[NOUR]
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Nour asked when they got to Darius's house in the Midlands. It was a cave shelter, but it looked so beautiful inside; it was almost impossible to tell that this was a man cave.
It looked like it could accommodate the entire family and even grandchildren. The deeper they walked into the cave, the faster they got to an artificial clearing filled with toys and things that the Lycans w-ere familiar with.
They were things from Delbert's childhood, and they had been the very things that had kept them sane while Delbert watched out for his brother, who had been sent out to the Udrad lands. It wasn't the easiest decision by Darius back then; but now, it didn't matter.
"I have to, baby. This is the only way you and I can be happier. I don't want you to suffer at the hands of that man, and I can't in good conscience let you go back and fight him on your own. I know you are strong and can fight, but I want to be there.
"I want us all to be there when you need us. You are no longer just alone with your father, Cass. You have me. You have all of us—" Delbert said as he looked at the werewolf prince, only to be interrupted by his brother, who had shown up.
"You have me too, and Unar and probably the whole of Udrad if you so wish," Alanor said, and Nour felt like this was a dream. His best friend had been in Udrad for a while now and things clearly had changed seeing as they were happy and shit.
"That includes the Wynter-Nine. We are available, should you need reinforcements," Heide, Alanor's adoptive father, said confidently. The Wynter-Nine were the group that had stood by Alanor through thick and thin.
They had made sure that the youngest Merdel twin had found his place in the world and had made certain that life wasn't as hard for Alanor. Of course, the same was true for Delbert, but right now, they were here for both Delbert and Nour.
They knew how hard this would be because they had fought hundreds of battles against the former king of Udrad and had managed to win. Sure, they lost a few of their team members along the way, but they had won, and that was all that mattered.
"And we too. The vigilantes of Udrad are always at your service," Aida laughed gently.
"Goodness, you will overwhelm the kid. Can't you let him breathe just once?" Zelina, one of the Wynter-Nine and the vampire leader, said as she walked over to Nour and pulled him into a gentle hug. She was never a hugger, and even Nour knew that, too.
But right now, he wasn't about to complain, so he returned the hug with ease.
"I saw the kid first!" Ulrike, the hound of the Midlands, cried out, and everyone burst out laughing. Of course, Ulrike was always up to something; always ready for war and mischief, you would think that he wasn't the leader of the hounds in the Midlands.
Then again, the entire team was full of crazies and psychos who wouldn't hesitate to lay down their lives for each other. That was just how strong they had burned over the years, the way that the faction had fought some time back.
But then they were here.
"Alright, alright. Now, would you please give me back my Erasthai, you greedy lot," Delbert said, and they laughed again. This was all fun and games, even when Ferhat joined them a little later in the evening, along with King Cassius of Acrod.
"This is a good place for me to retire, don't you think, Heide?" King Cassius asked, and Heide just laughed at the man's humor. Of course, they all could build their little land and cultivate their lives there, but there was still so much at stake.
"Well, unless you want Soraya to come back and haunt the hell out of us for not giving her son the happiness we all promised, we need you back in Acrod being the good leader that you have always been, Cassius. As for your son, you and I know he will be in good hands.
"He is loved and protected by the strongest warriors of the realm, not to mention that he is also as strong," Heide reminded, and King Cassius watched them in awe. He had never thought that this day would come, a day when all the lands were in peace.
But then he couldn't even be sad about it because at the end of the day, this group of misfits and crazies had the power to divide the factions, or send the entire realm into a war that they wished. It was just that simple and complicated for some moments.
Then again, this was the life they had all chosen amid the crazies that they had all manifested along the way. It would hurt for a while, but then they were used to it. After all, war was nothing new to them all, not even young Nour.
That evening and night were spent partying and getting to paddle through the fond memories they shared. It was filled with laughter and sometimes happy tears. They were glad to be together, and when morning came, they all knew what they had to do.
It wasn't going to be a jolly route for them all, but they understood the dynamic was what was expected. No one would ever be able to understand that shit with ease like they did, which was why this was just as interesting. At the end of the day, life had to mean something.
"Before we leave, we need to remember a few things," Darius began at the long breakfast table.
"If you say we have to run across the midlands again, I will kill you in your sleep," Ulrike promised, his tone so deathly serious even though everyone at the table was used to the little tension between the two.
History was a son of a bitch and on some days, history was too cruel for all of them. But then again, they had to work through shit that no one even had the slightest idea of, so this was meant to be as hard, no?
"There are kids at the table, you shameless twit," Darius said as he glared at Ulrike.
"Doesn't mean I won't kick your dusty ass," Ulrike whispered and they all groaned.
"As much as I would like to see the lot of you fight it out for the millionth time in your long lives, Darius was saying something. So be nice, Ulrike, and then you can go spar outside… after breakfast," King Cassius said, and Ulrike turned to Zelina in a pout.
"I just had to be given the stupidest mate, aye?" Zelina whined.
"You love me—"
"That will stop if you don't shut the fuck up and let Darus continue," Zelina warned.
"Sorry, Darius," Ulrike apologized, making everyone roll their eyes. They were used to this already, and it wasn't even surprising anymore. Perhaps they would truly spar outside after this, and the bets placed would be won or lost, right?
"Accepted. Anyway, as I was saying, the kids are out of Acrod already according to the system. They will need to go back in with new identities. And we all have to be aware of these identities, in case we go to war for them.
"So, tell us, Zaire. What will you be going back to, both of you?" Darius asked, and the table went real quiet. They needed to be on the same page. At the end of the day, they were opening a new chapter in their lives, and there was so much at stake already.
"Cass will go back as a member of the council, and I will be his sidekick. As for the names we will be using, I'll just go with Zaire, for easy coordination, and Cass will go back as Lord Tristan's son, Lucius.
"Lord Tristan is the man that Grant murdered on the night that their house burned down," Delbert explained as he held Erasthai's hands tightly. He knew that this wasn't going to be easy for them, and he hoped that the moon goddess would be on their side.
"Looks like you have everything planned, kid," King Cassius commented.
"It is the only way to be a father. Besides, 'Lucius' will be loud enough to catch the attention of everyone and make it difficult for Grant to eliminate with ease. It won't be a walk in the park for that traitorous enforcer," Nour said, and his father just nodded.
He was aware that there wasn't much that he could do to talk to his son about this. Times had changed, and Acrod was turning into a directorship. The king had thought of taking back the mantle from Grant, but he wanted Grant to destroy himself on his own.
And the man was doing quite a good job.
Of course, the king was kind and all, but his son wasn't.
Prince Cassius Burda Junior was out for blood.
He wouldn't stop for anything.
He would make sure Grant knew that it was he who stopped him.
But that time would come, eventually.
"I understand, son. I do. I just pray that the goddess be with you through and through," King Cassius said softly, and the table broke into reassuring whispers. They understood the king, and they knew they wouldn't let the man down.
"Don't worry too much, Cassius. We will always be there with the kids. Always. No one will hurt them again," Darius promised, and they all toasted to a new future. This would be fun and dangerous.
But fun, nonetheless.