Sacrifice for the Greater Good...

Celestia's POV: 

Theo and I were given a large and luxurious room in the castle. It took me a while to realize that the decorations on this room were actually made with charms and illusions. 

I couldn't figure out which thing in the room was real and which was an illusion. I thought that the flowers were real, but they turned out to be a mirage. 

In the center of the room, there was a massive bed with red sheets on it. My mind felt so foggy, so I went straight to bed. As I stared up at the white marbled ceiling, I sensed that my mind was trying to say something to me. What is happening to me?

Theo was standing beside my bed, and he was looking around the room as if he was searching for something. Maybe he is admiring the building! 

"My love, you need some rest," Theo said while he was looking at the walls. 

Probably he is right. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. But I wasn't able to sleep at all. It was like my mind was trying to tell me something, but an external force was blocking me. I tried hard to fight back the power that was trying to manipulate me. 

"Theo," I called out. But he didn't respond. I got up from my bed only to realize that I was all alone in the room. Where did he go?

After a while, the force was entirely gone. My mind cleared again. Then everything that happened flashed in my eyes. My heart stiffened as I thought about the map of the Celestial Realm I saw in the basement. 

The highlands region in the map was shaded with blue hues. It means that the majority of the people are against Theo and me. So it means that the only way to win King Oberon is by waging a deadly war against the Fae. How can I let my own people die? I was born to protect them!

And why wasn't I able to think through it before? Then the reality hit me like lightning. Theo is the external force who was trying to control me. That explains why I was able to think clearly when he left the room. 

Why would he do something like that? I went out of the room and looked for Theo. He was not there. But I was able to hear the noise of a woman screaming. I ran in the direction from which I heard the noise. 

What the hell is happening here? The noise got stronger as I climbed upstairs and went outside the veranda of the castle. I was able to catch a much closer glimpse of the pillars from here. I found Theo on the corner of the castle veranda. 

But he wasn't alone. Queen Cynthia was also there, and they both were arguing about something. I had a hard time believing that she is actually the Siren Queen because she has never stepped in any regions of the Celestial Realm before. 

I moved closer to them. The Siren Queen acted as if she didn't really notice me. But Theo met my eyes and whispered in my head, ' Celestia, I wasn't the one who fogged your mind and manipulated you. It was Cynthia! She tried to turn you against me by giving you hallucinations. Just stay strong and have faith in me. I will handle this!'

I don't understand why the Siren Queen would do such a thing. I know that she doesn't like me, but why would she try to manipulate me? This is so cruel. I tried hard to keep my mind blank as I didn't want her to read my mind further. 

"Just listen to me, Theo," the Siren Queen begged him. "I know that you want to be the King, but the fates are not in your favor. You think that you write your fate. But-"

"Can you please stop with this explanation?" Theo interrupted. "And tell me for sure if your Siren girls are willing to support me tomorrow in the war or not?"

Theo's words saddened the Siren Queen. "Of course, my Siren warrior girls will be there tomorrow and fight beside you. You are like my son, and how can I abandon you?" she said to Theo. 

"Fine," Theo responded. "Then this discussion is over!"

The Siren Queen glanced at Theo for one last time, and she disintegrated in white smokes. Theo then looked at me. "I am sorry about that, my sweetness. Cynthia was messing with your mind just to make me quit. Just forget everything that happened."

"Theo, my mind is clear now. But still, I don't want you to attack the Highlands. They are not going to surrender to us as Lord Arcadia did. A lot of lives will be lost," I said. 

"Celestia, have you ever heard about the term sacrifice for the greater good?" Theo said. 

So is he coming to say that I must let my people die as a sacrifice? But that is ridiculous! There must be a right way for this. 

"Celestia, you have to think about the hardships that the Mages and the Sirens went through because of the Highlanders. For many years, they were ignored by King Oberon, and now they are anticipating a change. They are relying on us. We have to bring a balance to this realm."

I turned my gaze away from him because he is right! Bringing balance in this realm is more important. But still, my heart wasn't accepting the fact. 

Theo held my hand and continued his justification. "Every great deed requires an element of sacrifice. Just remember that, my love."

This is a tricky thing to do. But I should do this for the greater good. I finally looked at Theo and smiled. "I agree with you," I declared. 

Theo smiled again. "Celestia, by capturing the Southern lands, we have successfully completed stage five. We have to go through just two more stages, and after that, we are going to yield the victory."

So there are only two more stages left! I can't wait for all this to be over so that I can live my life peacefully with Theo.