"War brings nothing but despair, your majesty." She said, her voice so weak that it was almost impossible to listen to what she was saying.
He looked at her, his glare piercing through her existence. He wanted to say so many things and yet all he could express was his desperation through his eyes.
"Ha. Or so you say. But do you know what will be the price if I ignore everything that is happening right now?" He kneeled down and held her small frame in both of his glove covered hands.
She looked up at his eyes, her withered amber eyes met his stern and ice cold blue. "So you have decided you won't listen to me?" She smiled bitterly at him. "So you won't listen to me even on a day like this?" She asked him once more.
His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her expressions, her wrinkled smile as if challenged him to say anything in as an answers to her question.
He looked in her eyes, stared deeply and immediately turned his gaze away. "Why not face me now your majesty? Just answer me." She said as she held his face in both of her small hands. Her hands were as withered and wrinkled as her face, it was like she had been living for thousands of years.
"I... you know I can't." He mumbled in a soft voice to himself.
She smirked. "So why did you start what you could never finish?" She dared and asked him.
"What? Don't pretend as if you don't know." He asked with a furious tone highlighting his question. It was like he yelled at her out of pure anger.
"Just don't pretend that you don't know who is the reason for all this." He warned her with his words.
The entire room fell silent, time seemed to have been frozen right where it was and people around, the maids and servants couldn't make any other expression other than fear.
"Your majesty." She said as she called out for him with her weak voice for one last time.
"Duncan.." she began he sentence as she couldn't hold her feelings withing herself anymore.
"What is it? What is it Regina?" He asked her with the same desperation with which he called her out.
"Always remember Duncan, all I did was to earn the crown and throne for you. I never... I never meant to kill him... never.. please know.." she said and collapsed on the ground.
Duncan held her close in his embrace.
"Tsk. Tsk." A voice whispered to him in his ears.
"You would still believe in her won't you, your majesty?" The voice mocked him.
"Shut up." Duncan yelled as his arms became a temple for the love of his life, now dead.
What did all the wars he started earn him, did the red paint his life with his happiness? What did all those rebellions earn him?
Well the most apt question would be, what did all those struggles took away from him?
He sat there on the ground, his servants surrounding the room from a distance and his guards standing close by as well.
But for the first time in a long time , the castle truly felt cold. It was cold for no words could fill the void that was create with such an instant force.
"Whom should I blame?" He mumbled to himself as he looked up at the ceiling. The body in his hand had now become cold and stiff, but how much time passed ; he perhaps had no idea about it.
"Was the roof of this castle always this high? How come I never noticed? How come I.." He suddenly stopped all his mumbling and just looked up. All his expressions potrayed was a bored relaxation.
No sadness highlighting his furrowed eyebrows. So many things were waiting to rush through his eyes, but not a single tear was willing to come out and roll down his cheeks.
"Your majesty?" The Commander of his knights walked towards him.
"Hmm?" He just replied in a vague sound and continued looking up.
"For how long are you going to sit on the floor?" Asked the Commander.
There was no answer from the king.
"For how long are you going to sit down and keep looking at the ceiling?" He asked once more.
"You ask a lot of questions Gordon. Do you know that?" Said Duncan with a cold smile.
"Haha. Yes. That is indeed my job." Said the Commander with an awkward smile.
"I am glad you know the thing you are supposed to do. Will you help me with one last request?" Asked Duncan.
"Hmm? Sure your majesty." Said Gordon, the Commander of the Kalsa knights.
"Help me call him here." Said Duncan.
"Him? You mean..." Said Gordon almost as if he was questioning Duncan's decision.
"Do you doubt my decision? I know you know who I am referring to." Duncan still stared up at the ceiling.
"Sure I will." The Commander bowed down his head and alerted all the soldiers and Guarda who were standing there with his instructions.
A few minutes passed and all the guards were given proper instructions. "I will be taking my leave now." Gordon bowed his head and the door opened for all of the people there to leave.
"Also when to you thinking that will be cleaned?" Duncan now looked straight at the wall in front of him. A white cremish coloured wall that stood like a strong and intimidating obstruction for anyone who were to judge it.
"What you mean that..." Gordon followed where Duncan's hand was pointing and suddenly a cold chill ran down his spine.
"That stain is starting to feel like an eyesore now. When will it be cleaned?" He asked with a tear rolling down his eyes.
"Your majesty, hey? Duncan?" Gordon came back running from the door back towards Duncan and embraced him.
"It's fine. It's fine." Gordon couldn't say anything else except from some hollow words that he thought of in that moment.
"Hic.hic. when will it be cleaned?" Asked Duncan as he cried like a baby in Gordon's arms.
"It will be. It soon will be Duncan." Said Gordon with a huge smile to console Duncan.
"It will be right? It will be right?" Duncan asked him with a smile and rubbing the tears off his face.
"Call him. I have something very important to ask him." Said Duncan with a commanding voice and Gordon let him go off his embrace.
"Yes your majesty." Gordon stood and bowed towards him.
"Get someone to clean that wall soon and also get a painter to paint something else on the ceiling." Duncan ordered.
"I want the changes done immediately." He added.
"Yes, yes sure your majesty." He said and left the room.
The doors to the cold and dark room closed behind Gordon's back and another familiar face welcomed him.
"So how is everything?" She asked him with a desperate tone.
"Well... he is. He will get well by tomorrow morning. Just don't let anyone go inside the room tonight except from serving him his meal." Gordon said as he couldn't dare to look I her eyes.
There was a momentary awkward silence between them. "So you won't still look in my eyes?" She asked him with a bitter smile.
He looked up instanty in her eyes and replied, "I know you are not guilty. I will just need some time to think about it." He replied softly.
"But.." she wanted to say something more.
"No don't Isabella. There is no use no. Everything has changed." He said as he stopped her from saying anything.
She bit her lips as she gulped back her words.
"If nothing else, I will be leaving now your majesty." He bowed to her and left.
She stepped back and watched him leave.
Her eyebrows furrowed and lips chapped. "Don't worry too much your majesty, his highness will get well soon." Her lady-in-waiting consoled her.
"Hmm. If you say so Serra. If you say so..." she agreed to the words that her maid said.
"But your majesty, why don't you go instead. Try going inside maybe you should see how his majesty is feeling for yourself." Her maid gave her an idea.
"Um.. I don't think so that I should." Isabella hesitated a little.
"You should your majesty." Her maid insisted.
"Uh.. I.." Isabella continued to hesitate.
"I guess I should go inside with some soup for his majesty." Isabella thought for herself. And immediately made a decision.
"Order the chef to make a soup for his majesty. Make the abalone soup for him." She ordered the maid.
"Yes your majesty." The maid bowed and was about to leave but was stopped by Isabella, "Also ask the chef to make a steak for his majesty Serra." She said.
"Yes, your majesty I will inform him." The maid left.
The entire floor was cold and the sound of the rain outside the palace echoed through the entire premise.
Isabella stood there, her gown touching the floor and the shawl wrapping around her body.
She did wear her crown but sudden that mere peice of jewelry felt like a burden to her.
She leaned forward and kept her ear on the door of the room. She tried to listen to what was happening inside the room but she was welcomed with nothing but opaque emptiness.
"Sigh. If only these doors didn't make me a stranger so soon." She let go off the door and walked away from the door.
"I hope you become the Duncan I used to know soon." She mumbled to herself and walked away.