His Queen

Chapter 25

We go into the village and Malik is grasping my hand, I glance down at him; he's wearing white attire that belonged to Atem when he was younger, his cape matches mine, and his caramel brown hair is free from dried blood and dirt. My uncle accompanies me and the class to the village.

"Uncle,  can you take the class and Malik to the Cave?" I ask, letting go of Malik's hand. "Young one, go with him and stay close. Alya, please watch over him for me?"

Adrien finally speaks to me, "You're not coming with?"

"No, there's something I must do.  I'll job you there." I walk away, going to the outskirts of the village. 

If anyone knows if Shanzi is alive it's Katanadi, a good friend of my family.  She's also a sorceress, a powerful one at that. I enter her shop, the space is small but mobile.

"Iris, what a wonderful surprise. Have you returned home?"

"Only for the summer. Katanadi, I must know.  Is he --"

"Alive?" She raises an eyebrow

I nod.

She sighs. "Unfortunately, yes, your highness."

"What are his plans?" My hands clench into tight fists.

"Kidnap you and force you into marriage." She simply states.

I nod, "thank you." I grab a small pouch off of my waistband and hand it to her. "You need it more than I do."

She bows and thanks me. I take my leave and grab a horse and hurry to the Cave. The Cave is where a lot of my family's history comes from, it's almost like a library full of legends and stories of my ancestors. Except in stone.

I get to the Cave and notice that the group isn't here yet. So, I patiently wait. I see horses approaching the path to the Cave. My uncle walks to me and nods.  It's time. I look at Adrien and walk into the dark Cave, the torch as our only source of light. Writings and hieroglyphics cover the walls; my uncle leads us into a large chamber with three tombs: my parents and my brother, Atem.

I start to cry, my grief taking over. Ignoring the group and my uncle, I walk over to my brother's tomb. I place a hand on his sarcophagus, crying silently. Atem, how I miss you, I wish you were here with me. Becoming Queen is harder than I thought, if you were here, you help me through all of this.

~Adrien's POV~

I watch Iris approach a sarcophagus, it was smaller than the other two. That must her brother, what was his name again? Atem? Yeah, that's right. It looks like she's crying, I have the urge to go comfort her but I fight it back.

She sniffles and then turns around, facing the group. "This is my family. My father, Bakari, my mother, Chione, and my brother, Atemu."

"What exactly happened to them?" Nathanael asks.

She sighs. "I still remember that horrible night. Usually, my brother sleeps in my bed because he got nightmares. Being with me helped him sleep, but that night, he wasn't with me. I walked around the palace until I saw them... My brother lying on the floor, bleeding. My father died holding my mother's already dead body. The next day, they were mummified.  They were assassinated, that's why I was sent to live with Adrien and his father. To keep me safe while my uncle and the Priest hunted down the murderer."

Everyone was quiet, letting her mourn her family's deaths. Soon, I step toward and pull her into a tight hug. I don't know why I ignored you for so long, Iris. I wasn't there for you when you needed me than most. I'm sorry. Tears escaped my eyes. I will never leave you alone like that again.

She hugs me back and we stay like that for a while.

We leave the Cave and return to the Palace.  I ride my horse beside Iris's; she's quiet when we finally make it back safely. I help her unmount her horse and take her to her bedroom and help her into her bed. She must be exhausted.

"Hey, kid. Are you two gonna be okay?" Plagg asks, flying over to sit on Iris's side.

"I don't know. I mean, I want us to be okay again. I want her to know that she can tell me anything,  and I won't leave her." More salty drops flow down my cheeks.

Fang comes over and tries to comfort me while Iris sleeps. I lay down next to her, wrapping my arms around her waist, and close my eyes; the steady sound of her breathing has me falling asleep. I nuzzle my face into her neck, taking in her orchid shampoo.

I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I promise, Iris, I will protect you with everything I have. I love you.