Me: Yea, it's been a while since I updated this one. Sorry! My muse decided to run away and hide on me. Anyways, the song is Lullaby for a Princess, I don't own it but support the original work! Tenionia and Zireria and their family are mine. Enjoy!
Delilah lead Tenionia and Azeneth though the village. Azeneth yawned as she rode Abyss, and Delilah chuckled.
"You tried, girl?"
"Those thieves did wake us in the middle of the night." Delilah chuckled.
"Don't worry, we're almost there."
"Where exactly are we going?" Tenionia asked. She couldn't see the look on Delilah's face due to the darkness, but Tenionia had a sinking feeling. She didn't completely trust the woman, due to the fact that she was a thief. Soon the trio came to another abandoned village. Tenionia stopped and Delilah turned.
"Something wrong, Princess?"
"We're in Kul Elna." Delilah smirked.
"Yea, but don't worry, the spirits are gone." Tenionia didn't look convinced and Delilah shrugged.
"Look, you and that girl of yours need a place to stay. Neither stay here, or wander the dessert, your choice." Delilah turned and ducked under ground.
"Tenionia, we may as well trust her." Azeneth stated meekly and Tenionia sighed in defeat.
"Alright." Tenionia lead Abyss behind the building, where she tied him to a pole and gave him water.
"I'm afraid, I don't have any food for you, Abyss." Abyss nickered and Tenionia stroked his nose lovingly.
"Don't worry, we'll get food soon." She smiled as Abyss nudged her cheek.
"Goodnight Abyss." She whispered as she stepped underground after Delilah and Azeneth.
"Wow!" Azeneth gawked, making Delilah chuckle. The pair of women were underground and Azeneth was gawking at the large amounts gold and jewels. There was fine silks, jewelry, and gems all thrown in piles around the room.
"Did you steal all of this yourself?" Azeneth asked and Delilah nodded with a smug smirk on her face. Tenionia, who was lingering by the door with her arms crossed looked somewhat impressed.
"Yep, they don't call me the Queen of thieves for nothing."
"Wow." Azeneth said in awe. She looked back at the older princess that was very quiet.
"Tenionia? What's wrong?"
"Hmm? Oh nothing, child. Just thinking of memories."
"Like what?" Azeneth was caught off guard by the pained look that crossed her face.
"Something that I prefer not to think about." With that, Tenionia left the room, leaving the pair to be very confused.
Tenionia felt terrible for not telling Azeneth what was wrong, but she wasn't ready. It may have been sometime since that whole incident, but it still pained her to think about it. Tenionia gazed up at the moon, her thoughts shifting to the first time she had sang her soft bittersweet lullaby. That first time, Atem was there by her side to comfort her as she shed her tears, but that wasn't the case anymore. She was completely alone this time.
"Fate has been cruel and order unkind.
How can I have sent you away?
The blame was my own; The punishment yours, the harmony's silent today..." Tenionia gaze up at the moon and stars as the wind blew across the dessert.
"But into the stillness, I'll bring you a song, and I will your company keep.
Till your tired eyes and my lullabies, have carried you softly to sleep..."
Tenionia's fist that was at her side clenched tightly as her thoughts turned to that day. The day when she caused the downfall of Teornia, of her birthplace. She had it all, but she gave it all up just so her people could live peacefully. In the end, it cost her brother his life and it cost her sister's sanity.
"Once did a girl who shone like the sun, looked out on her kingdom and sigh.
She smiled and said; 'Surely there is no lady so lovely and so well beloved as I.'
So great was her reign and so brilliant her glory that long was the shadow she cast.
Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved, and grew only darker as days and nights passed." What Tenionia didn't know is that as she sang, Azeneth and Delilah had peered out of the underground room and was listening.
"Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine.
Rest now in moonlight's embrace.
Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth.
Through cloud and through sky and through space...
Carry the peace and the coolness of night, and carry my sorrow in kind.
Zireria, you're loved so much, more then you know, forgive me for being so blind..."Delilah looked at Azeneth with a quizzical look. Azeneth only shrugged, not completely sure who this Zireria person was.
"Soon did that lady take notice that others did not give her sister her due.
And neither had she loved her as she deserved, she watched as her sister's unhappiness grew." Tenionia bowed her head so her hair covered her face, but the moonlight didn't hide the tears that were streaming down her face.
"But such is the way of the limelight, it sweetly takes hold of the mind of its host;
And that foolish girl did nothing to stop the destruction of one who had needed her most." Azeneth noticed that the older princess trembled slightly as she sang. Azeneth wanted to go and comfort her, but Delilah shook her head to tell to stay put. For all they knew, Tenionia didn't know that they were there and listening.
"Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine.
Rest now in moonlight's embrace.
Bear up my lullaby winds of the earth, through cloud and through sky and through space...
Carry the peace and the coolness of night and carry my sorrow in kind.
Zireria, you're loved so much, more then you know, may troubles be far from your mind...
And forgive me for being so blind..." Delilah watched the older princess with a perplexed look. There was a lot more to this woman then meets the eye.
"The years now before us, fearful and unknown.
I never imagined I'd face them on my own.
May these thousand winters swiftly pass, I pray." Tenionia looked up at the sky. She had to choke back the tears that threatened to enter in her voice.
"I love you; I miss you, all these miles away...
May all your dreams be sweet tonight.
Safe upon your bed of moonlight.
And know not of sadness, pain or care.
And when I dream, I'll fly away and meet you there...
Sleep...
Sleep...
Sleep..." Tenionia gave a light sob and bowed her head. She wiped her tears with her knuckles before speaking.
"I know you two were listening, so you can stop with the hiding." Delilah cursed under her breath. Damn she was good. Azeneth walked out from the stairs.
"Why are you crying?" Tenionia sat on the sand and Azeneth sat down next to her.
"I was thinking about my sister, Zireria." Azeneth frowned.
"You mean the one that is in the Shadow realm?" Tenionia nodded and looked up at the sky.
"She was the ruler that took over the throne after my father died. She caused just as much misery on the kingdom just as my father did, but her reign wasn't as long as his."
"Why?" Tenionia turned and Azeneth was startled by the look of raw sorrow in her dark eyes.
"Because I was the one that locked her in that dark prison in the first place." Azeneth looked at Delilah who had an emotionless look on her face.
"Long before you were born, Azeneth, there was a large sprawling kingdom that lay to the west. It was called Teaorna and for a long time, Egypt and Teaorna traded and both kingdoms grew in wealth. My father, King Akrin was once wise and a very powerful magician, and my mother, Queen Arsinoe was kind and loved by all her people. First my sister, Zireria was born, then two years later, my brother, Silos, then I was born. Soon my power surfaced when I was eight and tension began to rise between the two kingdoms. I was forced into training by my father and I wasn't allowed to see my siblings. My father began to lose his mind and search for something to make him stronger. He began to focus on the army and strengthen it, even though there was no war. When I was thirteen and my mother committed suicide, he snapped. The rational part of his mind dissolved to the point that the darkness took a hold of him and the darkness fed off of his hate for Zireria. He began to change her. Abuse her and turn her bitter and sour. He turned her into himself, however she turned on him and killed him. I fled to Egypt and sought shelter under your father and the court. After sometime, I returned to find the new Zireria sitting upon the throne of the kingdom." Tears began to reform in her eyes and Tenionia bowed her head to mask the pearly tears.
"I tried to reason with her, but she won't hear it. She wasn't the girl I thought I knew. We fought and I won. However, I couldn't kill her like she had killed our father, so as a final effort, I locked her away into the abyss." She looked up at the moon and stars. Azeneth felt an uncomfortable lump in her throat. Delilah was silent.
"After that day, I would come out and sing to her. It offers cold comfort that she may be listening and she could know how sorry I am."
"That's not fair!" Azeneth blurred out with a frown. Delilah gave a snort.
"Oh please girl, You don't know the feeling of losing someone you love." Azeneth scowled.
"I know how it feels. I lost my mother when I was six!"
"Enough!" They looked to see Tenionia glaring firmly at them with a cold glare.
"No more arguing! We all have our reasons for wanting what we want, but if you don't agree with someone else's motives, then keep it to yourself!" She angrily stormed back into the village. Delilah grunted and left. Azeneth huffed and sighed. She began to wander back to the village to find that Tenionia was in one of the houses with a small pack of supplies that Delilah must have given her.
"Tenionia?" The older princess looked up.
"Yes?" Azeneth anxiously twiddled her thumbs as she stepped farther into the house.
"I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. It's just, your story is so sad and it made me kind of angry that someone like you had to endure that kind of pain." Tenionia offered a sad smile.
"Azeneth, I appreciate that you feel that way but that was in the past and I've mostly moved on from it." Azeneth plopped on the ground next to the older princess.
"Like I told you back at the caves, I've learned that life can be cruel, but if you don't dwell on the sorrow that you feel, you'll return stronger then ever. I want you to learn this lesson, Azeneth. Just not the way I did." Azeneth hummed and yawned. Tenionia wrapped a blanket around her and hummed a soft lullaby as Azeneth drifted off to sleep. Once Azeneth was asleep, Tenionia looked up to see Delilah leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed.
"That girl is something else." Tenionia smiled down on the sleeping girl.
"She is. She takes after her father." Delilah grunted. Tenionia glanced at the other woman.
"That girl and you are something else. Something that I hadn't expected." Tenionia lightly chuckled.
"I'm just full of surprises." She smirked and Delilah chuckled.
"You should rest, Princess. You look kinda tired." Tenionia grunted and laid down next to Azeneth. When Delilah heard the older princess' breath even out, she stepped out of the house and began to wander the abandoned village. Delilah stopped and looked up at the stars, fingering the necklace of broken jewels in the shape of a flower on her neck.
'I'll make that witch pay for what she did to you, Bakura...'