Black
My heart was racing. Imagining Yahar in the house made me tense from head to toe, because it only means he's giving us a chained freedom. That, even if we don't see it, he's weaving our paths.
A path that would end in more deaths.
The precise blow that came from behind made me go on the defensive, ready to attack if necessary.
Annia was still hiding behind my back, a rock wall that would contain anything that could harm her.
Recognizing the figure in front of us, we immediately lowered our swords. It was Milosh, with his characteristic expressionless face.
"Good night, friends."
Annia came out from behind me and stood by my side, watching our companion suspiciously.
"Do you know him?"
"Yes, it's our friend Milosh. The one who would be in charge of taking care of your mother."
"Our friend?" "You mean your friend," Heclares replied with obvious irritation.
"Don't start."
Heclares has always disliked Milosh; he considers him a traitor and a hypocrite. He has never bothered to hide his reluctance to let him be one of our friends; in fact, he shows it openly.
"Is that her?" His gaze shifted to Annia, who shifted slightly beside me as he took a step closer.
"Yes," I confirmed.
"Your Highness." Milosh bowed slightly.
"There's no need for you to do that."
"Milosh wasn't expecting you today. We agreed you wouldn't arrive until tomorrow."
Milosh shrugged and headed into the living room.
We all followed, without taking our eyes off him.
"I went ahead. Things in Noctisvael aren't going well." I had to take advantage of the changing of the guard to enter the lake.
We all sat down as he, tired, plopped down on one of the single sofas.
"What do you mean?"
"With the death of the kings, Yahar seized power and eliminated all the laws that kept the population afloat."
I sighed with much suppressed frustration.
"Darkness has taken over our home. The economy is a disaster. In recent years, it has devalued the valis so much that a constant war over food has broken out."
"And the population hasn't tried to expel him?" Annia asked.
"It's not that easy. Anyone who refuses to follow orders ends up on the gallows. Anyone who doesn't pay their taxes ends up on the gallows. Many have already disappeared, leaving children orphaned. The school is closed, and many of those children are taken to the caves to work."
I clenched my fists, trying to channel everything I felt. The room was a sea of awkward silences.
We can do something. It's time for Noctisvael's legacy to return to its rightful heir. But we need time.
"Wait a minute..." Annia threw her perfect storm at me. "I don't want to rule their world."
"But you're the heir," Milosh said through gritted teeth.
"But I have a life here," he replied firmly. "That doesn't mean I'm selfish and don't think about the people suffering there. We can think of options to help them reclaim their home so I can stay in Italy. Perhaps leave a successor."
"I think that can be resolved later. When you say you need time, I imagine it's because Annia isn't ready to go there. We don't know her abilities, and she must learn to defend herself."
"And who is the brunette?"
"No one you care about." Heclares clenched his jaw as Milos offered Lucia a flirtatious smile.
Annia and I exchanged a glance. I'm sure these two together would cause us a lot of trouble.
"Milosh, that's why I called you. I need you to help us with his mother's security."
"But he needs to be careful. Mom doesn't know about you yet. It'll only take a few days. I'll tell her what's going on, and then you can approach him."
"Okay, no problem."
"And I still feel the same way about us keeping an eye on him."
"No problem either," I replied, remembering our previous conversation.
Annia
Milosh, I didn't connect with him enough. That brief moment we shared didn't dispel the distrust that had built up in my chest since I saw him.
They say you can't judge people without knowing them, but besides, Heclares doesn't like him either. There must be something off about him.
"What did you think of Milosh?" I asked Lucía, who was combing her hair at my vanity table.
"No, I know. He's weird" well, they all are. But there's something about him that exudes danger. He's not the same vibe as Black and Heclares."
I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
"Speaking of Heclares, do you like him? I've seen you blush around him or at the furtive glances he throws your way."
"Not like you think." She turned to me. "We've been hanging out lately, we've become friends. It's a lot of fun."
You know if you like him, it wouldn't be a problem, right? It's been a long time since that happened, and it's time to put the past behind us. I know it's not easy, but I need you to do it. For you."
A traitorous tear rolled down her cheek. My heart sank, and I got out of bed to hug her tight, like I always did when we touched on the subject.
No matter how long it took, I needed her to understand that not everyone is going to hurt her. That she can rebuild a life without the past tearing her apart and constantly stabbing her in her wounded heart.
That she can put the pieces back together without them breaking again, and that when that happens, she will be much stronger and more indestructible.
"We'll get through this completely," I whispered in her ear. "Look, you're almost back to yourself." Braver, more beautiful, stronger.
I needed to distract her, so I stepped away from her to grab the TV remote.
"And just for that, I'm letting you have the remote today."
"Even if we end up watching my cartoons."
"Even if we watch Tom and Jerry a hundred times."
Her smile was inevitable. She's loved cartoons since she was little.
She got up and got into bed, taking the remote.
"Hey..."
"Mmm."
"What are you going to say about the news with Black? Those vultures are still waiting for you to say something about what's going on between you two."
"Nothing. When I told him we could say we were just getting to know each other, he agreed." I sighed. "It would be easier to explain why we're always together." I thought he'd refuse.
"Do you like it?"
I couldn't hold back my laughter.
"So that's what we have." Smart girl.
"Answer me."
"No. Although it's undeniably sexy."
"Annia, that vocabulary."
"I'm answering what you asked me." And you say worse things." I continued laughing at her.
"Have you seen how their abs are defined?"
"Black's?" Oh my God! It looks like they've carved it for months to achieve that finish.
Heclares feels like he's been painted to be extracted from the canvas.
"And his blue eyes are as intense as the sea."
"And the green of his eyes is like the forest."
We stared at each other, leading her to a fixed point without direction. We both stood there, analyzing what we had just said. We described the boys' bodies without hesitation.
We finished the conversation and settled down to do what we had planned from the beginning: watch cartoons.