Unlocked

Days passed, and everyone settled into their life in the castle, although there were only five of them living in a great place.

Iris had to resume her training and learn to control the other elements, after trying for several days under Athans guidance, but to no avail.

" Iris, you need to focus on the air that you feel around you and try to manipulate it to do whatever you want it to do!" Athan explained, looking rather stoic and stiff while Iris glared at him for being so conceited.

" The air is still; there isn't a whiff of wind in this place!" Iris pointed out while scowling at Athan, which had kept her in the courtyard since dawn.

" There is air, you're breathing, I'm breathing!" he retorted while turning around, taking a deep breath and letting out ", See, air!" he smugly exclaimed while looking over his shoulder, grinning.

Iris growled through gritted teeth " You do it then!" she scoffed, holding her head up high, her lips curling in a wicked smile.

Athan shrugged " You know, I can't do that! My element is fire, and I'm out of it, anyway!" he calmly stated while leaning against one of the columns like a lazy cat.

" Again!" he commanded, yawning " I'm going to fall asleep at this rate!" he murmured while looking at the sky and noticed that the shield around the castle was thinning with each passing day, and now he could see the moon in the sky.

Iris closed her eyes, taking a deep breath " Fine, I'll try again, but I'm going to bed after!" she retorted, raising her hand in the air, waiting to feel whatever Athan was talking about, but she couldn't sense anything. All she felt was the stillness around her.

" Open your hands!" Athan instructed in a serious tone, pushing himself off the column to have a better look at what she was doing.

" Face them upwards!" Athan instructed again " Feel the air around you!" he suggested while keeping a keen eye on her, who did as Athan told her.

Iris stood in the middle of the castle grounds, trying to feel the air around just like Athan told her, but after losing count of how many times she had tried, she still couldn't feel anything.

" Control and focus your breathing! Breath slower! You're panting!" he pointed out in a serious tone, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes at her.

Iris opened her eyes " You talk too much! The only thing I can feel is my ever-growing frustration with you!" she compained while turning on her heels, stomping away from the garden and walking past Athan, who looked amused at her behaviour.

" Will try again tomorrow!" he shouted at Iris, who was quite far from him, seeing that she stormed off like a tornado from the garden.

Athan sighed and looked again at the sky, clicking his tongue " Not long now!" he mumbled to himself while walking inside the castle at a slow pace, shuffling to his chamber.

His thoughts drifted to the time; he had to go through the same thing when she had learnt how to summon and control fire.

He chuckled at the memory of Iris, who nearly burnt down an entire castle because she lost control of her emotions, and the fire blazed, taking over the whole building.

Lost in his thought, he absently walked through the empty corridor without noticing that someone was watching him closely and studying his expression.

Rhya stood at the end of the corridor and watched Athan, that looked a little sullen and lost in his world, and couldn't help but wonder what put him in such mood.

Rhya frowned, trying to find a way to ask him about it. She had been avoiding him for days, trying to clear her thoughts and finally decide what she should do about him. He hadn't spoken about his feelings for her since that night in the forest, and now that she thought back on it, maybe she had been a little too harsh on him, expecting him to do all the work.

Athan stopped in front of the door to his room; heaving out a heavy sigh, he slowly pushed the door open and reluctantly made his way inside.

He made his way to the bed, took his shoes off, and was ready to plop himself on the bed when a knock on the door made him look at the door and glare at whoever was behind the door and was, disturbing his peace after a long day.

He slowly opened the door only to see Rhya in front of him, who had a sweet smile, wearing a dress that hugged her curves, making Athan gape, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down and froze in his spot.

" May I come in? she asked in a soft voice while looking at Athan, that hadn't blinked since he had opened the door

" Yes!" he absently replied, glued to his spot, still staring at Rhya, that kept the same smile and patiently waited for Athan to make way so she could go inside.

Rhya rolled her eyes at Athan and finally squeezed past Athan, seeing that he was a bit taken aback and still mulling over what was happening.

*******

Iris stomped through the corridor leading to her chamber while mumbling to herself and cursing under her breath, feeling extremely frustrated over the events in the garden, and with Athan.

Finally reaching the chamber, Iris took a deep breath in and pushed the door open, only to see Ian wearing a warm smile, waiting for her with food laid on the table, sitting on the chair.

" How was it, my little angel?" Ian asked in a soothing voice, meeting Iris halfway, who just slumped into his arms " Nothing happened!" Iris complained while burying her face in his chest.

Ian wrapped his arms around her, gently patting her back " Will try again tomorrow!" he encouraged in a calm voice, kissing the crown of her head.

" You must be hungry! Let's have some food!" he suggested in a compassionate tone while pulling away from the embrace and taking her hand in his, and leading her to the table.

Ian pulled her to a chair and helped her sit down, himself sitting next to her.

" Let's have some food, and then we will have a bath and rest after!" he laid out the plan while grabbing a spoonful of food and feeding it to Iris.

Iris nodded, taking the spoonful of food in her mouth and chewing it " Hmm, this is so tasty!" she hummed at the taste of the food while looking at Ian, that seemed very proud of himself.

" I made it!" he proudly announced while taking a bite, nodding in approval.

" What happened?" he curiously asked while feeding Iris, wanting to make sure that she would get all she needed for the baby that she was carrying.

" I couldn't feel the air around me, and Athan was being a bit difficult about it!" she explained while taking another mouthful of food.

" You will do better tomorrow!" he encouraged, looking at Iris's and couldn't help himself but be frustrated that he couldn't do more for her.

Iris nodded " I know it takes time to master the elements, but I don't have much time left!" she pointed out while wiping her mouth with a napkin and kissing Ian on the cheek.

" Thank you for dinner! It was delicious!" she praised while tidying the plates on a tray, ready to take them to the kitchen.

" I know that time is short, but there is much to consider, and you're not alone anymore!" he reasoned while taking the tray out of her hands " I will deal with this! Get in the bath, and I'll join you when I finish washing the plates!" he offered with a warm smile, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Iris watched Ian retreating and sighed in relief that he was slowly returning to his old self, the man she had fallen in love with. His sweet and gentle nature that had won her heart was back, and she couldn't help but be thankful for it.

Iris smiled; taking a sharp breath, she finally moved from her spot, padding across the floor to the bathroom.

When she opened the door, her eyes fell on the bathroom floor, carpeted with flower petals of all colours, which filled the room with their scent.

Iris took a deep breath in, breathing in the scent and closed her eyes, feeling the clouds that loomed over her starting to clear.

" I thought you might need something like this to help ease your tense nerves!" Ian's soothing voice broke the silence making Iris's breath hitch when she realised he was standing behind her, and she didn't even hear him come in.

" Mhm! I do need a warm bath and to clear my head!" she replied, feeling his chest touch her back and his arm wraps around her waist.

" Let's get you washed and into bed! Tomorrow is a new day!" he encouraged her while gathering her hair to the side and unbuttoning her dress.

" I'll try harder tomorrow!" she firmly stated while pulling her dress off her shoulders and letting it pool at her feet, stepping over it.

" That's what I was hoping to hear!" he beamed; Ian took off his clothes, threw them on the floor and joined Iris in the pool.

Ian sat down, pulling Iris in his lap, gently splashing water on her shoulders and rubbing her soft skin with the soap bar.

" Thank you for this!" her soft voice broke the silence while Ian tightened his grip around her waist and kissed her temple.

" No need to thank me!" he replied in a soothing voice while fiddling with strands of her hair.

Iris smiled and turned to look at him, feeling relieved that she wasn't wrong and the effect of the sword on him was indeed fading away.

" Your eyes are almost completely amber!" she voiced her thoughts, looking into his eyes that now only held a few specks of grey in them.

" Mhm! Less angry, too!" he added in a cheerful tone, leaning in and kissing Iris's cheek.

Iris giggled " Glad that you're not burly anymore!" she joked while shifting in his lap so she could look at him.

Ian chuckled " I'm glad that I'm slowly returning to normal! I will come with you tomorrow; maybe I can be of some help!" he said while brushing a stray strand of her off her face.

Iris nodded " Maybe Athan will behave if you're there!" she softly murmured while slowly tracing the water with her fingers.

" Hmm...is he being his usual self, trying to irk you with his usual antics!" Ian commented, kissing her temple, hoping that wasn't the case.

" He is being .." Iris took a deep breath " Let's say, thorny!" she breathed out the words while staring at the water in front of her; as she traced the surface, it seemed to follow her fingers.

" Sounds familiar! I'm sure he is feeling a little frustrated since Rhya has been avoiding him for days now!" he explained while his eyes fell on what she was doing in the water but decided to keep quiet, seeing that she hadn't noticed.

Ian looked into her eyes, trying to keep her attention on him. As Iris continued tracing the water with her fingers, drops slowly rose above the surface, floating in the air.

Ian thought that this must be what Iris needed to harness her powers and that her emotions greatly affected the outcome.

Seeing the droplets rise higher from the corner of his eye, he wanted to test his theory " I want to speak with you about the other day," he began speaking while watching Iris and what happens with the droplets.

Iris smiled and continued tracing the water, and more droplets rose from the water " About?" she asked in a soft voice looking at Ian, that had an apologetic look on his face.

" When we- he cleared his throat, finding it difficult to touch the subject " we found the castle .." he took a deep breath in, feeling rather uncomfortable bringing up the topic since he felt ashamed of what happened that day" and I did some things, that I'm ashamed of! You're my wife, and I shouldn't have treated you that way! It felt different, I could control myself, and the urge to give in was so strong that I still have trouble understanding!" he explained while looking at Iris's sullen expression.

Iris frowned and fell silent; her hand stopped tracing the water, and a crackling sound made Ian take his eyes off her and look in that direction.

Iris felt her blood freeze in her veins at the memory of that day and the events that occurred in the garden flashed in front of her eyes; the dispair and the fear that she felt that day, still heavily lingered in her mind.

Iris, suddenly felt herself pulled out of the water by Ian, which now was standing at the edge of the pool, looking at it carefully and watching it freeze over in a matter of seconds. At the same time, the droplets that earlier were floating above fell on the frozen surface, bouncing on it.

Iris followed Ian's line of sight; her eyebrows went up, and she gaped at the presence of the frozen pool.

" I'm truly sorry for what happened that day!" he finished what he was trying to say and proved his theory right at the same time that, indeed, her emotions were the key to unlocking her powers.

Iris looked at the block of ice in front of them and couldn't believe how easily she had almost turned herself and Ian into blocks of ice. He was more suited to train her than Athan was, she mused to herself.

" Iris, I'm so sorry, my sweet little angel!" Ian's voice broke through Iris's thoughts and brought her back to the present.

" I understand! I know that you weren't yourself and what happened couldn't be helped!" she softly replied while turning her attention to Ian, who looked at her with a satisfied smile.

" Thank you!" he whispered while kissing her temple and walking out of the room, padding across the floor and placing Iris on the bed.

" I'll go get a towel!" Ian said while walking back to the bathroom and looking at a few stray snowflakes that fell on the bathroom floor.

Ian chuckled, finding it hard to understand how they'd been trying for days to get her to control air when it was so easy; all she had to do was tap into her emotions.

Ian padded across the floor, feeling the cold breeze from the bathroom, and couldn't help but wonder at the things that Iris could do with such immense power.

Now he finally understood why the witch and the guardian were so determined to get their hands on it; if what he saw was just a fraction of it, he couldn't help but wonder how great the power she was wielding was.

He wrapped the towel around her shoulder, gently rubbing her body, seeing her suddenly shiver at the chill in the room.

" I didn't realise how much that day affected you, and I know saying it is not enough, but I'll do my best to prove it to you!" he continued, even though he knew what happened that day had affected Iris, he didn't realise that it was to that extent.

Iris watched Ian apologise to her, and she could see in his eyes that he was genuinely sorry, but the reason why that day had such an effect on her wasn't because of what happened when they made love, it was because of the events in the garden.

Iris gave him a warm smile, cupping his face with both her hands " My love, I'm not upset about what happened when we made love; I'm upset about what happened in the garden. That day, I thought I had lost you, and I don't want a life without you in it!" she confessed while leaning in and placing a kiss on his forehead.

Ian let out a shaky breath and pulled himself to stand next to her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her tightly and burying his face in the crook of her neck.

" I love you, Iris!" he murmured while pulling himself away from the hug to look at her bumping his forehead on hers.

" I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you!" he confessed in a pained voice while taking a shaky breath feeling relieved but fearful at the same time at that daunting thought.

Iris hummed, " I know, my love! I feel the same! I'm grateful to have you by my side; even though you could have walked away, you stayed!" she voiced her thoughts while feeling his warm, soft lips place a kiss on her forehead.

" I told you, you're stuck with me, whether you like it or not!" he jokingly threatened, pushing himself back to look at her, wanting to see that sweet smile of hers that haunted him even in his sleep.

Iris gave him a sweet smile " I hope that you won't change your mind!" she softly added while caressing his cheek, looking into his loving eyes that shined even in the brightest light.

" That will never happen!" he firmly added while looking into her beautiful emerald eyes that gleamed with unshed tears.

Ian took a deep breath " You should have some rest!" he murmured while getting up from his spot and making his way to one of the chests of drawers, coming back with a nightgown for Iris.

"Stay with me?" she softly asked while unwrapping the towel and taking the night gown from Ian's hand but let it go when Ian pulled on it.

Ian frowned " I want to but it is best that I don't, not until everything returns to normal!" he explained while sliding the night gown over her head.

" Stay, at least until I fall asleep, please!" she pleaded, hoping that he would stay, since he had been sleeping in a different chamber for days since the day he had found out that he is turning into an angel of death.

Ian let out a shaky sigh and closed his eye, knowing if he stayed he wouldn't be able to control himself around her for much longer. He longed to be close to her, to hug her, kiss her and feel her warmth on his body but he didn't want to take any chances and tried his best to avoid sharing a bed with her.

Ian reluctantly nodded " Just until you fall asleep!" he conceded, gritting his teeth and clenching his hands hoping that it would be enough to gather his last shred of will and self control.

Iris's face lit up and quickly got under the covers, holding one corner for him to join her.

Making herself comfortable, she patted the spot next to her when Ian stayed glued to his spot and just glared at the bed as it was his greatest enemy.

Ian let out a shaky sigh and finally moved from his spot, getting under the covers with Iris, facing her.

" Close your eyes, my sweet wife!" he encouraged her, that blinked at him owelshly.

" How are you feeling?" she curiously asked ignoring his previous words, while she closely looked at his features that they were almost back to normal.

" I'm alright, it will get better in a few days!" he confidently muttered while fiddling with a strand of her hair.

" How are you feeling? " he returned the question while his eyes travelled up from her breasts to look at her, feeling already aroused just by being next to her.

" I'm alright! I feel dizzy sometimes but it goes away quickly!" she confessed while tracing his face with her fingers, feeling her body slowly heating up, already yearning for him.

" Hmm! Anything, else?" he pressed for more information hoping that the dizziness was all that she was feeling and now he worried that something is wrong.

Iris smiled " No!" she curtly replied, resting he hand on his chest, snuggling closer to him, making Ian frown and take another deep breath in.

He had been doing that a lot lately, he couldn't believe how hard it was to stay away from her. Every single fibre of his being screamed at him whenever she wasn't close to him and couldn't believe how much effort it took to keep his distance from her, not wanting to repeat what happened that day.

Iris buried her face in his chest and tightly clung to his tunic, not wanting to let go of him. His absence from the bed made her nights longer and sleep evaded her like the plague whenever he wasn't around.

Ian let out a shaky breath and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and closed his eyes, resting his chin on the crown of her head.He could feel his body relax and all the tension he had been feeling slip away from his body as soon as she snuggled close to him.

Iris's eyelids got heavier and heavier, feeling the long sleepless nights had finally caught up to her and now she could finally have some rest in his arms.

Ian tried his best to fight off the sleep but he eventually caved in and surrendered to it, falling asleep with Iris in his arms, feeling utterly shattered.