~Laith~
'Could it be his voice that echoes in my head?' the thought played in my mind over and again like a broken record.
Rhon ushered me through the manicured lawns of the palace garden to go and meet the Saint. My mind raced back and forth through the thoughts of the Evil One.
The voice in my head won't let me be. It was cold and yet strangely warm at the same time. Impossible to distinguish whether the person was my well-wisher or my bane.
The walk to the garden was short. Soon, the Saint was before my eyes. Standing by the altar of goddess Rezelna.
"How do you plan to do that with a tainted heart?" a voice asked in my head louder than ever.
The words created doubt in my mind. Something out of the ordinary had transpired the previous day. I had no recollection of what that might be, a fact that caused my heart to panic.
"Greetings to the holy Saint of house Rezelna," I greeted. Feigning confidence in my voice. It was better not to alarm the Saint on a matter I knew nothing about.
"Holy Incirion, you've come at the right time. I'm about to perform a ceremony to consult the gods and ancestors on the arrival of the Evil One," she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and gently pulled me along to the altar. "I could use your light to find answers."
I followed along to the altar. My blood ran cold as the image of the darkened holy water replayed in my mind. The closer I stood to the altar, the more chaotic my nerves became.
A doubt came to be in my belief. The roots of the doubts are unknown to me.
"I wish to learn from Goddess Rezelna what has caused the ominous shadow over Liradia. But she has been quiet since dawn. Hopefully, with your aid, she will grant me answers," the Saint spoke up.
I flashed her a nervous smile. Feeling uneasy to face my goddess. She was my mother, my source of peace and comfort. However, for the first time, I felt more terrified than calm in her presence.
"Your light will guide us to the Evil One," the Saint confidently uttered.
I raised my hand before the statue of the goddess on the altar. Ready to release my light to aid the Saint in finding the Evil One.
"The deposed crown prince!"
"It's the deposed crown prince!"
"Oh goddess Rezelna, it's the deposed crown prince!"
"It's Prince Zephirin!"
The hype from the palace workers and Rhon attracted my attention to the entourage of the deposed crown prince.
My eyes landed on the second prince, Caelan. Standing side by side with his new fiancee, Princess Zakishi. My hand dropped, and the energy in my body drained in a span of a moment.
All the promises Prince Caelan made echoed in my head. He had once whispered a promise of the world to me. Yet, he made me into a joke when he took another's hand.
Tears welled up in my eyes. The sight tore my heart apart. The pain far exceeded the one I felt the previous day when he proposed to her.
It was hard to watch the man I love with all of my heart hold onto someone else before my eyes. Everything in the background faded. My focus was on the second prince and his right hand hooked around Princess Zakishi's waist.
A gesture that brought more tears to my eyes. "Incirion Laith," Rhon called out to me.
His voice was too soft to break past the sad chapters of my life that played out before my eyes. Caelan's voice, his sweet scent, and the warmth of his lingering touch all came back to me.
'Why did you force me to see when im not allowed to have you?' tears streamed down my eyes.
"Greeting to the holy Incirion," a cold sharp voice broke my daze. I turned my head to the side to give attention to the person. My eyes opened wide as I came face to face with the deposed crown prince.
'Holy Rezelna, it's Prince Zephirin,' I thought stunned. It was the first time I had an audience with Prince Zephirin since he was eleven years of age.
He sure looked different, aged, and composed. "R..Rise," I managed to let out.
Prince Zephirin raised his head. His purple eyes locked with mine as he gazed at me. His lips curled up into a friendly smile.
"I apologize, your holiness. My ignorance led down a wrong path over the years hence we never met," he uttered his voice soft and smooth to my ears. "But I want to see the light," he inched closer to me and touched my arm. My body shivered, as though familiar to his touch.
"I hope you can show me the light, your divine holiness," he continued.
My heart stopped beating. The day bore more surprises than I'd imagined. The Evil One was here and now the deposed crown prince was standing inches away from me asking for guidance.
'Did the sun rise from the west this morning?'
I raised my eyes to the sky to confirm. The sun was shining sweetly in the east.
"Holy Incirion," Prince Caelan grabbed my free hand and gently placed it on his forehead as a form of greeting. My breath hitched. My heart skipped a few too many beats for me to maintain any form of composure. "I hope you are well?"
Concern oozed out of his lips as he spoke. I gritted my teeth and held back inquires to his concern. No answer could heal my broken soul.
"He is well else he would have excused himself from making an appearance," Prince Zephirin spoke up on my behalf before I could respond. He politely yanked Prince Caelan's hand away from mine. "A word, Incirion," he requested.
My body was numb. Unable to respond I stood there rooted to the ground staring at the second prince. 'Why did you choose to break me?'
Thanks to the goddess's mercy I was able to hold back on grabbing the second prince by the collar. To ask him to give me a good reason why it isn't my hand he's holding.
The pain in my heart was too much. I was ready to sacrifice my life for him by pulling off my robe and withdrawing from my position. To be by his side.
The second prince once filled my spring with colours and now he was filling my eyes with tears. 'Someone save me,' I screamed internally.
Prince Zephirin grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Broken promises clouded my visage. My feet were moving following Prince Zephirin's movement. I had no energy to fight him. The pain overwhelmed me.
Once the palace and everyone were out of sight. The deposed crown prince pulled me into his embrace. Before I could process the move he pulled, he patted my back softly. For a person rumored to be cold and heartless, he seemed warm and kind to me.
"You should work on hiding your feelings better if you are to stay alive, my tainted Incirion," his sweet firm voice melodically sounded. My eyes cleared, and my heart picked up a new beat. Fear ran down my spine. To be in his arms made me breathless. "If your tears keep falling for a man. Your sin will only keep growing, I have a feeling you don't want that," he whispered.
Everything from my previous interaction with Prince Zephirin flickered in my mind. It poured on me like ice-cold water.
"The Evil One is you," I voiced out.
"Did you miss me, love?" he asked and let out an evil laughter. His arms wrapped gently around me. Like I was made of glass and he was scared to break me if he pressed harder.