No More Tears, Julian (Indignation)

Mends from Reveal (11)

Mends from Reveal

   "You hid this from me?" Julian asks, although he already knows the answer.

Miranda nods, her eyes not meeting his. "I couldn't tell you without betraying my word."

"I knew that Annalisa was Selene's daughter, I never knew that she was also the God's." He states.

"You were never meant to know. The Witch's Tree tells the story of Annalisa's creation. The Keepers have many secrets from both the Heavens and the Underworld. They keep track of all movements the Immortals make."

Julian's anger rises. "So this was his plan all along? He wants me to protect his precious daughter?" He spits.

"Yes and no. Of course he wants his daughter's protection, but being assigned to her was your punishment for neglecting Anna and the other children you were meant to protect. He realized that you would never have it in you to neglect Annalisa. That is why he assigned her to you."

"Does he know how much I want to kill her? Is he waiting for me to do just that so he can turn me over to Hades?"

"Julian, you and Annalisa are a force to be reckoned with. Having one of you in Hades power will be killing millions if either of you lose yourself to the darkness, especially you. You are an impulsive man. You see no reason when you see the truth in front of you. You're turning into the same king that Annalisa killed all those centuries ago. Is what you want? For her to hate you? To despise you?"

"She betrayed me."

"She saved your kingdom."

"By killing their king? I highly doubt that."

"It's true. Your greed for power and wealth blinded you to see the suffering and torture your kingdom went through to give you those priceless things. Children starved. Mothers worked to the bone while their husbands were sent out to war, to rule whatever other kingdom you decided was better to have as your own. You were a mad man. You cared for no one, but yourself. Yet, your entire kingdom respected and honored you. They saw you as their god. You could have done no wrong in their eyes. They were just as blinded as you were and still are."

"It's nonsense." He points his index finger to his chest. "I protected my people from harm, poverty, and slavery. I protected them against everything."

"That was true at first, but then you needed to protect them from those things coming from you. That is what you don't notice. Annalisa helped free the kingdom by killing you and herself."

"She didn't die like I did. She's still human."

"She's an Immortal. She became one the moment you died. You were connected to her in mind and body. You were hers and she was yours. When she was ordered to kill you, she didn't just kill you. She killed herself as well."

"Ordered? She was ordered to kill me?"

"Yes. You may not notice it right now, but you were the cause of both your deaths."

"Who ordered her?"

"The curse."

"What curse?" He can feel the whiteness of his eyes turn pure black.

"Your eyes are turning pure black Julian. I'll not speak to you under those conditions."

"Answer me!"

"The God and Selene had a deal long ago. Selene was convinced to help create your fall. She saw how you ignored your people's silent cries for help. She wanted to defeat you. The God was driven by his anger over the ignorance of his followers. They all worshiped you. They looked up to you as their savior when he was the one they were supposed to vow their loyalty to. Together, with his blood and hers, they created Annalisa. She was created as a curse. The orders were specific. She was to seduce you, earn your love, and then murder you. It was simple. There was a chance that it wouldn't have worked, but it did. You fell in love with her as quickly as it was for you to take over a kingdom. You cherished her. You drowned her in riches and power. She fell in love with you too, but then she started to see the king you really were. Her guilt was overruled by her order. She saw it as a way to save your kingdom, even if it was only an order to kill you."