLY CALLING EDWIN DAD I-

I'm crying again.

Also, we're already at 1.1k!?! This is insane!!

I seriously cannot thank you guys enough for reading and voting. It makes my day every time I see notifications about this book.

2022 is off to an incredible start, and I owe it all to you guys.

Hope you guys enjoy the story so far! <3