The Queen Of Eternity

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Azrael

"Where could they possibly be?" I ask Lucas, as he pacesnback and forth.

They are most likely together and Esmeray can deal with anything but that does not mean that I am not incredibly worried about the two of them.

"I don't know, man. And I am terrified."

I drop my head into my hands and let anxiousness take the best of me.

Esmeray and Ocean were last seen in the library a few days ago by a maid. After that, nothing. No replies to my texts or calls.

Obviously, her father could not care less.

Lucas told him yesterday. All he said that she'll be able to find her way back. Then, he went back to his bottle of wine.

I truly do not understand how that man's brain functions.

This is Esmeray we are talking about...there are hundreds of people out to get her.

"Sir?"

I look up to see a red-haired young girl standing beside the door, fiddling with her fingers.

"Yes?" Lucas responds.

"Is there any update about the princess? I mean...is she okay? And is there anything I could do to help?" She says, her eyes fixed to the ground and voice barely audible.

"No. I am afraid we have no leads and the King isn't doing anything to help. Also, thank you for the offer but I really don't know what you could do. Or any of us, really," Lucas says.

The girl thanks us and lingers in the room for a few minutes before walking away.

The staff like Esmeray. It's not a surprise everyone wants to help. What's surprising is that the father of the missing girl instructed everyone to carry on their own jobs and not 'waste' time trying to find the literal princess.

I don't know how long the two of us sit there before Susan, walks in with two trays of food.

"Ah...look at the sad boyfriends. C'mon boys, eat up." She places the trays on the nearby table.

Boyfriend, huh?

Lucas gobbles down the food like an animal who hasn't ate in the last two years. But I cannot make myself eat.

Susan doesn't sit in 'royal rooms'. But she does talk to us informally, unlike the other staff.

"Y'know, I practically raised Essie and Emerald. Their parents were...absent, to say the least. And even when they were here.." She trails off.

"They went through so much when they were so young. Especially Esmeray, she always tried to shield her sister from certain things. So many responsibilities thrown on top of a little girl. I watched her grow, evolve. And with each passing day, her walls grew taller and smiles smaller," Susan pauses and walks over to a shelf, pulls down a box, takes out a picture and hands it to me.

The picture is of a young Esmeray with another girl that looks almost identical. But something about Esmeray just...stands out.

Perhaps it's the blonde princess curls or the smile or the purple-gold eyes.

The girl beside her also has blonde hair but it's a bit paler and messy. She's pretty but not Esmeray-pretty.

"This picture was taken one month before her father sent them to their very first solo mission. They weren't ready. No child is for what the mission was. Essie never even told me what it was, but I do know that only one returned and it was the start of the end of Essie's childhood. Sometimes, I miss that little girl who ate the cookies that I specifically asked her not to and the girl who'd always have what it takes to cheer people up, the girl who was always smiling no matter how hard life was. You know what I am talking about, don't you, Lucas?"

He nods and sits down beside me.

"And then I realised, that her change of character was probably for the best. The day an assassin starts to have a heart, she dies."

"What about her mother?" I hear myself blurting out.

I want to know.

I want to know everything about her. Her past, her present and I want to be part of her future.

I want to memorize every single detail, every tiny thing and I want to make life better for her. I want it to be okay for her to have a heart.

"That...that is a story for another time. And another place." Susan walks out of the room, leaving me with more questions than answers.

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Esmeray

Everything hurts.

That was the first thought on my mind when I stirred back into consciousness against the cold, dusty floor.

I blink my eyes and try to get up on my feet.

It takes me a minute to remember all the things that have happened. And when everything has been properly registered in my brain, I start to frantically look around for Ocean.

"I'm here," She groans out and I hear her trying to stand up.

"That was...something," She says after a minute.

Yeah.

We are back in the art room. Oceans walks up beside me and we walk out of the door and back upstairs.

The two of us walk in utter silence, no one voicing their feelings about the past few hours.

To be honest, I don't know what I am feeling.

Hurt, nostalgic, betrayed, happy, relived? I don't know what to feel.

So, I push everything down, lock it up and throw away the key.

I hate my mother...really I do. But all these years her anonymity bugged me and I missed her. I didn't remember anything about her but she's still my mother. And it hurts, incredibly so, to leave her behind.

Someone gasps and some utensil drops with clank.

I turn around, pausing my train of thoughts and see that red-haired girl again.

She runs towards me and before I know what's happening, she's hugging me.

Yep... hugging.

Okay.

I pat her back awkwardly.

She probably realises what she's doing and backs away, apologizing frantically.

Ocean giggles beside me as I try to calm her down.

"I am so sorry, Y- Esmeray. I just... I was really worried about you. No one knew where you both are. This week has been terrible," She rambles on.

"Wait... week?," Ocean explains.

I don't let that bother me. Way too much in my head already.

"I am really am sorry, Esmeray," The red-haired girl apologizes again.

"It's okay. Where's Azrael?" I respond.

"And Lucas," Ocean adds.

"They are both in your room, Esmeray. I'll tell Susan you're back. She was very worried."

Oh yes. Susan.

I haven't talked to her in so long.

"Yes... You should. What's your name, by the way?"

"Fleur. Fluer Auclair."

Pretty.

Ocean and I walk towards our room and the minute I open it, Ocean gasps beside me.