There was shame and pain in those tear filled golden eyes as they looked back at him . Her hair was wet, and she s.h.i.+vered from her late night swim . He could strangle her for being so careless with her health . The shadows wrapped her in their cloth, keeping her warmth in, he had almost started to relax when he heard those words fall from her lips .

"Why didn't I tell you I was innocent?" He repeated back to her, and his heart skipped a beat . She knew . The way she was looking at him screamed that she knew . Suddenly the midnight swim made more sense . She had been reconnecting with the spirit of the earth . How would she have found out his dark secret?

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"Yes, you didn't kill my brothers . Why did you let me go on condemning an innocent man?" Kyera demanded wiping her eyes and pus.h.i.+ng her white bangs from her face . There was so much pain in her eyes he couldn't help but look away .

"How did you find out anyway? I can't answer you properly without knowing what you know . " Kan asked taking a deep breath . There was so much that happened that night and he had no intention of telling her the truth until later . Much later, after the threat had pa.s.sed at the very least . Yet… for some reason fate had another plan .

"I spoke with the Spirit of the earth and there was a broken door . I looked beyond the door and was sucked into a memory . Someone else's memory . I saw my brothers die . . . I saw Keenan escape the claws of the a.s.sa.s.sin . You burst into the room at the same time the attacker fled . My brother go turned around… he attacked you because the a.s.sa.s.sin took off out the window . After… Oh G.o.ds…" Kyera whimpered the last words in shocked realization . "I was the target . The a.s.sa.s.sin looked back at ME . I… My brothers… . And then I blamed the wrong person for their death all along . I blamed you… it wasn't your fault… It was mine . "

"No, Kyera the a.s.sa.s.sin killed them and wanted you dead because it wanted power that it couldn't' hold as long as you survived . No one else is to blame except the a.s.sa.s.sin's greed . " Kan tried to set her straight . Kyera was clinging desperately to his words, she wanted to believe it more than anything . She didn't want to have their blood on her fur anymore .

"That doesn't change how I treated you . If I had known the truth… I'm sorry Kan . " Kyera tried to push her emotions back but they were cras.h.i.+ng down on her wave after brutal wave . Kan shook his head and offered her a soft smile . The weariness in his eyes spoke of the troubles he had faced over the years, no matter how he tried to hide it .

"Kyera, there was nothing you could have done had you known the truth . You would never have believed me if I had just said so . I took on the t.i.tle of murder because I was not innocent . I was to blame for your brother's deaths just as much as the woman that killed them . " Kan replied shaking his head . Kyera's eyes searched his as his words slowly sunk into her hazy mind . So much information was being poured into her, and she hardly knew how to respond to any of it .

"You said she . " Kyera spoke the realization aloud, her eyes narrowing as he looked up, offering a weary smile .

"Yes… I did . " Kan replied shaking his head as he stood . He ran a hand through his hair, eyes troubled as he glanced back at the lost girl sitting next to him . The last few months he had seen a different woman sitting beside him . He had seen the Princess, a fierce warrior, and loving mother who was every inch the queen she was meant to be . Now however, there was no difference between her and the frightened cub whose haunted eyes and pitiful screams had cut through to his soul ever since that night . The night he failed to stop it all .

"How did you know…" Kyera asked looking up at him, and slowly raising herself on to her feet . He turned to her and his jaw hardened . The look in his eyes was searching hers, seeking something she didn't know if she had within . Could she handle the truth? Was she ready for it? Was it time?