Chapter 134: She Knows??
Rhydian;
I sigh for the hundredth time as I walk down the corridor in silence. Maids bow and hurry away from me as I walk by, but I couldn’t be the least bothered about their actions.
There is so much on my mind, it’s difficult for such nonsense to bother me.
Bram’s words echo in my mind, and I shut my eyes and take a deep breath.
"Please... please don’t give up on me, too. You’re all... You’re all I have. I have... I have no one else. Please..."
I run my fingers through my hair as I open my eyes, and I freeze when there, in the distance, I see Igma.
Her waist-length blue hair sways gently behind her as she paces in front of Alana’s room.
Her hands are folded across her chest as she paces, and she’s lost in thought. She looks worried.
I need to talk to her.
I have to. I need to understand what is going on. Why did she say such things about Bram? If it’s not true, why would she say such vile things about him?
I need to get to the bottom of this.
I match over to her, and as I get closer to her, she stops pacing. She glares at me, but I don’t give her the chance to talk before grabbing her arm and pulling her with me.
"What is this!? What are you doing!?" She demands as I start pulling her along with me, and I roll my eyes.
"We need to talk," I growl, and she starts struggling against my hold.
"I’m done talking to you, Rhydian. There’s a brick wall blocking your brain. I’m not going to waste my time trying to get through. Alana needs me!" She growls, and I stop.
I turn to look at her, and I yank her closer to myself.
"Well, I need the truth about Bram! We have to talk, Igma. I’m losing my mind, here! I don’t know what to do anymore!" I growl, and her face falls as she stares at me.
She stares in silence for a few seconds, and her expression shifts.
"When we were younger, what promise did I make to you?" She questions, and I pause.
My mind runs back to when I was a little boy. In this same light, forsaken kingdom.
The little boy who, after hours of training and beatings to make sure I was the strongest Alpha in the whole pack... would hide in the woods with my bruised body and tired soul.
Igma found me. She always knew how to, no matter where I hid.
She’d share her food with me, especially the ones I liked, but mother forbade me from eating to keep me in shape.
Igma would sit for hours with me on days when I was too tired to move. When I cried, she’d wipe my tears and sing songs to me or tell me stories.
She was a year younger, but somehow she always acted older. She was always the sister I never had.
On one of the days when I had been stretched thin, I broke down and cried to her. I told her how I felt everything was against me and how I feared I would never meet expectations.
I was just a little boy, but it felt like the weight of the world was stacked on my shoulders. I was weak. Broken. Miserable. I told Igma I wanted to run away and end it all.
However, she talked me out of it. She told me I was the people’s hope, and then she promised me...
"I promised you that I will always look out for you, Rhydian." Her voice suddenly breaks through my thoughts and memories, and I blink at her.
"I swore with the moon goddess’s name to always protect you in any way I could from any harm I saw coming your way!" She continues, and I watch anger and hurt flood her eyes.
"Yet, today, I stand in front of you, to tell you that that snake named Bram is a criminal and you dare to doubt me!? The same sister you grew up with, you now doubt because of an outsider!" She rages, and I freeze.
"No, Rhydian. We do not need to talk. I’m done talking. You need to listen. If you can not do that, then I’m afraid you’re going to lose more than just your mind." She adds as she snatches her hand away from me, and I watch, stunned, as she turns her back on me and marches back to the front of Alana’s room, where she just stands guard.
She stares at me only for a second and scoffs in annoyance before looking away.
I know Igma. That anger isn’t fake. She’s truly upset with me...
But the question is... is what she is saying actually the truth, or what she believes is the truth?
*********
Elián;
I stand frozen as I stare under the bandage. The wound is healed. Completely!!! Didn’t she operate on me yesterday!??
The scar itself is almost invincible.
I hear a knock on the door, and I quickly drop my shirt and rush to the bed before calling.
"Come in."
I watch as the door opens and as the curtain gets pushed aside, Queen Cassia walks in.
I let out a breath and can not stop myself from rushing off the bed.
"Good morning, honey bun. How are you feeling today?" She questions, and I bite the inside of my lower lip as I weigh the odds.
I’m going to tell her. I need to tell someone, and she’s the only one I can trust with this.
This isn’t normal. Usually, it takes forever for me to heal, but now, I’m healing from a surgery in a day!??
It doesn’t even hurt any more.
"Don’t tell her! That’s risky!" Elien complains in fear, and I pause.
"And it’s not if we don’t tell her?! This is some freaky ass shit. We need help!" I reply, and just then, Queen Cassia’s voice breaks my thoughts.
"Honey, are you okay?" She questions, and I swallow.
I quickly rush to the door. I peek outside to be sure there’s no one coming or within earshot.
Once I see there’s no one, I get back in and bolt the door shut.
"Elian, what is going on?" She questions, and I rush over to her. I take her hands and lead her to the bed.
As she sits, I take a deep breath before I move away and start pacing.
"Okay... What I’m about to show you... It’s gonna be pretty weird. You... have to promise me that you won’t scream, or panic." I begin, and she raises a brow at me.
"She’s definitely going to scream. In less than a minute, Koda will be in here panicking alongside her." Elien rants, and I take a deep breath.
"We don’t have a choice!"
I rant back, and Queen Cassia sighs."Elian... don’t make me worried. What is it?" Queen Cassia questions, and I stand still.
"I’m malfunctioning." I blurt, and I pause.
"Malfunctioning?! What are you? An imbecile?? How’s that the word that came to your..." Elien begins, and I lose it.
"Stop being mean to me, you grumpy ol’..." I begin, but stop when I realise I spoke out loud.
I look up at Queen Cassia, and she’s staring at me with a stunned face.
"Great! Now, she thinks we’re mad!" Elien says sarcastically, and I gulp.
"Malfunctioing... seems to be a bit accurate..." She says as she folds her arms across her chest, and I can’t tell if she’s joking or not.
"I’m sorry. I... I wasn’t talking to you..." I begin, but she raises a brow.
"It’s just us in here, dear..." She notes, and I nod.
"I know. I know... I was just... sometimes there’s a voice in my head and..." I begin, but stop when I realise that I probably sound insane.
She stares at me in silence for a few seconds, and then a smile crawls onto her face.
"Come here, child." She calls as she shifts on the bed, and my fingers find themselves.
I start playing with my thumb nervously before walking over to the bed and sitting beside her.
She gently lifts my chin and makes me look up at her.
"You’re as jumpy as a squirrel, do you know that?" She says as she brushes some of my hair back, and I stare at the gorgeous woman who has so much warmth in her touch, eyes, and aura.
"When you have something to say, take a deep breath, collect your thoughts, and just... speak." She adds, and I swallow.
"There’s no need to be so jumpy." She adds as she gently flicks my nose, and I can’t help but smile back at her.
"Okay?" She questions, and my smile grows before I nod at her.
"Good. Now, honey bun. What’s the issue?" She questions, and I take a deep breath.
"I don’t know how... But... I think my wound has fully... healed..." I whisper as I hold up my shirt for her to see, and she blinks at me.
"Completely?" She asks, and I nod as I lift my shirt higher.
Her eyes flick back to the bandage, and I hold my breath as she gently peels it off to see the wound under it, then she looks back up at me.
"Well... That’s one of the perks of being a primordial." She replies, and I freeze.
She... she knows??