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❤️ Gwen and Kando (Part 3) ❤️

Ashland Palace:

Storm didn't say anything, he and Kira stood inside the room as they watched the healer rubbing some herbs he had pound and mixed on exposed her stomach and then forced her to drink some substance.

Phoenix was sitting next to Gwen and Kando was holding onto her hands, whispering some words into her ear which seemed to be working on her and making Gwen relax a bit.

After a while, the healer was done with Gwen and then focused on Phoenix for a very short while.

"Be watching her, she will soon be going into labor," the healer said as he packed his things into his bag. "The substance I have to get will help her reduce the pain she is in, but it won't hold for long," he added.

"When will she give birth?" Kira asked in concern.

"I don't know, that depends on her body. Let her rest." the healer told them.

"And what about my mother?" Storm asked, gesturing with his head towards Phoenix.

"She looked fine to me, I don't know what is wrong with her. I have checked and discovered that there is nothing wrong with your mother," the healer said what he observed.

"What are you trying to say?" Storm asked.

"I mean, whatever is making her cough out blood must do with magic." the healer explained. Checking on Phoenix, he found no ailment on her. "In case you need me again, I will always be available." With that being said, he left the room and left the Palace.

"We need to talk outside," Storm said and left the room, no one needed to point out who he was referring to.

Kira rolled her eyes and tried to help Phoenix up but the woman waved one of her hands which made Kira pause in her movement as she watched the woman.

"I can stand up on my own Juno," Phoenix said and to prove her point, she stood and walked out of the room, Kira following closely behind her.

Storm was just outside the room door waiting for his mother, he didn't say anything when he saw Kira.

"Why?" he demanded.

Phoenix took a deep breath. "I had to leave you here because staying with me will put you in danger. In fact I knew that Edgardo was coming for me, I had seen the sign when this cough started so I had to do what I thought was best." she explained to her son.

"You should have told me that from the beginning inside of leaving me in the dark. I would have gladly gone to meet my father if you had explained to me instead of collecting those coins he gave to you that night. I was hurt, very hurt." Storm told her. He was angry

"I am sorry if you saw it that way my son. I thought if I had explained it to you, you wouldn't understand and that was why I left you without any explanation and I am so sorry for doing that to you." Phoenix apologized.

"Why I am not hurting you right this minute was because of your message I saw a few days ago." Storm told her. "You gave me head up about my brother but you never told me we may look alike." He added.

"I didn't know you would grow to look at him but you are different from him," Phoenix said. "Please, no matter what happens, don't ever become like your brother." She added in seriousness.

"Why will I become like him? We don't bear the same name and we have different personalities so I can't become like him." Storm said with a grimace.

"I am sorry for everything that I put you through." Phoenix apologized once again. If only Storm could see her heart right now and know how sorry she is for abandoning him. But it was for his own safety.

"My father and I went to look for you the next day but couldn't find you. I was sad when I discovered that body Edgardo had used in your replacement and when I observed that it wasn't you, I was happy and hopeful that one day I will see you. I thought you were hiding from me and father until I read your letter and discovered that Edgardo was the one who took you captive. It was as if you knew he was coming for you." Storm explained to his mother.

"I know he was coming for the both of us and I can't protect us if you're around so I had to take you to your father that night and write that letter with the hope that you will discover it a few nights later. At least for you to know the reason why I had left you in the first place. I am sorry if that hurt you." Phoenix said. She was ready to apologize to her son all day long until he forgives her.

"Even though I am angry at you for not telling me your plan, I am glad you left me behind. I wouldn't have met Juno or Gwen and my master. I didn't know how to fight then but father wanted me to know how to wield a sword so he took me to the Garden of Edenis after some misunderstanding took place. So I am no longer angry at you mother." Storm told her. If not for the letter he had seen and read in that room, he wouldn't have known he had a brother so he wasn't that surprised when he saw Edgardo, the only thing that made him a little bit surprise was the fact that they look like each other, other than that, he wasn't surprised at all.

"Thank you so much for your forgiveness Storm," Phoenix said with tears in her eyes. "I thought you would hate me like Edgardo did." she added.

"Why will I hate you when you did absolutely nothing wrong? Though I had to admit that the way you left me in the dark was wrong, but I am still grateful for trying to keep me safe." He said.

"C-can I hug you then?" Phoenix asked in a whisper. "At least it will show me that you are no longer angry with me."

Without replying to her, Storm closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly.

"Is this enough, mother to convince you that I have already forgiven you?" Storm asked, kissing the top of her head slightly and smiling down at her. Then his face clouded with confusion. "If he had kidnapped you when I was young, what stopped him from finding out where I was and killing me since I was still a child?"

"That's because he couldn't get you just like he did with Dean, well according to him and killing you wasn't that enough, though he didn't explain that much," Phoenix answered then loosen her arms around him. "I need to take my bath." she announced.

"Gwen and Kando will need their privacy and since Emera hasn't returned, you will have your bath in his bathroom." Storm told her.

"Okay, I don't know which of the rooms is his," Phoenix said. "And also I will need to change my clothes." She added sadly.

"Don't worry, Juno will take you there." Storm said to her. "And about your clothes, I will collect a dress from Rose. You both are of the same height and almost have the same body stature." he added.

"Will she give it to you?"

"Why won't she?" Storm said and without a word he left them, heading towards the Empress Rose room.

Kira grabbed hold of Phoenix arm gently and led her towards the room Emera was staying in.

"So how did you and my son meet? I mean Storm?" Phoenix asked.

"Oh, we met in the Palace, the first day I saw him I was like how beautiful his eyes were," Kira began as she started telling Phoenix everything.

___

Empress Rose Room:

Storm knocked once and waited until he heard her voice.

"Who is it?"

"It's Storm."

"Go away, you're not welcome here." Empress Rose said.

Opening the door and stepping into the room, he saw Fred sitting at the feet of his mother with his painting things, Storm guessed he was painting his mother. Two servantd were fanning them.

"Didn't you hear what I said, you are not welcome here," Empress Rose said to Storm angrily, her lips upwards. "If you had listened to me when I told you to lock the door he wouldn't have come inside my room." she chided Fred.

"That still won't stop me." Storm told her.

"Mother please cease shaking your body. I want to get your perfect beautiful face clearly." Fred said and Empress Rose had to force herself to smile and hold still in the chair.

"What do you want?" She asked with the side of her mouth and Storm wondered how she was able to do that.

"Didn't you know that this palace was under attack by Dean armies?" Storm asked instead.

"I know, but you and Morgan are there and not to forget Emera. What do you want me to do? Lead you guys to war?" Empress Rose said, rolling her eyes at him.

"And what about you Fred? Didn't you know it's time for you to draw out your sword and fight like a man that you are?"

"My mother didn't allow me too," Fred said with a sad sigh. "I wanted to help but as you can see, she asked me to draw her instead." he added a second later. "And I can't reject her request, Storm."

"He is still a boy, a young child to me. I won't send my two sons into war, I already lost one of my children, I won't lose both of them, they're the only ones I have left. Morgan has gone to fight. Do you want my last child to go as well?" Empress Rose said. "I know your plan, you want my two sons to die in the war so that you can rule the kingdoms, that's why you are here instead of fighting and being by Morgan's side, well your planned failed."

"Morgan will be safe, you don't have to worry about him," Storm said.

"Of course he will be safe, he has my strong blood running through his veins, men in my family all live long lives." Empress Rose told him rudely. "Why are you here, as you can see my son is drawing me and I want to be in a good posture so hurry up and talk, I don't want to see your hideous face around me."

"I need your dress, at least two gowns will do." Storm replied to her.

"What for? Oh I see that servant girl you came with has told you she needed my own dress, greedy fellow. Well, go and tell her that Empress Rose doesn't share her clothes with anyone not to talk of a low life like her." She spat out.

"The dress is not for Gwen and stop talking about her like that, besides, she is better than you. Anyway, the gown is for my mother."

Empress Rose laughed as if what Storm said was a joke.

"Your mother indeed and you want me to believe that?" she asked, laughing out the more. "If I remember correctly your mother is dead."

"That was what I thought too until I saved her from her prisoner." Storm told her. Her words are not getting to him.

"I am happy for you, I can't wait to see your mother," Fred said turning slightly to face Storm and smiled which reached his eyes. A knock on his head from Empress Rose made him face his front.

"Now if you will excuse me," he said, going to the wardrobe and selected two dresses from there. "My mother really needed the clothes and I know you are generous enough to give me." he added and left without waiting to hear Empress Rose protest.

"Bast.ard," she said once Storm was out of her room. "I should have killed him when he was still a child. It could have saved me all the stress I am going through because of him. Now he brought in someone and is claiming it is his mother, can the dead be back?" She asked no one.

"Mother please, it's enough. I'm almost through." Fred said focusing more on his painting than on his mother's frowning face.

__

Storm's Room:

"How have you been, Beautiful?" Kando asked once they were alone. It seems like forever to have everyone out of the room so that he could talk to Gwen. Time was no longer by his side. He needed to return to Dean and report back to him.

Trying to sit upright in the bed which made the bed linen slide lower to her naked thigh but Kando stopped her.

"I only asked you a question and didn't tell you to sit up. Do you want to hurt yourself more?" he asked softly.

"I am fine now. I'm okay and alive so you don't have to worry about me," Gwen said, biting back a whimper that was threatening to escape her lips.

"Gwen..." Kando began but Gwen interrupted him.

"I still love you Kando, you might not love me back like I do and you might hate that I am keeping your child to keep you close to me but I swear that wasn't my intention, I didn't even know I was pregnant until Rumi pointed it out and it happened so fast and now I am spotting a big tummy. I know you might hate me for that." Gwen said in tears. "I still choose you Kando, even when Morgan asked me to marry you and I refused him because I bear to marry someone I don't love. I love you Kando, I love you so much that it breaks my heart that you don't love me back, but I understand." Gwen told him.

"It's okay Beautiful, I do not hate you," Kando said, placing a hand to rub her tummy gently which helped in reducing her pain a bit. "I love you Gwenevere ever since the day I saw you and I still love you till now. I was hurt that you rejected my love and that made me not believe you when you said those words to me that night. I was thinking about you all through and that was the reason why I came here to see you. I have made up my mind to let go of the love I have for you if I see you are truly happy with Morgan. Your words gladlys my heart, Beautiful, and I am happy to hear you truly mean those words. I am sorry if I hurt you by my silence." he told Gwen sincerely with a smile.

Gwen smiled back at him. "Kiss me to make it all better Kando. I love you."

"I love you too, Beautiful."

Kando didn't need to be told twice and he lean forward to press his lips against hers.

___

"Did she give it to you?" Kira asked as she collected the two dresses from Storm, staring at him with raised brows.

"With pleasure, in fact she was telling me to take more of her dresses for my mother which I humbly refused and just took these two. She thanked me though." Storm said, kissing Kira on her lips briefly. He could hear the running water from the bathroom.

"I find that hard to believe, I believe it is the opposite of what you are telling me." Kira said with a smile.

"Believe whatever you want, sweetheart, I just told you my own part of the story." Storm said with a smile too. "I will be outside waiting for the both of you." he added and kissed Kira again then left the room.

He saw Emera and Morgan covered in blood, hopefully Dean armies, and hurried went to meet them.

"Did we succeed?" he asked.

"Yes, we were able to stop them and kill them with the aid of our own armies." Emera answered. They had gone and stopped the test of Dean armies from invading the other villages. Morgan had took over five thousand armies with him.

"So you are not hurt?" Storm asked.

"No and I don't think Prince Morgan is hurt either." Emera said, staring side glance at Morgan.

"Is he still here?" Morgan demanded.

Storm already knew who he was asking so he nodded his head at his question.

"I will kill him."

So easy for you to say. Storm thought.

"Gwen is in pain and Kando is the only one who can make her pain go away." He told Morgan.

Morgan snarled angrily and headed to the room he knew Gwen would be in.

"Won't you stop him?" Emera asked in concern.

"I would if Kando wasn't there, but Morgan is a big guy, he can fight his own battle."

"Why will Dean attack us?"

"What else, he wants Juno back and also you won't believe who I met today." Storm said with a grin.

"Who?"

"Edgardo." Storm told him and saw Kira and his mother heading towards their direction.

"What?" Emera's lips were wide open and his eyes weren't doing justice to how big they are.

"Yes, still keep your mouth and eyes wide open because that's not the best part. There is another piece of news."

"Hello Emera." Phoenix's voice sounded behind him and when Emera turned around, he nearly fell down on his feet.

***

The Cave:

The destroyed pieces of rock that had fallen started moving and soon they went scattering around as Edgardo rose from it.

He twisted his neck back to its original position and smirked, staring at Storm's blood on his knuckle; the one he used in punching Storm.

The blood there started coming together and soon they emerged and were on his palm.

"This will do," he said to himself as Storm blood entered his palm. "You came without fear, Storm. Don't have any regrets, no matter what happens. This is the duel you wanted."