Rusalka

Chapter 9

                                                                                          Rune

Tonight was a disaster. Firstly, Melione was in an awful mood. She was not happy that her hand ended up being forced into the proposal. It feels damning to our relationship. I'm not sure if we're going to survive this. She stormed out shortly after the music started again. Once I returned, mainly to find Uttara, she had gone missing. In her place, a face from the past, with that same smug look stared at me through the crowd. Zaryn. I should have known he would show up. Finally, at the last song, as people started to depart, an older gentleman, with no title, drops dead on the pathway. 

Chaos erupts from the bystanders. I signal to the guards close to me to usher the people back inside. I bend to my knee next to the man and check for a heartbeat, any sign of life. A crying child and a silent woman are staring close by. 

"Miss, is this your husband?" I call out to her. 

She nods but doesn't speak. She's in shock. She can barely console her daughter. 

"Miss, can you tell me if he has been sick or acting differently the past few days?" I question her. 

Again, she shakes her head slowly but doesn't speak. So much like the queen, we've had another mysterious death.

"Take him to the morgue underneath the castle," I order. 

The rest of the night was a blur. Returning to my chambers should have been a solace, but I was met with resistance from Mel. Angry over the events of the evening and wanting to fight it out. She stands on principal, and I stand on duty. The covenant is more than a job. It's a way of life. I'm starting to realize it was just a cover-up for her, otherwise she would understand. She didn't like it when I threw that in her face. Retiring to my room was short-lived. I left Melione to sort out her emotions on her own and decided to take a walk around the perimeter. 

Walking the perimeter gave me time to think over the events before the man died. Specifically Zaryn. I needed to figure out what he was up to. I left him in the past, but he always tried to show up and ruin the life I created. 

"What a splendid evening brother. I always knew you'd end up as a king somewhere. You're so good at facades." He sneered. 

"What are you doing here Zaryn?" I demand. 

He smiles. "I heard there was a dead queen and new heiresses, my curiosity was peaked." He admits. 

I know there's more to it. With Zaryn, there's always more to his story. I didn't get a chance to question him further as he turned away and disappeared into the crowd. I'm sure he was making friends, as he was quite the charmer. 

Back in the present, making my usual route, I found myself in the direction of the woods. Something seemed off. The guards stood, as they always do, at the wooden gated entrance. Their energy seemed nervous. I approached them. Unsure what to ask, but wanting to ask something. 

"Report guards," I ordered. 

They straightened their stance and exchanged a look between the two of them. Before they had a chance to speak, the doors creaked open and I took a defensive step backward. I'd never seen the gates open before, I needed to be prepared for what would be behind them.

To my surprise, the gates had opened by themselves, and at the end of a long path, right at the wood line, stood Uttara. She held a blue light in her palms and she was staring intently with a smile on her face. Sensing she had an audience, her head snaps in our direction, and the light disappears. She places her hands behind her back and begins to quickly walk in my direction. It doesn't take long for her to close the distance between us. I looked over at her, noticing she looked differently. Everything was the same but heightened. It was as if she had aged. Her hair was a lighter shade of blonde. Her features are more mature and her body is stronger. She looked like a queen. She discovered magic in these woods. I saw it with my own eyes. It changed her.