^^Ma baby!! <3^^

*This chapter is dedicated to @NotTheBrightestKid for not just figuring out the three unknown people but for being so devoted to finding them. I was so in awe of you when I saw you going through each and every chapter to list every single character ever mentioned in this book. Even characters I had forgotten I made lol. Keep being awesome, love. You're amazing! <3

"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."

           ~Willa Cather

Chapter 71

Safe and Sound

River's POV

A soft breeze flowed through the open window, brushing past my face as Alice's eyes sparkled beneath the light ray of the sun. Her hair flowed gently along with the wind before settling against her shoulders.

Her fingers lifted to comb lightly through my hair.

"How are you feeling?"

My brows knitted, unused to her voice being as deep as it was. Perhaps my memories heightened it out of proportion.

It was only when I peered down at the pair of pants she was wearing that I was reminded of everything. She was a man. A man by the name of Noah. An idea that felt so foreign whispering through my mind.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a man?" My words came out low and hushed, for only him to hear.

Alice's brows lifted, eyes widening before his head whipped in Sam's direction, shock written on his face.

Sam stumbled over his words, attempting to dodge whatever fire was about to throw at him.

I was aware that she was a man, but yet I couldn't help but view him as the soft-hearted woman I had missed for so long.

"I didn't find out from Sam," his glaring ceased and his head whipped back in my direction, "I found out from your sister."

"My sister?" His brows knotted, "you met Melisa? How?"

"It doesn't matter-"

"You kept that from me?" Alice's voice heightened. My eyes widened, thinking his anger was being thrown at me only for his head to turn to someone else.

Confusion plagued my mind as I followed her eyes, landing on another blonde across the room. A gasp escaped my throat.

"Emile?" I could barely process what I was seeing.

Emile nodded, ignoring Alice's glare.

"What are you...?" My gaze turned back and forth between Alice and Emile, "you two know each other?"

It was like two parts of my life were coming together. Two very different experiences in the same room. My head was spinning.

"They work for me," said Emile, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

My eyes skimmed the three, Alice and who I assumed was Matthew from the way his arm rested against Alice's waist. When my eyes reached Sam, he jumped in place and began waving his hands in front of him.

"Nope, not me," he shook his head. "I never joined this creepy group."

My head tilted against the pillow.

"Matthew's a blacksmith," Alice explained, pressing his finger against the taller man's chest. "And I like to design weapons so together we make the weaponry for them," Alice waved his hand in Emile's direction.

I nodded though I completely did not understand.

The man beside Alice merely nodded and pulled him closer to his side. He was so quiet, not speaking a single word to me this entire time. Was he shy or did he not like me?

I watched as his brows knitted and head turned, eyes locking on mine quizzically. My head whipped down, cheeks flushed as I nearly choked in surprise. My heart beat hard as my fingers balled against the fabric covering my chest.

Oh Goddess, he must have felt my eyes on him.

I never wanted to disappear more in my life.

"River?"

The sound of my name lifted my flushed face. My eyes traveled passed Matthew before landing on Alice. A bright smile lit her face.

"How are you feeling?" Alice eyed my form in the small bed.

My fingers played with the thin fabric around my waist.

"Confused," I whispered out.

"What are you confused about?" asked Alice, "you can ask anything."

I nodded and my eyes roamed the room as I took a solid breath.

"You didn't answer my question from earlier," my eyes fell back on hers.

Alice's brows knitted.

"On why you hadn't told me you were a man."

"Ah," she scratched her neck, "it was part of my cover. I didn't tell anyone at the time. After escaping a sentence, I found myself wound up in slavery. Because they thought I was a girl, I found that I had an easier time acquiring food from them merely by flirting just a bit. When you came," she lifted her hand with a light laugh, "this skittish, cute little thing. You seemed so delicate and scared of everything. You were so nervous around the male slaves. I was afraid that you would stop talking to me if you found out I was a man too."

Was I? I couldn't quite remember how I acted around the other male slaves though, after my experiences with men at the time, it made sense that I was cautious around them.

I nodded and took a breath.

"And now, why did you take me? How did you know...?" I couldn't quite form my confusion in words.

Sam rose his hand in the air. "After you told me about how you knew Noah, well, I just had to tell him. And when I talked about your execution-"

"I couldn't just let it happen," Alice interrupted him. "So I sent Sam with a note to give to your mate. I was a bit nervous of what was to be if he said no to it all, but he was all for it. Anything to save you, he said."

I smiled at that.

"So we made a plan and followed it through," Alice continued, "and it worked. You're here."

Matthew merely nodded beside Alice.

"And Emile?" My head turned to the tall blond against the wall.

He merely raised a brow at me.

"Umm," Alice laughed, though at what I wasn't sure, "so our plan may have come up in a conversation around Parish. The little thing wanted to come with us so bad but a child can't exactly come to an escape mission so as Parish does, he whined until Emile agreed to come with us. At least then he could feel like he sort of came." She shook her head with a snort.

How childish, I scoffed

"Quite." My head whipped to the side at the sound of Emile's voice.

My brows knitted.

His eyes wandered over the spots on the wall.

Did I just imagine that?

A knock at the door pulled my attention to the wooden door a mere few feet away. Sam was the first to get up. He stood in front of the door and slid open the metal square perched above the door handle before smiling and pulling the bulky thing open.

"Good morning," a soft voice spoke as a cloaked man walked through the door.

I immediately recognized the voice and a breathless gasp escaped my throat as my hands cupped my mouth. Just as he saw me, he pushed back his hood and let out a choked sob.

"Oh, River," he cried as he ran over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me to his chest.

"Izzy," I breathed out as my fingers fisted against his cloak and face buried against his chest.

No other words could fall from my lips as he began to cry against my shoulder. My fingers gently brushed through his short hair, trying to calm him as he choked and whimpered against me.

"Shh, it's okay," I whispered against his ear, "you're okay."

"But you're not," his voice cracked as his fingers shook against my back.

"I'm okay," I tried reassuring him. Though the conviction was weak in my voice.

Was I?

Everyone slowly left the room, leaving Isaiah and me alone. I pressed against his chest as his sobbing began to slowly calm down. When it was down to mere sniffles he slowly lifted his face from my shoulder and took a couple deep breaths.

He reached into his pocket with a sniff and pulled out a small note.

"Alastair wanted me to give you this," he lightly rubbed his nose on his sleeve before handing it to me.

I took it in my hands, quickly unfolding the small square and scanning the parchment.

To my dearest love,

I hope you're safe and well. I wish I could have delivered this to you on my own but I'm being held in the palace for the time being. No need to worry though, love, I'll be just fine. The council suspects me of hiring your saviors. However, they have no proof and they never will. Isaiah and Derek had found a clause in the law that can help our case; under a new reign, if the council appears unfaithful to their new king, he's permitted to appoint a new council. Of course, Derek and Isaiah will stay so I need only four other men to fit the requirement of six seats. I have a few ideas for who I would like to have on my council and as soon as I can get their agreement, I will rid the council of the old. Perhaps this is but a twisted way to get what I want but I could already see this as a case I cannot win. And lose, I will not. I will update you daily through Isaiah and once I finish my council, I will come and get you. Wait patiently, my love, I will work as quickly as I can to return you home. 

I love you, beautiful.

The letter was unsigned though for reason I could understand. That way if found, it could not be used as proof against him. Without his signature it meant nothing. Though I knew it was him and that was all that mattered.

"He can do that?" I peered up at Isaiah.

"Yes," Isaiah nodded, "under a new reign, he's allowed to appoint his own councilmen. Ones who he thinks will be loyal to him if proven the others were not."

"And these have proved not to be," I muttered more to myself than Isaiah. "How can we be sure the next group won't hear of my crime and prosecute me as well?"

"Your crime will be dropped the minute he appoints a new council. It'll appear as if they accused you merely because of their disloyalty to Alastair's reign. After all, it was Alastair's father, the previous king, who accused you of this crime. He was the only one who saw you shift. For all we know, he could have made it up and the council, being his, merely backed him up," Isaiah shrugged. "You'll be viewed as the poor helpless victim, caught within the whole dispute."

"Wow." Was all I could really say as I processed it all.

I wasn't going to be killed. They found a loophole. 

The thought in itself was astonishing. I was taken aback.

"I'm going to live," tears of joy broke passed my eyelids and down my face as I choked a sob and cupped my mouth.

"Yes," Isaiah began to tear up again as he sniffed, "you're going to live." He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around my shaking form and resting his head against my shoulder. "You're safe now."

*sniffs* My baby's gonna be okay T.T Whelps, this was a shortie but very needed. I've been writing this book ever since I joined Wattpad over a year ago and it feels so strange to be finishing it up >.< But I gotta make room for more books. I can't write "Cry Me a River" forever, as much as I want too lol. I fell in love with River and Alastair it's going to be so strange to think that I won't be writing about them anymore ): They'll show up a little in Isaiah's book but they won't be the main attraction, ya know? Anyways, enough on me ranting, what did you guys think of the chapter? Did I calm you guys down a little? It's smooth sailing ahead now for our little ship. <3