Epiphany

⇞ songs of pain ⇞

It was Nazereth's family's death anniversary and it was tense in the palace. No one dared to make a wrong move because getting on the wrong side of him was suicidal right now. That also meant that I have been living with him for almost a year now just short of a few months. 

Also, my poison was showing prominent effects now as I would throw up blood, feel weak and dizzy all the time and sometime would fall unconscious. No one besides Ciara noticed my condition and it kind of had me worried if something happened to me before Nazereth could learn to live with the pain.

The rituals for the dead here were different from Udairis. It lasted three days. First-day prayers would be done from dawn to the dusk by the large torch always burning in the middle of the palace grounds. The second day was a mournful march across the town where people of kingdom share their sorrow and blessings for the soul of the dead and the final day was feast arranged for poor in the Kingdom in the name of the dead.

But when I woke up at dawn on the first day everyone else was asleep except the King. He was sitting at his usual place in the garden. The wind was still cold and redness of his nose indicated that even the Firemaster was feeling the chill.

He looked devastated and I was too scared to approach him at that moment so I stood there.

Please don't be in too much pain.  I wished in my head staring at him with aching hurt.

"Leave Ermeline. I request you to not show yourself in front of me for three days." He said sternly somehow realizing my presence there.

"Can I help with anything else?" I asked as softly as possible.

"You should rather stay away from my family matters." He said in a cold tone.

He was hurting far more than usual so I didn't object and returned back to the palace and paced inside the room.

"You have three days to rest. Why don't you just relax?" Ciara asked seeing me all worked up.

"You go and help them in any way possible, any preparations any rituals. I have to stay here but you please go and help him from my side." I requested Ciara feeling helpless.

"Don't care for him, he still hates you." She reminded but I didn't contradict her because she was not entirely wrong.

But she left me on my request and I sat down on the floor feeling irked due to some reason.

The first day passed and during the night time on second-day silence fell in the palace. I had no idea how Nazereth was and Ciara was too busy to come back and report to me. I just sat there like a prisoner who got food and water in time.

Scars started showing up on my body because without Ciara I couldn't take a bath with healing water and I covered myself as much as possible. 

Taking advantage of the silence I made way to the huge library which has often been my solace point. The lack of fire and light in the palace made it look slightly haunting. The library gate opened with a loud creaking sound in the pin-drop silence of the palace.

After a while I choose a poem collection and sat down on the ground leaning on the shelf and even though it was cold I felt comfort and warmth. Without even realizing I started humming as the night fell closer to the coming dawn while my sleep was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly the door burst open and shocked with fear I got up.

Nazereth walked in but unlike other times he looked furious this time and his eyes were swollen, the flicker in them barely visible.

His glare was of the kind that scared me to the bones.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" He bellowed and I froze, literally froze in fear.