Continuing with Jacin's perspective ~
Originally supposed to be part of the previous chapter but I felt it was going on forever so…
Her scream was high-pitched, a mix of horror and fright and other emotions Jacin couldn't quite pick up on.
'Shhh!' he muttered, placing a trembling finger to her lips.
She stopped, but she looked more panicked by the second as her eyes scanned him up and down.
'What in the world happened to you?' she whispered her tone almost fearful.
'I'll tell you on the way. I need to find Cinder.'
'Selene…she isn't here…I saw her wandering around the hallways on my way here, though.'
As they scoured the hallways of the palace, asking guards if they'd seen the queen of Luna, Jacin recounted what had happened. He watched Winter's emotions change the way a kaleidoscope did, sorrow one moment and then fright the next and so on.
'Selene would want us to tell her…' she murmured lightly, 'but I don't want to. She has more than enough on her mind.'
Jacin nodded, but he knew that Cinder would be angry if they didn't tell her. What had happened in the prison cell was her battle more than it was his.
They found the queen aimlessly walking in the hallways toward the garden, looking at the flowers that blossomed in the spring sun. Her hair was tied up high in a bun with elaborate silks weaved through the strands of hair. She had adorned herself in a white dress that swished against her hips and trailed behind her. She seemed to be lost in her own world, one of troubles and fear.
Winter stopped in her tracks. 'She looks so distant and upset. Must we tell her now?'
Jacin nodded. 'Any later and something else could happen.'
He cleared his throat loud enough for the queen to hear. She spun around startled but recovered at the sight of Jacin and Winter.
'Is something bothering you Selene?' Winter asked in her honey voice.
Cinder shook her head, but her face said otherwise. 'What brings you here?' she asked instead, sounding desperate to change the subject.
'There's something you'd want to see in the prison cells,' Jacin said.
Cinder raised an eyebrow warily, waiting for Jacin to say more, but when it became clear he wouldn't she nodded and followed them silently.
Jacin stood quietly behind Cinder gripping Winter's hand tightly as he watched the queen take in the prison cell. She was as pale and white as the dress she wore and her lips were so tightly closed, they began to turn white too. He looked down at her hands to see them clenched, but her face remained expressionless. She stepped inside and the bottom of her shoes immediately turned red. She put a hand to her massage her temple and Jacin knew instantly that if she could, tears would be running relentlessly down her cheeks. She let her dress drag against the bloodied floor as she crept toward the dead guards.
She bent down beside one and ran a finger against his cheek. She let out a long sigh before she stood up and regarded Winter.
'Would you please find Torin for me? Ask him for a few guards to accompany him too.'
Winter nodded lightly and looked at Jacin as if to ask him if it was okay for her to leave.
He nodded. 'I'll be fine.'
Winter stood on her tiptoes until her lips brushed against his ear. 'Look after her too.'
She turned and made her way out.
Cinder's attention had turned to the blood letters scrawled on the wall. She had tilted her head away from him so he could not see her expression. Her hands unclenched and went limp at her sides. When she spoke, her voice was low and wavering.
'I'm so sorry Jacin.'
Jacin hadn't been expecting an apology; he found himself at her side in a few strides. Jacin lifted her chin with one finger so she was looking up at him.
'You have no reason to apologise. None of this is your fault. Yes, whoever is doing this is targeting you, but you are not at fault. You've done nothing wrong,' he murmured to her.
Cinder gave him a weak smile and he knew she didn't believe him.
'They are your first-class men aren't they?' she asked, her voice trembling.
He nodded. 'It's okay. I'll take care of those affairs.'
They stood there in silence for a while longer. He noticed that she had begun to shake as the weight of the attack on him settled in. He pulled her into an embrace.
It would have been easy for Jacin to just look at her with sympathy and to mutter words that had no weight or emotion behind them. But Jacin knew all too well what Cinder was feeling. He knew all too well what it was like to nearly lose a loved one. He knew what it was like to have so many people looking up to him, relying on him. Maybe he didn't understand all of her pain, but he understood some of it and that, for Jacin, was enough to know that she needed people by her side.
'Can I tell you something?' she asked her voice quiet and full of fear.
He nodded as encouragement for her to go on.
'I'm so scared Jacin,' she whispered. 'I'm so scared. I don't know what to do. It feels like the time we started the revolution all over again. I…I don't know what I'm doing.'
'If you didn't know what you were doing then Luna wouldn't be the glory it is today.'
She laughed but it seemed distant and full of fright.
'All these people are dying because of me. I thought I would've seen the last of these deaths when Levana was gone, but-' her voice cracked and she stayed silent, trying to recollect herself.
She didn't need to continue; Jacin knew what she was saying.
She felt like all the things that had happened were her fault. It was her fault that the person wanted revenge. It was her fault Kai fell ill and Cress so soon after. It was her fault that the attack on Jacin had happened. It was her fault that everything had happened.
For once Jacin couldn't blame her for thinking that way.
Because it wasn't her fault, but the fault of everyone else. Everyone had made her feel that way with their accusations.
He heard Winter's heels tapping against the staircase as she, Torin and a few guards descended into the prison hallway. He helped Cinder to her feet and returned to his respectful distance as a guard. He stayed close to Cinder in case anything happened to her, but he beckoned Winter to stay close to guard her too.
The footsteps ceased abruptly as Torin's eyes took in the scene before him. The bloody mess had his eyes bulge out more and more and the guards behind him looked equally uncomfortable.
'What in the-' he started but caught himself and met Cinder's glowering stare.
'Quite the sight indeed,' she murmured. 'Now please, explain to me how this could be possible given that this is a palace that is supposed to have top security and these are one of Sir Clay's most advanced teams on Luna.'
Torin stayed quiet for a moment too long.
'Well?' Cinder asked.
'I…I…I don't know, Your Majesty.'
'So it seems. What will you be doing about it?'
He turned around to one of the men. 'Ask the security team to review all footage of the cameras within these premises in the past 24 hours.'
The guard nodded and left, probably eager to get away from the disturbing scene ahead.
'I will see that these men will be transported to Luna for a proper burial,' Cinder murmured. 'And I also wish that the Eastern Commonwealth will take most, if not all, blame for this.'
Torin nodded quietly. Cinder sighed and took a step towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
'I know you didn't do anything and I know you're trying your best to ensure the prevention of these types of things but…'
But it had happened far too many times and there seems to be no end to it.
Jacin agreed silently.
'I know…' Torin muttered.
The remaining guards at Torin's side stepped forward and, with a flash of a wrist, shut the cell closed. They stood guard as the rest of them filed out silently.
'I'd like it if you filled me in on what happened down there, Sir Clay,' Torin said quietly in a tone that suggested he knew he wasn't going to like what he was going to hear.
Jacin nodded but Winter looked a little more concerned. 'Could we take him to the infirmary first?' She asked.
Torin nodded. 'Of course, it's this way.'
Jacin began to follow Torin with Winter by his side when Cinder's voice rang out behind them.
'Wait.'
The turned around, brow furrowed in concern.
'Selene, is something wrong?' Winter asked as she came back to Cinder's side.
Cinder's eyes stared off into the distance past Jacin's shoulder as if she could not look them in the eye.
'I...I want you to go back to Luna. Both of you.'
Winter raised her eyebrows in surprise. Jacin didn't think he'd heard her right.
'What?' he asked.
'Both of you. I want you to return to Luna,' she repeated quietly.
A long silence passed in between them as Jacin registered her words.
Go back to Luna?
'Why?' Winter asked, the uncertainty evident in her voice.
'Because...' Cinder started. She let her gaze fall as she regained control of her emotions and spoke again. 'Because...I don't want anything happening to you.'
That wasn't it. There was something else. Another reason.
'Why?' Jacin asked again stepping closer to her so he towered over her.
She didn't speak for a long time but finally her voice came out in a desperate plea. 'Should...Should something happen to me, at least, Winter and you will be safe to take care of things.'
Of course, it was that. Why hadn't Jacin realised her reason earlier?
'Winter leaving is fair enough. I can understand your reason,' Jacin muttered, 'but I don't see why I need to.'
Cinder raised her head to look up at him. 'What do you mean!? I want both of you to go! Winter needs to stay safe and you've already been hurt enough! You need to be with Winter anyway.'
'Thank you for the offer but no,' Jacin hissed, glaring daggers at her. 'There is no way I'm leaving you, the queen of Luna, to go hide on the moon and leave you in danger when it is my job to protect you at all costs.'
'Your job is to protect Winter! Besides, I have Wolf and the other guards here.'
'My job is to protect the royals of Luna which includes you and Wolf is busy with his guards in training and making sure the palace is as safe as possible alongside the Commonwealth guards so no, you do not have them.'
Cinder was at a loss for words.
'I'll be okay on Luna without Jacin. No threats can come to me there,' Winter smiled as she pulled Cinder into an embrace.
'There we go. Winter leaves for Luna, I stay here. Everyone's happy.'
'I...don't...but...' Cinder stammered as if their argument had wiped her memory of English.
Jacin reached out and took her hand and pressed a quick kiss against the back of it.
'This conversation is done. I'm not leaving.'
What happened after that was so rushed, Jacin barely remembered the details. He'd told Torin and his security team what had happened as Winter inspected the med-droids bandaging and Cinder sat quietly in the corner. He'd then led Winter to the docking bay, kissed her goodbye and after a long while of promising safety and exchanging hugs and kisses, she'd boarded the Luna spacecraft.
And then he'd watched in silence as it ascended into the dark sky towards Luna.
This chapter only took long to write because I don't really like turning on technology that's connected to power points during storms. And we'd had quite a few storms during the afternoons so…
I hope you enjoyed that (1999 words exactly…or that's what Microsoft Word told me hehe…)