Reborn: I’ll Save This Doomed Marriage

Waiting in the Darkness

It was cold, and wet, the sounds of the water dripping from the high ceilings onto the same puddles that I had been hearing echoed, making my ears feel numb. The lamp was becoming more dim and weaker as we sat for what seemed like hours for Edward to come find us. I was beginning to worry, but I had to seem calm and collected. I couldn’t let Christopher find out that I was scared. It would only make his feelings worse.

“Mama…how long do we have to sit here?”

“Until your father comes and finds us, my sweet.” I caressed his head, the wetness all too familiar as I had realized he was letting his tears out silently.

“How about…I tell you a story.” I pulled him onto my lap, the lamp beginning to put itself out. “Long ago, there lived to be a princess, she lived in a beautiful castle, and it was surrounded by beautiful gardens of all kinds of flowers.”

“Like your flowers mama?”

“Exactly, like my flowers. She waited in her castle all day, waiting for excitement to reach her. She waited and waited, eventually deciding that enough was enough, and she would have to find the excitement herself. She left, with only a few items to her name. Her beautiful hair was chopped shorter, and she became an adventurer. She wandered the prairies, and all of the forests, until one day she stumbled upon a cabin. The cabin was so tiny, she figured that only animals would be able to inhabit it. When she stumbled upon a strangle little man, he claimed he was an elf of the forest, and wished to make her a meal, make her feel welcome to the forest. The princess agreed, and together she made a new friend in the forest, one that was her eyes and ears. This elf, was magical, and would often let her know if people were nearby so she could hide away. She didn’t want anyone from her previous life to find her. So, everyday when a strange man came around to talk to the elf, he would send her away and let her run an errand or wander the forest picking flowers, and listening to the sweet chirping of the animals. One day, she came back a little too early, to visit her friend. The person that the elf had been having over was one of the royal guard. He had met him, while searching for the missing princess. He sees her eyes, they shined like sapphires as the wind swept up her hair. He had met his true love.” I sighed as I patted his head. The lamp had gone out, and he had thankfully fallen asleep. I heard the footsteps along the corner as I covered everything but one eye.

“Angel?” The voice rang out. It was Edward, here to find us.

“We’re over here.” I said just above a whisper. I didn’t want to wake Christopher as I heard Edward’s footsteps run towards us.

“Christopher has just fallen asleep, don’t wake him. I do not want him so anxious and scared as when we walked down here.” Edward had taken him out of my arms. I felt a coldness where I was once sweating. I didn’t know what to even ask Edward first. Was the city occupied? Was the castle safe? The city was left with famine and death. The monarchy was gone, and we were all alone. No one was here, it had become an abandoned wasteland of what used to be. So many questions swirled through my head as I was led once again through the eerie, wet and cold, tunnel that I had refused to look at before. All of these skeletons reminded me of what was happening on the surface. Octavian had turned into a tyrant, and was trying to establish a new world order, born from the ashes of his wake. It was wrong, and threw everyone out of balance, people have lost their lives, who will pledge loyalty with you when you have no one left?

“Angel,” he said to me as we approached the locked door.

“Yes?” I asked quietly.

“The castle is abandoned, and Octavian’s forces have already marched through the land. They have left us with no fields, or forests, and has only left us with the sick and the dead.” He sighed as we approached the steps. He was seemingly devastated over what has happened while we were away. We couldn’t help but feel responsible for everything, we should have been here with the people, standing in arms against the greater evil. Our kingdom was once prosperous, now it was left in ruins.

“We must stop Octavian. Edward…he tried to find me.” My voice cracked as I choked out my dark confession. I had never wanted Edward to know that Octavian had come to find me while he was locked in prison.

“When? When was this?” He said, turning to me. His fingers gripped my shoulder as his other hand supported Christopher.

“After I had given birth. He came to Henry’s house, Henry refused to let him in. He told them how his wife had shown generosity and let me stay for the night and then she moved on. He never came back to bother us after that. Christopher was only so little. I couldn’t let him see me, he would’ve taken Christopher, and myself. That is why I stayed hidden at Henry’s. I couldn’t run the risk of him, or his people finding me in a foreign area.” My eyes found the back of Christopher’s head, as I patted his back gently.

“I understand, it was the smarter thing to do.” He shrugged it off, but I knew he was quite bothered. Had he not had his whole faith set in me, I would’ve been left behind long ago from the treasonous act of infidelity. He didn’t quite understand the circumstances I was put in. And I knew one day he would, and I would too, understand his circumstances better.