NAZERETH
"Where is she?" I yelled looking at the injured guards with their head hung low.
She can't be gone, she can't escape. The spy from the other end hasn't arrived yet, she can't leave, she is the Queen.
More people of Zyphira were arriving and I felt uncomfortable with the crowd. I was at constant unease and I wanted to find peace.
"Azer, he is here," Darren said looking at me with a guarded expression.
The spy I placed inside Udairis came to me and bowed.
"Sir, this is the message we received from the Queen." He gave me with slip and my heart ripped in pain.
False information.
She sent a made-up story as her spy work.
"Leave," I said in a low tone and he did but Darren stayed.
I fell on my knees as remorse, regret everything came to hit me hard.
And now she was gone, someone helped her escape? Was she alive? Was she well?
"You are in love," Darren said in a dry tone.
I looked up and felt that without even realizing tears have rolled down my eyes.
I wanted to get up and deny strongly to what he said but I couldn't.
My lips wouldn't work. Anger flooded my sense, anger at myself for making the mistake, anger at her for not defending herself, anger at King of Udairis for breaking my power to trust and anger at my words I used to hurt her.
Someone was clawing my heart inside my chest as I realized I might not find her now. I might have lost my only chance to survive even if it was with a woman who reminded me of my loss and pain.
She was nothing but good to me and I was nothing but heartless to her.
"Why would you do that to her? She has been here for more than a year and she never did anything to hurt you?" Darren surprised me with his angry tone.
"I can't trust Darren, every time I realize I have a feeling for her, several other reasons form in my mind why I shouldn't. I can't afford to be happy." I yelled at him venting out my anger on one person who probably cared about me now.
"You probably broke her now," Darren said siding with her.
"You are supposed to be my friend."
"And I can't see you torture yourself like this." He snapped like he was frustrated with me," I know Dalia is gone now and it has been hard for both of us. But it doesn't mean you can't love again Azer."
Everything flashed before my eyes like my own regret book, how I hurt her physically, emotionally and every way possible. The time she was my archery target, the time I used my fire on her, she walked on burning coals for me and how I scolded her for every little thing, blamed her for every little thing.
Her smile, her trust filled eyes for me, her little tricks to be angry with me I missed it, I missed it so much that it made my heart tremble within me.
"I told her I am marrying Odette," I said feeling disgusted towards myself for hurting her like this in anger I felt at her betraying me when all she did was protecting me.
Darren just inhaled sharply at my words.
I buried my hands in my head. I closed my eyes and I could picture her clearly in my head. Her drunk antics, her lips on mine, her heat that washed over me when she was surrendering herself to me not even asking anything in return. She was ready to be my shield, to take my pain away.
She never shied away from confessing her love to me even when I told her that she will hurt herself.
"I heard she made your favorite dishes." Darren reminded me like I needed more reasons to feel guilty.
"Maybe, I should let her go," I said in a tired tone trying to stay sane through this.
"So revenge is all that matters? And you will marry that Princess?" He asked.
It should, revenge should matter to me. Who will avenge my family then, who will honor their death?
"Look at you hesitating in answering this. I can't believe it but she gave you a little part of old Nazereth back."
She stayed mute for you just so that you can trust her. My heart was reminding me of unnecessary details.
There was a knock on the door.
"Your Highness, more guests have arrived for the wedding."
"What guests? No one knows except the Air Kingdom." Darren asked the question for me.
"I don't know them but they look powerful."
"Leave, I will be down shortly," I said feeling miserable.
It was no denying I missed her, I missed her presence. I wanted to hold her hand and embrace her. It shattered my heart in pieces to see her giving a message as a spy. Like my one lifeline just snapped. She was undeniably the person who was closest to me and the person I needed in my life even when I thought my heart was dead and I needed no one.
But the door burst open and our guests walked in. Surprised I got up to see Syrion and the other woman I saw on the pirate ship. She looked furious while Syrion looked a little wary. Before they spit out any secrets I signaled Darren to leave and he did with a confused look.
"What the hell did you do?" She yelled not at all worried that she was on Firemaster's turf.
"What?"
"You hurt that poor girl so much that she had to run away from one place she could call home." She yelled and I was baffled at her care for Ermeline.
"Who are you to tell me how I should or should not treat my wife?"
"Careful King," Syrion said but not like a threat more like a warning.
"She loved you, did she not?" The woman glared at me with absolutely no fear.
She did, she loved me more than I deserved.
"She said she will stay with me no matter what," I mumbled.
"And you made her break to the point that she had to run."
I stayed silent.
"She is the daughter of King of Udairis." I gave an excuse to my actions feeling the lie eat me from within.
I didn't really care at this point.
The woman slammed her hand on the desk and I looked at her with a challenge.
But my eyes focused on the water glass in front of me had ripples, not from the slamming but like waves.
Surprised I looked up at her again.
"Listen carefully you stubborn piece of royalty, she is not the Princess of Udairis. I am. She was my maid and sacrificed her life for mine and came here to her tormentor so that I can live."
Everything around me became a buzz. Something heavy dropped in my stomach as pain, remorse, misery, agony came crashing on me. My head went numb and I could see Princess speak but I couldn't hear as everything felt overwhelming.
Last time I felt like that is when I lost my family.
It felt I lost my family, my other family, all over again.
She had no one and she came here as a mere substitute for a princess, the torture marks, the habit to walk with head low, the desire to work and cook, the heavy tolerance for pain everything made so much sense and even more painful to me.
I broke down in tears on gasping for breath that was choking me for my bad deeds.
I made her wear those clothes in front of those men. I winced mentally on the things I have done on an innocent soul. She loved me just from the pure heart of her, she never came here to survive, just to save someone and yet, after all, I did she loved me.
I brought her to a point where she willingly took a poison keeping in her mind to save me.
She never told me who she was to protect the princess she served, to keep the peace and among all the sacrifices she made, she loved someone like me.
"KING NAZERETH!" Princess yelled and brought me back from my misery.
"I am Princess Ermeline, are you hearing to the things I am saying." She looked less angry, more sympathetic now.
"Her name, what's her name?" I whispered surprised that I couldn't be angry at her for hiding this from me.
I didn't deserve it in the first place. I said Welcome to Hell when he first met and gave her a ring burned with my fire.
"Zephora," Princess whispered.
Don't call me that. I remembered the night she drank and said these words bitterly. She must have hated that the man she loved called her by some other name and yet she tolerated it.
"You can hate me and ask me any questions you have King but I can clearly see you have feelings for her. What do you want to do now?" She asked challenging me.
I looked at her and her fierce protectiveness for my wife.
Did I hate her? Surprisingly not yet.
"Zephora?" I said it out loud and felt my heart fail me.
What have I done?
She was just good through and through without any reason or motive.
"I will not let you marry that bitch anyway." She said reminding I still did the grave mistake of promising to marry Odette in my anger.
"I am not marrying her."
Syrion sighed and sat down on the chair across the table. He looked relieved.
"Then?" Princess was forcing me to say it out loud.
And I needed to.
After all the hurtful things I said to her, I told her, unfortunately, I liked her, that she doesn't deserve anything good and that I should have her killed.
I sent her to die but couldn't bear the thought even then and did send my fireflies.
"I will get her back," I said carefully losing badly this time.
"Finally," She said straightening up with a small smile on her face.
"And why is that King?"
"Because I love her." There I said it.
It felt like something heavy lifted off my chest. I smiled a little to myself at my miserable state, when I tried to hate her she stayed with me promising she will be with me through good and bad and she would heal me. And now that I love her, I made her leave.
Maybe I did not deserve the good in her.
"Stop overthinking this, I have heard you were the impulsive, fun-loving Prince. For once, look above your pain and try to see her love and pain too?"
"Was she your companion in the locked tower?" I asked not trying to feel even worse than I already did.
And Princess Ermeline nodded.
She was tortured before and locked inside. Now I understood Princess Ermeline's affection for her, they were each other's companion in that tower, friends, sisters, and King knew she was the best to impersonate the Princess.
She didn't even know how to swim and I almost drowned her. I should have realized back then when I jumped in the water to save her that I will never be able to hate her.
"So what's the plan, King?" She said as she sat down next to Syrion.
"I need to find her first," I said feeling overwhelmed at this.
I wanted to run down to the dungeon and bring her out, apologize to her on my knees if that is what it took. But she was not here.
"We did hear the rumors of the mishap in the Kingdom, pirates are the fastest to get any news. We will let you know." She was calmer now and looked like royalty from every fiber of her being even in pirates outfit.
But surprisingly so did Zephora.
I nodded," I will require all the help needed to get her back."
"Good then handle this marriage drama on your own while we try to look for her as well." Princess Ermeline said with an air of authority.
I needed to see if she was well and alive, I just needed her to be next to me.
Somehow, Darren was right. Revenge might not be my priority now, she was, she will be.
➻➻➻
DUN...DUN....DUN!
The secret is out, obviously, it would make no sense if he was angry at her for hiding the truth at least not in my head.
Also, was it good? Or did you feel it could have gone better than this?
It's King's turn to work hard for love, don't you think :)
Share your thoughts pretty please because different POV requires some input.