Dartan approached the bed as soon as the priest had left and sat down in the chair by the bedside, previously occupied by Ale. He took her hand, feeling her coldness, and brought it to his lips.
"Oh, my dear.... What is this misfortune that has befallen our family? I would give anything to take your place, for you are the foundation of this family and your life much more precious than mine.... If only we knew what disease this is, so that we could treat you properly... The priest said incoherent things... I believe that everyone is at a loss as to what to do..." He whined, thinking Lea was asleep, and was surprised when she answered him, staring him firmly in the eyes. Reminding Dartan of his beloved's healthy days.
"This illness is the result of care, for the past eighteen years... The priest knew well what he was talking about."
"What does Lea say? Has the care I have been giving you made you sick?"
Lea smiled. Dartan was too good to associate his words with his children. He knew that one of them had been poisoning her little by little, so that her death would not arouse suspicion. She heard one of her sons talking to one of the doctors, who accepted his bribe to continue poisoning her, and while he applied medicine in front of the other doctors, to make them believe it was an anesthetic for pain, it was actually more like poison. Lea was suspicious of the tea that this son brought her before she fell into bed, but she couldn't believe that this act, which seemed to be a gesture of affection and care, was actually an attempt on her life, even more so coming from her own son. However, when she became sure that her colic increased every time she drank the tea, she told her son that she would no longer drink it. Lea gave in. For if it was her death that would make her son happy, she would die for him. However much it cost her to leave his brother vulnerable to her attempts. For a while she tried to understand the reasons why her son wanted her dead, and the instant she asked, she remembered the words she had spoken to the king long ago. He should have listened and taken her as a person who could intervene and even hinder his plans. She would not do it, but she would try to warn her husband of the danger he was in, she did not wish the same end for him. He should be there by the time the grandchildren arrived and take care of them, as was their plan. He should take his grandchildren to a farm, surrounded by nature, and watch them run and play as if they were ordinary children.
After she was sure of what her beloved son was doing to her, she felt sad, but she couldn't hate him. She just wanted to understand why. For she would not stand in his way... And just as she suspected the answer came, when she overheard yet another of his conversations with the doctor he bribed;
"I want you to increase the dose of the medicine. The longer she lives, the longer I'll be away from the throne and I can't wait any longer. And besides, she might be well enough to make Papa give up on giving me half the kingdom. I personally carried the tea for her for weeks until she succumbed to the effects." He said coldly. He was plotting the rush of her death as freely as if he were dealing with the menu for the day. She was right in her assumptions.
"But... What about your father? Will he kill the king with poison too?"
"He won't have to. Once the queen leaves this world, he will not resist and will keep her company in the afterlife. She is the reason for his existence. He won't have the strength to go on.... Besides, he might even become an ally. But she... Never! The king has favored me for so long that he will no longer stop to look back and assume that he made a mistake... But it wasn't really a mistake. It was fate. And he will support me in anything, as long as I know how to manipulate him into surrendering to my wills."
"Don't you feel any remorse that you are killing your own mother in this way? Wouldn't it be better if you stuck a dagger in her chest? This poison causes pain. You must be silently suffering unimaginable pain..." The doctor asked pitying her.
"Shut up! How dare you? She is my mother! Of course it saddens me to have to watch her wither away little by little. But I can't kill her any other way. It would arouse suspicion. Papa would search for the culprit until the end of his days. It would give him a reason to continue reigning. And that is not what I want. I need him to no longer want to fulfill his duties as king. Mother will forgive me. I hope she considers this a debt she owed me and is paying with her life."
"What debt is that?"
"To have put my brother into the world and therefore my throne is threatened." He said with hatred and the doctor said nothing more. He felt fear. If he was capable of murdering his own mother in such a cruel way, he didn't want to be around to find out what he would do to him who was the only witness to what was happening and at that moment, he decided that he would leave with his family as soon as the queen left. He couldn't go before, because he was sure that Ale would look for him for fear of being denounced, but after the queen was no longer among them, he would probably forget her existence if he didn't stay around to be a constant reminder of that murder. There he would have no guarantee of safety, as he could become the next target to wipe out any evidence of that crime once and for all.
After Lea heard this conversation, even though she was ill, she surrounded her son with affection, because she loved him. She could not explain to Dartan what had happened, because she feared that Dartan, blinded by hatred, would hurt her son. She could not allow this! Even if the price was his own life. However, he also feared for Dartan and his other son. What cruel acts would this son still be capable of in order to achieve his goals? He didn't know... And perhaps he would never know, because he felt his life slipping away. He looked fondly at the man who held his hand with a questioning look in his eyes.
"No Dartan. Your affection has not made me sick. For the life I have had by your side, has been like a fairy tale, and your love is a balm to the pain. If I could choose, I would live it all over again by your side. I would always choose you. If I close my eyes I can still see you the day you proposed to me.... You looked so beautiful nervous..."
Upon hearing those words, Dartan did not hold back and fell into tears. He knew that until then he had been a fortunate man to have a woman like Leah, and to know that she felt the same way was heart wrenching. He knew that he would never see her smile again after that day.
"There is something I need to tell you, dear..."
Dartan raised his gaze, his face still bathed in tears.
"Tell Léa..."
"Soon, soon, I won't be here anymore."
"Don't talk like that... The doctors are trying..." Dartan said even though he knew she was right. He would have to tell her the truth. Since she was going to leave, she needed to know that he used and exhausted every resource he had to save her.
"No! Please don't delude yourself. This will be our last conversation. But I don't want you to cry. We will meet in the afterlife and continue what was interrupted here. I need you to be strong and continue your mission here. I will never abandon you. Even if my body will no longer be seen by you, my spirit will be with you. I would like you to allow me one last wish."
"Anything you wish."
"Step away from the throne."
The king looked at her in confusion.
"I cannot do that!"
Lea gripped his arm with surprising strength for someone who was on the verge of death.
"You gave your word! You must do as I ask. Send Ale to the palace you built and keep Luc here. You must do so, before you come to keep me company in the afterlife. Take care of our children and be vigilant. Then go to that farm and raise our grandchildren as we always agreed..."
"Lea, I do not understand the origin of your request, however I will keep my word and do what you ask if it reassures you. Our children are already at the age of reigning... However, I feel from your words that you know something very important and I would like you to share it with me."
"You will know my love... There will come days when your eyes will be opened and the truth will fall on your head as a punishment for the days when you were blind. You will recognize the enemy where you deposited affection and tenderness.... I am saddened to know that I will no longer be here to console your tears and share your disappointment... And I regret that I am not the light that will take away the darkness in your eyes."
"My beloved Lea... I realize that you have no notion of what you speak, for they are mysterious and meaningless words." Dartan said and placed his hand on her forehead and felt it very hot. "It burns in fever... Now, I don't even know if I should keep my promise, since your words must be nothing but the ravings of a dying woman. I wanted this conversation to be something I could lean on, a good memory of our last moments together. But I realize that it's already too late. I love you, Lea. And the only thing I can promise you is that no other woman will ever take your place. Not while I am king..."
"Don't worry about silly things. I even wish you would marry again and go to the farm and live a quiet life..." She cracked a weak smile. "Where I go, I'll be fine and I want you to be fine too."
"No. No woman's love will replace yours. But I promise to be strong and be a good grandfather. I will talk and tell your adventures to them. They will grow up knowing their origin.... "
Lea did not insist. She didn't have the strength for argument. She loved him, and hoped that this love could serve as a support when her torments came. Suddenly she felt happy. The room became brighter, and in the bright light she glimpsed a figure approaching her bed and holding out his hand. Lea understood that she should accept it and go with him. She did so and, getting out of bed, continued with this entity through a corridor of light. She heard a scream and turned around. It was Dartan, weeping, leaning over her body, repeating her name. She wanted to go back to console the man she had loved all her life, but the entity wouldn't let her, pointing her toward the corridor of light. Lea then understood that she was leaving, that her time there was over, and that she would not live, for her glory, the new era that would arise with the fruits of her womb. She went on her way hoping that there would be no memories, no pain, wherever the entity was taking her.
She entered a portal with the colors of the rainbow behind the entity and arrived at a place that looked like a neighborhood to her. Very different from the villages she was used to visiting. There didn't seem to be people there in need of food and clothing. Everyone who passed by looked interested only in the entity that was leading her. They didn't notice her and didn't seem to care who she was. Then she remembered, that wherever she was, she was no longer queen. She left that position as soon as she left that room and left her husband in tears. Then she understood with happiness that she was free. And that thing in her chest that was so suffocating that she had felt squeezing her since she had become queen, was no more.
Before her eyes the entity disappeared and a man appeared standing in front of her, with a pleasant smile. She looked at him strangely. She didn't know if she knew him. But he was the first to show interest in her presence.
"I am Antonio. I'm here to take you to orbit, which is the place where people who will no longer return to live lives in different worlds are being housed while they wait for their half. Congratulations! You have fulfilled your mission in an enviable way. I know you are someone different. I've never taken anyone into orbit before, and I confess I'm thrilled."
"Pleasure Antonio." Lea said and stooped slightly to greet according to her customs. "This place you said you are taking me to, will I be able to know and follow the life of my half?"
"No. I bell a lot." Antonio smiled at how sure she was of knowing who her half was. She didn't know that great loves in those worlds, there became only good memories. However, she was indeed lucky. She lived next to her half while she was in that world. "I believe it would be better not to dwell on them... About the people that were left behind. You can get distracted by various things where you are going." Antonio said deciding that he would let her know by chance, the reality of the other people less unfortunate in love.
"Can people here, in this place keep track of what happens to their offspring?" She asked with a queenly air.
"Yes. They don't detach very easily..."
"Then this is where I will stay."
Antonio stared at her in surprise. He hadn't expected that reaction.
"I'll have to talk to... I need to know if this is possible. Come with me and I will leave you in a small house until I return with an answer."
"You seem confused." Lea commented as she began to walk beside him.
"Well... I've been here a long time and I've never met someone like you. I didn't think I'd be here long enough to see one of you coming..."
"Someone like me? Now I'm the one who's confused..."
"You are not an ordinary person.... I don't know how your son had the strength to carry out any evil plan against you. Didn't you ever realize that people felt happy around you?"
"Well... I was queen. I believe they felt more important with the attention I paid to them..."
"I have no doubt that you were endowed with great charisma. But that wasn't what made people happy. It was the light you carried within you. You conveyed to anyone who approached you the hope that everything would end well..."
"I never understood that gift.... Why did you have them?"
"You still have them." Antonio stopped in front of the house that Liza and Gabriel inhabited. "I was anxious when they told me I would be hosting you, not because you are different, but because I wanted to feel what they were saying."
"But why do I have that gift?" She said appraising the house he was looking at and finding it very beautiful on the outside. "Is this where I will stay waiting for you to return?"
"Yes. Those who will be born as your grandchildren have inhabited this home and I believe the imprint of their love energy is still in the house. And answering, you have this and other gifts, I believe it is because you already know what it is to be complete, but I am not sure. You may have a reason that I will never know. You went to that world with your half, of your own free will. You didn't need to be reborn anymore, but you made sure to accompany him, even though you knew you would come back first... You reached a higher level of love for people and that makes you the most special in this place... You don't need to stay here. There is a much more suitable sphere for such a person. If you want to stay here, you will be treated like everyone else. They are still too attached to their own reality to see the intensity of love that flows from you. There is a better place and you are going to give that up to maybe get upset about things that are going to happen? You know that entity that guided you here? You will be like her if you go to the place reserved for you. In fact, from what I heard, you already were, until you decided that you would be reborn..."
"I want to meet my grandchildren." Lea said decisively, ignoring all the rest of Antonio's words, and he turned to her with an astonished air. Of everything he told her, that one, it seemed, was the only one that interested her.
"Come into the house." Antonio said amiably. "I'll see if I can let you stay, let you accompany your relatives and let you meet your grandchildren."
"Tell me something... How are other people received here?"
"Well... Usually, they are brought here in a deep sleep and as soon as they awaken we take them to our hospital."
"I see..." She said thoughtfully and then entered the house.
Antonio went to the place where he always met with the angel who gave him instructions on what should be done and stood waiting for him. He never lingered when he felt Antonio in that special place, for he knew that he was not looking for him for trivial reasons. And as expected, he soon arrived and Anthony brought him Leah's requests, and the angel listened carefully. As soon as he said everything, the angel allowed him to fulfill any and all of Leah's wishes, but let her know that when her half came, this time she would not be allowed to be reborn. Antonio returned to the house happy to have good news to give her, but curious that they accepted and even directed her to do everything as she wished. This was never granted to anyone. The angel didn't even ask to wait until he consulted his superior, which made Leah the target of much speculation. Antonio decided that he would keep this a secret even from her, and in silence he would watch her. He suspected that she was much more than the entity that had come for her.
He entered the house and soon smelled fresh coffee. He ran to the kitchen and Lea was preparing a table for two. She had put cookies on a tray and as soon as she saw him she pointed to the cup that she had just served. Antonio sat down.
"You guys don't drink coffee in that world.... Not that kind. How did you know how to prepare it?" Antonio asked, now certain that she was more than they revealed to him.
"The young lady who brought the coffee and cookies explained to me how it was done." She said sitting down as well. "So?" She asked sure he would understand.
"Yes. You can stay. If this house doesn't suit you, I'll find a bigger one..."
"Enough of this nonsense. This house is perfect. I want to see my grandchildren." She said with an air of satisfaction as she sipped her coffee. "This is a very good drink.
"I should warn you that they must have seen that you are no longer there and have been following your trajectory since you gave birth to the twins.... They must not yet harbor a brotherly love for you, after all, they come from other families and still remember their last parents."
Lea finished her coffee and tapped one hand on the other to get the cookie crumbs out of her hand.
"Can you hurry please?" She asked softly. "I don't want to be late for my funeral."
Antonio ducked his head to smile unseen, as he considered her words funny. Nobody there, never wanted to see that. However, he soon had his coffee and they went together to the Crystal Mansion. He decided that he would put another bed there, as he suspected that she would not want to leave there until Dartan came to meet her.
Liza and Gabriel were hugging with tears in their eyes as they watched the pain of their grandfather and their future parents. But they realized that there was someone else there, Antonio suspected that they sensed by the strong presence emanating from Leah, and they looked back.
After a lot of talking and hugging, defying logic, since Antonio couldn't imagine, even in his wildest daydreams, that they were kindred spirits, Lea finally asked them:
"You love each other.... You are each other's halves and you will come back as relatives? That won't work out..."
"It wasn't our wish either." Liza said resignedly.
"Good. Let's watch then. Now that I'm here, I want you to be born and love me even in my absence."
Liza exchanged a look with Gabriel who explained:
"We won't take any memories of this place and not even yours..."
"You will take it in your heart. Not in your mind. When you speak of me, you will always feel touched in your soul and know that something great awaits you. And you can believe that in early childhood I will take it upon myself to pay you visits."
Antonio, Liza and Gabriel looked at each other without understanding and like her, turned their attention to what was happening in Lea's world.