Hopeful (My Sequel to Heartless) Unfinished

Chapter 29 - New News

She walked in with her face blotchy and red but strode with the confidence and determination of a queen. Tears streamed down her face as she made her way to the throne room and pushed both doors open without waiting for the guards to do it for her. 

Chrystal sat on her throne with a folder laying open in her lap. She looked up and clicked her tongue. "How nice of you to interrupt," she said folding her legs and looking back down at her papers. 

Cath raised her chin, she was sure she looked ridiculous with the dried snot under her nose, but she held her ground. "I want to go home." She said with her voice wavering. 

Chrystal looked up at her again with a raised eyebrow, "Home? My dear, I thought we both agreed this was your new home." She said with the least amount of interest Cath had ever heard in someone's tone. 

Cath clenched her jaw, "You know what I mean." She said balling her hands into a fist. She had just watched her husband die and she would not stand here any longer with her kingdom exposed. 

Chrystal snapped her folder shut and sent a chilling look at her, "Yes, I do know what you mean, and I'm saying no."

Cath snorted, "So, what, I'm your prisoner now?" She asked crossing her arms.

Chrystal smirked, "No, but that can change with the snap of my finger, so I suggest you use a different tone with me."

Cath threw her hands in the air with a frustrated cry. She didn't want to have to tell her the king died, but she would have to if she wanted to go home. She paced the floor trying to gather her thoughts. The White Queen watched with a calculating look as if she knew something was wrong. 

Cath took a deep breath, "The King of Hearts is dead, your Majesty, and the kingdom of Hearts is still my kingdom, and if they are without a monarch within 3 days of the King's death, then the title is given to the closest member of Congress."

A wide smile spread across Chrystal's face. "This is perfect!" She cried out with more enthusiasm than Cath had ever seen before. "If you go and claim the throne, you can announce Callum as your new King-Consort, pick up those brats you gave birth to, and then have a celebration to welcome Callum. The kingdom will be ecstatic! They'll love Callum, and most of all, they'll love the White Kingdom." 

She turned to the closest guard almost singing with joy, "Go get my son." She ordered. Even though she was happy, the order was still sharp. Cath watched the guard leave and clenched her jaw as she turned back to Chrystal. She was tired of this woman twisting every good thing in her life to give herself an advantage. "I'm going to pack," Cath said turning on her heal and walked out of the room. 

She walked past Callum on the way to her room. He gave her a once over and furrowed his brow. She shook her head, too tired to even scowl at him. She just wanted to sleep for a million years. No, she wanted her kids. She wanted her husband. She wanted Jest.

The want was so intense by the time she reached her room that she doubled over in pain. Her heart hurt from so many emotions and she was positive she was going to throw up on her pristine carpet. She walked over to the bed and curled up on her side. She was both relieved and tired to be going home. Every day she was away, she felt like her heart was trying to kill her. Emotions were now so incredibly painful, she wished she had never grown it back. But then there were the times when she saw Jest and her heart sang or when she thought of her kids and how much she loved them. Her heart was her now biggest asset, and she would keep it no matter what happened.

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The more Jest read the letter, the more confused he got. It was written like instructions complete with diagrams, but he had no idea what the instructions were for. They were obviously important to his task, but without context, he felt clueless. 

He read aloud to Raven as they searched for the door that belonged to the next key. Raven had known where the next key lead based on the symbol that had been engraved into the metal. 

The room was adjacent to the king's room and had a large window where they could peer inside. Jest felt sick as he saw what was happening. Hatta began to cry.

Maids and servants were clearing things out of the room and Jest wondered if they could see him through the window. By the blank stares, they had when facing his direction confirmed that Jest could see them, but they couldn't see him. 

And on the bed, he saw a lumpy figure that had been draped in a sheer black cloth. 

The King of Hearts lay dead right in front of them.

Jest felt the breath leave his lungs as he struggled to sort out his emotions. He had no idea what to feel. Once upon a time, the king had been his employer. He had even considered the king his friend throughout the whole ordeal. Of course, he thought the king was a blubbering fool most of the time, but just because a man is ignorant and strange doesn't make him a terrible person. He didn't know he was crying until a tear slipped down his cheek leaving a black streak in its wake. 

He didn't know why Cath had made him go on this scavenger hunt, but he was suddenly angry at her. It only lasted a moment before he felt guilty for feeling that way. She couldn't have known he would stumble upon this clue at the same moment the king died. It wasn't her fault he had died in the first place. The king had been very old when he had been at the palace 10 years ago. He had lasted longer than the average man. 

Hatta had begun to sob even harder. He didn't know the king, but Hatta was always sensitive when somebody died. Jest had once found Hatta crying over the news that a local baker in the White Kingdom had died even though Hatta had never seen the man in his life. 

Raven began to say a prayer. It was in his native language that Jest had never learned, so he figured he would leave the two men be in their emotional state. Jest placed a hand on the window and hoped with all his heart that Cath would be back soon.