It was morning, and I stayed outside the dining hall for breakfast. It was bright and sunny, contrary to my feelings inside. I was nervous. Down the hall, many elegant side tables rested against the walls. Large windows allowed light to shine in through the tapestries. The light splayed across the paintings and draperies decorating the halls.
However, even surrounded by all these impressive and imperial things, I stood there contemplating. How could I bring it up during breakfast? Should I could catch her when she was distracted so she didn't know what she was agreeing to? Should I get her advisers to help me? In my heart, I knew nothing would worked. Great, I thought. There is only one way to do this. Here goes nothing.
I pushed open the doors to the dining hall and glided in. I sat myself beside my mother, as she preferred it this way in the mornings. She had barely glanced up at me when I had walked in, something obviously distracted her mind. "Mother, I have something I'd like to ask you." When she didn't acknowledge me, I leaned towards her and waved my hand in her face. "Mother?" She jumped and looked at me.
Tears glistened in her eyes but I didn't know why. "Yes?" She sounded confused. "I have something I wish to ask you, if that's alright?" My brows furrowed, as for once, I could see every emotion that crossed her face. "Yes, that is quite alright. I also have some, uh, news." Silence came over us both, neither wanting to start. What did she have to say? Is this what is making her cry? I decided I would wait patiently for her to speak first. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long.
"Emseria?" I looked up at her when she called my name, and my eyes widened as I realized she was crying. "Yes, Mother?" There was no telling what she was about to say, only that it was obviously very terrible to have her, the Queen, showing any weak emotions. "I don't know how to say this, so I am just going to say it." She breathed in sharply. "My brother, your uncle, died a few days ago, and his body was just returned to the castle this morning." Shock hit me full force, numb to my mother's sobs beside me.
Uncle Seric is gone? No, that's impossible; he's the best fighter I know. He taught me everything I know. I refused to believe my uncle was dead. "How?" The words fell from my lips. My mother sniffled a few more times before she was able to respond to me. "He was fighting in battle when the Dark Knight came from behind and killed him." Her tears finally fell and poured down her face, mirroring my own pain.
I lifted my hand to my face only to pull it back wet. My mother then proceeded to cry hysterically while I rubbed her back, unsure what to do. My mother was strong, the perfect queen. Her emotions were always hidden deep, her face a constant mask, except when she was with me and my uncle. She would smile and laugh, yet I don't think I had ever seen her cry before.
She didn't cry when my father had died and left her to run the throne alone, although her brother was there for her. She didn't cry when her parents died, she just threw herself into her queen business, caring for the kingdom and all. However, she cried when her brother died, but then again, he was her twin.
They were identical twins, playing together since they were babies. They would often complete each other's sentences and they would have conversations with just their eyes alone. Then, when I was born, my uncle loved me. He spoiled me to no end, carrying me everywhere in the castle up on his shoulders. I adored him, and his death was and would forever hit us hard.
The news of his death, the way Mother said it, kept echoing in my mind. Your uncle died a few days ago. The Dark Knight killed him. Over and over, her announcement taunted me. I remained numb, a cold weight settling in my chest. We sat there for a while then, her sniffles and occasional cry the only sounds.
My mother wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and breathed in deeply. "Now, what was it you wanted to ask?" She looked to me. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm sorry, but please excuse me." The second she nodded, I pushed my chair back and hurried from the room.
The next few days passed in a blur, the ice in my chest spreading outwards. I didn't socialize. I barely ate. I couldn't cry, much less feel anything. The world seemed to have darkened a bit, not that I noticed. Mother kept to herself quite a bit. At night, I could hear her despair echoing down the halls.
After the fifth night, her cries stopped. The world brightened once again. Mother became the Queen once again, hiding her pain behind a mask of elegant indifference. I think that's what finally broke the growing numbness inside me. The fact that my Mother grieved and moved on. How can she just push aside her twin's memory?
Lost in my mind, I didn't realize I had walked there until I found myself at my secret place.
My uncle and I had found this place when I had been very young. We told my mother of it and convinced her to let me turn into my own personal garden. We were the only ones who knew it existed. Uncle Seric helped me start the garden, teaching me all he knew, but as years passed, I became the main gardener.
I walked into my oasis, reveling in the fragrance of the flowers and the rainbow of color that greeted me. I strolled over to my shed, the one my uncle had built himself by hand, grabbed my gloves and my trusty handle shovel.
I knelt down and got right into the weeds attacking my poor daffodils. The beautiful daffodils with their silky yellow and white petals were fighting weeds for the life-giving water. I cut through them quickly, saving my precious daffodils. Uncle Seric always said they were like a drop of sunlight that fell from the heavens. I smiled slightly at the thought.
I was done too soon and headed straight for my pansies. There wasn't much weeding that needed to be done, so I also made sure to water, and prune them. I loved their shades of purple, black, blue, white, and yellow. They were my very own personal sunrise, the light of my day. Uncle Seric loved sunrises the most. He always said we should be thankful for every day we could wake up and witness such a gift. A single tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. I finished with them quickly as well. I moved, coming to my roses.
My beautiful roses, they weren't as sickly sweet as they smelled. They were beautiful shades of the reddest reds, the blushing pinks, the purest whites, the sunniest yellows, and my most prized was the single, entrancing, deep blue rose among the rest. My beauty among the ordinary. I treasured that rose more than my own heart. It was worth the thorns on its side. Uncle Seric called me and my Mother his beautiful roses. A sob wracked my whole body.
I couldn't hold in the pain, the heartbreak, any longer. Uncle Seric was truly gone and wouldn't be coming back. My shovel slipped from my hands as I covered my face, my sobs getting louder. My sight was blurred from the tears that constantly fell. "WHY?" I screamed, facing up. I knew no answer would be given. It happened, and I would never know why, why it had been my uncle.
I cried until I couldn't cry anymore. My sobs slowly turned to pained gasps, gasps turned to an occasional hiccup before I finally fell silent. I removed my gloves just so I could wipe my eyes, slipping them back on when I was done. I picked up my shovel and with one last sniffle, I went back to my flowers. Gardening my flowers brought back many memories I had with my uncle Seric.
~~~
"Uncle Seric! There's bees everywhere!" I screamed as they chased me across the garden. His laugh filled the place, causing a laugh to bubble up from me too until I was giggling, forgetting why I was running.
"Little Emmie, look. These bees are good for your garden, they take the pollen from the other flowers and bring it to the others so they'll bloom nice and pretty, just like you." He ruffled my hair and a blush covered my cheeks.
"But bees hurt me. One stung me two days ago." Tears sprung in my little eyes when I remembered how badly it had hurt. "If you let them alone, they won't hurt you. See?" He pointed to where the bees that had been following me had stopped and were now flying from flower to flower.
"Oh okay! Can we go inside and play hide-and-seek with everyone now?" I looked up at him with my very best puppy dog eyes. "Oh yes, of course we can. But hurry or the big bad monster is going to get you." He growled out and stomped at the end, causing my little eyes to grow and screaming delightedly, I ran back into the castle with my uncle chasing me.
~~~
It was moments like those I was going to miss the most. He had taught me so much about the world, but now I'd never be able to learn anything from him again. When I had turned 14, I had seen him shooting a bow and practicing his sword fighting and immediately had cornered him to teach me, but at first he didn't want to. I had gone to my mother and convinced her that he should teach me and so, she asked if he'd mind. Of course, he had said he didn't mind, and I had been training every day I could with him since then.
Finally, after what I assumed had been 5 hours, I had dealt with the pain of his loss. It still hurt when I thought of it, but I realized I needed to remember the good memories and honor my uncle's memory. I felt at peace, still sorrowful, but calmer.
Suddenly,I remembered my wish to fight in the war. Howcould I ask my Mother to allow me to fight when her twin brother just died inbattle? Guilt filled my body, leaving me cold and worried. I'll have to wait. I'll wait another weekbefore I try to bring it up.
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Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and enjoy the rest of the story as well. Thank you for reading and feel free to vote and comment as you wish!
<3 Azalea Rose