ONYX

Chapter Thirteen

"Princess, you are permitted a short time with your mother." Lord Swansburh told her. With a swift nod she stood from her seat and strolled towards the dungeons where Elizabeth would wait for the carriage to be ready to transport her. 

Marabelle Castle had been used specifically for beheadings. Elizabeth would go there to wait in the tower until the executioner arrived to proceed.

Elizabeth had never been in a prison cell before. She never expected to be in one, and she was terrified. The place was so filthy. It was wet and sticky too, the floor had puddles everywhere that’d quickly ruined the fine fabric of her dress. She sat on the tiny stool placed in the corner and waited for what’d come next.

“Mother?”

Elizabeth gasped at the sight of her daughter and stood from the small seat in the corner. There were chain lengths and cuffs on the floor around her feet, which Alessandra hated to see. It made her more wary of the trouble she had put her mother in. “Alessandra?”

"I’m so sorry. I should have been a better daughter." Alessandra rushed into her mother’s open arms. When she fell into her mothers embrace she couldn’t fight the waterfall of tears. She bawled, while Elizabeth smoothed her daughter’s hair. 

"My sweet, oh, so precious one, you are my perfect baby girl. Everything that happened to you is my fault—not yours." Queen Elizabeth assured her child. She had no idea that Alessandra had felt as though she was a bad child.

Though they managed as long as they could, Elizabeth was laying her life down so that Alessandra wouldn't feel guilty about the death of her father. She loved her little girl and she knew that things were not going to end well. 

At first all she wanted was to save her life. She never thought about the consequences and now seemed like a good time to tell her daughter about the bargain.

"How is this your fault? You haven’t done anything. You’re not the one who is cursed, I am." Alessandra said with a heavy sigh and wiped her tears away. Even when she’s about to die, Alessandra was amazed that her mother continued to use the same excuse to make Alessandra feel better.

"There is something I need to tell you that I should have a long time ago.” Elizabeth looked up and down the hall for any guards because she didn’t want to be overheard. The guards were all the way down the hall next to the exit and if she continued to keep her voice low enough then they wouldn’t hear. “I need to tell you what happened the night you were born.”

“Okay . . .” Alessandra said.

Elizabeth took her daughter’s hands in hers and squeezed them. “I’d been in labor for hours and when you were born, you were very sick. You were so small and frail and you wouldn’t move. There was nothing that I could do because I’d lost so much blood; I thought I died. And then a man came to me and offered to heal me and you for a price.”

She squeezed her daughter’s hand again, and Alessandra squeezed back. “Then what happened?”

“He told me that I could raise you, but I would have to be prepared to give him my soul and yours when the time comes. He’s responsible for why you can’t touch anyone because a piece of his soul is within you.” She finished.

“What?” Alessandra couldn’t believe what her mother was telling her. “Who is the man?”

“Death,”

“Death?”

“Yes, although he goes by Hades. He’s the God of Death, I know it’s hard to believe, but after he brought me back to you, I had to know more. I did research and there are books with stories depicting these Gods, there are more. I wish I could tell you more, but I don’t know how much time we have.”

"Have you gone mad, Mother?" She thought the Queen foolish. Hades, the God of Death and the Underworld. Where had she come up with all of this? The library?

"You must heed what I say, Alessandra. I am serious. The mark on your shoulder is proof enough because it is from Hades. He bound you to him; surely you must have felt some part of you drawn to an unknown entity.” Elizabeth urged. She needed her to believe. “I agreed for him to restore our lives or we would have died in the night. Yes, I should’ve thought about it more, but I had to know you. I had to save you.” Elizabeth cried out, her tears flowing more than Alessandra’s as she sat there confused.

"My mark . . ." Alessandra reached over her shoulder to touch it and upon contact, it burned. She flinched and pulled her hand away. “So, you mean to tell me that a man that is the God of Death will kill me to collect my soul?”

Elizabeth shook her head. "No sweetheart, Hades will not kill you. He’s given me his word that he doesn’t intend to harm you."

Alessandra started to get agitated that her mother would chose their final moment together to tell her an old wise tale. She’d never been to the library, therefore, she never heard of this Hades. And then she expected her to believe that this bargain with Death had been the reason behind her curse.

"He saved us because I couldn’t face the fact that my time came and yours would have soon after. Sure he made life hard for you, but I got to raise you and be a mother, which is all that I wanted. I’m only sorry that it came with a cost. There is nothing left here but the people you can never touch. It is my fault; I chose this path when I could’ve let us die. I am so sorry, Alessandra."

“I . . . I don’t believe you. None of this makes any sense. Why are we talking about this? They are going to take you any minute now. I just—I needed you to know how much I love you.”

“I love you, too, my precious one.” Elizabeth said. She and Alessandra stood. “But you had to know the truth. I have no way of proving what I said.”

“Enough, I don’t want to hear about this anymore.” 

She understood her daughter’s disbelief because she’d felt the same way when she was first approached by Hades. She needed time; Elizabeth knew that. “There are books in my bedchambers that’ll help you understand, if you choose to know more.”

“Mother, I don’t care. Prince Daniel told me that we are to be married after your execution, but I know it won’t happen because he’ll be dead in the morning.”

Elizabeth blanched. “What do you mean?”

“He is not who he seems. He was absolutely cruel to me. He wants the throne and he wants to own me. He was going to whip me, Mother. I had to. I had—”

“Oh, no,” Elizabeth quickly enveloped her daughter in a hug. She knew something sinister was brewing inside of Daniel and yet she was too late to catch it. “It’s going to be okay.”

“No, it won’t. I am supposed to marry, but the Duke has already made the arrangements and what’s going to happen when they find him dead?” Alessandra questioned.

“I am so sorry.” Elizabeth said. She had no power to make something happen or fix this. “I don’t know what to do.”

It was all in Hades’ hands now.

“Your Majesty,” Thomas said, announcing his presence. They hadn’t heard him walk down the hall and Elizabeth was curious as to if he overheard their conversation. “Princess, it is time to take the Queen to the tower.”