The Queen may well have thought that Sirus was ready to be King, but from the moment she said that his father was calling to her to join him, he knew that his Mother was dying. He was no fool. Entering the room he noticed the pronounced shake in her body, the way she held up her hand to him and then when he cradled her in his arms, her body felt fragile. So very light and it was like if he had held her tighter, she might well break.
Sirus’s face was a kaleidoscope of emotions. He had just come home, and she was going to be leaving him. It was…just not fair. He had fought the wars for others, and yet the true battle was at home. Sirus kicked himself for being so petulant, and running off like he had. If only he knew…if only he realized why his Mother pushed for him to be King. To marry. It was because she was living on borrowed time. Like sands through the hourglass, there was only a very small pile of sand that had yet to fall through.
His eyes stung with tears as he tried to take this all in. Sirus knew of the love between his Mother and Father, how great a life they had had before his untimely demise. She pined for him for so long, and now he was calling to her, to be with him once more. The Prince felt like he needed her too. She was always his counsel. Always the one that made the world seem right when he had lost faith. He took up her hands, and brought them to his lips, closing his eyes tight as the first tears christened his cheeks.
“I’m not ready….I’m not ready to lose you.” He wept, finally opening his sea blue eyes and imploring her. “How can I be King…without you? You are the Queen, of my heart…of the people. They need you. I need you.” Sirus professed, the waves of devastation crashing in “How can I celebrate this night, when I know you will be leaving me?”
Sirus’s heart was breaking apart. and he lay his head down on her lap, sobbing uncontrollably.
<3>
As Sirus professed his need, he pressed his head to her lap, sobbing uncontrollably. Arianna, a small smile upon her face and feeling his sadness settle into her very bones, could only rest her hand upon his head, brushing her fingers through his hair.
“Oh my child…I will always be watching over you, just as your father has watched over us all these years. And he is very proud of the man you have become, just as I am.” She turned his head up by his chin, staring into eyes so much like her mate’s it took her breath away. “We will celebrate who you are, who you were meant to be. You. Are. Ready. You are the best of your father and I, encompassing the traits that make you who you are. The people will rejoice, happy they have a King they will follow until the end of their days.” she pressed this point home, pressing a kiss to his forehead as tears ran unheeded down his cheeks. “And you will never be truly alone, my son.” So saying, she handed him a scroll that she had been saving for a very long time. The edges were brittle with age and she handled it with great care.
If Sirus were to take and open it, he would see an etched picture of a man with pointed ears wrapped in the arms of a woman with wings the color of gold. Beneath the picture were words written in the language of the Elder Elves.
Child of Gray
Elf’s Pure Light
Come Together
Under The Moon of Night
King, Ruler, Husband and Mate
Queen, Adviser, Wife is Her Fate
Bring Together The Gap of Hate
Between Two Lovers
Desire and Sate
Beware the Snake, Evil’s Lust
Stand Together with Love and Trust
Evil Shall Perish
Beneath True Love’s Lance
Brought Together in Circumstance
She waited until he had finished reading before she explained what it was.
“This prophecy was made before the full court on the day of your birth. Your father and I didn’t have a clue as to what it meant at the time, so it was placed in the Hall of Prophecies in the Elder’s Temple and placed from our minds. The first time I met your Tempest, I had a feeling there was something about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. The day you left, inadvertently telling me who she was, I recalled that particular prophecy and asked that it be brought from the Temple. It has been in my possession ever since, awaiting the day I could give it to you. You and Tempest…Fate has decreed you’re to be together. Now you must decide when that is to be. I have seen the way she looks at you, Sirus. And I have spoken to her…you should see the way her eyes light up when she talks about you. She loves you. You would have to be blind not to see it. She may not realize it…but she is ready to be with you, and you with her. By your leave…and if you wish it…we can make this a wedding ceremony as well. But you won’t know her heart’s desire…unless you ask.”
She brushed her thumbs across his cheeks, wiping away his remaining tears and waited for his answer.
Over the years, Sirus had watched good men die right before his eyes, and they did so for they fought for what they believed in. Their lives a sacrifice for the greater good. He knew and understood this, it was the cost of war. But to a man, a boy, a son…the thought of losing his own Mother, cut his heart in two. The little boy in him could not imagine a world without her, and the man needed her guidance so that he could have a brighter future. Now faced with the truth, that his Mother was admitting her own mortality, and that she had basically stayed alive this long just so that she could see her son fulfill the prophecy he didn’t know how to react, other than to weep for what he was losing. She tried to reassure him, with her comforting hand and words, but he found it difficult to see…through the many tears that fell. Men do not cry…isn’t that what they say? Bottling up their emotions till they finally are released through rage, or sorrow.
The crumpled and worn piece of parchment was handed to him, as he sat up and tried to wipe away the stray tears that continued to fall. His face was now blotchy and eyes red rimmed while he sniffed and tried to compose himself. So this was written about him and his lady Tempest? Hard to believe the scribes could see so far ahead, especially from the day of his birth.
He believed in fate, and had played his part in this game. But was he able to stand before the royal court, all the visiting dignitaries and smile, when he knew that sitting in behind him would be his Mother, who could fade at any given time?
He glanced up as his lips parted and he coughed another cry, rolling in his lips and closing his mouth trying to stop the well of sorrow. Arianna spoke of Tempest, and while he knew in his heart she was the one for him, he was still to caught up in the thought of losing his mother.
Was this night to be a ball, a wedding, a coronation, and a funeral…..all in one?
Sirus rose to his feet, and knew he had much to think about, to prepare for. In his current state he felt useless to his Mother, for he was an emotional wreck.
“Please forgive me….I need some air.”
He crumpled up the parchment, letting it fall from his hands as he walked out of the room.
<3>
Tempest had a trying day. She had been called to the Queen shortly after lunching with Klaus and had been told the truth of the Queen’s long illness. She had been heartbroken for Sirus and had tried to encourage Arianna to tell her son the truth, but the woman was just as stubborn as her son.
She had gone for a walk, to think on the things the Queen had told her and found herself at the juncture of a beautiful riverbank, filled with dozens of gorgeously colored flowers. With a sigh, she sat herself among the fragrant petals, staring out at the water.
Flashback…
“You sent for me, Your Majesty?” Tempest curtsied upon entering the Queen’s personal chambers. The woman, who was sitting at her writing desk, looked up with a smile.
“I did, yes.” Arianna nodded, setting down her quill. “Please, sit.” She pointed to a small table near a window that had a small tea service set up.
“I don’t wish to keep you from your work, Majesty.” Tempest replied. Arianna looked down at what she’d been doing before Tempest’s arrival.
“Invitations to Sirus’s Coronation this evening.” Arianna stated, moving to sit with Tempest as she poured them some tea.
“He’s nervous. He doesn’t wish to disappoint you.” Tempest explained.
“He’s never disappointed me. I don’t know why he thinks such things.”
“He is but a man, My Queen. Prideful creatures, to be sure.” Tempest chuckled. Arianna laughed, a high, melodious sound like sunshine on a cloudy day.
“You know him so well, My Lady Tempest.” Arianna smiled. “And that is why you are perfect for him.”
Tempest, who’d just taken a sip of her tea, set down her cup with careful movements. “How do you mean?”
“I shall not mince words. I am not long for this world. I maybe have a month, at most a week or two before I will join my husband once more.” Arianna stated. Tempest’s eyes widened. “I would like to see the two of you married before I go. I know you love him and will make him very happy. I have seen the way you look at him when you think no one is watching. He needs that. Now more than ever.”
Tempest looked at her, sadness warring with anger in her eyes. “Does Sirus know?”
“No. I have not told him. I was hoping to put it off for as long as possible.”
“You must tell him, Majesty. Soonest the better. He carries your words to heart, calls upon your council often. Even when we were traveling, he would talk nonstop about you and your wisdom. He shall not hear this from me. It is not my duty to do so.”
“No. It is better this way. He need not know.”
“Then you do him a grave disservice by keeping such news secret.” Tempest scowled, getting to her feet. “Tell him.” She turned on her heel and left the Queen’s side without a by your leave. She had missed Arianna’s amused smile as she left.
She hadn’t meant to lose her temper at Sirus’s mother…but it was the principal of the thing. At the time Sirus was speaking with his mother, learning of her impending death, a sharp pain went through Tempest and she clutched a fist over her heart, gasping. She knew exactly what it was. She closed her eyes, trying to reach out to him through the slight bond she could feel between them.
“Oh Sirus…I feel your pain, beloved. But your mother has waited a long time to rejoin your father. Do not prolong her own pain. Be happy for her, love her until her last breath and continue on in her name. And know that I will be by your side for however long you wish me to be.” she whispered, her words carried away upon the wind.
Emerging from the castle, the Prince walked unsteadily trying to come to grips with the news that his Mother had given him. He had stopped crying, but the dull ache in his chest only grew larger and he actually was finding it difficult to breathe. The words of his mother in trying to comfort him were eating away as he knew that what she said, was done so to try and cushion the blow of this most terrible news. He didn’t know what was worse. Knowing she was about to die, and not being able to stop it, or the fact that he had to go and put on this…facade to everyone at a ball in his honor. How could he smile, and greet people, when his heart was in such a terrible place. Was it selfish of him not to want to have to present himself publicly or even be crowned while his Mother was in her final hours?
He walked on, stumbling on a misplaced cobble stone and then righted himself as he looked to the River of Tsuana. Some days he went there to just think, and at this point in time, he had a lot to think about.
As he walked down the winding path, he suddenly heard a strange whisper that the wind was carrying in the air. Floating towards him with a slight echo. The voice he knew of course, but….why was she saying these things?
“Oh Sirus…I feel your pain, beloved. But your mother has waited a long time to rejoin your father. Do not prolong her own pain. Be happy for her, love her until her last breath and continue on in her name. And know that I will be by your side for however long you wish me to be.”
It was Tempest. How did she know about his Mother?
He started to run towards the direction of the voice, only to come through to a clearing near the bank, and see Tempest there. Sirus slowed as he saw her, and frowned. Not out of anger, but confusion. Had his Mother told her before she even told him the truth about her dying?
He just stood there…unable to speak.
<3>
She didn’t know what to say to him, now that they were face to face. So she just spoke from her heart.
“I know…about your mother.” she stated, wanting to get that out of the way as soon as possible. It would most likely make him angrier then he already was, but she trudged on. “She didn’t want me to say anything to you, she even got it into her head to not tell you at all. I told her that would be wrong for her to do that, especially to you. You deserved to know the truth.” She looked down at her hands, resting in her lap. “But Sirus…do not hate her for keeping it from you for so long. Sometimes a mother’s love, can be too strong. And sometimes…it’s not enough. My mother was lost to me a long time ago…I just refused to see it until it was far too late. She didn’t know how to properly show me she loved me, always running away from such emotions when it came to her only child. And when Lucian was born…it was as if I didn’t exist to her anymore. She doted on him constantly, especially when he began showing signs of magic. I was pushed to the side and belittled by her the moment I was able to speak.” She gulped back the tears gathering in her eyes. Even now, a year later, the abandonment of her parents and the death of her brother still hurt. “She wasn’t what I thought a mother should be.”
She turned her head a fraction and looked at him.
“Your mother has been there for you your entire life. Loving you, supporting you unconditionally so that one day, you would rule your people with the kindness and wisdom she herself bestowed upon you. Though I think it selfish of you to want to keep her here…I understand the sentiment of it. But I am seeing things from her point of view. A bond such as hers with your father was never meant to be stretched so thin. The longer she remains, the weaker their bond. It is her time, my love. And you must be brave for her and wish her well on her journey and know that she will be with your father once again.”
Having said her piece, she turned away from him, unsure how he would take her words. She could very well lose him this day, a fact that pained her immensely. She loved him, to be sure, but this…his mother’s death…was something that he needed to come to terms with on his own. She did not know how to further council him.
Tempest knew…she knew everything. Not only that, she was about to give her own insight to the situation while he just stood there, already reeling from his own mother’s words. His expression was stony faced, but at least this time, the tears did not fall. The more Tempest spoke, the more the anger started to fill him. It turns out that it was Tempest that told his mother to finally let him in on what was really going on.
Tempest begged him not to hate his Mother for keeping it from him so long, but he didn’t hate her at all, he simply was hurt that he knew that very soon, she would no longer be there. Not be able to hear her voice, or see her radiant smile. He was fighting a war in himself, just as Tempest was trying to help him. He just wasn’t ready for this.
Next thing, Tempest was using examples from her own sad and terrible child hood, and the lack of good parenting that she got from her own Mother. How her mother pushed her aside for her half brother, and from the moment she could speak she was belittled and chastised. Sirus felt sorry for Tempest…he did, but this wasn’t helping him. He felt the burden increasing on his shoulders as they started to sag from the sheer mental weight.
But then Tempest said something that had Sirus’s jaw practically fall open.
“I think it selfish of you to want to keep her here…I understand the sentiment of it. “
Selfish? How on earth could it be selfish not wanting his Mother to die? Tempest’s words from that moment on were garbled, and warped, as he actually fell back. She may have been privvy to all that was going on in the Royal house, but how could she judge a man that had just been told of the impending death of his Mother? How could she….really know what he felt?
At this, Tempest turned away from Sirus, leaving him an absolute wreck. What was this? Did the whole Kingdom know about the fact his mother was dying, and he was too stupid to see it for himself? Now he was angry. His lips thinned, and he knew that if he did speak, the words would be tainted with the venom of rage that he felt. The two women in his life…that he had gone to hell and back for…it was almost like he was told to rejoice at what he was losing, and not be sad.
That was impossible.
He just couldn’t deal with this anymore.
“See you at the ball….Princess.”
Those were the final words. A man, shattered walked away from the river.
<3>
A single tear fell from her eye and splashed upon her hand, sizzling against her heated skin. A wave of heat, a manifestation of her upset, radiated from her body, slowly wilting the grass and flowers around her in a 5 foot radius before she was able to lock away the pain of his leaving.
“Oh Philippe…how I wish you could hear me. I could use your council, now more then ever.”she thought to herself.
“Speak my name and I shall be with you, My Tempest Storm.” came Philippe’s deep voice from behind her.
Tempest clamboured to her feel and ran to her friend, hugging him about his large forepaw with tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Philippe…everything is such a mess.” she sniffled.
“What is wrong, Beloved?”
“Sirus. His mother is dying and he’s having a difficult time accepting it. And now he’s angry at me because I know of it. I feel as if I’m losing him and I don’t know what else to do.” She pressed her face against the rough texture of Philippe’s skin. The ground was beginning to smoulder beneath her feet once more and he had to do his best to calm her down before she started a fire.
“Dry your eyes, Child. No need to be saddened. Sirus was speaking from his pain. Inside, he’s still wishing he was that young boy who would need his mother’s hugs to chase away the nightmares. And as angry as he is now…he still loves you. He just needs to work through this pain all on his own. It is the way of men, I’m afraid. Prideful creatures, you know.” Tempest looked up at him and gave off a watery laugh.
“I said the same thing to his mother.” she stated, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. Philippe laughed heartily at that. “What do I do now?”
“Be there for him. He will seek you out when he is ready. And your silent support will go a long way to healing his pain.” She nodded and stepped away from him. “Go on now. Back to the castle with you. I believe the Queen’s seamstress is waiting to fit you for a ball gown for tonight.”
Laughing, she kissed him in farewell and headed back to the castle as Philippe faded away behind her.
Neither had been aware they were being watched.
Pyres stepped from the trees, watching Tempest walk back to the castle.
“She has power…power I’ve never dreamed. And such control over a dragon no less! I must have her! No matter the cost!” he scowled.
On arriving back in his state room, Sirus was to find that the Queen had already gone to the trouble to have a suit specially made to honor this night as his coronation. Closing the door behind him, he slowly walked over to where the suit was hanging up, on a special stand. All the accessories, right down to the shoes, and royal sash. It looked as though the stitching was of golden thread, and the detail in the waist coat was intricate and fine. It was the most regal garment he had ever seen, and he had to wonder, what he would look like wearing such a thing.
He knew he had no choice now. The ball was in a matter of hours, and already there were carriages arriving from far off lands and realms. The city was abuzz with excitement. If only they knew at the center of this, was a man, who was destined to be King but not at all feeling ready for it now. What was worse was he was angry. Not just at himself, but he was angry still with Tempest. Of all the people he cared about, she knew the tragic secret. As Sirus drew his fingers across the embossed fabric of his jacket, he turned to gaze up at a portrait of his father. Painted when he was in his prime, he looked very much how a King should. Sirus could still remember the day when he knelt at his father’s bedside, and held his Father’s hand, watching the life slipping from him. He swore, he never wished to have to experience that again….but the time was coming where he would be watching his mother do the same.
Solemnly, Sirus started to get ready for the ball. If this is what was expected of him, he would put on the performance of his life. No one will know the sorrow that the young Prince feels…he will keep the stiff upper lip, for the sake of the Monarchy.
<3>
As Sirus was staring at his father’s painting, a small wind swept through the room. But he was too deep into his anger and sorrow to sense it.
From the shadows, a lone figure watched, as he’d always done, as a young boy was about to take a large step into manhood.
He could sense the sorrow surrounding the child and wished there was a way to soothe his pain.
“Go to him. Reveal thyself and share thy wisdom.” A whisper, one he hadn’t heard since his death, of his beloved wife as she was a step closer to joining him once again.
Leifold, former King of Laegess, Husband to Arianna and Father to Sirus and his missing daughter Eve, made himself known to his eldest child.
“You’re mother was right, my son. You have never been alone.” he stated, appearing before Sirus in a foggy haze, insubstantial as smoke, but easily seen. There was an echoing quality to his voice, as if he were speaking from a great distance.
