Grief

Chapter 9

"Where is this coming from, Sozec?" Vincent asks searching his face for the slightest hint that he might be joking.

"In two days the coronation is set to be held. You can announce your marriage to Zeala then and secure your and her safety. Nobody will question your marriage. If Janvi aimed to kill her he'd surely be here now," Sozec reasons.

"You want me to marry her?" Vincent says disregarding everything he'd said afterward. Vincent's eyes shake as he tries to make sense of the situation.

"I cannot marry a woman I do not love, Sozec," Vincent says reasoning with him. "You can learn to love her," Sozec says, reassuring him.

Sozec had thought long and hard about how he could save Vincent and Zeala but only one option came to mind no matter how much he thought. It's simply a marriage but still, Sozec felt a pain in his chest as the idea bombarded his mind.

"What if I say no?" Vincent asks angered by the suggestion.

Vincent didn't expect Sozec to understand how he felt but he also didn't expect him to be so heartless when it came to marriage. Marrying a woman he barely knew was not something he could easily do especially when another was in his heart.

"I do not know how else to protect you," Sozec screams causing Vincent to take a step back. "There's nothing more that I can do; I can't lose you too. Please just listen to me," Sozec says his watery eyes facing the floor as he speaks.

"If Zeala agrees to this, then I will accept. I have other matters to tend to now. Be careful while I make sense of everything," Vincent says patting Sozec's head.

Vincent leaves the two in the room closing the door quietly and venturing down the hallway. Vincent can't stop the tears flowing from his eyes as he walks. The more he wipes his face the quicker the tears fall.

I didn't expect Sozec to return my feelings but to completely push me to marry his sister shows how far out of reach he truly was. I knew from the start that my love for Sozec would be my burden but why does it hurt so much more than I'd imagined?

"Follow me quickly," Sepha says in front of Vincent. Vincent hadn't realized that the queen had approached him during the time he'd been daydreaming.

"Quickly," she says coldly before walking away.

Without a word, Vincent follows Sepha down a long dark stairway which finally leads to a wooden door. Sepha opens the door with a key and gestures for Vincent to follow her.

The room is brightly lit with torches and candles surrounding the room. The brick walls are illuminated with the light and on the far back wall sits a framed picture.

"What's that?" Vincent says approaching the picture. As he walks closer to the picture he sees the depiction of a town fully engulfed in flames. The fire took the lives of everyone in its path but the sole survivor rests on the side facing the flames, their face is not shown. The survivor has long flowing hair and a robe designated for wedding events.

Sozec runs his fingers over the painting of the survivor. "Who's this?" he asks hoping his answer might be wrong.

"This is the daughter that I gave up nineteen years ago. She was supposed to die. A true disgrace to us all," Sepha says unfazed by Vincent's question.

"What do you mean she was supposed to die? She's your daughter." Vincent asks scrambling for words.

"You make no point child. The girl was a sacrifice to avoid the prophecy from coming to past. Her presence means that it's certain to happen. I should've made sure of her death the night I birthed her. Who would've known that her father would see to her well-being? I knew things were strange when the maiden tasked with the job was suddenly found dead the next morning. I merely took it for a suicide," Sepha says annoyed as she recalls the maid she saw to be useless.

"Why did you bring me here?" Vincent asks, a frown showing through the dimly lit area.

"You have to kill the girl. If you don't everyone will suffer," Sepha says.

"I have no intention of killing Zeala, she's family to the throne and I am engaged to be married to her," Vincent says swallowing at the lie.

"Don't be ridiculous. What could she possibly offer you?" Sepha says quickly crossing the room to confront Vincent.

"She offers everything that I need. As honorary knight of Jeuntal I intend on exercising my ability to marry and protect those within my family," Vincent says.

"Your first and foremost role in this kingdom is to protect Sozec, did you forget? It won't only be your life that's shattered if the mage continues to live. It'll be his too," Sepha says driving her pointer finger into Vincent's chest.

"Just know that if she's not dead before the coronation I'll be taking things into my own hands." Sepha says before leaving Vincent behind in the room.

***

"Prince Janvi, may I speak to you?" Vincent says approaching Janvi who stands to the side of the meeting room. Janvi watches silently as the maids scramble to clean up the mess they'd made just hours earlier.

"Speak."

"I'd like to speak to you in private, it's regarding Sozec," Vincent says keeping a distance from Janvi. Some of the maids steal quick glances at Janvi as Vincent speaks.

"Finish here, I'll be in the next room," Janvi says. Janvi brushes past Vincent expecting him to follow behind.

Vincent follows behind him into the next room. He's barely closed the door before Janvi begins speaking.

"Hand over the girl," he says strictly. His voice is cold and demanding like his mother's.

"I can't."

"I'm sure you've seen the power she possesses. The prophecy is her, she'll kill us all and not just you and I," Janvi says firmly.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were a mage?" Vincent asks suddenly.

"The same reason you-"

"King Mondel knew I was a mage. Are the others the same?" Vincent asks.

Janvi frowns as the knight cuts him off. "I don't have to answer to you. You have one job and it has nothing to do with me or the others," Janvi says.

"But to answer your question, no. I am the only mage born to my father. He truly was a weak man to the end," Janvi says his eyes on the door as if someone might step through at any moment.

"You mean you and Zeala. Zeala possesses a power in her too," Vincent says.

"Do you think I want to kill her, Vincent? Only a monster would dream of doing so. The truth of the matter is that it's her against us. If we continue to drag on like this then there won't be anything left to protect. Why can't you see that?" Janvi says his voice getting progressively louder as he speaks.

Vincent is at a loss of words as he processes the information he'd heard twice now.

"I don't need to be a mage to see the affection you have for Sozec. Sure you might not care about my life. You might not even care for your own... but what about his? Can you watch him be smothered by the fire that's to come? Can you stand by knowing that you could prevent it all?" Janvi asks.

"I won't stand by, I'll figure this out myself. Can I ask you something, Janvi?" Vincent asks.

"Why haven't you made an attempt at her life since before? Surely you've had plenty of opportunity," Vincent asks.

"Did you see the painting of the prophecy?" Vincent asks his voice lowered as he speaks.

"I did," Janvi says avoiding eye contact.

"I see," Vincent says before leaving Janvi in silence.