Sofia the First: The Rise of Rulers

Chapter Twenty-Six: Axel

Chapter Twenty-Six

Axel

A wave of agonizing sorrow goes over me as I wrap my arms around Astrid's shaking frame. Her legs wobble as she sobs into my chest. Her tears are turning my white shirt see through. I don't care though. I don't care about anything but the crying girl in my arms. I hold her to me as we sink to the floor. Her head rests in the crook of my neck and her arms clutch to my suit jacket. I rock her slowly as I whisper in her ear. I don't know what's happening. I don't care about anything that's happening. All I care about is that my wife is safe. She's with me and I can keep her safe. I continue to rock her gently. Her crying doesn't slow as her body continues to shake.

"Astrid, baby, please tell me what happened." She doesn't say anything, but I hear her hiccup against me. When she lifts her head and her eyes meet mine I stop. Her eyes are full of despair, her bottom lip trembles, and her cheeks are stained with her tears. Anger shoots through me. Nothing will save the person who made her cry. My fists clench as I imagine wrapping my hands around the bastard's neck for making her feel like this. So heartbroken. I'll kill him, and I will take my time.

"They're dead," She hiccups again and tears flow freely down her cheeks as she continues, "The men, they shot all of them, Axel. Our parents, and I didn't do anything. I stood there, Axel!"

She's sobbing again and the self hatred I see in her eyes almost makes me as miserable as what she had just told me. Our parents are dead. My dad. My dad is dead. My dad has been shot. He was shot and he died. They all did. Our parents died. I continue to repeat the words in my head, but my brain won't accept them. That can't be true. There's no way this could happen. I feel my heart clench in my chest. I can feel the pressure behind my eyes to the point where it burns. I will that it go away. I take my feelings that are threatening to push me over the edge, put them in a box, and lock it. I need to focus on Astrid.

"I didn't do anything!" She hits me, square in the chest but it's half hearted. I'm not the one she's mad at.

"Astrid, baby, there's nothing you could have done. You did all you could. You stayed safe and you hid. That's all you could have done. That's what they would have wanted, Astrid. They would be so proud of you for how brave you were. You couldn't save them. You could only save yourself, and you did." I put my hand on her cheeks and wipe her tears with my thumb, but they continue to fall.

"I could have helped them! I watched Axel. I saw. I saw my mother and father fall to the ground. I can still see it." She grabs her hair with her hands and tugs. Her eyes squeeze shut and she looks like she wants to scream. "I was so scared. They were- they were right there and they just. They shot them." I can feel her grief in every bone of my body. I take her chin in my hand and force her to look at me.

"Astrid, you are so, so brave. Think about Hildegard. You couldn't have left her Astrid. You did the very best thing you could have done. You do so good. I'm so proud of you and I know, I'm positive that your parents agree with me." I look at her big brown sorrowful eyes and will her to understand. To know that her saving herself saved more people then she knows. She saved me. I cannot even begin to fathom the heartbreak I would experience if something had happened to her, but she shakes her head.

"Hildegard, I need to see her." She makes a move to stand and I follow her. Hugo. I hadn't even thought about Hugo. Guilt shoots through me. How will he cope? How will any of us cope? The day isn't even over, but I already know that this is the worst day of my life.

The walk to the war room, Astrid melded to my side, is a blur but when I hear the sickening sound of my friends wailing I almost puke. Hugo, Sofia, Hildegard, Zandar, Clio, Amber, James, and Vivian are all in front of the safety room in various states of despair. Astrid rushes to Hildegard and the girls fall to the floor whispering things in each other's ears. The image of the girls crying on the floor holding each other is burned into my head, and I know it will haunt me for the rest of my life. It's only once Astrid is out of my arms that the gravity of what has happened really dawns on me.