The Curse Of The Blood Moon

8: The Bargain

~Asher~

She was not moving anymore, and the sheer fear of losing her nearly drove me crazy. Aunt Claire was not budging on the fact that we were related, and she acted like a total stranger. Like she had not spent nearly all her younger days in this very palace, her eyes were cold and distant, as if being here alone was a painful reminder of all that she had lost. I felt for her, but I didn't have a choice.

We took a turn and entered the sacred tombstones that were reserved for only the royals or critical people in the kingdom. Her eyes darted around now, scanning every door as we made our way past it. I located the unmarked door and scanned my finger at the door to give us access.

"Is this it?" She asked me, her voice heavily laden with emotion.

"Yes. He was buried here." I said, and she looked shocked because she knew that only the most important people were buried in the palace.

"Why? Why would they treat him like that and then bury him here like he meant anything to them?" She asked, tears already welling up in her eyes.

"You didn't know the truth. At least, not all of it. Father told me everything before he died." I said and moved into the room. It was clean and well taken care of. Father had made sure that this tomb was always specially taken care of; he had hoped that someday his little sister would come back and see the truth for herself.

I went in and pressed a disguised lock on one of the walls; it pulled in, and a book emerged. It was a diary, one that I had safeguarded all of these years. I took it and handed it to her; she was hesitant about taking it until she saw that the first page had been signed by the man she loved more than life itself.

"Is it really his?" She asked me, looking like a love-struck teenager all over again.

"Yes, it was his last days. From when he had been hit with the radiation that caused his death until the day he breathed his last" I said and led her to the spot where he had been buried in the room.

She fell on the grave and wept. My heart softened at the sight of her crying like a baby, but there was not much that I could do. The best thing I could do was to bring her here and let her mourn her lover one last time.

"I miss you so much, Darius. You should never have obeyed the king. We should never have" she cried. I didn't mean to interrupt her then; I didn't want her to feel like her feelings weren't valid. When she finished, she held the book close to her chest as more tears fell.

When she was done, she stood up, a new resolve in her eyes. She seemed furious and at peace at the same time, and I knew that Father had been right to have kept him here.

"He didn't know about the radiation. Even to the extent to which it had gone. Darius was part of the special forces of the kingdom; he had to go. Even when he didn't, he had sworn an oath to protect the people even with his life. You know the special forces are different; once you sign up for it, you sign your life away. Others before him have been treated the same way for being a coward, but only yours ended up being buried here." I explained as she began to cry all over again.

"You mean..."

"Yes. The king's hands were tied; he couldn't make an exception for you, or he would look like a weak king. Still, he made sure your man stayed away from the front line as much as possible."

"I thought he was trying to punish him by relieving him of his position as a frontline warrior" she asked, her eyes now filled with confusion.

"Not at all; he was the only one who survived that gruesome attack. The king wanted him back for you; he didn't want to lose you too, which was why he had you locked up. You would have gone there, and he thought it was better to have you angry than have you dead." I explained as she fell to the floor and let out a guttural scream. It was piercing and loud, and I could have sworn that it was heard from every corner of the palace.

"He didn't hate Darius; he couldn't openly approve of him, since we weren't even married. My brother didn't treat me badly; I was just too blind to see how much he was trying to save my life." She cried, and I put a hand on her shoulder to offer her whatever comfort that I could.

"No he didn't. He didn't hate you too; he just wanted you alive. He didn't know if there would be a second attack; that's why he let you go that night. He watched your escape from his window and refused to let anyone come after you. He never hated you, Aunt Claire. In fact, he had told us that his greatest wish was to have you back in the kingdom. You have to let it go, Aunt Claire." I explained to her and held her.

She stood up and hugged me, bawling her eyes into my chest as my clothes soaked through with her tears. I didn't push her away; I held her as she cried. Just then, I heard the sound of rushing footsteps and detangled from her to see what was going on.

Anne was rushing to me, her eyes filled with excitement. I knew it was good news and handed my aunt Claire a handkerchief to wipe her tears with. She took it from me gratefully and blew her nose, just as Anne got to us.

"Her fever has abated. She is not awake yet, but her body is already getting some of its color back" she said as Aunt Claire lifted her hands to the heavens.

"Praise be to the moon goddess".