CRYING GAME

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: BLACKOUT ~ DANIELLE BRADBERY]

The coach that was assigned to transport Kitanna returned with her blood-stained dress, and her body wrapped and cut beyond recognition. The palace was left in an uproar.

"No!!!! No!!! My daughter!! Kitanna...my baby!!! No!!! Somebody wake me up!!" Almaria cried and wailed sadly, which in turn made the palace maids join her in crying.

"Princess Kitanna," everyone sobbed.

Larel stood close to Khelan, she watched everyone in the palace cry especially the queen dowager. Larel could not help but suspect the woman, she was very much aware what the woman was capable of doing.

"W-who? W-where is Kitanna? Who did this?" Khelan tried to calm down and ask questions, his head kept spinning, and he felt like he was in one of those dreams where you try to wake up but something keeps pinning you down; he couldn't breathe.

"Your Majesty, we were traveling toward the east sea, then... seven of them... they... I tried to help, but the Princess, in her kindness, asked me to save myself first. I tried to call for help, but we were in the middle of nowhere. I did not see anybody, before I could return... the... princess..." The coach sobbed silently. 

Amidst the crying and wailing of everyone, Almaria raised her eyes to look at the coach. The coach nodded subtly. Almaria smiled in between her tears, she decided to prolong her act a little more.

"I want to see my daughter! I want to see her... Kitanna... my poor baby. She must have been so scared, if only I did not send her off to an unknown place alone. I only wanted to keep the law of the kingdom. She looks cold and tired. I need to be sure... this is wrong... it's not my daughter," she cries sadly, walking toward the corpse.

"Mother, are you sure you can handle the sight?" Khelan asks.

"I want to see my daughter," Almaria cried.

The coach gently opened up the corpse; the sight was gruesome. Kitanna was cut beyond recognition, it was as if the assassins were butchers of some sort.

"Ahhhh...." Almaria screamed, causing the tears coming from the palace maids to increase.

But Almaria was not convinced; she decided to check for the significant marks Kitanna had. She moved closer to the corpse and got on her knees, sobbing. When she found out it was truly Kitanna. Almaria smiled to herself inwardly and immediately she fainted.

"Queen Dowager!!" Man-uel and the coach shouted.

The head eunuch rushed and carried Almaria to her chambers, and the royal physician was alerted. That night was very sad for everyone in the castle.

Larel did not say a word, she was sad that the princess she wanted to confide in was not there any longer, but more than that she was angry that no one was seeing through the queen dowager's facades.

Clephas could not cry; he just sat close to the corpse with a blank stare. The princess's card readings said she would live a long life. He thought. There must be something wrong. 

Back in Almaria's chamber...

"Where is Nix?" Almaria asked Man-uel.

"I checked; he didn't leave the palace. He has been in his quarters with different palace maidens, drinking and having fun," Man-uel responded, looking at the woman who was wailing her eyes a while ago.

"Oh, here I thought he was..." Almaria smiled, "Well you can never be too careful, send someone to call Nix." She took out her best wine and poured it into a cup.

"Will do just that" Before leaving, Man-uel turned "The king wants to investigate everything thoroughly," He reported.

"Don't worry about Khelan," Almaria closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

Nix walked sturdily to the Queen Dowager's chamber as he was summoned by the head eunuch.

"Good evening, Queen Dowager" he bowed slightly.

Almaria, still cleaning the tulips on her table, glanced up with a sly smile. "Nix, I'm still your queen, you know that, right?"

"My Queen," Nix corrected himself with another bow.

Almaria observed the guard and her smile widened. "That wasn't from the heart. Well, as for the task I assigned you two seasons ago, forget about it. I had it taken care of. And I will love if you forget we had the discussion. That will be all, leave."

Nix hesitated for a moment, trying to maintain his composed expression. "Your wish is my command, My Queen."

Almaria watched Nix bow and exit the room. She had been alive for a long time and could sense changes in energy. After giving Nix the task of silencing the princess, she had noticed him monitoring Kitanna closely, displaying emotions unlike his usual stoic self. Nix had always carried out her orders without question, even if it meant taking poison, but something had changed when it came to the assassination of the princess. She decided to take the job from him and put orders so he will not leave the palace just to be careful. Maybe she was too careful, Almaria thought. Because Nix did not notice that the whole palace was mourning the princess.

Almaria continued tending to her flowers, humming to herself. That little thorn, is finally out of her skin.

Nix turned and looked at the chamber he just left. He retraced his steps back to his quarters and decided to forget the royal family and their royal tussle. When he found out about the death of the princess, he did not ask further questions, he just focused on his work as a guard.

Almaria got into Khelan's head and asked him to end the investigation and focus more on burying Kitanna to appease her soul. For the time of mourning, the palace cut down their meals, wore only black and laughing was prohibited in the palace.

For two seasons Morado mourned Kitanna. Khelan was distraught and could not make correct decisions, so he allowed his mother to rule on the side and govern the affairs of the kingdom. 

The day to bury Kitanna finally came, the priestess did all the incantations and the princess's body was burned, the royal family packed the ash and put it in a pot leaving it in a room with a painting of Kitanna, also with candles and fruits to appease her soul.

After the funeral, Almaria called for a meeting with Larel.

"Larel, I should be expecting good news from you soon. You and the King are healthy and young" Almaria spoke to Larel over tea.

"Yes Queen Dowager, we are doing our best." Larel replied, she finally accepted her fate and decided to let time take care of everything. But one thing she was sure of was never to trust the smile of the woman sitting in front of her.

Nix walked down the garden he saw the princess hurt her feet few moons back. Everywhere was quiet. He moved closer and sat close to the fountain, he bent down to tie his shoes properly.

One of the guards that stood at the gates walked briskly to where he was sitting 

"Good evening Lord Nix, a package came in for you"

The guard handed over a wrapped box to Nix, then bowed and left him alone.

The contents of the box was just roses and the a parchment that wrote in faint ink 'The Rose is alive'. His lips pulled up but he did not smile, he folded the contents throwing it into fountain. He watched the roses float in the water, and the ink disappear from the parchment.