Purity in the Stars *Maleficent: Mistress of Evil- Udo Love Story*

Chapter Twenty Four: Bonds

It had only been a week since they arrived back in Ulstead, and Yuna had awoken every night in a cold sweat. 
Udo could just barely blink his eyes open, head lifting from his side of their new, very large bed. His eyes focused enough in the darkness to register what had woken him up; a soft gasp, followed by equally soft footsteps leading Yuna from the bed, through their renovated bedroom and down the hallway.
Udo ran his hand over his face tiredly; he wasn't annoyed, he was just... helpless.
It had been a nightly routine since they arrived back to Ulstead and Mina had taken up temporary residence in their home. The glamour of the day was short lived; while the sisters reunited, the impending threat over the kingdom ruined the sweetness of it all. Day in and day out they were in meetings, both on war and over strategy; they also didn't have the faintest clue where Azazel was, what he was after...
It was that lack of knowledge that had put them all on edge.
It wore heavy on Udo just how much of a toll all of this was taking on Yuna.
The unbelievable reunion of her and Mina did bring so much joy; but it also brought with it so much worry. Some of the nights, Yuna awoke in a panic that her little sister had vanished into thin air again; nearly flinging open the poor teen's bedroom in the early morning hours to ensure her fears were unfounded.
The past week of revelations also brought with it an anxiety Udo didn't know how to quell; Leo was out there. Presumably still alive... but Yuna and the others just couldn't find him. Yuna cried with pure joy and also excruciating worry all at once some of the nights; her little brother was alive...but was he hurt? Scared? Hungry? Did he come to simply hate her and their sister at this point? Nothing Udo said ever quelled these fears in Yuna, and he could only hold her until the call of sleep got too great to ignore.
The other nights were just nightmares. It had taken a full week for it all to sink in; the same pirates who had destroyed Yuna's home, destroyed her life were back.
It felt like they were coming for her.
Every time Yuna closed her own eyes, she only saw Azazel's own. Watching her. Waiting.
Those were the nights neither one of them got any sleep, and Udo would have to use his magic to quell Yuna into a peaceful state.
Needless to say, the week had been horrible.
Udo groggily slipped out of bed, fastening his robe sloppily. His eyes burned from his exhaustion, and he silently cursed as his toe kicked into a discarded book on the floor. The fey trailed after Yuna sleepily, stopping in their doorframe when he saw Yuna already beginning to re-shut the door of their guest room.
Udo watched as the fear gave way to relief in her eyes, and she let out a deep and tired sigh.
He strode up to her, squeezing her shoulders as she jumped at the shock.
"Come on, Yuna...back to bed." He whispered by her ear.
"I was afraid she'd be gone." Yuna whispered, gazing in at her sister's snoring form.
Udo leaned against the girl lazily; exhausted.
"She isn't going anywhere, heart." Udo ran his hands down her back, trying to keep his footing steady in his sleepy state. "I promise. Come back to bed."
His hand fell to one of her own tightly clenched ones, and tugged gently.
"Come on." He turned Yuna's fleeting, worried gaze on Mina back to him and kissed her nose. "I can't sleep unless you're next to me."
Udo reached past Yuna, and quietly shut Mina's door.
"You'll see her first thing in the morning, she isn't going anywhere."
Despite her small protests, Udo easily dragged Yuna back to their bedroom.
At least through all of the chaos, they were able to fix the bed situation.
The large mattress was heaven sent, like clouds on Udo's wings and he sighed in relief as he collapsed onto the soft cushion.
He cracked his eyes open, Yuna stiff and sitting up in their pool of blankets with the moonlight glowing on her skin.
Udo wrote it off on just him being either severely sleep deprived or simply madly in love, but he swore Yuna was glowing more and more lately.
His hand traced down a milky arm, softly giving it a tug until Yuna lay at his side.
Holding her close, the fey tucked her head under his chin.
"Try to get some sleep; we have another meeting tomorrow. You'll be miserable if you don't get at least a few hours." Udo gently whispered, humming when the girl wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'm already miserable." Yuna quipped back with at least a flare of amusement; that was a relief.
"Don't say that." Udo's eyes had already fluttered shut. "We got your sister back, and we know Leo is somewhere out there too. I don't call that anything short of a true blessing."
Yuna settled against him, layers upon layers of thick blankets protecting her from the mid-November chill. Udo may have been used to the biting cold (it was, quite literally, in his DNA), but Yuna wasn't; the fey definitely was the worrywart in their relationship.
"I know, you're right." Yuna conceded with a sigh. "Doesn't mean that I can't worry..." Dark eyes flashed in her mind, and a chill that wasn't from the cold sparked up Yuna's spine. "...or be a bit fearful."
The hand Udo carded through her thick hair momentarily stilled, and his eyes darkened.
He recovered quickly, before Yuna could even notice.
"You know nothing will happen as long as I'm here." He spoke slowly, almost as if he had t reassure himself.
"We don't even know what Azazel wants. His desires may be all monetary; you probably won't even have to see him. If he wants to engage in dirty business, then it'll be Philip and Aurora who have to do most of the work."
Yeah; that sounded good. Of course he'd want money; everyone wanted money, right? Especially conniving, selfish, no good rotten pirates-
"You and I both know that isn't what he's after." Yuna whispered.
Udo ignored the sinking feeling in his gut.
"...I'm sorry I've kept you up all week." Yuna softly apologized. "You've been so busy with the feys, and with the meetings. You're running yourself ragged trying to take care of both the Moors and Ulstead...and I've just made it harder for you."
Udo could tell by the slow drawl of her words that his soft massaging was working; Yuna slowly beginning to drift into sleep.
He kissed at her wispy bangs,
"On the contrary; you've made it much more bearable." He smiled against hair.
"As you always do. Every long day of tending to the feys, rounding up the little ones or just the moments were I feel too beaten down, you always are there to make every bad instance disappear-"
A soft snore from Yuna interrupted Udo.
Udo blinked awake in a bit of a startle, staring down at the now slumbering girl in his arms. He smiled both affectionately, and sleepily.
"I was trying to compliment you, brat." Udo had to resist the urge to pinch a soft cheek, the sight of Yuna's (finally) peaceful sleeping face quelling him almost instantly.
The tired dark bags beneath her eyes made Udo scoot to hold the girl closer, tugging the blankets tighter around her.
Ulstead was going to be threatened with its first winter snow soon, and Udo didn't want the girl to catch cold atop of everything else.
A chill that the Tundra Fae was used to swept through the room, and Udo let himself relax as he kept the girl warm.
How was it already November, soon to be December?
The events from just months before already seemed so long ago, yet also like they'd just occurred yesterday. Needless to say, it had been the happiest six (roughly) months of the fey's life.
It also was proving to be the craziest, with everything coming to light.
Udo let his pointed ears momentarily perk up; no sound came from the bedroom Mina stayed in. That was good, Yuna must've not disturbed her when she peeked in.
It was kind of an unspoken assumption that when Mina came back with them to Ulstead, she'd be staying with Udo and Yuna. Of course, Udo didn't care one bit and of course Yuna was over the moon.
The past week, when it wasn't filled with morning to night strategy meetings and briefings was spent with the three of them in their warm home.
Well, rather Yuna and Mina. Udo was...well, not quite wanted.
Okay, maybe that wasn't true. It was more he was forgotten... put aside? Placed on the back burner? Something like that.
By no means could the fey complain. Ever. Truly, it didn't even bother Udo that much; of course Yuna would be giving her undivided attention to Mina. She was her sister, her sister who Yuna up until a week ago thought was dead. Five years apart and two very different paths taken in life had left there much to catch up on, and gods Udo was nearly falling in love all over again by witnessing Yuna so damn happy.
So no, Udo could never complain. He wouldn't. He was a big boy, a grown fey; he'd gone five years without Yuna's sweet touch and affection, he could go a few days.
It wasn't so much the neglect of Yuna's attention as it was... Mina's.
No, Udo didn't mean it like that.
Just like Yuna and him were family, the feys being Udo's family automatically made them Yuna's as well. Vice versa; Mina was Yuna's family, blood family at that, so naturally Udo was quite excited at the possibility of adopting a "big brother" position so to speak.
It seemed the feeling was one sided.
Udo watched the two sisters lounge by the lake with a warm smile, the evening giving them a brief break in winter's chill.
The sisters has spent much of the evening sharing reminiscent whispers and joyful laughter by the lake, the weight of all the meetings forgotten as they simply enjoyed their time together.
Udo had given them their privacy on most nights; let them share teary embraces and heart to hearts that were too long overdue. The first night back, Yuna and Mina had actually stayed in their bedroom together, and Udo offered to take the guest room. The two didn't sleep a wink that night; their giggles and cries and conversations bleeding until early morning and Udo slept with a smile as he heard it all through the thin walls.
Now, here he stood; a tray with three warm cups of tea and two lovely ladies before him.
Maybe...Udo would be welcomed into the bonding session too.
Udo set off towards the two; hopeful and slightly excited as his feet crunched on the icy grass.
Yuna looked up just in time for Udo to place the tray down.
"Mind if I join in?" He beamed, hands already distributing the cups. "Something to warm you up. I hope you don't mind green, Mina."
Udo gave her a bright smile, slightly faltering when he was met with a deadpanned expression from the girl.
She was all laughter and grins about two seconds ago.
"Thank you, Udo!" Yuna thanked the fey with a brief kiss to his cheek, and Mina almost begrudgingly swiped the cup from him.
"Thanks..." She murmured, demeanor seemingly taking a complete turn.
Udo sat slightly behind the girls, and in between them. The smile never left his face, and he attempted playfully nudge the captain at his side.
He missed Mina's wince of annoyance;
"I'm sure it's odd for you to be in such a land like the Moors, especially after living out at sea for so long." Udo noted to the girl lightly, his attempts at conversation warm like the tea he'd serve.
"You know, I kinda lived out at sea for a bit too; I don't know if you could count the Cavernous Nest as a ship, but it was in the middle of an ocean." Udo grinned goofily, and Yuna regarded him with an affectionate smile.
Mina seemed less enthusiastic.
"Not really...I like living out in the sea." She swirled the cup of tea with disinterest. "I don't think living in a fully sheltered, multi-ecosystem, magic imbued sanctuary is the same as living on a ship." Mina noted dryly.
The bluntness in her voice threatened to stun Udo, but he carried on anyways.
"I suppose you have a point." He chuckled. "Still, I always loved going out to the ocean when I could. Who knows; I may have even seen your ship at one point and didn't even know it!"
Udo's exclamation was finished with Mina sighing again, placing her tea down as she rose to her feet. She turned on her heel, and set out back to the cottage;
"I'm tired. I'm going to bed."
Udo's shoulders immediately dropped, and Yuna perked a brow up at her sister's retreating form.
"Already? It's still light outside." She called.
Mina waved her hand in response, disappearing into the home without a word.
Yuna huffed, turning back to her tea.
"She might not be feeling well. I'm going to go check up on her." Yuna followed after her sister, but not before pressing one last kiss to the fey's brow.
Alone by the lake, Udo watched as his tea turned cold.
So, yes; the feeling was definitely one sided.
It was just the incident at the lake; Udo could point out Mina actively avoiding sitting by him when they would have dinner, being distant towards him whenever Yuna wasn't in the room or just plain up and leaving.
It hurt, but again Udo refused to shed light onto it.
He refused to sound like a possessive, sensitive mate that didn't like Yuna's attention being away from him and getting the cold shoulder from his (technically) sister... even though that's exactly what it was.
'I'll just have to try again tomorrow...' The thought drifted away from Udo's mind as he fell into a deep sleep.
*
"You're not going today." Udo stated, no room for argument in his words. "You can't even get out of bed, stay here and rest."
Yuna blinked up at the fey tiredly, the morning light painting their bedroom in a pale blue hue.
She leaned into Udo's soft fingers brushing her cheek.
"...'M fine." She tried to argue back, but her sheer fatigue didn't let her. "Need to go. Can't miss the meeting if I'm a member of the crown..."
"You can, and you will." Udo cut in, slightly sharp. "If anyone has an issue with it, then they can talk to me."
Udo gently re-tucked the blankets around Yuna's small frame, helping her adjust the pillow underneath her head.
"You need sleep. You've barely rested at all this week, and you've been stressed and upset beyond measure. That's not good for your health; I'd imagine you already know that though." The fey kissed Yuna's nose.
"Rest today, and relax. Don't worry about anything going on right now, just focus on yourself." Udo smiled from his seated position on the edge of the bed, regarding Yuna with his ever present loving eyes.
"I'll fill you in on what happens during the meeting. I'll be back soon, alright?"
Slowly, Yuna nodded; eyes shutting almost painfully from her fatigue and exhaustion. Her eyes burned, her head pounded...it felt like she hadn't slept in years.
"Mina...?" Yuna didn't have to elaborate for Udo to know what she was asking.
He rubbed a large hand down her blanket covered stomach reassuringly;
"I'll take care of her."
Yuna knew he meant it; saw the sincerity in his eyes. She knew he would do it even if she hadn't asked.
Wordlessly, Yuna nodded. She let her head lull to the side, exhaustion finally winning as she began to nod off.
"Love you." She mumbled, then promptly passed out.
Udo's smile widened, and he softly rose from their bedside. "Love you too." He whispered, content to see Yuna's peacefully slumbering face. He found himself cursing the meeting; he felt too tempted to crawl back into bed with her.
Udo admired Yuna for a moment more before carefully exiting the room and shutting the door, making sure any windows in the hall were shut and locked.
His steps led him down the stairs, immediately greeted by head of fiery hair and a scowl.
"Good morning Mina-" Udo went to greet her with a smile, but was promptly interrupted.
"Where's Yuna?" Mina's arms were crossed, nails digging into the long sleeves covering her arms almost anxiously.
Quickly surveying the living room to make sure the windows were shut and the curtains were drawn, Udo responded.
"She's sleep deprived; needs to stay home and sleep." Udo turned to face her from the kitchen window, still smiling. "It's just you and me today."
Mina blinked at that, before scratching the back of her neck with a repressed sigh.
"Right." She reaches to the coatrack by the door, dawning a heavy winter cloak that was a hand me down from Yuna.
Udo watched her, softly asking;
"Did you eat breakfast? I can make you something if you'd like." He chuckled. "I'm not as good a cook as Yuna, but I know how to make something delicious."
Mina's cheeks held a faint pink to them, and she shook her head.
"No thanks. I'm good."
She cast one last look up to the stairs, possibly with worry for her older sister before turning to the front door. "We should get going. We'll be late."
Udo watched Mina click open the door, her boots crunching onto frosted grass as a cold air blew into the house.
The fey sighed, before following after her.
He made sure the front door was securely locked, casting one last glance up to his and Yuna's bedroom window before turning back to Mina.
The girl was already setting off ahead of him, brisk in the cold morning air.
Udo blinked tiredly, still sleep deprived from the week's events;
'Please...can we at least talk today?'
With that Udo slowly set after Mina, the two of them briskly making their way towards Castle Ulstead.
Udo made sure he kept a small distance between them as they walked; close enough to not leave Mina vulnerable, but far away enough for the girl to not become totally annoyed with him.
The morning held a light fog that misted their skin and the nature adorning the Moors, and Udo watched Mina's retreating back with a frown as he walked.
He found himself wishing that Yuna was by his side.
"Udo!"
A tiny voice called behind the fey, and Udo halted at the same time Mina did.
Instantly recognizing the voice, Udo turned with a warm smile.
"Yui!"
He just barely managed to catch the little flying fey, chuckling as the girl practically crash landed into his chest.
Udo closed an eye to avoid being blinded by the child's rapidly fluttering wings, his hand going to her back to help still them.
"Look at you! Did you fly out here all by yourself, Yui?" Udo chuckled, Yui pulling back to meet his gaze.
She shook her head. "From there." She pointed to the edge of the thick forests, to where a big and flat rock shot up from the earth.
"Lilja and Dagran helped throw me up in the air." She stated, nonchalant and blinking innocently up at her teacher.
Udo suppressed a wince. "Ah. Good team work." He smiled.
'I knew teaching Dagran magic would eventually backfire on me.'
Yui looked over the fey's shoulder, innocent eyes wide with excitement.
"Yuna!" She exclaimed, hand coming up to grab at the air surrounding Mina.
Udo shot Mina an apologetic smile, the girl watching the two with a neutral expression.
"That's not Yuna, Yui. That's-"
Udo was quiet surprised when the little fey he was speaking to was taken from his hold, turning to see a rather happy and pleased Yui clutching onto Mina's wine colored locks.
Udo took in the captain's expression... she looked much more gentle than he'd ever seen her.
"Udo and I are going to be gone for most the day." Mina spoke down to Yui with a soft voice. "Think you can look after the cottage? Make sure no shady folks try to poke around there? There's someone in there who's very precious to me, and I don't want to leave her unattended."
Yui's eyes sparkled.
"Okay!" She smiled up at Mina. "Only if you promise to play with me."
Mina blinked.
"I don't think I'd be a very fun playmate-"
"Please?" Yui tried, her cute face dawning a rather sneaky sad expression. "Yuna always plays with me. Udo too."
Mina soaked in the girl's wide eyes and small pout before sighing deeply.
"Sure. I'll play with you." She stifled a groan, setting Yui down to her feet. "Go back to your friends, and keep an eye on the house alright?"
With a bright smile, Yui nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay!"
Her little wings began to beat again, and Mina places her down carefully. The little fey latched onto her leg in a lingering hug, before scurrying away with a bright smile.
Udo watched her go with a sigh,
"Yui, no unsupervised flying! And tell Dagran that he knows he isn't allowed to use his magic until he's fourteen, an age that we both know he's far from!" Udo called after the girl sternly, knowing that the warning fell on deaf ears but trying anyways.
Yui's stark image had already disappeared back into the thick woods, and Udo watched her go with a huff.
Since when was Yui so confident?
From behind him, Mina spoke up dryly;
"Do I have a niece running around that I should know about?" She questioned.
Udo faltered, turning to face her with pinked cheeks.
"Certainly not!" He exclaimed louder than he intended to, fighting off a harsh blush.
"I take care of all the little ones here, nothing more. I've looked after and taught most of them since they were infants." He answered with a burst of pride, smiling at Mina.
Mina nodded at his response.
"Tough work, being a mentor." Was all she said before setting off once more.
Udo felt a spark of hope;
'Not all quiet like she was before.'
Udo set off after her, this time closing the distance ever so slightly between them.
They approached the bridge leading from the Moors and into Ulstead, and Udo attempted conversation once more.
"You don't need to worry about anyone breaking into the cottage." He spoke in reference to the girl's request for protection from the younger fey, his smile still present. "The Moors are very safe, and Yuna is quite well loved. No one would attempt to hurt her, not when they know that it's me who she's with."
Udo chuckled, "Also, I placed a protection spell around the premise. No one's getting in there."
Mina made a noise of acknowledgement, taking a step onto the bridge.
"You have quite the reputation then." Placing a hand onto the wooden railing, Udo noted that Mina seemed less...tense?
"That's good. Reputation seems to be everything these days."
Udo hummed after her, the two striding across the roaring water briskly. He felt a tinge of excitement;
'Finally, we're getting somewhere.'
"Agreed." Udo nodded, the conversation seeming to become more natural bit by bit.
"It hasn't always been easy teaching the younger ones, protecting the feys... but I do love it." He smiled to himself, the sentiment ringing true. "I'm sure Meg felt the same way; she taught you everything she knew, didn't she?"
In his mirth of finally talking to the teen, Udo failed to see the air around Mina take a drastic change.
"It's a very rewarding process; I don't have any children of my own yet, but I feel like all of the younglings are my own family. I'm sure Meg also felt the same way about you and Leo-"
"You don't know how Meg felt." Mina's voice was distant, not even cold in it's emotionlessness. "You don't know how she felt, and you don't know what Leo and I experienced back then."
Udo stilled, eyes widening. They were nearly off the bridge at this point, just a few more steps and they'd be on the streets of Ulstead. Mina was still at the foot of the bridge, and Udo immediately felt both stupid and regretful all at once.
"Of course. I'm sorry." The fey tried to correct himself. "I'm sure those are times that are hard to recall-"
"You're right. They are."
Udo winced at the sharpness of Mina's words, her tone.
The girl took a step off the bridge, and entered into Ulstead without him.
"So I'd rather not talk about them."
To say Mina stormed off would be an exaggeration, but she definitely didn't storm off elegantly. She left Udo on the bridge, and the fey finally let a heavy sigh fall from lips as he let his head fall back. He gazed up at the dreary sky,
'Heavens, please just let today be over.'
He slapped his palm over his face before sulking after Mina; wings droopy.
Udo didn't mean to look like a kicked puppy as he followed after Mina into the castle, but he couldn't help it.
He felt like a failure and a loser; he really couldn't bond with Yuna's little sister? Was this how it was going to be the rest of his life? ...Would Yuna be upset? It certainly made Udo upset.
The walk to and through the castle was a blur as Udo contemplated silently, only coming to when they had entered into the royal meeting room and stood in the open doorway.
Mina had already taken a seat at the far end of the table, and Udo decided it would probably be smart to take a seat nowhere near her.
Udo strode up to the busy table, the same one he'd been greeted with everyday that week. Advisors hurried in and out of the room, Percival seemed to be sending Lottie along with them, her arms full of documents and folders.
"Hi Udo!" Lottie greeted as she hurried past him, eyes wide as she noticed his right side seeming particularly empty. She tried to look at him through the mountain of paperwork she held, "Yuna isn't with you?" She questioned.
Udo smiled down at the courier, taking some of the papers from the top to assist the girl. "Yuna is tired, and feeling unwell. This past week has been very strenuous on her." He answered, setting half of the stack aside.
"You'll fall and spill the papers all over yourself if you hold them like that, Lottie. Just take two trips; I'd offer to help you if I didn't have this meeting." He shrugged apologetically, still smiling softly.
Udo looked to the meeting table in question, the occupants around it involved in a deep conversation in the noisy room with the advisors had yet to notice him.
"It's alright! I'd have to refuse the help anyways. I'd be very unbecoming of a courier to be receiving aid during her apprenticeship!" Lottie beamed up at him, and Udo felt the girl's own positivity begin to leach away his doubts and sadness. He looked from Lottie brightly smiling face, to Mina's own harsh and indifferent one at the table; her words indiscernible as she pointed to some spot on the map Philip had laid out.
It hit Udo then;
Mina was sixteen, as was Lottie. They were the same age, two teenage girls and yet...
They were so different.
Where Lottie seemed to always be happy and without a care, Mina was constantly on edge, always blunt and defensive. The two shouldn't be as different as they were at such a young age, but they were.
The thought baffled Udo as much as it saddened him.
Perhaps Mina was right; perhaps he really didn't know a damn thing she went through at all.
"Mr. Udo?" Lottie's voice broke through his thoughts, the apprentice staring up at him with concern. "Is something the matter? You seem... upset."
Udo blinked down at her, sighing before he patted her head in reassurance.
"I'm okay. Thanks, Lottie."
Following to where she saw the fey staring, Lottie smiled softly.
"It's amazing that Mina has been alive all this time, isn't it?" She shifted the papers in her hold. "She's a sweet girl. I'm hoping that we might be able to be friends, if I ever become brave enough to ask..."
Lottie's voice dropped lower. "I also hope we'll be able to find Leo."
'Me too.' The thought rang in Udo's mind.
"We'll find him no matter what. For Yuna, and for everyone else." The fey swore, nodding to himself as he did so.
'No matter what.' Udo's hands clenched with resolution.
Lottie's eyes softened. "I believe it." She agreed. Taking one last look at Mina, Lottie nudged Udo with her shoulder.
"She may seem... cold, but she really is a sweet person. That night we went out to all have dinner together after the meeting, she seemed really happy to be with everyone."
Ah yes, Udo remembered that dinner;
He got to sit nowhere near Yuna, and Mina ignored him all night. As did their friends; Mina had been spoiled with attention that night whether she wanted it or not.
"It's hard when someone doesn't like you right away or you feel a bit pushed aside; I have six other sisters, and I'm probably the weakest apprentice we have at that castle. I've struggled with those feelings a lot in my life... but it doesn't have to be something negative."
Udo turned to Lottie in surprise;
The girl who everyone knew for having her head up in the highest of crowds...was much more intuitive than people gave her credit for. A very sensitive, empathetic soul.
She gave Udo a knowing smile.
"You know, I'm sure you and Mina may be feeling the same things, just in different situations. It's not easy being an outsider in a group of such close friends who've known each other for so long; especially when one of those people are your sister. She's... scared. I don't think she's had a good life lately, Mr. Udo."
With one last encouraging nudge, Lottie gave him an encouraging wink.
"Patience is a virtue, and there's no other fey who embodies that virtue more than you. It takes time to form trust...especially when her's has probably been broken more than either one of us can count."
Lottie exited with that, and Udo had to remember to take a breath.
He suddenly felt so silly... kind of like an arsehole, to be totally honest.
He was a grown man wallowing in his own self pity over the fact that a teenager was being mean to him, and it didn't ever occur to Udo;
There was probably a good reason why Mina was the way she was.
Why she didn't trust Udo, the way he wished  she did.
The thought settling in his chest, Udo solemnly stalked up to the war table.
He garnered the attention of Philip, the king looking up from a parchment one of his advisors was currently yelling in his ear about.
Philip waved the voice away.
"Udo, good to see you!" He smiled.
Udo returned the notion, discarding of his thick winter robe and draping it across the back of his seat. The room was warm with the lit fireplace,
"You as well, my apologies for being late."
The fey could feel Mina's eyes on him.
"We were all a bit late this morning. Ini and I didn't even go home last night, spent the last couple of hours in the royal library trying to find anything to help us." Shrike smirked, her usual bright face sullied with tired dark circles.
Borra grunted.
"Where's the wren?" He cocked his head at the empty seat beside Udo, his feet kicked lazily up on the table.
Udo took his seat, smiling his thanks up at Aurora who placed a warm cup of tea in front of him.
"Yuna's overworked, and she's exhausted. I told her to stay home today." The fey answered easily, taking a sip as he felt the drink warm him up inside.
"I hope that will cause no trouble. It's my job to look after Yuna when she's like this; she'll just keep going and going until she completely collapses. It requires my intervention."
A scoff sounded from Maleficent, the elegant fey looking no better than the rest of the tired friends and she leaned up against the castle wall.
"Rich coming from you." She huffed. "You work yourself into the ground nearly everyday."
"Then you make Yuna nurse you back to health like a baby!" Diaval laughed despite his own tiredness, rubbing at his temples. "I think you do it on purpose, little bugger."
Udo shrugged, stifling a laugh.
"Looks like I've been found out." He offered Diaval a mischievous smirk. "Remembering that time Yuna had to fix up your injured wing? I particularly remembering you falling asleep in Maleficent's lap and-"
"Unnecessary!" Diaval silenced him with a loud bang as his knee connected with the table, howling out in pain as his fatigue instantly vanished. "That's playing dirty, Udo!"
Aurora sighed, her hand meeting the back of Diaval's head to shut him up. "Where was all this energy five minutes ago when you were supposed to give your input in the meeting, hm?"
Mina slowly took her eyes off of Udo, going back to the map Philip had laid over the table.
"...We should focus on the task at hand." She seemed almost lost in thought as Udo and his friends conversed, eyes fluttering away from them.
"We're getting nowhere; this will be a whole week of all day meetings and we haven't gotten down to the root of anything. If we're like this when Azazel finally shows himself, we're screwed. All of us."
There! Udo saw it again; that glint of fear in Mina's eyes, the way her hands began to fiddle with her cloak. She wet her lips, and seemed to take in shorter breaths.
Anxiety.
"We're piecing it together slowly. Things like this can't be rushed." Udo offered carefully, watching as Mina still stiffened.
He tried a different approach.
He couldn't reach out to pat her hand or anything (heaven knows the girl would roundhouse him) so he opted to instead make his voice hold a tone of sincerity.
"You're not alone out in the ocean anymore; you're with all of us. Everyone in this room is a skilled fighter and protector, you don't need to be afraid."
Mina's eyes shot to him after that, and Udo offered her another genuine smile.
"Who said I was afraid?" Mina tried to keep that harsh edge to her words, but Udo saw right through it again.
She looked just as scared as Yuna, whenever she thought about that night on Miyagata.
"Of course, I know your years at sea have made you see many dangers. Certainly a skilled captain like yourself isn't afraid of a man who got his arse handed to him by two teenagers, right?" Udo's smile grew, and Borra seemed to catch on for once.
"You and Yuna must have an arse-kicker gene somewhere in there. Your sister's right hook is no joke; nearly took me out when I tried sparring with her." He smirked. "Seems like it's genetic."
Mina didn't say anything to the two male feys, but Udo watched as she looked down to her lap with the faintest traces of relief on her face. He silently tapped Borra's foot under the table in thanks.
His action was almost immediately met with a jab to his shin;
"You're taken. Stop playing footsie with me."
Udo glared at his best friend, meeting Borra's fang-barred grin.
"I agree with the both of you." Percival spoke from where he stood in front of a large cluster of nautical charts, maps, notes, and official documents unavailable to the public eye on one of the castle walls. 
"We've made an undesirable, little amount of progress trying to predict Azazel's motives. It's difficult; the only two here who have even come into contact with him are Yuna and Mina, and even then we don't know that much." The head guard sighed.
"I also know that we've done everything in our power to discern what on earth is going on here. We've followed every dead-end lead, looked through any records that may pertain to the man, sent scouts out to try and locate him... yet we are still empty handed."
Percival had to bite back the urge to punch into one of the nearby bookcases.
"It's frustrating; borderline infuriating." The man looked to Mina, eyes begging for help under his furrowed brows. "Mina, if you could please reiterate anything you know about him...?"
Mina glances around the war table, all eyes trained expectantly up at her. Silently, she pushed herself up from her chair.
"Certainly." She nodded.
She came to stand before Percival, in front of the almost manically placed papers strewn onto the wall. Mina's arms crossed, dark eyes glistening;
"Everyone got there notes ready?"
Some shuffling sounded from the table, before a collective noise of agreement sounded.
"Alright then." The captain closed her eyes.
A gloved finger came to point at a colored, daintily illustrated formation on one of the maps.
"This is Miyagata. Five years ago, I first encountered Azazel here. As I'm sure you're already well aware, this meeting ended with a massacre on the island." Her finger dragged south.
"Four years later, I encountered him again." Mina's eyes hardened as they reopened.
"When Meg was still captain over the Corsairs, we managed to locate Azazel in the South Seas. Meg had pledged herself as a servant to the people; when Azazel had first begun his island-hopping massacres, she saw first hand the destruction and devastation that it caused."
A special memory flashed through Mina's memory at that;
The day Meg had found her and Leo. The day that both parties had found the family they'd lost.
Mina pushed the memory aside, already feeling her eyes turn more glassy;
"So she swore to destroy it. Bring balance back to the seas; Miyagata wasn't the only place terrorized by Azazel's reach." Mina's finger now moved west.
"About several more islands have been affected by Azazel. While not a complete massacre like Miyagata, he still ravaged them. Some were devastated to the point that they lost all trade relations due to disruption of agriculture...others are simply left uninhabitable."
Philip followed her finger, finger rubbing his chin.
"Did you ever visit those islands?" He spoke up. "Did Meg ever go there? Did she ever tell you anything she knew about Azazel?"
Mina slowly nodded. "Before her death, Meg was able to learn of Azazel's obsession with something referred to as "The Phoenix's Curse". We never figured out what exactly it was, but..." Mina's eyes cast downward.
"I do believe it has something to do with the Moors; why he was dead set on ravaging Miyagata. It was once said that long ago, Miyagata was the home for faeries. Much like the Moors. I believe he saw our spirituality with that world, and sought to destroy it."
Aurora leaned forward in her seat, scribe's behind her hurriedly jotting down the captain's words. "So we were correct; it's safe to assume Azazel has his eyes on Ulstead as well." The queen took a nervous breath in.
"Philip and I have already heightened security around all of our coastal regions, and have sent our scouts all over the western front to try and gather more information. Azazel hasn't shown his face yet, but when he does we will be ready for him." Aurora shared a worried glance with her husband, Philip speaking after his wife.
"So Azazel has a bone to pick with Moorfolk. Why? What does he hope to gain from it? ...What is he searching for?" Philip scanned the map like he were looking for treasure; like the answer was somewhere on the paper.
"Maybe what we are looking for is on those islands. Would you by chance know how to get there, Mina? Would it be worth investigating?" The queen questioned intently, eyes scanning the map.
Mina shrugged, a "tsk" falling from her lips.
"I could definitely steer us there, but I fail to see how it'd be beneficial. There's nothing left, there would be no evidence, and the people who survived on those islands would be in the exact same position as those on Miyagata. They wouldn't know anything. I don't even know how those other islands relate to Miyagata; while some of them held the same spiritual beliefs, others were simply just there. Like he massacres them for sport."
The party fell into a momentary silence after that; stumped.
Udo rubbed at his chin as he scanned from his personal inscribed notes to the wall of clues and marked papers, biting back a sigh.
They'd been at this for a week now with no progression; it was a repeated song and dance that Udo was tired of reliving at this point.
He looked at the islands on the map; nothing stood out about them. Azazel had probably just gone after them because they were easy prey; something to play with.
But then why would he even do such atrocious things in the first place? What on earth did he possibly have to gain from all of this?
More importantly...why was he back now?
Udo turned his head, glancing at the empty chair by his side.
His heart clenched; if Yuna were here, she would be asking all the right questions, answering all of the correct answers. He knew that it was just a silly meeting, but gods; Udo truly felt a bit empty whenever the girl wasn't at his side.
He could feel the phantom feeling of her hand squeezing his thigh encouragingly, like she'd done so many times when these blasted meeting grew too tiresome.
What would Yuna do right now if she were here...what would she see that they weren't?
Udo turned his head to look at Maleficent, the fey looking just as frustrated and tired as the rest of them; her skin extra pale and her high cheek bones seemingly pronounced.
'Phoenix's curse...'
They had no idea what Azazel meant by that, had no idea what his obsession with the Moors entailed but knew it couldn't be good. Aurora has ordered a heightened security on their northern shores, a defense barrier between the seas and the land of faeries; but so far nothing came of it.
It was a rather common thing for people to go after the Moors or believe in some kind of make-believe legend associated with them; hell, the first war between the faeries and humans started because the humes had trespassed and tried to overtake their land.
If the situation was as simple as that, Udo and the others may not have been so worried. That was the thing... this wasn't like all the other times.
If Azazel wanted the Moors, surely he would've already invaded by now. If he wanted Maleficent, this so called "Mistress of Evil" had made quite the name for herself. Everyone knew that the infamous Dark Fey was residing in Ulstead with her daughter... so why wouldn't he attack here if he was so determined to abolish her?
Stumped and frustrated, Udo rested his forehead in his hand.
It didn't make any damn sense and Udo just wanted to keep the people he loved safe.
'For the sake of Yuna...' Udo's eyes closed.
'For the sake of my people, I need to figure out what he wants dammit! Why...Why is he doing this? Why has he come back now, of all times?'
Udo spoke up softly.
"...What of Leo?" He was careful as he spoke the name.
Mina's eyes stayed downcast.
"He left the same night Azazel killed Meg." She whispered. "I searched every island in that sea. No sign of Leo. He told me he'd come back when Azazel did..."
Mina shook her head, bubbles of anger threatening to purge through her voice. "But he hasn't. He won't."
Shrike eyed the girl with a glint of sadness, her usually loud voice was quiet as she questioned Mina.
"We have time to search for Leo too." The Jungle Fey spoke. "While Azazel is a threat... he's yet to actually make a move. For all we know, he may continue to do so."
"As far as the reports go," Percival's boot tapped the floor. "Our advisors and allied countries have put Azazel on their watch list, but don't seem to be completely worried yet. He has set no formal declarations of aggression, hasn't launched any attacks, hasn't even shown his face... our main objective right now is to simply be one step ahead of him. If Azazel is plotting to attack, we'll stop it. If he's in search of something worth pillaging innocent civilizations for, we'll get to it before he does. Simple as that."
Mina's brows furrowed. "Azazel is a threat. Believe me. Believing even for a moment that Azazel is here to not take lives is foolish and will get everyone killed."
"Certainly." Philip nodded, voice soft as to not set Mina off. "Without a doubt, we agree." The king looked to the advisors at the back of the room for agreement, receiving a nod back from them.
"However, we also can't discount Leo. He's your brother, Mina. As well as Yuna's. Certainly you want to find him, to find out why he left?"
"Leo left to get stronger, and to conduct his own private research regarding Azazel." Mina was now leaning with her back against the wall. "If he wanted to come back, then he would. His research either got him killed, or he simply doesn't want to be found."
Diaval looked almost taken aback, and a little bit hurt. "You can't honestly believe that?"
Mina shrugged again, a hurt look threatening to cross her features. "It is how it is." She answered shortly.
"Well regardless of what you may think," Ini said with a hint of determination. "We'll still continue our search for Leo. Azazel or not."
Mina looked to the desert fey quietly, nodding wordlessly.
'Mina just doesn't want to end up disappointed.' Udo's eyes softened as he scanned her. 'I'm sure she feels how I felt when Yuna left the Cavernous Nest. Admitting you miss them is acknowledging the fact that you may never see them again.'
"Right. Let's hurry up and just deal out the research; I don't plan on staying here all bloody night again." Borra cracked his neck to the side, a loud pop sounding. "Ini and I will continue to look into the old texts for whatever this "Phoenix Curse" is. Haven't found a damn thing yet."
Ini sighed. "Desert Feys have the strongest connection to the Phoenix, and yet we've found nothing. Not even Maleficent has been successful, and she is the Phoenix."
Said Fey met them with a tired smirk. "The curse may just be being the Phoenix. I didn't ask for this." She mused.
"Stop that." Aurora gently pushed at her mom's shoulder. "It's not a curse, and I'd never let Azazel get anywhere near you." She chided, eyes worried.
Maleficent caught her daughter's hand easily, giving it a squeeze. "You know I won't ever leave you." The Fey reminded her quietly, and Aurora smiled warmly.
Maleficent looked to Philip, "It'd be wise to send castle scouts to Azazel's previous conquests, at least to gather intel. If needed, Diaval and I can assist and accompany them. If Azazel really is targeting places that could potentially be tied to the Moors, then I will find out why... and stop him." Her eyes hardened, and her fangs threatened to flash.
Shrike looked out one of the dreary castle windows, wings almost sagging.
"If Conall were here... I'm sure he'd be able to figure all of this out." She whispered.
Maleficent seemed to hear Shrike say the name, but chose not to acknowledge it. Her eyes betrayed her, however; Diaval watched with a conflicting grief as the mother's eyes flashed with a masked sorrow.
The name made Udo falter as well, and he let his gaze wander to the table.
He didn't need a reminder that Conall was a better leader than he'd ever hope to be...but more importantly, he didn't need a reminder that his friend was gone.
'Conall would be able to figure all of this out...' Udo felt his chest tighten. 'But so can I. I'll make him proud, make him know that he didn't make a mistake leaving all of this to me.'
Udo rose to his feet.
"We'll put a stop to Azazel." Udo nodded firmly, all eyes one him. Udo looked to the jungle fey, and the head guard that stood at her side. "Percival and Shrike, you two continue to try and find more about Azazel's past. Philip has given you espionages and scouts at your disposal, make use of them to find your answers."
Percival eyed the tundra fey with an amused smirk, recognizing the sparkle in his eye.
"Yessir." The guard bowed his head.
Udo looked to the king and queen next.
"If we have been able to confirm Azazel may be after the heads of the faeries, then it should be clear that we need to alert the rest of the Moors. We can keep this from the public, but if any of my people are in danger... then I am taking every precaution I can. I will not wait until Azazel as already claimed the loves of Moorfolk before we announce we are at war." Udo's voice boomed throughout the war room, eyes and stature set with determination.
"We need to stop Azazel before he strikes again, Moors or not." Udo took a breath. "I think it may be smart to not only have scouts searching for him from the seas and land, but the air as well. We have many warrior feys; Borra and I included." He felt Borra's eyes on him, watching intently with something like pride.
"I believe we could be put to use. We'll fly high enough that Azazel won't be able to discern and follow us, but we'll still be able to look out for him. I..." Udo's fists tightened and he tried to not become emotional as Yuna's image flashed into his mind.
"I- No, we need to stop Azazel, Philip. Not just because he's after the Moors or he may threaten to take out Phoenix from us."
Udo brows knit together, and his voice broke with the slightest bit of passion.
"But because it's our responsibility to help those who are defenseless; those who weren't even involved with the Moors... Azazel ripped Yuna and Mina and Leo away from each other; and he took their parents away from them. That should never have happened..."
Mina watched Udo with wide eyes and an expression she would usually never let cross her face; a mixture of surprise, but also an indiscernible emotion that could be mistaken for sorrow or empathy.
Her arms went slack as she uncrossed them.
"And there not the only family that's had to endure that!" Udo let his hands slam onto the table, notes flying as he did so. His head fell into a bow,
"Philip, Aurora; I know you're already doing all you can to find and stop Azazel. I know you're doing all of the research you can, I know you're contacting every alliance and council that there is." Udo took a breath,
"But I'm asking you to do more; to let me do more. Please...Please let me take matters into my own hands. The feys can do more than simple ground soldiers, and I know that I can do more as well. Please..."
The room was silent, and Udo had to bite back a groan of embarrassment.
Where had the outburst come from? The Fey hadn't a clue. Udo could feel the desperation clawing up his throat since the day they all returned back to Ulstead; with all the passing nights that Yuna was either restless, in tears, or just in a full blown panic attack. Udo couldn't take it anymore, he hated seeing the girl suffer and he hated the fact that he'd promised to protect Yuna from pirates...and now they were right here at his front door.
Yuna was his family; so was Mina, Leo, and all of their friends. He couldn't let Azazel separate them too.
Another moment of silence rang out before Aurora's ever elegant voice graced from her lips.
"Lift your head, Udo."
Hesitantly, Udo obeyed the queen.
He was met with a wide grin on Philip's face, his friend practically oozing with the essence of a proud king.
"What kind of king would I be to not acknowledge a fellow leader's plea?" Philip's eyes softened.
"Whatever you need, Ulstead shall provide."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ulstead's streets were dark and cold by the time the meeting ended.
It was only late evening, but winter meant that the days grew shorter and the nights much, much longer.
Mina had gone ahead of him, claiming that she'd spent enough time away from her crew docked in the ports and was going to go back for the night.
Udo knew she probably just didn't want to walk back with him though.
The notes in Udo's hands were thick and sloppily scrawled; he hoped Yuna didn't mind reading them. The streets felt extra lonely as he strode down them, the lanterns lit in the cold mist and bundled up couples and families made their way down them merrily.
'Whatever you need, Ulstead shall provide.'
The recollection made Udo smile. His eyes slowly trained up to the dark, star studded sky above him.
'This is what you would've done, right Conall?' Udo questioned the stars. 'All you wanted was peace between the humes and feys... as soon as I think we might have achieved that, this happens.'
Udo sighed.
'I just hope I'm doing the right thing. I hope I'm leading our people the way you would've... you never prepared me for something like this.'
He just needed Yuna; it had been a long day.
Udo turned down a narrow alley, steps quickening once he saw the edge of town in sight. He didn't know why he chose to take that way home, that night of all nights. He never really did, he always took the main way through town. Maybe it was because Yuna wasn't with him that his usual routine was disrupted, he was quite sure.
But Udo did know one thing; some divine power had sent him down that back alleyway.
For years to come, Udo thanked the heavens that he chose to take that way home.
He didn't know how many things could've been different if he hadn't.
Udo stilled upon entering the small side road, a grunt catching his attention.
"I said to leave me alone." A voice bit out through grit teeth.
Udo's ears immediately perked; he knew that voice.
"Yeah? What are you going to do if we don't, hm?"
"Bit feisty. Reckon a thing like you has probably never had a boyfriend before, huh?"
Udo's eyes turned to where the voices sounded from; down a small set of stairs to his left that led to behind the local pub.
Udo quickly set off towards the voices, the grip on his notes tightening.
He was soon met with the view of Mina, cornered against the pub's brick walls by two boys who seemed like they were forever stuck in a perpetual limbo of immature boyhood.
Udo was hidden in the shadows, evident from how the three failed to notice him as he evaded the boy's tirade.
Mina regarded the boys with a harsh and fierce glare, ready to pounce. Years of training, years of fighting and practicing her self defense and yet Udo could see the flicker of fear in her eyes.
She nearly spit at the ground they stood on,
"Reckon you two have probably never even seen a woman naked before." She hissed right back, and one of the boy's seemed to redden at that.
"Okay, listen here-" He took a step forward, and Udo took five hurried steps forward.
"That's enough." His chest burned with anger, intercepting the boy's raised hand just in time to stand before Mina.
The two teens looked spooked at the fey's sudden arrival, stumbling back in the lowly lit space. Mina looked equal parts stunned and relieved as Udo's massive wings shielded her.
Udo glared at the boys from where his strong hand still held the raised wrist above him, watching as the two's eyes widened in undoubtable fear.
Udo's grip tightened on the wrist, before he roughly released it.
"Leave." He commanded, effectively serving as a wall between the two boys and Mina. "Now."
The other boy, who hadn't been the one to raise his hand at Mina, attempted a glare at the fey.
"Who the hell are you to tell us what to do?"
Udo momentarily paused.
'Is it okay for me to...?'
He was quick to recover.
"Her brother." Udo stood taller, horns seeming unnervingly tall as he did so and his wings fanning out.
His body beginning to emit a faint aura, the boys gulped as Udo's hands threatened to glow with a bright magic.
"Now I'll tell you one more time." He took an intimidating step forward, and the boys retailed with three steps back.
"Leave."
Udo watched them as they went, running like dogs with their tails between their legs as they hollered into the night.
Udo kept the glare on his face for a few more moments before he relaxed, letting the magic drain from his body. Stepping back from the girl, Udo turned to face her with a gentle expression.
"Are you okay, Mina?" He asked softly, eyes hurriedly scanning over her for any signs of injuries. "They didn't... do anything did they?"
Eyes blinking away something like tears, the harshness was completely gone from Mina's face.
She wrapped her cloak tighter around her figure, and quickly shook her head from side to side.
"N-No." She snapped her mouth shut, obviously trying to stop her stuttering. "I'm okay. They didn't do anything..."
Udo sighed with relief upon hearing Mina's words. Adjusting his grip on his thick papers, her offered her an apologetic look.
"I'm so sorry. This wouldn't of happened if I offered to walk you to the docks. I shouldn't have ever let a young girl like you walk by yourself this late." Feeling a genuine pant of guilt, Udo looked away from the girl feeling nothing but disappointment with himself. "I am incredibly sorry."
To his surprise, Mina cut in with something other than a side comment. "N-No."
Udo looked to her in surprise, the teen seemingly embarrassed as she stared down at her shuffling feet.
Mina cleared her throat, the air holding her breath in its coldness.
"I would've just refused the assistance anyways." She muttered. "I'm not really good with directions; I tried finding the port and I ended up lost in all of these stupid side streets..."
At that, Udo stifled a small chuckle.
Mina looked up to him, cheeks red with embarrassment. "It's not funny!" She exclaimed out, harsh demeanor replaced with that of a typical teen girl.
Udo chuckled, and shook his head.
"You're just like Yuna." He noted fondly through his chuckles. "You've spent the past five years navigating the ocean, yet you can't find your way through town?" He prompted playfully.
Mina grumbled,
"Those are two totally different things."
Udo laughed again.
His chuckles dying down, Udo eyed the captain with a fond smile. "Well, I'd be happy to walk you the rest of the way now. It's right over this way, if you want to follow me; Ulstead is a very big city." Udo offered, the tiredness and stress he felt from the meeting suddenly fading away.
Udo went to take a step back into the alleyway, only to be stopped by a small hand gripping into his robes.
He halted with surprise, turning to face Mina again.
Her head hung low, burgundy hair obscuring her face in the lowly lit corner and Udo raised an eyebrow.
Udo chose not to say anything, and let Mina explain.
"I'm hungry." The words tumbled out of Mina's mouth hurriedly.
"Buy me food? I left all of my gold on the ship."
Udo blinked.
Very blunt. Also like his Yuna.
"Certainly." Udo nodded, face still holding his usual gentle smile. He looked up at the tavern that stood just behind them.
"Will here do? Or are you in the mood for something else?" He asked the girl, Mina shuffling rather nervously from foot to foot.
"Here is good, I suppose." She nodded her agreement. Head lifting a bit, Mina's eyes shifted to Udo's uneasily.
"I was hoping we could talk." She whispered.
Her words soaking in, Udo slowly nodded.
"I think that's long overdue." He replied, eyeing Mina curiously.
"Shall...we go around to the front then?" Udo cocked his head at the backdoor. "I don't think we'll be very welcomed if we go in this way."
Mina cleared her throat, the two falling into a rather awkward silence as she appeared flustered.
"Right. Let's go." She tucked a piece of hair behind her hair, ushering for Udo to lead the way.
Sensing her restlessness, Udo decided to not question it at the moment.
Exiting the alleyway, the two rounded a corner and soon found themselves onto the busy and well-lit city streets once more.
'She either wants to finally bond.' The tavern was similar to the one Percival had taken the guy friends to earlier that month, warm and inviting with its rowdy patrons and vibrant color choices.
Udo pulled the door upon for Mina, the warm and savory-smelling air saving them from the cold winter atmosphere.
She stepped inside quietly.
'Or will threaten me to stay away from her sister. Again.'
Self-seating implemented, Udo followed Mina into a tucked away corner nook; the shelves decorating the booth sheathing it with ivy, the smells of old books and the soft glow of candles.
The tavern had the ambiance of a childhood home on a rainy day; cozy, safe, and oddly charming. The first floor served as the restaurant and bar area, and the wooden stairs led up to a rest area and small inn for weary travelers. Old tapestries adorned the wooden and stone walls, and a lit fireplace warmed up a woven mat and two worn armchairs in the corner opposite to Udo and Mina.
"Figured you'd be more comfortable in a booth, rather than a small table." Mina spoke as she scanned over a menu, hand gesturing towards Udo.
"With your wings and all."
Udo observed Mina thoughtfully; surely if she was kind enough to do that, they weren't going to have too unpleasant of a conversation; right?
Udo picked up his menu, his own hunger beginning to bubble in his stomach. Trying to take down a tyrannical pirate, leading a whole group of faeries and attending an all day war meeting was quite famishing.
"Thank you for that." Udo grinned. "Definitely better seating than those flimsy old chairs that Philip has. You'd think he'd put some of the kingdom's budget into padded seating." He snickered.
Mina's lips curved up in a small, side smile.
"Or into paid vacation. Percival has a stick shoved so far up his ass you'd need to leave him on a paradise island for a whole month to wedge it out. I'm sure Shrike would be more than happy to assist."
The menu nearly tumbled out of Udo's hands, and his head fell back into a loud laugh. Some of the fellow patrons had turn to look at them, and Mina allowed an amused huff of her own to escape her.
"Percival would have you executed if he heard you say that." Udo shook his head through his laughs, and Mina shrugged.
"He'd have to stop making heart eyes at Shrike long enough to notice me actually say it." She smirked.
Udo soaked in the younger one's actual genuine amusement, and felt a small flicker of hope in his chest once more.
'Maybe she doesn't totally despise me.' He smiled.
Udo opened his mouth to continue the conversation, only stopping when new footsteps at his side alerted him of a new presence.
Head turner, he was met with a rather embarrassed looking hostess; short blonde curls and cherry lips making her look more a doll stored on some old collector's shelf than a full time employee.
Her thick lashes batted at Udo, and she smiled sweetly,
"Anything I can get for you, handsome?" Her gaze border-lined on sultry.
Sure, the girl was pretty; but Udo didn't really notice. To Udo, all other girls fell flat in comparison to Yuna.
"Just a water for me, and the carrot potage please." He handed the hostess his menu with a pleasant smile.
Mina rolled her eyes at the waitress obvious infatuation, all but shoving her own menu into the girl's arms.
"Hey? You there? Two patrons here." Mina rolled her eyes again as the waitress looked to rather startled.
"Get me the mutton and whatever ale you have on tap." Mina gestured to Udo with a sickeningly sweet smile. "He's taken, by the way. Keep staring and we might have an issue."
The girl's blush deepened, and Udo looked at Mina baffled.
"Mina!" The fey exclaimed.
He smiled apologetically to the waitress. "Sorry about that." He rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward laugh. "But on the topic of the missus...could we get an order of the chicken ballotine to go?" Udo's smile turned sheepish.
The waitress seemed to stumble, before being the subject of Mina's scary glare once more.
"C-Certainly!"
Menus in hand, the girl's heels clicked away frantically as she disappeared into a back room.
Udo regraded Mina with a quirked brow of amusement. "I wouldn't take you for the type to do something like that." He noted.
Mina huffed, watching the waitress go with a scowl.
"You're dating my sister. Why would I let anyone try to threaten that?" She muttered.
That made Udo's brow quirk up further.
"Trust me, there's nothing that could threaten Yuna and I's relationship." His statement was followed with a firm nod of his head, his tone serious.
"Besides... I was under the impression that you perhaps weren't the biggest fan of the relationship to begin with." Udo carefully mumbled, eyes fluttering away from the Captain.
The tavern continued to buzz with jovial mirth around them, and Udo could hear Mina suck a quick breath in.
Her fingers came up to fiddle with a stray strand of burgundy hair; a nervous habit that Udo also recognized from Yuna.
"I...I guess I can't object. I did give you that impression, didn't I?" Mina sighed.
Udo remained silent, and Mina leaned back in the secluded booth.
"That's what I was hoping to talk about." She spoke up quietly.
Udo nodded, just as the same waitress quickly placed their drinks on the table before dashing off once more.
Udo smirked as Mina picked up the mug, taking a hearty drink from the amber liquid inside.
"Bit young to be drinking. I don't think Yuna will appreciate me letting her baby sister get wasted." He said, bringing his water to his lips.
"Not getting wasted; it's just one drink." Mina plopped the mug back down onto the table, wiping the back of her mouth.
"I can't be sober for this."
Udo mirrored her movements, setting his own glass back down.
"For?" He prompted quizzically.
Her eyes shifting uncomfortably, Mina's voice was uncharacteristically quiet.
"...'m sorry."
Udo's eyes squinted as he tried to hear her over the patrons rowdy chatter, leaning in closer.
"What was that?" He innocently questioned.
Mina's foot stomped into the wooden floors, cheeks erupting in a blush as she exclaimed out.
"I'm SORRY!"
Udo jumped back in his own seat across from her, the outburst ringing in his ears.
He blinked in pure shock, face surprised and unfairly gentle as he asked the teen,
"Whatever for?"
Mina looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole, and she shifted uncomfortably in her spot. She looked to Udo, flustered and rather unkept.
"I've...Look, I know what you've been trying to do this whole week. I know you've been trying to play big brother, and... I haven't been the most receptive to it. Not really the nicest either." Her eyes shifted away, lips tightening into a thin line.
"So...I'm sorry. That wasn't right of me, especially after you opened up your home to me...after you took care of my sister for all this time."
"Hey." Udo's eyes softened, and he tried to catch's Mina's eye-line. Mina refused the attempt, cheeks reddening with shame.
Udo kept his voice smooth and comforting, like he were consoling a small child.
"It's alright, Mina. I'm not upset, not at all." He smiled reassuringly. "I promise. I'm just happy you're alive! I'm so thankful, and I'm even more glad that you and Yuna are reunited. That's all I care about." Udo swore, and he really meant it.
It made Udo both happy, and upset to see Mina so honest and open.
'I didn't think I'd ever hear her say sorry... not that I wanted to.' Udo mused.
Mina still shifted, like she wanted to get out of her own skin.
"I know. You're too nice." She almost went to grab at her drink again, before she stopped herself.
Mina's hands folded onto the table, fingernails digging crescents into her skin.
"This...I'm not good at stuff like this." Her voice sounded almost like she were in pain.
Udo spoke softly, "What kind of stuff?" He pressed.
Finally, Mina met his gaze.
"Family."
Came her short response.
Udo's heart clenched, but he remained silent so that the girl could continue.
Her embarrassment being replaced by a more somber attitude, Mina sighed with a shake of her head.
Their little booth in that noisy tavern seemed to become a world of their own.
"I need to be honest with you...as much as I don't want to admit the things I'm about to say." Mina seemed to nod to herself as she spoke the words, hand running up her forearm in a comforting gesture.
She gnawed at her lip, and her gaze on Udo saddened.
"...I spent the past five years missing Yuna more than I could ever describe. I missed her and our family so much; I missed them so much that it hurt. I thought it was going to kill me, the kind of pain that I felt was like a plague that was eating me from the inside out." Mina whispered.
"That day in Miyagata when I saw her again still feels like a dream that I'm scared I'm going to wake up from. That day, this whole week has made me feel like...I'm finally getting a second chance. Like all of my prayers have been answered. Yuna was my whole world when I was a kid, I love her more than anything. She's one of the most important people to me..."
Mina's eyes glistened with sadness, and she looked away like she were greatly ashamed.
"...and yet she feels like a stranger now."
Udo's eyes widened, and his breath hitched.
"Mina..."
The girl shook her head, eyes closing with a grimace.
"The Yuna I knew was from when I was still a child. The Yuna I knew was a teenager who was getting ready to leave for university, who was the town's princess and was just getting her foot into adulthood."
Mina smiled sadly.
"Now we're reunited, but she isn't the Yuna I remember. Not even one that I know."
Her smile threatened to quiver.
"But you know her. Better than anyone in this world; better than her own blood family. You know her, you love her, you're about to devote your whole life to her." Mina eyed the ring on Udo's finger.
"But me? I'm just a random character who dropped into this chapter in her life. Just some outsider who should've been with her, should be closer to her than anyone else...but I'm not. I'm just...here. You know Yuna better than I probably do, got to spend all of this time with her when I'm her sister..."
Mina's eyes flashed as she met Udo's sympathetic gaze.
"...And I think I hated you for that. I feel like you've taken her away from me...but I also know she was never mine to begin with. I lost my Yuna five years ago..."
Udo watched as a stray tear began to pool in Mina's tear duct, her eyes glossy as she shook her head.
"...and now I'm just left trying to sew all the pieces together of a shitty family tragedy; trying to insert myself somewhere I don't belong just for the sake of feeling like I have a sister again."
Mina huffed as a tear came out,
"But I don't have anyone. I don't have parents, I don't have friends, I don't have a brother...I don't have a sister." Her teeth gnawed so deeply into her lip the skin threatened to split.
"No matter how much time I spend with Yuna, at the end of the day I end up alone. When she goes to bed at night, she has you. All of your other friends have each other. Philip and Aurora have each other; Maleficent and Diaval have each other... then there's me. I'm just the left over piece."
Mina's voice finally broke, and she could barely discern Udo as hot tears dripped down her face that still held the tiniest amount of childlike cherub chub.
"The left over piece that her own twin brother doesn't even care enough about to come back to. The one that everyone keeps leaving behind."
Mina face fell into her hand, and her shoulders shook.
"And I'm so fucking tired of feeling that way!"
Udo moved before he could even register what he was doing, suddenly finding himself at Mina's side and pulling her into an awkward but tight side embrace in the small booth.
Mina teary eyes shot open as she got a face full of fur lined robes, hands almost immediately coming up to push the fey away.
Then she paused.
'Come on Mina, It was just a little fall. You're okay." Percy sighed as he knelt in front of his little daughter, smiling affectionately at her.
Mina sniffled, and shook her head rapidly.
"It hurts daddy!" The girl wailed, pointing to the tiniest of scrapes on her knee. "It hurts!"
Her crying grew louder, and Percy only shook his head.
"It's okay if it hurts," Gently, Percy scooped the fallen girl up from underneath her armpits.
"I'll always be here to make it better."
He held her close, and Mina never felt more safe than she did against his strong chest.
"That could be further from the truth. The silliest thing I've ever heard." Udo squeezed the girl tighter.
"You're not just some random character... you're not unwanted and you're not disposable." Udo smiled sadly as he rubbed a hand up Mina's back.
"Yuna cherishes you more than the stars; and everyone thanks the heavens everyday that you're here with us. I meant what I said in the war room today; I'll find Leo no matter what. I'll put an end to Azazel no matter what."
Mina sniffled, and finally let her walls come down as she clung onto Udo like she had her own father all those years ago.
Udo said the next part a lot softer;
"So that he never tears apart another family ever again. So that he never threatens my family again..." Udo felt his own eyes begin to water.
"You're my family, Mina. There's never going to be a day you're left behind... that's not how Dark Feys treat their kin."
Mina's eyes widened, then she finally let her cries become muffled in Udo's robes.
"Thank you."
*
"That was...um...really good." Mina cocked her head towards the tavern's sign, wrapping her cloak around herself to keep out the cold outside air.
"Thanks for paying."
"Certainly." Udo answered as they walked, docks in sight. He adjusted the take out container in his grip, stacking it on top of his notes. "That was a great suggestion; I don't remember the last time I've eaten out."
Mina nodded, heels clicking on the pavement.
"Yeah, me neither." She fell into an awkward silence after that.
Udo smiled as she shifted nervously, the Corsair's ship coming into view. Mina stop before the wooden platform, hand resting on the railing of the steps leading up to the vessel.
She eyed Udo rather sheepishly.
"I... um..." Mina sighed, and Udo remained quiet as she gathered her words.
Mina finally straightened.
"Thank you, for everything else." She rubbed her arm. "I know I didn't make a very kind first impression, but..." Her lips fell into a side smile.
"I'd like to grow closer. Especially since you're pretty much my brother in law." 
Udo chuckled. "Drop the "in-law" part. I can just be your brother." He smiled warmly.  "If that's alright with you."
Udo saw the faintest sparks of happiness glisten in Mina's eyes, and the smile stayed on her face as she softly nodded.
"Yeah. That's perfectly fine." Her eyes fell to her feet.
"So...I'll spend the night on the ship tonight just to check in on the girls and everything. Also have some reports I need to fill out." Mina tapped the railing.
"Day after tomorrow I'll probably head out with the royal fleet and some of the feys to investigate the islands Azazel visited..."
Udo's smile grew.
"Well, it sounds like you're free tomorrow. Just in time for our day off." He cocked his head.
"Want to come back to the Moors and hang out with all of us? Rumor has it that Diaval has mastered turning into a bear; he's quite excited to show all of us tomorrow."
Mina's eyes brightened once more.
"I-I'll see if I have time in my schedule." She cleared her throat. "But I think I could squeeze it in."
Udo nodded his head, eyes soft.
"I look forward to it." Gently, he nudged the girl.
"Go on now. Captain's duties call."
Mina stumbled, then corrected herself.
"R-Right." Mina scurried up the steps, pausing when she reached the top.
"Hey Udo."
Udo eyed her curiously.
"Yes?"
Slowly, Mina peaked over her shoulder.
She smiled;
"Thanks for taking care of Yuna all of this time. I'm...I'm glad you two were able to find each other again."
Udo's eyes softened, and his heart squeezed. "Thank you; I am too." He chuckled breathily.
"I could say the same for you two as well. I'm...We are so happy to have you here, Mina." His smile became even more sincere, like that were even possible.
"And we'll keep working on bringing Leo home as well."
Mina's smile grew at his words, and she cocked her chin up. "Damn straight." Her fist meeting her chest, Mina stood proudly upon the ship.
"Let's go kick Azazel's arse."
Udo's smile grew.
"Only thing I plan on doing."
Mina flashed him one more small smile, nodding her head before entering her ship swiftly.
" 'night."
Udo made sure she went below deck safely, before finally turning on his heel and setting off towards the Moors. The relief and joy he felt was enough to almost make him forget he had hundreds of lives depending on him; his heart felt peaceful.
He meant it too; Mina was his sister. When they finally brought Leo home, he'd make sure the lad knew he was his brother as well.
The fatigue of the day finally seemed to crash onto Udo as he neared the woodsy cottage; wings beginning to sag as he clicked up the door to his and Yuna's home quietly.
Almost immediately, he was greeted by a blanket-bundled Yuna wandering towards him.
"Udo." She greeted warmly, and Udo suddenly felt reinvigorated as he soaked in her wild bed head and sparkling eyes.
"I'm home." He smiled down at her, setting the food and notes down onto the table as he drew her into a hug.
Placing a kiss to Yuna's forehead, he drew back.
He eyed her sleepy face with amusement, and adoration.
"Sleep well?" He questioned, hand cradling her face.
Yuna hummed, and snuggled into it.
"Wonderfully." She sighed. "I only woke up maybe an hour ago. I can't believe I slept all day."
Udo chuckled. "Well, you hadn't slept for a week prior to today, so I'm not too surprised." Reaching over, Udo picked up the container to hand it to his heart.
"Here, I picked up dinner. Took notes on the meeting as well, but you can worry about reading those later."
Yuna's eyes lit up as she smelled the food, smiling widely.
"Oh, thank you!" She beamed up at him, and Udo shook his head affectionately with a chuckle.
"I'm starting to think you love food more than you love me." He ruffled her hair affectionately, steering them both towards the couch.
Yuna settled onto the cozy cushions gratefully, still fatigued from her recent slumber.
"I'd say I love you both equally." She stuck her tongue out, and Udo almost immediately captured it in a kiss that made them grin goofily.
"Where's Mina?" Yuna questioned as they pulled back, the concern almost immediately etched into her face. "Did she not come back with you?"
Udo quickly quelled Yuna's worries, hand rubbing hers softly.
"She returned to her ship for the night; needed to catch up on some paperwork. She'll be back tomorrow, I promise." He spoke softly.
Udo saw the rising panic in Yuna's eyes, but also saw her fight to keep calm.
"Oh, okay..." Yuna's brows knit together, border-lining on sadness. "Is...Is she mad? Is that why she doesn't want to spend the night here?"
Udo's face softened.
'Always so sensitive to others.' Udo thought fondly.
He kissed her temple. "Quite the opposite. We had a lovely night together; she was very happy today." He smiled.
"Don't forget, your little sister is the captain of a mercenary ship. She has her own responsibilities as well." Udo quietly reassured her.
At his words, Yuna's shoulders relaxed. She regarded Udo with a soft, loving smile;
"You two were able to bond then?" Her eyes squinted in a grin. "That makes me so happy...It was really important to me that you two..."
Yuna voice threatened to break, so she stopped talking as she broke into a giggle.
The noise made Udo's heart squeeze with love;
"It was important to me too." He whispered.
Yuna eyed him warmly.
"I know it was. You were...rather disgruntled this week." She giggled again.
Udo sighed, rubbing his neck sheepishly.
"Was it that obvious?" He mumbled.
Yuna took Udo's hand, and squeezed it.
"Only to me." She assured him. She kissed his knuckle,
"It makes me really happy that you cared that much to bond with Mina; that you two are getting along."
She pressed his hand into her cheek.
"I know she's a bit... rough around the edges, but she has a good heart. It's my fault that she's as jaded as she is now; if I had been there for her these past few years, then maybe-" Yuna stopped herself, shaking her head when tears threatened to spill out.
Udo's arm wrapped around her shoulders, bringing her in closely to his side.
"You did nothing wrong. Mina didn't do anything wrong either. It's simply how it is." Udo whispered. "All that matters is we're together now."
Yuna nodded along to his words, kissing his shoulder.
"I know." She let their fingers intertwine. "I just love you both so much. I'm happy that...that you two accepted each other so easily."
Holding Yuna closely, Udo wrapped the blankets tighter around her frame.
"I'm happy too." He genuinely confessed.
Yuna let herself relax, eyes shutting in the warmth and love that Udo brought her.
'Mina's alright. She's just on the ship...' Yuna's thoughts quelled her.
'Udo and I are long overdue for a night to ourselves anyways. It's all okay."
"How was the meeting?" Yuna spoke up softly, eyes fluttering to the notes on the table.
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that we didn't crack the code on anything?"
Udo sighed. "We were able to finally set in stone that Azazel is most likely planning to attack or at least declare violence against Moors...but we don't know why. Or when." He answered.
"I've deployed some of our warrior feys to go investigate the previous islands Azazel has attacked; if they're anything like Miyagata, then there should be some semblance of faeries or Moors worship. Mina will accompany them as well; they leave in two days." His cheek rested against the top of her head.
Yuna fought down a wave of panic.
"Will she be safe?" She almost immediately questioned.
Udo nodded firmly, rubbing her shoulder.
"The warrior fey will protect her with their lives. I'd never send any of my kin into a situation that was outwardly dangerous; Mina included."
He then gently chided;
"You know that."
Yuna had to take a deep breathe to steady herself, nodding along to Udo's reminder.
"You're right. I do." She reasoned. "Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize." Udo hushed her, the bundled up girl warm in his hold. His fingers brushed over her curled bangs;
"How are you holding up?" He mumbled. "You didn't have any nightmares again, did you?"
Yuna shook her head, curling up tighter in the protective embrace of her fey.
"I'm okay." She whispered back. "I'm just...scared." She turned her head up to smile at Udo.
"I'm just trying not to worry about it until I really need to. I have faith in Philip and Aurora, in Mina..." Yuna's hand brushed over Udo's jaw.
"In you."
Udo watched her softly, Yuna soaking in every detail of his face.
"You'll all protect me; and I'll protect all of you too." She whispered.
Udo's head relaxed on the back of the couch, and he carefully pulled Yuna up so that she sat halfway in his lap.
Yuna settler against his chest, and Udo muttered into her hair;
"No more talk of Azazel. Nothing else exists right now besides you and me; nothing else matters." He held her gently.
Yuna nodded against his neck, kissing the skin there.
"Okay." She promised. "We've done all we can for now. We'll wait for the scouts to return with any new information..." She pressed another kiss;
"And I'll keep searching into Leo's disappearance all I can. I won't stop until I find him."
Udo's hand had slipped into her blanket, fingers trailing up into her nightgown and tracing the bare skin on her sides. Not in a sexual way, but a way that was intimately them.
"I won't either." He whispered. "Philip has agents all over the coasts searching for Azazel and Leo. We'll find him, Yuna." He promised against her ear, fingers tracing her curves.
Yuna nodded wordlessly, and Udo chose to drop the subject.
"...Do you wish you could've spent more time on Miyagata?" He asked into the silence. "I can't help but feel guilty, like you were robbed of a visit you've waited for after all this time."
Yuna pushed herself up, smiling at him through her fatigue. "Wherever you are is my home. I got to finally visit my parent's graves, and I came home with my sister; that visit couldn't have been anymore perfect." She assured him.
Udo returned the smile wholeheartedly, before he faltered.
'Pirates, Udo.'
Philip's words rang in Udo's mind, and that same guilt Udo kept trying to swallow away for a week and a half came bubbling back up.
'I need to tell Yuna that I knew.' The Fey felt his gut clench.
'I didn't know it was Azazel; she won't be mad. I just need to be honest. I need to tell her that I only did what I did so that she could finally enjoy being back on Miyagata.'
Their pressed together, and Udo pulled away with his brows knit in worry.
"Yuna, I need to tell you something."
"Tell me later." The girl's smile widened, and she shifted closer in his lap.
"I missed you."
Yuna's lips met his cheek, and Udo guiltily obeyed her innocent command as the night wore on.
"Later, then."
*
Mina studied the letter under the dim candlelight in her room, the night late and dark.
Mina-
Today marks my fifth month staying on Isle Viridi, and almost a year since we've been apart. This land is rich in their knowledge of the Moors, and while I learn more about the mating habits of the Junefly Water faeries (you don't want to know), I've yet to learn anything regarding the Phoenix or her curse. I won't let my departure end in vain, so I promise you that by the time we see each other again, I will have the knowledge to take down Azazel's conquest. While my days are lonely, I find comfort in knowing that I have a sister who is waiting for me to come home and is bravely fighting her own side of these battles. I hope to see you soon, if you have the time to write me back then please do. Shall my plans change, I will write to you posthaste.
Same stars,
Leo
The last letter she ever received from Leo; just over a year ago.
Mina sighed deeply as she looked to the Corsair's next destination on their map; the first island that Azazel had laid waste to:
Isle Viridi.
Mina's eyes shut, and she held the letter close to her chest.
'You better still be alive, idiot.'
Taking out a piece of paper, she carefully brought her quill down onto the parchment.
Leo-
This will be the fourth letter you haven't responded to, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you've been busy or just barely escaped the chaos on Isle Viridi.
Mina paused, eyes closing in a silent prayer as she continued.
Yuna is alive. I'm here with her in Ulstead; she's established a life for herself that no doubt has brought mom and dad to tears up in the stars. She's settled with a dark fey; a man by the name of Udo. While they are an unconventional couple, when I see them together I'm quite sure I'm looking at the pure embodiment of love.
Mina almost scoffed; she was starting to sound like their mother.
She is happy, and so am I. She's a Court Herbalist with the royal crown, and I am in complete shock that our sister has been alive after all these years. The only thing that could make this more perfect is if you were here with us.
Azazel is back and I fear he has set his sights on the Moors themselves; I plan to kill him befor he can set this plan into motion. Hurry up and come out of hiding; I need you, and I believe you and Yuna are long overdue for a reunion. She's alive Leo...I couldn't stop crying from pure joy the first few nights.
I shall arrive at Isle Viridi before the month is over; if we are to stop Azazel, I need to find out why he is after the Moors and faeries. I hope to see you, or at least hear from you and know that you are safe on another island.
Respond soon. Your sisters are waiting.
Same stars,
Mina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took me longer to update, but the reward was the longest chapter in this book so far!
I hope you guys enjoyed!!! Another exposition dump of a chapter, but I promise it is setting up very important plot points : ) I love writing Udo and Mina! Udo being a big brother to her made my heart so warm 💛
Show your support and let me know in the comments what you thought of the chapter, I hope you enjoyed!!!
He hit 30k reads and are now at 31k; thank you all very much. I love writing this story so much; see you all in the next chapter!
~Akahana