Bitter Hearts: A Dark Cinderella Retelling

Twenty Six

Present Day

     The kingdom was in a state of unrest and the General's had no idea what to do. King Volker had given up his throne saying he wasn't a fit ruler for them and had fled his Kingdom, the fear of his own people warring against him strong. His corrupt ways were revealed and he was laid bare, shame filled every fiber of his being and he was not willingly to be addressed as the King that accepted bribes and betrayed his faithful servant, he absconded the throne. With no heir and Zenobia in no state to lead, their Kingdom was vulnerable.

They decided to make someone their acting King till Zenobia was in the right state to take over. All eyes turned to General Pricha and even though he resisted the leadership it rested heavily on him. With no choice in the matter he had taken reigns of the Kingdom and served the people faithfully for a little over a month now.

Ever since that day at the palace when the true killer had revealed himself, General Pricha hadn't spoken to Mia. Now it wasn't a fault of his but hers, she refused to see him and avoided him at all cost, she returned every letter he wrote her, exactly the way he sent it, not breaking the seal. General Pricha was frustrated but he kept trying. He missed her, he missed seeing her dimpled smile and seeing those honey colored eyes of hers light up whenever she was excited. He missed everything she was and everything he wanted them to be. How could he have messed things up so badly.

He abandoned the paperwork he was supposed to go through, deciding to go on a stroll. He headed towards the river wanting to feel close to her.

She was there.

A brilliant smile spread across his face as he saw her sitting there on their cliff, legs hanging in the air. He contemplated between going to sit with her or just standing there and watching her. His feet moved before his brain could process what he was doing.

As he sat beside her, she started to rise he watched her dejectedly but in the very last moment he grabbed onto her hand.

"Please," he whispered hoarsely.

She snatched her hands out of his hold and started the walk down the cliff.

"Mia, I'm sorry," the general said, walking after her.

"I know I don't deserve an answer but please I'm sorry, hear me out," he begged.

"What Pricha, what exactly will you say to make any of this better," she screamed, turning abruptly to face him.

"My mother was murdered by my step mother who also murdered my father that isn't actually my father and my actual father killed himself after murdering every evil doer in my life and because of you Africa is dead," she continued, screaming at the top of her lungs. The tears were flowing in torrents down her cheeks.

"I have no one, absolutely no one," she cried.

"You have me–," General Pricha tried to say.

"I don't! When I needed you the most you called me a liar and turned your back to me," she accused.

"And who would blame you, murder was involved after all," she said sarcastically.

"I just wished you'd listen to me once but you never did, it just showed me that you never trusted me and there was I falling in love with you," she whispered.

"I love you Mia," General Pricha confessed, his eyes misty from unshed tears.

"That's a bloody lie! If you actually loved me you would have talked things out with me, you would have heard me out and not believed the worst about me, you wouldn't have hit me, you wouldn't have revelled in my pain, you wouldn't have let others hit me, you wouldn't have stripped me of all my dignity and you wouldn't have let my heart feel this type of pain," she cried.

"Y-you wouldn't have," she whispered in between hiccups.

"I-I, I'm sorry Mia, I don't know what else to say I guess I was just angry and got blinded by it. I'm so sorry," he sincerely apologized.

"You guess? Well its too late for that now, what's your apology going to do?" she laughed, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"It's not, I can change it, I can make it better," he whispered, drawing her to himself.
He caressed her face and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips were softer than he'd imagined and her mouth was moist and warm. He sucked on her tongue and nibbled on her lips, kissing her with all the passion he had, hoping he could tell her how much he loved her with their kiss. And she kissed him back, throwing her arms around his neck trying to pass every inch of anger towards him in that kiss. He pulled her body to himself gliding his large hands down her back, his thick fingers grazing her backside making her crave his actual touch. She pressed herself to him and he satisfied her want and  grabbed on those round soft mounds of flesh. Pulling his lips from hers, he kissed her neck eliciting a moan from her soft lips, moving his lips to her ears, he kissed and nibbled on them before trailing down her neck once more sucking on her skin. She tasted like honey. He took her lips again, kissing her ferociously, he desperately wanted her to be one with him and she responded kissing him with the same passion and energy, sucking on his tongue. All the time she had spent with him wondering how his lips tasted had brought them to this moment and she took full advantage of it lost in her senses. They finally pulled away from each other the need to breathe getting to them.

Resting his forehead on hers General Pricha whispered that he loved her. When he pulled away and looked at her his heart broke and he knew her mind was made up.

"Don't you see, nothing can get better, I've lost everyone special to me here, I don't think I have a place here anymore, I doubt I ever did," she said, her voice firm and her eyes watery.

"What are you saying," he asked even though he knew exactly what she was saying.

"I'm leaving,"

"I'm going to explore all there is beyond this village and this Kingdom," she added as ecstatically as she could when he said nothing. He could only nod.

"Maybe I'll find the greatness my dad prophesied about," she said smiling.

"Well I wish you the best life has to offer, I would ask to come along but I doubt you'll let me," he tried to joke but his voice broke betraying him.

"Of course not, you have a Kingdom to run," she laughed.

"I wish you the best life has to offer too," she added, smiling up at him. General Pricha's heart broke even more as he realized that that moment may be the last time he saw her smile, the last time he'll see those dimples of here's hollow out her cheeks, the last time he'll see her lips curve upwards into that delicate smile that was hers.

"Do you forgive me?" He asked her finally.

She smiled at him,"I will eventually, I don't want to remain bitter like my dad did" she said.

"Thank you and you won't, I know you won't," he said genuinely. He kissed her lips one more time before letting her go. It was a sweet kiss that caused her to break out in a huge smile.

"Goodbye Pricha," she whispered, turning away and walking down the cliff into the forest below. He watched her till she disappeared from his sight.

"Goodbye Mia," he whispered to the air.

Even though his heart was heavy he knew that everything was going to be better eventually. She had already started forgiving him.

         The End

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