Blessed Beggining

As her eyes flickered open, she was presented with something mangled and horrific.

Her body, it felt as if it were no longer her own. The excruciating throbbing was so intense she barely recognised her senses at all. Yet, despite it all, it was the gentle quiet she found upsetting. 

After all, she'd finally accomplished her goal. Perses. Surely, she could go and see him now. 

Light poured in from various pained windows surrounding her, and the bed she lay on was unnaturally comfortable. She was covered head to toe in soothing cold, wet towels. Whoever had arranged her room had gone to great lengths to ease her, but she was not interested. 

'I should get going.'

As she turned to sit up, it was only then that she noticed the lone figure in the room. A cute, braided blue-haired girl sat on a stool in the corner of the room; her gaze was heavy and downcast. She was unfettered by Amelia's stirring and chose to ignore her completely. 

"Hello, who are you?"

Intrigued, Amelia smiled through the pain as she finally managed to lift herself into a sit. But she was rudely ignored by the unfamiliar face. She leaned closer towards the girl in her chair with a wry grin. But as she got closer, the girl shuffled herself and her stall out of reach.

"How come you look so sad? No need to be worried about me I'll be fine."

Amelia's gentle boasting grew quiet once she tried to move her legs. A stiff smile stuck to her face as her hand impatiently grabbed her legs and attempted to move them. The girl watched her puzzled display closely. 

Her mouth briefly opened to speak yet quickly shut once more. 

"I knew it was bad... but my legs too... how, how will I see him again?"

The girl shuddered a little unintentionally at her words, but Amelia failed to notice. Raising her single left arm, she stared at it, puzzled and perplexed. 

"He needs my help. I can't, I can't stay here. What am I, suposed to-"

The simple wooden door facing her bed suddenly opened, interrupting the sombre mood. A familiar figure stood in that doorway. His face was stricken with concern, a vague shade of blue lined his face and lips. Yet his dark pupils remained focused, filled with intent as he scanned the room.

His mouth stayed shut entirely as if afraid to even breathe. Recognising Amelia's vapid gaze, he closed his eyes for a sparing moment as he approached the girl by her bedside. 

"I-"

"Don't."

Machia was immediately silenced by the girl's sudden harsh tone as she hopped off her stool. Her soft, childish face was thick with hatred as she walked past the man silently. One last cold glance was shared with him before she closed the door behind her gently. 

Speechless, Machia stared at the left-behind stool. His dark eyes seemed deeply conflicted. He slowly grabbed the stool and sat on it himself, his eyes narrowing as if attempting to dig a hole in the room's granite floor. He made the mistake of raising his gaze before shyly reuniting it with the ground. 

'oh' 

Amelia glanced down at her revealing appearance before shaking her head dismissively. Her fragile emerald eyes sought out the truth in Machia's appearance as he was forced to reciprocate her intense gaze.

"Machia, what... what do I do? Please help me."

His features were stoic, stiff even. But a noticeable nostalgia glossed over his dark pupils as he listened to her words. 

"Hectate, she stabilised your condition... even after everything that happened, she agreed to help-

"Machia!"

Nervously forced to raise his head once again by that forthright yell, he saw them. Her emerald eyes were glossed over and wet with early tears. Her mouth quivered as he was irresistibly drawn to her flowing green hair. Her desperate tone ravaged him as he winced before allowing a tired smile to resurface. 

"Amelia. They're safe. Please don't worry. I've been watching them this whole time for you. Everything, its over. We, we did it."

She seemed to reach her limit as tears finally dripped onto her horrific, scarred, ash-black leg. Even as relief coated her features, the tears kept pouring. The darkness beneath Machia's eyes was absent, yet his concern remained apparent as he rested his hands uncomfortably on his knees.

"Both of them, those two Amelia. They've had an awful life here. Let them go, go make something of themselves, somewhere else-"

"But what about me! Everything. You got everything you wanted, but, but what about me, I'm, I'm stuck here like this because of you."

Guilt washed over Machia's tired face as he shut his eyes painfully. She was right, after all. In the end, the kingdom, Amelia, the throne, everything had gone his way. 

 He should have felt ecstatic, but instead, he found himself ridden with guilt. The journey to getting here, to this point, truly. It had been too cruel, too hard for him. He had been too cruel.

Held hostage in the safe confines of his head, he found himself yanked out and forced to open his eyes once again. 

Amelia embraced him. 

"I wanted to go with them and be with them. More than anything!"

Disbelief. His eyes widened in shock as she embraced him. Discarding any modesty, she wrapped her arms around him and wailed. This frail, weak girl, even back then, he'd seen nothing like it. For once, he found himself lost for words as he gulped. 

"Again."

He attempted to ease her concern, only for the sound to get caught in his throat. 

"You can see them again, I promise. The Empire will have them, healers. We, together we'll watch them every day."

Amelia looked up at him, uncertain, as her eyes blinked.

"It will be like you're right there with them. I'll tell you about everything from above until you can be with them yourself. 

Amelia looked down. Her disappointment was not erased, but his words did soothe her. Still embracing him, her sobs slowed. 

"Machia. Thank you."

Those words were brief and stiff. But their impact would last a lifetime.

'Amelia I'll make sure you see them again. I promise.'

The daylight continued forward as it always had. Blessing them as they talked quietly amongst themselves. Hours went by in that room light, pale room. 

Somewhere far off, a little comforting darkness blotched out the sun. From there, it would watch over them for years to come. A guiding guardian darkness.