Kealith's Curse

Mirelah;

"Right? The great King Danash believed that death was the ultimate power. If you can understand death, you understand life. If you know how to take life, you also know how to preserve it… He asked for the power of destruction because he believed creation was tied to it. "She replies, and I just blink.

Not to be disrespectful, but I think the founding father of this Kingdom was psycho! King Danash had a few marbles missing… 

"The sly god of death granted him his wish. A kiss. A kiss that marked King Danash and did give him the power he sought, but also filled him with hunger. A hunger to kill. King Danash could keep Blood Crescent afloat. He could retain and manipulate power as much as he wanted, but he needed to kill to sustain himself. At first, he fought…. "She continues before turning to me.

"But then he lost… He eventually surrendered to the madness, and it killed him. Slowly draining life from him, and no matter how many lives he took, it was never enough. If he wanted his full health back… his sanity… his peace, he'd have to sacrifice Blood Crescent. Let the kingdom fall and only then would he be free. "She adds and I see tears brimming in her eyes.

"I'm guessing you know what choice he made... "She whispers, and my heart tightens.

"He chose… to die… "I reply, and she nods.

"He wouldn't let all his hard work vanish and get wiped from history books. "She says with a dry chuckle and I am almost driven to touch her… to hug her in hopes to maybe relieve some of the bitterness in her voice.

"King Danash carried a mark he had gotten from the gods. Because he had power over death, he kept coming back. Several times. Several lives. As different people. The royal family could only know because that mark was always on him. That… ugly mark at the bottom of his back. "She spoke and this time I heard anger in her voice. 

"Sometimes, the mark missed generations... But not this time. Whoever bears that mark, boy or girl is ordained by the laws of the land to be crowned king or queen… no matter their place in the royal line, or distance from the throne… Kealith has that mark. And every day he is fighting that… that dark hunger to kill. The problem is, the more he fights it, the more of him it takes… "She explains, and my heart stops beating.

"Kealith is… "I begin, and she grins at me. A shallow, pain-filled smile.

"The reincarnation of King Danash… "She replies, and air vanishes from my lungs in a shocked exhale.

"My boy is fighting for his life every day. If he loses grip, he would slip into a darkness that would consume him whole. But how long can you fight a god? His fate is… sealed. We can't break the curse. The only way is for him to destroy the kingdom… "She explains further, and I feel my face go numb.

"Yesterday… when I arrived at the palace… "I begin, and Queen Velnara nods and sighs as she turns away from me.

"He was having an attack. We never know when they'd start. All we know is, it's deadly to be around him when he's like that, and his emotions are part of the triggers. I guess he was worried you wouldn't come because we arrived late… "She explains, and I look away. 

We arrived late because I tried to run from them… from him… from this union.

"But he's not a monster. Kealith is a gem at heart. He's just… "She begins but exhales as if it pains her to think of it.

"Ever since he realized the danger of his curse, he's isolated himself from us. Afraid that he'd hurt us… He doesn't let himself feel. Pain… joy… fear… hurt… He's always scared that permitting his emotions could give way to his attacks. So he… he doesn't really know how to handle emotions. "She says before looking up at me.

"He's a lost, broken boy that has been burdened with power he ought not have any business with. In years, the only thing that I've seen his eyes light up about… is you… "She continues, and I freeze.

"He loves you so much, Mirelah. He may suck at showing emotions, but I'm his mother. I can read him better than I can channel blood. You're the one thing that has remained his centre for years. "She says as she gently caresses my cheek, and I feel hot guilt begin to burn my chest as I stare at her.

"…Then why can't I remember? Why can't I remember anything? "I question, and I see something shift in her eyes. Like I've asked a topic she does not want to talk about.

She takes a deep breath as she pulls away from me.

"I don't know, dear. There are so many secrets under the sun. We're not meant to know them all. We just need what's important to us, and in due time… those answers will come to us. "She says, and I blink back. 

She certainly knows way more than she's letting on.

"Enough of that now. The food will get cold. And I also haven't told you about the first pre-wedding ritual for tomorrow. "She says as she begins to uncover the plates, and I raise a brow.

"The first pre-wedding ritual? How many are there? "I question and she smiles.

"There's a ton. King Danash wanted to make sure that any woman to become his Queen would be worthy so he set up a series of elaborate tests. However over the years, some tests were ignored due to how dangerous they are. "She replies before leaning closer to me.

"Don't tell anyone that. "She whispers with her hand cupped beside her lips, and I smile.

"The council will decide what tests you will and will not do. However, the first step is always the same. You're to walk over the red lake. "She replies, and at the last words, my brows knot.

"Walk… over… a lake? "