Curse - Septiplier

Epilogue

Jack's POV

Two years later

I opened the doors rather slowly, almost reluctantly one might say. The rays from the early morning sun shone through the throne room, reflecting off the floor and lighting the whole place up. I drew in a sharp breath, and let it out in a shudder. Even after so long, this day affected me a little worse than every other. I was holding on still, and despite many advisors telling me to let it go, and to move on from the memories of the past, it was also what shaped everything that I did. My decisions, my actions, everything boiled down to how he would look at it, what he would do in such a situation. Every morning required waking up from the same nightmare, the same dull ache in my chest of knowing that he wasn't coming back to me. No matter how many times I did save him in my dreams, or how many times I didn't, it wouldn't change the past. Each night was the same, waking with a shout or with tears, and each day was the same agonizing routine. Only today was different.

I turned at the sound of more footsteps, and I was faced with the only remembrance of Mark that I had left in my life. People told me that I was generous, that we were finally under the reign of a benevolent King, but she was really here out of selfishness. I wanted some reminder of him in my life, and I couldn't seem to stay away from her anyway. Mark's mother smiled at me, wearing a nice dress and pinning her hair up nicely. Her eyes were dull despite her smile, and I knew that we were sharing the same pain through our gazes. She hadn't given up on me, and moving her into the castle seemed fair to the people after everything that she lost, but I was selfish. I wanted Mark, and in my mind I was settling for the closest thing to him by keeping her here. Even so, I didn't mind her company, and she made the castle a little livelier on her better days. Despite homosexuality truly being a sin, I was forgiven by everyone, and by her. She didn't care that Mark or I had done such things, she only cared that Mark was happy, and happy with me. Seeing we had the same goals for Mark when he was alive, his mother connected with me and we've been nearly inseparable, even through private meetings and when I needed an advisor, she was always there.

She linked her arm in mine, and I fixed my crown a little straighter atop my head. Wearing my father's crown felt abhorrent, and like it was plaguing me with memories. Therefore, it had been melted down and thrown over the bluff, never to be seen again. Instead, I created a new crown with the help of Mark's friends at the blacksmith, and it was laced with tiny golden flowers carved into the material. While my advisors advised against such a crown, I ignored them. It was a reminder of Mark, and the better times that we had. It was a reminder of the smaller things in life that we equally as important as anything else, and it was a reminder to keep my sanity when I was losing it. In the late of night when I would wake up and cry to myself, when I missed Mark more than ever, the crown was what I clutched to, his jacket was what I wore despite it losing his scent several months ago. It was his jacket that I wore now as we exited the castle.

The clouds were gray overhead, and the air was thick with the coming of rain and the promise of a violent storm, as if mother nature herself was upset over Mark's death and angry about it in her own way. The rain held, though, as we watched the villagers gather near the bridge with lit candles and somber expressions. To them, this was a tribute to every fallen person that had died as a result of my father's foolishness. The lack of work my father put in had caused many unnecessary deaths, and we were celebrating them all here at the river, but to me it was only Mark's death that I wanted to commemorate. It was here that I partook in the guilty pleasure of remembering his face, and the several ways in which I had touched him. It was here that I could be alone with my thoughts in silence, here that I could cry and have my kingdom reach out their love and embrace me; here I felt as though Mark's spirit was truly with me.

The villagers were all holding flowers, and we all sat on the bank of the river together in a hushed silence. There were whispers as people spoke softly and helped one another, and I stared at the flowers in my hands as though they were foreign and my fingers no longer functioned properly. They were pretty, and they were bright red to remind me of everything about him. His mother leaned over, and she helped me intertwine the stems and raise the flower heads to the sky. People begun to stand, and we joined them, holding precious flower crowns in our hands and staring at the rushing water of the river. One by one, I watched as villagers set their crowns into the water beside their candles they had made at home to float down the river, and I was the last to place my crown into the water. I noticed that many of the villagers were crying, and I suddenly felt like I was going to break down myself. I bit my lower lip, staring at the red crown I had made as it floated softly away from us all, carrying the light of the candles and the heaviest of the hearts with them to our loved ones who were lost and away, waiting for us to return to them for eternity could not separate us.

I felt a warmth surround me, and once more I looked up and around. A wind this warm was abnormal before the rising of a storm, and I felt concern fill me; my first thought was that of a fire, but I was surprised to find none. I looked around even more, keeping my motions slow but prominent as not to bother any of those who were still watching the river, praying, begging their family to watch over them and to wait for them. I followed the feeling I had in my belly and I walked away from the river and towards the graveyard. I felt as though I should visit Mark's grave today of all days, and my feet moved quicker than I'd care to admit. As a king I couldn't often make it out here to visit Mark, not nearly as often as I'd like, but now seemed the most appropriate.

I passed through the gate, and I reached Mark's grave that already had some flowers atop it, most likely Mark's mother. I knelt down beside them, unable to stop the tears as they began to stream silently down my cheeks. My throat was choked and I couldn't breathe, I couldn't sob, I could only stare through glassy eyes down as Mark's untouched gravestone, and I wanted him back more than ever now. I wanted to touch him again, to hear his laughter and his rich voice as he spoke to me. I wanted to see his chocolate brown eyes and the innocent yet yearning look in his gaze when he met my own. At least now we could have lived without the strain of my father, and we could have been together. That thought pained my soul more than any other.

I felt the warmth of the wind pass against me once more, and I sighed, shuddering as I looked around. My eyes passed over every gravestone in the yard, some long forgotten and untouched for many years. I didn't want Mark's grave to end up that way, I always wanted to remember him and cherish the times that we had together. I leaned forward, placing my arm atop the curved stone and resting my forehead against the front of it, allowing myself to sob quietly. I just wanted him back, and as I cried, I could have sworn that I heard his voice one last time,

"Soon, Jack."

~~~

The final chapter.

I usually do an "In the making" kind of thing where I talk about the book and how it came to be, would you guys like to see that? Let me know, and let me know what you think of the final chapter. Hope you all enjoyed <3

~Jay