What's Done In The Dark: The King's Concubine

Dear Diary 25

Helplessness is a very unpleasant feeling. It leaves you powerless and sometimes even crippled. And that's how I felt taking care of Serena. She was so listless it was impossible to believe that just a short week ago, she had been brimming with so much life and vitality. Since Darien brought her back to the forest house yesterday, she has barely moved from her position on the bed. When her eyes are not closed in sleep, she stares straight ahead at nothing, her once vibrant cerulean orbs dead. Looking at her now as she lay there lifeless, I felt a wave of hate and destructive anger at Hotaru for haven gone this far and destroying a heart as beautiful as Serena's. If she doesn't get punished for this evil crime, I will kill her myself.

Sighing to get rid of my frustration, I bent to eye level with Serena, hoping the worry on my face would cause her to stir a bit and hopefully my words would reach her.

"Baby, things will only get harder if you don't rise and keep fighting. Right now Darien is all by himself trying to do alone what the two of you should be doing together. Will you leave Darien at the mercy of Hotaru? Honey he needs you. It's killing him to be so far from you. If you don't fight now, your innocent baby's death will go unpunished and the criminal will walk away unscathed. Is this what you want? Does your baby not deserve justice? I know it hurts, and I know that you feel you've lost everything but love you haven't. You still have Darien; you have me and all our friends. They are all waiting anxiously for you to come back. Serena, if you lose this battle to Hotaru, you would have given her complete control over every life in this kingdom. And things will get especially worse for the commoners you've worked so hard for. Please my love, if you won't fight for them, or for Darien or even for yourself, then please do it for the innocent child who was never given an opportunity to live. Rise for your lost baby Serena. I know what the doctors are saying but remember that a child is a gift from God. I'm sure that if he wills it, you can give birth again. Don't lose hope. So long as you yet still live, there is a chance a baby can be born again. I love you Serena, we all love you and we just want to see you alive again so please don't give up on yourself."

I sighed again after about five minutes had passed since I made my speech and she still hadn't reacted. How was she supposed to get better here? She was as dead here as she was at the castle. Rising, I tucked the covers more snuggly around her and kissed her on the forehead. Looking one last time at her to assure myself that though she seemed lifeless she still breathed, I walked out with a heavy heart.

God please, let her get better. We need her so much.

I had heard her. Every word she said, I heard everything. And a part of me wanted to respond, to let her know that everything will be ok but that was just a very small part of me. From her voice, I knew she was worried, I knew they were all worried and I knew my motionless state was driving them up the walls but there was no strength in me to do anything. Every ounce of strength I had was depleted, inside I felt completely dead.

As she rose and walked out, I closed my eyes and let the tears fall.

I'm sorry Lita, so sorry.

Giving that conniving woman the medicine meant to save Lady Serena's life was the hardest thing I had ever done. I had to wrestle with myself in a way I had never before. Giving her the medicine meant Lady Serena's life was now in the hands of a woman who had before tried to destroy her. There was not a single ounce of trust in me for the girl called Mina but her arguments were solid. The possibility of reaching Lady Serena with the medicine had to be handled by someone unexpected.

I knew my pursuers would not only try to prevent me from reaching the castle, they would kill me if they have to. Letting Lady Heather travel by herself with the medicine would take too long for she was old and could not ride a horse at neck breaking pace. The only other choice was to allow Mina to take the medicine. The idea repulsed me severely. The only way I had agreed to this madness was because Miss Ann, servant of Lady Heather, had agreed to accompany her. But even so, I had kept a portion of the medicine just to be safe.

We had departed before sun rise on the morning after the medicine was fermented. We took two different roads with Lady Heather promising to also ride to the castle in the evening. I gave both girls strict instructions to move as swiftly as possible without drawing attention. If all goes well, they could be within the castle compound in two days' time. I on the other hand had correctly judged that my life would be in danger for as soon as I left Lady Heather's residence, an arrow came straight at me. Years of training and honing my reflexes was what saved my life. Every road I took sent arrows or assassins up my way. In the end, I had to sell my stallion, changed my clothes and dressed like a merchant in order to travel semi safely.

This was going to be a long trip.

When I opened my eyes again, it was night fall. The moon was full and standing before me with his warm breath wafting over my face was mane of golden hair belonging to Raino. He looked straight in my eyes and I found myself throwing my arms around his neck and burying my sobbing face in his fur.

He stood still for a while until I could control myself and when I did, he gestured with low growls and head movements for me to follow him. I blinked but stood up to do as he had said. Haven lay down for so long, I found myself shaky on my legs. Raino came near and I used him to aid my steps as we maneuvered our way out of the bed room and sitting room. Exiting out of Darien's apartment in the C-Wing, Raino took the other side of the hallway, a way I had never traveled before and gently guided me out. We came upon a narrow spiral staircase in a dark corridor but with Raino by my side and moving at slow pace, we were able to descend the stairs with no incident. At the bottom of the stairs, I continued to follow Raino to who knows where. Eventually we came upon a door. Raino stood on his hind legs and used his forefeet to open the door.

Cool air rushed at me and the earthy smell of green grass and moist air invaded my nostrils. I took in the sight before me. We had appeared at the vast flower field beside the hidden part of the mansion that could be viewed from Darien's room window. The field of flower glistened and shone with the moonlight bathing them in its silvery embrace. It was so silent, like a grave yard but the picture was something out of a magazine. Raino began to walk again and I held firmer onto him as we waltzed through the field. If I was there at any other time before losing my child, I would have been so excited that I would have run through it laughing heartily. But as it was, all I could appreciate was the unending silence.

We continued to walk on and as we did, something appeared further ahead. At first I couldn't see what it was at all but the closer we got, tears trailed down my face as I realized that it was a grave. I knew whose grave it was long before I could draw near of the stone. I stopped walking and shut my eyes.

No…I couldn't go near that grave stone. It was just too painful. I turned around to leave but Raino blocked my way.

"No Raino, I can't do it. I can't do this." I sobbed. My heart was hurting so much. Tears like river poured down my face, a pounding headache suddenly surfaced and my vision blurred.

Raino growled a slow deliberate sound but I would not look at him. He was a lion! How would it know how it felt to lose a life that was inside your own body? As I cried standing in the moonlight, I could not help but imagine the son or daughter I could have had with the man I loved so much. I could not help seeing the child in our arms, birthdays, hugs and the laughter we could have shared. The pain was so ripening. How could I have lost my whole world in one day?

And suddenly as if out of know where, I found myself moving several feet up in the air and backwards as Raino roared from the very depths of his stomach. The sound was so incredibly loud and terrifying that it drew me out of my empty shell as the need to protect myself took hold.

Several feet back and away from the biggest predator of the jungle, my legs wobbled under me and I sank onto the flowery bed. I had never, not in all this time that I've know this gentle lion to be aggressive but as he stalked toward me in a slow measured fashion, I became incredibly terrified. He's face which was normally relaxed and peaceful contorted into a rigged mask of anger and brutal strength. In that moment, I was more scared than I'd ever been in my life. The closer he walked towards me, the further back I scooted until I felt something cold touched my bottom. Every fear inside of me for the lion approaching me disappeared when the fear of what I knew I was sitting on was so much stronger. And so I sat, daring Raino to do his worst. I wouldn't even mind being eaten but I could not turn around. I would not look at the grave just a few inches behind me. In that grave was buried a part of me that was too frightening because it reminded me of everything I had lost and would continue to lose if I continued to fight. She had already taken one baby away from me, she would continue to take another and another and another until all I loved has left me.

No, I could not look at the grave. Not for anything.

And then once again Raino let out another thunder booming terrifying roar that had me shoveling to the grave and clinging onto the cold stone and when I finally touched it, the bank of my emotions broke and I passed out.

They had traveled at a break necking pace, resting only one time throughout their journey and arrived at the castle within a day and a half. Their backs, buttocks, shoulders and pretty much every part of their bodies hurt.

When they arrived at the palace, they were so out of breath and dizzy that Ann passed out at the stairs. Men in the court yard rushed to the fallen woman side and lifted her off the floor. So determined to get to her destination, Mina did not even pay attention to where her comrade was being taken. She ascended the stairs in a dazed manner, her body tired and weary but her mind determined and alert.

During the days that she was recovering, she had heard from too many sources how out of nowhere Serena, the woman she had hated so much that she had meant to destroy her, had been the one to locate her in her prison. And not only that, Serena had made sure that she had been well taken cared off and had transported her to Lady Heather's home for protection from Hotaru.

"Why?" She had asked Lady Heather when she was able to talk and the older woman had replied, "Because that's the kind of person Serena is."

Over the week as she was recovering, she had been privy to all the events that had happened since her imprisonment and she suddenly began to understand just the kind of person Serena was. In her heart, she still resented Serena for taking away the man she loved but she finally admitted to herself that Darien had never been hers. She had in fact tried to take him away from his wife through deceit and manipulation. Whereas in Serena's case, it had been her who had been manipulated and forced. Darien had loved Serena, still loves her in a way that was not common for men. And that was a kind of love that Darien would never have been capable of even if she had succeeded in making him hers. She hated to admit it, but Serena had won over both her and the queen by just being a good hearted human being. Serena was everything she was not and so much more.

And even though she had been the cause of Darien's three day brutality towards Serena, the woman had found it in her heart to help her nemesis.

"If I were in her position, I would have let her wrought in that prison. When and how did I become like this? So cold, calculating and manipulative?" she questioned herself, reviewing her memories as a child trying to find out exactly when she began to change.

She had been a happy child. Born of a middle class family. They had been rich in their beginning. When she turned 8, her family lost their business and their home and livelihood were completely taken away from them. A year later, her father suffered a heart attack which killed him and her mother committed suicide unable to bear the responsibilities of taking care of three children alone. Mina, who was only turning 10 at the time assumed the responsibilities of taking care of her two junior brothers. It was hard. There were so many nights of hunger and sleepless nightmares. She worked little jobs like taking trash, cleaning and worked so often as a servant in various houses. All the money she made went to buying food and keeping the little shed they were renting over their heads. Then one day when she was 13, the head servant in the household she was working at recommended her to the palace servant quarters and in need of hands, they had accepted her. She worked harder than anyone else because workers at the palace got paid a little higher than normal servants. So she worked hard so that she wouldn't be asked to leave.

All the time that she was working, she would catch a glimpse of the two princes, the princess and the future queen who was Hotaru. She had witnessed the affair between Darien and Hotaru but kept her thoughts and mouth to herself. She was too afraid of her own position to meddle in something that was not her business. But she found herself falling in love with Darien's carefree smile when he was near Hotaru and she began to hate Hotaru. At first, her hate for Hotaru was based solely on her own developing feelings but it soon changed to real hate with real reason when she realized what Hotaru was doing. That whore was using Darien to get the crown prince's attention!

No sooner did she discover this than Hotaru and Diamonds engagement were announced and the next moment Darien was on a plane to America. Mina had buried her feelings then, despairing that he would never return.

But he had. He had returned, eventually sought her out and had developed a relationship with her. He had loved her in bed, touching, caressing, kissing and riding inside of her until she screamed in absolute pleasure and harmony. When he came for her a second time, third time, she had come to believe that she was special to him. She had given herself solely and completely to him until she had even become arrogant in her delusions. Her kindness towards her fellow workers diminished with each passing day that she became convicted in her own mind that she was special to their king.

And then he had asked her to work for him at the forest house. To Mina that had spelled, "come live with me at my own private mansion so we can love each other freely."

But when she had arrived at the mansion in the forest, she had not only been given a very small room, she had held no overwhelming important position. She had not been called to his bedroom at all, and he seemed to forget her existence.

His return from many of his travels brought a sudden change that pleased Mina. Servants were directed to clean a particular room and fill it with all the luxurious materials a woman of high born class would want and need. The whole mansion was renovated and cleaned. In her head, she fantasized that this was all for her but Darien was not telling her because he wanted to surprise her.

Then one day a carriage had arrived, and a blond that could have passed as her twin stepped out. Something in Mina died that moment when it all dawned on her that she had only been a replacement for this beautiful angel. She had been angry, hurt and depressed and those powerful emotions had threatened her sanity. She felt the need for revenge, to punish, to make someone feel the aching pain in her. And having no other target, she made Serena a victim of her own delusions.

And now, that same girl whom she had tortured had just saved her life. And now that Serena's own life was compromised, she wanted the opportunity to repay her debt. So when it was mentioned that someone needed to deliver the medicine to Serena, she had volunteered. It was either now or never. And she chose now.

At the end of her reminiscent, she had reached the top of the stairs and pulling the hoody of the cloak closely over her face, she used the shadows to her advantage and transverse over the wing that contained Darien's study. She had been a servant in the palace after all, there were some shortcuts and ways only a servant would know.

As she approached the double door leading to Darien's bedroom, she heard muffles of voice but could not make it out. Standing there ready to knock, fear began to assault her heart. How would he treat her this time? Would he look at her with the same hate and disgust he had last looked at her with? Would he be happy to see her? Would he be shocked, angry? What if he doesn't believe that she was truly delivering Serena's cure? What if he thinks that it's another trick? Would he put her in jail? Have her beheaded?

Cold sweat ran down her sides as fear gripped her soul. She didn't fear death or even humiliation as much as she feared Darien's cold rejection.

"I want him to forgive me." She murmured as tears build up in her eyes. She was too scared to knock on the door, too scared of the unknown and so she turned to leave. But as soon as she turned, she saw Hotaru just a couple of feet away and the fear she had of Darien disappeared compared to the fear she had of the evil wretched queen. She quickly knocked on the door, forgetting all else except the need to run away.

Hotaru drew abreast of her and before she could be acknowledged to enter, she pushed the door open and rushed in, stopping just before Darien's table and pulling her cloak tighter around her as those in the room which consisted of Darien, Andrew and Lord Ephraim, watched her with confusion and shock. Before she could speak, Hotaru waltzed in and the atmosphere turned icy cold.

"Good evening gentlemen." She greeted pleasantly, a smile plasted on her pretty face. To be sure, Hotaru was gorgeous. She had a dark beauty that teased and tempted men's desires and alluring eyes that could pull anyone into doing anything she wanted. Had she not been so selfish and evil, she would have been a man's dream come true. She still could be a man's dream come true but it would have to be a man in the mafia.

"What, My Lady, can we help you with?" Andrew asked quickly to forestall Darien from killing the bitch.

"My Lord and husband, Lord Ephraim and Lord Andrew, I was hoping the three of you will join me for dinner this evening." She said pleasantly again and everyone in the room blinked. Had this woman lost her mind?

"…er..." Andrew began, not really knowing what to say and desperately wanting to refuse that offer.

"I don't dine with bitches or vipers. Leave my office before I have you dragged out." Darien replied coldly and Andrew gulped. Darien really needed to learn how to talk.

"As is your preference, my dear husband, there will be no bitches or vipers attending the dinner. It will just be me, YOUR wife, a couple of acquaintances and of course the three of you."

"I guess even facing the mirror; some people still can't see their own reflections." Darien retorted and Andrew and even Lord Ephraim fought to hide their smiles.

"Darien…"

"Leave witch! You're a waste of my precious time and space."

"I will not leave here until you talk to me in a civil manner and agree to dine with me!" Hotaru shot back, her pleasant exterior deteriorated and replaced with pulsing anger. Darien stood up then, his eyes flashing with madness. Containing the brutal hatred he had for her was hard enough without seeing her, but to stand before him and demand of him his attention was pushing it.

"It seems you never get tired of being dragged. This time we will dump you in the pig's dung and hopefully that will draw into your filthy brain that you're unwanted and unneeded. Now get the hell out."

"Why the hell are you treating me like this!? What haven't I given up for you!?" She screamed at him, her eyes wet with tears and blazing with fury. She definitely was a contradiction.

"Why you…" as Darien made to grab her, Andrew and Ephraim attempted to stop him.

Mina, realizing that things could go really badly coughed loudly, silencing all voices and movements. They all turned to her.

"Who the hell are you?" Darien turned his blazing eyes on her, the need to do damage rising with each passing breath.

For a minute, Mina didn't answer. Darien's tone and stony expression scared the mess out of her.

"I…" she began but then lost her voice.

"Speak up girl!" Darien roared and Mina scrambled backwards, her fear paralyzing her.

"Darien calm down. She's nervous as it is." Ephraim said as he let go of Darien's arm and approached the frightened girl.

"It's alright child. No one will harm you here. Why have you come to the king's study uncalled? For your sake I hope you have a good reason." Ephraim said gently but firmly. Appearing before the king uncalled for required a situation of emergency or else the penalty could be very sever.

After a minute of shivering, Mina was able to compose herself and using the wall, she stood up.

Though she was scared, she knew Serena needed the medicine soon or she would die. Hiding and running wasn't going to accomplish the purpose she had set out to do. So taking a deep breath, she grabbed her hoody, made a quick mental prayer and dropped it before the shocked eyes of Andrew, Darien and Hotaru. Ephraim who had no idea who this female was only raised a brow at their expressions.

"YOU?!" Hotaru screeched after a minute of silence. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET OUT OF YOUR CELL?!"

"My Lord I'm here under Lord Prime's direction. He asked that I and Ann deliver the medication for Lady Serena's recovery."

"You have the cure?" Ephraim asked with surprise.

"Yes." She said as she fidgeted with her belt and bag and pulled out a jar of clay.

"Lady Heather instructed that this be mixed with cranberry tea, a cup for drinking and a bucket for bathing. Lady Serena must drink the tea 3 times a day and she must bath twice a day with the herb for three days. After which she should return back to her previous strength unless of course the damage has gone beyond repair."

"What?! Give me that damn thing!" Hotaru lunged at Mina, but Darien grabbed her upper arm and flung her backwards. She crashed into the wall and slid to the ground in a dead faint. All in the room, with the exception of Darien whose mind was focused and sharpened on the medication and the mention of Serena's name, gasped in horror. Mina pulled herself further back as Darien purposefully walked toward her. He stopped an inch from her, lowering his face to be so close to her that she could smell his breath. If this had been before, she would have been so excited but now she knew better. The cold blue orbs of his eyes were anything but lustful.

"Here these words well slave. If what you hold turns out to be anything but the cure for my lady, I will personally tie you to my horses and have you dragged around on cold sharp stones. I will prevent you from dying and repeat the process everyday for a year, and then toss you alive into the mouth of the sea and sharks, do you understand what I'm saying to you." His voice was calm but the threat, they all knew was very real. A cold shiver run down their backs as they considered the horrifying punishment.

Mina slid to the floor in terror, her eyes wide and shimmering. What if it wasn't the cure she was holding? What if Lord Prime had set her up? After all, he had not liked her at all. Suddenly she was so unsure. She wanted to pick herself up and run away forever to a place where there was no Darien.

How had she missed this brutal part of this man? He was insane!

"Well girl, did prime give you the medicine or not?" Ephraim asked. Mina gulped and nodded.

"And why the hell couldn't he deliver it himself? Why the hell would he give it to the likes of you?" Darien demanded with a sneer of disgust and hatred. This woman had caused him to lose his mind and do something unforgivable to his beloved Serena. A tiny part of him was hoping that she was lying so he could go through with the punishment and teach her a real lesson.

Mina gulped again. Even if it wasn't the medication, even if it was a setup, one thing she had to let them know was that Prime gave her the jar she held.

"He said people were trying to kill him and he knew they would try again as he tried to deliver the medication. So he gave it to me and Ann so that we can deliver it secretly while the assassins come after him."

"And where is this Ann." Ephraim asked.

"We traveled all day and night on horses with no rest my lord. When we got here she was so exhausted that she passed out. I was too keen on delivering this that some men at the courtyard picked her up and I didn't find out where she was taken."

"Did Prime give you any letter?"

"Yes my lord." Mina once again fidgeted through her bag and produced a wrinkled paper. Ephraim took the paper and scanned through its content.

"This is Prime's lettering Your Majesty." Ephraim commented.

"When was the last time you saw Prime?" Andrew asked, worry for his silent friend gnawing at him.

"At Lady Heather's residence Sir."

"Your Majesty, if this is truly the medication, one of us needs to take it to Serena right away. There is no time to lose." Ephraim said.

"I understand but this wretch is no different from Hotaru. She's hurt Serena before and I loath to trust her and hurt Serena again."

"I do not mean Lady Serena any harm. I hate her yes, but I'm alive today because of her. She could have left me to rot in the dungeon after what I did to her but she still saved my life and provided me with safety. I just wanted the opportunity to apologize and to repay the debt I owe her." She said this as she looked away, her expression sad and lonely.

They all considered her words, weighing it and trying to find the truth in it. In the end, they had nothing to weigh it against. It was either take the jar and hope that it contained what they hoped or don't take it. Either way, there was just as much to lose as there was to gain.

"Until we are sure of Serena's recovery, keep her in one of the isolated cells. Provide her with meals and a blanket but nothing more. I will take the medication to my lady." Darien said as he swooped down and took the jar from Mina.

"Safe and swift journey My Lord." Andrew said.

"And get rid of the trash." He said in reference to Hotaru.

Within ten minutes, he was saddled and riding through the night to a home in a forest where his beautiful but sick soul mate awaited him.

"Serena please wait for me, I will be there soon!"