"Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible." - Ephesians 5:11-13
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"I never truly understood why my sister attacked my parents until now," Henry let out a long disappointing sigh as his eyes showed that his heart sank. Breathing in sharply, he wiped his hand across his face to try and regain himself, "As I got older, I realized power meant privilege. My sister Morgan only wanted that power for herself. She didn't fully grasp the responsibility it held. A royal puts their kingdom first," He stuttered, wandering his mind at the thought, "T-their p-people." Henry laid his head back against his seat, darting his eyes across the ceiling trying to piece everything together, "Not forcing others to bow or worship them because they deem themselves worthy." As he sat there, taking in his own words, he tilted his head toward me, hoping that I would understand the story in which he told me.
Sitting there gazing into my husband's eyes, I only saw the torture that was being implemented on his soul. He blamed himself for his sister's death and only wished that things could have been different. I could feel every ounce of his pain, as it seeped from his very expression. Wanting to ease his pain, I said, "I know that the past is haunting. It is for everyone. What your sister did was vile indeed, but we can not forget that everyone is laced with sin. Your parents threw their daughter into the abyss, hoping she would never return." At my words, Henry shook his head, agreeing with my statement. Twiddling with his thumbs, he focused his mind on all the negative things that had happened in the past. This caused tears to manifest and roll down his rosy cheeks.
My husband rarely showed his emotions. He was always so regal, calm, and collected. This matter was something that he most likely kept to himself, bottling up all these emotions, not wanting to seem weak. As someone who understands that keeping your emotions affects your everyday life. I knew that confiding in someone often helps with struggling emotions, even when you are the man of the house. It is a lot of stress taking care of so many things at once. As his wife, it is my duty to share the load that we carry with one another. Sharing my thoughts with my husband, I stated, "You know you don't have to carry all of your feelings by yourself. We are a team and do things together." Reaching over to my husband, I grabbed his hand and clasped it firmly. Letting him know that I was here and that I could be his pillar of strength.
Henry smiled at me lovingly and acknowledged my attempt. He laced his fingers with mine and squeezed my hand, letting me know that he was going to be okay. Again, he sighed, but this time of relief, "Thank you for being with me. I know that I withheld some important information for a while, but I just couldn't risk the royal family being hurt or, much worse. Morgan's existence was wiped clean, no records of her ever being born, just to cover an attempted murder scandal." He laughed in disgust at his parent's actions. Gripping his hand into a fist, he slammed the throne in which he sat in frustration, "She was only a young fairy, every fairy her age was in rebellion against their parents. Why she had to be tossed away like garbage, I never fully understand." Henry loved his sister more than anything, and watching her be cursed by her parents must be frustrating. A curse of such a degree removes the outer body from the soul, letting the soul roam aimlessly. Morgan was to never have her body ever again, only in magic stealing could she regain a glimpse of her true form.
The risk of her performing such horrific acts was high. She would seek revenge in any way, shape, or form that she could against the royal family. Which meant that my husband was in great danger. Morgan was his sister, I understood his grievances, though he may end up doing the very thing that his parents once did. This time for protection against a threat. The kingdom will not be safe while this girl purges her revenge on the kingdom's people.
When I was about to reply to my husband's quandary, a guard came busting into the throne room gasping for air. Haunting in front of us, he held up a finger to motion to give him a minute to collect himself. As we sat there waiting, our curiosity lingered, hoping for the guard to speak. When he straightened himself, I commanded, "Speak!" The guard tensed at my words. Holding the strap on his uniform for stability.
Nonetheless, he spoke, "A dead body in the town square, your majesty. If I were you, I'd hurry. There is quite a curious crowd gathering." In his words, Henry and I bolted from our seats. Hurrying over to the castle doors to usher our way toward the commotion. Making our way over, Henry peered over at me in worry. He hoped in his heart that this was not his sister's doing. When we arrived at the scene, many fairies, witches, and warlocks gathered around the body. They whispered to themselves, spreading rumors around like wildfire.
Pushing my way through the crowd, I slowly stumbled my way to who or what they were circling. Arriving at what everyone was staring at, my heart immediately shattered. Fear danced around in my chest, seeing the victim lying there. They had completely turned to ash. Everything was destroyed. Their bones, which would be used to identify them, were also incinerated. How people knew this was a body was beyond me. As magical creatures we understood when a soul had been taken by force. When we steal a person's magic, we take the soul with us because our magic is a part of us. With no soul, the body no longer can survive on its own. Which results in the body crumbling to ash.
Standing there, taking in what I had just seen as whispers continued to dance around me, I regained the strength to move everyone away from the crime scene, "Alright, everyone back it up! We have a murder to investigate here!" My husband Henry came to my side and joined me in my pushback, forcing everyone to get back away from the body; again, I yelled, "Guards! Find every single possible clue you can discover. I want to know what happened here." Every guard shuffled forward and began searching the area, obeying their queen's command. Trying to get everyone home, I protested, "Okay, everyone goes back home. The guards will do a thorough search and report to us their findings sometime this week. Please remain inside, and if you see anything suspicious, please report it directly to me." Everyone was hesitant at first, still wanting to stare at the body in wonder. They slowly began to trickle back to their homes safe and sound. More and more chatter began to circle the crowd of people as they moved. Most of the conversations were about who did it and how everyone would remain safe. These worries began to cross my mind, knowing that the perpetrator was still out there. I knew that the only person who could have done this was Morgan, but I needed to know where she was and how to defeat her before more innocent civilians got killed.
Glancing over at my husband Henry, who was still beside me, I could see the disappointment he felt when he knew that this was his sister's doing, "Morgan, maybe your sister, and I know that you love her greatly, but she is no longer the sister you once adored. She is a girl out to seek revenge, and the only way to stop her is to seal her away forever." Henry's face began to dim at the thought of capturing his sister and locking his sister away, "We must rebind her to the book, and we can't let anyone know she is your sister. If anything, we will say the monster came from the darkness. This will keep everyone away, hopefully not too curious." Henry looked down at his feet and huffed a great sigh once more, this time in defeat. Henry understood that his sister was going to take vengeance, and he knew that her spree would not stop.
Looking at me once more, he agreed, "Alright, let's recapture my sister."