"Your Majesties, they're here."

The King and Queen looked at each other. King Sindrion took his Queen's hand in his. He knew nervousness was eating her up.

They both walked out to the throne hall together.

After a few minutes while waiting, the Queen became anxious. She turned towards the general standing below. "Where are they?"

Just then the doors opened and the Dark Prince himself walked in.

"Your Majesties."

"Queen Charlotte said you bring important news, young Prince," the King spoke with authority. His strong voice wasn't loud but it rang through the walls of his castle.

Prince Phoenix remained emotionless and unfazed by the powerful king that was seated on the throne. Not because he was proud or disrespectful but because he was already used to King Sindrion Celeste.

"I have. Before that can I have these two settled in?"

Mr and Mrs Salvador timidly walked in. They bowed to the two royal fae creatures.

"Ease yourselves, Percival and Odelle," the queen smiled as they straightened up. She's known them for a very long time now. Queen Aurora called in a few servants to help settle the two. Once they left, the air around them became thick.

"If I talk, I will sound delirious. So I'll just show you." The Prince then looked at a guard standing by the doors.

"Bring them in."

Alexander Kheelan and Eve walked in slowly, hesitantly and fearfully. They didn't know what to expect so they were afraid. Alex was more curious and anxious but still, worry gripped him.

The second Queen Aurora set her eyes on them, she abruptly stood up. King Sindrion followed his queen's action. They looked at each other for a moment before turning towards the siblings. King Sindrion then slowly descended from his throne and together with his wife, they walked towards the young duo.

The King and Queen scanned the the two from top to bottom. Queen Aurora then inspected Eve by looking straight into her eyes. Eve too, could no longer look away from the Queen's captivating orbs. They stared at each other for a long time and something indescribable flashed in the Queen's eyes. Both of them were frozen. Neither of them could speak.

"W..what is this?" King Sindrion asked the Dark Prince after looking at Alexander. He sensed a familiar aura in them. Both he and his wife did but they were terrified to say it out loud.

It can't be.

After all these years.

Was this a joke?

A cruel joke played by fate?

Why now?

How?

What is happening?

"You know what this is Your Grace. You know who they are. You can sense it. One fae should be able to sense its own kind or should I say, its own blood."

Prince Phoenix was taken aback at how similar Eve and Queen Aurora looked. Eve had almost all of the Queen's physical traits and outlook. He never noticed it until that very moment.

After his mother told him that they were the missing fae twins, he thought about certain similarities Queen Aurora shared with his Little Flower but he never gave it a deeper thought. One of the reasons was because his own mother is half fae. Thinking about it now, even Queen Charlotte shared the same vibe as his Little Flower.

Now that they were standing so close together, it was unbelievable for Prince Phoenix. The only difference is, the color of their eyes. His Little Flower had brighter bluish green eyes whereas the Queen's eyes were a dark shade of green. Alexander too had the same structure as the King. It was very subtle but everything was there. He also shared the similar dark eyes of the King's. Nothing further was needed to be said. Queen Aurora looked at the Dark Prince with watery eyes. She then looked back at Eve. With shaky hands she reached out to touch Eve's cheek. The girl flinched but did not move away.

Queen Aurora frowned and looked at the Dark Prince. He just gave a signal that he would explain things later. The fae queen continued to look deep into Eve's eyes. She caressed her cheek again and this time Eve couldn't help but lean into her warm touch. The movement came naturally to her.

"A...Aeval..? My little Aeval?" the Queen held back her tears. It has been ten long years. It felt like a whole lifetime.

"Alexander," the King said to his son. He knew damn well it was his boy and after saying his name, the king crushed him in a hug, refusing to let go even after a long time. King Sindrion was afraid that they would disappear again.

He was consumed with feelings he couldn't explain. They thought their twins were gone. They were forced to believe that the only heirs were gone. They had lost their children, their future, and now out of nowhere, here they stand. As real as the Sun and skies.

Queen Aurora took her daughter in her arms and wept as well.

"My Aeval Florentine, I...I thought..." she looked at her Alexander and held his hand while still hugging her daughter. The Queen couldn't stop crying out of joy, and happiness. No one could describe how the King and Queen felt at that moment of reunion.

After a while King Sindrion took his daughter in his arms while Queen Aurora embraced Alexander. He too became teary at some point. He felt the instant connection with his parents. He needed no further prove, no more test results. He just knew he was theirs.

Alex was home. Both him and his sister were.

The fae queen looked at the Dark Prince standing at a distance, giving the family some privacy.

"Please, let this be real. Tell me it's not a joke or my imagination."

"It is none of that Queen Aurora. This is real. You know it is."

"How can we ever thank you?"

"I didn't do anything. It was my mother who put the pieces together not me. Before that, both of them were castle servants and...and...the little one was my personal servant." He kept his gaze down after saying the last part.

Every bad thing he did to his Little Flower came crashing back. King Sindrion Celeste and Queen Aurora wanted to thank him?

If only they knew.

"You brought them here. Safe and in one piece. We thought our Aeval and Alexander were....were.. "

"I know but they're not. They were never gone. My family and I should actually apologize for not realizing who they were sooner." Prince Phoenix said softly looking at Eve. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes were shining like gem stones as she gazed upon her parents. King Sindrion still had her in his arms.

"Why do you call my sister Aeval my Queen?" Alex suddenly asked.

"My Queen? I know it's been a decade son but I'm still your mother." Queen Aurora said. Her voice sounded a little hurt but the Dark Prince understood Alex.

Alexander shyly looked away.

"You will not call me by my title." she whispered. The boy smiled nervously and tried calling her mother. It was experimental but he liked it. Queen Aurora smiled at her son lovingly.

Maybe mother is too formal. Maybe mama would be nice? He thought to himself.

"Better and why the odd question? That was always her name," the queen looked at Eve.

"Well, when both of you were toddlers, you used to call her Eve or Evie because you couldn't pronounce her real name and it was too long for you. So you must have gotten used to it." King Sindrion explained.

"So her name was never Eve?!" Eve looked more confused than ever. Even the Dark Prince felt a little bad for her but honestly he didn't care what her name was. She was always and will always be Little Flower to him.

"Her name is Aeval Florentine Sindrion Celeste and you, Alexander Fay Sindrion Celeste." The Queen spoke proudly.

"Can I stick with Evie?" this brought out a laugh from the King. Eve, now Aeval smiled at Alex. She was already used to him calling her Evie. The queen just groaned. Then she swiftly turned to Prince Phoenix.

"I should have had you settled in. My apologies."

"This was nice to watch though. I didn't want to miss it," he said still looking at Aeval. The queen saw something she never saw before in the Prince's eyes. His gaze towards her daughter held a deep emotion. She swallowed her surprise for the time being and arranged rooms for all of them.

~~~~~~~

Aeval and Alex had been shown around the entire castle. They were both dressed differently now. Alexander was looking more and more like the prince he really is. He had put on a few kilos and was becoming healthier. Muscular even. The King was teaching him everything that he had missed. He also said that Alex, from a very young age had always dreamed of becoming a warrior in Golden Haven.

He was already wielding his sword at the age of five. His father laughed when he told him this. Both the King and Queen spoke a lot about how things were before they went missing.

While Alex trained, certain moves came naturally to him. Like he was made for it.

Aeval was not talking much though but that's how Queen Aurora recalled her personality. She wasn't talkative.

However, as the days went by, the Queen noticed certain peculiar things about her daughter. Like how she wouldn't get close to any man other than her father, Alex and sometimes the Dark Prince. She wouldn't even make eye contact or smile at any male. Besides that, she would always flinch at the sound of doors opening and closing. Aeval was alright with the queen but sometimes Queen Aurora sensed fear in her. She shouldn't be afraid of her own mother.

Queen Aurora observed her more and decided to wait. She assumed that it was the new environment all the big news that made her nervous. One of the reasons for not having a celebration for their return. When Aeval's behavior did not change, she confronted the Dark Prince and told him to meet her in the gardens that evening.

~~~~~

"There's something very off about my daughter. I know she's my daughter but I also know she's not herself. Don't hide anything from me young prince, I really need to know the cause of her behavior. It is worrying me-"

He looked away and let out a sigh. "I guess it's time I told you everything. Shall we sit?"

The queen hesitantly nodded and they sat under a huge gazebo nearby.

The Prince waited too long before starting.

"I don't care how bad it was, but I want you to be honest with me. You're hesitating, it is scaring me. Are you the cause of it all?" the Queen asked sternly but not too strict. She still wanted to know what had happened to her beloved daughter.

"I would like to think that I was not the cause of it. Sadly, I did played my part in it."

"W...what did you do Prince Phoenix. I know how personal servants are treated but-"

"It's good that you know. She was just a human servant to me. I never knew anything about her so you can imagine the way I treated her," the Prince buried his face in his hands.

"What. Did. You. Do?"

That was all the Queen said ..... and he obeyed. He told her everything he did. How he felt towards her at first and how he couldn't control his emotions and all the things he put her through.

When he was done, the Prince couldn't look at Queen Aurora.

"I was horrible but for some reason I couldn't stop. I needed her. Even when I tried to fix it, I ended up hurting my Little Flower?" he spoke softly with remorse.

The Queen was puzzled when she heard the nickname but she let it slide. She knew he was hiding a lot more and she knew that that wasn't completely the cause of Aeval's fears.

Knowingly or unknowingly he must have brought a lot of pain to her daughter.

That alone spiked up her anger. The queen was an old being so she simply guessed the young reckless prince had feelings for her daughter and didn't know how to show it. He was always matured in all the other aspects of his life.....except wooing a girl. That was unheard of.

'He must have acted like a moron and extremely childlike,' the Queen thought. He needed to be taught some serious lesson.

But first, she needed to get to the bottom of this.

"You're not telling me everything. I can tell there's more. So don't make me ask again, prince." The Prince looked at her calculatively.

How would she react if she knew everything?

"Remember when I said I didn't like letting her out of my chambers?" Queen Aurora nodded.

"I gave her strict orders not to leave the room when I came here to fight the war. I ordered Percival and Odelle to look after her. It was only for a few days, a week at most so I wasn't worried. Plus, at the time, I had successfully scared her into submission so I knew she wouldn't leave." He said staring at a the plants. Then he was quiet again.

"Did she?"

"Hmm?"

"Did Aeval leave? Did that make you angry?" the queen's eyes had a soft glow in them, signalling that she was getting anxious.

"No..."

"Then?"

"Wouldn't it be better if she told you everything?" Prince Phoenix suddenly didn't want to tell the queen anything.

"She wouldn't. I know she won't so just spit it out now! I want to help my daughter and can't do that if I'm left in the dark about all this!!"

The whole garden became uncomfortable. The trees swayed anxiously. The leaves rustled in a warning manner. The whole place was on high alert, waiting for any order that came from the queen. The prince swallowed. A rare feeling crept into him. As a dark being, the power emitting from the queen, a light being was making his body uncomfortable. She already had a deadly hold on him. And he submitted to her power.

He deserved it.

"Alright then but before I start I want you to know that I'm deeply sorry. For everything I did. If you want to hurt me by the end of this, go all out. I deserve it." He said looking at her in the eye. Queen Aurora instantly knew she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. She felt his apology and guilt. Her eyes were beginning to sting but she quickly focused on what he was going to say. There was no time for tears now.

~~~~~~~~~

An hour and a half later, the Prince was done.

Queen Aurora stared at the flower behind the Dark Prince. Not moving, not blinking. The entire flower bush behind him wilted. It didn't stop there, no. The living plant crumpled into an ugly dark brown as the queen's eyes glowed in utter rage, disbelief and disgust. She simply stared and remained still as a statue. It was like the life was sucked out of her.

Aeval and Alex were a part of her, and to think they went through all of that. Especially her girl, she couldn't believe it. The dark prince reached out and took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry it happened but you have no idea how much she has improved. So much, Queen Aurora."

"Please leave." She said. Her voice was strained like she was holding herself back.

"I am-"

"Leave now, Prince Phoenix! I won't hurt you if I were to prolong feeling this way!" She took a deep breath to calm her raging nerves.

"I might just kill you. For what you did. For the part you played."

The prince nodded at once. He stood up, bowed and stood there. He knew she needed some time alone but he wasn't sure if he should simply leave her in that state.

"The only reason I'm sparing you is because you saved her. You killed those bastards. You brought my children back to me. However, compared to what happened to my Aeval there's just too little to be thankful for. No matter how much you helped her, I am still disgusted, furious and disappointed at how you treated my daughter. I will not easily forgive. So fucking get out of my sight." Queen Aurora said when he was at a distance.

"I hope I can-"

"If you want to be helpful in any way right now Prince Phoenix, leave now. A fae's wrath is not something to be fucking messed with."

And so he left the queen at once.

~~~~~~~~~~~

That night the fae queen walked into her daughter's chambers. Her room was big and painted a light cream color with a touch of light beige. Aeval was seated on her queen sized bed, reading a story book about Faes and Pixies.

"Studying about our kind?" the little red head swiftly turned around and almost dropped the book. She looked alarmed at first then she slowly relaxed knowing it was only her mother. Queen Aurora sat close beside her.

She had missed her so much.

"Interesting book?"

"Yes..."

"When are you going to call me mama like you used to?" she asked lightly.

"Sorry....mama."

"Oh I love that," the queen tucked a lose strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. Aeval gave a small smile liking her touch very much.

The queen slowly reached for the girl's right hand. She then carefully pushed the sleeve up. Not expecting that from her mother, the girl immediately pulled back and scooted away from the queen.

"Hey, sshh, I know. I know. I already know what happened. There's nothing to be afraid of now my sweet Aeval." Queen Aurora whispered as softly as she could not wanting to scare the girl even more. Aeval's eyes widened and she looked away in shame. Queen Aurora's heart shattered when she saw that look.

"I am so so sorry for all that has happened my baby. I'm so sorry I wish you never had to go through any of that," the queen's eyes were watery now and so was Aeval's.

Seconds after looking at each other, Aeval jumped into the queen's arms. She didn't weep much, she just wanted a warm motherly hug.

"Oh my sweet, sweet girl. Your father and I should have protected you more," tears leaked from the queen's eyes.

"N..No." came through girl's soft voice.

"What?"

"Not your fault. Not papa's fault too."

"It sure feels like it," the queen smiled through her tears.

"Don't blame yourselves. I....I..okay." She said struggling with her words.

"You are strong you know that. You are so very strong Aeval Florentine. You might be the strongest of us all. Not only on the inside but physically as well. Your powers are strong, mighty. You just need to know how to use them, how to control and unlock everything, then you'll see for yourself sweetheart."

"I...not..powerful....No."

"Why do you say that? I don't know who could have survived or even endured what you went through. You're also a royal fae creature with many gifts so never think that you're anything ordinary Aeval. Once you've reached your full potential, your body will change too. All the scars will heal, my sweet child, I promise you that." Queen Aurora whispered the last part.

"Really?" the girl tilted her head to the side and looked at her mother hopefully.

"Yes, really. You'll see but first you'll have to recover, spiritually, mentally and emotionally ."

"H...hard....very hard."

"I know. It's beyond difficult but you can do it. You can come out of all the hurt and wear your scars like an armor. It will only show how strong you really are Aeval." The queen hugged her again, wondering why her daughter had to go through so much at such a young age.

~~~~~~~~~