46 Definitely Her 7

All through that day, it felt like she avoided me because I couldn't get a glimpse of her as she handled everything.

But I knew where she would be at night. So I went to the room to await her arrival.

The room was particularly empty, save crystals everywhere on the walls, the glass-ice coffin in the middle of the room and a single chair by its side where she sat.

It didn't take long though, she was at the door. I had a thing for recognizing people close to me from their footsteps and I did know hers.

I quickly concealed my presence and hid at the back of the door. She opened it and walked in. As soon as the door shut behind her, she burst into a pool of tears as she cried walking to his side.

"I thought I might find you here," I said as I undid the spell to hide my appearance.

She turned towards me and I never could have prepared myself for the sight I saw. It broke me into pieces, she was...

"Isadora, you are... " I didn't finish my sentence before she flung herself into my arms.

She cried her eyes out. From what I saw on her face, she had not slept for that three days and three nights straight.

She had eye bags, her eyes were swollen, and there was a dark circle under her eyelids. She looked terrible, this was not the beautiful daughter I knew, she was the terrible version of her.

But amidst all that, she took control of the reins and ruled the kingdom.

"There, there Isadora. Let it all out, let it out. Father is here now. I am sorry for bothering you with everything and leaving you to take care of things on your own."

"I miss her, I miss him. I miss them both" she said in between sobs"

"You did well holding on that long."

"I did?" She lifted her head to look at me.

"Yes, my darling. You did" I tried comforting her.

"I didn't hold on, if I did mother wouldn't have died nor would he" she pointed at his dead body.

"Shhh, calm down. You were brave and your mother would always be proud of you" I hugged her back as she broke into tears again.

"Tell me what happened exactly" I withdrew from our embrace and led her to sit down.

"I said goodbye to you that day and flew in the direction of the forest near the border to meet him" she began her story.

"I was happy to see him that day, he said he had a surprise for me when next we met, so I was eager. That day, he proposed to me and we planned on coming to tell you and mother the next day."

"It's a shame it didn't happen. You loved him dearly."

"Yes, I did. I was in his arms when the Elves stumbled upon us. They had chased an animal into our land and got to where we were. I asked them to leave our land but they wouldn't bulge, one thing led to another and they struck first."

"Details, what exactly transpired?" I asked her.

"They kept on blaming and cursing us for killing their prince. Eric stepped in telling them off, this pissed them off and one of them shot an arrow at me. I dodged just in time, that's when the fight began."

She cleared her throat, "As we fought Eric tried retreating towards the water, seeing as we were outnumbered and he needed his powers to help me. They chased after him while some fought with me. I followed that's how we got close to the water but they shot three arrows at him before he could get in the water."

As she told her story, the tears fell freely.

"They killed him right before my eyes and I couldn't save him. I fell to my knees as I watch him die, they turned their gaze at me and came for me. I didn't move, I just knelt there and watched as they came. I could feel it, the power raging inside me to come out. It was like nothing I had ever felt before, and as they closed in, I let her free."

She turned to look at me with a slight smile on her lips, "They all died as the power surged out of me in full force. I rushed to Eric and after crying my heart out, I decided to bury him. Unknown to me, a mermaid saw me with the dead prince. By the time I finished digging, they came, the mer-queen and some of her people."

"I did try to explain but she wouldn't believe, she said I wanted to bury him and cover all traces and so she attacked. My power surge had attracted the fairies, mother came with some fairies and they all joined in the fight. Trying to protect me, my mother got distracted and the mer-queen killed her with her powers. That was when you came."