The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Forty-Three: Bittersweet Occurrences

We're awoken the next morning the another knock, this one more urgent, which causes me to jolt upright in bed, a feeling of urgency leading me towards the door, where the same Butler stands.

"Have you seen His Lordship? I'm afraid its his father... he's taken a turn for the worst" The Butler says with a concerned tone.

I rush out the door, pushing past the Butler and running straight to The Duke's room, where he's coughing into a bloodied towel that a maid has handed him.

"Everybody clear out! And someone fetch the doctor" I demand, rushing over to The Duke's bedside.

Cael follows closely behind me, immediately running to his father's side. An empty tea cup like the one he had yesterday sits atop his bedside table and I pick it up, smelling the remnants of the tea within the cup.

Peppermint, honey... belladonna. Deadly nightshade. A plant which grew exclusively in Rochdale's dry plains.

"He's been poisoned." I say aloud.

Cael glances at me, his eyes full of panic. The pure worry in his eyes sets me off down the hallway in a fit of demands.

"Lock the gates, and double the guards. The Duke has been poisoned by a Rochdalian herb. No one is to enter or exit this Estate at any time" I demand a nearby guard as I descend the grand staircase.

"Genevieve? I need chamomile tea with elderberry, and a little lemon brought up to The Duke, asap" I command as I walk by her briskly.

"Yes ma'am" She replies, setting off.

I storm into the training grounds, yet again drawing everyone's attention to me.

"Casimir? I need the trainees changed into Guardian uniforms and posted within the Estate. I have reason to believe we've been infiltrated" I say to Casimir.

"Infiltrated? By who?" He asks.

"Rochdalian's. One of the herbs from their lands has been used to poison The Duke" I say, turning around and swiftly leaving again, heading straight back to The Duke's room, where Cael is feeding him warm broth, and Genevieve sets the tea I ordered down on his bedside table.

I walk over and grab the teacup, tilting it so it's contents pour into The Duke's mouth and he swallows it with much effort. The tea cup was now empty, but The Duke's breath is still raspy.

"His throat's starting to close. Where's the doctor?" I question, starting to lose my calm composure.

"Someone was sent out to retrieve him, but they haven't arrived yet." Genevieve explains.

"How long does it take for a single doctor to arrive?" I question angrily.

The Duke suddenly grabs my hand, looking into my eyes sadly. I may hate this man for exposing Brianna and letting the people of the dawn take the blame, but he was still Cael's father. He was still The Duke. And we were losing him.

"Amaris...remember your promise..." He says between raspy breaths.

I suddenly felt warm tears fall down my cheeks, but I couldn't tell if they were from anger, or sadness.

"And you...you will be a fine Duke" He says, taking Cael's hand.

Cael nods, fighting back tears. The Duke takes a few more labored breaths before all is silent, and his hand slowly slips from Cael's. Cael turns to me, and I wrap him in my embrace as he begins to sob, my silent tears sliding down my cheeks. So much death. So much pain.

So much for hope.

It was at this exact moment that the doctor rushes in, and it doesn't take him long to examine the scene and figure out what's happened. And so there was another funeral. Not long after the last.mBut this time, the entire town went into mourning. The cemetery couldn't fit all the participants in The Duke's funeral, and I know I should've been sad, and I was, but I also wondered where these people had been when we mourned Arthur. He wasn't a Duke. Or a noble. But he had risked his life to protect the monarchy.

And for what?

Turns out the monarchy was to blame after all, so what was the point of his show of bravery, really? He died believing in a lie. And that felt worse to me.

I break away from Cael, who shoots me a sad smile as I depart the cemetery. I couldn't handle another funeral. Especially one that held so much weight. The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize what this meant for me. What this meant for us. We were to be crowned Duke and Duchess. We were to rule over an entire town of people. The more I thought about it, the more claustrophobic I felt, despite the fact that I was outside. I begin pacing around the gardens, walking loops around the roses until I'm stopped when I suddenly find Cael in my path.

"I figured I'd find you out here" He says, walking over to me and taking my hand, then noticing my distressed expression.

"Is something the matter, my dear?" He asks me.

It made me laugh. Him asking me if I was okay on the day of his own father's funeral.

"I've just been thinking..." I start.

"Well then stop. Simple as that" Cael suggests.

"Well, it's about what happens next..." I reply.

"Amaris, believe me. Thinking about the future will only make things worse for you. Just let go. Fate will guide us in these following months" Cael replies reassuringly.

"But I don't want fate to decide. What if the plan ahead of me is a bad one? Then what will I do?" I question.

Cael smiles softly at my response before answering, and I wonder how he could possibly be happy about this situation we've found ourselves in. All is answered when he pulls out a small, brown suede box, opening the lid and revealing a beautiful ring. It had a simple yellow gold band, and a solitaire setting, that featured a beautiful oval jewel.

There was nothing fancy about it, and that's what I loved.

"Let is serve a a symbol. It'll represent assurance of the future. Of our future. Whatever that may mean. We don't have to rush into things, or do anything we aren't yet ready for." Cael says as the ring is revealed to me.

"It's... beautiful" I say, admiring how the gold band and jewel sparkle in the light.

"It's a moonstone" Cael says proudly as he slides the ring onto my finger.

I look at him with a soft smile.

"What a bittersweet day this is" I laugh softly as I admire how my finger looks with the ring on it.

"I'd say more sweet than bitter" Cael says.

"But-"

"You mustn't worry about my father. Everything happens for a reason. It was his time" Cael interrupts me.

I nod.

"Let's be happy. Afterall, my father was spared from any justifications for his actions. He left peacefully." Cael suggests.

"You're right. Let's be happy" I say with a smile, taking Cael's arm and allowing him to walk me back to the Estate.

Little did we know, that fate did not have such happiness in store for us.