Mothers

I listened to him, talking about the woman I've called mother my whole life. He says her actions might have been driven by pressure, expectations, or even trauma. But how could he understand? How could he explain away the cruelty she inflicted—each and every hateful action? She was supposed to be my mother, the one person who should have loved me no matter what. Isn't that what a mother does? Even if her own life was full of heartbreak, what does that have to do with the way she treated me? I had nothing to do with that. 

But despite everything, something catches my attention. I frown, my thoughts racing as his words swirl around me. How could he know all of this? The memory of our wedding day flashes before my eyes—he barely acknowledged her. It doesn't make sense.

"Wait," I whisper, the words slipping out before I can stop them. "How do you know my mother? I clearly remember you not even greeting her the day of our wedding. So how do you know so much?" My voice trembles, barely audible, but the question hangs in the air, heavy and loaded with the weight of my confusion.

His smile is soft now, a gentle curve as his fingers slides through my hair. The warmth of his touch sends a shiver down my spine, and for a moment, I almost forget the question hanging between us. I sit atop him, my breath shallow, my heart still racing.

"You ask too many questions, my love," he says, his voice a soft murmur, almost affectionate. He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear with such tenderness that it disarms me. "There are things a king must know, things you may not fully understand."

His words are gentle, yet they offer no real answer. His fingers trail through my hair, soothing me, as if to make me forget I ever asked. But I can't let it go, not entirely. Still, the way he touches me—the way he looks at me—makes it hard to press further. His answer lingers in the air, just out of reach, like a secret he doesn't wish to share.

"Will you then tell me more about what consist of me to be a good queen? what about the witches and what are rogues?" I ask, the best person to explain this to me could only be him since he has been dealing with this for a long time.

"Yes, you're right" he suddenly utters with a smug smile plaster all over his face and all I want is to slap him across the face, at the thought of it his face twist slightly. "There's no such thing as a good or bad queen in my own opinion, first, to be a queen," he repeats, his fingers still threading through my hair, "you must learn patience, even when faced with people like me." He flashes that smug smile again, and I bite back the retort on my lips. He knows exactly what he's doing.

"You must be wise in matters of court and cunning in matters of the heart. A queen's strength lies in her ability to hold her ground while remaining gracious." His eyes lock onto mine, his tone soft yet firm, as though he's giving me a lesson I cannot afford to ignore. "You'll need to choose your battles carefully and know when to bend without breaking."

I take in his words, trying to decipher the layers beneath them. His smile softens slightly, but there's still a flicker of that teasing glint in his eyes. He continues, "As for the witches... well, they are not your enemies unless you make them so. Many have served the crown in secrecy, their powers a tool rather than a threat. But tread carefully, for alliances with them can shift like the wind."

He pauses, his thumb lightly brushing my cheek. "Rogues, on the other hand... they live by no law but their own. Rebels, thieves, outcasts. If you let them fester, they'll grow bold, but crush them too harshly, and you'll create more enemies than allies. The challenge, my queen, is to rule with both power and mercy."

"So," I murmur, holding his gaze, "what about the witches in the books? I heard they too are fighting or are rebelling against the kingdom"

His smile widens, but there's a trace of sincerity beneath it. "How many books have you read?" he asks instead of answering

"Ten to thirteen I think" I tell him, and his eyes widens at the mention of it, are they too much for me?

"Only about witches or the kingdom?" he asks, his eyes narrowing slightly, as if testing me. His tone is casual, but the question digs deeper than I expected.

I feel heat rise in my cheeks, and I instinctively look away, my fingers curling into the fabric of his tunic. I've never studied the intricacies of the kingdom—not like I didn't want too I just had no one or even knew I will need it one day. But I can't deny it now, not when he's staring at me so intently.

"I... I haven't read about the kingdom," I admit, my voice quieter than I intended. Embarrassment creeps up on me, and I shy away from his gaze. My fingers twist in my lap, betraying my nerves.

For a moment, he says nothing, and I brace myself for the smugness I know is coming. But instead, his hand brushes my cheek, lifting my chin gently until I'm forced to meet his eyes.

"That's why I'm here," he says, his voice softer than I expect, though there's still that flicker of amusement in his eyes. "You don't have to know everything yet, my queen. But you do need to learn. And quickly." he reassures, and I do not understand why I trust his words. "Books may have the same story ideas but will never have the same story line especially when it is not written by the same individual, so do not trust everything you read unless I tell you if it is true or false" he says in a serious tone, and I can help wonder

"How will you know if the story is accurate or not?" He might be the king, while they are known to be wise and just, but he couldn't have been on earth from the beginning of time till date and even if he were he can't possibly know everybody on earth.

"Yes, I do" he exclaim with the confidence of a man who is sure of himself. "But we aren't here for this before we open the gate of your duchy, I want you to tell me more about your life and I heard you had a brother why wasn't he there the day of our union those he carries any kind of issue with you or your mother"

"No, he doesn't on the contrary he is the only one to ever try to understand me or perhaps help me understand things I couldn't..." I tell him but stop midsentence when his face twist in disgust before going back to normal if I wasn't staring at him directly in the face, I would have noticed his change in demeanor but still decide to go on when he goes back to being attentive. "And about why you haven't meet him yet maybe you were too angry to acknowledge his presence" or blind, I wanted to say but hold back but he still smirks, idiot. "In all, I can't recall a childhood of mine being sad or angry in his presence"

"So, it may seem" he says thoughtfully before bringing his hand on the white ribbon holding my pony up to drag it off my hairs and tie it around his wrist before fixing my hairs. "I wish we could go back in time and fix the errors we made, if you never decided to help me that day you wouldn't have been in this situation, but then again, we wouldn't know each other" he says and for the first time I sense regret and something different in his voice.

"Who's we? do you still hold feelings for your ex-wife?" I ask feeling a strange and disgusting kind of emotion and I just wanted to get of him but his holds on me get tighter. "What happen between you two that you had her banned from the kingdom? will you ever inflict that to me too?" he turns me around and position my legs on top of his even though mine are clearly not touching the floor. I silently offer a prayer of thanks to my dresser for showing restraint. The leather leggings beneath my gown, though not befitting a royal banquet, allow me to sit like this without struggling with heavy skirts or layers of unnecessary fabric. The deep green gown falls just right, its split ensuring I can move without the weight of it tangling around me.

My boots, crafted from soft leather, provide comfort rather than ceremony. The embroidery on my bodice—golden and intricate—is tasteful, not ostentatious, the kind of detail that whispers of royalty rather than shouts of it. I shift slightly, relieved that my cloak, fur-lined and regal, has been cast aside for the moment. The lack of excess finery makes it easier to focus, though sitting here, on top of him, his hands gently playing with my hair, feels far more intimate than I could have ever prepared for.

His eyes catch mine, a hint of amusement in them, as if he knows what's running through my thoughts. I glance down, my heart fluttering in a way I wasn't expecting.

"Well, she did something that deserve more than eviction, but for you... I know all you will ever do that might inflict me pain will never be of your own will"

"How are you so sure I wouldn't, we barely know each other" he seems pretty convince I wouldn't do such thing. "What did she do that made you so mad?"

"You know eviction for you might be something as wicked as killing but for other it is just mere protection. you know, chasing away does who fight against the kingdom and for what she did to deserve this I fear you will be merciful towards her with this kind heart of yours" I can't help but wonder if I am really what he proclaims.

"What did she do?" the question comes out as a whisper and when I try to turn around to look at his face, but he stops me telling me to stay put. an after some time his touch on my hairs resumes but a little stronger but not too painful.

"She is the princess of Gatrish, Perish and Gatrish had a very long conflict over the partition of the Deepsea and during the separation, Perish took the Deepsea which was originally part of Gatrish and Gatrish were offer the Ocean of two death by the Moon, which is the most dangerous place for adventure of travels as the resident of that place were scared of the current king since he used mermaids scales as jewels and sold their tails as fish to the humans. They had the courage to go against the moon and we had to fight them for as long as I can remember, the king who is Eres father died in the process, and she had to go on hiding because my mother wanted her head, I really want to know how she ended up showing up at one of my Balls and she gain my mother's trust and it escalated to the point my mother deemed her fit for being the queen, we got married and my mother suddenly die to my greatest satisfaction and became obsess over taking the tower in charge, she said mother had taught her so much and that raise my suspicion and I called Baram to do some dig-" I abruptly turn at the mention of the strange name and he sighs which makes me look back Infront wondering what shenanigans he was doing on my already perfect hairs. thankfully he continues "Baram is the blue hairs guy, my first in command and he was the one who found out she was the one who killed my mother" I can't help the gasp that comes out of my month, she killed his mother. "Do not bring that inside your little head, yes, she killed my mother and kidnapped some of the mermaids from the Deepsea and wanted to bring back their trades, but Baram stopped her in time unfortunate we couldn't safe some of her preys and that was the only way I could get rid of her and I will need her someday that so yeah she needed to be evicted but I would have loved killing her" he concludes and I can feel his hand shaking over my shoulder before going back up.

"Did you kill her father?"

"Yes" he replies as though it was one of the funniest things he did. "Oh, it was, he tried to bribe with something that belong to me his arrogance was what kept me going"

"You never loved your mother, did you?"

"Do you?" he asks back redirecting the same question my way and I don't know what to say I never really asked myself if I loved or feared her. So, I just shake my head knowing that most of what I feel for her is fear. "Then me too but my mother wasn't like yours she was ambitious but never made me feel like I wasn't loved"

"Then why are you satisfied by her dead?" if she loved you why I had an acquaintance who said her relationship with her parent weren't that great, but she still had affection for them because she thought everything, they did for her was for her own good.

"Yes, some parents are like that but mine were more of obsession protective kind of parents the late king was the kind of man to create rules that he will break, and his wife was obsessed with family and something like unity and all but unfortunately she gave birth to me a man who only loves his and your personal space"

"Have you ever wished to have a different kind of life?" I had does dreams too many times that I thought I wasn't normal at some point I even told one of them to my brother, but he told me I was living every woman's dream to be the duchess, but I hardly did something it was just a mere title I carried around the mansion.

"No, I like being King" he beams, and I finally can move my body to look back at him and I could feel my hairs and I could feel two robes or perhaps my braided hairs on my back my eyes widen I knew he was doing something but... I instantly touch to feel it and I know he braided them nice

"You know how to braid, and this clearly looks good, who taught you?" will he ever stop to amaze me.

"No, I will not and for the person who taught me how to do it was my mother she told me, my wife or the person I will learn to love will like braids" and with that my heart started dancing and imaginary and inaudible song knowing he did that on me. I have always wanted my hairs braided in particular weather especially during harvesting seasons, but mother said it was a waste of energy, and she couldn't learn for me.

"Thanks" I appreciate still feeling the braids with my finger. "Your mother was right I do love braids"

"It seems so, guess she wasn't that useless after all" we stay like that for the rest of the travel, and I do not know when I fell asleep, but it wasn't that long and was disturb by the loud thud.

"Protect the royalties!" someone shout from outside before I could stand straight a hand carries me and put me on one of the chairs. "We are being ambush" both the king head and mine turn to the voice to see many soldiers running left and right.

"Goblins" another voice hiss from behind us but this time I recognize the owner we turn to him, and I spot Bluebell standing next to him... blushing? did the goblins stop something but Baram doesn't look flustered before I can fill in my thoughts. Baram lets the king out and carries Bluebell to her greatest embarrassment and places her inside the carriage.

"Stay inside," they both utter at the same time, leaving us with no other words. We exchange a glance, but curiosity wins, and we crawl to the window. From the narrow view, we see both Baram and the king locked in combat with a strange blue creature. Goblins, Baram had said earlier, but they look nothing like the tales I've heard.

The scene is almost surreal. Despite the danger, both the king and Baram seem... bored. Their swords glide effortlessly through the creatures, slicing through flesh as though it's nothing more than air. There's no urgency in their movements, no sense of threat. The creatures snarl and snap, but with every swing, they are dispatched without hesitation. It's like they've done this a hundred times before—just another day in their lives, while we crouch here, wide-eyed, struggling to make sense of the casual lethality on display.

I glance at Bluebell, who watches with the same mix of awe and disbelief then it changes to anger.

"Why would they keep us in here when the threads are just goblin" she groans before sitting back on the chair after helping me. and all I can do is stare at her, surprisingly I am also not affected by those things but by how she appeared here a moment earlier. "You don't have to worry, my lady," Bluebell says in that calm, almost indifferent tone of hers. Her gaze flicks to the window, where the king and Baram effortlessly fight off the goblins. "They are just mere goblins."

I nod, but my thoughts are elsewhere. The battle outside, while impressive, holds little weight compared to the question that's been bothering me. I turn to Bluebell, who seems more interested in watching the fight than the strange tension between us.

"Why are you all red?"