Back to the present
Qaya stood on the ledge of the balcony. Her eyes brimming with tears, defeat tasted so bitter, it mocked her."I should just die, Awin has won. He's finally broken me"
Qaya looked at the ground beneath her and asked herself if she could really kill herself. She wondered if all this was just a dream and she would awake as Qaya Wright, the thought of that made her happy until she remembered that she would still be under Awin's thumb. Was there really no escaping this cursed fate? And if there was, would it be death?
"I've died before and it wasn't so bad" she thought.
She stood there, and burst out laughing when she saw herself subconsciously trying to find balance on the ledge.
"I don't know if this requires cowardice or courage but I don't have what it takes…"
Her maniac laughter slowly turned into sobs.
Just then, Awin strolled in, stunned by the sight and quickly dragged her down, she fell down and bruised her elbow and knees.
"What are you doing?" He asked in a rather calm and quizzical manner.
She ignored him and stood up in a daze and limped to a chair and sat down. She lifelessly stared at him.
"What are YOU doing?" She asked him
"I'm just going to assume that you're asking what I'm doing here. I'm here because I'm your husband and we should share a room"
"really?" She let out a baffled gasp and put her hand on her chest reeling herself from a feigned shock. "…Even if there's a possibility that your wife might stab you when you sleep?"
Awin chuckled "you think you have what it takes to kill me?"
"Try me"
For a short second, Awin feared for his life. The look she had given him just now wasn't something a man usually sees. In fact the only other time he'd seen a look like that, it wasn't even on a human but on an animal about to brutally kill its prey, not for food but game.
"We still have to fulfill out marital duties, no?"
Qaya laughed and stood up "what do you want? What are you expecting? That after defaming me, tearing me down and causing me so much pain by forcing me into this bondage of a marriage, I would rush into your arms? For a scheming man, you're quite daft"
"it's the anger talking, right" Awin smiled condescendingly "it must hurt your ego after I pulled you down from that high horse.
You see Qaya, I would have let you continue feeling a false sense of security but you caused this. You were becoming too pompous, you even cheated with Zachary...you had it coming"
Qaya smiled "so in your mind, every single win I had in this whole tussle of ours is because you let it happen?" She sighed in exasperation.
"Yes, you keep getting information on my work because I let it happen. The Intel about mythic mermaid and even whatever Marcel told you"
Qaya flinched. She had already put one and one together and understood that the whole incident at the mythic mermaid was a setup that she carelessly fell for, but the fact that Marcel was also a pawn used by Awin, was new information that changed everything. Did Awin think so little of them, that he would purposefully leak information of his deeds? Then he mind went to Marcel, she hadn't met one on one with the boy but the reports that got to her proved that he was a sincere boy being exploited, Qaya feared for what he might have gone through before and after he leaked that information, her heart was broken and Awin seemed to catch that, so he thought to add salt to injury.
"Poor Marcel, I thought he would last long but I can't always be right"
"what?"
"You've gone through so much already, so I won't make your situation worse, by walking you through the entire torture process" he ran his hands through his hair nonchalantly. Qaya was trying her best to not retch. She straightened up and looked at him defiantly, trying her hardest to ignore her own weakness.
"Where are Jaslin and Rivan?"
"I didn't hurt them, I just held them till the wedding ended, they should be home by now"
"I'm grateful" she replied sarcastically. Awin frowned at her snarky remark but waved it off, literally.
"Enough chit-chat, I wanted you to know that the trial of the threshold will commerce soon, that's why, I'm here" Awin plumped into a chair and Qaya winced.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in" Awin called
two priestesses from the ganilian sanctuary, walked in
"Good evening, we're here for the test"
"Does the king have to be here?"
"well...Uhm, you might"
"don't be silly, of course I have to be—"
"I was asking the priestesses, the experts" she shut him down
"your highness, if you don't want any men to be present during the test, we can arrange for that" the head priestess managed to say through nervousness
"thank you, I'd like that" she turned to Awin, not even trying to veil her disdain for him "didn't you hear—your highness, you're not needed"
Awin turned to the priestesses "she's just very shy"
***
Rivan sighed and took a swig of his beer. Beer is usually bitter but that evening it just tasted horrible but he just had to keep drinking. It was his way of comforting his companion; his very unlikely companion.
"Take it easy" he chided Zachary
"It's fine" the other just waved his comment
"isn't it bitter? You seem to be enjoying it"
Zachary shrugged "everything else is just as bitter"
in that busy and lively bar, the two men sat quietly. There was an unspoken understanding between them, each feeling like they'd failed themselves, Qaya and the friendship they had with the girl. Rivan especially tried to push the incident to the back of his mind, he felt so incapable and guilty for letting Qaya walk into that trap. And a part of him wondered if Zachary and Jaslin blamed him for what happened after all he was the one who brought the information. But he couldn't bring himself to really find the answer to the question. He turned to his companion, a man who he'd always be suspicious of. If there was any doubt lingering in his mind about Zachary, they'd certainly been laid down to rest.
Rivan dropped his own bottle and pat Zachary on the back
Zachary raised his eyebrows confused and turned back to his drink.
Rivan let out a light chuckle. He was shocked and surprised by how he was suddenly feeling a sense of brotherhood for this man only because of the pain the latter was feeling.
The pain on Zachary's face is one that resonated strongly with Rivan; he'd gone through the same thing, so he understood.
After a while, Rivan noticed that Zachary was quiet. He turned to where the other sat and chuckled as he saw Zachary knocked out. As they left the pub, Rivan looked at the sleeping Zachary sympathetically "Don't worry, Qaya is stronger than you think"
***
the priestesses looked at each other nervously. There was a dead look in Qaya's eyes and it just made them feel uneasy.
"Your—your highness, the test is done...you...passed"
"why you tell me? I was aware of that already, go and tell the men that pointed their filthy fingers at me"
They nodded and hurriedly left the room. Qaya locked the door behind them and broke down. She heard as a few maids whispered about her, saying how lucky she was that she got the female priests and that only infuriated her. She wanted to go them and talk their ear off and probably smack them but she was too broken to do anything. She dragged herself and half crawled to her bed, muffling her wails with her pillow. She felt like a hose, like the palace she was living only that this palace had just been robbed, vandalized and disrespected and then hurriedly put together. If you destroyed something that took decades to be built and tried to restore it in hours and pretend that all was well, everyone would know that the palace was no longer a palace but a shack.
Qaya's hands balled into fists as she thought about the person that caused her this pain and reproach.
After crying for what seemed to be hours, she managed to calm down. Even with the hurt and anger she felt, she assured herself, even if Awin had destroyed her dignity, she would build it back up. That was the only thing she could do.
***
the official first day of Qaya being queen was lively; everyone was still happy and even giddy from the merriment of the day before.
Qaya had just moved to her own palace and looked uninterestedly as everyone else scampered and went about their duties.
A knock caught her attention.
"Come in"
Morgan rushed in. "My lady—I mean your highness, I have urgent news. I came earlier but you were in Cralville then and by the time you came back, you also got married to the king"
"what is the news?" Qaya stood up, she became apprehensive
"I found this" she handed a book to Qaya "it belonged to my mother; it chronicles the things she witnessed in Zajey"
The book fell from Qaya hands, Morgan rushed to pick it up.
"Your highness, are you okay?"
Qaya found herself struggling to breathe.
Ever since she was led to the slaughter in the name of marriage, all she'd felt was shame, anger and resentment but this book gave her hope and sadness, it wasn't the nicest of feelings but with all the suffocating emotions she'd been feeling, this was a much better situation.
Regardless, this felt too much. This very recent defeat and humiliation in the hands of Awin dampened her morale and she was already getting over it, wanting to give up...but this book made it hard. Qaya silently rebuked herself for feeling like giving up, she couldn't. The further they went into the investigation the higher the stakes, with all that had happened and all the lives that were sacrificed, she just could not let Awin win.
Morgan panicked and rushed to get help, but Qaya held her back.
"Don't go anywhere, I'm fine, I was just shocked" Qaya managed to retrieve her composure.
"Morgan, I am very grateful for this information but I will have to ask you for a favor" she whispered into the other's ears "keep this for me, no one else must know of the existence of this book, I will get back to you"
The other woman nodded eagerly and left.
Qaya sank into her chair and rubbed her temples; there were so many things she wanted to do but with her being Queen and the circumstances that led to her occupying the position, she had to stay put.
"Awin you had one thing wrong. It was my oversight that led to you winning. I was the one that let you win"
Beside her was a letter that she had received in the morning but she really didn't care for but with Morgan's revelation, she felt a bit revitalized and strong enough.
The letter read
"Good day, your highness... unfortunately,
I don't know if you're aware already but I will be declared missing by the time you get this letter, that is if, Awin wants to let anyone know of my existence.
I just wrote this letter to let you know that I am well and good. Do not worry.
The king had sent his men to kill me because he got wind of my visit to you, my advice...remove Awin's spies from your palace, replace them with people you trust.
I managed to escape and I'm now in hiding but I will still offer help behind the scenes.
After all, you cannot forget our plan to take the kingdom from the monster's grasp
Yours,
Zarela."
As Qaya watched the letter get swallowed up by flames, her resolve to continue striving to defeat Awin became stronger. Once upon a time, it was because of revenge but Qaya was now learning that it was her hatred and desire for vengeance that let her fall prey to Awin in the first place. The night of her wedding, something died within her. She had completely given up everything and the zeal had left her.
But today she came to a huge realization that maybe this story was not about her. Qaya concluded that Awin had to be defeated not because of her grudge but for the sake of countless lives, for the sake of the whole of Easteford and beyond.
To be continued
season one finale