When Black told them that Jaxon's gryphon-drawn carriage was closing in, Aurum and her mother quickly left the villa and walked here.  Aurum told her mother that she should just wait at the villa.  After all, she could see that her mother was still exhausted from all the ordeal she went through.  But Anthea refused and said that it would be rude not to welcome a friend personally.  Especially when that friend was about to experience something that might change his life forever.

Aurum had no doubt that his mother was talking about the upcoming meeting between Uncle Jax and Janea.  A meeting that would confirm if the half-elf was indeed Uncle Jax' son.  But based on the reaction of her mother when she met Janea, it was definitely the case.

"Mother, how did Uncle Jax become lovers with an elf?" she thought of asking while they were waiting.

Anthea chuckled.  "'Lovers'?  When did my Aurum learned of such a word?"

Aurum blushed and then pouted when she realized she was being teased.  "Mother, I'm turning 15 in less than a month.  In some countries, I could already get married.  It's not weird for me to know such word."

Anthea stroke Aurum's soft golden hair.  "Yes, my Aurum is all grown-up now."

"Mother--!"

Anthea chuckled again and then looked up at the sky.  "I'm not really sure of the specifics.  By the time I met your father and Jax, Ylannea was already sailing with them.  Ylannea, that's her name.  She was very beautiful.  With long white blond hair and a pair of the bluest eyes."

She actually thought that she was Dorian's lover.  They just fit so perfectly together.  Like two beings with out-of-this-world beauty.  That thought, of course, made her angry.  After all, she left her tribe for him.  She didn't do that just to find out that he had another lover.

But she was soon proven wrong when he saw Jaxon and Ylannea together.  Just seeing them standing together, one could see how much they loved each other.  And then, he soon learned about her being an elf.  Ylannea was always wearing a hood, so she never suspected that she was one.  Heck, that possibility never even crossed her mind.

"Then how did Uncle Jax and the elf separated?" Aurum asked.

"I also don't know the answer to that.  She just vanished."

When Dorian and Jaxon separated for that particular voyage, that was also the last time she saw Ylannea.  Because she disappeared right after that.  Anthea was not really privy to what happened.  She asked Dorian, but he also wasn't sure of what happened.  They also couldn't make themselves ask Jaxon.  Because the guy was in so much anguish and pain, just the mere mention of Ylannea's name was enough to make him suffer.

Then years pa.s.sed by.  Jaxon stopped being an adventurer and took over his family's business.  Dorian went missing.  She gave birth to twins.  

And now all of them were in this situation.   

Aurum also raised her head and looked at the sky.  "This would be very hard for Uncle Jax."

The woman he loved suddenly disappeared.  And then many years later, he suddenly found out that he and that woman had a son.  Aurum couldn't imagine what she would feel in that situation.

A moment later, they saw a carriage being drawn by four gryphons entering the s.h.i.+eld protecting the island.  It flew down and swiftly landed on the runway.  It stopped a few distance away from where Aurum and Anthea were standing.

The door of the carriage opened and a man climbed down.  

  Aurum was slightly startled when she saw Jaxon.  His dark blond hair was in a wild disarray, there were dark circles under his eyes, there were stubbles on his face – in short, he's a complete mess.

"Thea, Aurum," he greeted, walking to them.  He tried to smile but it only appeared forced.

"Hey, don't force yourself to smile if you couldn't.  It's just making you look ugly," Anthea joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Jaxon's awkward smile disappeared.  His expression immediately turned serious.  "Where is he?"

"You're not going to clean yourself up first before seeing him?" Anthea suggested.  "I don't know if you notice, but you don't really look presentable right now."

Jaxon looked down at himself and only then realized his current state.  He looked absolutely shabby.  How could he meet the boy looking so shabby?  What if he thought he's just some poor random guy?  No, he couldn't possibly make such a bad first impression.

"Then, if I could borrow your bath," he said.

"Then, follow us," Anthea said.

They started walking towards the direction of the villa.

"Are you alright now, Thea?" Jaxon asked while walking.

"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine and healthy.  All thanks to my wonderful daughters," Anthea answered with pride in her voice.

Jaxon turned to Aurum.  "You and Argent did outdo yourselves this time."

Aurum grinned at Jaxon.  "Of course, we did.  Brother would never accept any other result."

"I guess he wouldn't."

"That's not what you wanted to ask though, isn't it, Jax?" Anthea said, giving Jaxon a sideway glance.

Jaxon stopped in his tracks and gazed down at his feet.  "The boy, is he doing okay?"

"If we're talking physically, then he's fine, Uncle Jax," Aurum answered.

A bitter smile crossed Jaxon's lips when he heard that.  "Physically, huh?" That meant mentally and emotionally, he's not.  "He must have suffered a lot."

Him and his mother.  Jaxon was suddenly filled with all kinds of negative emotions just thinking of the things the two might have experienced.  

All without him.

How pathetic and useless of him.

A strong hand suddenly gripped his shoulder, bringing him back to reality.  He raised his head and his gaze collided with Anthea's amber eyes.

"Stop whatever you're thinking right now," Anthea said, her strong voice resonating.  "Don't meet that boy with a defeated look on your face."

Jaxon felt like a cold water was suddenly poured down on him.  What was he thinking?  And during a time like this?  He cleared his mind.  The only thing he let remain was the thought of meeting the boy.

"You're right, Thea."

Anthea stared at Jaxon's face and she smiled when she saw the determination on it.  "That's more like it."

----------

Janea was lying on a patch of gra.s.s, staring at the blue sky above.  He was on a small clearing in the middle of the forest.  He felt like this was the only place here where he could think more clearly.

It had been awhile since he was surrounded by trees.  Being a half-elf, it was in his blood to love nature.  If he could, he wanted to be always surrounded by plants and trees.  It's his dream to build a house in the middle of a lush forest and live there with his mother.  

But by the looks of things, could he really make it happen?

He shook his head.  No, he already decided to trust Argent Blackbourne.  With the deal they had, that duke would definitely fulfill his end of the bargain. 

He raised his hand towards the sky. 

[Mother, please, just wait a bit more.  I will definitely save you.]

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard footsteps coming to his direction.  He stood up and looked to the left.  He wondered who it was.  He knew that there were only a few of them in this island.  But these footsteps… he had never heard it before.  So, he was sure that it didn't belong to anyone currently here in this island.  

Then, who did it belong to?

His question was answered when a man stepped into the clearing.  A man with dark blond hair and eyes the same emerald green as his.