Aftermath

Aurelia

“It looks like my son has done his work well on you.” She said with a smirk laced through her voice. “You're disgusting. Get out of my sight!” I couldn't believe the audacity she had, to try and order me now!

“You have no power left. You are alone. I killed your husband. I killed your son. Now I have the freedom to do with you what I will.” My voice had taken on a dark note. It was as beautiful as it was menacing.

She stood there not saying anything back. I wished I could see her face clearly as the reality that she would soon be dead washed over her. Was that what I wanted? What would my mother want? She was kind and would want it over quickly. No matter what, she was too dangerous and had done too much to be allowed to live. Moreover, I wanted her to suffer, as we all had suffered.

The perfect punishment flashed through my mind.

“You will not die today. This will be your last night left in this room. Tomorrow you will be sent to the same kind of prison you subjected me to. You will spend the rest of your life in the dark, cold and hungry. No one is left that will come for you. You will die alone, cold and hungry.” It felt so good to say these things, they brought healing to an invisible scar within me.

“I will be remembered through history. Idiot girl, you can't take that away.” Her voice was filled with venom, thinking she had won in a small way.

“I will. What I intend to do will completely erase you and the turmoil you have caused from our history. No one will care to remember you and no book will survive my wrath that holds your name in it.”

She screamed and started to throw things at us. There was no way she could hurt me ever again. So, I laughed and tried to turn to leave, but my body had given out. Thankfully Jaxson was there to help me remain tall and walk out on my own feet. When we were finally outside the door and it was shut again, my legs gave out.

“Saira, bring her to me.” I needed to see her again.

...

I must have passed out after that because I could not remember being moved. I was in a soft bed and the room smelled sweet and floral. There were no other sounds aside from the fire crackling in the hearth. I was afraid to open my eyes, worried that they would still be half blind. A warm, soft womans hand found mine and gave me the strength to open them.

It was blurry at first but after I blinked a few times, silver eyes came into view. Something was still wrong though, as if one of my eyes was still blind.

“I'm so glad your awake.” A heavy sigh. “You did it. The Kingdom is yours, my Queen.” She said with a smile on her face.

She was right I had done it. That awful family had been finished; they could never hurt this land again.

“My eyes, why can't I see properly? My other wounds are healed.” I could tell that the pain I felt was from exhaustion, not the pain of burning flesh.

“Your one eye, I healed it, but the scarring, it's too deep. I tried twice.” She lowered her head as if she was ashamed of her abilities.

“Does it look gross?”

She laughed softly.

“It looks dangerous, and it kind of suits you.”

“I saw Kairios, is he really alive?” Another thing that I couldn’t believe, and prayed that it wasn’t a dream.

“Yes, he was badly burned as well but I was able to heal his burns, though he is heavily scarred. Had I been there when it happened...”

“It’s my fault.” I would not allow her to take any of my blame on herself.

“He told me what happened. It wasn’t your fault. If you hadn't hit him out of that room, he would have died as well.” her hands squeezed mine. “If I hadn't allowed myself to be taken, none of this would have happened.”

“Who took you?” I wanted to know exactly who was there that night, they to needed to be punished.

“Later. It doesn't matter right now. You saved me, again.”

“I don’t think Kairios will ever be able to forgive me for something else I have done.” I said, letting my other question linger between us, for now.

“What happened when you were taken? I saw it all. When that net shot you down, I never want to feel like that again.” Her voice was soft as the memory of that pain flashed through her again.

“I accepted a part of myself that I never wanted before. It made me stronger.”

“How could that be bad?”

“I slept with Galorian. I think I even fell in love with him, in a way.” When I left him, I hadn't realized that. A small flash of regret bloomed in my chest.

Her eyes went wide. She didn’t say anything though. I had braced myself for judgement, I was happy that she didn’t yell at me right off the start.

“You don’t have to tell him.” I was surprised at her. That she would suggest a lie.

“I have to tell him. I don't want to live with the lie.” It was the truth. Whatever consequences came my way for that, I would face them head on.

“Then it must be done. He is outside...”

“I’m not ready yet. I should bathe and get changed. I probably look terrible.”

“You do look terrible.” She said with a laugh as she helped me sit up.

“So mean.” I teased her.

After everything that we went through I just wanted to be in her presence. I wanted to know what happened to her while she was gone, but I would have to wait till later or until she brought it up. The tub was already filled with some water and there was a large steaming cauldron of hot water near the fire. Saira poured the water while I tried to read the soaps with my new eye sight.

“This is so annoying. How will I be able to fight like this?”

“I don’t know to be honest; it will take some time. For the first time though, you don’t have to fight like that you know. It's time to be a Queen and fix what you can with a council, paper and ink.”

“You will lead that council.” A fact that I didn’t leave room to debate. I wasn’t going to ask her; she had to do this, to heal this land. And I knew she knew that.

“What about my people?” I didn’t even think of them, and I felt ashamed by that.

“I promise you; I will help you get revenge. We need an army first. We can't leave now and I will not be separated from you so soon again. I still need your help here.” A fear that she would be harmed again filled my bones and clouded my thoughts for a moment.

“Alright, I will lead the council. Now get in the bath! Let's see if we can do something about your hair. It looks like a bird's nest.”

We both laughed and it healed me in so many ways. While she washed and brushed my hair, I told her about Galorian, the dream I had and the children I found. She was kind and caring through it all, never once passing judgment on me. She was as angry about the children and became silent and thoughtful as she filed the information away.

After I was done and felt clean for the first time in days; it was time to deal with another matter before I could set up my aunt’s punishment and retrieve the kids. I needed to see Kairios now that I could allow myself to feel the guilt. Saira walked to the door after I was dressed and ready and gave me one last glance of reassurance before she left the room.

Kairios walked through the open door and closed it behind him. I wanted to look away in shame but I owed it to him to take in every ounce of what I had done to him. The one side of his face was badly scared, his ear was just an ugly looking hole, where it had once been pointed at the top. His hair had been restored by Saira’s magic and still curled on the one side of his face.

“I am sorry.” And I meant it with all of my heart and soul. A tear leaked down my cheek.

“I don’t blame you. It’s true I fear the burn, but I still love you. I will always love you.” He said after a moment of hesitation.

“I thought I had killed you. It changed me; I did things...” It was so hard to finish that sentence.

“With Galorian?”

He knew?

“I betrayed you.”

“Where is he now?” His voice had a dark, angry edge to it.

“I don’t know to be honest. I told him that if he ever returns, I will kill him myself.”

“Will you?”

I could understand his doubt.

“I will.” I thought...

He stared at me for a few moments before closing his eyes and sighing heavily. He moved to one of the chairs and sat down almost too hard.

“What are you going to do with your aunt?”

We both were glad for the change of topic.

“I will send her away. She will live in the same conditions I grew up in.”

“Why not just kill her?”

“She has to pay. She has to suffer.”

“Jaxson will make the arrangements. They have a dungeon set up to hold her until she can be moved.”

“Good.”

I moved over to stand by him, reaching my hand out waiting for him to take it. He looked at my hand a bit too long before taking it. We still had a long road of work to do together before we could be like before, if that was even possible. He pulled me down to sit on his lap, I was still sore and it hurt a bit but it felt good to be in his lap once more. I rested my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around me.

We stayed like this until there was a knock at the door.

“My Queen? May I enter?”

The voice was a familiar one, one that I had been waiting almost a month to hear again. “Please come in.” I said as I jumped off Kairios’ lap.

I was so happy to see that she was back and unharmed. I was worried about the state of the road and the bandits living and raiding on it. “Welcome home!”

“Yes, it does feel good to be back. Now, the real work begins.”

I knew she meant the people of this city and those of this Kingdom. My discovery of the children was enough evidence that we really did not know the extent of those suffering.

“I found a group of children. They were all orphaned thanks to the slave trading, with Amar Eglir. I promised them I would go back for them. They are not far from here. I left the in a cabin outside of the city. They told me that their parents had been changed into things, unnatural things.

“I've heard some things as well while on the road. Homes nearest the Warlock Kingdom have been burned down and the owners are all missing. No bodies have been found. The sad fact is that right now we can't do anything about it.”

“What do you suggest? We stay here while this continues!” Kairios yelled in his frustration.

“You have no true army.” She said blankly.

“We took the Capitol just fine. They can learn as we go!”

“Don't be so naive, you would have lost to that monster had Aurelia not returned in time. And from what I saw she was almost killed, is that what you want to happen?” Lyanna stood her ground without the need to raise her voice. I found myself agreeing with her. We had to get stronger, and the only way we could do that was with time. Kairios was about to continue to argue but I cut him off.

“We aren't ready. We need time. The best we can do is warn the people of what is happening and let them know we are coming to stop this madness. Saira will be able to help those who are injured to heal faster and they will be able to train with you Kairios. You will be my commander; you will train the army and lead them when the time comes.”

“I can get Jaxson to help set up some more hospitals. The gates remain open and are guarded, every day more and more are returning to the city. You should speak to them.” Again, Lyanna was right.

“I will tomorrow. Send word that I will be at the pier at noon. I want people available to talk to them and find out what they need exactly and those who are willing to join us. Has anyone seen Massell?”

“I have some people looking for him. Saira said she hasn’t seen him yet as well.” There was an edge to his voice. What did he know?