Finally came the day , the wedding day of the king and the queen of the Sapphire kingdom .
The spirits were busy preparing for the grand event .
After all , the sacred wedding between the king and the queen was considered to be a notion of fulfillment for the kingdom , at the same time it was also a significant aspect of the king's life .
Having a queen was believed to be a blessing for the kingdom . So the entire kingdom was gleaming in happiness .
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But in the palace of the water spirit things were not so joyous .
The would be queen of Sapphire kingdom was currently sitting before the dressing table . Her attendants were busy selecting best ornaments for the most special day of their master's life , occasionally asking her opinion about their selected pieces .
But the female spirit wasn't looking interested in anything , they were doing .
The attendant who was combing her hair couldn't help but ask , " Master , are you okay ? "
The spirit nodded slightly .
" But , you're looking very disturbed . " , the attendant said again .
She was going to say something more but Water spirit interrupted , " I'm fine . "
The attendants chose not to press the matter further as they knew that this marriage was not a normal marriage , after all .
One attendant spoke up in order to change the subject , " Master , would you start dressing up now ? "
The Water spirit remained quiet for a moment before saying , " Can you all leave me alone for some time . "
The attendants looked at one another with worried expression but chose to leave the room without saying anything .
They knew , after the marriage she would move to the palace of the Fire spirit . So they let her spend the last few moments in her own way .
.....
The attendants were on guard outside the water spirit's bedchamber . They were talking about this and that when they saw a male spirit coming towards them . Their eyes immediately widened seeing the male spirit , none of them could utter a single word . They looked at one another being confused about what he was doing here .
On the other hand the spirit , dressed in magnificent black royal clothes , stopped before them .
He gestured the attendants to leave using his long fingers .
The attendants were reluctant to let a male spirit enter their master's bedchamber but his aura was so dreadful that nobody dared to disobey him .
They reluctantly bowed to him and left .
The man entered the bedchamber of the Water spirit and looked around .
The room was spacious and beautifully decorated .
The main attraction of the room was a small pool , right beneath the window , the pool was made of exquisite black marbles and its water was crystal clear , a shoal of fish of different colours was playing in it .
The female spirit was currently sitting by the pool with a dejected expression , her eyes , unlike always , were not looking sharp , she was running her hand in the water while the little creatures were swirling around her fingers .
The serenity of the room suddenly broke by a sarcastic voice .
" Why does the bride look so sad on her wedding day ? "
The female spirit's hand stopped at the sudden voice . She turned her head and as she saw the owner of the voice the primary surprise on her face got replaced by anger , her gloomy drooping eyes as if regained their usual spark as she looked at him coldly .
She stood up and said , " You ? , What are you doing here ? And how dare you enter my personal space without my permission ? " , she said through clenched teeth .
The Darkness spirit smiled and spoke up , " Come on , don't be so angry . I just came to deliver my wishes to the future queen . Nothing else . "
" I didn't know that the king of Dark kingdom has so much leisure time to come and wish me personally . " she said sarcastically as the Darkness spirit chuckled a little .
" Anyway , as I said before , your good wishes are not needed here . So leave now . " , she said again . It was clear that she was in a bad mood .
But the Darkness spirit didn't seem to mind her rude words as he spoke .
" Today is such a big day , you've been waiting for this day for so long . It is finally happening but you don't look quite happy . "
" Your eyesight is very bad , I see . " , she said in a straight voice .
He smirked and said , " Hahaha , you really are not happy about this marriage . Are you ? " , the water spirit glared at him but remained silent .
He continued , " Come on , it's not that hard to guess . I know , you have no interest in him but you don't have any other choice . You can't be the queen without marrying the king . Stupid laws ! " , he stopped to check her expression , he saw that she was looking at him with a frown .
He smirked and continued , " What a pity ! You know , you are no less than him in anything , still he got selected as the king because he was a man . And just because you are a woman you have to enter into an unhappy marriage to gain the title that you already deserve . " , the water spirit turned away from him , she crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down .
The Darkness spirit approached her from behind and said , " You know very well that he agreed to marry you because only your powers can help him fulfil his love for the Nature spirit . Probably he has already made plans for his next wedding with his beloved . It's just a matter of time till he gets the thing that he needs from you . " , he was checking her expression time to time to see the impact of his words upon her , and as he had expected her eyes were becoming more and hazy and unfocused as the time was passing .
He curved his lips upward and started again , " So many spirits know about their love story , they are already displeased with you as the king had to select you instead of their favourite Nature spirit . No , you're not at fault in anyway , they just can't accept anyone in the place of Nature spirit . Stupid people .... they can't even understand that it was the king who had the choice . And he chose you , not the other way around .
They can't say anything because they know that with the help of your powers the king and their favourite Nature spirit can be together , and they are eagerly waiting for that day when they get married . " , he stopped for a moment and started again , " And when they get married you would be forever considered a third party between them . Nobody would recognise your help and neither anyone would think about your happiness . You would always feel unwanted in this marriage . " , he emphasized on the word ' unwanted ' , his voice was soft and sympathetic as he continued , " He doesn't deserve you or your help at all . You yourself know how worthy you are . You don't need him to get the throne . So you should not waste your life in an unwanted marriage like this . "
" What should I do then ? " , the water spirit subconsciously said .
A cunning smirk appeared on his face as he said , " Step out from this marriage . You deserve a thousand times better life which he can never give you . So , the best decision for you is to reject this marriage . Show him that you are capable enough to reject him . I'll help you to get the throne . Show him that you don't need him .... "
The Darkness spirit continued as the female spirit let out a small sigh .
.....
On the other side , in the palace of the Fire spirit .
Currently , the Fire spirit was sitting in silence , his cold eyes were devoid of any emotion , it was hard to believe that today was his wedding day .
The Wind spirit who was his most reliable friend was expressing his honest concern for his friend .
" Are you sure , you are alright ? "
" I am . "
Wind spirit sighed and said , " Yeah , I can see that . " , he remained silent for a while before starting again , " You knew it very well that you would never be happy in this marriage , then why did you have to bring this unwanted trouble upon yourself ? "
The Fire spirit spoke , " You know everything , so stop asking the same thing again and again . " , it was clear from his tone that he was in not so good mood as he should be on his wedding day .
" And you don't have to be so concerned about my future , I can handle my problems . " , he curtly said .
The wind spirit didn't mind his friend's cold words and said , " I know , you can but ..... she is someone , I can never believe , no matter how much I try . Her intentions never seem simple to me ... " , he was going to say more but the Fire spirit interrupted .
" Enough . Whatever it is , she is still the queen of the spirits . Be respectful . " , with that he went to the balcony and stared into nothingness .
The Wind spirit couldn't help but feel bad for him . In the long time that he has known the Fire spirit , he was already aware of his cold nature . But there were two specific moments when he became more aloof than ever .
First time , it was when the Nature spirit expressed her love to him . For a long time he remained indecisive about it .
It was a long time ago , they were youths back then .
Even after so many years , the Wind spirit still can't understand how and why someone so lively and soft natured like the Nature spirit fell for the Fire spirit whose temperament was completely opposite from hers .
Anyway , he finally agreed to her wish after a long time but nobody knew why , for some reason he became very estranged .
When they finally started settling their emotions for each other , destiny again turned its favour from them . They came to know the devastating truth that they couldn't be together , as their powers would reach maturity , Fire powers would begin to impose on the mild Nature powers which would lead to affecting her badly .
That was the other time when he totally alienated himself from everything . He probably knew from the start that their powers were not compatible and it'd be a problem later on . It was certain that destiny had some other plans for them . Time went by .... he distanced himself from her ..... and she couldn't help but accept the fate ... they started seeing each other only in occasional gatherings ..... after a long while things started to normalise between them as he started communicating with her again .
Both of them , kind of , stopped dreaming of a future together but their hopes started to surge up again as the time came for the Fire spirit to select a queen and the Water spirit took the opportunity to offer her deal to the Fire spirit .
The only two people who were aware of the offer between them were the Wind spirit and the Nature spirit .
If it were any other female spirit instead of the Water spirit offering the help the Wind spirit would've been really happy for his friend for finally getting what he wanted .
But he couldn't feel good as he , not just he but many other people , didn't like the Water spirit because of her rude behaviour .
As the wind spirit thought that his friend was again becoming cold and aloof like those times , he couldn't help but feel bad for him .
Somewhere he and he believed his friend too , was certain that his marriage life was not going to be as peaceful as the Water spirit promised him .
Still he wished him a happy life ahead .
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On the other side .
The female spirit let out a soft chuckle as she turned to the Darkness spirit .
She spoke up , " I have heard of your extraordinary manipulation skills before . I must say , you are very skillful in manipulating others . But unfortunately your manipulation is not working on me . "
The Dark spirit's expression changed slightly , still he maintained his cunning smile as she continued , " Do you think , nobody can see through these silly tricks of yours ! Well you overestimated yourself . "
She continued after a moment , " You really don't want this wedding to take place . Do you ? Let me tell you why , because you are afraid . You know very well that once the king is married your dream of taking over Sapphire kingdom would meet more obstacles , because then you'll not only have to defeat the king but also take down the queen . And you know , I won't be an easy opponent . " , the darkness spirit just smirked at her words .
" You said , you'll help me get the throne ! " , She continued , " Huh ! don't make me laugh . You're just trying to set me against him so that taking advantage of our conflict , you can fulfil your desire of taking over this kingdom . "
" You were asking me to step out from this marriage to show my worth to him , right ? But you know , if I do that I'd be made an outcast by the court . And on the other hand , his reputation would be totally ruined in front of the kings of other kingdoms and most importantly , his subjects . After such humiliation , a proud king like him would most probably step down from his position . And you want exactly that . Am I not right ? .... Are you really that scared to face him that you're taking every chance to create problems for him ? " , she asked looking straight into his eyes .
" Wow , I'm really impressed . " , the Darkness spirit finally said , " Every single thing you said is true . I would be benefitted the most if this marriage doesn't take place . You are right . But let's stop talking about my benefits for a moment and you answer my one question . I understand that he agreed to marry you so that he can be together with his beloved . But what about you ? What would you get from this marriage ? Is it just about the the ' queen ' title and its powers ? "
The female spirit looked up at him without any emotion .
The male spirit continued , " Come on ! You may fool others with that excuse but not me . As far as I know , you never needed any special status to deal with others . So ..... what might have happened that you agreed to a marriage like this and that too just for such a lame title ? ..... Tell me , what are you doing ..... in this marriage ? " , he said fixing his eyes on her as she stared at him with expressionless eyes .
The dark spirit continued , " Is it really just the queen's status or ... " , she frowned a little as he continued again , " Or , you have some inexpressible feelings for him ? "
That was it .... with those words her last string of patience broke .
The Water spirit's eyes became dangerously cold and almost the next moment the male spirit felt chills all over his body as the temperature around them dropped by some degrees . He couldn't help but shudder at the sudden coldness .
After a moment , the female spirit spoke up coldly , " I've tolerated enough of your nonsense but now you've crossed all the limits . If you don't get lost right now , you'll see how dangerous I can be . "
The male spirit didn't say anything just maintained his annoying smile .
At that time an attendant showed up at the door , she said without looking inside the room , " Master , you need to start getting ready . The court spirits are on their way . " , she could easily sense the extreme tension in the room , so she didn't wait for another moment , she quickly passed the message to her master and left from there .
The Water calmed herself down and said , " Get out . "
But the Darkness spirit was not yet contented with the humiliation by the female spirit .
He mischievously said , " Can I stay a little longer ? In that way , I can meet the court spirits too . "
The Water spirit just looked at him , he smirked and said , " What , are you afraid that if others see me at your palace on your wedding day , your reputation would be tainted ? "
The Water spirit said , " If you didn't know already , my reputation is already bad . And the court spirits already have a lot against me . So it doesn't matter to me . If you want to create more scene , suit yourself . "
She was about to leave when he said , " I hope you can be this nonchalant when I conquer this kingdom and destroy everything before your eyes . "
She turned to him and said , " Conquer this kingdom ! Dream on . This kingdom will never be yours . " , she said curtly and prepared to leave the room .
As she passed by the male spirit , the spirit elegantly held some locks of her long shiny hazel hair with his fingers and took a sniff of its enticing fragrance ... he savoured the moment till the locks slid through his fingers .
The female spirit couldn't sense his swift work of hand neither did she see the expression of those devilish eyes .
As she left the room a creepy smirk appeared on the lips of the Dark spirit . His eyes shone with extreme malice and as he spoke up , " Who said , I am just after the kingdom , I want much more than that ."
He approached the magnificent black pool and looked at the tiny creatures who were trying to shrink into the deepest corners of the pool , seeing the unknown and frightening figure . The spirit's smile deepened as he spoke .
" Dear queen of Sapphire kingdom , go and marry whomever you want . But know one thing , you would end up with me , sooner or later . "
His menacing laughter filled the room as he slowly vanished into thin air , leaving behind some columns of dark smoke .
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The tree of life which was situated at the centre of Sapphire kingdom was the most sacred place for the spirits of this kingdom .
It was the symbol of life , truth and wisdom . The leaves of the tree were bright red in colour .
It was a special day , today . The spirits already gathered at the precinct of the tree of life , they were busy decorating the tree and its alter , some were checking the arrangements again . The guests from other kingdoms would start arriving in a while . Thus the spirits made sure that everything was perfect .
And why not , it was the venue of the wedding ceremony of the king and the queen of Sapphire kingdom . Everything must be perfect .
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The wedding venue was filled with happy chattering of the guests .
The king of the spirits , the Fire spirit , was standing under the tree of life . The guests have taken their seats .
Some court spirits left for the mansion of water spirit to escort her to the venue . According to the ritual , it was the court spirits' responsibility to walk the bride to the groom .
Everything was ready . Now everyone was waiting for the queen to arrive .
The king had a cold expression as always . He was looking at his subjects who looked so happy . Eventually , his eyes met with those of his beloved who was standing among the crowd .
She was looking beautiful and pure as usual but today her eyes had a hint of insecurity .
The fire spirit blinked , maintaining his straight expression . She gave him a small smile before he retracted his gaze .
It was just then , the spirits' cheerful voices filled the area , indicating the arrival of the queen .
Everyone including the king looked towards the entrance as the elder most court spirit guided the beautiful bride along the flower path to the stone structure around the Tree of life .
The water spirit was wearing a bluish white long dress with exquisite red coloured designs , her shiny long hair was let loose , her attendants had selected a beautiful diamond and ruby set which perfectly matched her dress , the beautiful long veil added an air of docility to her beauty and last but not the least , her crown without which her look wouldn't have been completed , added maturity and supremacy to her look .
Everyone was dazed as they saw the queen , they felt a soothing sense of peace by the air , she carried .
The elder court spirit walked her to the king as she stood in front of him .
She bowed to him as he let out a small sigh .
Everyone was so happy but the two people who were getting married had sombre expression on their faces .
The water spirit was looking down in silence .
The king looked at his bride for a moment and said .
" Are you okay ? "
She nodded slightly .
He said again , " You still have time . If you have any objection with this marriage you can step out of it . "
" Do You have any objection ? " , instead of giving him the answer she questioned him back .
The king looked into her eyes and replied after a while , " No . "
She remained silent for a moment and said , " Neither do I . "
The king fixed his eyes on her as he spoke , " I'm afraid , this won't be a normal happy marriage , there would probably be only suffering . "
She nodded and said in a cold voice , " Then let's suffer together . "
The king didn't reply and averted his gaze .
Since they were standing far from the others nobody could hear what they talked about . The spirits were busy praising the pair .
At that time , a bright light appeared around the tree and from the light emerged an old female spirit . Everyone stopped talking and the spirits who were sitting stood up from their respective seats .
The female spirit was the spirit of the sacred tree in other words spirit of Life .
The king and the queen turned to her and bowed respectfully . The other spirits also bowed to her . She nodded with her gentle smile and indicated the guests to take their seats .
The spirit of Life was considered to be the oldest spirit among all the kingdoms
and was worshipped by everyone because of her wisdom . Nothing was complete without her blessing .
All the royal marriages in the Sapphire kingdom take place , here , in front of the tree of life , under her conduct .
The spirit of Life came forward and stood before the king and the queen .
She looked at the queen and said with a smile , " I finally meet the queen of the spirits . I must say , our kingdom has got a very virtuous queen . "
The Water spirit didn't reply but bowed her head again .
The spirit of Life continued , " Dear , king and queen , I am really honoured to conduct your marriage . "
" The honour is ours , master . " , the king replied .
She smiled and said , " Okay then , let's start the rituals . "
The guest happily cheered as the wedding ceremony started .
At first , the priestess held the hands of the bride and the groom as she read the lines of their palms .
She spoke being pleased with what she saw , " You two are made for each other . Your match is predestined . This marriage would bring prosperity and fulfilment to your lives . If you two stand together , you can face any problem . You would be the reason of each other's strength , happiness and also suffering . "
She said the last word looking at them but neither of them seemed surprised to hear it at all .
After that , it was time for the vows .
The old spirit spoke , " As everyone knows , I don't like making someone say the vows that I feel right . It is the promise that should come from your heart . It is about what you want to say to your partner . "
" So , dear king , please say the vows that you want to tell her and ask for her hand . "
The king looked deep into her eyes and took a breath . Everyone was excited to see what vows do their king come up with . Their king was a very quiet person who never spoke much . The subjects couldn't wait to witness him saying the romantic vows .
After a moment , the king finally started .
" I don't know what lies in the future but I can say that it has never been and will never be my wish to do something that might hurt you . Rather , I am willing to be your support whenever you feel tired . I am willing to be your strength whenever you feel weak . I am willing to be your happiness when you feel upset on a lonely afternoon . Do you accept to be my wife ? " , he finished speaking and held out his hand towards her .
The cold eyes of the water spirit quivered a little as she looked down . After a moment , she let out a small sigh and looked up again .
" I do . " , said she as she placed her hand in his .
She spoke , " I will try to bring fulfilment to your life , I will fulfil my responsibilities as your queen with genuine sincerity and I will give you the happiness that you have always wished for . "
He gently held the soft petal like hand that was placed on his as he continued to stare at his queen .
The spirit of Life smiled as she said , " I would ask you two for the last time , answer wisely because once I start the bonding ceremony there's no chance to step back . "
" Dear king , do you take the queen of the spirits as your wife for eternity ? "
" I do . " , the king replied dryly .
" Dear queen , do you take the king of the spirits as your husband of eternity ? "
The queen looked at the king who already had his eyes fixed on her .
" I do . " , she finally said after some time .
" Okay then , let us start the bonding ceremony . " , said the spirit of Life .
She started muttering the spells , soon almost invisible golden strings appeared around their hands , the king held his queen's hand securely as they magical strings started wrapping their hands together .
The king and queen looked at each other as they feel their souls getting linked by the strings of fate .
After whole ten minutes the ceremony ended as the golden strings transformed into two pieces of red thread and tied around their wrists before producing a silvery spark indicating that their bonding had been successful .
Divinely beautiful flower petals rained over them as if the universe itself was blessing them . Everyone gazed at them without blinking .
The spirit of Life , then , produced a small tray containing two exquisite small glasses . It had some crystal clear red coloured drink .
It was a sacred drink that the newlyweds were to drink to celebrate their bond .
The spirit of Life said , " Please , cross your hands and have your first drink together . "
The king and the queen did as she instructed .
But as they downed the drink their aloof and indifferent demeanor cracked . They looked at each other shortly before maintaining their straight face again . Regardless of its good look , the drink was extremely bitter .
The old spirit smiled at their expression and said , " No matter how bitter the situation gets , together , you may face everything . That is the purpose of this ritual . " , the old spirit laughed a little and continued , " But I must say , I have never seen anyone drink the potion with such straight faces . "
The king and the queen didn't speak just nodded slightly .
" Anyway with this ritual done , I pronounce you two , mates for eternity . "
The crowd clapped again as joyful cheers filled the venue .
The king and the queen bowed to the spirit of Life again as they prepared to leave the stone structure when the spirits cheered again .
" Kiss ... Kiss .... kiss the queen ... kiss the queen . "
The spirits continued to cheer as the king looked at his queen .
She looked at him and slightly shook her head indicating a clear ' no ' . The audience couldn't see her slight action and therefore kept on cheering .
The king held her by the forearm and softly pulled her towards him . He could feel the stiffness of her body as she stared at him with blank eyes .
He held her neck and leaned over .
" Sorry but I can't let you have your way with everything . " , she heard him say as the next moment she felt his cold lips on hers .
The crowd cheered loudly as sounds of clapping filled them .
The kiss was short , his lips merely brushed against her before he released her .
The queen looked down as the king took his step back .
The spirit of Life was observing them all this time , suddenly she said in a low voice which was just enough for them to hear , " Keep one thing in mind . If destiny wants you to be together there must be a good reason for it . So , it would be the best if you don't try to change anything , either of you . "
The king and the queen didn't reply and bowed to her one last time .
The spirit of Life , then , blessed everyone and after a whilr vanished into the tree of Life again .
The newly wedded couple slowly walked down from the stone structure .
The king went to greet his friends without saying anything while the queen walked to an another direction .
....
The queen was standing under a tree that was a bit far from the crowd , her eyes stared at the joyous celebration of the subjects .
It was then queen Nayeri , one of the previous queens , approached her .
The two queens exchanged their greetings as queen Nayeri spoke , " I have heard a lot about you . And I must say , I have great admiration for you . "
The queen nodded slightly .
After a moment of silence queen Nayeri continued , " History is repeating itself , I see . "
The present queen looked at her as she continued , " This marriage reminds me of my own marriage ..... which was more like a deal between two parties . "
The Water spirit frowned slightly as queen Nayeri spoke with a smile , " You must be surprised regarding how I know about this ! Don't be , your expressions say it all , nobody marries with such aloof expression if they were really happy about the marriage . And I have also heard a few things about the relationship between the king and the Nature spirit . So it's not hard to guess . "
The Water spirit didn't say anything as queen Nayeri spoke again , " As far as I had heard about you it was a bit surprising for me to see that you agreed to this marriage . I really wonder what made to agree to a marriage like this ! "
The Water spirit remained silent for a moment before she said , " Let me confess something . The king's decision was not in any way imposed upon me . I agreed to this marriage out of my own will . And most importantly , it was I who insisted him on selecting me as the queen . "
" Really ? Then why don't you look happy that your insistence worked ? " , queen Nayeri asked .
The Water spirit didn't reply .
Queen Nayeri spoke , " As far as I understand , I can say this without any doubt that even if you hadn't insisted him , he would have still chosen you . "
The queen didn't say anything as silence fell between them .
After a while queen Nayeri spoke again , " You know , why I admire you so much !? " , the Water spirit looked up at her as she continued , " Because , I see my own self in you . Sharp sensibility , clear judgement with unquestionable capabilities , never compromising with anything . I was same as you . " , she stopped for a moment before continuing again , " And if I am not wrong you have the same goal as I had . "
A hint of understanding flashed in the eyes of the Water spirit .
" But unfortunately " , continued queen Nayeri , " I couldn't succeed in my quest . Therefore . I want , from the bottom of my heart , that you accomplish what I couldn't . And I believe , you would succeed . "
The queen looked at her for a while before she finally replied , " I will try my best . "
Queen Nayeri nodded and said , " Just remember . No matter what happens , do not lose your focus . Stay firm in your objective . And most importantly , do not get distracted by stupid emotions . "
The Water spirit frowned slightly .
Queen Nayeri turned to a certain direction and said in a slightly dazed voice , " Emotions are the worst obstacles . "
The Water spirit followed her eyes and found she was looking at the direction where king Remos , the husband of queen Nayeri , was standing with his other wife with his hand around her waist . He was talking with the Fire spirit , the present king .
The Fire spirit felt their gaze as he turned to them and his eyes met with those of his queen's for a moment before she averted her eyes .
Queen Nayeri went on , " I was silly . I fell for someone , I shouldn't have . And that was my biggest mistake . "
She averted her eyes from the group and turned to the Water spirit and said , " I hope , you won't repeat the same mistake as mine . "
The Water spirit didn't reply .
After a few more words queen Nayeri prepared to leave .
It was then , the Fire spirit and king Remos approached them .
" It seems , my dear wife has already started giving unnecessary advices to the queen . " , said king Remos as queen Nayeri shot him an indifferent glance .
The Water spirit bowed to him and said , " Why do you think , her advices are unnecessary , king Remos ? "
King Remos spoke , " Because , you don't need them , nobody needs them actually , such advices do no good in a marriage . " , she didn't say anything as king Remos continued , " She must have been saying , don't let your husband impose on you , don't obey his words , always do what he tells you not to do , always object to what he says , right ? I am telling you , you really don't need those tips . So please , don't mind her words . "
The queen smiled and said , " Thank you for your advice , king Remos . "
The way she politely showed her disinterest to his advices , made queen Nayeri smile .
The Fire spirit too couldn't help but curve his lips a little .
King Remos was not a fool to not understand the hint of rejection in her words . He said , " You have a fixed mindset , I see . " , he turned to the Fire spirit and continued , " Arne , it seems , your marriage life is going to be very interesting . "
The Fire spirit just nodded slightly without saying anything .
Queen Nayeri spoke , " It's not appropriate to call the king by his name . "
" It's okay . " , said king Remos , " Arne is like a younger brother to me and I mean no disrespect to him . "
He then turned to the Water spirit and said .
" I am really curious about something . What are you two so upset about ? Why do you guys think that we are your enemies and whatever we say or do is to harm you ?! I know , you two wanted to be independent queens and I also know that both of you are capable enough to be so . That wish may not have been fulfilled but you have already become queen of the spirits , so can't you guys let go of your resentment now ? " , said stopped for a moment before continuing , " Tell me one thing . If you were an independent queen , would it have been so impossible for you to like someone or to have feelings for someone , or to marry someone ? Then , you would have had a king , too . So what's the difference with present situation ? "
" Are you asking your wife or me ? " , said the Water spirit .
King Remos smiled a bit and said , " There are certain things that I never wish to ask her . " , his eyes were fixed on his wife , he turned to the Water spirit again and said , " So , you answer it . "
" No , it's not impossible for the independent queen to have feelings for someone or to get married to the person , she wants . In that case , she has the choice to select her partner , a choice that only the kings have .
And in this case , because of the mate bond , the queen is bound to fall for her mate , eventually . She has no other option . She is bound to have feelings for her mate , even though she knows very well that her feelings won't be returned from his end . "
She stopped as she felt someone's gaze upon her . As she turned her head her eyes met with the dark obsidian eyes of her husband . The moment lasted for a moment before both of them averted their eyes .
She said to king Remos , " That's the difference . "
" Just as I expected . " , said queen Nayeri to the new queen , " You didn't disappoint me . "
King Remos sighed and spoke , " If that is the case , you guys should have objected to the marriage in the first place . "
" That is the problem , king Remos . What if we have certain aspirations that can only be achieved with royal authority !? We cannot be the queen unless we marry the king . And no matter how capable we are , we have to depend on the king to get selected as the queen . So , if we are lucky enough to get selected by the king , there is actually no point for us to object to the marriage . "
" I see . " , replied king Remos with a smile , " You do have a point . But I would like to tell you something . Dear queen , a mate bond takes not only a woman but a man too . So if one mate suffers the other one is bound to feel the pain . " , he stopped for a moment before continuing again , " I don't know what my wife has said to you but let me make this very clear to you that we have no intention to suppress you guys , neither we have any reason to hurt our queens . Still if we do something as such , please consider this that there must have been a reason for that . "
The Water spirit remained silent because though king Remos was speaking to her but his words were more like , directed to his wife .
Queen Nayeri let out a chuckle as she said , looking at the Water spirit , " And I hope you understand the difference between reasons and excuse , new queen . "
King Remos sighed but maintained his smile .
" Anyway , I'll be leaving now . Dear queen , I wish you happiness . " , she turned to the Fire spirit and said sincerely , " And you too , respected king , may you have a happy married life . "
The Fire spirit nodded slightly .
Queen Nayeri bowed to the present king and the queen and walked away .
King Remos stared at his wife's retreating figure for a moment before turning to the queen as he said , " I know , it doesn't matter what I say to you ... you , as a woman , would always prefer to believe a woman's words . But , you see , you have listened to just the woman's side of the story . Now listen to the man's side , as well . " , the queen looked at him as he took a small breath and said , " No matter what , in a man's heart , there is always an irreplaceable position , for the first one . " , he said as his eyes trailed to the direction , queen Nayeri had gone .
The newly wedded couple couldn't help but share a glance before turning to king Remos again .
The queen spoke , " First , in the sense ..... " , king Remos turned to her as she continued , " The first one , you fell in love with , isn't it ? "
King Remos smiled and was about to answer but before he could , the Fire spirit spoke up .
" No . " , he said , " First , in the sense ..... the first mate . "
The queen turned to him and their eyes met . The moment lasted for a while before she looked away .
King Remos smiled and said to the queen , " Dear queen of the spirits , I think , you did understand what I tried to say . But you just chose not to acknowledge that . Anyway , it was pleasure to meet you . "
The queen nodded as he turned to the Fire spirit and continued , " And Arne , you really got a very virtuous queen , just a bit partial but that's okay . "
Before the Fire spirit could answer , the queen said , " King Remos , I hope , I get some chances , in future , to prove you that I am never partial to anybody . "
" I look forward to that . " , said king Remos , " And again , I wish you two a happy married life . "
After that king Remos left and only the king and the queen stayed behind .
" He loves queen Nayeri . " , said the king staring at his retreating back .
" It's a bit late to show that . " , replied the queen .
The king looked to her and said , " Haven't you heard the saying , it's better late than never . "
She didn't say anything else as the king said again , " Anyway , come with me . "
" Where ? " , she asked .
" Let's meet the guests . " , with that he walked off as the queen followed behind .
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The sun was setting as the joyous celebration was coming to an end .
Most of the guests already left , only a few people were present .
It was then , the Nature spirit approached the Fire spirit who was standing at a lonely corner .
As they stood before each other , the male spirit noticed the hint of sadness and slight insecurity in her eyes .
But he didn't say anything and continued to look at her .
" Congratulations . " , she uttered with a smile , suppressing the bitterness in her heart .
The Fire spirit nodded but remained silent .
...
The Nature spirit was expressing her anticipation about the future , no matter what she had said in their previous meeting it was clear that she was feeling a bit insecure after witnessing their wedding ceremony and specially listening to his vows , dedicated to his queen .
Her eyes were teary as she was holding his hand tightly .
The two lovers were so busy in themselves that they didn't notice that the queen was passing by them with her attendants .
Seeing them , the queen stopped as she glanced at the female spirit who was holding her husband's hand .
Her eyes were devoid of any kind of emotion as she turned her head again and walked away , as if nothing had happened .
However , as she left , an air of awkwardness filled the space .
The king sighed as his beloved released his hand slowly .
Neither of them spoke as they stared at each other with complex emotions in their eyes . They knew , no word of consolation could ease the bitter feelings of their hearts . And they also knew that at this point , the only thing , they could do , was to hope for the best and prepare for the worst .
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Later , at the palace of Fire spirit .
The queen was standing in front of the palace with an unreadable expression on her face .
Beside her was standing the king who was looking at his bride and trying to understand why she was not going inside .
After a long while , when she still showed no intention of entering the palace the king finally spoke up .
" As far as I know , you've never hesitated to enter my palace before . What's wrong today ? "
She remained silent . The king waited for her reply for some time but when she didn't say anything he said again .
" Let's go inside . It's not appropriate for me to keep my queen waiting outside , like this . "
An alluring smile formed on her lips as she said , " So you do know what is appropriate and what's not ? "
The king frowned and asked , " What do you mean ? "
" Being intimate with another woman on the very wedding day is not very appropriate either , your highness . " , she said in a slight teasing tone .
He remained quiet for a moment before looking at her as he spoke , " Sorry , if it offended you . " , she chuckled at his words as he continued , " But as far as I know , it shouldn't have bothered you in any way . It's not that you don't know about our relationship . "
" Right , I know . " , said she , " And not just me , many others know about your love story . But the thing is , because of that , now , those people have started assuming many more things . " , she smiled a little as she continued , " They are giving me pitiful glances as if , they already know what our future would be . As if , they have already assumed that I am going to suffer forever in this marriage , as a third party .... "
" Can we continue this conversation after we go inside . " , the king interrupted her as he strode forward .
" But do you think ... " , the queen said from behind , " It would be that simple ? "
He turned back to her and stared at her .
she locked her captivating eyes with his and her lips cracked into a bewitching smile as she spoke , " Do you really think , I'm that selfless that I'd let you guys live happily ever after , while I become a subject of pity and mockery , in the eyes of everyone . Just like that !? " , she shook her head and continued , " I would not be the only one suffering , your highness . If I suffer , you would suffer more . You can never be happy . I would never let you be happy . You are bound to suffer . You deserve it . "
Her smile didn't fade even for once as she spoke . But her words couldn't move the king . He remained as unfazed as ever .
After she was done speaking , he said in an indifferent voice , " I accept it . "
The water spirit didn't show much expression as he continued , " But remember one thing , don't ever drag the innocent subjects in this mess . I won't accept that . They are very happy to have a queen ..... and the most virtuous queen . " , he started walking towards her before stopping in front of her as he continued , " So , don't disappoint them . "
His cold eyes stared at her as he said again , " Didn't you want to be the queen ? " , he continued , " Then prove that you deserve the title . "
She didn't say anything and she had no expression on her face but she became slightly startled when he suddenly held her hand and before she could say anything , started walking towards the palace with her .
Inside the palace , he stopped before a room before slowly releasing her hand .
" This is your room . " , said he , " Let me know if the arrangements are okay or not . "
She remained quiet as he said again , " And if you don't like it you can choose any other room . My attendants would arrange it for you , as per your likings . "
" It's fine . " , she said and slowly turned to go to her room .
It was then , the king called out , " Delia . " , she stopped but didn't turn back , he continued in a straight voice , " We are not enemies and neither I am against you . The sooner you understand that , the better . "