FATE #3 *(A ROSE IN BLOOM)*

UNCONDITIONAL GUILT*

GENERAL POV

She kowtowed weeping when he wasn't responding, everyone else felt bad, " your majesty!" she yelled this time, Pearl rose up and walked to her, she held her hair up and bared her neck to her, , everyone was so touched, "Pearl!" Mat called out through her tears .

Nathan recalled the time she bared her neck to him but he had to turn her down, asking her to come to him first. " if that would be my punishment, I will gladly accept it your majesty! the empress has suffered enough already, you animals!" Matrona yelled out her pain while shedding tears.

" I asked you to punish her, Aria! just do what I instructed!" Nathan finally came to their rescue! Pearl fell on her feet and kowtowed for him, but he looked away from her,  reacting to his statement, Ariana shoved the two aside with black magic which only surprised Lloyd and the generals, for the humans, Nathan, Sandra and Gary they looked on.

Lloyd was actually surprised at how true the allegations might be following this. She dragged Pearl to the center of the throne room and instructed Sandra to bind her arms with a spell, which she hesitated until Nathan pushed his guts to affirm it.

They watched as she conjured a dark cloud up above Pearl's head with lightning storm in it, she watched the electrostatic discharge gather together and left the remaining to the process, it felt like torture for Nathan and Pearl.

What he never wished her to suffer has come upon her through another way, after the first five she shot her gaze towards Nathan, feeling sad for the fact that he took a hundred of those for Ariana's horrible actions, Nathan clenched his jaws and watched her go through the pain,  it appeared as if he had given in to his feelings already.

His iris turned crimson, before Ariana looked over at him, his gaze stood constant afar off on Pearl who had no voice to scream out her pain. " Don't tell me to stop, Nathan! Don't get involved, look at me if you can't take it anymore, ... don't interfere!" Ariana requested undertone.

Nathan looked at her " just make sure you don't kill her, Ariana! I may not know what I would do to you if that ever happens!" Ariana struggled to hold her hurt after he said that to her.

" I am your wife, Nathan! Find me worthy enough! Don't make a mockery out of me here, will you not? " She replied and focused on Pearl, staring sternly at her while she staggered to her knees, she threw up blood after twenty five strikes.

Lloyd pleaded with Nathan but he still remained silent until Pearl fell face down, having three more strikes to go she turned to face the ceiling any how she could and shut her eyes until it was over.

Reacting to the discharges in her system, she threw up blood again, and again till Nathan shut his eyes and squeezed the pain out of them, he released the breath he was holding in  while she suffered, her cleric healing activated and this gave him a little relief.

" Lloyd! Will you get her hair shaved  that's if she's going to survive, and bring her to my servants quarters, where she will swear allegiance to serving me with loyalty, she's done it before as an imposter right? She should be able to, as herself!".

Nathan walked out of there and she followed, he went to the music academy again and finally made way for his guilt to rule his emotions, he yelled out his pain until he shivered while panting.

He couldn't even take a sip of the blood presented to him, all he thought of, was Pearl throwing up blood and passing through the pain he promised himself to not let her endure.

The musicians murmured among themselves about what could upset the king so deeply , just a day after his wedding, he planned to remain there for a while.

Lloyd went to the king's chambers to meet with his sister, when he got there, he didn't let her talk, he slapped her across the face, whereas she stared at him wide eyed and he slapped her again.

She nearly slammed him into the wall with a spell but restrained herself, " be careful with me, brother! I'm no longer the clueless girl you all used to trample on! I won't spare anyone who will try that again!" She hissed at him.

" Oh trust me, I'm fully aware of the beast you've turned into, Aria! But be careful, because when it comes to taking you out, I won't hesitate one bit, for what you've done to Pearl, I'll make sure you also pay one day! Just be careful not to get caught , because if you are and your judgement is released, God help me! I'll personally take your life!"

Lloyd walked out on her when she screamed out her frustration, " Pearl! Pearl! Pearl! I have had enough, this name irritates me and I'll make sure to do something about this!" She firmly said.

Pearl regained consciousness in the evening and they helped her to the dungeon, she was very weak so was meant to take a milk bath and waited for the barber.

Lloyd came  in with the barber and some clothes for her, he apologized to her and left the rest to Sandra , Gary was released so Pearl requested him to go with Matrona and take care of her , to which he was more than willing to do, but Matrona objected and got her hair shaved too .

Close to midnight they were taken to Ariana's servants quarters , where her eyes in the palace met them and took them to their room, he seemed captivated by Matrona's unique appearance, she wore a nose ring which appeared quite attractive to him, but she didn't even give him face.

The next day, the servants presented themselves to the king, they all had down cut, just like Pearl and Matrona! The chief servant came in and allocated them to their duty posts, Pearl and Matrona were the second set of the queen's personal maids, under Ariana's eyes in the palace.

When they were all sent away Nathan called Pearl back, she stood in the middle and took a bow,  " come forward, at least, unless you want me to walk towards you!" He calmly said when she hesitantly ordered her steps towards him, he noticed she was hiding her aches.

" You told me you weren't that weak, didn't you?" Nathan inquired and watched her write her answer in a book, " you also said you .. were ready for any punishment, didn't you?" He inquired again and she answered.

"So don't blame me, I couldn't treat you special because you, wanted it that way!" She looked up at his face feeling bitter, they took a moment staring at each other, until she looked down and wrote something.

" At the end of the day, it was still about me and what I wanted huh!" After reading that, he said no word and slashed his palm with his fingernail and released two drops into a glass of water, he shook to mix, and handed it over to her.

He held her hand and slowly placed the glass in her palm, she gulped it down while he stared at her  with so much care. " You.. you once said I haven't done anything wrong, that I should hold my head up, that's.. that's what I'm doing!" He tried to justify himself because of the overwhelming guilt he felt.

Pearl  saw through his questions and felt he probably still cared about her, she penned something down before feeling the burning sensation within her, " at least you believed something I said!" When he finished reading that, he pulled her into his bosom and hugged her tightly, as she took in his smell, he only felt passionate about it.

She managed to pull out while he advised himself against cupping her face in his palms. She wrote an appreciation for him and paid her respect before stepping out, but Nathan felt her total distance.