Presence [Chapter Seventeen - Part 2/2]

"My Father helped clear the snow from the gateways on the daily, and delivered warm foods and wine to the tower kitchens. For reasons which breech all pathways of coincidence, I was asked to run an errand and deliver a shipment to the towers. I was but fifteen, and it was my first time entering the palace. I remember it well. The way the staircase span round and round up to the heavens, glistening like snow and gold. And how the hallways smelt like honey roasted duckling and cheese parcels."

"Sounds delicious." Castor mumbled, the gruff of his beard scratching against Neevi's forehead. She purred in response, keeping a firm hold onto Trystan's jacket.

"Oh, pardon my manners." Hienna had over-heard. She placed down a small platter of bird meat chunks for Gulbahar; the plump cat dashed over towards it, racing between her paces to get to it. "I'll get that tea sorted." She removed the pot from the fire, handling it with a ragged cloth.

"You spoke of Molton beforehand." Trystan prompted, as Hienna poured the tea into the slumped clay cups.

"Yes, I am more than familiar with that vile creature." She spat, as though a bad taste had lingered in her mouth. "I assume she still sits upon that throne as though the deities longed her to?"

"You assume correctly, and unfortunately." The teleporter responded, shaking his head with frustration.

"I walk amongst the shore every evening, just before the sun rests in the seas. My ears strain to listen against the ocean's song, hoping to hear the faint cries of the victory bells. I vowed never to return to the realms until she is removed from our world. And every evening, I am met with disappointment. I wonder to myself often whether the deities will even welcome such a blackened heart amongst the underworld. Or whether they will leave her to wander in the shade....."

"Hiding out here won't help towards it." Castor spoke, like a true warrior. "Perhaps the entire world has thought the same. Perhaps everyone waits for someone to step forward and make a move upon her."

"I have no shame in hiding," Hienna challenged. "Call me a coward, or whatever you wish. Nothing will alter my mind. I will not step foot off Erimi Island until her head is brought to me."

Castor gruffed at her reclusive thinking. It wasn't within a centaur's nature to sit and do nothing.

"Where is it you said you were from?" The elderly woman added, trying to shift the tension.

"Vargnus," I answered for him. "The heartlands, not so much rural."

"My, you are a long way from your home. Has Molton truly managed to spread her poison that far across the map?" She marvelled.

"Not yet," The centaur reassured, although his confidence was far from bright. "But I am certain it is only a matter of time before her impression seeps onto her soil. The guardhouses have already been infiltrated, and only the deities know who else's mind has been eaten into and bought."

"I predicted as much would happen. I could have only have wished for it to have come later," Hienna theorized, sweeping the stress from her brow. "In truth, I am surprised she has not already attempted seizing the other realms."

"She has been far too concentrated on obtaining something else." The wood nymph imparted, to which all in the room but Hienna understood. "Our friend, Arrain.....Molton has sent dedications of men after him since the day he was born. He's fled with me through each of the realms, trying to lose her interest, but nothing could shake her off. Now she has him under her roof, I fear what is the next step she will take."

"This friend....does he possess a gift worth taking? Something she can weaponize?"

"No. Nothing." Ede assured, her fingers dancing around her brow.

"You are certain?" She seemed particularly concerned. Her head stretched over the table, her elbows ignorant to the damp patches of spilled tea that oozed through the pores of her dress. "He holds no magic? No knowledge?" Ede shook her head, sorrowfully.

"He has a good and loyal heart, an attribute Molton will surely ignore. What she seeks in him is something unknown to us. Even he hadn't the confidence in guessing."

"He confided in me about his past," My tongue moved for the thoughts that swamped my mind.

"Go on, child." Hienna's ageing eyes turned to me, although still somewhat attached to Ede's.

"He remembers little of his childhood spent with family, for Molton murdered his parents before he had the chance to know them. He fled from their bodies, as a boy of two or three, and has lived for vengeance ever since. From what I gather, Molton did not execute him as planned, and now wishes to make amends."

"Attend to her unfinished business." Trystan put more blandly. "It would make sense, to a degree. Her mind is rather obsessive."

"Trystan, you know her better than any in this room." I added, to which made him visually uncomfortable. The shame of his mistakes still swam around his eyes. "Did she give any sort of indication as to what she wanted with Arrain?"

"No." He was quick to clarify. "I have gone through it a thousand times or more. She was desperate for him, for reasons which she did not explain. Given my brother's life in the balance, I hardly took time in questioning her further than necessary. I simply did as she asked."

"You? You worked for Molton?" Hienna was not a foolish woman. She had pieced together the pieces of vague conversation rather swiftly.  

"Do not judge a man whose voice you haven't heard." Trystan protested for his innocence. But Hienna wasn't listening.

"I knew it!" Her hand hovered upon a kitchen knife, it's base carved out of a dark bark, it's blade made of sharpened sea rock. All eyes fell upon it. "You should never have come here!"

"I did not serve Molton by choice. Please, hear me out! She killed the cult of travellers I was with. My brother was held hostage, with the terms of his release dependent on my co-operation. I never wanted to-."

"What did she ask of you? Tell me! Tell me!"

"To trade in Arrain for my brother!"

"And you did so?" Hienna continued to interrogate, the warmth of her breath gusting through the ringlets of Trystan's scalp. "You just gave Molton what she wanted?"

"Yes! Yes!" Trystan cried out, his head stretched as high as his neck could strain. Ede and I rushed toward Hienna, whom had wielded the blade upon a close shave of his skin. Castor, too, was quick to spring to his defence.
"You fool!"

"I was blinded by the love I held for my brother. Against our agreement, she had him killed before my very eyes!"

"Serves you right." The elderly woman said, incredibly harshly. "Treacherous scum! It's people like you that had my Ragon sentenced! Death is only too kind-"

"He has suffered enough. Let him go." The wood nymph tried to reason, tugging at her arm with all the strength she could muster. Hienna was stronger than she appeared, and could not be moved.

"He did what any man would do." The centaur justified, trying to project his presence. It made little difference. Out here, it was Hienna's land. Everything was by her rules. Castor had no jurisdiction. No one did.

"Any man with a decent brain between his eyes would have chosen death, over assisting such a cruel and blackened soul!"

"If it had been my life at stake, then perhaps. But it was not my own; it was that of my brother. He was a child. He had a life ahead of him but she destroyed it. I know the mistakes I have made. I see only now the error of my ways. But what is done is done. I live now only to right those wrongs."

"How am I to trust you, when you have already allowed Molton into your mind?" The elderly woman snapped, edging the knife closer and closer. All the air in my chest remained seized, unable to breathe out through the tension. Trystan did not risk another moment, and teleported himself away. "Only cowards run and hide behind their towers!" She shrieked, chasing his shadow with her eyes.

He reappeared behind Castor.

"But I am not running!" He admitted, tears streaming angrily down his face. He could not conceal his grief for Viro, any more than I could deny my attraction to Arrain. It was out there - for anyone to see. Uncaring. Consuming. Shameless. "Do you believe any sane man would serve the woman whom slayed his family? Molton has taken from me the irreplaceable. Nothing can bring back my brother's soul....his laughter and smile is lost, until in death we are reunited. And I wish not to greet him without first claiming vengeance for the life he missed out on."

"Perhaps you are not sane at all." Hienna retorted, but Trystan's anguish was much more passionate. It over-threw every negative thought her brain could churn.

"Perhaps not," He countered. "For no man sane would dare face the wrath of Molton head-first, at the word of his best friend. Believe me if you wish to, for it makes no difference to me whether I live or die. My life was ultimately stolen the day Molton crossed paths with me. I live now only to redeem myself to Master Arrain. I am here, on his instruction. I needed for him to hear my side, and not the version of events Molton presented. I did not wish for him to believe that our friendship was all a mask for some sinister motive. I admit, as I did to him, that at first I saw it as a simple trade; a life of a stranger to that of my brothers. But Master Arrain's passion burns brighter than any star the sky can find."
"Where is he now? Did he escape?"

"She has him placed in the dungeons." He turned to Ede and I. "He wished for me only to concern myself with your safety, and not burden you with his own."

"The dungeons! Did you manage to get a good look at the other prisoners? Did you talk to them?" The elderly woman seemed to ignore the well-being of Arrain for a moment.

"My time spent in the dungeons was short as it was. Molton's reflective charms were weakened, but I dared not test how long she would take to notice. I spoke to only to Master Arrain, and a man in the cell besides his. No others."

"A man?" She repeated, her eyes keen upon Trystan.

"Yes. An old man. Life did not look as though it had been kind to him." He described all his memory could recall.

"What else?" Hienna seemed fixed on finding information about this strange, old man. "Tell me anything he said!"

"He looked no different from every other withered soul." Trystan did not like this sudden shift of concentrated focus. The uncomfortable stares the elderly woman was giving him caused his throat to dry out entirely. "There was nothing distinctive that I can recall. Dark eyes, a great beard...."

Hienna grew impatient, and rose from the seat, rummaging around in a chest behind her. Cups and pans flew about in an awful racket. Books and planks of wood, still raw and rough, followed suit, building small towers and tents along the floor. She seemed less caring about their condition and more fixed on finding something in particular. In her distraction, Trystan made eyes for the door. But Ede stepped towards her.
"What are you looking for? You are suppose to tell us words of use."

Finally, Hienna emerged from the depths of the chest, clutching a small framed portrait.

"Here," With her lips, she blew a gust of dust and dirt from it's canvas, revealing speckles of colour. The parchment was very rich and held thin pores, seen only in the highest quality documents. Common eyes could tell that this was not something she had found in her travels, nor was it likely that she had collected it as a washed-up treasure. "Was this the man you saw?" Her eyes were frantic, spooked almost. Ede took the frame from her hands, giving it a good look before passing it onto Trystan.

"That's Ragon Brookdale?" The wood nymph scrunched her nose, recognising the face. "Why would you have the need to keep this?" Hienna opened her mouth to speak, but was not gifted the time to. Trystan had already claimed the airwaves.

"Well, he's much younger here," He exclaimed, staring intensively at the pixels of paint. "But I would say it could be him."

"Could be?" Hienna pushed past, knocking the cups of tea from our hands. She gripped the teleporter by the wrists, shaking him like an excited child. "Are you sure? Look again!" She ordered, to which Trystan complied with quickly. Another moment was spent with him studying the paintwork, brushing his fingers over the canvas, removing another layer of aged dust.

"The eyes....." He began, to which Hienna sat, hanging on every word. "....they are the same. I am certain of it."

"Thank the deities!" The elderly woman cried for joy, snatching the painting out from Trystan's hands. She planted several kisses upon the painting, stirring strange looks of concern from the five of us. "Perhaps all is not lost, after all!"

"What are you saying?" Ede addressed Trystan, over the eccentric yells of the elderly woman. I turned my head, and saw her clutching Gulbahar in her arms, twirling him around like a rag doll. "You have seen this man?"

"Yes, yes." Trystan answered, firmly. He was growing tired of the constant harassment. "He was in the cell besides Master Arrain. He asked of me to fetch food for the prisoners. They were all starving and..."

"Ragon Brookdale is alive?"

She could barely speak the words. Little volume came out with them. Her face paled, as her eyes brushed back up to greet the elderly woman. Their eyes connected; sharing a silent moment that no one else could penetrate, nor understand. Castor and I shared a look ourselves, trying to establish what exactly was occurring. It was as though we had stumbled upon a house of madness.
"You must return to him, Trystan!" Ede ordered, impatient and excited. "Teleport him!"
"Did you not hear of the danger I put myself in by returning in the first place?"
"If Ragon Brookdale is still breathing, then there is still a chance of throwing Molton from his throne! He is our only hope!"
"I cannot believe it...." Hienna seemed faint, and took a seat. "After all these years, I was certain Molton would have had him killed in private. I had always dreamed it, but never considered it to-"
"Hienna..." Ede's eyes widened. "I know now why the name was so familiar to me. You're his...his..."

"I am Ragon Brookdale's wife. Lady to Nilichon, through wedded blood."

"Lady Hienna!" Gasped Trystan, bowing his head with respect. "I have heard only great things of you from Master Arrain." He plucked her hand from the pot, and kissed it delicately.

"Please, the only decent thing I did whilst in rein was pose pretty for the portraits."

"You look nothing how I would expect."

"Why, I suppose I have let my looks slip down my list of priorities over the years. Back in those days, I was a looker."

"Ragon...the name seems so familiar." The shape-shifter mused to herself, warming herself from the steam from her tea. She clenched her little fingers around the clay mug, deep in thought. "Wasn't he the ruler that was caught having indecent relations with children?"

Ede thudded into her harshly, begging for her to remain silent.

"Molton framed him for his crimes. I believe not for a single moment that he would ever-"

"You do not need to defend him." Hienna remained calm, sipping briskly from her tea. "Your generation have only learned from what knowledge has been passed down, so I expected as much. And with Molton running the place now, I do not question that little contest over his ruling has been projected. But what I shall tell you, is that it is all utter lies. It was true that Ragon adored children, but not in the manner of which Molton proposed."

"Is it true that you fled the towers before his court?" Trystan asked, pushing past me for a closer seat besides her. He was thirsty for details. "And that he took care of Molton as a child? Is this not where it all stemmed from?"

"I shall start from the beginning, for I wish for you all to understand." She finished her tea, setting the cup down. "Ragon and I were married young. I was days from seeing my sixteenth birthday when we were joined in matrimony. It was a joyous occasion, full of love and celebration. Kydle granted us nothing but good health and blessing. But there were those whom bad mouthed. Travellers, mostly. They believed our marriage had been forged and concentrated only upon the distance of years between Ragon and I. He was twenty-one in age when we met, although it made little difference to me. My heart was taken by him from the moment we had met. After the passing of Kydle, and at Ragon's coronation, most of the realm were overjoyed. They had watched him mature into a man, taught well by his Father's tongue. I had never been so proud to be by his side, and even more so when pronounced the Lady of Nilichon. We both swore an oath that day, to serve Nilichon and her people with honest intentions, just as Kydle had done, and his Father before him."

"And then Molton went and destroyed everything." Ede interrupted, her frustrations at Molton getting the better of her. "Arrain has told me this story a thousand times or more. It makes less sense each time I hear it."

"As we aged, Ragon expressed his longing for a child. An heir for him to pass on his knowledge and good faith, as his Father did him. I, too, could feel the motherly call bursting from my heart. I craved to feel the tiny fingers of a baby around my own, and hear the sweet gargles of laughter echoing around the halls. So it was agreed, for us to try for a babe of our own. And we tried, and tried and tried. Endlessly, to conceive, with no such luck. We turned to the help of the churches and temples, but their advice failed us too. No amount of herbs or ointments or prayers could give us what we wanted. Ragon threw money at anyone claiming they could help. Witch doctors and fortune tellers from far and wide flocked to Nilichon, once word got out that coinage would be parted in term for their services. Of course, most we believed to be fraudulent but Ragon's determination to see me bore his heir got the better of him. On eve of my thirtieth birthday, a travelling woman came to visit us. Her name was Babbella."
Neevi and I said not a word, but we knew whom she was referring to. Castor, too, wore a look of concealed shock.

"She said she was simply passing and despite hearing tales of the fools that made a profit from our misfortune, she wanted to help only out of the goodness of her heart. Ragon and I were not that believing of the healers hands she claimed to possess. But still, we let her work her alleged magic, having nothing else to lose. She lay me down in a dark room, burning incense of apple blossom and mistletoe. She asked of Ragon to remain present but silent for the ritual, as she lay hazelnuts upon my stomach and scattered pomegranate seeds around my body. Call me a fool, but I remember in that moment feeling strange, as though the deities themselves were pressing their hands upon me. I honestly thought that perhaps this was the miracle we had prayed for. We waited for the incense to burn out and Babbella read out from an ancient book, a language not used in an age. I haven't the faintest clue what was being said, but through it all I held hope."

"Did it work?" Neevi asked, entirely gripped by her words.

"No." Hienna said, with a sadness redding her eyes. "The traveller diagnosed that I was unable to conceive. That my body was not designed to bear children. Ragon, of course, spiralled into a deep depression. In fact, he spoke not a word of it ever again. His disappointment blinded him from how I was feeling entirely. He became so selfish and drew resentment towards me. I was just the woman who could not give him what he truly desired. He fell out of love with me that day. I could feel it, as clear as the water."

"I did not know this part of the story..." Ede admitted, looking rather sorrowful and sad.

"No one was to know, for we did not share it. I was ashamed. I felt inhuman; for the most simplest phase of a woman's life was something I could never surpass. I was stuck, almost as a child myself, wishing and praying to be with child. I knew if I had bore Ragon's child, he would still have adored me. But it was simply never to be. We spoke of it not again, until an evening many months later. As I took for my local stroll around the city, I spotted a young child sitting in the street. Shivering and cold from the snow, without so much a coat to keep her warm. I asked her where would be her parents. I was outraged at the thought that some careless mother had left their daughter out in such a state. But that was when the little girl replied and said she had no parents. They had died. She was an orphan and had lived so for much of her life. Call me selfish, but it was as though the deities had arranged our paths to cross. I told Ragon that night, unable to sleep through the excitement. The next morning, we arranged a visit to the orphanage. There were so many wonderful children. It was the first time I had seen Ragon smile, in what felt an age. Suffice to say, Ragon and I became regular visitors. He donated generous coin to the orphanage, ensuring the children were given all the toys and treats that money could buy. He became a legend amongst the orphans. The father they all dreamed to have."
She fell quiet, allowing the steam from the tea to freshen and warm her pores.
"Arrain spoke only highly of Ragon." Ede edged her voice into stillness.
"I did wonder how a kin of the wood knew in so much detail of city affairs."
"The blame is Arrain's, entirely. He spoke of nothing else, in between his hatred for Molton and his desires for vengeance. Even before his parents retaliation, his rage for Ragon's imprisonment had him keen. My people held not much thought for the problems stemming from the man-made towers of such rulers, no matter how much he bled his lungs dry of it all. I was simply the fool too kind to turn his voice away."
"I suppose you regret you did?" Hienna said, almost sadly.
"Actually, I do not. Befriending Arrain is the only thing I feel I've done right by in my entire existence. Even if I have nearly died for it."

"If only we were all as passionate, to dare die for what we believe for, than perhaps the world would find its peace. But the paths before us are not always easy. Most would take a short cut, if not step foot down it at all. Sometimes the road that seems right is only discovered wrong when crossed. Like taking a dead end turn. Ragon and I's plans of adoption was similar. It seemed something selfless and ideal to our situation. We never considered the complications past what décor to have the child's chamber in, and whether we preferred a boy or girl for our family. Of course, at that time, nothing seemed as though it would spoil. What wrongness could come of homing a orphaned child? I suppose we were never to know the truth behind those innocent eyes. A girl, the elder side of childhood. Ragon had grown fond of her over the months he visited. He enjoyed her company, and spoke of her witty tongue. I longed for a child much younger, a babe to cradle and watch grow, but his word was final. Because of his absence from the towers, spent bonding with the child, I was forced to stay and attend court. I did not mind much, for the joy it brought to Ragon's face was something I had not seen since our wedding night. He has returned to himself. The man I had lost my heart to. The girl was brought for a tour of the towers and all. Her little face lit up like a virgin candle, struck by fire for the first time. I shall never forget that look, for it melted into something monstrous and grieved. She was shown the life she had always dreamed of....she was in touching distance of it....and it was snatched away from her grasp."

"Why? What happened?" Trystan crowed, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"I tell you this, but you must receive my word with a sensitive ear. It is something not known to the masses, as least, it wasn't when I left civilisation. A pact was made to ensure its news did not break out, for it would cause a great deal of complications. But the time has come for the truth to be told. I will break the vow I made to the pact, but ask of you to keep it to yourselves."
We all made the agreement with Hienna, all so eager, all so desperate to learn of what she had to say. It was evident that this secret had burdened her for many, many years.

"I discovered Ragon had been unfaithful." The words burned her throat, punishing her for speaking of such shame. We all gasped, our shock spreading out in unison. But she hadn't finsished. "He had been sleeping with one of the chamber maids. I had suspended court early one morning, feeling rather unwell. As I made haste toward our quarters, I caught sight of her. She hurried from my chamber, still fussing over the buttoning on her shirt and sleeves. I knew in an instance what had happened. Ragon did not try to deny, nor defend. He wore his lips with no remorse. They had been conducting a clandestine affair for months. The actual length of their relationship is still unknown to me, but I gather it begun not far after I was diagnosed with my sickness. And whilst it explained towards his resentment and his strange behaviour, but it did not soften the pain. The eyes that I once met with such rapture were dead and cold. They gazed right through me, as though I was nothing."

"Why did you not leave him?" Neevi could not hide the horrified look upon her face, mirroring that of her bleeding heart. "How could you still lay with a man whom tore your faith in love apart?"

"I have asked myself the same questions, even more so when left to my own devices." Hienna spoke, almost in whispers. Her eyes became clouded with tears, that had no shame in emerging. "And always, does my mind return to the same conclusion; love cannot be broken. Despite the agony of his betrayal, my heart still called for him. Much as it does now. I could not refuse what it cried for. So I stayed. We told not a soul of his lewdness, and agreed to keep up appearances for the realm's sake."

"How could you live such a lie?" I did not envy the decisions she had to make. I knew I would not have been as strong.

"I made a vow to the people of Nilichon the day we were joined as husband and wife." She confessed, speaking proper as though addressing a hall full of folk. "My duties of care were with the affairs of the cities before my own. I could not step down and fail my people. I was needed, as was Ragon. It would have been wrong of me to shame him. If I had bore his heir, none of it would have happened. I would still be in those towers, besides Ragon, living life as it once was."

"You cannot blame yourself." Castor spoke up. "There are flaws within us all. Finding love is surely finding a heart that accepts these faults and adores them for what they are, not what they lack."

"The heart of a king expands past that of affection. He sought for a bride to give him a future. Not only a woman to sit pretty by his side, but someone with an open heart and fair eyes. He wanted an heir and an heir is what he got." She paused, expecting the looks of utter disorientation that followed. "Whether he loved that girl or not, is something my mind wishes not to ponder. The true reason he was interested was not for her heart, but for the child she could carry."

"She wasn't even a person to him? Just a tool for him to continue his bloodline? Ede's temper was flaring, as hot and feisty as the fire in front of us.

"And how old was this girl.....?" Neevi asked quietly, earning sharp looks from Ede. We all knew what she meant. And in truth, we had all wondered as much. She was simply bold enough to ask.

"She was of adult age, if that is what you are getting at." Hienna seemed less approving of her inquisitiveness. She turned to me, her eyes softening. "Around your age, Thorn. No older."

"And did she have the child?"

"Yes." Came the short reply. Silence fell, allowing for only the cracking fire for music. "I noticed immediately, that morning I caught her scurrying from my chamber. Clothes much too tight worn with a face of guilt. She was with child. It was the reason Ragon halted the adoption. He was satisfied having a child of his own blood, never mind the poor dear that he had fed false hope to."

"So many people were hurt by him...." Trystan commented, truly saddened.

"Yes, but so many were saved by him too." Hienna was quick to counter. It amazed me how she still raced to his defence. "The maid was given her own private quarters, a few doors down from our chamber. She stayed in there for most hours of the day, so no one would see her. She was as well treated as us, which caused much grief to me. Every moment Ragon was absent from my eyes, my head told me he was with her. Loving her, the way he should be loving me. Ragon told of a simple plan of how the child was to be raised between the three of us. He had a nursery constructed in the adjacent room. It was kept a secret from the outside world. Not even the staff knew what was behind that door, for it was kept locked. I did all the cleaning to it myself. Once the child was born, Ragon had said he was to be raised quietly. He had proposed we pay for the child and nurture him as our own. It was difficult, but I agreed. But when the child was born, a boy, his mother could not part from him. Ragon comprised. We raised him as our own, whilst behind closed doors she fed him to her bosom and cradled him to sleep."

"That is no way to live." Castor could not overlook such a discrepancy to his traditional mind. "The child would only grow confused. Two mothers, a real and a fake. Whom would it cry to? Surely it would favour one?"
"In no way was I a false Mother to that child!" She seemed offended by the centaur's remarks. "I adored him as though he was my own blood. But the maid who bore him desired to spend time with him more often. I believe she was envious of me, holding her boy. Ragon intervened, saying we would cross each bridge as we approached it. His honeyed words had us both going along with his ludicrous plan. But no amount of sweet talking could prepare us for what happened."

"The child he denied a family....what came of her?" Ede had puzzled together the pieces for us. Hienna could not grant her acknowledgement with words, too ashamed and guilt-riddle. She simply nodded, her eyes falling with regret. "She sought revenge on Ragon, didn't she?"

"By the deities, if we had known-"

"She wanted to see him suffer, in the way he had spoiled her life." The wood nymphs words were coming out more forceful. Her breath blustered, pushing the smoke from the fire around her face in a carved path of air. Hienna could do nothing but weep.
"The girl....it was Molton?" Trystan almost choked from the shock.

"Please, you must understand." The elderly woman cried, latching onto Ede's wrists. Her knees fought against her, throwing her to the floor. The scorned woman sobbed in her hands, praying for forgiveness. "He may have been a fool; a heartless, selfish fool; but he did not deserve a life of imprisonment for it. From his cell, he has been forced to watch his city burn to the ground. No man should suffer so, not even a man whom was unfaithful to his wife. He lost everything because of Molton. His wife. His throne. His heir. I know little of what became of his boy. The day of which it happened, it comes and goes in my mind. Blurred in some places, yet clear in others."

"You are just as bad as him!" Ede's fury had brewed to an extreme. She withdrew her hands from the shrivelling woman, and took leave to clear her head outside. Hienna protested, but could not stop Ede from unbolting each lock upon the door. "Arrain has wasted his time praising the same man whom brought hell to our earth!"

"Her aggression is at Molton, not you." I offered Hienna, in comfort. But she refused to accept it.

"I cannot argue against her temper. Perhaps, she is right. If I had spoken against Ragon....if I had fought for her, then maybe-"

"The power would have eaten her insides until they rotted." Trystan managed to get a word in edgeways. His eyes seemed clouded. "There was nothing that you could have done. Once Molton has her sights upon something, she will go after it until death."

"She was just a child!" Her mind wrestled against her regrets, vocalizing her inner torment. "How were we to know of the black heart she held in her chest?"

"Do not fight over the past." Castor shared his wisdom. "Many times, on a night, when my mind will not rest for sleep, I see the faces of the folk I could not save. People whom relied upon the legion to purge them from their suffering. Our ancestors told us not all battles can be won and not all paths will lead to victory. But even that knowledge cannot save my head from pondering over the reasons for our losses. I have spent many moons worrying myself sick over things that cannot change. The past is behind us. No amount of thoughts and regrets will ever offer us a chance to reverse what has been done. The same for these words I speak aloud now; I cannot take them back. Mistakes are a part of living. We can either learn from them and live with better judgement, or die with a penitence ache."

"How am I ever to forget?" Hienna turned her red eyes towards the centaur. Her pain was uncontrollable; her muscles could no longer respond to her command. She remained upon the floor, her feet sliding around as she tried to regain her balance, like boots upon ice. "I awaken each morning with hope it was all just some terrible dream. And then I remember it all. It floods back to me like a towering ocean wave. And my heart, it breaks once more."

"You are never to forget. To forget, would mean you did not learn from your mistakes. But to forgive yourself, is to move forward."