CHAPTER NOT EDITED. DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AND LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS.
Chapter 17 – A letter...and then some
Alyssa
I woke up with a slight pain in my abdomen. That was the only indicator that told me of the ordeal I went through. I sat up slowly trying to get an idea of where I was. I was in some sort of bedroom, but I had no idea where. My clothes had been removed and I was in a loose fitting gown. It was a little too big and on the old side. My memory was a little fuzzy and my throat felt parched. I had no recollection of how I got off the island or how I ended up in this little cottage-type house.
I was still thinking about it when the door opened and a plump old lady with greying hair came into the room.
“Good, you’re awake. How do you feel? You must be hungry. I made you some soup. It’s not much but it should appease your hunger.”
I stared at her but didn’t take the soup. “Where am I,” I said.
“You’re in my home. Well what used to be my home, anyway. Now it’s a sort of shelter. I’m Maria I’ve been caring for you the past four days. When I came across you, you were on the brink of death and knocking on its doors.”
Four days? I had been out for four days? There was no possible way I could have healed within four days with the type of injury I had. This woman knew more. I was stabbed, and within four days there wasn’t even a scar, only some tenderness? I was missing something.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand. What planet am I on?”
“Atron dear. You’re in a little village called Qreek on the outskirts of town, not far from the kingdom actually.”
“How did I end up here in this village, in your home?”
“I don’t know how you ended up in the village, but as for ending up here, my son brought you. I’m the village healer, so it was only natural that I cared for you.”
“Thank you so much for all you have done Maria, and for your hospitality, but I must get going. Now that I know where I am, I can easily find my way to my children, they’re waiting for me.”
“Aren’t you going to eat first? You haven’t eaten in four days. I can get my son to take you where you want to go. He has a car.”
“That won’t be necessary. You have been very kind to me. I will eat what you have brought, but I have to leave as soon as I’ve finished.”
“No problem dear.”
She left me with a bowl of soup and some rolls. I was extremely hungry because I hadn’t eaten in four days. The meal was gladly welcomed and greatly appreciated. Right as I was finished with the food she had given me, Maria came back with my clothes. My hand automatically went to my neck to check if my necklace was still there. It was. Not only did I have Dimtiri’s wedding ring on it, I added my own as well. Now two rings, half of the same whole hung on my necklace.
I thanked Maria once again for all she had done for me during the past couple of days. I would find a way to repay her for her kindness somehow, and I told her this. She was still adamant about letting her son drive me, but I told her I would be fine because I knew the area well. Maria was concerned that I needed more rest, and to appease her mind I told her I would stay one more night and then be on my way. She seemed satisfied with this. I was worried about my children. I just hope Kai managed to get them to safety. I don’t know what I would do if I go back to that place and they’re not there.
It’s been six months since I left the castle. I told myself I would never set foot in that place again. That place destroyed my life and took my husband from me. I won’t have the same faith befall my children. With one last thank you to Maria I followed her son out to his car.
I stood before the door that I had spelled so long ago. This office held all that was Dimitri. This office was Dimitri. It was time for me to face it. I repeated the same spell I had used to seal it shut and all the invisible barriers came down.
The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the office was the box that sat on the desk. I couldn’t tell if it had been there when I had sealed this room shut all those months ago. Although to be fair, I didn’t think I noticed anything around me at that time. I was too overcome with grief. Because I knew my time was limited, I quickly walked over to the box to investigate the contents. There were papers, documents I would guess, cards, keys; all kinds of keys, to what I had no idea. I didn’t possibly have the time to go through all this stuff. Knowing my husband, there must be a list of some kind detailing everything that was inside. I spotted it the minute I thought about it. He didn’t disappoint. I took up the paper and scanned the contents briefly. Everything was written in short hand or code, which he clearly thought I knew how to decipher.
The last item on the list caught my attention.
Brown paper Kitten’s.
Now if I was a normal person I would have had no idea what that meant, but I wasn’t a normal person. At the very bottom of the box there was a brown envelope with the word Kitten written on it. I quickly opened it. It was a letter. My fingers shook when I lifted it. I didn’t want to read it, but how could I not? With a heavy sigh, I walked around the desk and took a seat.
My dearest Alyssa,
If you're reading this letter, it means something has gone terribly wrong and I am no longer there with you. In the box you will find all of my possessions, or at least things that will point you to them. You will find documents for every piece of land we own all over the planets and beyond. You are Queen so naturally you would never have to worry about money. However, if there is ever a time that you wish not to be traced back to the kingdom, there are various accounts you can use. Some are in my name, some in yours, and others in both our names. I had hoped to be there with you to explain all of this, but I'm not, and I'm so sorry for disappointing you. I know you must be hurting, but you cannot stop living your life just because I am gone. Millions of lives are in your hand. I know it might be hard for you at first, but trust in our love and trust that we will be together again someday. Morn if you have to, but do not let it control you. There must come a point when you have to stop grieving and start living again, if not for yourself then for our child. That is a piece of me that will always be with you. Cherish the gift that we have made. All I ask of you is that you stay in the castle. I have enemies Alyssa, and they will use my death as an opportunity to get to you. I know you mightfeel like running away, because that's what you do when you're scared, you run, but running doesn't change the fact that I am gone. This might not be the life that you wanted, but it's the life you have now. You have to go on living. I'm dead, you’re alive. Be alive. There is so much more I wish I could say to you, so many things I wish I could tell you, but we didn't have enough time. I want you to be happy and to make our son happy (I have no doubt in my mind that it's a boy). He needs a father Alyssa, and I am not there to be that father. Not an uncle or a grandfather or a cousin. A father...
I stopped reading then. Tears were streaking down my face. How could he talk about me moving on so casually like he had never existed at all? If he was here right now I would slap him across the face. How dare he? How dare he demand I just forget about him and be happy and live here in this place where every memory of him lingers?
It's okay to love two people at the same time and be in love with them. I was selfish to want to keep you to myself when you weren't mine to begin with. It's okay to love him too. At first I didn't know how much you had given up being with me, but now I do. I want you to be happy, and if being with my brother makes you happy, then I'm okay with it.
His brother? What the hell was he talking about?
I know that might not make any sense to you, but you would have found out eventually. Look at the contents in the envelope.
I emptied out everything on the desk. The first paper my eyes landed on was a birth certificate. I scanned the contents and my eyes grew wide at what I saw. I was speechless. There, right before my eyes was important information I never knew existed.
Father: Leon Agustus Ryonan
Mother: Nil
Child: Adrian Leon Ryonan
D.O.B. September 14, 1986
No! I flung down the birth certificate like it had burnt me. I went through the other documents. Clearly I did not know my husband as well as I'd thought. There were pictures of Adrian at different ages, and even some of Adrian and I when I had ran away. He knew everything about him. Yet, I still forgave him. No matter what horrible things Dimitri had done, I couldn’t think ill of him.
The box contained his will, and everything he owned was signed over to me. There was a blank space for me to sign. If I did it, that would make it official. Cars, houses, planes, land, everything was now mine. There were account information for every member of the royal family, and by the looks of it he controlled them. I realized he could have cut off anyone of his brothers if he had wanted to.
There was also account information for Adrian. This one had not been touched. There were cards in his name and properties also. Adrian was richer than all of us combined, and he didn't even know it. This was too much to take in. When I saw the adoption papers, I all but lost it, for I realized what Dimitri was saying to me. Our children needed a father, not an uncle.
I know you might feel betrayed, but that was never my intention. I wanted you to feel free to make your choice without knowing that I wasn't the rightful heir to the throne. From the first moment I saw you I wanted you to be mine, and when you chose me and became my wife I was the happiest man alive. I love you Kitten. Never for one second forget that.
For eternity...and even beyond.
Dimitri
I was tearing up. I missed him so much. At the bottom of the letter was an address. Beside it written in Dimitri's familiar scrawl were the words..."In case you decide to run." I chuckled. He knew me so well.
I placed everything back into the box and taped it shut. For minutes I sat there staring. He was telling me to move on, but how could I? Maybe in time I will, but for now I was still grieving.
I ensured that when I left the office I sealed it shut again. I sensed my boys near, and followed the feeling until I needed up in the nursery. I rushed over to them, and took turns holding them in my arms. I kissed their chubby little cheeks and played with their curly hair and just inhaled their contagious baby smell. I had missed them so much. They lavished in the attention, gurgling all the time and letting little bubbles pass through their mouths.
A noise brought me to a standstill. It would not do any good for me to get caught so I placed Domnik back into his basket and disappeared into the shadows. I watched as aunt Zaphaya came into the room to check on them. She mumbled something to them and tucked them in ensuring they were covered. I watched her silently.
"I know you're there."
How did she do that? She always knew when someone was there, and even without her powers she still had that skill. I showed myself.
"You're okay?"
"As okay as I'll ever be," I answered her.
"Good. Are you staying?"
I knew she already knew the answer to that question, but she asked anyway.
"No. I just came for them."
"They are safer here in the castle." She looked at me.
"They're safer with me!"
"Fine, you should take the boy with you."
How I had managed to forget about Kai in all this was beyond me. I owed him so much.
"Where is he?"
"Dungeon."
"What is he doing there?"
"You should ask Chad about that."
"Can you get them ready for travel?" She nodded.
Kai was laying face down on the little cot they had in his cell when I arrived there. He was in jeans and a plain white T-shirt, his feet were bare. "Don't tell me you've given up already Kai." He flew up and was at the bars in seconds. "You're alive, and well. I was worried you had died alone somewhere."
"I'm fine. Are you ready to go?" As soon as I said this the metal bars melted away. I wasn't worried about anyone descovering us, because the guards wouldn't know what happened anyway when they do discover he's gone. A shadowed look crossed his face. "Kai?"
"Uh yea, let's go."
"Excuse me. What about me?"
Of course Keira would be here. I'm surprised they didn't kill her on spot. "What about you?"
"You promised you'd pardon me."
"We can't leave her."
"Oh yes we can." He gave me his you're being mean look. "Okay fine." I unlocked her cage. "You're free."
"My pardon?"
I disappeared and re-appeared. I held out a stiff piece of paper to her. All official documents were printed or written on that particular kind paper. I had ensured to stamp my seal, sign it and date it. "Show this to the King or Chad, whichever you please and don't worry if they tear it up. Knowing Chad, he probably will. It's regenerative. It will only re-appear. I spelled it. Oh, and good luck. You'll need it. My sister won't give up Blake. As much as she tries to deny it, she loves him. And when Aria loves, she tends to go a bit crazy. By the way, you can choose a bedroom, just not in the royal wing. Kai?” I held my hand out to him and pulled back when I was jolted with an image of a white tiger. The hell? He was waiting for me, so I brushed the image aside, for now.
As always, aunt Zaphaya was as reliable as ever. The boys were ready and waiting and she even had a bag packed with clothes for me.
“Are you going to tell me where you’re going?”
I nodded. “Don’t worry, where I’m going I’ll be safe.”
“Be careful,” she said, and kissed my cheek.
“I always am.”
“Where to your majesty?”
I frowned. “Don’t call me that, and we’re going to the garage.
“Garage?”
“Well how else are we going to get to where we’re going?”
I managed to get us down to the garage. I still felt a little weak, but managed to hide it from Kai. I flicked the switch and the lights came on. There must have been hundreds of cars down here between all of us combined. I turned to Kai who had a very tired looking Alekzandier in his arms. “Pick one,” I said. He glanced around appreciatively until it landed on a particular car. My heart constricted a little. “Not that one.” He glared at me. “But you said to pick one.” “I know I did. Pick anyone but that one.” It was the car that I had gotten Dimitri for his birthday, and I would not dishonour him by letting anyone drive it. That car will not be driven unless Dimitri himself comes back from the dead and drives it.
“You’re taking too long.” I took my keys from my pocket and pressed the button. The alarm on my car went off. I carefully strapped Domnik into his car seat and waited for Kai to do the same with Alekzandier. Instead, he stood there gaping. “This is your car?” I nodded. “You have a frickin’ Rolls Royce!” I rolled my eyes. “It was a wedding present. I have plenty of cars. Dimitri loved cars, therefore by default I ended up loving cars. Are you done staring?” He broke eye contact with the car and quickly strapped Alekzandier in.
“Okay, where to?” I chucked the keys at him and walked around to the passenger side. “Just follow the GPS,” I told him, and then proceeded to make myself comfortable in the passenger seat.