The flaws in our story

Seraphine walked through Darius' quarters. It was late afternoon and the sun would soon go to take its rest. She would join in the search even if Rhea would not allow it but first she had to break the news properly to Darius. She reached his room and knocked twice, it took a minute but the door was finally opened.

"Evening," He said in a husky voice.

"Evening," She replied. "son."

He must have already heard of the news. He wasn't the type to be open about his emotion but the very slight widening of his eyes told what she needed to know. He hadn't expected her to call him that

"May I come in?" She asked.

Without a word, he moved out of the doorway for her to enter. She did and he closed the door. She sat on a bench but he didn't sit, instead, he leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed. His dark eyes set on her and waited.

Seraphine took a long look at him. He looked like Juliet, she realized. His dark blue eyes were from Juliet but he had not taken her blond hair. His bronzed skin looked immaculate in the presence of the scarlet rays of the evening that beamed through the window. Seraphine took a deep breath before she began. "You must have heard the news."

"I have." He affirmed.

"How do you feel about it?" She asked expectantly.

"How do I feel about it?" He repeated. "How do you feel knowing that the child you raised was another woman."

"I have no regrets being your mother." She told him.

"But you are not." He deadpanned.

His words hurt. "You are hurt."

"So are you." There was a drawn silence. "You finally cried."

There was no point in hiding it. "I am sorry."

"For what?"

She kept quiet, playing nervously with her fingers.

"For crying about a child that was taken from you?"

"I promised you..."

She was still thinking about his feelings despite her inner turmoil. Their little pact had been broken.

"I would be a tyrant if I took that right from you, it doesn't matter if I can't shed tears." He said. "You are holding it back right now." His eyes still held no warmth.

He hit the nail on the head. She looked to the side as the tears stung her eyes and nodded.

"Don't." It was as if he was pleading with her.

He moved to where she was and put her hand on her back. That was all she needed to burst. She let them fall and sobbed as he held her for as long as she needed. It felt good to release it. It had been more than ten years since she had cried but today had warranted it more than any other day in her life. She pulled away. "Son," She said.

"Don't call me that." He said. "I am not your son." He had taken that as his truth, he had always been honest to a fault. Mostly to himself.

She chuckled with pain apparent in her soft voice. "The flaws in our story as mother and son has not dimmed the love I have for you."

He said nothing.

She got up. "I have to go and look for her." She announced a hopeful smile forming on her chapped lips. She didn't expect him to join in the search, she couldn't ask that much from him.

She headed for the door which he opened for her. "Goodnight, son."

"Goodnight, your majesty." He responded, closing the door behind her.

****

Martha's POV

I was sent to a new jail room where I was alone, I felt a crushing weight had been lifted off my back. I hoped they would find her. I couldn't guess how she would look now, twenty years later. She could be identified by the sunshine her eyes held and the birthmark of a crescent. The shawl would also be of help since only royals could own or wear them. That was if it had not been sold. It was hard to determine what effects the development would have on the relationship between Seraphine and Darius. She cried today after many years. There was a rumour that the reason why she didn't cry was that Darius had never been able to shed a tear before. Knowing Seraphine's nature, that would be very possible.

"Martha," The jailer called me. "Someone is here for you."

I got up and walked towards the bars. It was Rhea with some guards. She was always so active at such an old age.

"Your majesty," I managed to say.

"Is there anything else we need to know about her to make searching for easier?" She went straight to the point. "What did she look like?"

"She has her mother's eyes," I revealed. I remembered everything about how they had haunted me. She had other markings that I could remember well. She was one of those babies that stood out to me. My brain had noted everything it could about her without my permission because all of the years after the incident, I just wanted to forget. But my conscience would not let me.

She looked relieved. "Anything else?"

"She has a birthmark in her cheek, a little one." I paused. "and a crescent birthmark on her back, a bit bigger."

"Alright,"

She turned to leave but I needed to ask. "Your majesty?"

She stopped in her tracks but didn't look back "Yes?"

"What happens to Darius?" I asked.

If my eyes were not deceiving me it looked like she shuddered a little bit but regained her composure. "That is none of your concern." She replied coldly and went on her way.

This search would be one for the years to remember and hoped they would find her in good health and mind.

****

Eva's POV

It was nighttime now and we made a fire which we sat around. The owls hooted and the crickets chirped in the woods that surrounded us. The night was not exactly bright nor was it too dark.

I was munching on a carrot as we listed. Today we had traveled a good distance but the woods were getting thicker and harder to move through. It was as if it didn't want us to pass but right now that didn't matter.

"And Ezra was the only one brave enough to steal but when the headmistress found out..." She narrated, laughing her head off at her own story.

"What did she do?" I excitedly asked, laughing along with her.

"She made him clean the spirit gunk."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she made him go to the cemetery at twilight to clean up anything the spirit might have left behind when they were moving around at night so it doesn't latch on to anyone in the morning."

"Here I was thinking spirits poop." I laughed

"No they don't but it is still an unpleasant substance," she cackled at my misconception. "He was so scared. The first day he went there, people say he peed himself."

"Does he pick it up with his hand?"

"No, he uses a type of coyx."

"A coyx?"

"A coyx is any vessel that can be used to store spirits or in special cases ardours." She giggled. "Or spirit gunk."

"Wow,"

"It could be in the form of an orb."

"Everything sounds so magical in your place," I said.

"Magic is not always good." She said solemnly. "It divides us."

I wouldn't ask her what she meant because whenever she spoke like that she just kept the rest of the details to herself. I waited for her to elaborate but she went quiet again, I had been right.

"Wait!" I said suddenly.

"What happened?"

"There are men in Xenia? I thought it was the kingdom of the witches."

"Witch is the umbrella term for both men and women," she said. "Women are called wicce while men are called wicca.

"I didn't know."

"Now you do," She smiled. "Tomorrow, we will go to the Fortis river," Rosé announced.

"To get water?" I asked. We were already almost out of it.

"Yes," She replied. "and we have to cross it."

I was uncomfortable with the idea because of the stories I heard about it. They say the currents themselves could shatter bone not to talk of the rocks. I would just have to trust Rosé.

"I think..." There was a loud rustle in the woods behind us and we froze. I looked at Rosé and she was already as pale as a ghost. I signaled to her to calm down and put a finger to my lips telling her not to make a sound. I took her hand and we sneaked into a bush and hid while the rustling continued. Then we heard footsteps coming from the same direction.

Rosé POV

Every second we waited felt like an eternity. I couldn't go back there if they caught me, I would lose my mind. The last time I escaped, It had been pure luck because I couldn't even remember how it had happened. One second I was in the dark dreary dungeon and the next moment when I turned around I saw the castle behind me and I was running as fast as my weakened legs could carry me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and gasped.

"Sh... sh," It was Eva with her index finger to her lips. "They will hear you." She whispered.

I nodded and looked forward to the bush where the noises were coming from. Then out popped a man. He had a lanky build and on his face was utter fright. He looked around frantically and was confused. He moved towards the fire and I realized he had on a uniform with an emblem I was familiar with. "Where are they?" He asked the wind. "Did they leave me here alone?" I knew who he was talking about. He was a recruit for the witch hunters and looked completely out of his elements. He was looking for the rest of his squad and would be no harm if we played my cards right.

"Is any... anyone there?" He stammered. "I am not cut out for this." He mumbled under his breath when he got no reply to his call. His words were ones I could relate to. Eva tapped my arm and whispered. "We need to scare him away." He wouldn't be able to hear us over the sounds of the crickets.

I nodded in agreement and tried to think of a way to do just that without him suspecting anything.

"Put out the fire," Eva suggested.

That could work, I pulled out my wand and aimed at the fire. I mumbled a spell quietly and quickly and watched the fire start to dim until it finally went out.

"What?!" The recruit screamed. He looked around in the dark. "Is anyone there?" He asked again.

As if on cue, Eva rustled the bush where we were hiding and I heard the man let out a scream before running off. We waited for a while before coming out. Eva bravely surveyed the area to make sure the man was gone. Once she was done she came back. "He is gone." She reassured

I could have jumped for joy. "That is enough excitement for one night," I told her

"Agreed," she said. "Time for some sleep." We got out the large thin bed sheet we had packed and laid it on the ground. Once we laid down, I heard growling and was up as quick as lightening. 

Eva got up as well just as a wolf made its appearance. I heard more growling; there was a pack.

As the lone wolf emerged from the darkness, its eyes gleaming with an eerie, predatory light, a shiver ran down my spine. I could feel the tension in the air as the growling intensified, signaling the presence of a pack nearby. Panic started to creep in as I imagined being surrounded by these wild creatures in the dead of night.

Eva and I exchanged fearful glances, our eyes reflecting the same terror. We had no weapons, and the odds seemed overwhelmingly stacked against us. It felt like our perilous journey was about to take a deadly turn.

But then, in the midst of the growls and the encroaching pack, I did something unexpected. I slowly raised my hand, palm outstretched, and with a voice that quivered but carried a strange authority, I uttered a single word: "Stop."

To my astonishment, the growling ceased almost instantly. The wolves, which had been advancing with bared teeth and menacing snarls, froze in their tracks. Their eyes, previously filled with aggression, now held a curious and almost contemplative expression.

With cautious steps, I took a small, tentative step forward, still holding my hand out. "Leave," I murmured softly, my voice soothing. "Now!" I pulled out my wand, and the tip began to glow with menacing red energy.

To my astonishment, the wolves seemed to understand me. One by one, they began to back away, their growls now replaced by low whines and submissive postures. It was as though they had recognized something in me, something beyond my understanding.

As the last wolf retreated into the shadows, I let out a relieved breath, my hand dropping to my side. 

"Can you speak to animals?" 

I looked at her and I could here my father's stern voice. "𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕, 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒅?" 

"𝒀𝒆𝒔, 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓..."

"No," I lied. 

"But..." 

"Let's go to bed," I laid down once again and turned my back to Eva.

Soundlessly, she laid beside me and also rested her head to sleep.

****

The search troops were to be formally deployed in the early hours of the morning. Rhea had made sure that the most talented artist painted a portrait of what the princess could look like at twenty years. There were variations of it too, to make things easier. Again Rhea was thankful that Seraphine had such unique features. Rhea told Seraphine not to go along with it but she knew how unrealistic what she wanted was, so she didn't protest when she saw the queen of Merynia on a horse. She could at least have used a caravan but there was no use complaining. It was not only for Seraphine that needed the girl, the whole kingdom needed her. And it was time Herod understood the weight of his actions.

Rhea knocked on the door of her son's chamber. The door is opened by one of his mistresses. The brown-haired one that she particularly hated, she was always so nosy. She gave a guilty smile. "Good morning, your highness." She bowed slightly but Rhea walked inside without replying. She wasn't here for her.

Herod was seated at the edge of his bed. He rose when he saw her. "Hello, mother," She looked at him and looked to the side signifying his mistress. He understood and told her to leave." She rolled her eyes. As if she needed to be told, Rhea thought.

"Where did you think this would all end?" She demanded. "Did you forget?"

"Just ten years won't kill us,"

"Curses are not as plain as you think, they always seem simple but they only cause complete destruction." She clapped back. "What if we get invaded when all our defenses are weak and starving."

"Merynia is a kingdom blessed by the gods themselves, we will always be untouchable." He irritated her so much. Despite his age, he talked like a child and thought like one too.

"But you forget that there are laws to be followed by the royal family or we lose everything."

"Ten years of famine is something I could have handled,"

"But losing the protection that we have as a kingdom is something no one would be able to handle." She stalked closer to him. "What if he comes back?"

Herod knew who she was talking about, it was the way she always lowered her voice anytime she spoke of him. "He is nothing but a myth,"

She could have slapped him across the face. He was a moron but there was no amount of talking that would make him realize how close they were to losing the kingdom to such a sinister force. She turned on her heel without another word and left his chamber.

For generations, Merynian royals kept those laws sacred and continued to be blessed. If 'he' ever rose again because someone who was not of true blood ascended the throne, the kingdom would be plagued with misery.