One Month Later

Every night, Zammi Coatl faced her worst enemy.

She stood on a battle field, horrifically familiar, blood coating the ground and splattering on stone seats.

In front of her, like every night for a month, was Seth Lyov. He looked as he had when Amber ripped his throat out, blood gushing down his body, his face bent into permeant horror and wrath. Plastered to his skull, Seth's blond hair, forever streaked in blood.

"You are a failure!" He screeched at her, his pike trembling with rage. His eyes filled with fury, a devouring fire of wrath. "As a mother, as a leader, and as a Mage!" he yowled.

Before, the many other times, Zammi would just charge him, her rage overcoming her sense of reason and rational. This time, it was different. No red clouded her vision, no white noise blocking out Seth's pleas of mercy.

Zammi sighed in exasperation. "We're not so different, you and I." she told him, and his brow crinkled.

"We are very different!" Seth snarled. Zammi chuckled, but shook her head, a slight smirk crossing her lips. How very wrong he was.

"We both fought for the same cause, and we both made decisions to protect those we cared about the most." Zammi said, and Seth paused, computing this information.

"You abandoned you children when they needed you," Seth countered, a wicked grin splitting across his face. "You left them to be tortured and hurt while you saved yourself."

"But I saved them in the end, didn't I?" Zammi snapped. "You would have made a good father, Seth, but not a smart one. I would rather have my child live with scars and a parent to guide them, than scars and martyred mother. That is the choice I had to make when left my daughter at your hand, know what she would go through. I chose to promise her that I would be back for her and I would guide her through the pain.

"When you are a parent, you would do anything for your child. But that knee jerk reaction isn't always the best one. If one on my children needed a kidney, I would carve out mine with a rusted spoon, in a moment's notice. That is a sacrifice I would gladly make. But I wouldn't cut out my heart, because then I would leave them with a dead heart and a dead mother." Zammi looked down at Seth, pityingly. The blond seemed lost, his eyes tired and unknowing, but still determined.

"I made those sacrifices!" Seth maintained, gritting his long teeth.

"Yes, and now your child will grow up knowing his father was a monster." Zammi explained simply. "And you can't explain your reasons to him."

Understanding dawned on Seth's face, a look of horror and misery, a look that Zammi understood at the core of her being. She stared sadly at Seth, watching as he comprehended the most egregious of his many mistakes.

"Good bye, Seth." Zammi turned to leave, then looked over her should at him. Seth's expression had shattered, his eyes splintered and lost, his jaw trembling with unshed tears. Zammi's stony anger softened, and she let go of her pain, if just for a moment.

"I forgive you." She whispered to him. Seth glanced up at her, hope, precarious and unstable, glistening in his eyes. "Even if you can't forgive me."

With a cry like a child. Seth dissolved into silver dust, scattered to the non-existent winds, at peace. At last.

***

Amber had never liked the ornate crown that the Selkies had made. It was massive, made of pearls, conch shells and sea glass polished to a shine. Gold chains looped lazily across her forehead and temples. It weighted a ton, and her neck felt like it was going to collapse before she took it off, placing it on her king-sized bed.

God, she felt so fake.

She sat down at her vanity, watching the snow outside, still for now.

The Silver Castle was one of the only large structures in any of the Silver Lands. Created by the first Silver King, the sheer size of the Castle reflected what he must have been like. The halls were twenty feet high and fifteen feet across, with enchanted windows that no one could see in from the outside. Amber's bedroom, a gift for her twelfth birthday, when she'd became Heir, could have held a whole pack of wolves comfortably.

Good thing it was carved into a mountain.

K-2 was the deadliest mountain to climb, as it was full of Shapeshifters, waiting in the dark crevasse of the snowy summit. They made sure no one ever found it.

Amber watched as her mirror stared back at her. Outside her window, the snow stirred rapidly as the keening call of a Yeti echoed through the stone halls.

Seth hadn't been able to make it to the Silver Castle, luckily. While the war was bloody, it was short.

"I've always hated this place." A women's lilting voice said. "It's must have been terrible to grow in here."

"Same. I always disliked the trips I had to take here. It's so cold. There's nothing homey about this." Amber responded, turning around to face the strawberry-blonde woman to whom the voice belonged.

Dra chuckled. "And here I thought you loved everything about the Silver Royalty."

"No. I don't think everyone loves anything completely." Amber mused. She picked up a vial of small rhinestones, and began to put adhesive on the back of them.

"I can help with that." Dra said, picking up the stones with a pair of tweezers. Amber closed her eyes, as Dra placed them along the bridge of her nose and the curve of her eyebrows.

"So, you're almost officially King." Dra said after a few moments. "What are you going to do about it?"

They both knew what 'it' was. There was no need to ask.

"I'm not sure yet. I don't know how much I can get away with yet." Amber said softly. Dra muttered something that could have been 'oh my lord' under her breath, and placed the rhinestones back on the vanity with a clink. Amber opened her eyes, raising a brow.

"Amber." Dra deadpanned, her arms crossed.

"That is my name, yes."

"Don't be a smart ass. You are going to be King. What part of that doesn't comprehend with your little Selkie brain? You could do anything as King."

"But that's how this whole mess happened, Dra. Too few people with too much power and not a care for anyone but themselves." Amber said, frustrated.

Dra was quiet for a moment. She opened her mouth, then shut it again. She looked surprised.

"I don't know you very well. Like as a person. But when did you start caring about this?"

"Children died in this war because they felt so powerless and weak. Hell, I killed a child because I was too mad and didn't care because-" Amber choked, unable to say the last words.

"Because it wasn't anyone in the Inner Courts." Dra finished softly.

"Yeah." Amber looked away, her face flushed with anger and guilt. "Exactly."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Dra prompted her. "If there's too much power, spread it out."

"You're already the Advisor, Dra." Amber said absentmindedly.

"Spread it out, Amber." Dra told her again, more forcefully.

Amber opened her mouth to tell her that she already had, that this was spread out and no one was going to allow her to make any changes so soon- but Dra was right.

Spread it out, Amber.

***

Six Months Later

"So, ready to graduate?" Marble questioned as she drove her Lincoln to the school.

"Yeah, so ready." Dani answered, a little dully. He hadn't felt like himself in a while.

It hadn't been easy to fall back into the routine of normal life after a month of running with werewolves, transforming into a snake, and fighting a war. The fact he had to go to school even seemed basic.

He thought a lot about Zaza and Dra. He thought a lot about Luma and Ylva. And he thought a lot about Amber. There almost seemed like no point in it anymore. It was like something was wrong with thinking about it. He tugged at a tassel of his cap that was in his lap, like it was going to solve his problems.

"Baby." Marble said, and Dani looked up at her. She had tears in her eyes, the profile of her jaw twitching with sadness. "I know that something happened in Mexico. I don't know what, but today..." she placed a hand on Dani's fidgeting one. "I know I'm not your real mom, and I know you always felt a little lost here, but please believe me when I say I love you."

Dani swallowed tears, the lump in his throat growing.

"And if you grow up, and find your real mom, and you want to be with her, I will support you. But just remember me, please? And Evan. Because we both love you so much, baby."

Marble had never called Dani 'baby' before, and the tears in her voice made his eyes hurt. He knew all of this, the love that they showed him, even Andrew. "I'll always come back to visit." He choked out.

"Yeah. I know."

When Dani got to the school, he looked around at it. He noticed some familiar faces in the crowd, other students, people he'd never been really close to, but had helped him all the same.

"It's okay to be scared, you know." someone said from behind him.

"Sé. Pero... no sé." Dani responded. Then, something hit him.

That was Spanish. Not English. Meaning...

He turned around quickly, to find a short, slender to the point of skinny, strawberry blonde teen.

"Is that so?" Dra Coatl asked him.

"What are you doing here?" Dani hissed in low Spanish, so no one could hear them. "You'll be banished if you're seen with me." Dra shrugged, like it wasn't her concern.

"So? You're my brother."

"But you have a duty to serve the people as the Advisor." Dani ran a hand through his hair, exasperated with his older sister.

"Fine. But I didn't come alone." Dra turned, and walked away.

***

As Dani climbed the stage to receive his diploma from the principal, whose name he was forgetting, he saw what Dra meant.

In a long red dress, Amber Pearl stood, taking in her surroundings. Rings decorated her slim fingers with pearls and a dark stone that could only by amber, her hair pinned with a comb of silver which glinted harshly in the bright sunlight. She looked massively unimpressed with the whole thing and jet lagged, but still beautiful.

Is that what Dani really thought of her? Beautiful? He grabbed the diploma, and smirked at the crowd, causing a few girls to whistle. He walked off the stage, subtly heading towards the blonde women. As soon as he got within a few feet, Dani felt something cold pass over his skin.

"Just an illusion. Don't worry. It won't hurt you." Amber's voice said, her brogue rolling off her tongue. "I wanted to see you."

"And like I told Dra, you're not supposed to be here." Dani hissed, striding up to her. Amber just looked at him, unimpressed. "Please leave before you get in trouble."

"With who? I'm the King, Dani. El Rey, as you would say. I am the law."

"The King as the law is how I got into this mess in the first place. Maybe don't tell me that." Dani whispered, so close to her, he could see the illusion waver and shimmer. The cognac turned more orange, and Dani smirked.

"So, I was right. You do drive the girls crazy."

"That's what you say? I haven't seen you in seven months, and that what you say? I was worried you'd changed." Dani looked away. "Worried for nothing, I suppose."

"I don't think that has anything to do with I'm here." Amber said, her face softer than Dani had ever seen it.

"That what does, if I may inquire, my King?" Amber smirked, but it looked pained.

"I deserved that. But what I don't deserve is the huge attitude I'm getting."

"Well, that's not true at all. If I know anything, my liege, that you are definitely deserving of more than just attitude."

"I didn't come her to fight. I just wanted to let you know something." Dani raised an eyebrow at her.

"What? I'm in exile, it won't affect me."

"I reinstated the council. They're making you a war hero."

Dani paused, but then sighed. "Honestly, it took you seven months for you to reinstate the council? I would have expected better than that."

Amber laughed. "No, Dani. It took me seven months to set up nine different councils."

Dani blinked in surprise. "Nine?"

"One for each continent, consisting of one member of each tribe, who then vote for three members to go to my secondary council, who then vote for one representative for the whole continent, in my primary council. Seven continents, one secondary council, one primary council. Seven plus one plus one equals nine."

"Well. Then I am very impressed." Dani said. "A-plus math skills."

"And you'll be glad to hear that all of them voted in favor of you returning to us." Amber looked away. "To your mother. To your sister. To me."

Dani lifted her chin. Her orange eyes had tears, but he smiled.

"If that's so, who am I to refuse a King?"

So, uhh, apparently, I should never be trusted to give dates or times, because this book was supposed to be finished on Monday.

I don't even update on Monday.

Well, my lovelies, I will publish the last chapter on Friday.

God, that seems so soon.

QOTD: What is a name you would use to name your child(ren)?

Mine would be Jericho for a boy or Rhiannon for a girl.

DON'T BE A SILENT READER! Vote, share, participate in the QOTD's! Make me feel like someone is there!

C.J out!