The Assassin Queen (Book Four)

Chapter Twenty Three-Aaron

I was surprised to see Alexandria and Ryia in the parlor drinking tea together. I thought that Ryia was at Leo's tree, but I guess I was wrong. And Alexandria, she was upset about Terrin. I saw shadows seeping underneath our door just about a half an hour ago. I hated it when Alexandria was upset, it broke my heart. "Well ladies, I'm surprised to see you two here" I said. "Oh, hello Aaron" Ryia said. I smiled and waved. I ran my hand through my sandy blonde hair and said, "well, I'm glad to see that everyone is ok". Alexandria nodded, and Ryia smiled. "Well, I'll leave you ladies alone" I said. "Alright. Goodbye Aaron" Alexandria said. I smiled and left the room.

Alexandria looked so beautiful, with her long black hair and beautiful eyes that I always got lost in. I was thankful to have an amazing wife like her. I walked upstairs and was going to go to my room, when I saw something. It was Simon. He was arguing with one of the nurses. "I'm telling you, I'm ok! I'm feeling great! I could run a marathon" Simon said. "No sir, and if you did that I would slap you silly! Your exhausted, and you need more rest. The Demon King really has taken all of the energy out of you!" The nurse said. Simon sighed in frustration. "I'm tired of sleeping! I've been doing that for hours!" He said.

"It doesn't matter. Your going to sit in that bed, have some warm soup and go back to sleep. This is the doctors orders!" The nurse yelled. Simon groaned. I didn't know why he needed more sleep, he looked fine to me. But maybe it would be better if he stayed in his room. After all the times he tried to kill me and my wife, I couldn't trust him. "Can I at least walk around a bit?" Simon asked. The nurse shook her head and pointed towards the doorway to his room. "Get in!" She said. Simon sighed and trudged his way into his room.

I wanted to feel bad for him, but I couldn't. I silently walked down the hall and away from Simon's room. I was almost glad that he hadn't gotten up and walked around he castle. What if he were to attack Alexandria or Ryia? If he would, I would protect them with my life. I couldn't have anymore people die around me. People dying could be helped. But people betraying us couldn't be. I couldn't believe that Terrin had done this. He betrayed us all because he was in love with my wife. I had known for a long time that Terrin was in love with her. It had been obvious to me.

He didn't look at her the way he looked at other girls, or smile at her the way he did with other girls. I knew Alexandria didn't have the same feelings for him. She would have told me that. Alexandria never kept secrets from me, and I trusted that she would always tell me everything. We didn't have secrets anymore. I walked into my room and stood on the balcony. Alexandria and I would always stand here together. It was a great feeling, standing there with my wife.

But sometimes I was afraid. What if we were standing here together, and darkness filled the sky again? I was paranoid. I was always paranoid. I became paranoid when I first became a knight for the Talahanian army. I was paranoid that I was going to die, but I wouldn't let it show. I was paranoid about Simon. I was paranoid when Alexandria and I were secretly dating. I was paranoid that Laithen would catch us and put me to death. But no matter what, I wouldn't let my paranoia show. I always stayed positive, even though I was paranoid on the inside.

I talked about my worries with Alexandria when we were dating, but she always assured me that everything would be alright. Even though she thought that everything would be fine, I was still worried. And now I was paranoid about the Demon King, and Simon being in the castle. I felt like even if their was an eternal peace treaty, I would still be paranoid about something. I couldn't stop worrying on the inside. I could never stop. But I had a reason for my paranoia. It started when I was three years old.

My younger sister was born. I remember that my parents let me hold her for the first time. I was sitting on our only chair that had cushioning and color. My parents put the baby on my lap, and I stared down at her with a big grin. I was excited to be a big brother. Her name was Reyna, and I promised her that I would be the best big brother in the world. Three years later, I was six and Reyna was three. I remember that day like it was yesterday, because it was the worst day of my life. My parents had to go to town, so they left me to watch Reyna.

We decided to play in the forest outside of my house. We loved to go into the forest, but we had never gone without our parents. I thought that I knew exactly where to go, since I had been there over a million times with my parents. Reyna and I were playing a game of tag. She tagged me, so I chased after her. We were laughing and having a great time just like kids should, until it happened. I was chasing her, and she ran over a pile of leaves. It wasn't a pile of leaves though. Under it was a pit. It was set there as a trap for animals, but she had stepped on it and fallen in. I hadn't realized it was a trap until she fell in, screaming. But suddenly, all was silent.

"Reyna!" I screamed. I ran to the pit and looked in it. Tears spilled down my face, and I screamed. Reyna's dead body laid there, limp and lifeless. She had snapped her neck and died. I sat there, crying my eyes out for hours. My precious little sister was gone. I promised her that I would be the best brother, I promised. But I was the worst. I had gotten her killed. After a few hours, my parents found me in the woods, crying. Then I had to explain to them what happened. My mother weeped, but my father was silent. I could see the depression in his eyes.

About a week after the funeral, it started happening. My parents became extremely abusive. They never loved me again. Their were times that I was so bruised and broken that I couldn't move. All the broken bones, the bruised and swollen body parts, I couldn't count them all. When I was fourteen, I ran away. I ran far away until I found a small port town where I lived alone for a year. I was paranoid everyday, paranoid that they would find me. That they might kill me. A year later,my was fifteen, and guard officials from my former home found me. They told me that my parents were to have a death penalty for a reason unknown.

They told me that I was to choose rather they live or die. I simply said that I did t care, and they were put to death. When I was seventeen, I came to Talahan to become a knight. I wanted to be strong, strong enough to defend myself instead of cowering away. And on that day, I met Alexandria and fell in love. But no matter what, the paranoia would always bother me. If Reyna hadn't died, and my parents wouldn't have been abusive, my life would have been different. I would be happier without the guilt of all of their deaths, and the paranoia would be no more.

But if none of those events would have happened, I would have never gone to Talahan and became a knight. I would have never met Alexandria. I know that I was responsible for the death of my sister, and that I was abused. I know that my past was horrible. But if it had never happened, then I would have never met Alexandria, and I would never be truly happy. I can deal with the guilt. I can deal with the paranoia. I can deal with the Demon King, and Simon and the war. I can deal with anything as long as she is by my side.