War of Hearts

25 -Hundred years ago

Ivy and ferns grew through the crevices of the old winding stone path, which led directly to the colossal structure. The mansion loomed proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees crowned in crimson, swaying gently to the chilly autumn wind. At its threshold stood the delicate marble fountain, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonated in the surrounding silence.

 The door opened a crack and a hazel eye peeked out. It was my brother's wife's brother, my best friend, Edward Hamilton. As expected he wrapped me with his huge warm arms.

"Jonathan!" He tightened his arms around me. "Jonathan, it's been so long since we lastly met each other."

I loosed the hug and looked into my friend's happy hazel eyes. Out of complete silence a cry arose. It was the baby was tied on my back my a red velvet cloth. 

Jonathan hugged once again and giggled. "Finally, you've got a baby."

I smiled lightly and avoided speaking until he loose the hug and took me into his house; the Hamilton Mansion.

"Where's Marina?" Edward asked as we entered into the living room.

I struggled to find an answer for the question. Tasha who came into the living room answered instead of me.

"She must be resting, Ed," she said. Tasha Robeline was Edward's wife. She was once a tailor in the Water land so she's a very close friend of my wife, Marina. 

Tasha helped me to untie the baby on my back. I cuddled him with my arms and I sat on a wooden chair across the couch where Edward was sitting. Edward was tall, well built man with hazel eyes and auburn, he's one of the strongest men I've ever got to know. He's one of the leading farmers in the Earth land. 

"What's his name?" Edward asked looking at my child as if he was his child.

In the eyes of the baby is all of me, the person I was born as before culture had its say. There is a purity to the gaze, love, given and received and I know in that moment without a word said inwardly or from my lips, that I love this baby. And if a person came to harm them I would defend with my life in need be. And that's my truth, right there, in those baby eyes and every other. 

"I'm surprised that Marina never told me about a baby," Tasha said, stretching her hands toward me, asking the baby. I slowly placed the baby in her arms. She cuddled the baby and kissed his forehead.

"Is everything alright, Jo?" Edward asked. I bet he must have caught my weirdness since the moment I stepped into the house.  

"How's Gwen and Rena?" I asked, changing the subject.

"They are still doing their studies in the Earth palace," Tasha answered, placing so many kisses on my baby's face. "He looks like you." She looked at me and smiled kindly. "I wonder from where he got the grey hair."

"Jo," Edward spoke, fixing his hazel eyes on mine. "What happened?" He asked.

"I'm in trouble," I said. I had to say them the truth. I am here to ask help from my best friend and for that I need  to tell him the truth, no matter how hard it is.

"What happened?" He asked again.

Tasha rocked the baby and focused her attention on me. 

I looked at the brown carpet below me and spoke, making sure not to keep eye contact with them. "You both know that I never loved Marina even though I got married to her," I said and looked at my best friend and her wife. They were staring at each other. Tasha had fear in her eyes, the fear of what I'll speaking next. 

"I loved another woman and that woman loved me too but we can't get together and be one so we decided to stop our secret relationship and move on. So, I got married to Marina and she moved on with her own life." I tried to read Edward's eyes but they were unreadable. Tasha's eyes were flooding with tears, my baby was staring at Tasha as if he has never seen a person crying, of course, he hasn't.

I continued, "We lived years without seeing each other but I couldn't control myself. As days past I missed her so much. Being distant from her only made me love her more. I tried to keep up with Marina but I failed. So, I went back to the Capital and saw her secretly. I stayed there with her for a whole week and went back to the Water land but after few days she came to the Water land and told me that she was pregnant," I paused and looked at the baby in between Tasha's arms. "It's him, Paulo Roosevelt."

Tasha carefully placed the baby on the couch and she cried, covering her face with her hands. I know what she must be feeling, Marina is one of her close friends. 

I looked at Edward. He was staring at me, emotionless, his face was unreadable. "Who's that woman?" He asked, firmly.  

I took a deep sigh and answered, "Angel," I paused and saw the shock on both their faces. "The Queen Angel," I said.

"How could you?" Tasha screamed, still crying. "How could you do this to Marina?"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"She loved you!" Tasha stood up from the couch and pointed her index finger toward me. "What do you think you are doing?" She huffed. "It's the Queen's child. Do you know that the Queen can't bear a child of a commoner?" She roared.

"I love her," was all I could say.

"What about Marina? Why did you marry her if you loved the Queen?" Tasha demanded.

Words left me. I swallowed the pain growing in my throat and spoke, "I told her everything."

"What? You told her everything! Poor Marina!" Tasha threw a cushion at me, it hit my face and fell on to the carpeted floor. I took it and placed it on the wooden table in front of me.  

"You bastard!" Tasha tried to slap me but Edward stopped her.

"Tasha, can you leave us? We need to talk," Edward said.

Tasha slowly nodded, still glaring at me and left the room.

Edward sat on the table and crossed his arms. "What are you going to do now?" He asked in his usual kind friendly tone.

"I'm going to go to Azera and live with the baby," I said, looking at my beautiful child.

"Why are you here?"

"I need you to look after the baby until I come back."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to the Capital to meet her. I need to talk to her before I leave everyone and everything."

"Do you trust her?"

"Of course, I love her and she loves me."

Edward placed his hand on my shoulder. "Be careful, my friend. She may love you but still she's the Queen of Angelic."

I walked toward the couch and took the baby into my arms. His bright blue-green eyes found mine and he laughed, as only a baby can laugh a sweet sound unblemished by the hurts of life. His little face glowed from a light within, and his miniature fingers grasped mine, and held tight. He knew! Somehow it felt like he knew I needed comfort in the dead silence, he knew I needed joy in the midst of my pain. I held him to my chest tightly, I would never let this precious bundle go no matter what came I would protect him. Even to the point of death.