All was quiet in the Royal Palace of Thais. Both the staff and the children had already retired for the night and were fast asleep in their beds, but sleep did not come to the king. Throughout the night he tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, but alas it was no use. No matter how hard he tried, sleep simply did not come and his mind refused to be silenced.
With a frustrated sigh, Edward pushed back the covers and got up, careful not to wake his sleeping wife. Wrapping his silk robe around him, he made his way over to the window. There was something calming about the night sky to him … something about watching the stars in the sky that helped him feel at peace. It reminded him of the night that Mel discovered his secret … The two of them had been talking out on the balcony while looking up at the darkened sky when all of a sudden they saw the comet and thinking back on it, he realized that was when their adventures truly began.
It seemed like only yesterday that he had been standing on that balcony with Mel, and yet so much time had passed since then. That was a simpler time; a time when he wasn't bearing what felt like the world on his shoulders. Like it or not, he was responsible for the well being of so many people. First and foremost, he was King of Thais, and then on top of that, he was a husband and father to soon to be three. As much as he loved his family as well as his people, he oftentimes felt as though he was in over his head.
For the first time in his life, he could understand why his parents had been so desperate to retire. They had lived with the same burden he was now living with for forty years! He couldn't imagine living like that for so long! Yet, at the same time, he was mindful of his own son, not wishing to push Michael onto the throne any sooner than he had too.
He had to admit that he was conflicted. A part of him had accepted his responsibilities, but there was also still a part of him that longed to escape. He thought about what his life would have been like had he chosen a different path. As his thoughts drifted into possible scenarios, he found himself imagining one scenario that hadn't crossed his mind in a long time … What would have happened if he had run away from Thais with Mel?
There was no doubt in his mind that his life would be very different. He imagined the two of them traveling from place to place, causing mischief wherever they went until the day came that they found a place to settle down. He imagined the two of them on a farm in some far off part of the world, where he could finally live out his dream of being a chicken farmer. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he imagined Mel with the chickens, running around with them while flapping her arms wildly. That was a sight he would never forget.
He had always liked Mel. What wasn't there to like? Sure, she wasn't the prettiest girl in the world, but she wasn't ugly either. Besides, there was much more to her than looks, which was more than he could say for some other girls. She was fun, with a wicked sense of humor, always finding new ways to cause mischief and panic. And the thing that he liked about her the most was that she was completely and utterly free, not just physically but mentally. Half the world hated her because she was the Darkthrop Heir, but she didn't care about that. She didn't care about anything. She just lived her life the way she wanted and he envied her for that.
"Edward?" he heard Stella call out.
Glancing back, he faintly saw the figure of his wife sitting up in bed. "Over by the window," he reassured her.
Her voice snapped him from his train of thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Of course, he didn't regret marrying Stella. She was the love of his life, and he couldn't think of a better person to help him rule the kingdom.
Getting up, Stella lit a lamp, filling the room with a warm golden glow, before going over to join her husband.
"What is troubling you, darling?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him from behind, the bulge in her stomach squishing against his back.
Edward did not reply at first. He didn't want to burden her any more than necessary. The stress of having to run a kingdom as well as take care of their children was already getting to her, and it wasn't good for her. He had been trying to lessen her burden by taking it upon himself ever since he found out that she was pregnant again, but there was only so much he could do.
"Does it involve the incident with Cer'iq?"
He let out a sigh. She always was good at sensing things, especially when it involved people's emotions. Stella was just like that. She had a heart of gold, always wanting to help people feel better.
"Do you think it was wrong of me to banish them from Thais?" he asked.
"Well, I'm not exactly pleased with your decision, but I do understand it," she replied. "You weren't the only one frightened by it. I love Te'ijal and Galahad's son dearly, but seeing him inches away from Michael's throat … Let's just say it brought back some unpleasant memories."
He knew exactly what she was talking about without going into detail. It reminded her of when she was being chased by Gyendal and his thugs. Hearing that she shared in his fears gave him the courage to open up and share more with her.
"When I came upon the scene, it was as if time had somehow rewound itself. I didn't see the adorable blonde-haired boy … I saw him … I saw Gyendal …"
Unwrapping her arms from around him, she turned him around to face her. "It was just an illusion."
Edward wanted to agree with her … He really did … But he couldn't. He couldn't believe that because of something he had long suspected but never dared to speak aloud. Now that he was being open about the topic, he couldn't bring himself to keep it in any longer.
"Was it really?" he argued. "What if it was more than that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Michael told me what it was they were arguing about before Cer'iq attacked him. He says that Cer'iq was defending his uncle," he explained. "Doesn't it strike you as odd that a little boy who has supposedly never met his uncle, and has most likely heard countless stories about the horrible things he did, would be defending him?"
Stella stopped to ponder it for a few moments. "When you put it that way, I suppose it does sound a bit suspicious," she admitted, "but I'm sure it's nothing. He probably just didn't want to believe that someone in his own family could be evil."
"Either that or someone isn't telling us everything."
Stella let out a sharp gasp at her husband's admission. "You think Te'ijal and Galahad are lying to us?"
"I don't know for sure. I hope that I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that Te'ijal, in particular, knows more than she's letting on."
They both recalled what had happened before Gyendal vanished into thin air. It was back in Underfall, while Galahad had gone off to the Demon Realm to save Mel. To that day, neither of them knew what had been said between the two siblings. The only thing they knew was that he had dragged her out of the dungeon, supposedly to his chambers. The next time they saw her, they seemed as though they were as close as ever. She even went so far as to defend him when Mel tried to throw him in the dungeon.
"And of course, it doesn't help matters that Cer'iq turns out to be a dark mage, just like him."
The evidence was convincing, but still, Stella refused to believe it. "He made a mistake, Edward. I'm sure it has nothing to do with his uncle. Besides, just because he's a dark mage doesn't mean that he's evil. I think that is something that we should remind our children of. Michael said some pretty awful things."
Edward relented, nodding his head in understanding. She did make a good point. Mel was a dark mage, as was her husband Lars and their daughter Nox. None of them were evil. Perhaps a bit chaotic and mischievous at times, but definitely not evil.
"You're right. I'm sorry for troubling you with my paranoia," he apologized. "I'll make an effort to explain that to the children, and I'll write a letter to Te'ijal and Galahad, apologizing for my behavior and assuring them that they are still welcome to visit, so long as they take precautions to ensure such an incident doesn't happen again."
Stella smiled as she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I accept your apology. Now, shall we go back to bed?"
Edward nodded and let her lead him over to the king-sized canopy bed. For her sake, he would try to ignore the bad feeling he had. He only hoped that she was right … Though that didn't exactly fill him with peace of mind either. Even if he wasn't in contact with his sister and nephew, Gyendal was still out there somewhere, biding his time for the opportune moment to return, and when that happened, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd go after Mel again to get revenge. He swore to himself at that moment that he wouldn't let Gyendal get to her again.