Chapter 26
Meggie didn't sleep that first night without him. Her bed was empty, cold, and sometimes, she was tempted to go sleep somewhere else, but his smell kept her there. Their bed still smelled of him, of that musky deep smell that belonged to him, and no other man like him. It clung to the sheets and had Meggie burying her head in them her eyes closed tight. She wanted to open them again to find him watching her, but when she did he was still locked away in that book as far as he could get from her. Meggie tried to sleep but couldn't. She lay in that big bed all alone and it felt wrong.
"Just be patient and he will be back sooner then you think" thought Meggie the next morning as she dressed feeling sleep deprived not noticing until she looked in the mirror that she was dressed in blue just like she felt. She was dressed as if she would walk out to find him waiting, dressed for him, and it pained her that he wasn't here to see her. Capricorn had said he wanted her to change nothing, so Meggie did. She wasn't planning on changing anything. He would return to find everything as he had left it. Even her, Meggie wouldn't let herself change in his absence. She would live for him just as she always had, dress for him, and even as she walked to the throne room she did so as if she was walking by his side. Though even as she was doing so, Meggie still felt his absence; the walls of their castle felt cold and dark and empty without him there by her side.
It wasn't until she entered the room that Meggie felt everything inside herself halt. The throne room was always where she felt him the most. She was used to walking into the room to see him there smiling at her, beckoning for her to come to sit with him, and entering that room to find it without him, Meggie felt her emotions building rapidly. His throne was empty, his smile was gone, and walking closer to his throne, Meggie ran her hands over it. The stone was cold against her fingertips and clenching her hands together, Meggie held her emotions inside herself.
"You have nothing to worry about, I will be coming back to you" Meggie remembered his words in that moment, but as she stood there they didn't feel real because he was gone, and she didn't know when he was coming back. After a moment, Meggie eased herself to sit in her own throne next to his. She watched it out of the corner of her eye the fact that it was empty bothering her the longer she stared. She couldn't get her mind off it, off him. She traced the place where the two connected thinking of how if he was here he would have grabbed her hand to hold her hand. He would have kissed her hand and kept them always connected. It pained her that their connection was stretched so far, and it only served to remind her how much she missed him. Everything about him, his hands holding hers, his arms around her, his lips kissing her everywhere, but most of all his eyes. Those eyes that stared at her, watched her making her feel sexy, beautiful, almost like a goddess. He always worshipped her as she worshipped him and now, Meggie missed that. That feeling of always being watched, loved, protected. Now, she was none of those things.
"If you don't come back I will come after you" Meggie repeated that thought in her mind even as uncertainties filled her mind. For what if he didn't come back, Meggie had no idea how she'd find her way into the Inkworld, and no idea how she would find him. She had no way of knowing if she would see him again only her faith in him kept her going. Meggie believed that he would find his way back to her even if the uncertainties of it scared her.
That thought saddened her as it filled her brain until suddenly she was torn away from her thoughts.
"Maim—what should we do now…with Capricorn gone" whispered a guard making her look at him as he stood mere inches away from her.
"That's a good question" thought Meggie in that moment trying to seem unfazed by it but failing as her eyes became pinned to the floor before returning to the man without an answer.
"Until that tomorrow, my love" Capricorn's words echoed in her head then making everything come to light and suddenly, Meggie knew exactly what to do. He didn't want her to change a thing, so she wouldn't.
"I want you all to prepare to leave" said Meggie firmly seeing the man's confusion immediately.
"Leave Maim?" said the guard stepping back as Meggie moved to stand.
"Yes, I want you all to go—pillage, kill—make the king as well as myself proud. Bring back riches galore" said Meggie seeing as the mans excitement began to build as well as his understanding.
"Now Go!" exclaimed Meggie feeling excited when he jumped into action. That excitement was short lived though because for Meggie she still wished he was there. He was in her every thought, her every action, and going on as if he was here when he really wasn't was hard. Meggie did just that though because she wanted him to have something to come back to, she wanted to make him proud, but mostly because she wasn't sure what else to do. Standing alone, Meggie sighed, this was even harder then she had thought.
In that moment, she was scared and lonely, and she just wanted him to appear out of nowhere. She was afraid she couldn't make it without him. That she couldn't be a queen without him there to guide her, but as she remembered their parting words she wanted to try. She wanted to give it her all for him and prayed her reward would be that he would return to her safely.
"I will make you proud, my love" whispered Meggie tracing her wedding ring feeling like it somehow kept them connected as she did. That was why she was sending them out to terrorize the world, it was what Capricorn would have done, and Meggie could see no other way of doing things. Meggie would lead as he would have. She would be the queen he wanted, the one he had taught her to be, and follow her instincts. She would continue to read riches out of books for him, she would continue to build his fortune, and when he returned it would be larger then when he left.
"I miss you" whispered Meggie still tracing her wedding ring as she thought of him still silently wondering when the time would come for him to return to her and how long she would have to wait for it her eyes suddenly finding the place where he had disappeared the day before.
As she stared at that spot, Meggie worried for him even as she knew she didn't have to. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but Meggie worried all the same. She wondered if he was alright, what he was doing now, but most importantly what was it like to be back? She couldn't imagine what was happening around him all she knew was that he was far, far away. She stayed watching that spot thinking about what he might be doing for a long time. As she was, Capricorn was arriving in the Inkworld his senses going wild as he experienced sounds, smells, so many things that he hadn't in such a long time. For a moment, it was a bit overwhelming.
He didn't need to open his eyes to know he was there.
"Nothing's changed" thought Capricorn the unholy freshness of the forest filling his nostrils, hearing the annoying squawks of birds that he hadn't missed, and then finally he opened his eyes bringing it all to a close as he found himself in Inkheart once more.
"I'm here again" thought Capricorn his emotions terribly mixed as he looked around the others around him doing the same until looking straight ahead, he sighed, Meggie wasn't there, and he almost wanted her to be somehow read right into the book with him.
"We're back" Basta voiced everyone's thought as they all started to move around finding their barring's as they returned to the world none of them had expected.
"Tie Silvertongue up somewhere and make camp instead of standing around" snapped the Magpie her voice filling the forest next making him wince. He had almost hoped that she would have somehow been read somewhere else, but sadly, Meggie was a good reader. Capricorn never thought such a thought would pass his mind, but then again with Mortola anything was possible. She continued to order them all around about how to make camp and as she did Capricorn felt startled almost because he didn't feel like he was part of this world anymore. He wasn't quite sure how to navigate it whereas for her, nothing had changed. She was unfazed by their return and Capricorn found himself almost envious.
"Do as she says" Capricorn found himself saying guiding Silvertongue roughly to the nearest tree as he spoke feeling unsure of everything in that moment. Soon all the guards had disappeared, only Capricorn, Mortola, and Silvertongue remained. For Capricorn, as Mortola continued to give orders it felt like he was under her thumb again just as he'd always been, and he hated it. He knew he'd have to get out from under her if he was going to do this, but first he had to get his barring's again. The only question was how long it would take him to do so. Tying Silvertongue to a tree, Capricorn watched as the Magpie performed her magic making it surround them to protect their camp. Staring at the man afterward, Capricorn felt his rage for him boiling. He was tempted to rip the tape from his mouth, tempted to knock his teeth out, but he didn't. Silvertongue would begin talking immediately, saying things he didn't want to hear, and walking away, Capricorn decided to leave it on until it became necessary to hear his voice.
"Will the magic hold?" whispered Capricorn approaching the Magpie afterward their camp slowly forming. The guards were quickly making the camp somewhat decent, Basta had taken a group to hunt for food, and now that Silvertongue was stowed away, all that was needed was her magic to protect them. Capricorn hated to admit it, but as much as he hated her, he needed her for now. He couldn't kill her as much as he wanted to and looking at her, he hoped one day he wouldn't need her, so he could finally kill her. He wanted to kill her slowly just as she deserved.
"My magic always holds" snapped Mortola her tone different then it had been in the other world almost demanding as her eyes narrowed to look at him.
"Is that girl still clouding your thoughts? If so, we have no chance here—she is your weakness…you need to be rid of her to be the leader you once were. If you're that desperate for sex…well…there are plenty of whores to go around I'm sure you can find another just like her" whispered Mortola her voice almost seeming to mock him even when his hands went around her throat. She was egging him on and he knew it. Capricorn didn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing his anger, but he couldn't help it. He felt out of his element still, so much so even though this technically was his true world it didn't feel that way anymore. Meggie wasn't here. He didn't see how anywhere where she was not could be his true place and looking at the Magpie, it was like she somehow knew that. She knew it and was using it against him.
"Watch your tongue" whispered Capricorn his voice deadly. He didn't let her go though, in fact, they continued to stare each other down. It made Capricorn hate her more. It was like she wanted him to end her life like she was daring him to and she knew he couldn't. Because he still needed her. That smugness is what made him thrust her away from him.
When he did, she continued to speak.
"This is impossible. We are on a mission that will get us killed" snapped Mortola shaking her head in her distain as she continued to dare him to take action against her. As she sauntered away, Capricorn watched her go not wanting to believe that she was right, but that night as he looked at Meggie's picture, he knew he couldn't be the man he was in her world. He had to be ruthless.
