A Prince's Pride

*Aaron*

When my army traveled to the Lower Reach, we were forced to go by foot, fearing a train would be targeted by the Lower Reach soldiers that had infiltrated Midoor. A bit extreme, maybe, but caution is necessary. Now that we're at war with no one but Phoebe, we're able to take the train straight from Crown City to the border city of Creole. I've been here once before, when my father sent me here to broker a deal between Midoor and the Southern Tribes. The deal that strengthened our alliance to what it is today.

For Milo, however, this city holds a special meaning. This was where he grew up. Where his parents died. Where, Ar’aila Krimp, a woman from the Southern Tribes, watched I over Milo after his parents died.

When we arrive, the station is full of citizens, cordoned off by soldiers. There's an obvious divide among our citizens. Those who approve of us and those who don't. Thankfully, the former side is larger. It doesn't matter anyway. We aren't staying long. 

As the majority of our party makes a temporary camp on the southern side of the city, Milo and I walk down the main road, Peddler Avenue, ignoring stall after stall until we approach an older woman with dark skin and white hair. She's standing behind a white wooden flower stand surrounded by people. She has two employees with her, all three of them talking to customers. 

"Business must be booming," says Milo when we reach the side of the cart. Ar’aila’s face breaks out in a wide grin. 

"Milo!" she says happily, walking away from her stand in midconversation with a customer. She wraps her arms around his neck and literally pulls him down to her height. She must be stronger than she looks or else Milo did not resist her. She pulls way from Milo, but still clutches his cheeks, smiling like a proud mother. 

When she turns to me, I feel nervous. As though I'm meeting Milo's actual mother. I wish I could have met her. He hasn't told me much about his parents, but they sound like they were wonderful. 

Ar’aila looks up at me with her brown, watery eyes, but it feels like she's towering over me. 

"So," she says, "you're the boy who Milo chose to safeguard his heart."

"I'm not sure what you mean," I say. 

"It's a saying in the Southern Tribes," she explains. "You give your heart to the one you love and they protect it."

"I like that," I say, smiling as I glance at Milo. 

"We can't stay very long," says Milo. "We're on our way to meet Queen Allandra."

A sadness comes over her face. "I wish I could accompany you."

"You could," I say, but she shakes her head. 

"I am not welcome in most cities of the Southern Tribes. These flowers—" she indicates a flower I recognize, a Sun Kissed Rose, "—only grow in a few secret locations of the Southern Tribes. Many see my bringing them to Midoor, selling them, as an affront to our culture."

"For bringing flowers up here?" I ask, incredulous. 

"Southern Tribes people worship nature," says Milo. "And the Sun Kissed Roses above all else. They almost went extinct, but they saved them and planted them in secluded spots south of the border."

“Indeed,” says Ar’aila. “Truthfully, I’ve never seen the issue with bringing them here. They cannot grow from the flower alone. New seeds are grown in pods that sprout on the same bush as the Sun Kisses. None of these flowers can blossom new ones.”

"They are beautiful," I say, looking at the flower, remembering when Milo brought me one in the hotel of this very town. 

"Will you guys stay for dinner?" asks Ar’aila.

I open my mouth to answer, but Milo cuts me off. 

"No," he says. "We're visiting mom and dad's graves, then we're leaving. We have an entire delegation from the Southern Tribes with us."

Her face falls slightly, but she hides it with a smile. 

"I understand," she says, patting his cheek. 

"We'll have dinner with you when we make our way back to the palace," I promise. 

"Yeah, we'll see you then," says Milo. 

"Good, good. I miss you, Milo,” she says, smiling up at him. 

“I miss you, too,” he says. 

“Well, you two best be off. The sooner you finish your business in the Southern Tribes, the sooner I can have dinner with my beuba.”

“Beuba?” I repeat.

“It means ‘son,’” says Milo. “Goodbye, memma, we’ll see you soon.” Milo hunches down slightly and hugs her. They stand next to the flower stall, holding each other for a solid minute. When they break apart, Ar’aila smiles at him fondly with a smile that doesn’t quite hide the sadness in her eyes, then walks behind the cart. 

Milo and I start down the street, Oswald and Exavier trailing behind us, and Milo navigating expertly due to his lifelong experience living in this city until we approach the graveyard.

Though he hasn’t been here in years, Milo finds his parent’s graves easily, two white marble headstones engraved with their names: George Trainor and Grace Trainor. Milo stands between the spots where they must be buried, looking at the headstones. He doesn’t look sad, like I feel I must look when I visit my father’s tomb in the city. He smiles as if he’s seeing them, crouching in the grass.

“Hello, Mother, Father,” he says. “This is Aaron, my husband.” Without looking away from the headstones, he reaches his hand out and laces his fingers through mine.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, feeling awkward. Again, almost as if I’m actually meeting his parents. Though I have no idea what they looked like, I can imagine George with a chin like Milo’s, his eyes stern as they appraise the boy who married his son. I can almost see Grace’s eyes, imagining they look similar to Milo’s, as they fill with happy tears. 

“Can you tell me about your parents?” I ask, hopeful.

Milo is quiet for a long time. When he finally speaks, his voice is soft. “My father was a kind man, but a bit set in his ways. He believed discipline was the key to a successful life. He didn’t like anytime I’d be lazy, unless I was sick. He was a woodworker, making the most beautiful furniture I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t as lavish as what we have in the palace, but each piece had it’s own personality almost. Like he was leaving a piece of him in each item he crafted.

“My mother was kind of opposite of him. Sometimes, when he’d go to work, she’d let me just lay in bed or lounge on the couch with her. We’d read stories to one another. She loved romance books. Had an entire bookshelf full of them. She was the one who realized I was gay first, but she didn’t act like it was anything strange. I didn’t even have to come out to her. She would just point out cute boys in the city to me and urge me to talk to them, but I was too shy.”

“How did your dad take you being gay?”

“I was afraid of how he’d act, but he said he already knew when I finally got the nerve to tell him. I sat down, told him I needed to tell him something important and when I told him I’m gay, he said, ‘’Bout time you told me. Have you finished your chores?’” Milo smiles at the memory, but his face falls into a frown almost immediately as he turns his head toward me.

“I wish you could have met them,” he says. “I know they would’ve loved you.”

“I wish that, too,” I say, and wrap Milo in my arms. He nestles himself into my chest and lets out a shuddering sigh.

*Piper*

Piper stands on the outskirts of the temporary camp they’d set up on the southern side of Creole, looking out toward the wall of jungle separating Midoor from the Southern Tribes. Her sister was out there somewhere. Prince Krayden only said Phoebe had “targeted” the Southern Tribes, but refuses to explain further, saying Queen Allandra has given clear instructions that she alone is to tell them what’s happening.

“They’re coming!” she hears someone yell and turns to see a soldier pointing toward Creole. In the distance, she spots Aaron and Milo, followed by Oswald and Exavier, making their way toward the camp on horseback. Their horses, like all the horses who drank the potion-tainted water, seem perfectly fine. Having never made this potion before, Piper had no idea what it was supposed to do. Phoebe had said it would slowdown the delegation.

Piper had wondered if maybe she’d made the potion incorrectly, but no, she’d made it exactly as Phoebe told her to.

With the emperors back, it was time to go. They all mounted their horses and started for the jungle, the leaves on the trees a blue-green, as opposed to the natural green of the Middorian trees. As they trot along, Piper pulls her horse to stride alongside Prince Krayden.

“I’ve never been to the Southern Tribes,” she says. “What’s it like?”

“Well, you’ll probably know that the Southern Tribes are made up of a circle of five islands and that each island is connected by a natural landbridge,” he says. “Our destination, the capital city of Kr’fait, lies at the heart of the northern-most Island of Wo.”

“Is that where my sister is attacking you?”

“No, it is not. Our magic has been enough to keep her at bay from the capital. She is on the island west of the Island of Wo, the smallest island named Isald.”

“What kind of dangers can we expect, apart from Phoebe?” asks Aaron, who rides alongside Milo behind Piper and Prince Krayden.

“We are taking The Path,” says Prince Krayden. “It is a road that winds through the jungle, used by many travelers. We will not meet any dangers. Animals avoid it, except to cross, and criminals avoid it because of the patrolling Jika.”

“Jika?” Piper echoes.

“It’s what they call their soldiers,” Milo explains before Prince Krayden has a chance. “Similar to the Krishan in Sandalia.”

“Exactly,” Prince Krayden affirms. “Though our warriors are much stronger than the Krishan.”

“Wouldn’t the Krishan say the same thing, in reverse?” asks Aaron.

“Well,” Prince Krayden says with a chuckle, “I suppose they—” his words are cut off as one of the soldier’s horses near him give out a bellowing cry and starts bucking just as he crosses the border into the Southern Tribes, where the grass begins to darken. The horse tears off toward the trees, the soldier holding on for dear life.

“After him!” shouts Aaron, urging his own steed forward. At his command, the rest of the delegation follows suit. One by one, as each of the horses crosses into the Southern Tribes, they start crying out, bucking, trying to knock their riders off.

“Dismount and get away from the horses!” yells Aaron. Everyone scrambles from their horse and runs to the side, watching as the horses writhe in obvious pain.

Aaron runs over to Olivia, who falls from her horse, and catches her. Milo, who got to safety on his own, glances over at them, anger on his face, though Piper’s sure nobody else notices it, as they’re all to busy looking at the horses. 

“Look at it’s flank!” shouts a soldier. Piper looks at the horse he’s pointing at. The skin of the horse’s side is stretching oddly, being pushed out in places as though something were inside, trying to get out.

The horse lets out a final cry as the side of its stomach rips open and from the horse’s dying body leaps a six-legged creature that appears to be made of hardened stone with glaring red eyes and sharp, black teeth. One right after another, each horse cries out in pain as the same creature bursts forth from each of its side, falling to the ground and rising to look around at the soldiers.

This is what the potion was for, Piper realizes. This is how Phoebe decided to slow down the emperors.

With a snarl, one of the creatures lunges at Aaron who whips his sword from its sheath and slices at the creature, cleaving it in two. It dies with a howl, similar to a dog’s, which seems set off a reaction in the other creatures, who spring forth from the pack, ready to kill.

“Get behind me, Olivia!” shouts Aaron, protecting the pregnant woman. Automatically, Piper looks at Milo, but he’s being covered by Exavier, whose sword slashes through the air at one of the creature. It jumps back, missing death by centimeters. 

One of the creatures turns its eyes on Piper and lunges forward. With an incantation, she sends a ball of fire into the face of it, but it seems to absorb her magic, and it grows. Piper incants again, this time to blow it up from the inside. It works, but the three pieces seem to feed off her magic again and regenerate. What was once one beast is now three.

As they crouch, reading to pounce, Piper is scared for the first time. She had thought they wouldn’t attack her, since she was the one who created them, but she was mistaken. When the creatures spring at her, she’s frozen for fear, unable to move. She hears a shout and thick, dark vines grow up from the forest floor, trapping the beasts, suspended, a foot away from her.

Piper glances to her left and sees one of the Southern Tribesman druids, his fist on the ground, his eyes glowing green. He incants again and the vines twist, ripping the beasts to shreds. This time, they do not reform.

“They’re cripplins,” he says, “they feed on magic. Do not use it on them directly. Use your powers to affect the environment.”

“Right,” Phoebe says with a nod of thanks. She turns her attention upward and sees a thick branch. With an incantation and a jerk of her hand, she breaks the branch free of the tree and brings it down on one of the beasts, flattening it.

The sounds of battle rage on as blades and arrows slice through the cripplins, as mages and druids use weapons found among the forest until, with a swing of his sword, Exavier kills the last one and silence falls.

“What the fuck was that?!” Milo asks.

“It must have been the witch!” says Prince Krayden, looking around. For the space of a heartbeat, Piper thinks he’s talking about her, but then understanding hits her. He was talking bout her sister, of course.

“I think you’re right,” says Piper. “Look at that tree.” She points to a tree which has a large rune carved into it. “It must be some kind of barrier spell.”

“How would that have caused the cripplins to form in the horses’ stomachs, though?” asks Milo. “They would have had to be planted in the stomachs by something.”

Damn, thought Piper. She had taught Milo well.

“Is this what Phoebe is doing?” asks Aaron, looking at Prince Krayden.

“No,” says Prince Krayden, wiping a black substance the same consistency of blood from his blade. “Let’s just move on. It will take us much longer to reach Kr’fait now. Perhaps, if we can find a patrol of Jika, we can commission their horses, but we will have to leave most of our party behind. It’s doubtful we will stumble upon a patrol of twenty.”

“How many are in a patrol?” asks Aaron.

“Usually six,” answers Prince Krayden.

“Fine. If it comes down to it, you, me, Milo, Piper, and Olivia will travel to Kr’fait alone and the others can join up with us later.”

“Sire, I don’t think—” Oswald begins, but Aaron forestalls him with a raised hand.

“If there’s a horse for you, you can come along as well,” he says.

“It’s settled, then,” says Prince Krayden. “We move forward on foot.”

*Milo*

The journey to Kr’fait on horseback would’ve taken us six hours. On foot? It’s going to take us nearly a day. As we walk, I glance over at Piper. She looks shaken for some reason and I can only think it has something to do with the monsters in the horses’ stomachs.

“What do you think about the cripplins?” I ask her. “How do you think they got in the horses’ stomachs?”

“I’m not sure,” she says hesitantly. “Perhaps Phoebe was in Midoor while we were there?”

“And she got past your protective enchantments?” I ask. “She got near enough to the palace stables to plant the cripplins in the horses?”

“Who knows,” she says with a shrug. “I wish I knew of a spell to help us get to Kr’fait faster. Walking is going to take forever.”

“Don’t worry,” says Krayden. “If we come across a patrol of Jika, they will give us their horses. My mother has deliberated on increasing the number of Jika in each patrol since Phoebe’s appearance in our lands. If so, we’ll be able to bring your guard,” he adds, looking at Aaron. “Though, with what I saw when we fought the cripplins, you hardly need one.”

“It’s tradition,” says Aaron. “Every member of the Royal Family of Midoor has one, whether they need one or not.”

“And here I thought you were trying to break traditions,” says Piper. 

***

We walk until the sun begins to set, the sky barely visible between the leaves turning darker and darker with streaks of purple and pink.

“We should set up camp here,” I say, “though we’ll have to do it off The Path.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to camp on The Path?” asks Aaron. “Then we’ll be sure not to miss any patrols.”

“The Path was provided to us by the Goddess,” says Prince Krayden. “We use it for travel alone. To do otherwise is an affront to Her gift.”

Piper cocks her head, her eyes scrunched in confusion. She says, “I thought the Southern Tribespeople didn’t believe in gods.”

“Ah, yes,” says Prince Krayden, “we do not believe in the gods who live on other planes and use magic to influence humanity. We believe in the one, true, tangible goddess: Mother Earth.”

“Earth is your god?” asks one of our soldiers. Aaron shoots him a look, worried he offended the Southern Tribesmen, but Prince Krayden only smiles.

“When we treat the Goddess Earth right, with dignity and respect, she grows plants we can feed on, plants that feed the animals we eat. She has given us water to drink and clean air to breathe. During the day, she faces the sun so we may be warmed and have light and during the night, she faces away so we may sleep easy.”

“That actually makes a lot of sense,” says Piper, looking around. I have to agree with her. The—for lack of a better word—religion in the Southern Tribes has always fascinated me. They don’t see it as a religion, but as a way of life. Respect the planet and it will respect you. Destroy the planet and it will destroy us all. Ar’aila used to teach me about the Southern Tribes’ culture and even brought me down here several times when she was watching over me.

“I’m glad you agree,” says Prince Krayden. “Come, we will set up camp not too far from here and we will leave some of our guards to watch The Path for patrols.”

 

It doesn’t take us long to set up camp. True to his word, Prince Krayden has us set up in a camp not too far from the road. He and his men have set up a large bonfire, though it’s not lit yet, and we stand around it, admiring the small camp.

“We will sleep here tonight,” says Prince Krayden, “and break down in early morning. We should all get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us. Piper, would you care to do the honors?” He indicates the fire.

Piper holds her hand out and incants. In seconds, a roaring fire springs up, engulfing the logs.

“I’ve added an extra enchantment so it’ll burn until it’s touched by sunlight. We don’t even need to add more wood.”

“That is a wonderful way to repay the Goddess for her gifts to us,” says Prince Krayden. He bows to Piper, the inside of his fist pressed against his forehead, the thumb of the same hand extended, a sign of respect from the Southern Tribes. I look at the fire wistfully. I miss using magic. I touch the band on my wrist, wondering when I’ll finally be able to take it off.

 

It’s much later that night when Aaron and I are laying in our tent. Most of our soldiers are asleep, but we can hear some moving around.

“It’s time,” I whisper in Aaron’s ear. He looks at me expectantly. I had told him before we went to bed that I wanted to show him something.

We crouch at the backside of the tent and pull it up, having not secured it properly when we put it up. We’re able to slip under it and escape into the forest without being noticed.

“Milo, where are we going?” he asks, sounding both apprehensive and excited.

“Just wait,” I say, “you’ll see.”

We weave through the trees, moving far enough away that we can no longer see the bonfire Piper lit. I lead Aaron to a knot of trees, grown so close together they appear to form a wall surrounding a clearing. I begin to climb.

“Milo!” says Aaron, but I ignore him, knowing he’ll follow me. 

Once we’re high enough, I start moving through the branches. They begin to change from a random, jutting mess, to something that looks manmade. The branches arc in a circular pattern, woven into each other to form a tunnel we can easily crawl through. At the end, there’s a rope ladder we climb down.

“Okay,” I say to Aaron when he steps off the ladder beside me. “Close your eyes.”

*Aaron*

Milo stands behind me, his hands over my eyes, guiding me through the forest. My heart thumps in my chest with excited anticipation of what’s to come. He doesn’t lead me for more than two minutes, but it feels like an hour to me. Finally, he stops us and I can hear trickling water.

“Okay,” he says, removing his hands. “Open your eyes.”

I do and feel my jaw drop. We’re standing in a large clearing, surrounded by the trees that are grown so close together. A lake, being fed by a small waterfall, stands before us. The full moon above shines down on the lake, sending shimmering lines of light dancing on the trees around the clearing. But the most impressive thing about this spot is the flowers. Sun Kissed Roses. At least a thousand of them, all spread around the lake. They glow in the moonlight, almost as if they’d absorbed the sunlight during the day and were expelling it now.

“Milo,” I say, “this is amazing.”

“I knew you’d like it,” he says, wrapping his arms around me from behind. Though I don’t practice magic, I feel something in the air. This place is alive with more than just flowers.

I feel Milo’s lips press into the back of my neck and push my body into his. His tongue laps at the sensitive skin above my collarbone and a shudder runs through my body. I spin to look at him, eye-to-eye, and find them filled with a playful lust. Our lips meet and it feels as though a life has sprung up between us, as though the magic is formed by our touch.

Milo’s hands find my waist and pull me into him, our hard cocks pressing against each other as our tongues dance beneath the moonlight. 

“Should we really do this?” I ask. “Right here?”

“Why not?” he answers. “Nobody knows about this place. This is Ar’aila’s special place, but she only comes here during the day. You can’t pick the Sun Kissed Rose at night or it’ll die within hours.”

“Is it magic?”

He shrugs as if it couldn’t possibly matter. And when his hands grab the hem of my shirt and pull it up my body, I stop caring about it too. My pants are slid off next, freeing my hard cock. It looks paler in the moonlight but Milo, looking up at me from on his knees, admires me like he always does: as though I’m the most important thing in the world.

The night air is slightly chilly. It’s getting close to autumn, after all, but Milo’s hand is warm on my cock as he wraps it around the base of my cock. I let out a small, involuntary gasp that turns into a sigh as his lips wrap around the head. With expert skill, he guides me into his throat, sending ripples of pleasure, accompanied by a slow burning warmth, up my body. My fingers entwine in Milo’s hair as he bobs his head back and forth, back and forth, one of his hands cupping my balls.

He slides a finger through my legs and up into my ass crack, probing at my hole. A burst of pleasure rockets through my body at his touch, making my knees shake. He pulls away from me long enough to suck on his finger, slickening it with the saliva practically dripping from his lips and when the finger returns to my hole, it slides in like a key into a lock, opening a door to that wonderful world of pleasure Milo takes me to.

“Damn,” he says, pulling back, “I’ve never seen you precum so much.”

It’s true. I can feel it gushing from me, collecting on his tongue as he works.

“Don’t stop,” I gasp. “Don’t ever stop.”

He smiles up at me as he sucks me down again, the force of his sucking making sounds deep in his throat. His hand not working my prostate slides up from my balls and he slides it over my cock, the saliva acting as lube, every time his mouth pulls back. 

“I’m so close,” I gasp, “don’t stop!”

But he does. He pulls back from me, standing, and looking mischievous.

“No,” I moan piteously. But my desire burns even hotter, finding a new outlet when Milo starts pulling his own clothes off. Standing before me, completely naked, his hard cock standing straight out from his body and the moonlight making his blonde hair shine, his emerald-green eyes glow, I know I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.

“I think it’s my turn,” he says. Obediently, I drop to my knees and Milo steps close to me, his cock hanging over me. I grip the base as he stares down at me, and me up at him. I run my tongue up the underside, watching as his mouth falls open in pleasure and excitement, almost like he’s surprised at how good it feels. When my tongue swipes over his head, spreading the precum beneath it, he bites his lower lip and lets out a stifled gasp.

I swallow him down, burying my nose in his pubes. There’s a faint smell of sweat coming up from his balls, evidence of our long walk to our campsite. Milo always has a hard time being gentle, he likes it rough, so I tease him, only sucking him softly, as payback for not letting me cum. I don’t get to revel in it as long as I’d like. Milo starts to thrust his hips, almost absentmindedly it seems, forcing his cock in and out of my throat with ever increasing speed. I don’t really mind though.

As much as I love sucking Milo’s cock, it’s not what I really want at the moment. 

“I want you inside me,” I say, almost begging as I pull away from him.

“Your wish is my command, Your Majesty,” he says, holding out his hand. I take it and stand as he leads me over to a stump of a tree, bending over to pick up my shirt as we make our way. He throws the shirt over it, probably to protect me from splinters, and forces me to lay forward on it, my legs spread apart.

SMACK!

The spank comes without warning and the whimper I let out would be embarrassing if anyone other than Milo were here. 

SMACK!

My cock bounces in pleasure and excitement as a wave of blood is pushed into it by my frantically beating heart.

SMACK!

The spot Milo’s spanking over and over stings in the night air, but I don’t want him to stop.

SMACK!

I have to bite my lip to keep from calling out as equal waves of pain and pleasure collapse upon each other. There’s a pause, then I feel Milo’s lips, soft and gentle, kiss the stinging, handprint shaped mark on my ass. Goosebumps erupt over my body as his tongue traces the lines his hand has surely left upon my flesh. 

My entire body shakes with anticipation as his tongue slides sideways, getting closer and closer to the spot it so desperately wants to be touched at.

Every nerve in my body explodes at once, singing as his tongue skates across my hole. I’m gasping and pleading, saying I don’t know what, as precum drips from my cock. Milo’s tongue enters my ass, flexing and probing and the forest and moon are dancing with each other as my eyes roll in my head, unable or unwilling to accept orders from my brain to steady things.

I don’t even notice when Milo moves his head away from my ass. I only know it’s happened because, without warning, his cock is entering me and I feel myself falling from this world, melting into the stump. My body hums in tandem with Milo’s as he fucks me, hard and rough, with steady motions. 

Milo lays his body on top of mine as he fucks me, his tongue sliding over the sensitive skin of my earlobe. He bites on the flesh, sending a spasm of bliss and pain shooting through my body. And it’s too much, it’s too much. I can’t hold back any longer. With a cry into the starry sky like an animal, my ass clenches around Milo’s cock and he fucks harder, pushing through the spasming muscles as my own cock unleashes a gushing torrent of cum splashing onto the stump. 

Milo pulls out long enough to flip me on my back then reenters me. He’s slamming his pelvis into me as his hand wraps around my throat. Stars pop in my eyes to join those I see above me as my cock slaps against my abs, slowly leaking whatever cum is remaining in my body.

I hear Milo say something, but I can barely hear it. When his thrusting becomes erratic, I know what it was. He leaves my hole and, weakly, I climb down in front of him. He twists his fingers through my hair and pulls my face up to look at him as he strokes his spit slick cock. My mouth hangs open, both in anticipation and from total exhaustion, as he cums, spraying my face and the inside of my mouth with his seed. Milo pushes his cock past my mouth and I suck, reveling in the taste of his cum mixed with the taste of me until his cock is entirely clean.

Spent as well, Milo lays beside me in the grass and lays his head on my chest, touching my abs gingerly with his fingers.

In this moment, everything is bliss. I don’t have a care in the world. I do not even care that yesterday, Milo was moaning Rija’s name in his sleep.

---

Author’s Note:

Hey, everyone! I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long. Those of you who read the last few Author’s Notes will know I’ve recently changed careers. Well, it didn’t work out the way I had planned. Turns out the company I started working for was just as bad as the one I left, so I started working for a different company. Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, I had to work both jobs for almost two weeks. In addition, I recently went back to school so between online school and working two full-time jobs, I just didn’t have time for writing. But my schedule is all figured out and I’m back at it again! You can expect new chapters to be posted weekly on either Sunday or Monday mornings.

Thank you to those people who reached out to check on me. I really appreciate it! 

I wanted to add a second apology before actually uploading this chapter because I mentioned I was going to upload it Sunday night. I’ll admit I forgot because I recently met someone and he and I have been spending a lot of time together, so I was a bit…distracted.

See you next time! 

-Ottie