GLIMMER AND DECAY [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 5

"IT WASN'T MY INTENTION to leave you behind. . ." Arianna seemed to be pleading a case to her.

She took a step closer to Gothel, as if to distract her own mind and to show her sister that there's still a way for them to be reunited, just like how she found the way to break out from her own nightmares.

Unfazed, Gothel stayed on her spot and watched her. It was a fascinating sight that the sister who would always bully her was now shaking in front of her. Now, the tables have turned in her favor.

"In spite of everything, I didn't come here to fight with you," Gothel said as she, too, moved closer to Arianna. "I only wanted to give you a small gift for finally getting the very thing you wanted the most."

Arianna threw a confused gaze at her. Gothel chuckled. "You will know what it is," she added.

As much as Gothel enjoyed the anxious look on Arianna's face, she still needed to leave. It was already time for her own ceremony. Gothel leaned closer to the queen's ear, her thin hand wrapping around Arianna's arm.

Arianna couldn't take a step away from her because of her unbelievably strong grip. "I did miss you a lot, my dear sister," Gothel whispered, then she poked Arianna's arm with her nail, slitting a small wound on her skin.

"I will give you the best present you could ever wish for, sister." Those were the last words Arianna could remember before her consciousness left her.

The bright light coming through the windows woke her up. Arianna blinked a couple of times as she adjusted her vision. She was confused to see the familiar ceiling of their shared bedroom.

"It might be a dream," she thought. She was forcing her mind to believe that last night was a dream.

"Her majesty had regained consciousness." But hearing the familiar voice of the royal physician made her think otherwise. "Are you alright, your highness?" The royal physician, Lord Thomas Allison, asked.

A crease formed on her forehead as she sat up. Then her attention fell on the warm hands that were squeezing her hand. "My queen. . ." It was Frederic.

"What happened?" She asked as she reached for her husband's cheek.

Dark circles decorated his puffy eyes, as if he had been crying since last night. Arianna felt her heart clench at the sight of her poor husband agonizing about the obnoxious incident from yesterday night. She can't possibly tell him everything. Frederic was an anxious man that every little thing (about his wife) distresses him.

Frederic sniffed as he leaned his cheek against her touch. "We found you lying unconscious in the garden. You should have told me that you're feeling exhausted," he said, now holding her hand on his cheek.

Arianna sighed softly as she caressed his cheek with her thumb. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Fred," she apologized.

The couple reconciled with a hug. They were starting to be engulfed in their own little bubble when a cough interjected their moment.

"My apologies for the sudden interruption, Your Majesties," Lord Allison said. "Please allow me to speak further," he requested.

The royal physician looked as if he had something to reveal, and it piqued the couple's attention.

"Go on," the queen approved.

Lord Allison cleared his throat before he spoke again, "When the queen was still unconscious, I ran a diagnosis on her. I haven't tried this the last time, but since it has been the second time when the queen has fainted, I tried this test."

The couple anticipated what the royal physician would say next. They watched as Lord Allison took a folded piece of paper from the side table then he handed it to the queen. It was the readings of the result from the test that the royal physician performed.

"This is the result of the pregnancy test I did," he continued. The queen was surprised that she let out a loud gasp. "The queen is pregnant."

Frederic was in tears as he took in the news of his wife's pregnancy, but Arianna? She felt more afraid than happy. The words of her sister suddenly played back on her head as she digested the royal physician's words.

"I HEARD YOU WERE PREGNANT?" Arianna was surprised to hear her mother ask that question. She was expecting her father to bring it up during this family dinner, but not her mother. "Child?" Her mother called her attention again when she didn't answer.

Arianna cleared her throat then placed down her silverwares. "Yes, m-mother," she was a little hesitant to call her 'mother'. "Lord Allison confirmed my pregnancy by doing another test," she continued. Arianna glanced at her father and noticed the smile brimming on his lips.

She wasn't sure why they were happy. Or was it possibly because she was soon becoming a mother? Were they happy for her having a child of her own?

'Should I tell them?' A voice in her mind spoke, but Arianna quickly shrugged it off.

She just felt the approval and acknowledgement of her mother. And if she finds out the truth right away, Arianna might lose it again. Can't she enjoy this for a little while?

'Surely, Graciella will show up again in front of father and mother. And I wouldn't have to tell them.'

"When will you be leaving for your trip?" Arianna asked as she cut a small piece on her steak.

Her father wiped off the oil stains from the steak using his white napkin then he placed a hand on top of his wife's hand.

"Your mother, Wilhelmina, and I, we're all planning to move to the county we took over on the east. We will depart a day after the banquet," her father answered.

It was surprising information for her, knowing that she only heard about their trip from her father's assistant.

"Oh," she whispered.

When things felt like it was finally falling into places, a sudden change of events would throw them out of proportion.

Arianna turned her attention to the warm hand that rested on her lap, then she turned to look at her husband. A smile bloomed on her face as if to reassure him that she was alright. She turned back to look at her parents.

"I see," she uttered. "That's a good decision for your retirement. Just let us know if there's anything else we can do for you before you leave," she spat those words in the coldest tone she could emit.

Dinner went on with a cold gust of wind and a deafening silence surrounding them. Arianna couldn't help but feel like she was being punished again.

Later that night, Queen Arianna sneaked out of their couple's bedroom and tasked Nikolas to find the guildmasters.

"I want you to confirm their whereabouts and bring them to the castle as prisoners," the queen commanded.

Nikolas bowed to her then he took his leave, bearing a pouch filled with gold coins to hire the smartest mercenary in the empire.

The queen on the other hand was left wondering in her study. It has been a month since she last heard from them. Graciella had already made an appearance in front of her, what she wanted to know was, "Why did they not send me a letter about my sister's whereabouts?"

Queen Arianna let out a heavy sigh. She stared at the moon showering her with white light. Her mind drifted as questions accompanied her. It's been so long since they last saw each other, and she wondered if Graciella was plotting revenge for her.

Nikolas came back the next day bringing back the pouch of gold and some bad news. "The guild masters were found dead in the forest, Your Majesty. And their guild is still investigating their causes of death."