Shadows of Avarice (BxB)

Chapter 46

The walk home was long and quiet. The farther Xia walked away from the palace, the more his heart felt as though it would break. He tried to push Osiris out of his thoughts, but it was hard. Xia felt like he might have given up too easily, but Osiris didn't seem like his mind would be changed. Xia could have kept fighting, but he didn't know how many times he could argue back and forth before he was tired of it. Being told that Osiris didn't love him was hard enough.

It wasn't like Xia admitted to his feelings either. He kept it bottled up, but he didn't know if it would have made a difference. If he told Osiris that he loved him, then would the outcome be different? None of the girls were in love with the sultan. Only Xia was, but he didn't think that would change things. If love was the way to break the curse, then shouldn't the curse have ended? Xia didn't have to say the words for it to be true. Besides, true love breaking curses was only real in fairytales.

Eventually, Xia was walking down a familiar street. He hadn't been there since his last visit with Osiris. That was the last time Xia saw his brothers. He wondered what they would say when he came walking through the front door of their small home. Osiris already provided his family with gold to last them for their whole lives. Despite the small home, they would have lived comfortably while Xia was away. Now, he would be home with them again. They only needed to wait a few more days and then they could finally leave Rasea.

Once outside of his old home, Xia took a deep breath and pushed open the front door. It might have been early, but Alishba, Tariq, and Zakariya sat at the table as usual. They were in the middle of eating breakfast, which was something rare for the family. He was surprised when he saw his grandmother walking out of the kitchen with a plate of food in her hands. Normally, his grandmother was already at work during this time of day, but he was glad to see her home. This was the healthiest he had seen her in a while.

When his family looked towards the front door and saw him, Xia couldn't hold back the tears anymore. His siblings were quick to drop what they were doing to stand up and run over to their brother. Alishba was the first to throw her arms around him in a tight embrace. They gave Xia some time to compose himself before asking any questions. He sat down at the table with them and tried to stop his tears. Alishba kept an arm around him to comfort him.

When Xia's tears finally stopped flowing, Alishba asked in a calm voice, "Xia, what happened?"

"He broke up with me . . ." Xia said, his heart heavy. Then, he told his family everything. He started from the beginning, from when he first met Osiris in the desert, and he didn't leave out any details. Their grandmother, who didn't know what was going on before, now knew everything.

Everyone listened without interrupting Xia. He couldn't stop himself from breaking down a couple of times, but his family stayed silent and let him compose himself before he continued with the story. He could see how unsettled his family was when he spoke about Osiris' curse, and he told them that he had been hurt on a few occasions because of it. The last time Xia was hurt was when Osiris made up his mind to end things. Once he was finished telling them everything, they stayed silent for a few moments as they took it all in.

"My poor baby." Their grandmother was the first to break the silence as she reached across the table to place her hand on Xia's. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. You've gone through so much while you've been away. I wish I had more words to comfort you, but I know how hard it is to lose someone you love."

Then she turned her attention to the other siblings. "As for you three, I'm disappointed in you. I always knew the four of you were up to no good, but how could you do this to your brother? If you never would have convinced him to go through with this, then he never would have been hurt in the first place."

Xia wiped away his tears and came to his sibling's defense. "I'm to blame as well. They told me that I didn't have to do this, but it was my decision. They only said it in jest, but I took it seriously. We only did this for you, Grandma. We wanted to make a better life for you."

"As sweet as that may be, I don't want any of you sacrificing yourselves for me. I hate seeing the four of you sad and heartbroken. No amount of money is worth that. I know our life was hard, but you children have always meant the world to me. It pains me to see you like this, Xia," she said, looking Xia in the eyes. "Even though we had to fight for our survival, seeing the four of you happy always made everything I worked for worth it."

"Sorry, Grandmother . . ." Zakariya apologized.

She had a point. Even though they struggled, they always had each other. Things didn't seem so bad when their family was together. When they were with each other, they could sometimes forget what their lives were like. This small space was their home, and they always made the best of it. Having money was just an added bonus. Family was what really mattered.

Their grandmother sighed. "I could scold you some more, but I think you all learned your lesson. Xia, I am truly sorry for your loss. Besides his curse and how he runs Rasea, he sounds like a decent man. But if I ever have the chance to meet him, then I will kill him for breaking your heart. No one is going to break my child's heart and get away with it."

Even though she was old and fragile, Xia knew she wasn't lying. She might not actually murder the sultan, but she would scold him more than she was scolding them right now. Ruler or not, Osiris would hear an earful from her. Thinking about it was enough to make Xia laugh.

"I'm glad that I could get a laugh out of you." She chuckled as well, before asking, "So, I guess you four have your hearts set on leaving Rasea?"

They hadn't changed their minds about leaving. Alishba, Tariq, and Zakariya looked at each other before their eyes stopped on Xia. After what he had been through, they left this decision to him. None of them faced the same heartbreak as him, but they would understand if he wanted to stay. Xia might still be hopeful that things could change for the better.

He didn't need much time to think about it. "In a little over a week, our guide will take us through the desert. I've already spoken to her and made the arrangements. There's no reason for us to stay in Rasea for any longer."

Their grandmother nodded, "If you're sure, then we can leave. Besides, I would like to see the other kingdoms before I get too old."

It was decided. Soon, they would leave this kingdom and everything behind them.