...
I watched as my people danced and ate in sheer joy, the same people who were preparing for war no longer than two weeks ago...Their princess was back, the heir to our kingdom has come home though I do regret that it is with a heavy heart.
"Mom, where is dad? I haven't seen him around"
"Sophia he's just busy fixing up the border security"
The lie leaving my lips so swiftly that I didn't have time to think if it was plausible enough for someone like Sophia.
"You don't have to lie to me mom, I can take more than I can handle-"She chuckles"-so tell me the truth, all of it"
A sigh softly before I begin to the short story that's not really a story.
"Afterword of Anderknox's betrayal-"
"-your father took a handful of our Elite guards for your rescue mission. You were pregnant and due soon, with that fact your father feared that you would be defenseless in that palace. We couldn't sit and wait for your head to come rolling, certainly not. I don't know much about that night, I wasn't in my right mind thanks to your father. He did this without my content or knowledge and unfortunately, they were all seized and beheaded-"Sapphire's eyes widened "-only one elite managed to survive and bring forth this terrible news by command of your father but he doesn't know where the king 'my husband' is, he is still alive that much I can tell through the bond"
"No...no mom, first Percy was taken now I find that my father shared the same fate.....NO!they shouldn't have done this"
I watched as my little firelight broke down into tears, each falling tear slicing through my heart seeing her like this, just so, so 'vulnerable'. Sapphire has never been one to shed tears even when she was a little girl, I remember once Caleb her only cousin and her most favorite person had just died murdered right in front of her. She had just looked at his body after decapitating the killer with her own hands then she had closed Caleb's wide-open dead eyes with the code of royalty-Safmita anakura meftimira.. translating-fire is born of warriors. (Guys don't look this up, I just made up the language).
This is the first time I've ever seen her cry and it just goes to prove how much has changed in her over these last seventeen years while she was in hiding, speaking of hiding where was she? it had to have been spell protected since I couldn't sense an ounce of her energy. Forget about that Hilda, your daughter is here now and she needs you for your support.
"Sophia look at me", she doesn't "honey stop look at me!" this time around she does.
"If we want to win this war, we have to stay focussed and that means taking account of the positives of everything and burying the negatives just where they won't distract us. I loved your father and I still do maybe even more than I used to back then but that doesn't mean his absence should proceed with the kingdom's demise. I'm a queen, a goddess and my duty is to think of the wellbeing my people and you're soon-to-be Queen, you're a goddess but most infinitely you're a mother and your duty now is to think of your daughter it doesn't matter ho_"
"What she needs and wants is her father! ... and it hurts me to think he might be injured or worse he might be dying and I won't even feel it or know of it since he hadn't marked me yet."
"I know baby" I hugged her to my body as much as I could with the dinner table we were at constricting us. Feeling her pain through our astrapi bond my heart was in extreme pain as well.
Erabithian law demands that royalty must mark each other only and only after a child has been born to the couple. The other ranks aren't bound by this law. Knowing that I pushed my daughter into this marriage even when I knew things would spell trouble because of Mythia's sudden appearance.
"But mom I can't stop thinking of him I just can't"
She breaks herself out of my hold and runs out through the garden entrance. I stood to follow her but Gunther's pleading look stopped me and I watched as he went after her.
"Is there any problem grandma, is my mom ok?" I look up to the golden orbs of my granddaughter asking me of her mother.
"Your mother is just sad about your father and I made it worse as I told her about your grandfather"
"It's alright, I know my mother and she'll come to understand"
"Excuse me but where's Sapphire?"I turned to my right to come face to face with Aaron one of her friends from Erabithia.
I've always known that this boy has deeper feelings for my firelight even though she has been oblivious to it.
"She wasn't doing well so her friend went after her"I turned to smile at my granddaughter
"Which friend might that be?"
"Gunther of course, those two are childhood friends joined in the hip, even more, he's the one who along with Prince Percy taught her how to use the laser beamer"
"I hope he can be trusted," he said with a hint of jealousy.
I watch him as he leaves and blends in with the crown.
Sapphire's POV
I ran and ran further from the crowd. I wanted to get away from everyone. The burden that I have to lead these people to victory in a few days weighs tons on my heart. How can I save the kingdom when I couldn't save my own father, let alone my own husband. I can't even save myself from the pain that slices through my heart every day.
My life has always been about protecting my loved ones, it always has been about protecting the ones under my care and power, the weak, the helpless, the condemned, protecting the frail. I'm not supposed to cry, I was born to never cry. But now it feels as though I'm failing them, I can't lose them because of weakness, I've already lost Caleb...