I slowly started to stop crying and gain control of my emotions while Isen continued to soothe me in the way that only he could. I closed my eyes and sniffled, biting back a small whine. I didn't say a word while he rubbed my back and waited for me to fully calm down.

"Better?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, rubbing my back and rocking me back and forth. He pressed a small kiss to the side of my head, and I closed my eyes and bit back a small sniffle while I slowly nodded. "Or do you need me to continue to hug you for a bit longer?"

"St-"

"Can I hug her, Isen?" Alexia asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied us, interrupting me. She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, and I didn't need to look at her to know that her cheeks were red. "Please?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper while she cocked her head to the side, silently praying that I would allow her to hug me. "Can I hug my little sister?"

Isen hesitated and grabbed me tighter, shifting ever so slightly away from my sister. He didn't say a word and slowly blinked, and I could tell that he was going to wait for me to tell him what I wanted to do, which meant that he wasn't going to allow my older sister to hug me until I told him that it was fine.

My sister seemed to know what he was thinking and bit back a small smile while she tucked her head closer to her chest. She didn't say a word to him while she looked at me, silently asking me if that would be fine.

And to be frank, there was no other place I wanted to be than to be in her arms...

Isen bit back a tired sigh and nodded, placing a small kiss to the side of my head. He didn't say a word and let go of me before he gently nudged me to my sister.

I folded my arms across my chest and walked over to her, and my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in my chest. My whole body was tense, and it took all of my self-control not to start shaking from the nerves that I felt.

My sister bit back a small smile and tucked her head closer to her chest. She didn't say a word and didn't move toward me, and she waited for me to walk the rest of the way toward her.

I stopped in front of her and hesitated, not knowing if I would be able to touch her or feel her hand underneath mine, especially since we were not on the top of the cliff.

My sister hesitated before she reached out to touch my cheek, but she stopped before she was able to touch it. Her eyes were filled with nervousness and fear, and she silently asked me if she could place her hand on my cheek.

I hesitated before I slowly nodded in confirmation, pressing my lips into a thin line, silently indicating that it was ok if she wanted to put her hand on my cheek.

Alexia smiled, placed her hand on my cheek, and started to stroke my cheek with her thumb, and I closed my eyes and went to place my hand on hers but stopped before I could touch her hand.

I wouldn't have been able to feel her hand anyway...

I took a deep breath and released it with a small whoosh before I reached out and touched my sister's hand, and I paused when I felt something underneath my hand and not just my cheek.

Oh Goddess...

My throat closed, and a small whimper escaped my tight lips while tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Instantly, I opened my eyes and looked at her with wide eyes filled with pain and fear.

My sister took a deep, shuddering breath before she released it with a small whoosh. "Oh, Goddess," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Does that mean that you can feel my hand?" she asked and stared at me with the same expression on her face that was on mine.

My throat closed tighter, and a sob wanted to break through, even though I didn't want to cry. Tears slowly started to stream down my face, and my bottom lip quivered when more tears fell from my eyes.

"Oh, Anastasia," she said with a small laugh in her voice. She pulled me into a hug, and I hugged her and closed my eyes while I buried my face into the crook between her neck and her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I said, and the sob started all over, earning another laugh from my sister while she held me tighter to her. "Please, f-"

"Shut up, Anastasia," she said and laughed, interrupting me with a shake of my head. "Don't ask me to forgive you because I have forgiven you years ago." She pressed a kiss to the side of my head, and I closed my eyes tighter together while my bottom started to quiver. "I don't need to forgive you when I have forgiven you in the past and have already told you that I had forgiven you before now."

I bit the inside of my lip and didn't say a word. My heart ached and became filled with pain and sadness, and I continued to hug my sister just as tightly as she was hugging me, soothing me in a way that she had done in the past when we were both kids.

And sadly this was before my parents made sure that she couldn't sneak toward me at all...

After a while, Samuel cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, and we turned to look at him. He had a confused and nervous look on his face, and he looked a little bashful for some reason. "Sorry," he said and cleared his throat a second time, rubbing the back of his neck, sheepishly. "This is just too strange for me, and I do not know how I feel about it, at all."

I rolled my eyes and scowled while I pulled away from my sister and looked at her. "And why do you say that?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied him. "How is this strange?"

"Well, you are hugging thin air, Ans," he said and tucked his head closer to his chest while he offered me a tight smile, "but your arms are wrapped around something, even though I can't see it."

"Isen can't see it either, but he isn't freaking out," Alexia sassed, and he rolled his eyes and scowled while I bit my lip to keep myself from snickering. "Why are you freaking out, Samuel?"

"Well, he is watching everything through my mind, Alexia," I said, and my sister looked at me before she looked at Isen.

"Is that true?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me before she looked at Isen. "Are you watching everything through her mind, Isen?"

Isen bit back a small smile and nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Your Highness," he said. He cleared his throat and bowed before he stood and placed his hands behind his back, clasping his hands behind his back. "After everything that had happened to her, I've... been keeping an eye on her through her mind and making sure that she stays alive..."

My sister slowly nodded, and a look of pain and sadness flashed through her eyes. She didn't say a word and pulled me closer to her before she pressed a small kiss to my forehead, and I closed my eyes just a tad.

I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet before I moved away from her, and my older sister let me go, even though I could tell that she didn't want to. "Do you think we should go ahead and continue up to the top of the cliff?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied her, pressing my lips into a thin line.

My older sister bit back a tired sigh before she slowly nodded in confirmation. "Yes," she said. She offered me a tight smile before she held out her hand for me to take, and I looked at her hand before I looked her in the eyes. "Do you want to go together?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Please, say yes...

I bit the inside of my lip before I slowly nodded. I offered her a tight smile and placed my hand in hers, and I bit back a small gasp because I was surprised that I could still feel her hand in mine. "Together."

And with that, we started to walk the rest of the way up the cliff together with both Isen and Samuel following us, and none of us said a word to each other while my sister gave me the comfort that she knew that I needed from someone like her.

Oh, Goddess me...