Shade's POV

I'm not typically one to say this, but today is a beautiful day. The sky is clear. There's only a light breeze. It's warm outside but not too warm. It's enough to keep you from being cold but not enough to make you sweat.

It's such a stark difference from my cell. It was so dark and cold, and while I usually thrive in the shadows, I couldn't tap into them. I felt empty, not being able to mesh with my surroundings, and while I still can't do that, there's less of a void out here.

I was so ashamed and embarrassed when we were captured. It was because I scared Nya off that we barely lost that day, and by getting captured, we put so much pressure on her to save us. It might have taken a while, but I never lost faith in her. If anyone could do it, it was Nya.

Considering we have been romantically involved in one way or another for three hundred years, Nya's a constant in my life. Even when we were broken up, she was still around. I drew support from her and was able to chat with her. Without her presence, I felt empty.

We haven't had any time to talk about our future. When we got back from the cavern last night, everyone went to rinse up and have something to eat. Afterwards, we had the meeting, and then Nya had to go check on some of the elemental masters of creation. Plus, since Nya (and now Aspen since there was a spare room) sleeps in their flying ship instead of out in the tents with us, I couldn't go and see her.

Now, however, is the perfect time. Nya is an early riser (as am I), so since the sun is up, she is already going to be awake and eating breakfast. Since I got ready in advance, combing out my hair in the way that she likes, I can just walk out of my tent and try to find her.

I circle around our camp once before I find her. She (alongside the master of ice) is carrying trays of food to the area of tables in the center of camp. Before I can stop her, she sets her tray of pancakes down and walks back to the ship to get more. I keep approaching, hoping that she will be back in time, but instead I am face to face with a man whose silver skin makes him look way more robotic than last time I saw him.

"Are you here to assist in the preparations?" he looks up at me blankly. There is no malice in his voice, but there's no fondness either.

For a few years, I served under the master of fire in the elemental army. However, I still came in contact with the other three that were of age quite often. Whether it was in training or just around camp, they were always nearby, and I became accustomed to seeing them.

I aspired to be like them. I would emulate them in whatever way I could. I thought they were the coolest, strongest, most incredible people there ever would be, so when it was said that they killed Princess PIXAL, it was a punch to the gut. I broke down in tears and refused to leave my room for days.

The last time I saw any of them was hundreds of years ago when we discovered the masters of ice and lightning on the road together. I was conflicted seeing them, my betrayal getting mixed with my admiration and former respect for them. I would have thought that the push and pull in my chest would have gone away now that I know they are innocent, but I guess not.

On the run, some of them committed unspeakable atrocities. The master of energy killed hundreds of people at once, and the master of fire seared anyone who tried to challenge him. Seeing all of those limp, lifeless bodies on the battlefield never fades from my head.

However, I can't help but feel a knot in my chest when I look at them. They were wrongfully accused of murder and forced to leave everything that they loved in life. After losing one of the people closest to them, they needed support, but instead they were forced into hiding. Looking at the master of ice's face now, my heart hurts for him.

"I just came to find Nya," I inform him, and he nods before he goes back to arranging the food into a buffet.

I stand there, fidgeting my hands that rest on my hips as he enters into his own little world, not even paying attention to me. I tap my foot on the ground, and finally after another minute or so, Nya walks out with a large platter in her hands.

"Did you come here to help or to just stand around?" she taunts me.

Her sass puts a small smile on my face. "I came here to talk to you, actually. I was hoping that we could go for a walk."

Nya puts down the platter on the table and scans over the arrangement, "I have several more trips to prep for breakfast, but afterwards..."

"It is alright, Nya. I am able to individually complete the preparations," the master of ice gives her a small smile.

"Are you sure? There are several more trays that need to be taken out, and..."

He leans in and whispers something into her ear that makes her widen her eyes. When he pulls away and says, "Was my assessment incorrect?" she just shakes her head.

"I'll go with you now," she coughs before talking and walking over to me. I reach out to grab one of her hands, but she quickly stuffs them in the pocket on the front of her blue oversized long sleeved shirt with a flap in the back.

The two of us walk silently through the forest, bumping shoulders along the way several times. We follow a trail down to a stream that I discovered last night. The water flows gently, curving along the banks and creating a little refuge in the forest. The sound of the water splashing against the rocks loosens up my muscles.

I reach my arm out and wrap it around Nya's shoulder. I don't typically crave affection, but I need to be close to Nya right now. I rest my head on top of hers and take a deep breath inwards. My eyebrows furrow when instead of just the typical clean scent of her shampoo and a bit of grease from her machines, something else is mixed in there too, like some sort of minty, cologne-like smell.

"Shade I..."

"Shhh," I pull her closer to my side. "Listen to the water. Isn't it calming?"

"Yeah it is." We stand in silence for a bit longer before she pulls away. She looks up at me as if she is in a different world. "Shade..."

"Let me talk first," I reach out for her hand that is now out of her pocket, sandwiching it between mine. "I'm not good with vocalizing my emotions, but I'm going to give it a go..."

"Shade please let me..." she cuts me off again, and I can't help but grit my teeth slightly in annoyance.

"I fucked up. On the day where I said those awful things to you about how it was your fault that your ex fiance died, I fucked up majorly. I was hurt that you still wanted him when I was right in front of you, so I lashed out.

He will always have a piece of your heart. I knew it the day I found you sobbing and broken, and I still know it today, but... but I need you to know that you have a piece of mine. I want to help fill the void in your life that he left.

When you were gone, I realized how much I need you to know this. When I was sad and alone in that cave, I only wanted you. I need you beside me, even if I don't say it out loud often.

Nya Smith, we have been together for around three hundred years now, and there has not been a single dull moment. You fire me up and challenge me in a way that I couldn't live without. I wanted to do this earlier, but the war started, so I pushed it off. However, I just couldn't wait any longer." Still holding one of her hands, I kneel on the moist soil and pull the small box out of my pocket. I pull my other hand back to open the box and reveal a simple diamond ring resting in the center of it. "Nya Smith, will you marry me?"

Her eyes go wide, and her hands shoot up to cover her mouth and nose. She stands there, frozen, as I continue to kneel in front of her, my heart pounding out of my chest.

"What the hell is going on here?" my head whips around. I see the master of earth and Princess Seliel standing on the trail where we came from. His eyes are wide, and his mouth is slightly agape until he closes it and clenches his jaw. The princess has one hand covering her mouth with the other looped through her partner's arm.

"Cole, I..." Nya quickly responds, but her words soon fade out, her mouth left open as nothing more comes out. My heart beat picks up even faster.

"This is cruel. You can't try to explore my best friend's mouth and then even think about exploring a future with another guy less than twelve hours later. Just look at what you're wearing!" he shakes his head.

My throat constricts, and my eyes dart to Nya. "What is he talking about?"

"I was going to tell you. It was why I kept trying to interrupt you, I..." she reaches out for me, but I jolt back onto my feet.

I snap the box shut and banish it deep into my pocket. "Whose clothes are those?" I grit.

"Shade..."

"Whose clothes are those!" I snap, letting out a long exhale afterwards.

"Jay's," she stares at the stream as the words quietly tumble from her lips.

It's as if my soul splits in half as soon as I process her words. My chest locks up with a splintering pain, and I open my mouth several times, unable to get anything out. I scan over her face, but she still can't meet my eyes. Her lips are pursed as she avoids looking at me.

"You said that he died," I deadpan. My eyes don't even produce any tears right now. I'm too shocked.

"I thought that he did!" she throws her hands out beside her. "I truly thought that he did, but then I found my brother, and then we were on the way to the lightning kingdom, and we were talking about our life stories, and after I told mine he was like 'Oh no that's not right my Jay and Zane would never kill your Jay and his buddy" and everything clicked. He lied that he died because he thought that I was human, and he didn't want me to spend the rest of my life on the run..."

"He abandoned you. You spent hundreds of years mourning him. Ever since I met you, you've been absolutely tortured. He caused it!" I yell.

"Do you think I didn't feel betrayed and hurt? I yelled and lashed out at him and everything, but do you know what he didn't do?" she points a finger at me, "Yell at me. We had a civil conversation, and I forgave him because I was also at fault for not telling him about my powers."

"Have you kissed him since you've reunited?" I meet her eyes now. The brown expanses are glossed over as she nods. "How many times?"

She takes in a sharp breath. "Shade...."

"How many times?" I repeat through gritted teeth.

"I...I don't know," her eyebrows are slightly drawn together, and her eyes are soft.

Nausea rises in my throat. "Did you do anything else?"

I ask her, and this time, any remaining color drains from her face as several tears roll down her cheeks. "Please stop."

Her silence is all I need to know. "You fucked him, didn't you?" Now, my eyes start to water up, and my hands start to tremble.

"Shade, this isn't..."

"Please tell me it was a one time mistake," my voice cracks as my vision starts to blur. She shakes her head, making me bunch up my fists. "At least say it was two..."

"We did it twelve times," I can barely even process her words. They reach down my throat and into my chest to crush my heart. My skin turns numb. I can't feel any external sensations.

"Nya, that's more than we've done in twenty years! Are you fucking kidding me! I was suffering and starving in a cave while you were fucking like a fucking rabbitt! Did you even think about me, your boyfriend, when..."

"You're not my boyfriend," she sniffles, crossing her arms. "We were on a break when it happened."

"On a break, not broken up!" I pull at my hair. "You would have been upset if you found out I had sex with Aspen when you were gone, right? You didn't take into account my feelings at all while you were doing this... That's why he didn't show up to the meeting last night, isn't it? He was upset that you kissed me in front of him?" I roll my eyes. "That's rich, considering he was dick deep in you knowing that I was suffering."

"Don't talk poorly about him. This is between us," she glares at me, and the little part of my self control that was holding back my anger snaps.

"Oh my... you're still riding his dick!" I roll my eyes. "Fuck all of this. Fuck you," I point at the master of earth who has been watching this entire thing go down, "and you," I point at the girl who practically spat on my face, "fuck whereever that asshole is," I point in the direction of camp, "and fuck this stupid ring." I throw the box into the stream, making a small splash arise as my chest heaves.

"Let's talk this out," she reaches her hand out to me, but I smack her hand away.

"Leave me the fuck alone," I turn my back on her and try to blend in with the shadows of the trees. My muscles strain, but I stay right where I am. My chest burns up even more at this failure, and I take my frustration out on the nearest tree, throwing my fist into it at full force. The bark scratches up my fists, leaving splinters and bloody scrapes, but the pain feels good right now. It's something.

When I feel everyone's eyes on my back, I stomp past the master of earth and the princess. I need to get back to camp and train until my muscles are about to snap.

A/N: Sooooo that happened! Nya went from two guys to no guys reeaaal quick

Next chapter (if I don't split it up AGAIN) gets to have three different couples so score! I'm currently reworking the ending sequence of the book (there was supposed to be a TON less chapters for saving the elemental masters and just being at camp, so I'm having to rework my roadmap to reflect what's actually going to happen), but so far I'd say there's about 10-15 chapters left? I'll keep you all updated on it.

My current goal is to update this story three times per month and unscripted once per month (so one update per week), but I don't know how things are going to go in practice.

Thoughts on the chapter? 

Thank you all so much! You're the best!