Reborn: I’ll Save This Doomed Marriage

A New Future

Jade POV:

“Mama?”

“Edward…I knew you would find me here.” I flung myself at him, my tears wetting his shirt.

“How did you know?”

“My dreams…they always showed us meeting here.” His hand caressed my face as he looked back at Henry, who looked like a beaten down man.

“Angel, who is this?” He looks at him, his head c****d slightly to the side.

“That’s uncle Henry! He let mama stay with him while I was in her tummy.” Edward stepped forward, greeting him with a nod.

Their eyes met as Edward stuck his hand out. “Thank you for protecting my wife and child. It couldn’t have been easy, even for so long.”

“I love her,” Henry said, my face looked down in shame as Edward smiled back to him.

“So you’ve fallen in love with my wife?” Edward questioned him as he looked him up and down. “Why do you love her?” Edward looked back at me with such sad eyes. It was as if he thought I had feelings for Henry too. Deep down I knew that I had some kind of feelings for him, but couldn’t bring myself to forget Edward. Every day his son reminded myself of him. Dreaming, waiting for him to come find me.

“She has a beautiful soul.”

“I know, that is why she remained at my side through these years. Don’t try to confuse me with your tactics of trying to make me believe that she let herself slip and fall in love with someone who showed her kindness and mercy. She is the most loyal woman I had ever met, and she would never bring herself to betray my trust. I have betrayed her once, and look at the devastation that had been caused. Yet, she greets me with open arms, awarding me with my son. You may have raised him for the couple years of his life, but you will never take the title of father.” Edward looked down on Henry as Henry admitted defeat and shook Edward’s hand in shame. “Grab your belongings angel, I shall have Henry gather Christopher’s. We will head into town to get a carriage and we will go home, Octavian, has thrown the nations out of balance, and has overthrown my father.” He said with a devastated look.

His scowl covered his face as I packed up my things as quickly as I could. We needed to get back, to stop Octavian, to try to take back the kingdom, to try to gain back our honor.

I must admit I was a little conflicted, returning in the middle of a war, was it safe? Would we be ambushed upon arrival? The worry in my face shown as Edward caressed my cheek, sending me into a silent rage. Octavian had ripped me from my home essentially, taking advantage of the kingdom’s weakness after casting me aside.

My thoughts raced as my eyes travelled to Henry, would was helping Christopher with his belongings. It pained me to see him this way, so alone and broken. Yet I was the one who caused this. I was the one who couldn’t let go of my will to live, and I have brought that into another human. I had brought my son into a war, a young boy, with a pure soul, now will be tainted with the stench of blood hung in the air as we arrived home to reclaim what is ours.

I didn’t know where to draw the line of what was right or what was wrong in this instance. He would grow into a smart, young, loyal man, yet when I look at him, I see only my guilt of having to take him away from everything he knows to be true.

I had never told him of his true lineage, nor had I ever thought I would have to. I had dreams of Edward coming for us, but yet, I thought it was only in death. My boy would be given a royal title of prince, while Edward takes on as king, and I as his queen. I had been away for so long, I had forgotten what it meant to be a lady. I had forgotten what it was like, when my days were filled with walks, and gossip filling my ears every step of the way with the maids.

I had missed my days of roaming the grounds, the birds chirping as I felt the calm breeze. I had been at ease here, some days, others I was filled with terrible worry and dread. I had relived my nightmare, over and over, to escape a tyrant, just to be thrust into the arms of another man, who you could not love. I wanted to love Henry, I wanted to make Christopher his father, just for the sake of having one. But I couldn’t forget Edward, I could not forget where I had come from, and who his heir was. If anything else, I was to protect his heir at all costs, even if it was emotionally. I never let Henry say that he was his father, I was adamant with Henry on that. We fought for days, with him also begging and pleading with me, to just allow him to give him his name. I had outright refused, and had threatened to leave him. Finally I had agreed that he could name the boy, in honor of his hospitality, and of nothing else.

My heart stung as Henry held me in his arms, a tight embrace, that almost cut off my air. It was one of goodbye, a goodbye that meant, we would part ways, and never return. I had known what it meant, as he bent down and hugged Christopher even tighter.

“You take care of your mother now, ya understand?”

“Yes sir,”

“What she says goes, you hear me? She says duck you duck, she says run, you run as fast as your legs can carry you.”

“Yes sir,”

“I love you kiddo, like you’re my own.”

“I know uncle Henry…is this goodbye?”

“It’s goodbye for now, I’ll see if I can come visit ya soon, don’t think your father would mind me so much since I didn’t take over his place while he was gone.” He shot him a look before hugging Christopher tightly once again, leaving me to regret my decision on leaving.

I knew it would only confuse Christopher, but I had taught him enough basic etiquette that he would be able to get by, even if he didn’t have a slight accent. I didn’t want his accent to fade, it was a part of his identity, and a part of his upbringing, and I didn’t know how to talk to Edward about this.

“Henry, you are a good man, I shall send word when we reach the Southern Isles, there you will be greeted with utmost respect, and I shall grant you land, and a title. You may keep this as your own, but I owe you a life of gratitude my friend.” Edward’s stance was frigid as his hand was stuck out towards Henry.

“You got a smart boy, even smarter wife, I’ll come out and see him, only problem I got is my horses.”

“Bring them with you, I shall send for you when we return with safe word.”

“Of course your highness,” Henry said as he took his hand back. The soldiers that accompanied us, threw what little belongings we had onto the back of the horses. Edward granted me my own horse, while Christopher rode in front of me.

“Mama, can I get my own horse when we go?”

“Of course, you can ride all day, and I will continue your riding lessons, both the ones that I know, and of what Henry has shown us.”

“…father?”

“Yes?” Edward looked over at Christopher, the concern shown is his face as he hesitated on the word father.

“Mama said you were a soldier, is that true?”

“Yes, I am also a leader. I lead many men,”

“Like how them men marched into town and made mama run away from home? Uncle Henry showed it to me.”

“No, those were not soldiers, those were people…who liked to hurt others.”

“Why do people like that exist?”

I shushed Christopher as I spoke to him in native, something a little easier for him to understand.

“Bad people, will do bad things, just to hurt others, good or not,” I spoke coolly.

He nodded his head in agreement as I felt Edward’s gaze, it was burning a hole in the side of my head, I didn’t know whether he was upset I was speaking in a foreign tongue, or if he was upset that I had excluded him.

“Is that, a language you developed with him?”

“It is the native language, of people who I have met in the surrounding areas. They enjoyed Christopher’s company, he often helped around with Henry.”

“Could…could you teach me?”

“The native tongue?”

“Well, I don’t suppose why not, I would like to be able to fully communicate with my son. It would be a good code, for when he takes over as my heir.”

“An heir? Mama what’s that?”

“When you inherit something that was left to you.”

“So what is being left to me?”

“A whole kingdom son, everything you could imagine, awaits across seas.”

3 months later:

“The castle is empty, it’s been abandoned by Octavian as he conquered it. Get inside, take Christopher, and don’t let him out of your sight. Get to the back of the left wing, take the steps all the way to the bottom as you reach the cave. Once you reach the wooden door, go inside and lock the door behind you, after you’re done, you should reach the catacombs. Wait for me there, I am scouting the city and will make it back shortly.” He pulled me into a deep embrace, as his lips were planted onto mine, the his lips are what molded us into one. That bound our souls together for life, a good life for all of us, something I had remembered in my dreams long ago.

“What is our signal? How do we know it is you, I will have no light in a tunnel of complete darkness.” I gripped Christopher’s hand tighter.

“No one will find you down there, but you will know it is me, when I make myself known. You will know I’m near, and I know that is enough for you.” He spoke softly as he tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. He bent down and looked at Christopher lovingly.

“…listen to your mother, you follow uncle Henry’s advice.” He hugs him before I am sent on foot traveling back to the castle with tired, seasick ridden, 4 year old.

After two miles, I had already given in and picked him up. His hair was soft as it brushed against my cheeks. As I approached the gates I had noticed that the castle looked like it had been scorched and ruined from the inside. I didn’t know what to think about the the bodies that laid around the courtyard. I held Christopher’s head; tight to my chest, shielding his eyes from the sheer devastation of death. Christopher had seen death, in the things that he had learned to hunt, yet, this was of humans, and Christopher…he loved everything with life. He always thanked the animals for their gifts and only hunts to eat. We could have fruit and vegetables year round now, if we were to stay here, or perhaps flee back to my original state my parents had moved from? I didn’t know what we would do if we were to be chased out. My shoes echoed as they clanked on the cold hard cement, they had taken all of the rugs in the palace, or they had been burned along with all of the furniture and portraits. Octavian raged war on someone who was captured.

I didn’t know whether Octavian was just plain stupid or if he was a genius. He somewhat seemed alright in the head, but had a possessive side. His feelings were no doubt hurt at least a little? I didn’t know what he thought, and yet, I couldn’t quite figure out why I cared. He had treated me as less than human, and I would be trapped in a marriage of misery. I only missed my son. As I looked at Christopher, I couldn’t help but think of telling him he had a brother now. He has just gotten his father back, we are in the middle of a war, and I want to cause him more confusion.

I struggled with these thoughts that clouded my vision. My arms were growing more and more tired. I hoisted him over my shoulder, making sure his face, faced my back. I ran all the way until I reached the room. I locked the door behind me as I followed the instructions to the catacombs. I wasn’t sure when to stop. I put Christopher down from the stiffness in my joints as the cold air hit us. “Christopher?” I whispered, my voice echoing off the walls.

He whispered back, “yes mama?” He was frightened, he shook as his name bounced off the walls and down the hall.

“Don’t let go…and don’t be scared. It only makes it worse. I will always protect you.” I said as I whispered into his ear. I gripped onto his hand tightly, as we silently walked down the hall. Both of our hands were sweaty. We refused to let each other go as we approached a tunnel that was full of empty graves. There was a very dim lantern as I led Christopher towards it. I found a hidden corner, away from the corpses. I draped my second cloak around Christopher as I gave him the dim lamp under the blanket to get warm. I had covered myself up with the cloak, the were the hides I had brought with me were so thick that no light shown through. It was just dim enough for Christopher to forget his fear of what we had just seen, or had not seen.

Our imaginations ran wild as we walked through. It was unnerving being not only so cold, but for you to walk amongst the dead, this memory will forever be burned into both of our heads. And it seemed futile to deny what we had both just been through.