"I'M BUSY, MAG," Killian said as he moved one of the crates from the cart.
"You have not taken a break for hours," Magnolia did not add another word, but she stared at him with determined eyes. The gray eyes that reminded Killian of their father every time he looked at them.
He chuckled. "Fine. I guess I'll take a break now."
Magnolia beamed and linked her arm through his. "I have made sandwiches." She wiggled the basket she was holding.
Killian smiled. "Good, I am starving."
He was so happy to see life back in his sister's eyes. Ever since Laya found them and told her about Geoffrey, she was back to being herself again.
She missed her son, but knowing that he was alive and safe was enough to make her happy.
A picnic this time of the year would usually be impossible, but the day was quite hot for the season.
The siblings walked a bit until they reached a vast plain. They spread a blanket and sat down before Magnolia emptied her basket.
She was so excited to have her first picnic with her brother, even though he told her that they had had a few when they were children. Magnolia still could not remember anything from her childhood. To her, this was her first picnic with Killian.
"This is delicious," Killian mumbled as soon as he took a bite of his sandwich, making his sister smile.
They sat there in silence, eating and enjoying the beautiful scenery. There was a stream close by, the sound was quite soothing.
"How did you come up with the name, Phoenix?" Magnolia asked.
"That's an unexpected question."
"I'm just curious," she added with a shrug.
"Well, it was not me who came up with the name," Killian said before he took another sip of his wine. "It was Bryst. He said it was befitting for a group led by a Gottanlich."
"How?"
"I guess you don't recall the story mother used to tell us."
Magnolia shook her head.
"Bryst said that it was not a bedtime story, but the legend of one of our ancestors." Killian lay on his elbows and looked to the clear sky. "Hundreds of years ago, there was a boy, Gelan Gottanlich. From a young age, he showed great potential, and everyone said that he was probably the strongest Gottanlich in history. They were right. Gelan was the strongest pureblood in the history of Malorenia, not just in the Gottanlich family."
His sister listened with anticipation.
"But he was not only famous for being powerful. When a neighboring country declared war on us, they targeted Gelan. They knew of his magic and needed to get rid of him if they wanted to win. So, they killed him."
Magnolia blinked her eyes at him a few times. "Is that the end of the story, Lian?" she asked, annoyed.
"No." He laughed. "The enemy killed him, but as they were about to move his corpse, his body burst into flames. From those flames, a huge phoenix appeared. It flew to the sky while everyone watched in shock. When the bird came back down, Gelan walked right out of the fire. He didn't even have one scratch on his body. That's the legend of the Phoenix, Mag."
They were both silent for a moment.
"That's why we named our group after it," Killian resumed. "Because the Gottanlich family will be reborn just like a phoenix, and not even Titus can stop us."
***
TRUST ME MAGNOLIA, LET ME OUT.
***
Magnolia opened her eyes to a bright room. She squinted until she could get used to the lights. She was in an unfamiliar bedroom, lying down in an unfamiliar bed.
'What the hell?'
She sat up to look around.
'Am I dead?'
The last thing she remembered was falling down as the whole Crystal Villa crumbled.
'No, the last thing I remember was that voice.'
"My goodness." A voice interrupted her thoughts. When Magnolia looked to the source, she found Daniel standing at the threshold. "My love." He rushed to her and took her in his arms. "You're finally awake."
He cupped her face and gazed into her eyes, then he kissed her gently.
"I thought I had lost you again."
"What happened?" Magnolia finally found her voice.
"First of all, let me call Aunt Paula. You have been asleep for a week."
"A week?" Her eyes bulged.
Daniel did not give her any time to ask more questions. He was gone in a blink of an eye. Soon after, he came back with his aunt and Geoffrey in his arms.
"Mama," the boy called, urging his father to let him down. He ran to Magnolia and linked his arms around her neck. "Mama."
"Oh, Geoffrey." They both squeezed each other. Happy tears filled their eyes.
"I'm glad you're awake, dear," Paula said with a wide smile. "Let me do a quick scan, just to make sure everything is well."
Geoffrey joined Daniel as they stood to the side to allow Paula to do her work. It only took a few minutes and as soon as she was done, they were back by Magnolia's side.
"It looks like everything is normal."
"Great news," Daniel rejoiced.
"I will take my leave then, I'm sure you have much to talk about."
"Thank you, Aunt Paula," Magnolia said.
She was still disoriented as to how she ended up here after falling to her death. But as Geoffrey snuggled against her, she decided to ask questions later.
"Mama, I have missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, dear."
"And I have missed you as well," Daniel added, making Magnolia smile. It was a blissful moment, a miracle really.
"So? Can you tell me what happened to me?" Magnolia finally asked Daniel. Geoffrey had just reluctantly left to take his bath. "The last thing I remember was falling as the walls of the house fell with me. There is no way I could have survived that."
The duke was silent for a moment. "Your brother said it was a legend."
"A legend?"
"Yes, it was unbelievable, Magnolia," Daniel said. "The whole building collapsed. We knew there could not be any survivors. I–I felt like my heart was torn out of my chest. The idea of never seeing you again…"
Magnolia placed her hand on top of Daniel's and squeezed it.
"We thought you were dead, but suddenly a bird in flames flew from the middle of the debris, a phoenix." Magnolia's eyes widened. "When the bird came down, you walked right out of the flames. You lost consciousness as soon as you did, and you finally woke up now, a week later."
"A phoenix…" Magnolia uttered in shock.
"Yes, it was a miracle, love. I am grateful to have you back." Daniel leaned in and kissed her head. "Please, don't ever leave me again," he whispered against her hair.
"As long as you never leave me, Daniel."
"Deal." They both chuckled and locked lips.