4. THE VISIT. THE REQUEST
Chapter four
THE VISIT. THE REQUEST
When Aekeira stepped into the grand hall and didn’t see Lord Vladya, it stung.
Disappointment flared, then relief. At least she didn't need to face him yet.
Quickly schooling her features, Aekeira walked further into the room.
Yaz and the grand king's head soldier— what was his name again? –straightened at her arrival, stiff and formal. Lord Ottai, who had been gazing out the window, turned to face her.
Those familiar, beautifully crafted black robes filled her with such nostalgia it was all she could do to maintain her composure. Because she remembered them on a certain someone as well.
"Princess Aekeira." Lord Ottai inclined his head with a respect that was foreign.
It was unsettling to see three of them bow to her. Strangely comforting.
"Grand Lord Ottai." She curtseyed. "To what do we owe this visit?"
"It's a matter of great importance. Is your sister on her way?"
"She will not be joining us."
Lord Ottai's face turned sad, but he didn't seem surprised. "Thank you for seeing us. I know it mustn't have been easy for you either."
"How is… is he alright?" She had to ask, had to know.
"No." The grand lord shook his head. "He is not."
Her breath stuttered, and she stumbled back. Blinking furiously against the sting of tears, Aekeira choked out. "Is he f-feral?"
The hush that followed was unbearable. She noticed the look of misery passing between the two head soldiers.
Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my heavens…" The ragged cry tore from the deepest part of her soul.
"May I, Your Majesty?" Yaz asked.
Lord Ottai gave a nod. "Go ahead, Yaz."
Yaz stepped forward cautiously. "My master is not feral yet. Not completely."
"What does 'not completely' mean?" Aekeira snapped desperately. "He is either feral or he's not."
"It means he’s turning, Your Highness. His hand is that of the beast's. There's no changing back," Yaz explained carefully. "I staked out his cave for days and managed to catch a glimpse of him when he came out for food. I'm not sure if it's just his hand or if there are other parts."
Aekeira’s legs wobbled with staggering relief.
"Usually, the change occurs all at once," Yaz continued. “One takes their beast form and is unable to revert back. But there are rare cases where this happens. When one turns gradually, losing single body parts at a time until the change is complete."
"So… he is still… male?" Aekeira couldn’t hide the hope in her voice.
"Not exactly," Lord Ottai answered.
Aekeira stared at him, her heart sinking.
"When one reaches the turning point, there is nothing quite male left about him. His mind will be completely lost. He wouldn’t recognize anything or anyone." The grand lord paused. "Vladya entered that cave one morning and has not emerged in half a year."
Aekeira deflated like a balloon, cold sweat breaking out on her skin.
Half a year?
This is bad. Very bad.
"And the grand king?" she managed to ask.
"May I, Your Highness?" the other head soldier spoke this time.
"Go ahead, Wegai." Ottai nodded.
Wegai stepped forward. "My master’s soul is dying."
Aekeira blinked. "Come again."
"Over the years after the eclipse moon night, many who lost their bondmates were so aggrieved they either turned feral… or their soul became so hungry, it started dying," Wegai said, his voice grave. "A bond feeds the soul, Your Highness. We had no idea how badly he was barely keeping it together until Princess Emeriel was removed from his life."
"You mean Em's love has been sustaining his soul, and when she was taken away, it started to wither?”
" His love, young princess," Lord Ottai corrected gently.
Aekeira flinched.
That longing rose, so fierce it whipped through her like a storm at sea. Squeezing her heart so tight, Aekeira cried out in anguish.
"Are you alright, young princess?" Lord Ottai's concern was evident as he took a step towards her.
"I'm fine, please don't call me that," she strangled out, one hand pressing against her aching heart, the other raised in a plea for distance. "Please… don't."
"What?" Lord Ottai was confused. "The young princess?"
Memories flooded her.
They dragged her back to all the times her grand lord had called her that.
"No one has the right to be this beautiful, young princess."
"Kiss me, young princess."
Too vivid, too painful.
I miss him so much it feels like a part of me was ripped off and handed to him.
"Yes, please!" she panted, squeezing her eyes shut. "P-please."
"Alright. I apologize, Princess Aekeira."
Desperate to distract her mind from the aching void in her heart, Aekeira forced herself to focus on the conversation.
"Your theory doesn't make sense, Lord Ottai," she said, her voice strained. "The grand king doesn't love my sister. We all know that. He was incapable of it."
"He cared for her," Lord Ottai stated. "He might not have been capable of loving, but he did care for her. When everything else dear to him was taken, she was the only thing he came close to caring about again, and that sustained him."
He paused, his gaze heavy with sorrow. "But when she was removed, the gaping wound that never healed took over and spread. Like Vladya with his feral madness, the grand king hid this from us. But unlike Vladya, he actually fought it from the beginning. But now, he can no longer."
Aekeira swallowed, her throat dry. "What happens when one can no longer fight it? What happened to the others who lost their souls?"
Lord Ottai looked away. "They died. Roughly a month after the symptoms are complete, they either go feral or kill themselves. Every last one of them."
What? "But Lord Vladya doesn't have a soul."
"His is different. Vladya’s soul is not dead, it was lost to dark magic. It's alive in the realm of the spirit. Where? No one knows. Alive, but unattainable."
Hope ignited in her eyes. "So it's not dead? That means… there’s a chance he can still get it back?"
The fourth ruler turned back to her and shook his head. "It's not dead, but there's no such hope. Only dark magic can bring it back, and even then, the cost is too great. To make such an exchange, one would have to give up something of immense value. Like a life."
He turned back to the window. "Then, there's the part where Hav'zie de Baah might 'take' but never ‘give.’"
Aekeira's shoulders slumped. Her hope disappeared. She'd forgotten that crucial part.
"So, the grand king… might die?" she asked.
"He will die when the symptoms complete. Which is why we are here." The grand lord released a deep breath. "We need Emeriel close to him. We need her to save his life."
"Em saved it once before. And all she got in return was pain," Aekeira shot back. "More pain than anyone should bear. Hate from everyone around her. A heartbreak that almost killed her."
The three men averted their eyes, guilt written all over their faces.
Lord Ottai sighed, turning back to Aekeira. "I'm sorry for—"
"Save the apology, Your Majesty. It's not for me, but for Em," Aekeira cut him off. "The problem is, she will not be taking it. She does not wish to meet either of you, and she made me promise not to tell her anything discussed here."
Lord Ottai raked his hand through his hair.
"When Emeriel needed him, he was not there," Aekeira continued, years of suppressed anger rising. "My sister needed to be saved countless times, and the grand king was nowhere to be found. She cried for him, day and night. She almost went mad from illusions and daydreams. Was almost swallowed by the great mountains, and nearly died of starvation. Where was the grand king then !?" Aekeira screamed.
"Emeriel had to muddle through it all alone . Forced to survive being severed from her own Soulbond . Em had to do it all alone, and it changed her. She is not the girl she used to be. The person you're looking for, Lord Ottai. You can't find her, because she no longer exists," Aekeira's voice cracked. "Emeriel will not be saving your grand king this time, because Emeriel is the one who needs saving."
After that outburst came exhaustion. Aekeira struggled to calm herself as the tension hung around them.
At last, Lord Ottai broke the silence. "What about you, Aekeira? Do you also wish not to help Vladya?"
Aekeira remained quiet.
Lord Ottai closed the distance between them. "I know we have no right to ask this of you, of either of you. No right at all, after everything. You have no obligation towards us, you have no obligations to him. You are no longer a slave, subject to no one's will. You are a princess in your own kingdom now, free to live your life however you choose.” He took her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. “But I beg of you, Aekeira."
It would be so easy to stay.
They might not be wanted or loved here, but they were treated fairly, with respect. It would be so easy to turn away.
But…
Tears filled Aekeira's eyes. "There's this giant hole in my chest, filled with so much longing that some days… it’s hard to function," she whispered. "Over the years, I thought it would close, I thought it would heal. That maybe the pain would fade." She hung her head. "But the ache grew worse. The hole only wider… and wider. I miss him so much it hurts . I worry about him constantly. So much that I can barely live my own life.” Her eyes met Lord Ottai’s, vulnerable and raw. "I want it to stop. This pain, this longing, I wish it would all end."
The fourth ruler had the gentlest expression on his face. "What are you saying, Princess?"
"I will go back with you," she breathed, defeated.
Relief washed over Lord Ottai's face. He gave her a soft smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Aekeira blushed. "It's weird when you call me that."
"You better get used to it. To me, to all of us, you're a princess now, not a slave. When we get back to Urai, that does not change." His smile faltered slightly, turning sad. "You really think Emeriel will not come around?"
Aekeira remembered the clear agony in Emeriel's eyes when she'd heard the news. The fear, the pain, the anger, and beneath it all… the yearning.
Em might hide it well, but Aekeira knew she had never truly forgotten the grand king. Emeriel had pretended to live, going through the motions of life, but the truth was there .
Em wasn’t living. She was merely existing.
Aekeira knew, because that was exactly how she lived too.
Their lives had ended back in Urai. Two years later, they still hadn't moved on, still hadn't found their place in Navia.
It may have been their home, yet it didn't feel like home. Not like Urai did.
With a heavy sigh, Aekeira made a decision. "I will try talking to her again tonight, but I cannot promise anything."
Lord Ottai nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Princess. We will get a guesthouse in town to spend the night, but we must leave tomorrow. Zaiper has no idea we are here, and the people are left under his care. We have already been away for three days, and there's still a two-day journey ahead of us. We really can't stay longer than tonight. I really hope this works."
Aekeira hoped so too.