HOME AGAIN

As the carriage rode through the isolated hillsides to the unlively fields, a few minutes past they had just crossed the border.

One could feel the anguish that filled the atmosphere, the distress that was diluted in it and the mourning of everything natural alike.

From the fields hung the black flag, a symbol of national mourning and some villages where Soren passed looked drad and had furnaces ablaze.

No one could pay attention to the carriage that supposedly carried one of their princes, it had the Scoln Coat of arms engraved on it so it didn't seem to be their business.

Not only was this national mourning very sad, it looked every bit of a war struck situation.

People looked entirely devastated and yet putting aside all that, they had to jubilate and celebrate the ascension of a new King.

Hours passed before Soren's carriage arrived at the Imperial palace in Endra.

Seeing the carriage being pulled down the street to the palace gates, everyone shifted their gaze onto it.

Sure, word of Soren's miscarriage and accident had spread about the entire continent in the five days that had passed since it had occured.

This was perhaps the double devastation the people of Endra had talked about.

For Soren, it was perhaps the most trying moment of his life, more than two devastations had struck him.

First was the loss of his child, then his husband distanced himself from him when he needed him the most, again his father died and with his in laws supposedly on bad terms with him, the climax was him becoming the unpopular Prince, the cursed bride and the unlucky consort of the land.

All honors that were perhaps very horrible were put on him, in an instant , the matrimonial bliss in which he had rejoiced simply crumbled and was replaced with mere sadness.

Soren's carriage came to a halt in front of the palace staircase and immediately the coachmen opened the door and offered a hand to help.

Soren simply ignored and stepped out of the carriage in a black velvet gown with his face veiled entirely.

Helren who was not aquainted with the Endran tradition followed Gerald's lead, he had only accompanied Soren because he was entitled to protect him but one thing he was well versed with was his ability to speak Endran almost as fluently as he spoke the Scoln language.

Soren who was feeling better and had recovered from the pains of his bruises and his fall managed to walk up the staircase on his own and eventually, the was inside the wide main palace doors.

The servants simply bowed down wherever Soren passed and curtsied as he took a stroll in the familiar hallways he had not walked down for a very long while.

It had been nearly a while but nothing had changed about the place at all, The palace still had its magnificent glow.

However, the glow of the Emerald palace was dull at the moment as servants and royals alike mourned The King's death.

"Where are we going?" Helren whisperingly asked Gerald.

"The Central hall." Gerald replied keeping his whisper very low and sure enough Soren was not listening because he seemed to be absent minded and lost in his own thoughts probably grieving.

"Why?" Helren asked.

"It is an Endran tradition, every so when the sovereign dies, he must never receive final rites until all the princes and princesses, children of the blood are present.

The corpse of the dead king is moved to the Central hall where even commoners visit once in a while for the first three days of mourning to observe him.

There his people have the last sight of him and where King's before both past and present were laid, his spirit interceeds with the spirits of those that went on before him.

We believe, even in the heavens, he is crowned an eternal king of the realm, where he helps his own successor as well to maintain the order and stability, values and tradition of those ancestors that came before him or her.

What even the Scolns think, but the difference is that we believe deeper, even the dead kings continue to rule in Spirit with their successors." Gerald replied.

"It is very sad for his highness at this very moment, he has to bury both his father and his child at literally the same time." Helren said.

"He grieves more than only those two deep down in his heart, he lost so much more than his father and son." Gerald said as Soren approached the main hall.

Immediately, the doors were opened up to him and the guards there bowed down as Soren walked in to the silent mourning for a salutation that rose from the fairly large number of people inside the hall.

Cousins, uncles, aunts and very close relatives with his siblings were stationed there and all talking amongst themselves as the majority consoled the imperial family.

Soren's appearance attracted the attention of everyone else and they shifted their eyes to him.

Soren keen to prevent any eye contact with them stared and he beheld what was a sarcophagus that had been fitted with a glass above up front and there he moved on until he could see his father.

He lay miserable but peaceful, still and pale but wore a fairly bright cherry shade on his face probably from some make up that was aimed to keep his face tanned.

He wore his military uniform but his titles were absent except for the one honor that identified him as the King, the Golden star with the royal crest.

Beside him were the Crown jewels, the solid gold Imperial crown, the sceptre and the orb fitted with the six petaled lotus.

The royal standard hung three quarters to grant sight of his face and the scene being very real in an instant seemed to start breaking Soren deep inside.

Slowly his eyes became wet and he did try his best to lower his sobs which was a simple success because finally, the tears rolled in small volumes without him making a sound.

Soren who seemed frozen in the place was brought back after he felt a very gentle touch on his left shoulder.

"It is a pity that his husband is not here to console him, my master loved Conelm certainly so much but in the end, Conelm could not even try and value his heart." Gerald said.

Soren turned and saw his mother the Queen dowager Violet who looked even sadder than she had looked before.

She hugged him as they kissed each others cheeks before Sabrina and Sian moved closer towards the two.

"I don't know what is wrong with his highness either, this keeping a distance with Soren, he has never done that to anyone before, not even his family members or servants he has been close too." Helren said.

"It was what Soren always feared, growing up he never loved intimately that much, one thing that he certainly hated more than a betrayal was a heartbreak.

It was perhaps after he met Conelm and was betrothed to him against his own will that he felt he could love but now, all that he is seeing is his relationship crumble and gradually start to fall apart." Gerald said.

"I am so sorry my dear." Violet whispered to her son whom she tightly embraced.

"I am so sorry mother." Soren replied before Sabrina came as the Queen dowager pulled apart and embraced Soren comforting him as well.

After the two pulled apart, Soren turned around to face Sian, moving a step backward and undecisive of what to do, he simply curtsied.

"Your Majesty." Soren calmly said before he moved closer towards his brother and kissed his left cheek as they hugged.

"Where is your husband?" Sian coldly asked.

Soren was suddenly overwhelmed by disappointment and he frowned before he mastered the courage to speak up to him.

"I am afraid he will not be able to make it for the funeral but he does send his condolences and is deeply sorry for our loss." Soren said, unsure if he was even sounding truthful.

"You are burying your father, he does not show up for that one last rite, he is no less what I imagined." Sian spoke, trying to keep his tone low.

"He is grieving the death of his son and at this point I am uncertain he does not have the courage to face me." Soren tried to defend reasonably.

"So are you, it was not his child alone but yours as well brother, that is no good excuse and perhaps you moving out of the imperial residence is another question you must answer." Sian said.

"I prefer this not to be the right moment for this talk." Soren said.

"Forgive me for sounding harsh your Majesty." Soren softly added .

"Both of you, for my sake and your father's, I do not want to hear you argue or speaking about Soren's in laws again not until the mourning is officially over." The Queen dowager said.

Soren then moved away to blend with the other mourners.

"Sian the young prince might be nothing like his father but he does care for Soren so much and unlike his father, he is someone who does not tolerate everything.

No one knows but if he ever learnt about the torture and this division that exists between Soren and his husband then I am sure he would not hesitate even once to terminate their relationship." Gerald said.