Light from the Shadow

Chapter 30

"Qwentine!! Qwentine!! Please wake up!" Ayna called his name desperately. She shook the blood-soaked body. Rishi watched the whole nightmare without being able to say anything. He had not moved an inch from where he stood.

Ayna tried casting any healing magi she knew. Nothing happened. "Why... please... please help..." She did not care where she was. She just wanted to save the man. But Qwentine had died. It was an instant death. He might not have even felt the pain at all.

Rishi slowly walked to his father's side. His trembling hands took the now lifeless body from Ayna.

"Dad..." His voice quivered. He hugged his father's body. It was still warm. Tears started seeping down his cheeks. "Dad..."

"I see you've found a new family in your new place? Too bad he had to die too..." A punch flew into Helten's face before he could finish his sentence. It was from his brother, Kuan. He fell to the ground after he received the powerful blow.

"Guards!!" Kuan shouted. A few knights working under him came forward at his command. "Arrest the crown prince!"

"Who do you think you are?!! You cannot just..."

"From now, you are subjected to the trial for unlawful killing of a man. Be prepared, Helten." Kuan said coldly and turned to his subordinates. "What are you waiting for? Take him away!"

"How dare you do this to me?!! Who do you think I am?!!" Helten struggled to release himself from the knights' strong grips. The royal knights were hesitant but chose to obey their captain's command and took the crown prince away.

Ares who came back with the royal physician just stood silently beside Rishi. The librarian did not allow anyone to touch his father. He just sat there, burying his head into his father's dead body and cried until there were no more tears to shed.

***

"I have made the arrangement for him to be buried beside his parents." Jyaga told Rishi. Qwentine's body had been arranged to be brought back to Remblan. When Jyaga found out what happened to the royal instructor, he was lost at word. How could this happen? They had just travelled together the day before. Sharing the same carriage, the same food, the same room. Chatting merrily about how they were going to drag his son back home. That kind-hearted, fatherly Qwentine. He did not know what to say to Rishi.

The librarian nodded.

Jyaga patted his arm gently. "Please take a rest. You haven't slept at all since yesterday." He paused and then added. "I have informed His Majesty. We will make sure the crown prince paid for this severely."

Rishi stopped him. "I'll settle this myself."

"But..."

Rishi shook his head and left.

***

"What do you think you are doing? You arrested your own brother?" Emperor Tana asked. His voice was calm but he was clearly not happy. He had immediately summoned his younger son after he heard the crown prince had been charged for manslaughter.

"He killed someone! A harmless man on top of that!" Kuan said angrily.

"I heard he was Taya's foster father?" The emperor asked. So, his father had learned about the librarian's identity too, Kuan thought.

The young captain nodded.

His father laughed. "So he is alive all this time – planning to avenge his people. And here, I was sure they all died in the fire back then. My mistake."

Kuan felt sick. The fact that the monster in front of him was his father made him sick. Growing up, he had to bear the hostility and cold treatment from the people who hated his family for betraying the Mehari.

"You can stop that now, Kuan. Nothing he does will bring the Mehari back to life."

"I won't." Kuan insisted.

"Do you prefer me doing it my own way?" The emperor asked in a half threatening tone.

"Brother Taya isn't that weak." Kuan retorted. "If you have nothing to say, I'm leaving." He turned to the door and left.

The former general mused. "I wasn't talking about him though." He muttered.

***

Ayna was standing in front of Rishi's room. She had stood there for almost an hour, contemplating whether she should go in or not. After how she treated him last time, she was unsure if he wanted to see her but she could not help worrying about him. She took a deep breath and finally braved herself to knock the door.

No one answered. She knocked again. And again. She stopped herself. He probably wished to be left alone right now. She turned away from the door. After a few steps, she stopped. But what if he felt sick? She turned back and was about to knock again when the door suddenly opened.

"What are you doing here?" The librarian asked. Ayna was still not used to seeing his eyes. The golden eyes looked dull, uninterested in whatever they were seeing.

"Umm... do you want to eat something?" She asked, not knowing what to say other than that.

"Leave." Rishi was about to close the door but Ayna stopped the door from closing with her hand. "Wait!!"

Rishi ignored her and walked away from the door, back into his room. Ayna followed him from behind. The librarian sat down by the window and stared into the view outside.

"You looked tired. Did you get any rest?" She asked.

He continued to ignore her.

She bit her lip. "I'm really sorry about Qwentine... If only I can help..."

"You can't." Rishi interrupted her. His face was still on the window, facing outside. "I don't know what you were trying to do but I'd prefer you don't do anything."

"I... I was worried about you... I heard you were..."

Rishi turned to her. "Worried about me? Why? Didn't we agree that we don't need to meet anymore?" He clenched his fists. His hands were trembling in anger. "If only you had stayed quietly in Remblan... if only you hadn't come here... he... my father wouldn't have to die!!"

"I..." Ayna did not know how to answer. She lowered her head. That's right. If only she had refused to let Qwentine come with her. If only she had waited for another day. If only she had waited in the guest rooms as advised and not insisted on looking for Ares...

"Do you know how dangerous the situation here is now? What were you thinking? Can't you stop causing trouble for everyone??" Rishi lashed out all his anger on her.

"I'm sorry..." Ayna muttered.

Ayna did not dare to lift her head. She did not dare to look at him in the eyes. She just stood there receiving all his anger. It was true that she did not think of anything else besides rescuing him. She panicked when she learned he was detained by the prince. She was eager to see him, to save him and to tell him she was sorry and maybe... maybe he would forgive her for what she said last time. She just wanted him back to her side and thought Qwentine could probably help her persuade him. And now Qwentine was dead. All because of her selfish wish. Ayna clenched on her dress, trying to hold back her tears.

Seeing her standing still without saying anything making Rishi even more frustrated.

"I shouldn't have involved myself with you. I should have just let you wallow in your endless self-pity, continue living your life as the ignorant princess. How does that feel? After killing your own mother... and now, my father too."

He turned his back on her. "Leave. I don't want to see you again."

Ayna left quietly and went back to her room. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring absent-mindedly at the carpet below her feet. She did not know what to think. She just kept staring at the red carpet. The carpet that was slowly dampened by tear drops.