2. Shadowlight | ✓

31. From Up Above

"What is it?" he responded.

"Thank you for being here with me."

"I wouldn't choose otherwise, Eli" he said simply as he left her quarters.

━━━━━━━━━━

Three months later.
Ifita: Lyx Palace, Balcony

• Rowan •

"Congratulations on the crowning," Ilias bowed, presenting a letter towards him. "The Queen of Thethia sent her felicitation." 

Rowan folded the letter back and turned to look at Ilias to place it back on the letter tray. His fingers fiddled with the crown in his hand, the edges of the embedded jewels scrapped his fingers lightly. The pain on the pad of his fingers was nothing as compared to the ache he felt in his heart. He should be feeling glad of becoming the Crown Prince and walking a step closer to avenge for all that he had lost. But why do I feel so empty on the inside?

This harrowing feeling had beset him since he woke up from the unusual sleep months ago. Unknowingly, he also found a mark of resurrection that had appeared on the left of his chest out of no reason, vexing him further.

"Ilias, are you still unable to explain what had exactly happened to me?" he asked, nettled.

"I'm afraid I had already told you what I know of, Ro," Ilias responded apologetically.

"None of it makes sense," he breathed in exasperation. He held his hand over hand his chest and kept his head down while closing his eyes. In a soft murmur that was only audible to himself, he breathed, "Why does it always hurt here if nothing had happened?"

"The temperatures have dropped recently, please refrain from staying out for too long," Ilias reminded.

But the cold and snow wouldn't bother him as much than the deafening and smothering silence in Lyx since he woke up that day.

━━━━━━━━━━

Rivia: Ajayib, Town of Central Rivia, Elianna's Residence

• Elianna •

"Why are you standing in the cold again?" Thunder reprimanded as he draped a thick mantle over her shoulders.

"The room gets a little stuffy and I wanted some fresh air to clear my head," she smiled, listening to the assembled chorus of subtle rustlings and quiet chirps from afar. "Nights in Rivia are nice and peaceful."

"You are thinking about him again, aren't you?"

"Of course, he's on my mind all the time," she admitted sadly. Her hands reached out into the empty space in front of her, moving in motions as though tracing the jaw of someone's face. In her mind, she pictured him and taking note on every detail that she knew of his face. His slightly long lashes, his high nose bridge and his soft, full lips. She tried to map out his freckles in her mind, tracing across each and every one of them to imprint them in her memory. Yet, there were times that when the thought about him scared her more than anything else. She would wonder if her memory could fail her and all that she had known of would be wrong. Maybe his eyes were a shade darker than she thought of and the tone of his voice was a lot deeper and richer than she could recall.

There were other nights when she would lay in her bed at night, rolling her blanket up and rest beside it, longingly wishing that it was him beside her. In her memory, his skin was always comfortably warm when holding her to sleep and searing hot when passion rose headily between them. There was also the scent of a perfect mix of mint and sandalwood. Rowan, Rowan. His name was like melting sugar on her tongue. But the sweetness would later turn bitter when she realised that no matter how many times she tried calling, he would never appear.

Then, she would place her palm over her left chest, listening quietly to his heartbeat pumping firmly and steadily within her chest in a way to comfort her that he's alive and living. Holding onto whatever she had, she would always remind the life within her that his father would always be with them through ways like this.

"You know that you can—"

"Don't," she hushed him.

Thunder sighed, "If only once, you would selfishly think for yourself."

"I didn't want him to feel guilty seeing me like this," she responded quietly. "It's not a burden he should carry on his shoulder."

Thunder remained silent thereafter, whereas Kiran entered her quarters with a pot of freshly brewed chamomile tea. She mentioned, "Elianna, I heard that you haven't been sleeping well. So, I brewed some tea for you."

"That's really thoughtful of you," Elianna thanked her. "Where's Jana?"

"She turned in early for the night," Kiran replied.

"All that running around must've tired her out," Elianna chuckled. "Kiran, won't you have the tea with us?"

"Can I?" Although they had stayed together for three months, she felt that Kiran and Jana still maintained their formalities towards her. They reminded her of how Lylia used to be strict on herself at all times, making sure that she behaved accordingly.

"Of course." That was also the reply that she would give Lylia whenever she's in doubt. No matter how much time passed, those memories with everyone would always remain dear to her. Knowing that she had avenged and brought justice back to their names had been a huge relief for Elianna and the nightmares she used to have had also ceased to wake her in fear. Instead, she began having pleasant dreams about everyone because the weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders. Tonight, the wind felt colder than usual but the tranquillity in her heart remained.

She placed her palm over her slightly grown baby bump and thought quietly. Mother, Jason, Lylia and Marie, please continue to watch over us from up above. 

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i hope you guys are well. please take good care!