Kalys arrived home early that day, collecting her and heading straight to his study. He thought they could make a start before dinner.


    He pulled the chair from the other side of his desk to a spot beside him so they could both read the journal. The fact he had come upon her spot in the book so quickly was an indication she wasn''t reading it fast enough.


    He was aware she had come to the Academy completely illiterate, but she''d completed assignments and essays, so he knew she was more than capable of reading now.


    She sat beside him, discomfort written all over her face. He''d thought they had reached a more agreeable relationship before she left; perhaps he''d been mistaken...


    "What is it?" He finally asked.


    "What is what?"


    "You look like you would rather be anywhere else. This is important, Sun."


    "I know. And it''s not... that..." She let out a sigh, looking up to the roof as if she might find help there. "I''m... a very slow reader. You''re going to get irritated having to keep to my pace. Sometimes I have to reread parts a few times to process the words properly and... sometimes my brain doesn''t always pay attention to the words my eyes are seeing, so I have to read it again."


    She muttered, her face flushed with shame as she glared down at the desk in front of her.


    Ah. Was that why Nickolai so often read to her?


    "It''s easier to hear the words than read them?" He asked.


    She nodded.


    "I will read it to you then."


    Her eyes shot to his, surprised. But she nodded.


    He''d have thought that being read to might shame her more considering it was something often considered infantile, something parents did for their children at bedtime. Then it occurred to him she may not know that. She''d never had it. His father and his grandfather had read to him often as a child and fostered a love of the written word in him from a young age.


    Sun''s childhood had been consumed with survival. And from what he understood, none of them had been able to read, so she''d had no one to teach her.


    He clenched his teeth, forcing the indignation to pass. She should not have suffered that kind of childhood, but there was nothing to be done for it now. He could only ensure she had a better future.


    She drew her knees up into the seat, curling up in what he assumed must have been a comfortable position for her, and he started reading the next entry. She did at least look like she was listening attentively.


    Perhaps next time they would do this somewhere more comfortable, as he''d seen her do with Nickolai.


    Reading through it with her was an improvement; he could have his questions answered immediately when it came to her own abilities, and she was able to get her questions answered about the writers, the people, and the places. At times it turned into a discussion about their family history, something he was well versed in. They even went on tangents about her own past—at least what she was comfortable divulging. He got the feeling there was a lot she wasn''t going into. As much as he wanted to know, he wouldn''t push. He''d seen where that got him. He was nothing if not a quick learner, and he found it surprisingly easy to bend his will for her, to make her an exception to his rules.


    Some of them at least.


    -


    Sun and Kalys sat at the dinner table quietly enjoying their meal. At least she was; she couldn''t tell with him. She thought she might have been getting better at reading him sometimes, or maybe he was just letting his guard down around her slightly.


    They had been reading through the journal every night the past few nights. Their pace wasn''t as quick as him on his own, but much faster than her on her own. They often stopped to speak, and she found it... nice. And informative.


    She knew they were related, obviously, that they shared a family history and relatives. But it had all seemed so distant from her. When she spoke with her brother about it, it almost helped establish a connection for her; it didn''t feel so far removed.


    Occasionally she had wondered what it would have been like had she grown up here, if she''d known her father, grown up with Kalys as a brother, and not learnt that tidbit after she had been attracted to him. It had felt... disloyal to Nick and Zen, though, to imagine a life that wouldn''t have had them in it. Even if she could have, she wouldn''t change it. She would go through it all again to keep them by her side.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    A loud crack shattered the silence in the dining room, and both turned to the sound, Kalys ready to attack. He relaxed only slightly when he realised it was Nickolai teleporting in.


    "Sun!" He grabbed her hand. "Zen is back; he''s hurt, in the hospital wing. We have to go."


    Before Kalys could do anything, the both of them disappeared.


    Kalys let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He''d never thought about the possibility of someone teleporting straight into his estate and stealing his sister. He would need to invest some time into figuring out a way to prevent that.


    Nick ported them to the Academy and started leading her through the halls. They weren''t going to the Academy''s infirmary.


    "Where are we going?" She asked him.


    "The hospital wing up in Perdition, in the Sixth," he replied. "He was badly hurt. I heard he almost died."


    The Academy infirmary wasn''t equipped enough to deal with serious or severe injuries. The few times one of the students had been hurt badly enough, they''d had to go up to Perdition to be treated. It must have been bad if Zen was sent there.


    They ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, running through Perdition towards the medical division. They skidded to a halt just outside the gates and tried to appear more orderly. The last thing they wanted was to be kicked out because they weren''t behaving.


    They headed over to reception and asked for Zen Farron. The nurse gestured to a room down the hall, and they set off at a very brisk pace.


    They probably should have asked about his condition first to prepare them, but they had been in too much of a rush. When they entered his room, they found him unconscious in the bed, hooked up to tubes and machines. Both of them froze, eyes wide. Nick grabbed her hand tightly, grounding both himself and her, and they slowly headed closer. Zen looked so pale. It barely looked like he was breathing. His face had bruises and cuts. He wore no shirt, most of his torso covered in gauze, the pungent smell of antiseptic thick in the air. The near-fatal wound must have been under those bandages.


    Nick sat her down beside the bed while he retrieved a chair from the corner, sitting on Zen''s other side. Sun reached out, taking her unconscious friend''s hand in her good one. It was so cold. Zen had always been warm, in body and personality. It was hard to see him like this. She was half tempted to try shaking him awake and scolding him for worrying them. She smoothed some of his bright orange hair from his eyes. They fluttered at the contact, and hope welled within her. They both leaned forward eagerly and stared intensely at their friend. After a few moments, his eyes opened, and he cast both of them a small smile. They returned it while breathing silent sighs of relief.


    "Hey," he said, his voice cracked. "What took you guys so long?"


    They frowned down at him.


    "What do you mean?" Asked Nick.


    "I''ve been here since this morning," Zen replied with an exaggerated pout. "I guess you guys were just too busy for me."


    "We only just found out you were here," said Sun, tightening her grip on his hand. "We are so sorry."


    He let out a dry chuckle before it became a coughing fit.


    "Are you ok?"


    "I will be," he said. "And I was just joking. They didn''t release our arrival until a little while ago."


    "Why?"


    Zen''s smile faded away. "A few people died on our mission. They wanted to inform the families first before rumours started flying around."


    "Shit," Nick breathed. "What happened?"


    "We were sent up north to fight the rebels. It was brutal. But I don''t think they expected as much trouble as we got. We weren''t supposed to be in the thick of it."


    "How did you get injured?"


    "There was an explosion, and I was pretty close. I had the protective gear on, and that took most of the damage, but my chest was pretty burnt and I had smoke damage to my lungs."


    Both looked horrified as he told them.


    "But you''re going to live, right?" She double-checked.


    Zen nodded. "In a few weeks after all the healing, they''re going to let me get back into classes and stuff. I''ve been in a hospital up North the last few days; the healers kept me from dying. Now where''s my homecoming hug?"


    Her eyes widened even more. "Are you kidding? I''m too scared to touch you; I might hurt you!"


    "Don''t be an idiot; give me a hug."


    Her eyes narrowed, and she flicked him in the forehead before she wrapped her arm around his neck, careful to avoid putting any weight on him. He hugged her tightly, enjoying her familiar scent. He had missed it. He had missed both his friends very much. It was strange not having them at his side to talk to, to laugh with. He never wanted to be without them again. It had already become difficult with her being taken in by the Winter Clan and Nicks advanced lessons. Zen felt like he was being left behind.


    She pulled out of his embrace and sat down. Zen smiled at them.


    "So, only our genius friend made it out of his mission unscathed," he said.


    They both turned to look at Nick.


    "What can I say? I''m a prodigy; getting injured is beneath me."


    She poked her tongue out at him, and he chuckled. They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and she turned to find a servant from the estate there. Her stomach sank; was he here to make her come back?


    "My lady," he bowed, carrying in a large box. He placed it upon a nearby table. "This is for you."


    With that, he left. She stood up, eyeing the box warily. She opened it and found a note on top of several containers.


    You did not have dinner. I expect it all to be eaten. K.I.


    Gods, his writing was as pretty as he was. She looked at all the containers; there was enough food here for all three of them. Did he actually mean for her to share it? She turned around, setting the food out for them.


    "What''s all this?" Zen asked.


    "Dinner, from my brother," she replied, a little bewildered by his consideration.


    It probably shouldn''t still surprise her, and yet every time he did something nice, it did still come as something of a shock. It was a little unfair to him if she were honest with herself.


    They eyed it all up; it looked delicious. There was even dessert. The trio dug into it, as much as Zen was able. They tried to help him eat, gently sitting him up and even feeding him at times.


    It was clear he was fatigued easily and drifted off to sleep before they''d even finished.


    Sun wondered why Commander Sorola didn''t heal him as she had Sun all that time ago. Surely this level of injury warranted it.


    Once Zen had fallen asleep, the pair stayed and watched him for a little while before Nick offered to take her home. It was getting late.


    She reluctantly agreed, loath to leave Zen. But he would need his rest, and sitting here watching him wasn''t going to make him heal faster.