Ariadne's POV
Fire. So much fire. No control.
Screams. Women, men, children. Screaming in pain, screaming in grief, screaming in fright. Of me.
My head was throbbing. I tried opening my eyes, but it was too bright - almost like the sun was right in front of me. Almost like the fire that I had watched leave my own mouth and consume my own village.
Prince Wilson was evil. No. Estevan. He was controlled by Estevan. And then Peter.
Peter came and tried to save me. He screamed. He couldn't see. He would never see again. He never saw his poor sister. Julie. Burnt and bleeding.
Then singing. A healing song.
Then darkness.
Slowly, my ears began to clear and voices began sounding from a distance.
"She sure faints a lot," someone far away whispered.
Where am I? Had the fire finally consumed me? Had I earned heavenly glory or obtained firey damnation?
"She didn't faint," a second voice responded.
I died. I thought. I didn't faint. I died.
"Girls," a deep voice interrupted. "Please don't argue."
"Yes, father," the two replied simultaneously.
Father? I thought and a deep sadness overcame me. I missed my father.
But wait, could I see him again? If I was in heaven, then he would surely be here as well.
I slowly opened my eyes and squinted around the bright room. Is this heaven? It was bright and colorful and surrounded with beautiful faces.
My family?
"Ardeen!" Iris squealed and jumped on me - taking my breath away.
Did we all die? "What happened?" I croaked. Speaking felt wrong, like my throat wasn't used to being used anymore.
Is this how voices sound when you're dead?
"Ariadne, are you okay?"
I turned and saw Peter, his eyes filled with worry and relief at the same time. I smiled, we were still together. And he could see! They must be in heaven, it was a miracle.
"When you healed my eyes," he whispered, grabbing her hand from underneath Iris's small body. "I thought I had lost you."
Did I heal his eyes? Oh yes, the song.
"We will always be together, whether on earth or in heaven," I responded, holding his hand tight, not wanting to ever let go.
"Luckily, I didn't have to wait until I went to heaven to see you," he said grinning.
"We're not in heaven?" I asked, confused.
A laugh slipped from his lips. "Yes, you're alive, my dear, sweet Ariadne."
"Ariadne?"
I turned in shock as a rough, calloused hand enveloped my free hand. I looked up and followed the familiar robe to the man's face and blinked several times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
Was it possible?
"Father!" I cried and threw Iris to the side in order to throw my arms around his neck, soaking his fresh-smelling shirt in tears.
After a second, his strong arms wrapped around me, and all I wanted to do was sit there and hug him until I knew for certain that it wasn't a dream. I still wasn't convinced that we weren't all in heaven. This was exactly how I had always imagined such a place - with all those that I love.
I finally pulled away, suddenly feeling very weak, and laid back down on the bed. "How?"
"Someone faked a letter by my chief captain and slipped it into the mail boy's bag."
"Estevan," I whispered, grimacing.
He nodded. "I think so too."
"When?"
"I returned just an hour or so before you were carried off by the dragon," he answered, resentment in his old grey eyes. "I was talking to your sisters and trying to get everything cleared while you rested."
"So they are all okay?" I asked, relief filling my chest.
He looked down at his hands. His smile disappeared.
Oh no.
"What is it, father? Tell me that all of my sisters are okay!" I quickly looked around the room, how did I not notice all the black clothing earlier?
There were the youngest twins being held by the maids. There was Juno, Iris, Harmonia, Galene, Fortuna, Eileithyia, Diana, and... no. The look on Bell's face told her everything.
The tears came before I knew what was happening, and all I could remember was the unearthly scream coming from the castle when the fire was forced out of my mouth.
I noticed the serious burns all over Bell but I knew that inside she must be hurting so much worse.
"She went in there to save you. We all wanted to, but right after she ran in the ceiling collapsed and there was no way around the rubble," Bell responded.
But her burns told me that Bell had desperately tried to save our sister. Our dear, sweet Charities.
My heart felt like it was going to explode.
I had killed my own sister. I killed Charities.
She didn't need to save me! I thought. If only I had been there to warn them. Charities would still be alive. She would still be here with us. I always thought that she would make a better ruler. She was more mature than me. She was... she was exactly like our mother.
I pulled her legs tight to my chest in order to try and push away the empty feeling in my stomach, but it wouldn't go away. The scream kept echoing in my mind and with each scream, sobs escaped me. I couldn't control the tears and the sobs, and I didn't want to either. I buried my head in the blankets in an attempt to silence the sounds to everyone else in the room, but it didn't seem to work.
I couldn't control the tears. It was too much. Charities couldn't be dead. If anyone deserved to be dead, it's me!
"Where is she?" I finally managed to croak between sobs.
"We couldn't find the body," Father said, tears running down his own cheeks. "She's gone. Her funeral service was five days ago, the whole kingdom came and even some from other realms, it was a beautiful service. We wanted to wait for you, but we had no idea if... when you would wake up."
"How long have I been unconscious?"
"Almost a fortnight."
"What? How?"
"Your body had to recover from defeating one of the most powerful wizards in the world. It takes time to heal."
"But Charities? I... I kill-" I couldn't finish the sentence. It hurt too much.
It was all my fault.
"Ariadne," Peter interrupted. "No one blames you. Estevan tricked you, and it's his fault. No one else's."
"But, if I-"
"If you were with your sisters then he would have come another time and then you might have been the only princess of Glendowin," he insisted.
"You would make a good king someday, Peter," father said, looking proud as he whipped away the tears.
"I agree," Juno replied, batting her eyes.
Peter's face turned red. "Th... thank you, your highness."
Their father turned back to me. "I think you should also know that Prince Wilson is being taken to his own country as soon as he trusts one of our guards to take him. He is very shaken up and it appears as though Estevan was using the prince as his puppet."
Peter nodded. "And while we're on the subject, you can blame any slip-up I've ever done on him too."
I laughed, my spirits lightening slightly. I whipped at my eyes and nose. "But what if I like your slip-ups?"
He leaned in so no one else could hear. "Then it really was me." And he kissed me tenderly on the forehead.
"No whispering allowed," Iris complained right in Ariadne's ear.
"Why not?" Peter asked, bopping her nose.
"Because I can't hear you!"
We all laughed, and I couldn't help but look around at everyone and wish that it would stay this way forever, except with Charities as well. My heart ached for my perfect sister, but at least father was okay, I had support and knew that if anyone was going to heaven, it was Charities. Her name said it all.
"Now," my father said, rubbing his hands together.
We all groaned, except Peter who looked anxious to hear what our father had to say.
He put on his best pretend-chiding-king-face. "Now, now, girls," he chided. "I haven't even told you what we're doing yet."
"But you're rubbing your hands together," Fortuna observed.
He smiled, his eyes twinkling. "So I am."
"What do you want us to do, father?" El asked, looking impatient.
His face grew serious. "We need to gather all of our extra blankets, pillows, food, and coats and go deliver them to the kingdom. Everyone else in our kingdom has suffered greatly as well. Some, even greater, and we need to do our part and help them."
I looked down, trying not to blame myself, but it was hard when it was me that had caused all of that damage. I could have stopped Estevan before so much catastrophe happened.
"Father," I said hesitantly, an idea forming.
"Yes, my dear?"
"Wouldn't it be easier if we invited them to come here? We have hundreds of rooms in the West Wing that we don't use and lots of family's home's burned completely to the ground."
He smiled kindly. "That's a wonderful idea."
"I will go to all the homes and invite them here," Peter said.
"I'll go with him," I hurriedly added. I needed to try and make up the damage that I had caused.
"Me too!" Juno cried.
"Alright, you three go invite everyone who can to come here, and I will send all of my men who have stayed to go with you to carry those who cannot move on their own."
I smiled. "Thank you."
He nodded. "Now, go hurry. As for the rest of us, we will stay here and prepare all the rooms. Let's see who can do it fastest!"
I giggled as I watched my sisters race out of the door, with our father leading the pack. It was so good to see him again.
"Shall we?" Peter asked, raising his eyebrows.
I whipped the new forming tears from my eyes and nodded.
"Are you sure you can do this?" He asked, touching my shoulder.
I nodded. "I need to."
Juno rolled her eyes. "Can we go?"
Peter ignored Juno and helped me out of my bed, carrying me in his arms. "But do me a favor?"
I nodded, my heart beating faster with how close they were to each other. "Anything."
"Don't ever risk your life for me again."
I opened my mouth to complain, but he put his finger on my lips.
"Especially only for my eyes. As much as I love seeing you, I would rather know that you are alive."
"Hurry," Juno droned from the doorway.
Peter turned to Juno, setting me down and then stooped down to pick up the tiny 4-year-old. "It appears as though the queen has spoken."
I laughed. "Yes. We must obey her majesty."
"Put me down!"
"But you said to hurry," Peter said mischievously. "And this is the fastest way."
He swung Juno over his shoulder and then grabbed my arm and we ran down the hall, laughing until they almost ran into Glendowin's army.
We immediately stopped and Peter took charge, setting Juno down, and looking quite handsome as he ordered the soldiers.
"The King gave explicit instructions for you all to follow us to the village and carry all who require assistance back here to the castle. If you have any questions then come up and ask me at any point along our journey. Now, move out!"
We all walked along the road, Juno sitting on Peter's shoulder with his arm wrapped around her legs, and his other hand holding mine.
"You really enjoyed that, didn't you?" I teased.
He grinned. "I've wanted to do that since I was a little boy."
"A little boy who accepted pie from strange little girls?"
"And I have never once regretted that decision."
Thank you so much for this journey!
Are you excited for the last chapter???
I can't believe it's already almost finished!