Chapter 63

Night had fallen and the Queen had hard from Azure the attempt to kill the baby made by Sheila, she was beyond frustrated and decided to get out of her bed to have a talk one on one with the assassin. She knocks on Sheila's door and after a few moments it swings open to see a miserable woman hiding in the dark, Sheila squints her eyes to the light and she lets the Queen in.
Octavia takes it upon herself to give the room a little light but opening the blinds and lighting candles, and when that was done she turned to Sheila with a hurt look on her face. She knew what this was all about,
'My Queen, you—" cut off by a slap to the face, her eyes saw stars as she held her cheek to ease the pain but it still burned her flesh. She was surprised that the Queen would do such to her, 'why?" Tears had run down her cheeks.
'I never knew you were so heartless to the point that you would attack a child." Her words re sharp and they pierce her heart, 'you make me ashamed to call you my daughter."
'Wait!! You do not know how I feel! What if you where in my shoes, tell me! What would you do?" She needed an answer to all the questions that was troubling her soul,
'I would give birth to my child and raise it to be a fine warrior." We response makes her break into tears as she couldn't imagine raising a child alone where she had always imaged that her happy family would have Loki in it, 'Sheila…" She pulls her into an embrace and allows her to stain her breasts with salty liquid from her eyes,
'I don't know why this is happening?!! I loved him so much, how could he do this to me? What do I even say? Where do I start?" There were still so many questions but Octavia sits heron her bed and closes the door behind her,
'You start with you Sheila, and your baby." She lands on her bed beside her as walking wasn't an easy thing since her ankle got sprained, 'I was pregnant for Xerxes, I was considered a traitor but I didn't kill Arcadia." She smoothes her rough magenta locks, 'you made love to Loki right?"
It hurt to hear it but she nodded in affirmative,
'Then that child you're carrying is love, the love you share with Loki, don't kill it." She draws her closer,
'But Loki is going to survive if Mace would be killed tomorrow, he would gladly offer himself up for execution, I can't lose him!!" Her anxiety gets the best of her and she suddenly had the urge to see him,
'Nothing would happen to him, I promise, I have tried taking to Arcadia about the matter." Her eye dart away as she remembered how it ended,
'And she agreed to let them live?" Her face was stained with tears but the thought of seeing Loki okay gave her happiness that was visible through her swollen eyes. But the sad look on Octavia's face had begun to wipe her smile, 'she didn't……she didn't agree to it…." She knew what her silence was for and she could feel herself slipping into the darkness once again.
'She may not have agreed now but she would have no reason but to listen to me tomorrow, if I have to fight with her then I'm fine with it. But I will not let you lose the love of your life." She places a kiss on her forehead, 'how is the baby?" She touches her exposed stomach and Sheila could feel butterflies in there,
'It survived." She looks down at herself before turning back to her eyes, 'do you think I would be a good mother? And would my child love me even if it doesn't have a father? Or should I tell it that its father I a prisoner in the palace?"
'I do not have the answers to these questions but when the time is right you would know what to do." She speaks in riddles that Sheila didn't like to de-code, but she speaks up again, 'I do have an answer to one of your questions though…." She pauses for a while thinking of the best way to say it, 'even though you would make mistakes like everyone does, you would too be a great mother and your child would love you very much."
And her liquid pearls fall again.
Anytime she came out to enjoy the moonlight, her thoughts usually wander to a place that was hard to bring them out of. She remembers the encounter with her mother and how she had fallen, she felt bad but what her mother was asking for was outrageous.
She was wondering why her father hadn't come to talk about it with her, knowing that Octavia couldn't hide anything from Xerxes for too long. She feels arms wrap around her shoulder and then a large robe is placed on her frame,
'It's rather cold Tonight." He smiles a little t the moonlight before turning to the blue in his daughter's eyes, 'why are you not asleep yet Arcadia?"
'I cannot sleep father, there is only little res for the crown bearer, new things pop up on a daily basis." She sighs a very heavy sigh before pulling his robe closer o her kin as a harsh wind blew against them, 'thank you for the robe, are you not cold father?"
'No, I'm used to weather like this." He throws it to a corner and turns to his daughter for some serious chit chat, 'I heard what happened between you and your mother, she has a twisted ankle now."
'I know and I'm deeply sorry for that, it was never my intention to hurt anyone. She as just asking too much from me." She looks at her hands, they were still covered with bruises from the war. Even wounds took months to heal but she wanted her to forget Mace ever wronged her in a few minutes, it was rather unfair if you would ask her.
'She asked for something I believe?" He didn't like where the conversation was going to but he had no choice but to go down that way. Arcadia stares at him for too long before nodding her head,
'Yes, for me to spare Mace." It was like a knife to her chest as she repeated her mother's words, 'she didn't come to me once but multiple times today, she said I would be hurting the innocent if I were to kill Mace." She pushes a stubborn breath out, 'she is talking in riddles again."
'I do not know why she is saying such and she hasn't told me the full story yet. I know she is hiding something but I'm completely clueless. I was just as angry when she told me to convince you not to execute Mace." He pulls her closer to him so they could cuddle, 'she has changed a little, it seems she's more compassionate, maybe it was because she stayed with them for too long."
'Whatever it is, I know I cannot do such. I can't grant her request," she snuggles deeper into Xerxes and he complies, 'I would do anything for mother but she has put me in such a difficult situation, I'm not even sure I know what to do anymore." She felt like pulling out her magenta hair and regaining her sanity, she really felt she was losing it.
Xerxes was silent as he was lost in his thoughts, he comes back rather quickly and he gives off a very heavy sigh, 'I would only give you an advice, she told me to come beg you but I cannot do such in this situation. Do what you think would benefit everyone. That's all I can say." But even his words were in riddles, and she wasn't understanding them to the fullest. His statement was locked but different emotions of anger, resentment and hate were evident in his tone.
'Father, I do not quite understand you, are you saying that I should go ahead with the execution?" Her eyes dig deep into his soul and he doesn't say anything for a moment, she tugs at his arm and he looks straight into her eyes, Mace had taken away her innocence, he had forced her to grow faster than the both wanted to. It was only fair that h got what he deserved. And if he was set free then he could always plot against her and try to take her down. Do he said dropped the riddle he spoke and decided to answer her question directly,
'Yes."