Beautiful Tragedy

Eighty-four

Third Person POV

The white t-shirt and shorts were a stark contrast with his naturally tanned skin. Using the back of his hand, he swipes just under his nose, even as he sniffles.

"This is all my fault.." he thinks to himself. "Why didn't I run the other way?"

"Yu get in Yu shouldn't na hir."
A voice cuts his thoughts off making the boy jump from the sound.

He knew he wasn't suppose to be here. He was suppose to stay with Harper and his sister, but he had to come here- needed to see him.

Turning slowly, his eyes widened on his face to see Echo standing in the corner watching him, watching her.

Face etched in stone, there was nothing there to say what she was feeling as her eyes flickered away from Apollo, to the man who would stop aging.

They had become tentative allies over the years, allies that barely trusted each other. Kayleigh and her children being their only link.

But as she looked at him she couldn't help but feel a stab of pity for Asher build in her chest.

"Had Kayleigh not forced Abby to intervene, if he wasn't in cryo sleep now- Asher would've died a warriors death." Echo thought to herself bitterly.

"Giving his life to save their commanders heart- to be the only one to die with any shred of honor." She stops taking a deep centering breath.

Turning her eyes away from the man she looks back to the boy again, who wipes away the few tears there.

"It's my fault he's here." Apollo says still sniffling not looking away from the sleeping man.

Echo says nothing as she silently observes the boy in front of her.

How his small hands clenched and unclenches are his sides so tightly his arms shook. Head bowed bow- his cascade of curls hiding his eyes from her line of sight. But even still she knew his eyes were closed just as tightly shut- as if trying to erase the memories all together.

To pretend it never happened.

Had it been anyone else in there, they would've gone to the boy, wrapped their arms tightly around him, consoling him. Whispering fake promises that everything would be okay.

But Echo could do none of this.
Would not do any of this.
She was a member of the Queen's Guard.
Azgeda spy.

"Yu learned a hard lesson today, young hainofa."

The lessons that came from war and death was all she knew. The difference was the young prince was learning at a younger age than she did.

"I'm not a prince." He mutters under his breath she still heard. "She's my mom."

"Your mother is Heda." Echo reminds him. "She rules over all of us now."

"She promised-" Apollo begins to yell as he spins to glare at Echo only to have her roughly cut him off.

"She promised to never let anything happen to you." She all but snarls. "Swore she would stop at nothing to keep you and your sister safe.. No matter the cost.. what you witnessed was the price."

Apollo glared at her still, he listened to her words but didn't fully compress them. It was all just too much for his young mind to process which just made him feel more angry more agitated- emotions he wasn't familiar with.

"The time for childish games and wishes are over. Your mother needs you to stay safe."

"We won! There are no more bad guys-