Come Love A Stranger

Thirty seven

“I could not forgive myself for the pain I brought your family, I knew it was my fault and since I could not forgive myself, I did not forgive my father either. He got sick twenty years later and I did not visit him, after confronting him about your death, I never went home again, I stayed in the forest, living in the cottage and making sure everything was in good health. Mother often visits me, she brings me news from our kingdom and my father’s health. He died shortly after and as the prince and his son, I was expected to be there at his funeral and then take my place on the throne but I never went home. Mom pleaded with me to come back but I never did, and that was when Ilayas took the throne for the kingdom cannot be without a king.
I never cared and I never bothered, all I did was stay in the cottage and miss you more every day and then finally, one day, I was in the cottage when I felt it, the strong pain in my mark and the inexplicable feeling in my heart. I knew you have breathed the air of the earth again and I searched for you and found you in Vanqueesh. Nothing can explain my joy that day, your mother wanted to call you Monica but I did not like the name so I made her call you Mariah instead and she loved it though,” he chuckled. “Just like the first time, I watched you, but you were six the first time I met and you were a new born then, just so to make sure all is right, I started visiting every new mother to learn things from them, how I could take care of you and within the years, you grew into a beautiful woman once more.
And just when I thought all is well again, and that we could finally have the life we were supposed to have, Ilayas released the hackeries and once more, I had to watch you give up in my arms and could do absolutely nothing and then have to go through the same pain all over again but you didn’t leave me alone for a long time, your next reincarnation was the fastest ever but who would have thought history would keep repeating itself till now,” he sighed and looked at her then and smiled. He caressed her cheek, “but do not worry, I will not let it happen this time, I will not let anything happen to you.”
“Alador, please promise me you will not try to fight the hackeries.”
“If I do, and they kill me, Ilayas would not send them after you again and you can live comfortably here and I would wait for you till you finally come to me where we can be together forever.”
“No, I would not want anything to happen to you.”
Alador closed his eyes, “do not worry, all will be fine,” he sighed, “t’s morning Mariah, you have to rest.”
“Will you be here when I wake up?”
He shook his head, “nay, I need to go talk with Ilayas, I need to know what he is planning, also, you need to prepare to go to the palace.”
“What?” Mariah was confused and little by little, it dawned on her, she was supposed to go to the palace today to undergo her teachings as a queen. She has forgotten about that, she can’t believe she did, “I do not want to go.”
“You have to, and do not worry, I would think of something before your wedding, I promise,” he smiled, “now sleep, you need the rest before the daily activity.”
“But I am not sleepy.”
“I can help with that,” he said, leaning down and kissing her lips, when he finally let go, he looked deep into her eyes, “sleep.”
Mariah felt her eyelids growing heavy and before she knew it, she closed her eyes and was lost inside the darkness.
Alador watched her sleeping form in his arms with longing visible in his eyes, the thought of her going to the palace and to be with another man was making him jealous and he knew he was just being childish, he knew he didn’t need to be jealous, she was his, the mark on his neck proves it and the one that is on her neck, although not visible yet but is there and would only be seen when he tells her how much he loves her also proves it. He just needs to think of what to do to save her this time and he needs to think fast.
Sighing, he nodded at Sheila who just entered the room and climbed on the bed to lay beside her, scratching her fur affectionately, he whispered, “look after her for me,” before slowly disappearing from view.
He appeared in a room that was lavishly built in gold and embroidered in purple, he can sense the presence of the owner and it wasn’t long, he saw him where he was sitting on a chair and reading a book.
“I was beginning to think you would not come,” Ilayas said without looking up.
“I had to calm her down,” he replied.
“I know, she had seen and heard a lot for one night, it would be a miracle if she is still sane.”
“She is sane!”
“I know,” Ilayas looked up then at him, putting down the book, he waved his hand and the chair next to Alador moved, forcing him to sit on it and then carrying him close to Ilayas and with all that happened, Alador wasn’t scared or whatsoever, “I believe you know the situation of things now.”
“You promised you would not call them,” Alador reminded.
“Aye, but you also assured me that you would not reveal yourself to her. The deal was that you would stay away from her in this lifetime and she would live her life to the fullest for the first time and I even wanted to give her a life of luxury, I made the king fall in love with her. She would have lived like a queen, lived her life to the fullest with servants at her beck and call, anything she ever wanted would have been given to her.”
“I lived up to my end of the deal.”
“Nay you did not Alador, you showed yourself to her, bringing a pull on the spell, have you forgotten?”
“You were supposed to keep her away, you know how hard it was keeping myself away, you should not have let her come to the forest, nor live in the cottage. You were supposed…”
“I did not know when it happened!” Ilayas shouted, “I am not connected to her so how would I be alerted when something was happening? But when I did know, I made Lugar bring them back and I also made him interested in her, I continued on my part but you failed woefully on yours, not only did you show yourself to her but you constantly appeared to her, even after I had warned her to stay away from you, you went to her that night, showing your abilities to her.”
“T’s hard,” Alador whispered, “seeing her once broke my strong will, it made it difficult and t’s was not helping if her scent was everywhere.”
“You could have come back home, Alador, you could have come here where you would not be bothered by her scent. You failed Alador, you did not act as we agreed and therefore, I would not be blamed for anything I do.”
“Please…”
“T’s too late, Alador, not only does she know everything about you, the spell has broken as well. There is only one thing to do now, and you know it.”
Alador looked at him then, without speaking he knew what he was talking about and his heart broke into a thousand pieces.