A perfect sacrifice
July 21, 2021, 09:34
Yuri forest
The fairies cemetery
Evdokia has her arm snaked around YuNing's waist as he rests his head on her shoulders, silently crying. She cards his hair with her fingertips soothingly from time to time.
She watches Dima and Cilia say their last prayers before LiQin's casket is lowered into the ground. His grave is dug right next the woman that took care of him over his very first years of life. They couldn't quite think of any other place that would fit him as this.
LiQin's death has reached the ears of other nations and kingdoms, who didn't even know he was still alive, but nevertheless asked for his funeral to get postponed as they'd like to attend it. Surprisingly, Ivar also made it, but Thomas didn't.
Of course, they kept their little knowledge about LiQin's doing, finding it useless to ruin his image now that he's dead anyway.
As shocking as it came, Evdokia would be lying if she said she feels bad about it.
Yes, she might have been the reason for LiQin to take his own life two days ago, but she couldn't find it in herself to feel bad about it. She has suffered enough. Everyone has suffered enough, and perhaps LiQin's words were true, perhaps he did regret it all and his consciousness ate him alive and he suffered as well. One thing Evdokia knew was the truth was his love to YuNing.
He left a note, a letter to them beforehand. He apologised for everything he has done, he came clean with it all, he finally stepped down from his high horse and accepted his fucked ups as king Dima liked to say. The letter was clearly addressing three people, Evdokia, YuNing, and AiLin, even if she was never there to read it.
It went around the lines of regret and tears stained ink, but it didn't move Evdokia that much, not as much as she'd consider her reaction to the death of her life mentor and kind of an idol.
She thinks it was his best decision so far in his life. Finally, he got to rest. Regardless of everything, Evdokia wishes for him to rest in peace, and maybe even meet up with AiLin once again.
As the Atlantic enforcers start covering the casket back with dirt, YuNing whispers in Evdokia's ears that he wants to leave, and she looks over at Jean who's standing next to Ira and silently asks him, and he nods at her understandingly.
The two soulmates walk together to the bathyscaphes waiting for the king to take them home, as they're still staying at the Aqua castle.
There's a comfortable silence between the two, interrupted by YuNing blowing his nose from a moment to another.
"I'm sorry." Evdokia says after a while of waiting for the others. And she means it.
"wasn't your fault. One way or another, he should have done that before he even came to the human world." YuNing says dryly.
Evdokia shifts in her place and closes her eyes, arms crossed on her chest. She feels like the light she knew in YuNing's eyes has disappeared, and that's what she was apologising for. She can feel the ache in his heart loud and clear in hers, and she hates it yet she feel obliged to feel that pain as she contributed to it. Jean already told her to cut out the guilt tripping, and she wants to, but what has happened goes against every moral she has been brought up with, and its uncomfortable and itchy, but she recons she dealt with worse.
Shortly, the rest of the men and women arrive at the bathyscaphes, and even if it's more appropriate for Evdokia to stay beside YuNing, she chooses to get up and sit between her uncle and Jean, while Valodya goes to sit next to YuNing.
Evdokia has noticed the two bonding before, and she's glad.
The truth is, now that YuNing is a phoenix he can't give up his immortality if he wished to, he simply can't. He's now bound to live in the creatures realm whether he liked it or not, but Evdokia imagines even if he wished not to, he was going to turn into one even if he died in the humans realm. Now that would be real chaos.
Evdokia raises her legs onto the seating and curls up her body, head resting on Jean's lap, and he instantly has his hand over her bicep, caressing the skin with circular motions of his thumb.
Evdokia could hear him in her head, and she's happy, even if the world is anything but joyful at the moment. She thinks LiQin would be happy for her, the LiQin she knew. Evdokia smiles to herself.
*
July 25, 2021, 23:09
The Atlantic empire
The Aqua castle
Jean is walking around in the garden, admiring the little splashes of colours across the greens pf the bushes and trees, when a guard goes up to him and hands him a hand written letter. He takes it, even if it didn't indicate who wrote it.
Jean doesn't open it, instead he folds it in half and stuffs it into his pocket.
He's sitting on one of the wooden seats when he hears the click of her heels across the rocky pathways.
She's wearing a well rested smile on her face, and it warms Jean's heart.
"you'd never believe what they wanted to talk about." She says excitingly.
"You've got me interested. " he says, taking a hold of her right hand and kisses the promised ring he put on her.
"King Dima has offered renovating the sky castle and the few homes needed for the moonfolks who are preparing for leaving the hide out! Of course we can't rebuild it in the sky but at least it'll still be on the same ground under our clouds." her smile is contagious and Jean thinks everything only gets better for there.
He hugs her and whispers in her ear, "who would have thought this is how we'll be spending out anniversary?" And she could sense the smile in his voice. She giggles, and he thinks he hasn't heard that sweet ring in years, he could get used to it from now on.
Evdokia pulls away from the hug and cups his face, "I should go now and deliver the news to them, they'd be so happy, no more hiding." She says, tear escaping her green eye.
"Of course, queen Evdokia. " he teases her.
"oh shut up." She hits his arm and he cackles, throwing his head backwards, and he sees an amused smile on her face mixed with, what? Gratefulness?
Yes. That's what it is.
She they walk together to their room, and Evdokia bids him goodbye after dressing up. He's left alone to think of future plans, something like their wedding and where it shall take place. He thinks about kind Dima talking Jean into colliding what is left of the iron war elves kingdom with the moonfolk's kingdom, as he's aware of their intentions of marriage soon. It sound about right and perfection. This wasn't what he expected when they came here, even if he lost two of the dearest people to his heart, he still thinks this is a dream coming true. He thinks Robin is watching him proudly from the sky above and is happy for him, for what his life has become to. After all, he was truly becoming the king of his people, and he promises himself to fix every flaw his father has imprinted on his people.
Jean grins to himself like a child, humming to a song playing in his head, and he lets his back fall onto the mattress lightly.
He doesn't remember being this light and carefree this much before in his life. It's happiness he guesses.
That when he feels the heavy weight of the letter in his pocket. Jean gets up and pulls it out, smoothing out the paper. He opens the envelope and there lies a letter written in brownish red colour, almost like it's written with blood.
Jean hurriedly unfolds the paper and looks through it.
His face falls, and so does his dreams that have skyrocketed.
*
July 29, 2021, 23:09
Evdokia never comes back that night.
Good.
He doesn't think it would be ideal to have her witness this tragedy tonight.
Jean walks. Jean runs. Jean sprints.
He thinks he has been all his life, sprinting from pain, longing, love, hate, and everything in between them all.
He thinks this is it, though. There's no more running from his destiny. This time he'll run to it. He allows himself to, for the sake of love. While he has always wished to cover her heart with his own warmth, he thinks tonight is the night he lets go of the dream of becoming everything to her.
At some point in his life, he thinks he was ashamed of what he has become, but looking back at it, looking back at the hideous face, it might have been as beautiful as she saw him.
The poems she wrote about his eyes.
Maybe there were true after all.
He was so stuck on her that he forgot for a minute how much he has given as well.
But it was all worth it, after all, he was the only person that got the permission to stare at those orbs for as long as they shall last.
Jean finds himself running mindlessly across the lands, but he knows he'll find him.
And he does indeed, find him by the lake, corpses all around him.
Jean imagines he knows why he did it, and Jean knows who will be next after them, and Jean chooses to protect what was left of them. And so he screams, a loud war elf scream that can shake a mountain down to dust. A scream that can be heard around kingdoms and empires. A scream he knows only one person will understand.
Its a scream full of love and agony. It tastes of sorrow and heart break on his tounge with a sour note to it.
But its full of love. And that's quite enough for him.
*