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lose of innocence
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Heirsa sat in his chambers after the day's work had been completed. He rarely had this time to himself anymore. Either he was busy with any of the eight quads or doing some kind of work or he was needed for wedding preparations of some kind. He hardly noticed all the busyness though; with the wedding in three days time, it kept his mind occupied.

Irisa entered his quarters with a brief knock. She stood at the door, hands clasped before her as if she was waiting for something.

"Have you come to gloat or did you have a request?" Heirsa asked, not bothering to look over at her.

"A little of both."

"Well get on with it." Heirsa said, his tone like ice.

"I'm beginning to see your loyalty wavering General. Need I be concerned?"

Heirsa's eyes flashed, but his gaze remained fixed ahead of him.

Irisa gave a lifeless chuckle, silent for a moment. "I trust you understand the consequences if you were to revolt in any way,"

Heirsa blinked, shuddering as he clenched his jaw. He appeared frightened. Weak. "Yes your majesty," he said, his eyes meeting hers for a second before he meekly lowered them.

Irisa inhaled, and it felt as if the invisible walls of tension vaporized as she relaxed. "Good." She said. "I leave you to your work then,"

Heirsa bowed his head slightly. The queen left the room and he breathed in sharply. "Oh no, if one were planning to commit treason you'd be the first person one would tell." He said after hearing her footsteps down the hall outside.

Ronin sat at the evening meal, tuning out the noise around him as he thought. He constantly remembered what things used to be like. His mind would wander to when he and Heirsa and Grian were young, hearing their father talk about his love for the forest. The family had been living in the middle of Kyril for as long as Ronin could remember. His father also spoke of the kingdom he came from, Arc; which was east of Shard. The children would prod him with questions about the splendidness and busyness of such a populous kingdom, but Lunin seemed to prefer to keep it as a fantasy in his young ones' minds.

The remembrance of the parents he'd likely never see again and the brother whom he missed so much, Ronin felt his heart shudder. While the plans of revolt against the Queen seemed to be solidifying bit by bit, he still held onto the doubt in the back of his mind. His soul wrestled between absolute faith that they would succeed in overthrowing their oppressors, and a heart-clenching anxiety that it would never happen.

Grian looked at her brother, his seemingly lifeless eyes tearing her apart. She swallowed hard. She didn't want to cry again. She had to be brave; for Ronin. For herself.

Everyone around the table seemed to be wrestling a different demon. Alexander, Khana, Glas, Euwan, they all experienced pain and lose. Grian's heart went out to them all.

Ronin pulled her close with his arm around her shoulder. He wished he knew how to keep her safe. How to reunite them with their brother and make everything back to the way it was.

No words were spoken between them; they seemed futile. They knew the hardships, the fears and the internal battles of each other's souls. There was no need to make them heard.

The second battle of Quadrant Four was announced the next day. They would be moved to the direct lines between the Republicans and Shardians. Where the battle was the hardest. Deployment would take place in five days.

Ronin felt the level of anxiety rise among the group, even from Khana who seemed without faze. The man seemed to have a complete lock of all emotion, but there remained a tension in his air. Khana's people after all were being oppressed by war, even worse then the Shardians Ronin had no doubt. The Republicans were skilled in battle, but in this war, were only trying to protect their country. The Queen wanted so desperately to gain control of it. To bring the evil of her own kingdom to the Republicans and destroy their democracy.

The Revolutionists Of Quadrant four decided that it was time to make the change. They would move on the night of their deployment to the battle lines.

"Just how much do you oppose your sister's efforts?" Heirsa asked later that night as he and Ashira strolled around the parapet walk.

Ashira huddled her fur cloak closer over her shoulders against the raw wind. "I detest her." She replied with disgust.

"Have you ever felt close to her?" Heirsa inquired.

"Not since we were very young." Ashira replied. "My parents favoured me over her and she became jealous early on. When she succeeded my father as the ruler of Shard, she cast me off to Murden."

"Such hate among siblings." Heirsa commented, his mind wandering to Grian and Ronin. He knew they weren't his blood siblings, but he still felt attached to the relationship they'd established ever since they were all children. He doubted he'd ever lose that attachment.

"I tried to talk to her afterwards, but she became obsessed with power." Ashira said, her tone rather sorrowful.

Heirsa nodded thoughtfully.

"Why don't we talk about your siblings?" Ashira asked, as if looking for a change of topic.

Heirsa swallowed. "What would you like to know about them?" He asked, his voice unintentionally low.

"How old are they?" Ashira asked with genuine curiosity.

"My brother is a year older then I and my sister is a year younger."

"Is she beautiful?"

"Incredibly." Heirsa answered with a smile as he remembered Grian's big brown eyes and innocent smile.

"I suppose nobody could be related to you and not be at least somewhat good looking," Ashira laughed.

Heirsa's lips turned up at the corners. "You're right at that," he joked with a breathy chuckle.

Author's Note .

Finally another chapter. Please tell me what you thought in the comments! I know it sucked quite a bit, but I just desperately wanted to publish something. So I guess this'll have to be good enough.

All my love,
Kori Kalon .