"The Frostveins."

Kael said the name with a somewhat bitter look on his face.

"They were with the Stormcallers, they reported what we are doing. So we don’t know what the Stormcallers might do. We need to return to our land and stabilize everything."

"What...?"

Lavinia’s expression became grave. She tightened her hold on Kael’s hand, just like Kael, she too, was using him to calm her nerves.

As for the rest of their party—

They looked at these two standing while holding each other’s hand with deadpan looks on their faces, especially Kayden.

"Do it back when you get home, will you?"

He spoke directly, speaking those words for every person present there, even those who didn’t know his language.

Kael looked at him for a very slight second, then he just turned away as if he didn’t exist and looked back at the woman in front of him.

"We need to leave."

Lavinia spoke with a grave look on her face.

Kael nodded too.

If the Stormcallers learned that they were recruiting other tribes, it wouldn’t be surprising if they launched another attack to cause discord amongst them.

After all, they had recruited four different groups, with completely different values and generation-long enmity between each other, all in the same day.

Sure, the circumstances were different, and every group knew the others would be there, but even then, the Velmourn land, with all four tribes gathering there, was like a sensitive zone—

One simple noise could ruin everything.

And if the enemy attacked in a situation as sensitive as this—

The results were obvious.

So to avoid that, Kael needed to be there, before the Stormcallers got there. At the same time, he also needed to ensure every tribe got to the Wall safely.

For that, he was reliant on Imperia, whose ants had been following every group properly, so Kael knew exactly what was going on in real time.

As the couple thought about this all and finally made up their minds after exchanging a few words with their eyes, they turned towards their party at the same time and—

"We are leaving."

They spoke at the same time.

"Huh...?"

Kayden spoke with his mouth agape, again, a reaction that represented every single person in their party.

"We need to return to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happens. You guys help the Emberfolks move and bring them safely."

Kael spoke.

"Korvath can make those arrangements."

Morvain spoke, almost as if reminding Kael, to which Kael nodded.

"I know. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

I just... wish to be there."

He answered.

He knew Korvath was extremely capable and would be able to take care of it...

But him being there won’t hurt anyone anyway, so he decided to leave. Morvain shrugged as well, although she did not like the idea of being stuck in the middle of a tribe that could have been considered their enemies just a few minutes ago—

This was... the moment to build trust.

These were the same people whom she would be fighting together with in the next few days, she couldn’t possibly do that if she continued to treat them like enemies who would attack them the moment they got the chance.

But just as she thought of all this, Morvain suddenly paused as she saw Kael climbing on top of Lord Igni together with Lavinia.

This was the moment she realized something—

All this while, she had been standing right in the middle of ’enemy tribes’, surrounded by their complete army, and while she did think they would attack at any moment—

Not once did she consider any of the tribes a... threat.

However, the moment she realized Kael was leaving... suddenly, the Emberfolks, who hadn’t made any move whatsoever, became... threatening in her eyes...

’Am I... depending on him a little too much...?’

She wondered in her head.

To think she felt safe, even as she stood in the middle of the enemy army just because she could still see his straight back in front of her...

It was... strange...

’A God, huh...’

She thought in her head, her eyes still staring at the dragon who had flown away and had turned into a little dot from her perspective.

"Tsk, I am sure he only went away because he doesn’t want to bother with the hassle of moving a tribe."

And only when she heard Kayden complain while standing beside her did the Velmourn Matriarch come back to her senses and—

"Go help them in any way you can."

She ordered her son.

Kayden looked at her with an unwilling look on his face. Morvain however, just looked back at him and—

"Be wary all the time."

She spoke in a low tone.

"Yes, mother."

Kayden nodded as he then went to help.

He couldn’t understand the Emberfolk tongue, but he could see what luggage needed a hand in lifting, so he did just that.

Something that the Emberfolk appreciated quite a bit. With Kayden taking the lead, the rest of Kael’s party began helping the Emberfolks as well.

As for Kael and Lavinia...

The two continued to fly on top of the dragon as they stared at the cold, cloudy, night sky ahead of them.

"This is... oddly beautiful."

Kael commented in a low tone, his hands around Lavinia’s waist, holding her from behind and pulling her towards him in a way that her back touched his chest.

Lavinia smiled at that—

She too, stared ahead, at the cold dense clouds, the sky with no stars, it wasn’t exactly a fairy tale but...

It was real.

And... it was indeed beautiful.

"Mhm."

She nodded, her hands gently touching Kael’s.

"You still haven’t met Eira, have you?"

Kael asked.

"I haven’t. Is she awake?"

She asked with a curious look on her face.

"Mhm, she is looking for me."

He chuckled, Lavinia laughed at that.

"Bring her out then."

She spoke.

There were still about twenty minutes before they reached Velmourn City, it was plenty of time to greet the new family member.

But—

"I don’t want to."

Kael shook his head. Lavinia frowned at those words and suddenly, Kael tightened his hold around her and gently kissed her shoulder.

"I wish to spend this time with you.

Just you."

And the moment Lavinia heard those words—

She froze.

"K-Kael...?"

She called out, her usually calm, poker face cracked in an instant.

This...

This was entirely out of character!

It wasn’t fair at all!

She wasn’t ready!

She wasn’t ready for this at all!!

Lavinia thought inwardly, she had no clue how she was supposed to act in this situation, she wasn’t prepared, not one bit.

But Kael—

"I apologize."

He spoke and Lavinia—

"Huh...?"

She frowned in confusion.

"What are you apologizing for?"

She asked as she tilted her head and looked at his face. Kael’s expression was... serious, not solemn like it had usually been, it was more... vulnerable.

"These past few days... I wasn’t myself."

Kael began, forming his words as he spoke.

"Too many things happened, I was forced to take too many decisions in too short a time."

Kael spoke, then he turned towards Lavinia and his crystal blue eyes stared right into her purple ones—

"I wasn’t prepared."

He admitted directly.

"Half of the things I did, I wasn’t prepared for them. I shouldn’t even be leading these many people, there are multiple things I do not understand.

And...

And I am scared."

Kael spoke honestly and as he looked at Lavinia, his crystal blue, cold eyes... became moist as tears welled up at the very edge.

Lavinia froze for a moment, when she noticed his tears, she felt a far more overwhelming feeling explode into her heart, a feeling that... she too, had probably been holding back for a long, long while now.

Just like Kael, her eyes turned moist too and—

"I..."

She began with a hoarse voice.

"I am scared too..."

She spoke and unlike Kael, she couldn’t hold back her tears, they rolled down her cheeks as her defenses that she had put up for the rest of the world crumbled the moment Kael grabbed her this gently.

Kael slowly wiped Lavinia’s tears, his one hand gently patting her belly, as if constantly, gently reminding her that he was there, his mouth, however, said a completely different story—

"But you are still far braver than me."

He spoke with a weak smile on his face.

"You, despite being scared, think clearly, you take care of not just the Velmourns, but your own and... mine too.

You plan, you think everything carefully and you act when required—

You support everything and I...

I simply pretend.

I pretend to know everything when I don’t, I pretend to be brave when I’m not...

I...

I do not deserve to be where I am today...

I shouldn’t be where I am today, those many people shouldn’t put their hopes on me, I...

I am not ready for that responsibility."

"You are more ready than you realize."

Lavinia muttered in a weak tone.

And for the next few minutes, both Kael and Lavinia didn’t say anything, no words of false comfort, no unnecessary conversation—

They just... stayed silent in each other’s arms... calming their restless hearts.

And Igni—

The dragon lowered his speed and decided to let the two young people, who shouldn’t be carrying such heavy responsibility on their shoulders at their age, have some time alone.