Shadow of Death

IV

The palace had been still after Madame Clara had been sent out. The king had been somehow disturbed but is now sleeping soundly in his room. The whole palace seemed to be asleep and again the Shadow of Death wished for such ability.

The cold air swiftly caressed the curtains hanging in the princess' room. The sleeping Kasila held one pillow as she dreams. The son of Death watching her in contentment. He walked across the room, and tucked the curtain from which the soft breeze had passed. He saw the crescent moon smiling at him.

"Are you certain of your path brother? You only have a moment to end this."

When he turned, he saw his sister--the Wings of Death, wearing a horned-beast skull, her velvet black wings tucked behind her. For millennia, his sister had been the most beautiful girl in the world, the fairest of them all in his eyes, but for some reason, Kasila's beauty could be compared, if not exceeded hers. Though of course, the Wings of Death cannot care less regarding those matters.

"I have neither courage nor will to leave her." He solemnly replied.

If only he could cry, he would have. He couldn't think of anything good to do, he can hardly think at all. He can't see the future, but he can surely feel so many deaths coming very soon. He had convinced himself that he would have nothing to do with it.

The wings of death moved closer to him. She blinked a little longer then said, "The moment had ended."

The shadow of death closed his eyes and when he opened it, his sister was gone. Kasila however, was awakened and sat on her bed, eyes wide open.

She looked at him directly. "You haven't told me your name." she asked out of nowhere.

A name? Well, he once had a name until people called him "Shadow of Death", and that was what he was called ever since. No one for millennia called him by his given name, and it was not important to him, even now.

He walked closer to her and smiled. " Why did you awake?" He asked her.

"Why weren't you asleep?" she asked him.

"I do not sleep."

Kasila was always puzzled by him. She moved out of her bed and walked barefoot. She tucked the curtains and opened the door to her balcony. She leaned in the banister and stared at the crescent moon. The shadow of death followed her.

"I have my wish" She spoke without looking at him.

"Say it."

Then, she stood straight and looked him in the eye. "I wish for your freedom."

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The moon is full tonight, bright as it could be. There were Kings and Queens of other kingdoms passing through the gates. They brought with them knights and guards and servants, some of which carried gifts- gold statuettes of a flower that must be sacred in their kingdom, exotic violet feathered birds in golden cages, there were jewelries carried within a treasure box, velvet fabrics, giant black pearls, mountains of gold, there were too many beautiful things to mention, and the parade doesn't seem to stop. As soon as they are inside, the gifts were laid on a big round table embellished with diamonds that looked like a fancy gift itself. There was music too, played by the kingdoms' best musicians, a pretty melodic song, free metered and melismatic. There were dancers and performers, scattered in the courtyard, giving more vibrancy to this lively, colorful night.

Food was flowing everywhere too, and the king helped himself to a delicacy that is to be called chocolate.

"My king, I recommend that you regulate eating those." Said a woman beside him. It was Madame Clara, who had asked forgiveness for her 'misbehavior ' a few weeks back and is now again, giving the king advice and premonitions. She also serves as an interpreter at the moment, for the other royals came from lands far enough, they spoke different languages.

"I heard, he is no prince at all." One of the foreign kings had said to another. He was wearing a golden tunic and a heavy red cape of the finest material.

"Aye! There had been rumors of him just being rouge and a street rat once." Replied the other king, this one a bit round on the belly. He wore a loose blue, silken robe and a cloth hat with assorted feathers dangling almost up to his waist.

"Oh my!" exclaimed the red-caped king. "That might be just true! Well, none of us here had heard of him before this wedding. So, we could be sure that he is not of royal blood."

"Though, I could just give him the benefit of the doubt. I suspect that he is a noble warrior of some kind, and had won the favor of the king and the princess through his accomplishments. We can see that his a strong man from his built and he's pretty nimble on his feet too."

The red-caped king snorted. "Nimble? Well, maybe because he is a thief before!"

"Oh, shush!" The fat king told him to be quiet. "no matter, there is a royal wedding tomorrow and he is the groom."

There were talks of that sort all evening. Monarchs, and even their guards and servants, would shoot a look at him, but his head was held high and he felt braver as the princess held his hand. He looked at her and she was smiling. That smile is enough for him.

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The Wings of Death stood at the top of the highest sand dune. She was far from the palace, but she could see everything that is happening. The celebration, the gifts, the dances and her brother with his beloved Kasila. When the mortal princess freed the Shadow of Death, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop what was coming.

She felt the night breeze and turned her head to another direction. In the vast desert, she saw a hooded figure silhouetted by the moonlight. It was walking towards the palace, judging from the distance, that person will reach the gates at daybreak.

Being an entity that is nowhere near human, the Wings of Death was taught never to meddle with human life, or LIFE in general. But that night, she had felt something so strong, she could not stop herself from doing what she hoped she would not regret.

She spread her wings and flew to where the hooded figure is. At first, the person sensed the wind blowing angrily. She felt as if she was caught in a sandstorm. Then, the Wings of Death appeared before her.

The person took the hood, and it revealed the former queen's weary face. She was the former queen, indeed, Kasila's mother. The Wings of Death knew that much, even if the queen's eyes were covered by a black cloth tied around her head. She untied it, revealing black-tinted eyes and she stared directly at Death's daughter. "You." the queen said. She was oddly composed considering the fact that she is standing face to face with a creature like the Wings of Death. Then, she smiled and said, "Well, of course, you are not affected by my petrifying gaze." She took a step closer to her. "Your mother did this to me."

The Wings of Death kept gazing into her eyes without saying a word.

"It was you." The queen said. "You stole my king's heart years ago. And now, your brother had stolen my daughter's heart and along with her life!"