Morgan had a pep in his step the next day. He was beaming brightly, grinning ear from ear as he walked down the hall. 'Today is the day Essa finally leaves our or should I say my kingdom? Raymond will be happy for sure. I should give him the good news! I will, however, leave out who her "aunt and uncle" are.' He thought to himself, chuckling deviously as he knocked on Raymond's study.

Standing there, he couldn't help but avoid a devious smile. Although the guards stationed at the door weren't looking at him, he knew this particular guard wasn't fond of him. He never knew why they just weren't. So, He kept a stoic face while he waited to get his brother to answer. When no answer came for a few minutes he knocked again, hoping to pull Raymond's attention to him.

Raymond looked up from some scrolls that he had been sealing with red wax and his signet ring. "Come in." His voice boomed, looking rather unpleasant that someone was bothering him when he still had a great deal to handle before William's wedding. There was a lot of paperwork that needed to be signed and sealed, all of which he had been doing over the past week.

Morgan waltzed in through the doors, letting the guards close it behind him. "Brother!" He exclaimed, his heeled shoes clicking against the marble floor. "I come bearing fantastic news. I am sure you will be both thrilled and relieved!" He informed, sitting down in the royal blue velvety armchair in front of his brother's desk.

Raymond groaned, looking up at his brother with a death glare. How fantastic could it be that it involved his brother interrupting him? "What could be so impressive that you couldn't wait until later this evening? I am not even half done with what I am going now." He motioned to the pile of scrolls and documents before him.

Morgan inwardly rolled his eyes. That was Raymond's go-to answer for anything, even if he was knee-deep in work. "Goodness me, my deepest apologies." He placed his hand over his heart, giving a fake sincere look. "This alas can't wait until tonight because in a few hours something grand will be happening." He persisted, hoping he could appease what his brother would most likely want to hear.

Raymond set down the quill beside the document he was signing. "Spit it out, Morgan, and stop with this beating around the bush." He snapped, quite vexed at how his brother was treating the situation. It was typical of him to do such. As a child, he always did the same thing, which made their father end up in a very unpleasant mood almost every day.

Morgan frowned and let out a heavy and long sigh. He figured he might have reacted like this which was what he was hoping for. It was the perfect time to tell him. "I found Essa's parents, well, her aunt and uncle who knew her parents, well, mother." He explained, trying to hold back any smirk or any devious chuckle.

Raymond paused, he looked at his brother, searching his face to see if he was bluffing. Morgan had always been quite easy to read and it seemed he was serious. "You found her family?" He questioned. It was hard to believe that he had found her family since his son had had no luck at all.

Morgan smiled with a nod. He could tell his brother was skeptical about his words. But, very soon, he would be at ease. "Yes, I did." He puffed his chest out as he confirmed it. Although no one knew he had orchestrated the whole scheme. "Now, now, I am sure it comes as a shock that I found them before your son did. Now, I don't want to be precocious, perhaps he wasn't truly looking for her because he wanted her to stay."

Raymond gritted his teeth as his brother spoke. Although what he said might have held a little truth, he still wasn't taking kindly to his brother suggesting such a thing. "You are not being precocious. I have been thinking the same thing since he spends his time with her when he isn't busy with the wedding and his duties." He paused for a moment. "I am glad you found them. We can finally be rid of the island girl and William can focus on his wedding and his wedding alone."

Morgan grinned. Yes, he too was thrilled, but for different reasons. He knew she would meddle in his plans and he did not want that. "Would you care to meet them? I was planning on introducing her to them at the royal greenhouse." He then paused for a moment before smoothly adding." Perhaps, we could also ask the Oshiappan royals if they would like to join."

Raymond thought about it for a moment. He was the king after all and he would be rude not to attend. "Hmm, I suppose it would just be Kalirene, William, and myself, perhaps Chandler if he isn't busy. The young princesses have dancing lessons so they won't attend." He replied, figuring it wouldn't be such a bad idea. "Also, why would they want to watch that reunion?" He didn't understand why they needed to be there.

Morgan held in a chuckle. They were the pirates who kidnapped their daughter, although it was clear she did not perish that night, unlike what most believe. "I assume it is because her aunt and uncle have crossed paths with them before. It would be a shame if they didn't. They also wanted to tell them something as well and who am I to deny them that?" His innocent act was pulling one right over on his brother.

Raymond shooed his brother from behind the desk. "You have a point, as much as it pains me to agree. Now, leave, I still have a great deal of work to finish before I meet you there." He would try his best to hurry since it was close to the time he needed to start walking to the greenhouse. Not that he was thrilled about it.

Morgan grinned, he bowed to his brother after he had stood up. "As you wish, your majesty." He pivoted on his heels and walked towards the doors. Everything was going according to plans and soon he'd be one step closer to taking the throne.

Meanwhile, William was secretly taking time out of his duties to spend some time with Essa in Jayme's greenhouse. He held a coconut in his hand which he threw it up and down as his eyes focused on Essa. "Let's hope my aim is a little better this time." He mused, tossing the coconut through the air and over Skylar and Bananas, who was trying to catch up.

Bananas groaned, trying his best to jump high but barely gaining anything. "Throw it a little lower! Lower! Shylar and I aren't that big!" He whined, to which Shylar echoed what he had said with a yes. At first, it was fun but now as time went on he hadn't been able to catch the ball. It was putting a damper on the mood.

Essa reached up and grabbed the ball with her hands. "Not bad. How is your throwing so bad but your swordsmanship so good? I still don't understand." She questioned, pausing and looking down at Bananas. "Okay, okay, we will toss it lower." She said and tossed the coconut back to William going a little lower.

Shylar swatted it with her paw, sending it into the ground and rolling towards William. "I got it!" She exclaimed and pounced on the coconut, rolling on her back and bouncing it between her four paws. She was a kitten after all and anything shaped like a sphere could keep her busy for hours upon hours.

William chuckled, walking over and leaning over Shylar. "Nice catch." He complimented. He was growing rather attached to her animal family. He had begun to look at them less like animals and more as siblings. That was how they treated Essa. He then looked up at Essa as he rubbed his shoulder. "I think we should stop for right now. My arm is beginning to get sore." He stretched it behind his back then moved it behind his head.

Essa nodded and picked up another coconut and tossed it to Bananas. "That's fine. I would say so with all those times you missed and it hit your arm instead of your hand. How do you have such a bad aim with throwing but you are great at swinging a sword?" She innocently asked. She truly wanted to know and wasn't teasing him, although her voice might have implied that.

William chuckled. He thought about it for a moment. It did seem off how he was good at one but not the other, even though they both repaired your arms. "Hmm, not sure. I've been asking myself the same thing." He paused and a grin grew on his face. "I'm not half as good as you." He teased, walking over and gently nudging her in the arm with his fist.

Essa giggled, gently nudging his arm back with her fisted hand. She was slowly starting to understand what these types of actions meant. "I'm not that good. I barely was able to disarm you, it was just a fluke. I hardly knew what I was doing. I was simply following you and thought I could outsmart you, and I did. It's not that big of a deal." She denied, averting her gaze to the floor.

William gave her a soft look as he stood there and watched her, listening to her voice. "As humble as ever. You give yourself far too little credit than you deserve. Not saying that is a bad thing necessarily, but it never hurts to take credit where credit is due." He didn't mind that she was humble like that, it was a good attribute to have, one his father seemed to lack but at least his mother had it.

Essa nodded slowly, pivoting on her heels and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'll remember that." She sighed. Her mind wandered to what his uncle had said. Ever since she spoke to him about finding her family, she had this unsettling knot in her stomach. "William," She began, getting his attention. "Um, what would happen if you found out my parents were um pirates?" She hesitantly asked, keeping her eyes focused on Shylar, playing with the coconut.

William was taken back. He had never thought about that, although it did seem a possibility. He knew that pirates weren't the most respectable in their kingdom. However, he knew that you couldn't choose your parents. He often wondered what it would be like to have a father like Jayme's, but it was silly because he couldn't change how his father was.

What could he say? He never even thought of the possibility that her parents or family could be pirates. He had thought he might be commoners but never pirates. Perhaps it was because he still was angry at them for what happened to Janessa. He couldn't find it in himself to forgive them, let alone come to that conclusion. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted.

Donavan rushed into the greenhouse and bowed himself towards William and Essa. He patted, bending over and placing his hands on his knees. "Deepest apologies if I am bothering you two." He took a few more breaths to gather himself. "Duke Morgan is looking for you two, he couldn't come himself because he is preoccupied at the moment, so he sent me instead. He needs you both in the royal greenhouse right away."

Essa couldn't understand why Morgan would want to see her. She knew he hated her and yes at a brief moment of kindness he offered to find her family. But could it be it? She doubted it because William hadn't found anything so if he hasn't, who's to say that Morgan did? Before she could comment William had taken the words right from her mouth.

William wasn't too sure why his uncle wanted to see them, mostly Essa. He knew his uncle didn't like the island girl so what was he planning? "Uncle Morgan needs us? Is there a particular reason?" He questioned. He still didn't fully trust his uncle. Whatever the reason, it couldn't be good. He just hoped his expectations were wrong.

Donavan shook his head. He only knew that Morgan was looking for them. "It involves Essa, but you needn't worry, it is nothing bad but something good. You can bring along your animal family if you wish. You just hurry though, your father is getting impatient." With that he pivoted on his foot and strode out of the greenhouse, knowing that the pair could easily go to the greenhouse.

Essa chewed the inside of her lip as she watched the royal page leave. "Should I be worried? Why would your uncle need to see us and bring my animal family along?" She glanced back at Shylar, who had let the ball roll away, and Bananas' who was sitting on her back.

William wrapped an arm around her and gave her a brief hug from the side before pulling away. "I'm not sure. I suppose the only way to tell is if we just go and see. If you want I can go ahead while you gather your animal family? I will walk with you though." He offered, hoping that would bring her a little peace. He could tell she was trying not to freak out but her jittery actions said otherwise.

Essa turned to him, their eyes meeting, a smile growing on her lips. "Thank you, I will do that." She watched William give a how and leave the greenhouse. She tended to Bananas who were silently watching. "Can you find the others for me? You're a lot faster at this than me and I have this uneasy feeling about this whole thing." She couldn't help but feel like throwing up.

Bananas gave her a two-finger salute, patting Shylar. "Don't worry! We'll gather up and then we will be on our way!" He looked down at Shylar who seemed to be glaring at him. "Don't give me that look! Come on! Let's go find the others and hurry." He urged her, putting her head a few times.

Shylar was not too happy he was treating her like Peony. "I'm only doing this for Essa." She glares at him through barred teeth. She darted off down the path, knowing where everyone was at. It wouldn't take but a few minutes to round everyone up. She wasn't sure how Misty was going to take it, considering she had been cold towards everyone, especially Essa.

It didn't take that long for Shylar and Bananas to round up her animal family. "What is this about Duke Morgan needing to see you?" Roki asked from Misty's back, along with Indigo and Toki. Shylar still had Bananas on her back as she jumped from the tree onto Misty's back as well.

Essa rubbed the side of her arm as she nervously chewed the inside of her cheek and nodded her head slowly. "Uh, yes, he needs to see me. I think he has found my family! There would be no other reason for him needing me would there be?" She rambled on, feeling very nervous about this whole escapade.

Misty still didn't like this nor did she even trust the Duke. She knew that her trusting walking sticks were going to end badly for her. Even if she denied it, Kailau was right, she didn't belong with her kind. "How do we know he truly found your family?" She coldly asked, her eyes never meeting Essa or anyone else's for that matter.

Roki gently tapped the baby elephant's head, shaking his head. "Misty, don't speak like that. Why would he lie about something like this? Wouldn't it be easy to prove? Besides, let's not jump to conclusions." He thought they had already gone over this, that she would be supportive of Essa and whatever happens.

Toki on the other hand wanted to appease Misty and remind her of what she was yearning for. "This is what she came here for so the sooner we find her family the sooner we can go home." They all wanted to go home to see their parents. It wasn't a secret they all missed their island but Misty kept making it sound like they would never want to go back.

Essa was just glad she had such a supportive animal family. She knew Misty was only looking out for her and didn't want her to get hurt. "Come on, William is waiting for us." She turned around and walked towards the entrance, where William was waiting for them so they could walk together.

Indigo groaned as he fixed his tail feathers with his peak. "Let's hope I can preen myself in the time it takes to get from here to the royal greenhouse. I was in the middle of a bath when two rambunctious animals decided to bother me." He glared at Bananas and Shylar, who in return, smiled innocently.

Bananas rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, which he puffed out. "I can't help you choose to bathe or nap at the most awkward of times. It's not like we make it our mission to interrupt and bother Indigo." He waved his hands around, making various gestures as he spoke.

The group shared a laugh as they met up with William and ventured to the royal greenhouse, where Morgan had asked for their presence. Everyone agreed and figured that it was about Essa's family, although William knew what that meant and he wasn't quite ready to let her go. Maybe it was selfish of him, but he didn't know why, he just felt distraught about her leaving.

Essa walked up to the group with William by her side. "Um, you need to uh see me." She glanced from Morgan to William's parents and brother to the Oshiappan royals. She didn't understand why they were there but before she could answer Mark had asked what she had been wondering.

William walked over and stood beside his mother and his father, his brother beside him. He looked at the Oshiappan royals, tilting his head to the side; he wondered why they were there. What did they have to do with finding Essa's family? He certainly wasn't going to imply she was Janessa? No, that was silly. He would have known if Essa was Janessa, there would have been an immediate connection that they shared as children.

Chandler leaned over to his brother. "We've been here for about ten minutes and no one has asked anything yet. I suppose they were waiting for Essa, which, by the way, were you with her again?" He explained, raising his eyebrows. When he was met with silence that told him his answer. "Of course you were." He mumbled, slipping his hands into his pockets.

Mark crossed his arms with a frown. "Duke Morgan, please enlighten us why we are here? Finding Essa's family has nothing to do with us, so why are we needed?" He asked, speaking for his family. None of them understood why they were there since it didn't concern them.

Morgan grinned, clapping his hands together. Oh, were they in for a treat. "You'll see. You'll see." He sang, hardly able to keep his composure. He pivoted around and turned towards the island girl. "Essa, you must be thrilled to finally meet your family. May I present your aunt and uncle, Hector and Elizabeth Calabran." He smiled as Hector and Elizabeth walked up to the group, putting on an anxious look.

Essa was flabbergasted, she had no idea what to say. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. All eyes were on her and the two pirates who seemed genuinely happy? Was it relieved? She didn't know. She had so many emotions that she couldn't find her voice. She had played out how things would go in her mind growing up, but now that it was time things were going quite differently.

William wanted to reach out and hold Essa's hand through this, but he had to stay beside his parents. He could tell she was emotional, the sheer look of shock on her face told him everything. He felt bad this reunion had to be before the Oshiappan royals and his parents, which he still didn't understand why they had to be here.

Kalirene looked between the pirates and Essa. Yes, she knew pirates had prejudices against them, but she wasn't one to hold things against people. She didn't understand how they had anything to do with the Oshiappan royals unless these particular pirates were the ones that took Janessa away? Her eyes went wide as she looked over at her friends and their reaction.

Gasps escaped the Oshiappan royal's mouths. Images of that fateful night flashed in their minds as old emotions came to the surface. "What!" Yohan's voice rang out, turning all eyes to him. "How can they be her aunt and uncle! Because of them, my sister is gone!" He darted towards the two, fists ready to punch them.

Mark and Akira grabbed his arms, holding him back from doing anything rash. "Yohan, get a hold of yourself." Akira hissed in his brother's ear, as his brother jerked his arms out of their grip. He was feeling hurt and angry, but he wasn't going to show it in front of everyone. He would go back to his room and rant to his wife, who was feeling a little under the weather at the moment.

Yohan fixed his sleeves and gathered up his composure and fell silent beside his mother. He glared at them, to which they simply smiled right back. How could they smile at them after what they had done? He then looked over at Essa who seemed to be shocked, unable to look at anyone but them. He felt bad she was related to such awful people.

Nori placed her hand on her son's arm. She knew how troubling this was for them. She didn't understand Morgan's ulterior motive? Why had he brought them here? Yes, they were related to Essa, but they hardly even knew the island girl. "I must say, this is rather uncomfortable." She looked over at the pirates, who remained quiet, looking at Morgan.

Mingmei's jaw went slack as she remembered their faces all too well. "But, but, but how?" She stammered out, looking between the pirates, Essa, and then her family. She could not believe that was real or that this was happening. "You, you have to be joking right? How could this - I - I." She fell silent, realizing if she said anymore she'd probably hurt Essa's feelings.

Morgan knew he was playing mediator considering all this was made possible because of him. "Oh dear, this is rather awkward. They mentioned they had met you briefly and needed to apologize, but never did I think it was something that serious. Forgive me. My mistake." He tried to mean his words but in the back of his mind, he was laughing.

Mark gritted his teeth, clenching his fists at his sides as he struggled to keep his composure. "Mistake? Is it a mistake? Or do you enjoy rubbing what happened in our faces? No matter what they say, they took away from us that we can never get back." He snapped, lacing his fingers with his wife's, knowing only she could help calm him down.

Nori gripped his hand back, rubbing her thumb over the side of his hand. Not only was she comforting her son, but she was also trying to calm down her husband. Yes, she was upset about this, but she couldn't hold anything against Essa nor Morgan. He was just trying to reunite a family together.

Akira cleared his throat, knowing that tensions were high. "You just know from how this looks that it does seem a little coincidental, don't you agree?" He questioned, knowing that he once again had to keep a level head and make sure that this did not get out of hand nor any harsh words were said.

Morgan could see how that looked. After all, it wasn't coincidental but it had all been orchestrated by him. He had to reassure them that it was a mere coincidence. "Yes, don't believe me? I expected this. Why don't we just let this thing run its course and you will be told why I asked you here." He explained, hoping that things would work themselves out.

William narrowed his eyes at his uncle. He couldn't put his finger on it but something was amiss. 'Mistake? Pfft, does he think we believe that it was a mistake? Everyone knew that pirates were the ones to take away Janessa from us.' He thought something was fishy but he couldn't go accuse his uncle of anything in front of the others.

Kalirene glares at her brother-in-law. She knew that he couldn't have known that since he had more friends and knew more than any of them had. "Are you certain they are her aunt and uncle?" She questioned him. She too found it coincidental, but she was going to leave her mind open to their explanation on the matter.

Raymond didn't care whether they were or not, as long as she was out of their life the better. Not that he was going to say anything, he was simply going to keep quiet and listen to how things played out. He didn't care whether they were her real family or not, as long as she left he would be happy.

Morgan grinned as he nodded towards Elizabeth and Hector. "As certain as I possibly can be. Why don't we let them and Essa have their happy reunion hmm?" He stepped back and beckoned them to come closer to the island girl. He was interested in seeing how things turned out because he couldn't anticipate how she would react.

Essa finally mustered up any courage she could find inside her to speak. "You . . . you . . . how am I related to you two? Did-did you know my mother? My father?" She stammered out as she felt Shylar rub against her leg, which made her feel a little better. She glanced down at her and smiled softly, Roki mirrored what she did to her other leg and Toki perched himself on her shoulder, snuggling her cheek.

Elizabeth slowly nodded. She wasn't going to get off track by making any remark about how those animals were comforting her. "Yes, we knew your mother, Fei. She was my half-sister, we shared a father not a mother. She was a beautiful young woman who died rather young, leaving behind a young baby girl: You." She placed the locket with her "sister's" picture in it in Essa's hands. "She named you Odessa because we were pirates after all and the sea was our home, our daily adventure."

Essa took the locket into her hands and looked at the picture of a beautiful young woman, with a striking resemblance to herself. With the long dark hair, the small nose, round face, bright brown eyes, although it was only a head portrait, she was beautiful. "Th-this is my mother?" She asked skeptically. She had always thought she would find peace once she knew but as of yet, she had no peace.

Hector continued to force a smile as he nodded. "Indeed it is. She had a love for animals, just like I can see you have. She was excellent at sword fighting, she could disarm a whole crew in under five minutes. She was born gifted with such talent." He recalled what Morgan had told them about Essa, or what little he knew from William. If that didn't help seal the deal then he had no clue what would.

Essa was starting to believe what they said about Fei, her supposed mother. What would they gain from lying? They seemed sincere. Besides, that explained why she naturally was able to pick up and have previous knowledge about using a sword. "She, she sounds wonderful. I wish I had gotten to meet her." Her voice wavered as she looked down at the ground.

Elizabeth could tell the girl was upset that she couldn't meet her mother. A mother that didn't exist and a woman who wasn't even a mother, to begin with. She was some random woman they had stolen stuff from and knew that she was dead considering they had torched that ship. "She would have been proud of you. You've made many friends, human and animal."

Essa felt a little better hearing that her mother would be proud of her. But then her mind wandered to her father. What happened to him? They only spoke about her mother but not him. "What about my father? Did you, um, ever know him?" She wanted to know and she knew whatever answer they would give wouldn't make her feel better.

Elizabeth figured she'd ask that. She had an answer for that since at a time like this you needed all the answers to seal the deal. "Ah, um, no, we never met your father. Fei said he had died from yellow fever a month after they had married. Such a tragedy, but she did say how he was the most perfect man you could ever find." She hoped that would persuade her into believing them.

Essa couldn't deny, it didn't make her feel a little better and she was saddened to know both her parents died. She would never get to meet them. "I see." She was disappointed, yes, but at least she had a living aunt and uncle, who seemed nice despite their past and how they played a hand in Janessa's death.

Elizabeth walked over and held Essa's hand in her own. "Hey, they would be very proud of the person you turned into." She gave a sideways glance at Morgan, who seemed very impressed with their acting skills. She slowly pulled the island girl into a hug, which, at first, was a little awkward since neither of them had been hugged before.

Essa trusted the hug, tears welling in her eyes and ending up streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't exactly explain what she was feeling. There was an overwhelming feeling that was heavy on her heart. Perhaps she was finally at peace knowing she had found what she was looking for or maybe she was saddened that she'd never get to meet her parents. Either way, she was happy to finally have a family.

Elizabeth rubbed her back and pulled away, watching Essa wipe her tears away with the back of her hand. "You'll be fine." She softly spoke then turned to the Oshiappan royals. "We deeply apologize for what happened to your daughter. Hector thought your daughter could replace our poor Odessa. We know that nothing can replace a child once lost, they are unique in every way. If we could go back in time and change what happened we would. You have every right to hate us, be angry at us, we took something away from you, you can never get back. We were so selfish." She hoped that would suffice them.

Nori couldn't deny, they seemed truthful and earnest in their words. "We can't change the past, we can only learn and move on. I'm not angry, and yes, nothing you say or do can bring her back. But you've apologized and felt bad so I forgive you." Perhaps this was the closure they all needed to finally be able to move on. Forgiveness to the two people who caused them all this pain.

Mark knew that this may be the chance they had to finally move on and not dwell on his youngest daughter's passing anymore. They seemed apologetic and who was he to judge whether they were or not? "I forgive you as well. Although it doesn't change what happened, I can't continue to hold resentment towards you. Besides, you had lost a child too and thought that taking one would heal that whole. It was a foolish thing to do."

Hector was inwardly cringing as he continued to speak. "Yes, it was very foolish and ever since then we hadn't attacked or taken anyone from any ship. We've simply been sailing the vast sea, exploring and making friends, that is all we have been doing. That day was a turning point for us too." It made his skin crawl that he /had/ to do this per Morgan's wishes to get the rest of the money he promised them.

Akira walked over and held his hand out to them. Since he was the oldest he thought he could make the first move of peace. "All is forgiven." He simply said, hoping that Yohan and Mingmei could also find it in themselves to accept their apology. "I think we weren't the only ones to be hurt that day. You had been hurting for much longer than we had, so I hold nothing against you."

Hector exchanged looks with his wife and stiffly shook the oldest prince's hand, forcing a thankful smile. "Yes, it was." He didn't know what else to say. He didn't plan that they would be forgiving them, he always thought they'd still hold a grudge against them for what happened. It was slightly annoying to see how forgiving they were.

Yohan wasn't one to let things go, but, out of respect for his family and his sister, he needed to accept their apology. "I suppose I can't be angry forever. So . . . apology accepted, sort of." He mumbled the last part and never looked up from the ground. He still was hurt and yes he said he had forgiven them, he still didn't like them.

Mingmei listened quietly and uncrossed her arms, letting them fall to her side. "You're forgiven. I can't hold it against you and besides, Janessa wouldn't want us to hold grudges. She was a very forgiving person despite the times she acted like she was mad at us." She missed those little moments with her sister.

Elizabeth nodded along with Hector, giving a thankful smile to them accepting their apologies. It was a relief they had bought their little act and they could finish out what Morgan paid them to do. "Thank you." She said, bowing her head to them and her husband hesitantly doing the same thing.

Mark looked to his family and then to Essa, who still seemed a little uncomfortable. "Come let's leave so they can have their happy reunion." He ushered his family out of the greenhouse. He was happy that Essa had found what she was looking for, but he did feel bad that they were the same people who took his daughter away. It hardly seemed fair for them.

Nori looked up at her husband and sighed, lancing her fingers together with his and then resting her head on his arm. "At least someone gets a happy ending." She sighed softly. 'If only that was us and our daughter, if she had survived somehow.' She thought to herself, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

Mingmei placed her hand on her mother's arm, giving her a soft look. She could tell her mother was saddened by the reunion. "It is saddening she is leaving, I was hoping to spend more time with her." She sighed, disappointed but she needed to be glad that Essa had found what she had come for.

Yohan looked over at his sister with narrow eyes. He just couldn't find it in him to be happy for Essa. He didn't know if it was jealousy or heartbreak. "If you need me, I'll be around." He mumbled walking away from his family. He needed to be alone and do some deep searching within his heart.

Akira watched his little brother walk away and he wasn't going to stop him. He had learned that his brother needed time alone and that was what he was going to give him. They would all need time to come to terms with the apology they had gotten. None of them had ever thought they would get one but they did and it was something.

Raymond pivoted on his heels and followed Mark, not saying a single word to anyone, as he was followed by Kalirene who gave a glance to Essa. William and Chandler followed their parents, both having mixed emotions about it but going in opposite directions of their parents once outside the greenhouse.

Chandler looked over and saw Yohan walking off alone. He had gotten to know him more and yes he was William's age, but he was his height and everyone knew he was more mature than boys his age. "Mother, I'm going to go check on Yohan." He didn't even wait for her to answer as he darted off after the youngest Oshiappan prince.

Kalirene nodded her head, she wasn't going to stop him. She opened her mouth to speak to her eldest son, but he was already walking away with his head looking down. 'Oh William,' She thought to herself. She knew he had grown fond of Essa, not in a romantic way but as a friend. They had spent weeks on the ship together and knew that every spare moment he had he was spending with her.

Morgan stayed behind for a brief moment and smirked at the little reunion. After tonight they'd not have to worry about the island girl or her animal family meddling in his plans. He strode out of the greenhouse and grinned under the warm, bright sun. 'One step closer. One step closer. The kingdom will then be mine.' He thought to himself as he whistled, a slight bounce in his seat as he ventured to the palace.

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A\N:
Sorry. Sorry this is late. I've had a bit of writer's block on this chapter and have been procrastinating writing anything. I really want to finish this book by the end of the year so no matter how tired I am I will just write. I can always come back and polish the chapter later. Also sorry if it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, imma try and fix it up later. Like maybe after I complete this book? I already have a sequel planned out so whoop.

Chapter Talk:
The long awaited reunion. Well, not the reunion we want, but a fake one that will bring more drama and the next few chapters will be the aftermath of this.

Morgan is convincing isn't he? Doing all he can to get Essa out of their hair, even paying the same people who did what they did to Janessa (which he had made happen) to Essa now. Good grief. This guy has no heart at all.

And lastly, anything else I forgot to ask my pals. I am happy to answer anything!

In closing, all rude, impolite and mean comments will be replied to in a diplomatic way, reported or deleted if I feel like it is attacking me personally.

Thanks for reading!