Narrator's POV:
Somewhere far away from Anthreal, lays a desolate mansion. The structure was large and many parts of it were damaged. Ivy and other sorts of creepers had entwined the mansion at the sides. The windows were unclear and looked unpleasant. Some were even broken. The entire mansion gave such an awful presence. It was enough to ward away normal civilians.
Even then, in between the terror, were people who lived in it. It was not a large residence whatsoever. But it provided the least protection from the sun and the upcoming rains.
In the larger room, was a round table with dark faces seated around it. The room was barely lit and the weather did no help. Only one chair was unoccupied and people were conversing loudly.
"Our plans have been ruined again!"
"We lost Duke Sunster. What a shame...He was such a valuable asset,"
"He knew the consequences of acting without the Lord's knowledge. Now he had paid the price,"
"That boy is not a predictable individual. He knows how to act."
Suddenly, the door behind them made them alert. All of them stood up as a tall man walked from the shadows. He was donning dark-shaded clothes and could have merged with the shadows if he was not moving. He had a smile but it was as unpleasant as the mansion they were gathered in.
"A fine morning, gentlemen," He said in a deep and startling voice. Even if he had a smile on his face, that was enough to scare a tiger.
"Lord Simion, we have news to deliver." One man spoke in a trembling voice.
"I do not expect any bad news. Today is a joyful day for me," The man replied and sat down. He signaled for everyone else to be seated.
"Oh, please enlighten us, My Lord," One man said while resuming his seat. The others did the same, seeing that the coast was clear.
"Ah. Today is the day I killed my brother and his wife," The man said, not bothered by what he said.
All the people present there stayed silent. They knew better than to speak. One man cleared his throat, hoping that something could interrupt the uncomfortable silence. But no one responded.
"Such a shame. If I had killed their son on the same day, we would not be here at all." Elest Simion said with a bored expression.
"My lord-"
"Mind your every single word, Lord Alion." Elest Simion interrupted.
Lord Alion gulped and started speaking again. Even if his voice was soft and kind like a loved one, he knew it was far from it. Between the grass, was a venomous snake ready to strike him. He had to choose his words carefully.
"My Lord...we have not been executing any major attacks on your nephew. And it seems that he has not responded it to either," he said in a hesitant tone.
"He is being cautious." another man suggested. "This is his first significant event as a King,"
"I agree," another spoke slowly. "Anthreal had not faced war for nearly three decades,"
"Anthreal has been out of your reach for seventeen long years, My Lord," One responded.
"General Antony," The mysterious man responded lazily. "Say something, would you?"
Everyone looked at the man he called out for. General Antony was a distant foreign warlord who was bought over by Elest Simion a few months ago. He never spoke much and preferred to stay quiet. But his capability on the battlefield was not to be questioned.
"We all are waiting for your next order, My Lord." He said simply.
Lord Elest Simion smiled and looked in the distance. He knew what move to do next but was afraid that his nephew was not prepared for it.
"We still have one more ally there, do we not?" He voiced calmly. "Let him continue with his work,"
Everyone nodded. Some of them wanted to send more spies so that they could obtain more information about the inside of the castle. But it was getting harder with the passing day. And even Elest knows that.
"How is the preparation going on, General?"
"Very well, My Lord. We have all the supplies and weapons ready in case of an upcoming war," Antony replied, with a hint of interest.
The man smiled, satisfied with the information. "Soon, Anthreal would be within my grasp and you all shall be fulfilled of all the requests and promises,"
"There is still one more thing we might have to be concerned about, My Lord," Lord Alion interjected.
"What is that?"
"We received reports that there had been the occurrence of a masked woman who could yield a sword," Lord Alion informed. "We must do something about her---"
Elest Simion erupted into laughter before his councilor could finish his words.
"Our concern does not need to lie in a woman." He said casually and waved a hand of dismissal.
The Lord nodded, afraid of angering his Lord, and kept his silence. Elest Simion drowned in his thoughts. He knew that a mere woman could not stop him from terminating his nephew.
'This is not a battle of life, but also a battle of the mind.'
'Let me see if you are brave enough for it, Xander,'
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Catheline's POV:
I stood near the window of my chambers, watching the dawn. It was early in the morning and currently, and I wanted to enjoy the beautiful moment. For some reason, today felt very...dull. Even if the sun was present, the greyness of the sky never left.
Today would rain.
The door behind me opened and I saw Karra walking in, wearing all black. It shook me since she adored the bright colors her uniform provided.
"Good morning, Your Grace," she said in her normal tone while closing the door.
"What is with the mourning shade of your attire, Karra?" I asked her while approaching her.
She looked at me with a blank expression. "You don't know what day it is?"
I paused and suddenly, it hit me. I exchanged a sad look at Karra and she sighed.
"Today...is the day the King's parents left the world," I whispered in realization.
I felt a sudden pang in my stomach when those words escaped my lips. I staggered back, feeling lightheaded all of the sudden.
"Your Grace, are you fine?" Karra asked while hurrying toward me. She grabbed my arm and helped me to regain my balance.
"Yes. I am just...upset,"
"The entire castle is in mourning. And the last thing you want to do is to meet the King," Karra told me while leading me to my bed.
I understood her words. Xander had always been composed in his nature. Only a day like this could break through the walls he built around himself. Hearing Karra's words was enough for me to get a hint.
"The King loved his parents...He needs care on such a day," I reasoned with her. "But he decides to mourn alone,"
"We may never know what His Majesty is thinking. But I beg you to not approach him," Karra replied while walking towards the dressing table.
"I am aware, Karra,"
"I do not want you to get hurt if he is too enraged," Karra added.
I appreciated her suggestions and smiled. But I was still feeling sorry for Xander. Imagine a happy home and feeling safe in it, only to lose someone that you loved. It was a feeling I never quite understood. My father made sure that I never felt alone or felt the absence of my mother.
Some part of me wanted to approach my husband and assure him that there was much he had to do and that he could still find happiness, despite his loss. But I decided that it would be for the best if I left him alone today.
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I strolled in the hallways, nodding to everyone's quiet greetings. Everywhere I see was a sea of black draping. Seems that it would not be just the kingdom that mourns, but also the sky. It was turning greyer with time.
"Where is Lady Daraa?" I asked one of the maids who I had encountered.
"She is at the memorial chambers, Your Grace," she replied with a small bow.
I dismissed the girl and stopped walking for a while. I did not know the correct path toward the said chambers but I was sure that Karra knew it.
"Lead me there, Karra,"
"Your Grace, do you mind if I could show you the way?" A familiar voice interrupted my flow of thoughts.
I turned around to see a lean man, wearing all black, rushing toward me, evading all people carefully. He quickly performed a small bow.
"Nathaniel," I greeted. "You seem to be free,"
"I have no chores, Your Grace," He replied. "The King had dismissed me for today,"
"You are supposed to be with him," I quickly told him. "What if he is in danger?"
"He wanted to be left alone," he replied and I could sense some sadness in his voice. "But fear not, I have stationed some guards to watch for any suspicious signs. Besides, the King has his sword with him,"
I nodded, understanding the situation. Even if Nathaniel wanted to stay with him, he could not disobey his King's order. I hoped that everything would be well today.
"Then what would you be doing today?" Karra asked him casually.
Nathaniel looked at her. He momentarily rolled his eyes at her question but made sure that it did not offend me.
"Surely, I do not need to share my plans with you, Miss Karra?" he said which made her bloom into a deep shade of red.
"You!-"
"Enough. I need to meet Lady Daraa," I interrupted before Karra could say something offensive.
"Of course, allow me to lead the way," Nathaniel replied and walked forward.
"Why did you interrupt me, Your Grace?" Karra whispered to me in a furious yet sweet tone.
"Stop being silly," I replied and followed Nathaniel.
We walked through dark hallways but maybe that was because of the weather. Nathaniel stayed quiet all the time while I heard Karra muttering random words which probably belonged to a song. Eventually, I initiated a normal conversation.
"How did he look this morning?"
He stopped and looked at me. I felt his face sadden. "He did not look so well, Your Grace,"
"It is about to rain," I reminded. "Did he go outside?"
"He left for the royal cemetery," he replied as we continued walking.
"I see..."
The royal cemetery was a large land that was quite near the castle. Even then, we could reach it by either walking or even a short horse ride would suffice. There was a path that lead to its gates and it begin at the back of the castle. I knew all of this as Lady Daraa already explained it to me when I arrived here. Suddenly, Nathaniel stopped in his tracks, making me and Karra pause.
"He is very miserable right now," he said after a few moments.
I stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. Of course, he would be. And I did not need to hear it.
"Everyone is aware of it, Master," Karra told him haughtily.
Nathaniel turned towards us, looking at me respectfully.
"I have a feeling that..." He said in a blank tone. But quickly shook his head. "Forgive me for being intruding, Your Grace but...I hoped that you could console him on such a day,"
I stared at him with blankly face but behind that, I was fuming. The last time he was upset, he had drunk and shattered my heart. I still had not healed from that. My mind refused to let me go to him, for the sake of my safety. Besides, he still had not apologized for whatever he had done to me. I will not see him. He should come to me first. He should choose if he truly wishes to treat me better.
"Why would he need her?" Karra fired at him, making me snap out of my thoughts. "Her Grace still feels upset about what he had done. He had used her and---"
"That is enough, Karra," I told her sternly.
"He may look cold on the outside but he does have a beating heart like all of us," Nathaniel said, ignoring Karra's words. "I have known him for a long time, Your Grace. And these days...he talks a lot about you,"
"It seems that he discusses us more with you than me, Nathaniel," I stated.
Hearing my words, I could see him tighten. He knows my anger after what I did with the man who entered my chambers.
"The last time I tried to comfort him, it was me who got hurt," I told him calmly, feeling out of breath. "Who knows what he might say this time?"
"After the attempted attack on you, I wish you had seen his face, Your Grace," Nathaniel replied politely. "All my life, I had never seen him like that,"
I paused while looking at him. "That is because his wife was almost attacked and I chided him for his foolish decision,"
My palms tightened at the memory and I could still feel the pain caused by squeezing the shard. The wounds had been tended and my hand was still wrapped in gauze. This was a symbol of my struggle.
"He is...too afraid, Your Grace,"
I raised an eyebrow. "Afraid?"
Nathaniel stopped talking as if he had spoken something forbidden. He quickly shook his head and glanced at the open window. The sky outside was thundering and I sensed a heavy rainfall.
"Your Grace, my apologies for wasting your time. I shall escort you to Lady Daraa now,"
We continued walking through the hallways but his last words put me on edge. What was Xander afraid of? I wish I could read his thoughts because the lack of contact and understanding between us could bring disharmony.
We soon reached the said chambers and I motioned for them to stay outside. I slowly opened the dark curtains that were hung in front of the doors and opened them slowly.
The chambers were barely lit and the figure of Madam Daraa was present before a huge frame. She was wearing a full-sleeved black gown that had a large collar. She was staring at the picture in front of her, without noticing my presence. Or so I thought.
"You are here, Your Grace." Madam Daraa said in a low-pitched voice. "I request you to join me,"
"Were you expecting me?" I asked as I approached her.
She did not reply and simply stared at the painting. I took a glance at it to see a family of three. A man and a woman were holding their newborn, happiness written on their faces.
"King Aren the first and his wife, Queen Elene, holding their firstborn, the young Prince Xander." She explained in a calm tone. "I was there when this picture was being painted,"
I looked at the painting more clearly. Xander inherited the looks of his father and his fine brown hair. But he got his mother's delicate and loving blue eyes. The frozen smiles indicated just how happy they were.
"It seems just like yesterday that they were alive," Daraa sighed. "The King would not stop crying and that made Late Queen upset. She always shooed away the caretakers and took care of her son herself. The late King would beg her to take rest as she had not recovered from her labor," She continued.
"He...cared so much for his wife," I said with a faint smile.
"He loved her more than anything. For her, he was willing to abandon the whole of Anthreal if such a situation arose. When his father asked him to select a wife for himself, King Aren requested to marry her immediately," Madam Daraa replied.
I stared at the painting and like her, I was fascinated by the story of its people. It seems that the atmosphere that those two have created was something Xander could not let go of. I imagined him smiling and laughing happily. I imagined him enjoying his life instead of thinking of it as a burden as he does now.
Things could have been so different.
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Author's note:
This was edited and I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Please like it and comment with your thoughts, guys :)