|Evening|92Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMUHaZQ0cf
July•3•xxxx
Soft humming drifted through the trees and an air of nostalgia filled Gabriel's senses as he watched himself running up to his mother. She was crouched in a corner of the garden, planting more flowers no doubt. At this point though, one could hardly call it a garden. It was more like an enchanted forest of all kinds of flora and fauna. The garden covered much of the estate and was beautifully illuminated by the golden lanterns that emitted a soft glow under the setting sun that washed over the Raeha Grasslands. Gabriel smiled, long before the Nightless City was known as the Nightless City, much of the grasslands were part of his mother's ever-growing garden.
"Mother! Mother! Father says it's time for dinner! The rest of the family is already gathered." His little hands wrapped themselves around her neck as she turned and scooped him up into her arms.
"Is that so? Well then let's go get cleaned up and join them yeah?"
His mother began carrying him away. As she did so, he peered over her shoulder and back at the garden behind her.
"Mother, doesn't it ever get lonely in here by yourself?"
She shook her head, chuckling softly. "Not at all! After all, I have my little buttercup to keep me company!" She pinched Gabrielle's nose and he laughed.
"But, how come no one else comes to visit? You have a big family right? How come I've never seen them?"
Her smile faded into a frown, eyes seeming distant as she spoke. "Gabe...Mama doesn't talk to her family anymore. You shouldn't talk about them either."
Gabriel tilted his head in childish curiosity. "How come?"
"They're bad people buttercup. That's why we have to be grateful to papa. It's thanks to him that I was able to create a place like this...a safe haven."
Gabriel frowned. "But father is mean! He always yells at me...and hits me!"
His mother's expression twisted into a mix of helplessness and regret. "I know buttercup...I know...but it's thanks to papa that we can hide from those bad people. One day, when you're older, you'll be much stronger than him and when he tries to be mean to you, you'll be able to stand up for yourself." She paused for a moment and leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Gabriel's. "Until then, I promise to do my best to protect you."
Gabriel didn't quite understand but he could tell something was off. He wrapped his hands around her and hugged her tight.
"Then when I get big, I can protect mother instead!"
The two of them laughed as ringing filled his ears and his vision turned white again.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
When he opened his eyes, Gabriel found himself still curled in his hiding spot in the tower.
"Another dream..." he mumbled sleepily.
It seemed like ever since he saw Tah Min, his dormant memories had been flooding back one by one, slowly piecing themselves back together. He shifted uncomfortably, glancing outside to see that the sun was beginning to set.
"Well...time to get to work I suppose."
He crawled out of his hiding spot and began to make his way up the tower. His first stop was the guard's quarters, where he snuck in amongst the guards who had just performed their evening rituals. It was easy to do so since they had just come from the bathing grounds and had nothing that could distinguish them as guards on their person, which made blending in rather easy. Gabriel managed to nab some clothes from an absent guard's bedside and slip into the uniform. With his disguise completed, he wandered out of the guards quarters and through the winding halls of the Phoenix Tower.
He sauntered into the kitchen just as the staff were busy preparing dinner for Ea and Tah Min. Amongst the hustle and bustle, Gabriel spotted a group of maids chatting idly in a less busy corner of the kitchen.
"It's been so long since we've seen the Priestess," chirped one maid.
"She brought back the Prince too," replied another.
"Isn't he handsome! To think such a man was looking after her all this time."
The other maid hummed in contemplation. "Don't you find it strange though? The Priestess has been in Solaria for seven years now. She's spent all this time with the Prince and you're telling me neither one of them has made a move on the other?"
"I'm sure they haven't. She's a holy Priestess, what's more, is that she chose this path herself. If he made a move on her, not even his status as a prince would save him from the law."
Gabriel shuffled a little closer, grinning to himself. "Oh...seems like I can work with this..." He mumbled to himself.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he tossed and turned in bed. Sana felt his body chill as the night air hit it but it was hot to the touch. His fever had been steadily worsening over the days. So much so that he had locked himself in his chambers, refusing to speak to even his closest of aids.
"...you can't fight it forever Your Majesty."
Sana's golden eyes snapped open in a bone-chilling glare. "Shut up!" He was only able to get those words out before a stinging migraine took over his senses. His distressed groans filled the room.
Li stared down at him from his bedside with a distant look in her eyes. "Once you stop resisting, it'll stop hurting so much." She closed her eyes and looked away calmly.
"This wasn't part of the deal!" He growled.
"What do you mean? I've fulfilled my part of the deal like I was supposed to. Your reign as Emperor of the Sindarian Empire has been solidified, all your enemies aside from the Solarian Empress have been wiped out and you have an even stronger command over the shi than you would have had without me, enough so to even rival Illya herself. So tell me, King, how exactly have I not remained true to our deal?"
Sana cursed through clenched teeth. "Blasted witch! You used me! You just needed someone who had just as strong as a command over the shi as Illya to be your pawn! I didn't want to harm her children! Nor did I want to kill her! But you poisoned me!"
Li scoffed. "It is a necessary sacrifice if you truly want to create the utopian world you envision. That's what you originally wanted, isn't it? To take your empire a step further and turn the world into a utopia of peace and prosperity? All ruled by you? So you jumped at the chance to have me aid you, polishing your command over the shi so you could take on Illya."
"I didn't think you would curse me like this. If it weren't for you, the discussion six years ago wouldn't have ended up the way it did!"
"She was never going to give up her crown and supply you with shi. I merely gave you the necessary push you needed to see that. I thought you might finally step up to the stage seeing as that she so clearly rejected your offer. What happened to your ambition Sana? What happened to the man that so boldly declared to me that he wouldn't let anything get in his way? Clearly, I was wrong about you. For six years you've locked yourself away and fought my gift and for what? Don't you think it's about time you let him take over?"
Sana let out another pained gasp. "Never! I will not be a pawn for you! I will not let your wretched King have his way! This is my body, MY DREAM!"
Li sighed in frustration. "Fine. We'll see how long you last. Just a reminder though, I've already given you much of what you've dreamt of, but a dream is only sweet as long as you are sleeping..."
Sana opened his mouth to refute her but all that came out were screams of distress as his vision blurred and the low laughter of a man echoed in his head, making it split in agonizing pain. The sound of Li's voice was drowned out rapidly by the voice in his head.
"...it's time for you to wake from your dream, King Sana.
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