I Choose You

Eight

Shade

I opened the door to my house, with the flag waving in the stormy wind, the lightning showing our path home.  The purple lightning flashes as well.  Mare.  She is fine, just under pressure. I try not to be selfish, but I hope Mare chooses to stay with Maven, so she can be safe, so everyone can stop living in this hell his father made.  He'll change the world with Mare, if Mare stays with him.  It's sickening.

The door makes a creek when it opens, Mother is awake, she always was during storms, same with Gisa, sitting next to Mother.  She looks up when the door opens, without even saying a word she stands up and wraps her arms around me in a hug.  Gisa stands up, trying to hold in tears.  The room lights up for a second, purple.  Everyone knows Mare's lightning is purple, and everyone knows she's conflicted.  Mother hugs Kilorn to, and to my surprise, she hugs Cal.  

I can hear Father snoring, stagerred as always.  Bree and Tramy are upstairs, sleeping hopefully.  Kilorn climbs up to Mare's room, I know he kissed Mare, a kiss goodbye.  I know Mare was confused as to why, but I know.  Kilorn loves her.  Kilorn doesn't want to loose her to Maven, or anyone.

Cal loves Mare too, everyone knows that.  I've seen them together, but I don't mind at all really.  Cal was stripped of his royal status, and Mare loves him, that's all that matters. 

I love Mare, of course I do.  I love Farley.  I love Mother and Father.  I love Gisa.  I told Mare to see Farley, I hope she did, I want to know she's alright.  

Mother fell asleep, so did Gisa.  Cal is upstairs, I shouldn't bother him, he has his worries.  The storm died out, but I stay awake, sleeping won't help.  Nightmares don't help either. 

Maven

I shut the door to Mare's room, wished her goodnight, if she can sleep.  I hope she can, after her day, her rough day.  I know I am trying to be nice, trying to be the Maven she saw, the Maven that wasn't affected by Mother's songs.  I hope she can see past that. 

I walk down the empty halls, the thunder rumbling, shaking the floor.  The lightning is purple, I can hear Mare's scream.  I did this to her, she's falling for me all over again.  I should feel happy, but I don't, I don't want her to love me when she feels forced to, I need to show her she has the freedom to choose her dynasty, whether it is with me or not. 

I open the door to my chambers, the maids rush me right away, like they always do.  I didn't wish to be bothered, so with a flick of my finger they all went away, leaving me in a room of silence, with just me and my thoughts.  

I sat onto my bed with the silk sheets, I took my crown off my head and put in on my bedside stand.  Sometimes the crown is just a burden, a reminder of what my Mother did to me, her songs, her eyes staring into mine, controlling my mind.  She made Mare hate me, she made me into a person that I am not, I hope I can get through to Mare that I am not a monster. 

The purple lightning shines in my room, fitting.  All I can think of is Mare, how conflicted she is.  I want to comfort her, but she needs her space, space to breath, space to vent, space to think.  I can see on the other side of the bed on the stand lays a crown.  A crown for my Queen.  The crown would look fitting on Mare, but that's her choice, not mine. 

I won't force that onto her.

I can't.

Hey y'all!   Hope you like!  Please comment on what to do next because I'm conflicted, should I do a Kilorn POV, Cal?  Shade?  Another Maven?  I don't know, feedback helps, stay safe during this time!

Hannah