I stood on the balcony once again. I guess you could say that this was my quiet place. As I stood on the balcony, I could feel the brokenness of Greengrass. Wondering if what happened really happened… I wondered if Celest was okay… or… the king, for that matter. How could this happen? I was baffled in thought, replaying last night repeatedly… Maria… Oh, Maria… she was so innocent, so pure at heart. She was a good queen. Always tending to the people of the kingdom, whether it was the sick, the homeless, the less fortunate, the orphans, and all… she was nice to everyone. The heart of the kingdom. A legend. That will be celebrated and sung about for many a year. Those bastards… I will kill them all.
As I stood at my overlook, lost in thought, I let a tear slip from my eye. I don't usually cry, but… this one… this one hurt. The pain was deep in the roots. I had a moment to myself and decided to go check on the king. I went to the throne room and saw him… he looked exhausted and miserable. "My liege?" I said, trying to get his attention, as I kneeled before him.
"Yes, yes, my boy?"
"I am deeply sorry for your loss, milord. We will make those bastards pay. What is our next move?"
"Our next move is to drink, ser Alex… then, we will prepare the troops, because… were going to war."
I was excited about this statement, because I was thirsty… not for water or wine, but for blood. I needed to wet my sword.
"Yes, my king. I will leave you be."
"Thank you, Alex…" The king was in dire straits; the pain in his eyes… was treacherous, even a blind man could see that. A man's wife is one's soul; you do not touch that… It's sacred. They didn't give a shit though… they wanted to hit us where it hurt… and for what?... I did not understand it.
I went to Celest's quarters, but they were empty. Hmm… I questioned, as I decided to keep looking. I checked almost everywhere. Then an idea came to me… so, I headed over to the barracks and there she was, preparing for war. Swinging, slashing, and gashing with all her might. She saw blood. Red… everything red. She was hurting inside, there was rage in her soul, and she was brewing in agony.
I walked up to her, carefully. "Milady?"
She was grunting and huffing and puffing, still swinging her blade. "Milady?"
"WHAT?!" I walked up to her, slowly.
"I know what you are feeling right now, trust me, I have lost both of my parents to some nasty shit… I know what it is like. You don't have to go through this on your own. It will be okay!"
"It's not okay, Alex… my mother is dead and we're about to go to war… so, I need to prepare," she yelled, as she let out a hyper expressive huff.
I ran over to her and grabbed her and held her tightly, as she was about to bawl her eyes out for the hundredth time today. "I got you... shh… I know… I know. Hey! It is going to be alright. Remember what I said a few weeks ago. Out there, it is just you and your blade… pretend you are out there, bottle your emotions up, and let it all out at the right time. Sometimes you lose soldiers, but you have to get back up and keep swinging that sword, no matter what… no retreat, no surrender, until your last breath, you hear me?" I told her as I kissed her forehead and wiped the tears off her cheeks.
She nodded and said, "Okay." As she sniffled, with sorrows in her eyes.
I walked her back to her quarters with my arm around her to let her rest because she needed it.
"Goodnight, Celest, I love you." Not realizing what I just said…
She smiled a little bit and said, "I love you too, Ser Alex. Goodnight."