Chapter 3 Goodbye again!!!
Eric heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed his temple when he remembered the promise he mad to his sweet daughter, anything, but never break a promise to her! Ariel was really going to be extremely upset. How he wished he had a choice. After thinking things through and coming up with a script that he was going to recite before his wife and daughter, he decided to go back and meet his daughter to explain. The temperature in the house had dropped as the mother-daughter duo were still at each others necks as none was letting the other have their way, the whole room was tense.
His steps were light and rather Stealth when he made his way from the entrance , coming closer. Scratching the back of his neck in distress and helplessness, he cleared his throat awakardly to get their attention but none paid him heed. However, he needed their attention. "I'm... may I please have a word with both of you?" Eric asked carefully only to be glared at by two angry cuties. Holding his hands up in surrender, he continued as he strolled closer than before. "You know, I really don't want to get involved in your clash but I need to go." and with that, he sealed his mouth right after saying his piece. It was shorter than he had practiced!!!
"Where are you going to when you've just returned?!"Asked his wife sternly, turning the glare from Ariel to him, folding her arms over her chest. Ariel mimicked her mother and did the same looking at her father with a look that clearly stated ' EXPLAIN!!!!'
Gulping the lump in his throat nervously, he took the leap off the cliff. "The king summoned me back!" And so came his death!!
"Your not going dad!!"Ariel made her verdict. She was the first to protest and clearly gave no room for further discussions.
Eric knew she was the hardest to pacify, drawing closer to his princess, he got to his knees and gave a gentle look.with an ensuring smile. "Dear, am supposed to go. It's for the good of the kingdom." As a man, he had a duty to his king, he served the people of the kingdom.
"Your promise?" she asked with aloofness and drew back, away from him.
"I'll fulfill it once I return." And that's what he always said, though this time, he himself was not sure depending on the information he got on which kingdom was creating a ruckus.
"What if you don't return?"This time it was his wife. She was not normally against his service to the knigdom but this had exceeded her limits. She was so tired of this, his absence!! And she had a gut feeling that this would be the last time she'd see him.
Now he had his wife to pacify aswell!!!! Sigh!!
Looking up at her, "Honey, you know that's not going to happen!!" A frown murred his tanned forehead. He was going to make sure to return to his sweet small family.
But Ariel was having none of his excuses. She had heard her mom complain of the endless excuses. "Dad you leave, I'm going to hate you!" she declared with resolution. Enough with her mother's painful cries every night.
"Ariel..." Eric was perplexed. He didn't know what to do now.
"Did u marry the kingdom or me?!" His wife started off with her grievances.
"I.....I....." No words seemed to form.
"How dare the king order my father around like that while he stays in the palace and spends time with his family all year around!!" Ariel, being emotional channeled her anger to the sole cause of all this. The KING!!! Her out burst left Eric speechless. What ever Ariel said could lead the whole family to be slaughtered.
"Ariel that's the king your talking about..." he raised his voice abit sounding stern and disappointed.
"I'd say the same to his face!! Now answer me Eric." Jackie had her own queries. Did he marry the kingdom, or her? She needed to know!!
"I'll be in my room."Ariel stood up and walked away seeing that her mother was losing her cool. This was now adult business and she knew better. Her little feet carried her to the staircase and her little silhouette looked dejected and lost. He couldn't even go after her.
Not long after she disappeared to her room, Edmond came rushing in. "The transportation is ready sir!!"
"I love you dear!" he spoke as he stood up from his kneeling position and turned to look at his wife.
"Then stay!" Jackie pleaded, tears started to fall from her pretty white oval face "Eric, I can't do this anymore...." her emotions got the better of her and she almost started bawling as she clutched her chest tighly. "your always away, I miss you so bad that it hurts. I'm always worried that I might never get to see you again. I don't sleep at night, I keep praying fasting and hoping for your safe return. I know that's what I should do but.....this isn't what you promised me." All she wanted was ample time with her husband and their family. She wasn't trying to restrain him from his duties to his country but what of them!!
"Honey, you know I do this to keep you safe, our daughter to grow up in a safe environment..." He knew she tried her best to understand him but he seemed to have hit her bottom line this time round.
"At the cost of your life?! No thank you." she yelled at him.
"Wife..."
"Don't Eric, just don't!!" She raised her arm signaling him not to go any closer to her as she took a few steps away from him. "You want to please your king, go ahead!" She showed him the door where Edmond previously stood but Eric only looked on helplessly at his wife's face filled with tears.
Soon a sound of a wailing baby resonated in the house and this made Eric perk his ears and eyes widen. He didn't want to over think this so he looked at his wife whose face was tear stricken. "Jackie, is that a child's cry?! It's not Ariel!" He stammered.
Soon, a maid came down holding a crying baby baby in her arms shaking it lightly to coax it to calm down, it was around seven months old. "Madam, Adam has awoken. He's hungry. I'm done cleaning him." She reported as he stretched out her hands that held the baby to its mother.
"Hand him over." She dried her tears with a handkerchief and took her son in her arms and gave him her breast to suckle completely ignoring Eric.
He stood there, short of words to say and tears running down his face.He had another child, A SON!!!. And he was going to leave without realising it. He had just returned but chose to leave right away!! What kind of a father and husband had he become??!!!
Adam had his fill and let out a burp in satisfaction. Jackie patted his back lightly and noticed that Eric was still standing frozen. "Didn't you so badly want to go please your king?!" She channeled her pain by taunting him. "Go, what are you still doing here?!"
"I'm sorry!!" he felt worthless.
"I don't need your apology Eric." Ok she felt a whole lot better it he wasn't supposed to know.
"I won't go." Eric said with determination.
"Your planning on defying orders of your king?!"
"Yes" came his firm reply.
"We will be killed." She reminded him of the consequences.
"Not when I still breathe."
Their moment was disrupted when a flustered, pale,sweating and panting Edmond came running. "Sir, the... the... palace has been attacked!! The king has been murdered. The whole kingdom has been besieged. The Eastern vayas army led by the second prince....he ....he..."
Analysing the information that he was recieving, he knew that they had been betrayed and he knew exactly who. And most importantly, that person was definitely going to come after him and his family.
Lots of love from litto-ways ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️