Talis needs to heal. Raina, sometimes, when a soldier puts everything he has into his job and protecting his charge, they die. Talis knew the risk baby, and he was willing to take that chance for your father. Keep the hope alive in your heart, pray he returns to you. The best thing we can do is make him proud, if he reaches Moria, he will want to watch over his perfect Princess." Kyera replied gently tapping her nose gently. Raina's young eyes were sad as she nodded with renewed determination.
"Why must death exist?" Raina muttered softly, and Kyera knelt down, ignoring the flowy dress she was wearing. This lesson was too important to be given from different heights.
"Raina, death is necessary. Though they leave us, they are never truly gone. They leave this earth, to a plane where the damage and pain stops. Talis spent his entire life defending the laws of the forest, he will be welcomed as a hero at the gates of Moria, honored for his service to the Shadow King. Sometimes, as much as we want our loved ones to be with us always, we must remember it is a selfish wish. In death is sometimes the only time some people feel peace. Talis will return to you, if he is ready, if not he will watch over you from above." Kyera smiled softly and cupped her cheek with her hand.
"With my real Mommy?" Raina asked and Kyera tensed. She knew what she had smelled on that woman. There was more to this topic than Kyera knew. That didn't change the sting when Raina used the word 'real'. She was right though, Kyera wasn't her birth mother but that only sharpened the painful ache in Kyera's heart. She forced a sweet smile, and appeared confident.
"With your father's first wife, yes." Kyera replied carefully and Raina nodded. Kan swept a bow for them both, drawing Raina's attention. Her eyes lit up. Kyera breathed a sigh of relief as Kan rescued her from those probing eyes.
"Your dressed as a Knight, Kan! Congratulations!" Raina smiled, cheering. He smiled softly but more truly than she had ever seen before. Kan Knelt and bowed his head to the young princess. It was clear he was pledging loyalty to the child he considered the future Princess of the Forest.
"Yes My lady, thank you. I will protect you well until Talis can return to his place as a guard." Kan replied with a serious expression, his tone gentle but determined. The child seemed to be caught in a complicated wave of emotion as he spoke. The words she needed were just out of reach, she knew she had read about this before in her books from Daxin.
"Then I am in your care." Raina replied finally, She finalized it by crossing one foot over the other and dipping into a curtsey. Kyera smiled proud of her for accepting her second knight. Eventually she prayed Raina would be surrounded by knights she trusted just as much as Kyera trusted the Forest Knights.
"Good to see everyone is dressed and ready." Clovis greeted as he walked out into the courtyard smoothing his tunic out a bit, and straightening his belt. Kyera sighed and walked over to adjust his clothing so he looked more than just presentable, and more like a prince.
"We have been for a little while." Kyera replied as she finished adjusting him. Once he looked presentable she smiled. "There." Just as she looked up he planted a light kiss on her lips.
"What would I do without my lady wife?" He asked and Kyera chuckled at his teasing smile, there was a passion smoldering in his eyes that made her blush slightly. That hunger for her never seemed to leave him, and to be honest she knew how that felt. Her soul burned for more of him, for the passion and safety he provided like an all consuming fire.
"You would be utterly lost." Kyera purred before stepping back and smiling at their daughter. Raina was busy talking to Kan about his tunic pattern. The forest knight uniform was embroidered with purpose, each stitch and shape was made for a reason, with significance. Now that Rania had discovered this, she was asking Kan all sorts of questions that he was more than capable of answering. He knew the history of the knights as well as anyone else, and perhaps better than some of their young bloods.