The days that followed “Lenora’s” funeral were a blur to Tyrone. There wasn’t a day that went by when tears weren’t shed. Each night, he fell into a fitful sleep to awaken with his pillow wet with his own tears. During the day, he did his best to muffle his torment and physical pain for the children’s sakes. They needed him, and he’d promised his Lenora on her deathbed that he’d be strong for them. He had to somehow make life go on and see to it that Lenora’s mission didn’t die with her.

Tyrone kept the children home from school but felt it was in their best interest to return a week after “Lenora’s” burial. “I don’t want to go, Da,” Aurora cried, hugging her father desperately.

“It doesn’t seem important anymore,” Andrea groaned. “Nothing is. I just…don’t care about anything anymore.”

Tyrone sighed as Chris and Jonas mumbled their agreement. “Listen, troops. We have to soldier on. I know this is the hardest thing any of us has ever had to face, but we can’t hide forever. Your Ma wouldn’t want that. We have to try to get on with things and make her proud.”

“I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for us,” Chris said adamantly.

“Everyone will think we’re freaks,” Jonas replied.

“No, son, they won’t,” Tyrone said, hugging Jonas tight. “Your friends will be in your corner. Sometimes bad things just happen that are beyond our control. Your friends will still be your friends. All you can do is say, ‘Thank you,’ if someone tells you they’re sorry about your Ma.”

With resignation and a heavy heart, Tyrone sent his children off to school the next day and wondered what the hell he was going to do with himself.

When Lenora awoke from her faint, she found herself lying on the bed with Allen sitting next to her. She uttered a small scream and tried to shrink away from him.

“No…please don’t do that, Lenora. I-I was so worried. You were asleep for so long,” came Allen’s voice.

She blinked at him in stupefaction, then looked around the room. She was still locked in that cold, dark cell with a strange man who unnerved her. She focused her eyes on Allen and willed herself to not pull away. “Allen…what…happened?”

“You fainted, Lenora. I came down here and found you on the floor. My heart nearly stopped. I…I thought you were dead again,” Allen said, his voice shaking.

Memories started to flood back. The sword and shield on her right hand…the symbol of Great Drogo’s protection…the reaction when she ran her left hand over it and placed her right hand on her heart…seeing a vision of Tyrone and trying to reach him. Lenora heaved a powerful sob, and tears ran, unchecked, down her cheeks.

“Oh, Lenora, don’t. Please don’t. It’s going to be okay. I promise it will. Just let me take care of you.” Allen reached his other hand to wipe Lenora’s tears, his other hand squeezing hers tightly.

You will be nice to him and make him believe you care for him. The memory of Shane’s words slammed into her like a wrecking ball. Shane had a gun with silver bullets slated for Tyrone and her wee ones if she didn’t cooperate. Every cell in her body wanted to retaliate, to rebel against such demands. If she did, it might mean certain death for her family, and she couldn’t take such chances with their lives. Swallowing hard, Lenora willed herself to calm down. She’d cooperate…for now but resolved to get out at the first opportunity for escape.

“Lenora…?”

She swallowed again, bit her lip, and made her fingers curl around Allen’s. “I’m all right. I’m sorry I worried ye.” She tried to smile reassuringly, hoping she managed to pull it off.

Allen’s face split in a wide grin. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine now. Are you hungry?”

At the mention of hunger, Lenora’s stomach gave a prolonged, loud growl. Smiling wanly in spite of her circumstances, she looked down at her stomach. “Does that answer your question? I don’t recall the last time I ate.”

Allen squeezed her cold hand and jumped to his feet. “I’ll get you some soup. It’ll warm you up and make you feel stronger.”

When he was gone, Lenora closed her eyes in weariness and defeat. //Och, Tyrone, my beloved! How am I ever to endure this? It all seems so hopeless.//

One day after school, the Landgraab quads and Carson were spending time at Landon and Crystal’s due to Tyrone having a late business meeting. Aurora was talking to Crystal as she sat knitting when she caught Crystal by surprise by asking about the Fae Kingdom. “Is it really beautiful, like Narnia?”

Crystal finished up a row, switched the needles in her hands, and continued knitting. “It’s beautiful but in a different way than Narnia, I expect. It’s usually a very peaceful place filled with happy people, laughter, and a whole lot of love.”

“I want to go there someday,” Aurora proclaimed.

“Maybe you will one day,” Crystal replied a little absently, her concentration on her knitting.

Aurora looked dreamily at her surroundings and smiled as she relived one of the many variations of her favorite daydream about meeting and falling in love with a fairy prince. Wouldn’t it be magical if her fairy prince would swoop down, fold her into his arms, and take her away to his castle where there was no pain, sorrow, or grief? If only he could take away the pain of losing her mother. Tears filled Aurora’s eyes and brimmed over.

Crystal jumped slightly when she heard a muffled sob from Aurora. “Oh, sweetie, come here,” Crystal said, opening her arms to the little girl.

“I just miss her so, Crystal,” Aurora said, falling into the tiny fairy’s arms. “I saw her come back…I know I did…but it doesn’t stop the awful, bad feelings.”

Crystal held her, not knowing what to say about the visions Aurora insisted she’d had. She half believed her, wanted to believe her, but ow could such a thing come true? How in the name of Calista could Lenora come back from something like this?

“The awful, bad feelings won’t go away for a long time, I’m afraid,” Crystal said, skirting the subject of the visions. “It takes time, sometimes lots of it, to heal from something like this. You’ll always miss your mother but in time, it won’t be so painful.”

“I wish it wasn’t so,” Aurora croaked through a constricted throat. “I was just thinking that I wish my fairy prince would come and carry me off to his castle where nothing or nobody hurts ever again. Dumb, huh?”

Crystal smiled a little sadly and wiped away Aurora’s tears. “Not so dumb. Daydreams are nice, but the real world is very different. Even in the Fae kingdom, there is sadness sometimes.”

“Do you suppose Queen Ella could come for a visit soon? I was so bummed when I couldn’t see her last time she came,” Aurora said. “I want to be her friend, and maybe…maybe she’ll introduce me to a fairy prince.”

Crystal smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind Aurora’s ear. “Well, that may be a little hard to do, considering the only fairy prince I know of is Prince Silvan. He’s a pretty busy guy, so it could be a while before you meet him.”

“Prince Silvan,” Aurora whispered his name. “You talked about him a couple times, but you didn’t say much. Tell me about him. Please, Crystal.”

Crystal smiled reminiscently as she thought of her uncle. Oh, it had been so long since she’d seen him. Lately, Queen Ella hadn’t shared much with Crystal about Silvan or his whereabouts. He’d been out of touch for a while, having taken up residence in Dragon Valley after a less than amicable breakup.

“C’mon, Crystal, spill! What’s he like?” Aurora’s words brought Crystal out of her reverie.

“Well, first of all, he’s much too old for you,” Crystal said, ruffling Aurora’s hair.

“How much too old?”

“Lots and lots too old. Silvan’s about a thousand years old.”

Aurora’s eyes widened, then her expression fell. “That’s old. I bet he’s a wrinkled up old man.”

Crystal shook her head, grinning slightly. “Not quite. Prince Silvan ages very slowly, as do most fairies. He looks like he’s in his early twenties and is very handsome.”

Aurora’s eyes brightened. “Do you have a picture of him? Can I see it? How come I never saw one before?”

“Well, I don’t have very many of him. Let me see if I can find a fairly recent one. I…well…I guess I just don’t show many pictures of folks from the Fae kingdom unless I’m asked. Then, it has to be someone I love and trust who I show the pictures to. Sometimes there is work to do, and they sometimes don’t want much of the human world to see their true form.” Crystal reached for her bag, fishing out her wallet. Thumbing through it, she plucked out a picture and handed it to Aurora.

When Aurora’s eyes landed on the handsome man in the picture, a soft, little gasp escaped her. Her heart fluttered, and she couldn’t remove her gaze from the picture. “Ohhhh! Is that his true form? Is that what he really looks like?” She’d heard that some fairies use a sort of glamor to disguise their true looks.

“Yep,” Crystal replied.

Aurora ran her tiny fingers over the face, the black hair, and the red wings. “His eyes are soooo blue!” Aurora continued to gape. “What’s he like, Crystal?”

Crystal tilted her head to the right, contemplating her words carefully. How much should she tell Aurora? Silvan’s life was so complicated, and everyone in Faedom knew his reputation preceded him.

“Mostly, he’s very nice. He speaks with a Scotish accent, and when he makes contact in the human world, he uses the surname McBeth. He’s very gifted in a lot of areas but then…well…he’s had time to study and learn, being around a thousand years old. He’s very skilled in music and art, and he’s quite accomplished in healing magic used by fairies. But he’s a bit of a Cassanova. Do you know what that means, Aurora?” Crystal asked, peering into Aurora’s face.

“He’s had a lot of girlfriends,” Aurora said. “I guess he just hasn’t found the right lady to fall in love with.”

“I suppose not,” Crystal replied, not divulging to Aurora that as long as she had known Silvan, he’d never wanted to settle down. He’d broken many, many hearts in his long line of conquests.

Crystal told Aurora the story of how Prince Silvan’s universe had been destroyed but was saved in the nick of time by his parents. “The then sitting Queen Emmaline had found him and brought him up as her own son. Brought with him to his new home were thick ancient tomes with vast knowledge of magic, forgotten languages, and many secrets in subjects such as time travel, advanced science, and engineering. There were objects as well that supposedly belonged to Prince Silvan’s grandmother, who was a very powerful fairy. It is said that Silvan guards these treasures with utmost diligence and will only reveal what he sees fit at a given time,” Crystal said, her voice taking on a low, mysterious tone.

“He sounds so fascinating,” Aurora said in awe. “It sounds like he could be so helpful in our mission.”

“I’m afraid that won’t happen,” Crystal said, shaking her head. “Prince Silvan is a lone wolf, so to speak. I’ve known him all my life, but there are so many layers of him that baffle me. He’s a complex, deep person.”

Aurora was silent for a moment, her fingers gently tracing the prince’s strong jawline and pointed ears. “Maybe someday, someone will peel away those layers, kind of like an onion.”

“Anything’s possible,” Crystal said, sounding thoughtful.

Aurora drifted back into silence as she lost herself in the fairy prince’s vividly blue eyes. A longing arose in her heart that she couldn’t explain. With effort, she resisted the urge to hug the picture to her chest. “Crystal, can I keep this picture?” she asked a little shyly.

“Yeah, sure,” Crystal said, puzzlement in her tone. She eyed Aurora questioningly but didn’t say anything further. It was clear that, for some reason, Aurora was enamored with the picture.

Later that night, Aurora did hug the picture to her chest and fell asleep with it tucked next to her heart. She dreamed of magical fairy castles, flowers that sang and swayed in a gentle breeze, and fairy dust. Just before waking the next morning, she could have sworn she felt feathery soft fairy wings brush her cheek.

Author’s Note: First, let me just say that it’s so good to be back writing. I hope with the large gap in time that I do still have some readers. Nonetheless, I’m thrilled to have reacquainted myself and fallen in love again with my characters. Let’s hope it doesn’t take me too much time to dust the rust off my writing skills.

Apologies for the few screenshots I have in this chapter. I ended up recycling a lot of the pics you see here. I’m having a bit of trouble with the save file where the quads live. It glitches out a bit so I might have to do a bit of fancy re-creation so I can get shots of the kids while they’re still kids. Thinking in the next coule parts, birthdays will be happening.

Yes, I know. You’re thinking, “Lenora needs to get out of there. Tyrone, use that sixth sense of yours.” All in due course. Lenora still has some stuff to go through, Mathilda and Deus need to put puzzle pieces together, and the family may see some more hard times before things get better. Please do keep reading because a lot will be happening very soon. Things will be moving right along at a good clip.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the year. As always, thank you so much for reading, commenting, liking, and following. I lvoe you all very much, and your support means the world.