The Key to Ruling a Broken Kingdom (Girl x Girl)

5: Persephonie

***I love Glee, and the linked song pertains to the chapter below, so enjoy!***

I was shaken awake by Mother, and a maid escorted us through Bruvia's castle to Louis' sleeping chambers. But I was practically running in front of everyone else. I knew Bruvia's castle better than I knew my own (mainly because it was smaller than mine, and I practically grew up here), and I burst into Louis' sleeping chambers.

His room was dark, with only a dying candle to dimly illuminate his sick, pale face. There were bumps around his lips, and his once thick, light brown hair had thinned and was matted to his head. A healer was standing on one side of him, and Louis' younger brother, Cedric, stood on the other.

"Louis" I gasped, and ran to him.

Cedric moved back and I placed my arms around my fiancé's chest. "Louis" I whispered again. "Louis, please say something."

"I'm supposed to marry you?" he said so quietly, I almost didn't hear him. A small chuckle escaped my lips. It was the first thing he had said to me when we saw each other for the first time, seven years ago.

"I will be more than happy to marry you" I whispered, and pushed some of his hair off his forehead. "I want to marry you. Please let me marry you."

Louis opened his eyes and his hazel eyes gazed lovingly into my dark ones. The way he had looked at me that day he had splintered my arm with his wooden sword. "I'm sorry, love" he whispered, as his father burst in through the doors. Louis coughed up blood, and winced. The healer wiped it off with a wet, white cloth.

Louis' father held the thirteen- year- old prince's hand, as he took his last breaths. I kissed his sweaty forehead, earning a small smile from him, as he passed away. I stayed bent over him, wishing for him to come back, hoping that for some strange reason, he was just pretending to be dead. That he wasn't actually, and that he was just sleeping. How could this boy who I so dearly loved, suffer a fate as terrible as this? I don't understand why he of all people had to go through this. He's never done anything to hurt a single soul! My tears spilled on his once beautiful face. I brushed my thumb against his lips. "Good-bye Lou" I whispered. "Say hi to Ma for me." I took in his state. He seemed to be in a peaceful slumber with that small smile stitched onto his face.

I heard sniffling from behind me, and I turned to see Cedric, wiping away his tears. He looked like a shorter version of Louis. Cedric had Louis's thick, light brown hair- tousled currently- and the same soft, hazel eyes. Cedric wasn't as muscular as Louis had been, his face was less defined, and I found him to always be rather nervous.

The king of Bruvia had silently reached his second son. "Your mother just passed" he said, quietly.

Cedric was shocked. Grief and disbelief clouded his eyes, and he stumbled back, tripped over his feet, and fell on his behind. He began shaking with sobs, and I looked back at Louis, grief overtaking me.

But I didn't cry. I physically, couldn't cry. Louis didn't look dead. He looked like he was sleeping. But his chest didn't rise and go down, which could mean he just wasn't breathing deeply.

"Louis?" I said, cupping his sweaty cheek. "Louis? Can you wake up? Talk to me Louis. Please. Say something." I shook him violently, and screamed, "You said a true prince would always be there to protect his princess! Are you telling me that you're not a true prince?"

Someone pulled me away from Louis and I turned to see Venus, puffy eyed. I struggled against her, but she imprisoned me in her arms, holding me tightly. "Persephonie, stop" she pleaded.

"Let me go!" I yelled, trying to break free. "I need to talk to Louis!"

"Louis is gone" she whispered. "He's somewhere else now."

I turned to stare into her deep, ocean blue eyes. "No, he isn't" I stated, impatiently. "He's right over there" I jutted my chin in Louis' direction. But my sister didn't respond. She only tightened her grip around me. "Venus! Let me go!"

"No" she stated firmly. "You're the one who needs to let go. Louis is gone, Persephonie, he's not coming back. He's not going to talk to you. Let. Him. Go."

She finally broke her grip around me, and I turned to face her. "How can you say that?" I whispered, dangerously. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!" I screamed in her face. "How can you ask me to accept that the love of my life is dead- gone- poof!" I shouted. "How would you feel if Charles were to drop dead, right now?"

"I'd be happy" she murmured to herself. She realized what she said and her eyes widened. "I mean-"

"You want... Charles dead?" I asked, dumbstruck. Venus had met Charles two years ago, and he had asked her hand in marriage. After Venus agreed to it, Father prepared for their marriage on Venus' sixteenth birthday. "If you don't like him, then why did you decide to marry him?"

Venus turned away from me. "It's for the good of our kingdom."

"You're willing to give up your life... to help our kingdom?" I asked, mystified. "But our kingdom doesn't need any help."

"You are still young, Persephonie, and you still don't know much" Venus said. "Come now. Let's leave Cedric alone for a moment."

I saw Cedric, curled into a ball, and rocking back and forth. His glazed eyes caught mine, for just a second, before he looked away again. The king had already left- probably to see his wife. I wasn't as acquainted with Louis' family as I was with the prince himself, so the queen's death didn't faze me as much. But the rest of my family was very close to her, but not so much with Louis. When we saw each other, we mostly kept to ourselves.

I followed Venus out of the room, and glanced back at my now ex-fiancé, before closing the door.

A/N: Poor Persephonie. What's she going to do now? And what Venus talking about, when she said she wanted Charles (her fiance) dead? And what's the deal with Cedric? Guess you'll have to wait until next week! Vote and comment!