As the embrace with his father ended, Riften walked with them into the den to be out of the storm. The hard part was not getting to see his parents again, the hard part was the now. He had opened up that things had happened - kinda. There was going to be a lot to explain and he wasn't sure if his father had told mother everything or not, and he really didn't want to leave either of them in the unknown.
"Well, a lot has happened, and it is best to start from the beginning, when I last saw dad.." he spoke as he took a seat inside the den.
"You both might want to take a seat...." He looked to the pair of them, wondering if they were even ready to hear the words he was about to tell them. He knew it was time to unload the whole story on him, as he had done to Atlas.
"I don't know what dad told you, if he told you about whatever happened between us... But I was writing letters to the princess, I had been doing it for months by this time. He confronted me about my future, and I told him about the love and devotion I had for the princess, only I was wrong. I am sorry I challenged you on that father, I have changed."
He cleared his throat and looked at his mother specifically.
"I joined the Jacobites for the second battle. I wanted to prove to the princess that I was a good mate for her, that I would do anything to protect her. Looking back at the things I saw, the things I went through on that field of battle - it was not the place for me.. I was overwhelmed, and the Imperials wanted nothing more than to kill me. They attacked a boy my age, almost trying to drown him. I stopped them and allowed him to run free, but more and more Jacobites were falling down, or being taken out. The Imperials rushed me... and I thought I was seriously going to die.." he choked a little as he started to think about Rayne.
"Until she saved me." How does one explain what a female she was, how does one explain this pure angel sent to save him?
"The battle was over and I was free to leave. She ended up beating all of the Imperials, it was unreal to witness. I spent my time, healing up and looking for her after the fight. I did find her, and I sang to her a song I wrote just for her - a thank you of sorts for saving me, and a profession of my feelings for her..." He figured his father would try to stop him and say something along the lines of "you can't love a girl you just met" - something to that effect, but before any of them could respond, he continued.
"I went to the third battle, but this time it was worse." Now was the part with Lenora, and he did not know if was quite ready for that or not.
"Lenora was there, on the Imperial side. She attacked me, and knocked me out... After that my memory was pretty much gone, and when I awoke - I was in Imperial jail. It was so cold there, and dark, damp... a terrible place." As he thought of that horrid place, the tears in his eyes built up.
"She came to visit me - Lenora... but she did not let me free. She wanted me to explain myself, to tell her what I was doing there, but I was mad at her. I was upset that she would choose the Imperials over her own brother's safety. She told me you guys had moved up here. That was it... she left me to rot." He was pretty mad about it, and he wasn't sure he would be able to easily get over something like that. He dropped his eyes and looked to his paws. When he lifted his head, he looked to his father,
"I was saved by a member of Jacob's army. I ran as fast as I could, getting out of there and making my way up here." Just when they might have thought it to be over, he took a deep breath.
"It took me a while to find you guys, as I was looking for her for a while. Rayne is her name... Well, I found her, affectionately kissing a male that was all black. She never told me she had a mate before, she.... she...... just..."
Riften felt his heart breaking again, as the image replayed in his mind. Tears fell from his eyes, and his heart sank into his stomach. He could not believe he was crying about her again. How did he allow this angel to have such a hold on him? He didn't want to tell them everything, but he knew they deserved an explanation about where he had been and why he had done it.
"I am not a member of their army anymore... I never want to witness anything like that again..."
"honor the gods that walk among us"
@Merrin @Argent