Bonus Chapter The Tale of Tears
The Tale of Tears
Bonus Chapter
Rhenor
“Go, find somewhere to keep her safe.”
Carnaxa’s last words ring in my ears, as I pull Siphonie along through the corridors to the only place I can think of.
Our home, here in Antalis’ castle.
I’ll never truly understand why King Clennom betrothed me to Siphonie.
She was young when the announcement came.
At first, I was outraged — angry at the loss of Belina and because I didn’t understand the betrothal.
I even sent Siphonie to live with my sister, feeling it inappropriate to watch her grow up knowing she was to be my wife.
My sister agreed, of course. Our families had always been close to the royals of Antalis.
When I asked the King, he said, “Something Ivilion said once.” Whatever that was has remained a mystery to me, but one thing that is not …
Siphonie was the best thing to happen to me.
Being back in the chambers we have made our home during our few years of marriage is like a walk into the past. I can still see Siphonie in my mind, the day we first moved in together, a picture of youth and rebellion.
I let go of Siphonie’s hand to open the curtains that sway onto the balcony, letting light trickle in from outside.
Siphonie’s sobs quickly replace the silence behind me. The sound cuts through me. Without a word, I pull her close, burying my face in her soft pink hair, feeling the tremors of her grief against my chest.
When I lost Belina, I thought I would never know love again.
Belina was my twin drop, and I j knew no one else would ever compare.
I spent many nights in the brothels and the training grounds to help curb the pain of loneliness, thinking that was to be my life.
But Siphonie … She's shown me just how wrong I was.
Thunder rumbles from the distance, and I pull away, only to look out the balcony doors. The ocean churns dangerously, the waters rising, as if trying to swallow the earth whole. Screams from the rings reach us, a strange blend of awe and terror filling the air.
“The waters will rise,” Siphonie whispers, her voice shaking as she gazes in the same direction. Her eyes widen to reflect the terror that consumes her. The same fear that swirls in my gut. This is to be our end.
I turn her to face me, placing my hands on either side of her face. “Don’t look,” I tell her, my voice low, urgent. I kiss her deeply, feeling her soft hair slip through my fingers as I pull her closer. Her hands tremble at the nape of my neck.
Breaking the kiss, she looks at me with sorrow-filled eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. “Rhenor, I’m sorry …”
I frown, confusion clouding my expression. Siphonie is too proud, too fiercely independent, to usually issue a direct apology. It’s one of the reasons I love her. Her powerful will, her voice, her need to question things. “Sorry? What could you ever be sorry for?”
Her arms tighten around my neck, and her lip catches between her teeth as if unsure of how to continue. “Because I wasn’t her, and because of the hurtful things I did during our marriage. I should have seen you sooner than I did.”
Her words strike me in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
Not too long ago, she was like a river — flowing, restless, uncertain.
She didn’t love me, and I didn’t blame her.
She was finding herself, finding her voice, learning who she was as an adult, and she had no say in who she would spend her life with.
I smile, brushing a lock of her hair from her face.
“My lilae, you have nothing to apologize for. I was able to experience life as a youth before I married Belina. You weren’t given the same choice, to learn love on your own terms. Or to make mistakes.
I wanted you to be happy, in whatever form that took, even if it wasn’t in my bed, because you deserved it. ”
I rest my hands at her waist, the fabric of her gown soft beneath my palms. “I would never want you to be anyone other than who you are. You are my lilae, Siphonie. Regardless of how we got here. I know Belina will welcome the three of us with open arms in Mohasha, and I think you will like her. Belina probably smiles down at you every time you work your way under my skin.” I rub my hand across her swelling belly, the blessing of a child — one I thought I would never receive.
Now, a gift I’ll only get to hold in Mohasha.
“You and this child are something I never deserved. I thought my chance at love was gone. But then, I was blessed again, with love. You came into my life like a thundering hurricane and disrupted everything. Your actions, regardless if you meant them to be, inspired me to be better. I love you, Siphonie. I love the life you have given me, and the love that you have shown me.”
Crystal tears brim her eyes as she struggles to keep her gaze focused on mine, ignoring the sounds of the roaring waves and screams below. The sounds of the water catch my attention for a moment and I realize the waves are closer than they should be.
She smiles up at me, her fingers roaming the hair of my jaw.
“The night of T?ht and Mar seems so far in the past, but you know that was the night I knew I loved you. The way we danced, how you looked at me. Maybe the signs had always been there — but I knew without a doubt under that moon, that I was supposed to be yours. We may not be twin drops, but our love is true. Perhaps even more true because we forged this path on our own. I would never want my life to be anything but what it has been with you.”
She places one hand in mine. “Will you dance with me, Rhenor? One last time?”
“Of course.”
Together we dance, the world around us unraveling in a cacophony of prayers and desperate cries.
We ignore them, moving as one. Two souls interwoven.
We dance until the water creeps onto the balcony, chillingly caressing our feet.
We dance as the world, once so loud and full of terror, falls into silence.
The water rises steadily, wrapping around us, as if it too wishes to join our dance.
When the water swells to our waists, then our chests, I pull her close again.
I hold her tight as if I could will the world to stop.
Her scent lingers in the air, sweet and intoxicating, and I feel the blessing of our love between us.
I kiss her with a ferocity that matches the storm outside, my lips claiming hers as the water curls over our chins.
In that kiss, we are lost — our bodies and souls entwined as the darkness swallows us whole.