He's my King and I'm his Queen

Chapter 36

Azalea's POV: 

          I held onto the small, fragile hands of the twins. The two children, so oblivious to the bloody sky outside their window, clueless to the deaths of those of lived outside and inside the castle and the look of their brother’s eyes which were filled with anger, grief, and fright. Christopher would spend his days at the barracks, preparing himself for the awaited battle. He rarely slept, he rarely ate. As we lay in bed together at night, I would glance over to see his weary face as he lay awake at night. If he was not training himself, he was staring outside the window, watching for any sign of the enemy.

            Mitchell has calmed down after two days of locking himself up in a room, but his eyes were lifeless. I would occasionally visit him, but it didn’t help any. His expression never changed. No hint of a smile.

            The entire castle was filled with an unspoken tension, with a mixture of depression and fright sinking into our restless souls. Lately, I have seen the queen wandering about the castle. Even she, the woman who would never leave her room, looked agitated. There was something the matter with her, something I should have looked into, but I did not pay any heed to her. She could take care of her own problems.

             The twins were my only escape from the dread. The two were so pure I was drawn to them in my distraught. However, even the twins could not shield me forever. The day came when Riko finally talked. He was still a bit frazzled and traumatized from losing his sight but he finally mustered out a word one day while I was visiting him with Mariana. The one word, of all things, was “Garrett. ENews was sent out about this and immediately, Jamille was by his side, demanding more.

            “Is he alright? Is he okay? Is he dead? He is not dead?" She spoke with haste.

            “He is alive." Riko answered before breaking down screaming.

He screamed as if a monster had possessed him. Mariana led Jamille away from Riko before returning to his side and holding his hand. The child was so brave standing by her friend- even the nurses seemed to be frightened by this phenomenon. I walked out the door, leaving them there when I almost jumped from seeing a curious character outside.

            “How is she?"

            “Do you not mean ‘he' your majesty? Riko is a boy after all." I asked confused.

            “I was not talking about the boy. I was talking about the girl who was holding his hand."

            “Mariana? Why would your majesty be concerned with her?"

The queen just gave me a blank stare before leaving me with an unanswered question.

            I walked to the window to see my husband training once more. I allowed myself a sigh before walking to the library to read or at least attempt to study any possible books. I tried reaching a book on the top shelf about a few native creatures when I accidently pulled down two books at the time.  The two hardbacks tumbled down on top of me as something fell out of the other book. I grabbed what seemed to be a letter. Curiosity led me to open the thin envelope.

Dear Lia,

            Though you do not believe it is best, I believe you should take your son back. I know you wish not for him to be with you, but you two are mother and son. Do not abandon him.

            -Rose

I opened the book and started shaking it to discover a handful of letters fall upon the floor. I opened each one and read the letter’s contents.