What We Left Behind

Chapter Four: In Which I Tell You A Bedtime Story of Years Ago

Thirty Years Ago

Once upon a time, there was a queen who fell in love with a fool. 

It was doomed to end in vain. 

"Even when you haven't inherited a kingdom, you'll always be the ruler in my eyes," Queen Maeve whispered, smiling at her lover gently. "All those people, all of them would like to have a person like you to become their leader. It doesn't matter if you never get the throne." 

Drystan shook his head sorrowfully. "But I will never get the throne." 

"Who says?" Maeve argued, her brows furrowed to present an expression of a mother scolding her child, but being as ever gentle in that too. "You have a kingdom. You have a throne." While saying this, she looked back at the castle walls that surrounded them. The Kingdom of Orabelle. 

"This is your kingdom," Maeve said, giving a little squeeze to his hand. 

Drystan stared at her. "You're willing to give up your throne for me?" 

Maeve shook her head, shrugged and sighed at the same time. "I'm the only royalty left," she said, looking at him with a tragic smile on her face. "It's all come down on me now." 

Drystan shook his head. "Still, I don't agree. It's your legacy. You have to carry it forward." 

Maeve released a bittersweet chuckle. "Oh, Drystan. My sweet, sweet, lover…" she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm willing to give it up. All just for you." 

She smiled, her eyes sparkling with the dreams of a beautiful sunrise tomorrow. "So stay. Please. Stay here with me." 

When he didn't say anything for a long time, Maeve turned to look at him. 

Drystan looked conflicted, especially when he didn't say something funny this time to break the ice like he always had, and he had that frown on his face that revealed his thoughts. Maeve sighed and straightened up, pushing her head away from him to look at him. "Love, it doesn't matter if you have no kingdom to bring a princess too. All the fairytale, have either a princess and a commoner, or a prince and a commoner." 

"But how—" 

"A prince and a princess never made a good story, anyway," Maeve laughed. "If we want our legacy to be written down, it'd be you and me, and no other person to alter it." 

 Drystan's lips quirked up form one corner. And Maeve's heart swelled in excitement. 

"So you agree?" She asked, barely able to control her joy, and Drystan replied with the smallest nod of his head. 

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Thank you, my Love." 

"On one condition, though," Drytsam continued, holding one finger up. "You'll allow me to bring the whole world down at your feet." 

Maeve shook her head in confusion. "What do you mean, love?" 

"The greatest kingdom in the world," Drystan said. "I'll put it to your feet.

Maeve just stared at him, a flicker of doubt on her forehead. "I…I don't understand." 

Drystan shrugged one shoulder up. "I want to see you become the Queen. Of the greatest and most powerful land in the world. You'll be the master of it all." 

Maeve blinked at him, still no words coming out of her mouth. 

"Just watch me. Watch me burn the world," he said, then stood up in front of her. His eyes pierced hers with the intense gaze as he held out his hand. "Will you be the witness of the greatest destruction of all time? And then the prettiest reconstruction?"