May Death Do Us Part

to his knees and grabbed the bars of his cell, his face turned up to look at king Gareth who was looking down at him with an unreadable expression. “Please your majesty I beg of you, allow me to see Eira one more time I implore you. I will accept any punishment for my involvement in all of this, but please allow me the privilege to see off the woman I love.”

“The woman you love you say?” Gareth mumbled as he looked at the young elf. What did Jacob know of love? What this young elf felt for his daughter was possessiveness and obsession, because love could have never led him to perform such a selfish act.

“Tell me Jacob...” Gareth spoke calmly yet sternly, “if indeed what you felt for my daughter was love, why did you opt to use a potion to earn her affection? Even if that potion had not been poison, would you really have called what you and her would have had love?”

Jacob lowered his eyes to the floor in shame, “I... I was foolish your majesty, and I was desperate. I thought I was losing her to someone else and I sought a solution.”

“If you really loved my daughter Jacob, you would want her to be happy, even if it was not with you,” Gareth responded coldly, making Jacob want to shrink and disappear. “You didn’t love Eira,

and now because of you..” Gareth glanced at Maxim who was curled up in the corner. “... because of both of you, no one will ever get to love her ever again.”

Jacob felt himself crumble, he really had been selfish, and because of that, had played a part in denying the world a jewel like Eira.

The main door of the prison flew open and one of the royal guards walked to Gareth and bowed. “Your majesty...”

.....

“Have you completed the preparations for the funeral?”

The guard shook his head, “everything is ready your majesty, but we have a problem. Prince Elric, he refuses to release the princess’ body, and no one has been able to convince him otherwise.”

Gareth sighed, he had somewhat anticipated this, as a mate, it would not be easy for the silver haired prince to let Eira go.

“I will speak with him,” Gareth told the guard, “for now just make sure all are informed of the upcoming funeral, this delay may give us a bit of time to let others travel for it.”

The guard bowed a second time and then turned to leave.

“I hope you’re both pleased with yourselves,” Gareth spoke without turning to look at Jacob and Maxim, “look at all the turmoil you’ve caused, all because you were greedy. Why don’t you both sit here and think about what you’ve done, while I think about what punishment is befitting of two people who murdered my only child.”

With heavy hearts and a sinking feeling, Maxim and Jacob watched the king walk away. Wasn’t this punishment enough? Sitting here in a cell drowning in the consequences of their sins, it was torture! So much so that death would be mercy.

*

Zhelimir looked up and saw his mother walking into his room. She gave him a small smile and closed the door behind her. Even though she had a smile on her face, Zhelimir could tell it was forced, and the puffiness of her eyes indicated that she had been crying.

Vivian was particularly fond of Eira, not only because she was Melissa’s daughter, but because of her impact in her son’s life. Zander grew up timid and would occasionally get bullied for it, but Eira would always stick up for him and gave him friendship when he had none. Eira was like a daughter to her, and losing her was very painful.

“Hello darling,” Vivian mumbled as she sat down on the edge of her son’s bed. “How are you coping?”

Zhelimir’s tears had long dried, but the pain and hurt in his heart raged on. He could not wrap his head around how he would go on without Eira, she was like his sister, always there for him when he needed her, and even more when he didn’t, and now she was gone, just like that?

“I don’t know...” Zhel replied in a low tone. He clasped his hands together and sighed, wondering if he would ever get over this feeling of loss.

Vivian placed a gentle hand in Zhelimir’s and rubbed them, “no one is taking this well, Eira was so special to all of us, and now that-” his mother chocked and blinked speedily to hold back the tears that suddenly stung her eyes. “Now that she’s no longer with us, it’s left us all with a huge void. But we need to be strong, there are others who are feeling the impact of her death more than we Zhel, we must be strong enough to be of comfort. Her parents, her mate, they are taking this very hard.”

“I know mother,” Zhelimir responded. “I have personally seen how much of a mess aunt Melissa is, she had to be drugged to calm her down. Uncle Gareth isn’t doing much better either, even if he puts on a brave face. And then there’s prince Elric,” Zhelimir looked at his mother and sighed, “if he makes it out of this grief alive and sane, it will be a miracle. I weep more for them than anything else.”

His mother rubbed his hand gently, “there are others who have been affected by this sad event as well. Others who feel they may have lost more people than just Eira.”

Zhelimir stared at his mother in confusion, “lost more people? Has anyone else died?”

“No sweetie,” Vivian responded, “I’m talking about Janis, the poor girl is suffering Zhelimir, and all

for her brother’s actions. She is terrified of losing you too, you need to talk to her.”

Ah yes Janis, Zhelimir had been trying his level best not to think about her, because every time he did, he would feel rage. Rage that was directed at Jacob, was making it’s way to Janis, but Zhelimir didn’t want that, he didn’t want to end up hating his blood half.

“I don’t think that I can,” Zhelimir mumbled, his fists tightening till his knuckles turned white. “Every time I see her, I just feel so frustrated.”

Vivian inched closer to her son and put her arm around him. She leaned his head onto her shoulder and began to stroke his golden locs.

“I know how you feel, but Janis had nothing to with this Zhel...”

A tear tricked down once of Zhelimir’s cheeks, “the day before the shortlisting, she begged me to add her brother to the list somehow, and I stupidly obliged because I love her. Mother if I had not intervened, Jacob would have never had access to Eira, and maybe she would have still been alive!” Zhelimir’s tears that he thought had dried poured from his eyes as he gnashed his teeth and sobbed bitterly. “I had a hand in her death mother! When I was the one who was supposed to protect her!”

Vivian embraced her son and comforted him, in that moment, he had reverted back to the timid little ten year old Zhelimir.

“It was in no way your fault sweetie,” Vivian assured her son. “All this was castigated by Ronda’s vengeful heart, and she should be the one to blame, no one else.”

Vivian waited for her son to calm down before cupping his face in her palms. “You casting Janis aside is hurting you too.”

“It is not!”

“Zhelimir, when you were explaining yourself just now, you said ‘love’ her rather than ‘loved’ her. That says a lot.”

“It was merely an error mother, you’re reading too much into it.”

“Janis is your blood half, and in trying moments like this you need each other the most. Please sweetie, if you won’t reach out to her for your own sake, at least do it for me.”

Zhelimir had to admit, he did miss Janis badly, and that is one of the things that frustrated him the most. He was suppose to be angry with her, not wishing she was the one holding and comforting him.

“I will go and see her when I can,” Zhelimir finally agreed.

“No need,” Vivian responded with a small smile. She stood up and walked to the door, “I invited her over.”

Vivian opened the door wide, and there in the doorway stood Janis, eyes puffy, streaks on her face from where her tears had been running, and her face red from the consistent crying.

Seeing her like that made Zhelimir forget all about the resentment he had been feeling a few minutes ago. His legs moved on their own, and he made his way towards the sniffing young woman.

“Zhe... Zhelimir,” Janis mumbled between heavy sobs, “I’m so sorry Zhelimir... I ... I didn’t know this would happen I swear.” Her voice was breaking badly, and it was horse from all her crying. “I was just trying to be a good... a good sister... I didnt know-”

Zhelimir couldn’t bare to watch her like this any longer, it was breaking his heart. He grabbed her trembling hand, which he could tell had become thinner, and pulled her into his arms.

When her face crushed into his chest, and she felt his hands stroke her in comfort, she bawled her eyes out.

“I am so sorry,” Zhelimir whispered as he held her tight. “I never want to be the reason you shed a tear ever again.”