Blood Rose

#8

He looked like my father. I looked up at the woman and she kept staring at me. "Mother?" I asked.
"Adonis." She said, smiling. I rushed to her and hugged her. "I missed you, mother." I said.
"You don't know how much I did." She said. She looked down at my brother and said, "Meet Jonas. Jonas, meet Adonis."
"My brave brother you always tell me stories about? The man with wings?" He said.

I knelt down, kissed his hand and nodded. Mother said, "I can't believe you're the commander of Mausa, Adonis. You've made me and your father so proud. And," she whispered, "the girl is beautiful. Never let her go."
I smiled and nodded. Idylla said, "Adonis, we need to go. We don't have time." I looked at mother. I said, "I may not come back, mother. Make Jonas a good man. Like father."
"And like you." She smiled, "I'm proud of you because you're fighting for right. Idylla told me."
I smiled and bid her goodbye. We mounted our horses and moved towards the castle. "How did you find her?" I asked.
"I had resources, I'm the princess, Adonis." She smiled.
"You don't know how much this means to me." I said, "I don't know how to pay you back."
"Just return alive from war, Adonis. Promise me." She said.
"I'll try my best." I said.

We'd reached the castle. We dismounted our horses and ran to the castle gate. Herakles and Oreste weren't standing on the walls anymore. They were down near the gate, many men supporting it, trying to stop it from breaking. It would break any minute, I could see that.

I shot a glance to Herakles and Oreste and one to Idylla. I wondered how Matthias was. Matthias had given up war, resorting to his old age. All his children were at war. I couldn't imagine the pangs of a father, the pain that Matthias felt. The gate broke and the army stormed in. Cyprus fought back. Cyprus was a good attacker, Mausa was a good defender. Mausa wasn't attacking.

At wars, I would command the attacks, Maurice would command the defense. "Their attack is weak. Take them." I told Herakles. Cyprus had me, that was indeed a power. The battlefield got coloured with blood in no time. I saw Owen racing towards me and he took a halt when he saw me.
"Never thought I'd get to be in a real duel with you." He said.
"Neither did I."
He attacked with his sword, I ducked. He attacked again, I blocked it with my spear. He cut my arm, I disarmed him with my spear. He had no fear in his eyes when I pierced his heart with my spear.

That's when I noticed Philip, he had no Cyprians around him and he was moving towards the castle, unnoticed. I followed him immediately. When I reached, I saw his horse there, he wasn't. I dismounted my own and ran inside. Now where could he be? Knowing Philip, he'd have run behind whatever gold he'd have seen. I ran to the treasury. He wasn't there, the door was locked firmly. I didn't know where he went, but I needed to warn Matthias. I rushed to the throne room, where I knew Matthias would be. He was, just that there was not much life left in him.

I rushed to him and laid his head on my lap. "Sire, who did this?"
"Philip." He said, groaning in pain.
"Don't worry, my Lord. You'll be alright. I'll call for the doctor at once."
He waved his hand gesturing a no and pointed to the knife stuck in his stomach and gestured me to pull it out. I did and he screamed and blood flowed out. "He's a coward, Adonis. He attacked me from behind. If he takes Idylla, she'll break totally. Save my daughter."
"I'll die before I let anything happen to her." I said.
He shook his head, "No. Nothing should happen to her even beyond your death."

I just stared at him. He loved her so bad. He breathed his last soon. I rushed back to the battlefield, my horse galloped over Julian's corpse. Philip's horse had left too. Philip was standing at the top of the clock tower and ringing the bell attracting attention. "Matthias is dead! The king is dead!" He announced. No one rejoiced. Not Mausa, not Cyprus. Everyone knew Philip must have taken Matthias by crookery. Everyone hated Philip. Estevan showed a flag signalling battle to temporarily halt. I couldn't see Idylla or Oreste but I could see Herakles, his eyes filled with tears. He loved his father. Estevan came forward to him and said, "We will take a break from war. How long do your last ritual days last?"

"7 days." Herakles said.
"No war for 7 days then." Estevan said and the army turned back and went. They camped on the shore. I found Idylla and Oreste in the throne room. They'd rushed to their father the second Philip had announced him dead. I could see them breaking. Idylla had become an orphan all over again. The king's main men followed soon after with Herakles. "Sire, the army will fall apart without a king." One man said. Herakles nodded. "I'll take father's responsibilities then. I'll be king." Everyone nodded and saluted him.

"But we need an elder to crown him." Another man objected.
"We do have someone." Idylla said and looked at me. I nodded. My mother crowned Herakles king in the next 24 hours. It was a grand ceremony that all of Cyprus attended. But nobody could hide the tears that flowed out knowing that their king, their great and amazing king Matthias, was dead. Matthias's last rituals were done too.

***

It was around midnight of the 7th day. There was war again the next day. It was me who walked Idylla to her room. I knew how it felt to lose a parent out of nowhere. She'd wished me goodnight and gone inside and I'd returned to my room. The next morning, I went to wake her up for war.

She wasn't there. She was nowhere.

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Love, Kaninika xoxo