compassion and fresh starts

After the meal with his 3 cute classmates, they get dressed in their training clothes and leave, James finally getting back to the work he was attempting to do.

That doesn't last very long however when he hears someone knocking at the door, opening it he sees Serena look down at her hands nervously, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans that reach to her knees as well as blue sneakers.

"Serena, come on in." He says, somewhat surprised to see her back already.

"You said you wanted to talk alone." She says, stepping into the house.

"Yeah. Right, we should clear the air I think. I want us to be friends and that won't happen as long as you are terrified of me." James says, motioning her to sit on the couch while he sits down on the small table in front of it.

"How fo you want to do that?" She asks.

"First of all I want to know what you want. Do you want to be friends? Or do you want us to pretend like nothing happened and we don't know each other?" James asks.

Serena pauses thinking about the question, before reaching into her pocket, pulling out the broken crocodile pendant and answers, "I want to be your friend."

"Good. Then, tell me. Why are you afraid of me?" James asks, looking at her while she still avoids his gaze.

"I tried to kill you. I'm ashamed. I blindly believed what I was told and almost killed you after you saved my life back then." Serena says, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Serena. I saw you. You dropped the dagger. You weren't going to kill me. You're better than me. You're not a murderer." He tells her, taking her hands gently and pries them off her legs.

"I'm so sorry." She cries, looking at him finally, tears streaming down her cheeks.

James stands up and pulls her into his chest, letting her cry in it while she balls her fists in his shirt.

"Why did they lie to me?" She asks while crying into his comforting embrace.

"Who told you that lie? Who let you do something as stupid as attack my father when you were 13?" James asks, brushing through her braided hair calmingly.

"The family who took me in." Serena answers shakily.

"I see. I'm sorry about that. I want to tell you that they did it to protect you from the truth that your parents left you behind to fight a losing battle, but I just don't know and someone has to stop lying to you." James tells her.

"They never liked me. They didn't want me around. I scared them." Serena cries.

"You scared them?" James asks surprised.

"I had nightmares and daydreams until the day your father sealed most of my powers." Serena says, looking up at him, her eyes puffy from the crying.

"Nightmares huh?" James says thoughtfully, holding her lucious red hair.

"What?" She asks, seeing something in his eyes.

"I had a thought. But it's farfetched and could hurt you even more." James tells her.

"What thought?" Serena asks.

"I don't think telling you will help. I have no proof and barely a guess." James tells her.

"Tell me please. You said you wouldn't lie to me." She begs weakly, James looking into her puffy grayish eyes.

"Fine. Just let me get something first." James says, Serena nodding and releasing her desperate hold on him while he fetches two glasses, a bottle of booze and an old looking book.

"Here, you'll need this." James says, pouring them a glass, both downing it in one go while James looks through the book, until stopping at a page.

"Found it." James says from his seat next to her.

"What is it?" She questions sliding closer, looking at the book written in a language she doesn't recognize.

"This book is about hereditary magics. Very old stuff and these next pages are about a family which lived what now is behind the border. Before the demons and monsters drove away the humans there." James tells her.

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" She asks confused.

"The women of this family are said to have all kinds of clairvoyant like abilities, visions of the future, dreams, omens. There are a lot of different descriptions for it in here. But what's interesting is how the clan was described." James explains.

"Why?" Serena asks.

"Every single one of them, man or woman are said to have fiery red hair and pale grey eyes." James tells her, looking over to her.

"So what? Neither my mother or father looked anything like that." Serena says confused.

"If... they were your parents. I heard rumors before about hereditary magic children being abducted and sold." James says heavy heartedly.

"And you really think I'm one of those?" Serena shouts angrily.

"I said it's a farfetched theory. I only thought of it because your adopted family feared your dreams and nightmares. This would explain why, if they knew." James tells her.

"You're trying to get back at me, torture me with this aren't you?" Serena says tearing up, while looking at him angrily, standing next to him while he remains sitting on the couch.

"I'm not and I told you that I can't prove a thing. This is just speculation." James tells her, his compassionate eyes looking up to her, convincing her that he's only trying to help.

"Sorry. I... I did it again." She says sniffling, sitting down next to him.

"Did what?" James asks.

"Jump to conclusions." Serena says guiltily.

"It's fine. I understand." James replies, the room then filling with heavy silence.

"Why. Why are you being nice to me and want to help me so badly?" Serena asks.

"What my father did to you is one of the worst things I have seen in my life, I don't know why. I just know that hearing your begging voice, seeing your helpless eyes that day. Looking at me, at anyone to help you... It hit me deeper than any of the countless questionable things I did in my past." James answers.

"You were there?" She asks surprised.

"Yeah. Had I known who you were... I like to think that I would have tried to help you, but maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better for not doing it." James confesses disappointed.

"He didn't tell you?" She asks surprised.

"I found out a year later who it was. I guess father knew that if I found out it was you I'd be even more pissed and distance myself completely. He wasn't wrong." James says shaking his head.

"That's why you're so forgiving and try to help me?" She asks.

"To a big part yes. I see the potential you have if you can someday move on from the past and want to help you do that however I can." James says.

"Thank you." Serena says, her hand squeezing his leg comfortingly.

"I guess the real question is turned around huh?" James chuckles.

"What do you mean?" She asks looking at him confused.

"The question should be if you can forgive me for everything I didn't do and let happen to you because of my stupidity." James says looking over to her.

"Let's call us even and start fresh." Serena says smiling, while offering him a handshake, a few tears of relief and happiness escaping her eyes.

"I'd like that. I'm James Rowan, second Prince of Rowan and I can't stand my father or mist." James says shaking her hand.

"Serena Lenvo." She says laughing while returning the gesture.

"I have one more question before I leave though. Because you spoke of that day, what did you mean when you said you'll try to get my power back?" She asks.

"I promise you, I'm going to tell you once I find a way. I started some experiments with a condition like yours in mind looking for a way to cure something like it but had no breakthrough so far." James tells her, holding out a pinky.

"Thanks." She says wrapping her pinky around his and gives him a kiss on his cheek.

After a few seconds of just taking in their promising fresh start Serena gets up and heads over to the door, James following her.

"Don't go easy on me the next time we spar alright?" He tells her, getting a nod positive in reply.

"You could stay over if you want to." James offers, wiping some tear streaks off her cheeks.

"Another time." She says.

"I'm holding you to that." He says quietly as she leaves his house, Serena catching it though but doesn't react as she's leaving.