Chapter 80

“Alexander,”
It was not Heather but Juan who called out his name. Alexander was astounded to see his brother beside Diona. Nowhere in the world did he expect Juan to be comfortably seated in the drawing room with Heather and Diona. Further, he could also see Mable and the man who claims to be Heather's father in the room.
“Juan? What in the world are you doing here? All this while you were with Heather, and you did not intend to inform me.” Alexander's voice emitted hurt. Juan was the last person he expected to hide the truth of Heather's whereabouts.
"Juan was himself blackened to the world. It was a couple of weeks before he became aware of his surroundings." Heather spoke up, defending Alexander's brother. She did not wish to cause friction between the brothers, particularly since Juan was not at fault.
She did not wish for Juan to face Alexander's anguish, especially when it was her, and because of her, Juan did not reveal his location to his elder brother.
“I do not understand,” Alexander stated, confused by Heather’s words.
Everyone looked at each other, deciphering who should explain. It was, however, Juan who came forward.
"I knew something was not right the moment I saw Heather take Diona away without even a protest from her end. No matter how much I knew them, it was out of their character. There was something significant going on, and I wanted to know the truth, so I followed them only to find them in front of the Mabel doorway. I intended to knock and confront them right at that moment, but when I saw a couple of our guards around the corner, I was left with no other option but to hide. After looking at Heather's condition, I had lost all faith in our mother and father. I could not have afforded to reveal their whereabouts, so I chose to keep quiet and follow them until the coast was clear. Initially, I feared for Diona's safety, but I was confident that Heather would never harm her. Additionally, we are all well acquainted with Mabel, and I had blind faith in her. Hence, I was certain that there was no way Diona would be in danger with them, yet I felt danger lingering around them. When they left the next morning, I followed them again. In between, I lost track, but when I found them, they were under attack. I saw that something powerful was coming towards Diona, and..."
“He saved my life, and in turn, he was hurt badly. Someone had put a curse on him that, in reality, was aimed at me.” Diona finished.
Alexander listened with intent, processing each and every word. He then looked at Heather. “I do not understand; why did you not call for me? I might not have known where you were, but you knew how to reach me. You should have informed me the moment Juan was hurt."
He could not believe the words he heard. In addition, he felt it was irresponsible of Heather to not inform him when his brother needed him.
“Because it would have done more harm than good. Your brother would have been in danger because of us, and we could not allow anyone to trace us.” Heather defended.
“It does not justify your actions. I deserved to know. Juan is my brother.”
“Alexander, can you confidently say that if I had contacted you in any way or bought your brother to you in the condition he was in, you folks would have listened to us? I deeply apologize that we had to hide him from you, but I did not trust either of our safety. The moment any of your parents' would have heard about our arrival, they would have attempted to execute us, ultimately hurting your brother unintentionally. We could not afford that risk.” Heather explained.
“You should have informed me, Heather," Alexander repeated his words again. "I am well aware that you are more than capable of saving him, and you have my complete faith in your abilities, but..."
“You saved him.” Heather intervened before he could complete his sentence.
“What?” Alexander was now more confused than ever.
“When you passed your kingship to him, it helped him get access to the unlocked powers, which healed him faster. Hence, you had a bigger role to play than Heather.” It was Diona who answered his confusion.
“Why Alexander?” Juan asked, unable to hold it any longer. He could no longer wait for Alexander to process Diona's words, as his elder brother's sacrifice did not make sense to him. Juan was more than aware that gaining that power was of the utmost importance to Alexander, as it would have been key to not only finding Heather but also giving her the rightful place in his life, yet his brother sacrificed everything.
“I was exhausted with the games our folks had been playing. Further, you deserved to be the king more than me in every capacity. I was quite certain that you would decline the kinship on my account, but I know you, Juan. You are my brother, and I am well aware that you enjoy the work far more than I do. You have the right compassion to hold the title.”
"Alexander, you are the first heir of our family, and by law....”
“What kind of law, Juan? Laws must benefit the people and not work against them or any of us. It is not fair.” Alexander attempted to make his brother understand.
It was then Mabel who supported Alexander, “He is not entirely wrong, Juan. The rules of society and old-fashioned traditions must be amended. Somewhere, these laws and greed to achieve the highest power have the capability to destroy everything.” Mabel spoke.
“And I, being the future king, will not destroy anything? Everything will be sabotaged with the change we want to make.” Juan pointed this out.
“No, it will not,” Arkin said. "Once everything returns to how it was supposed to be, people will be more accepting of the change. Juan, you are more than capable of being the king.”
“But Alexander needs those powers more than anything to bring Heather to his side. Those power…” However, Alexander interrupted his brother.
“What good is my love if I need those powers to have her with me? To be honest, I was doing my best to get people to accept me as their king without having to get married after you and Heather disappeared. However, with time, I realized that what I was doing was wrong. I still had it in my mind that once I become the king and bring justice to Heather, I will pass my rein to you after knowing your willingness. But at the same time, I knew deep inside that even without those powers, I could be with her. I always knew that you loved the duty of a king, but the laws always made you sacrifice to accept your dreams and work for me instead. I cannot accept that, Juan, especially when you deserve it more than me. After having a conversation with our natives and the countless tours I have been on, I realized the amount of effort and work you have put in to bring good to our town. As a result, I made the decision to surrender my title to you. It was a rather absurd emotion, as for the first time in my entire life, I felt light. I felt that huge burden lifted from my shoulders. After passing my reins, I immediately contacted Hans, who explained to me the true nature of the myth of the stories we had been hearing since kids about these powers.”
Juan nodded. “Once the future king decides earnestly to pass his reins to the person in his mind, the powers are passed if deserving.”
"Yes, and I should not be surprised that you knew. You deserve it more than me, Juan.” Alexander stated. “You are, in a true sense, an idol person to rule Warsavor, and nothing brings me more joy than being part of your victory.”
“We need to expose everything,” Juan said with tears in his eyes. He was thankful to his brother, as he could not explain his emotions in words.
“It is about time the truth is revealed,” Arkin said, and Mabel nodded.
“Father and mother are right. We need to expose everything and get everyone to remember what they have forgotten.”
“I am unable to understand anything. Father and mother?” Alexander asked, as he was in an utter dilemma. He could not gasp that Mabel was Heather's mother and the man beside her was her father.
Mabel, however, was able to understand his confusion. “We will explain everything to you. There is so much you are not aware of, and it is about time that truth comes into your light.”
Alexander nodded. However, he wanted to explain everything to Heather first and foremost. He could no longer take it in. “Heather, I did not wish to marry Diona. The only reason I agree was...."
“To save me.” She stood up and took a step towards him.
Alexander nodded and took a couple of steps towards her. “I did not think that our mother would physically abuse you. I...” Suddenly, Alexander was feeling dizzy. He fumbled with his words as he walked towards her.
Before anyone could comprehend, Alexander fell unconscious.