I have no explanation that I feel I can share with you all to justify how long it has taken me to update the story and I can only say, angels, I am so sorry about this, I hadn't meant to leave it so long, my muse just left me, and RL got so hectic and there was too much happening for me to even think of this story for more than a bare moment.

I sincerely hope that I haven't lost any readers or reviewers of this story due to my appalling lack of an update.

Anyways, darling, please just read and review for me?

Luv (as always), I-B-Y-F, xxx

Jake mumbled something to himself quietly as his eyes scanned the piece of crumpled parchment yet again, a frown marring his forehead. His heart twisted inside him as he read the riddle again, over and over and over, and still it made no more sense to him than it had the first time he read it.

What in the hell did his damned brother mean? He rubbed his aching head and brought his knees up to his chest, the ache inside him making him want to just snap and cry like when he was a little kid, but he knew somewhere deep down that that couldn't happen. He felt for all he was right then like the giant in the fairytale who had committed some unknown sin and was condemned to hold the sky on his shoulders for the rest of eternity.

What would Leroy be talking about in the damn riddle? Obviously they would be things that only Jake and Leroy would understand, as then it would be a sure thing that Jake would blame himself if things went wrong. So, what…a flash of understanding hit him like a slap round the face. How could he have been so utterly stupid?

When they were younger and had been much closer, Leroy had sung Jake to sleep with the same lullaby their mother was said to have sung. He closed his eyes and sung the words to the song very softly, tears threatening;

"Little one, cease your fears, banish those unnecessary tears. Look to the northern skies, know that angels dwell there, and the brightest angel, princess Aliea of the heavens, will guard you while you sleep, her faithful watch she'll keep. When I can't be here, have no fear, she'll watch over you…" He opened his beautiful stormy eyes, touched by a sheen of tears and knew what Aliea was. Aliea was the North Star, the brightest star in the sky.

So, when only the North Star shone, and Scharriz falls early? Whatever did that me- oh. The story of the son of night and the daughter of day. Scharriz was the darkness who chased the beautiful golden daughter of day down beyond the horizon. So Leroy was talking of a time when only the North Star shone and darkness fell early… There was no time in the world he knew that the North Star shone alone, except, except in an eclipse!

He stumbled to his feet, eyes lit up with hope, the emotion making his heart flutter feebly and blood thunder like drums in his ears as he ran towards the tent where he knew he could find the answer to the question on his lips. He burst into a small soldier's tent where a young man was curled up in a blanket reading a hefty looking book that looked to be falling apart.

"Nix! Whenisthenexteclipsedue?" he asked all at once, not pausing in his desperation to get the answer as soon as possible. The young man looked up at him with a look of bemusement on his face, pushing his glasses up his nose with a delicate finger, blinking disconcerting green eyes owlishly.

"I'm fine thank you Jake. And you? Glad to hear it. A pleasure to see you too" he said with a half smile and raised eyebrows. Jake looked a little ashamed and mumbled an apology which the other man seemed to accept.

"Now then, what is it exactly Jake that you were trying to ask me in such an undignified and unintelligible manner?" asked the young man, fixing Jake with a serious green eyed stare. Jake took a deep breath.

"Nix, I know you're a genius at matters concerning the skies and the movements of stars and the like, so, do you know when the next solar eclipse is due?" The young soldier frowned and toyed thoughtfully with a strand of his long straight brown hair.

"I do believe that the next eclipse is due next week Jake, in fact, it is next week, I'm sure of it. Is there any reason you want-" he began to ask, but was cut of by a hurried;

"Thanks Nix, I owe you" from the raven haired prince who promptly rushed from the tent and away elsewhere.

Jake felt suddenly triumphant and proud of himself at figuring out some of the riddle.

A storm is coming; the brightest lamp will go out.

A little toy in a storm like this, will get broken.

It would be a shame, to break such a pretty toy.

So, when only Aliea shines, and Scharriz falls early, I will wait.

Okay, so the rational translation of that seemed to be;

There's going to be a battle, and there will be an eclipse, Kim could get hurt in the fight, Leroy would find that highly amusing, so when only the North Star was shining and the eclipse had started, Leroy would wait for Jake. The only problem was where exactly Leroy would be waiting for Jake. A sudden fear gripped the prince in a vice, what if he couldn't work out where to find his damned brother and Kim got hurt…or worse?

How could he even be sure that Leroy hadn't already hurt Kim? He stopped his brisk walking suddenly, stilled by the thought. He closed his eyes, wishing to the gods that he could just find Kim, find the beautiful golden haired youth who had stolen his heart, because it was true, he loved Kimran and he knew it was the kind of love you didn't move on from, it was the kind that lasted forever, the kind that would surpass even the grave, and Jake would make sure of that, for he knew, with a sickening feeling of understanding in the pit of his stomach, that it he found out that Kim was dead, then he would kill himself, because the blonde angelic boy had become his world, and losing his world would result in him having nothing left to carry on for.

The riddle, the rest of that damned riddle. His teary eyes scanned the paper still clutched tightly in his hand and Jake felt sick, sick with fear and hatred. He thought of Kim, alone, blonde hair in disarray and tangled, milky white skin smudged with dirt and blood, clothes torn and ragged, beautiful blue eyes still glimmering as ever they did with that persistent stubborn will to carry on, to believe, to hope when nothing was left, but still with that underlying fear, hidden but for the trembling of his beauty's pale hands. He saw that faced with what he remembered of his brother, then unbidden came the image of a blow to the head and his angelic beauty lying crumpled and motionless of the floor. He heaved and tears began to fall silently down his cheeks as he retched.

Somewhere in his head, or on the breeze, he heard a voice he knew now only in dreams, whispering his name with such longing, love and sadness. Oh gods…he just wanted Kim back by his side and to never let him go.

Yeah..go on, review and remind me never to go this long without an updat ever again...again darlings, I'm ever so sorry, but RL had to come first.

Bye!