Hidden Among the Puawai (Editing)

Chapter One

'I wish I could turn back the clock, I would find you sooner and love you longer.'

- Unknown

Muna only smiled as she watched the sun raise from her window, she knew her Mama would have loved the view, the sun gently painting the sky a light pink. She knew her cabin wasn't the biggest in her village, but unlike the others, she hadn't found her Matching flower. Still, she loved it all the same.

Both her and her Mama had painted the walls a light cream, while her Papa had made her furniture. She missed her parents, the small things reminded her of them.

Still, her cabin was peaceful and quiet. It was all she needed, until she found out who her Matching flower, or flowers were. She didn't know what type of flower her Birth flower was, but she loved the white coloured bud. Hers was the only one of it's kind in the village, she knew her mate would be looking for her, something told her to stay were she was. Despite watching her friend's get paired of, she still hugged the bud before she went to bed each night.

"Muna, Muna, Muna," a voice said as they knocked on her wooden door, smiling, she dusted her white dress, opening her door to see her friend bunching on her heel. Short brown hair bunching with her excited movements. "Guess what, Muna. You won't be believe it!"

"Hello, Darina," Muna said as she followed her brown eyed friend to walk into her home, she knew that grin any where, along with the fact she was bouncing on her toes. Something had happened, the last time she saw her friend like this, was when she ran into her Matching flower. "Would you like some tea? I can make some breakfast."

"You won't believe it."

"Why don't you tell me, while I make us something to eat."

"You're not going to believe me Muna," Darina told her, leaning against the wall while Muna made her favourite. French toast. "You won't, Noah almost didn't believe me. Our village is so far out of the way."

"Far out of the way for what?" Muna asked, she knew Darina's thought progress could be all over the shop, but she didn't see how it connected to Noah not believing her. They were one of the closest village's to the boarders. So in times of war, they were usually the first to be attacked. "Darina, you're not making any sense."

"The princesses and princes are coming here. To Tarutaru," she told her, spinning around in a circle, her pink dress dancing around her thin legs. "They're looking for their sixth mate. Muna, do you think they'll find them?"

"Here? In Tarutaru? I doubt it Darina."

"Muna?!"

"What?!" she asked placing a plate in front of her friend, she knew Darina loved strawberries, so she made sure to add extra to her plate. Along with blueberries and apples. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Muna, it's just so romantic." Darina loved romantic novels, where two lovers live far from away from each other, it made her checks go red and her heart beat faster. "You know some Matching flowers live on other side of the Kingdom?"

"Romantic? Darina, this isn't one of your novels."

"What if you're their mate?!"

"I doubt it, Darina," Muna told her. Sure, she didn't know were her Matching flower, or mate was, but she doubted she was the royal families Matching flower. "You know the furtherest a Royal Matching flower as been a village or two."

"What about Aisling?" Darina asked, putting her fork down, she knew Muna was stubborn, but she missed the girl who believed anything was possible. "I heard she lived Marama Village."

"Isn't Marama Village a sixteen day trip from the Castle?"

"My point! Muna, don't you see. You're flower is the only unknown."

"They could be from another kingdom."

"Muna! You don't know that."

"I know, Darina, it's just we. We live near the border."

"And?!"

Muna only sighed, it was the reason she was more willing to believe her Matching flower lived in a neighbouring kingdom. "Okay, Darina, you make a good point."

"You know I do," Darina told her, putting her hands on her reddening checks. She loved Noah with all her heart, the only thing she wished for, was for Muna to find the same with her Matching flower. "Come on, we have to go."

"Go?!"

'To meet them, they're going to be here soon. We have to go!"

"What about Noah?"

"He knows, Muna," Darina told her, grabbing her friend's wrist. Tugging her towards the door. "He'll meet us there, we have to go!"

-Puawai-

Aisling sneezed as she curled into Elwyn's side, giggling as he placed his hand on her forehead. Elwyn smiled as he pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. Krishna and Saoirse smiled at them, as they cuddled on the other side of the carriage.

"Why are we even going to this village?" Rian asked, his annoyance slipping into his tone as he leaned against the wall. He kept an eye on the changing scenery, he loved the rain forests, remaining him of his birth village, but he wished he could understand why Krishna wanted them to go a village so close to the border.

It was risky, more so for Aisling then the rest of them. She had lost her parents in a raid gone wrong. Then again, he also knew the risks of not finding their sixth mate, the empty feeling in their chests always reminding them of what they were missing. According to Elwyn, they had checked the villages closer to home.

"Rian, you know why," Aisling told him, a small smile on her face. They had found her by pure coincidence, she had gotten lost in the woods and they had almost ran her over. Not the best meeting, but she was glad she ran out of her cabin that day. "We've looked almost everywhere else. You didn't think you'd find me, but here we are."

"But it's small and out of the way!"

"So? Wasn't my birth village small and out of the way?" Saoirse asked from her spot, placing her hands on Krishna's shoulders. They were used to Rian, but that didn't make it any less fun to pick on him. "Wasn't the only ones near Krishna was you and Elwyn?"

small villages, since most of the time they did leave empty handed, but like Saoirse said, she was from a small village, closer to the castle, but a small village non-the-less. "You never know, you know father had found mother on the other side of the kingdom? She also lived near the border."

"They're right, you know," Elwyn told him, pulling his hand through Aisling's soft long hair. "This might be were we find our sixth, then you'll be the only regretting not wanting to look."

"You little -"

"Better safe then sorry." Krishna only sighed when Rian pouted, kissing him on the check as he placed an arm on his shoulder. "You'll see, I have a feeling everything's going to work out."

Elwyn only chuckled at his pout, sticking his tongue out at his mate, Aisling only sighed, placing her hand over his heart.

"Elwyn, you might put that away," Rian told him, a smirk growing on his face. Elwyn only blinked at his words, his checks starting to go red. "Unless you plan on making use of it."

Elwyn's face went a bright red as he pulled his tongue back into his mouth, Aisling and Saoirse giggled at his expression. He looked shocked, most likely since he had thought Saoirse was going to say something about it, not Rain. "You're starting to act like Saoirse."

"Don't worry Elwyn," Krishna said shaking his head, he could only hope their sixth could get used to them quickly, he didn't wise to scare of their remaining mate. "We're almost there. So everyone, be on your best behaviour."