Blood & Power [Book One of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

1.27: Golden

We found ourselves doing laps of the garden that had been created in the centre of the main Government buildings; it was well kept and filled with wonderful smelling flowers that coaxed a smile out of you whether it was the situation for it or not. Marianna was clinging to me, her arm wrapping around my own and her opposite hand holding tightly on to me, completely voiding all options of me getting loose.

We'd settled into a sombre silence, neither one of us knowing where to start. I could tell she had more to say than I did; she had far more feelings that I couldn't comprehend. I may have lost my closest friend, but she'd lost her other half, the love of her life - her through and through soulmate. There wasn't anything I could say that would change that.

I couldn't help but stare at her face as we walked, noticing that the wholesome glimmer that was always in her eyes had vanished. There was nothing but darkness behind them; and if I knew Marianna, it would take years for her to get even half of that back. Not that I could blame her for that if that ended up being the case.

"I'm thinking about making him a funeral," She murmured out of nowhere, her grip tightening as the words left her mouth. Now that she'd said it, it was a bonafide fact; he was truly gone and needed a funeral. She had taken a deep breath before continuing, not wanting to wait for my opinion on the matter, "It's going to be golden; everything has to be golden."

"Golden," I repeat.

"That's what I used to call him, you know? My golden guy. Not only did he look like pure gold, but he acted like it to me. That was his true value, he was so precious," As she talked I watched as several tears dropped from her eyes and the rest of her face stayed as stoic as she could manage. She was fighting her grief.

"That'd be nice, Marie." I whisper, squeezing the hand that rested on my arm lightly, "Plus, he'd hate all the attention."

She laughed, nodding, "He would."

I basked in that slightly happier moment when her smile beamed a little, and the world shone slightly brighter; the golden buttercups we passed took on a more colourful yellow tone, and the trees seemed to dance in the wind instead of sway. It wasn't like her happiness made the world turn any easier, but at this moment, my eyes could see nothing but good things when those blushed cheeks returned.

That little positive moment hadn't lasted long though, the smile twisting back into a straight line with the tears continuing. Her lips were trembling, and it took all of my might not to stop her dead in her tracks and pull her in for another hug after she'd expressly stated she wouldn't accept any more from me as we walked away from the dungeons.

"I should have known," She had said, her voice breaking as she spoke, "I'd seen Aubrey acting off with him for weeks and I thought it was strange. I wanted to tell him to be wary around her but I thought I was just seeing things. I'm always paranoid about his safety, I just thought it was all in my head."