~Where’s Mother?~
“Secrets turn into fear. Fear turns into the most potent weapon in the universe.”
All rights to the work go to the author. All images belong to their rightful artists and NOT me.
This story exists on ONLY TWO PLATFORMS: WATTPAD and INKETT. If it exists on any other platform, it is a copy and a FRAUD.
Enjoy reading.
{The upstanding Kingdom of Oraine begins to fall apart quietly as the secrets of Deverands start to seep through the cracks of their palace as the Oraine siblings begin to discover what makes Deverands go bump in the night}
~Where’s Mother?~
*Year 47830*
*tesseract domains*
The light was faint enough to get a glimpse of the small, skinny figure resting on the wooden bed. The smell of gasoline wafted through the air from the working machines.
“S-s-sir, There on the s-stairs. They’re c-coming!” The tiny, pudgy man sputtered, “We should stop and s-surrender!”
“Shut up and stop stammering your bloody gibberish! We have a duty to accomplish, so extract everything!” the young man yelled.
The chubby man gulped, “But that may kill her!”
“Does it look like I care?” yelled the man, flicking the switches, pulling the levers, and pressing buttons. “Come on, come on! The stupid thing is faulty! Get the blasted thing working; I’ll buy us some time,” the man yelled as he dashed down the stairwell.
“They’ve smashed through the barricade! They’re on their way! Quick, gather everything,” the chubby man said as he dashed to the wooden trapdoor, jumping, trying to reach it in the stone-made ceiling.
The sound of heavy stone walls collapsing on the floor thudded the room. The soldiers coughed as they strained to breathe as the dust spread throughout the air.
“Find them all!” raged King Cid, his furious gaze sweeping the room before settling on the small, boney, frail, chained figure on the small single wooden bed. As the broken wood shrieked and moaned beneath him, his feet cautiously pushed forward.
His gaze flitted to the raven-haired woman lying on the bed, enraged, frightened, and worried.
“Oh, my love! Oh my goodness, are you okay?” Kneeling on his knees in front of the woman who held his heart, King Cid said, his voice trembling with terror. “Everything will be OK.” He shook as he removed the steel rusted chains from her bruised, fragile wrists, untangled the cables, and turned off the machinery, saying, “You’re going to make it; just hold on. I’ve dispatched the guards to track them down and hold them accountable for their actions.” At their thought, his grip tightened, and his knuckles turned ghostly white.
He promised himself and Rionach that they’d be held accountable for their actions. A small, pale, slender hand raised and clasped King Cid’s hand.
“Cid?” Queen Rionach asked, her voice quiet and croaky.
His gaze was drawn to her tired yet lovely face. “It’s me, sweetie; just stay still, and I’ll get you out of here,” he says.
“Leave,” she said haltingly.
“No! That’s the last thing I’ll do.” His determination was palpable.
“Cid,” she replied, barely keeping her eyes open. “this isn’t going to work out. I’m a threat to the entire universe, Cid, and I may harm you. Take care of Silas and Enola. When Silas asks about his nightmares, you know what to say. Cid, take care of yourself. You must leave, Cid,” Queen Rionach whispered, her hand cupping his face.
Cid sighed deeply, knowing he’d come to regret this “fine.”
Rionach’s thin, dry lips smiled in answer to his reply. Cid smiled back and leaned in to kiss her.
“No kisses, there is no time. The portal will close soon,” she said, looking through the enormous hole in the crushed wall and looking at the portal.
“What shall I do without my Queen?” he said sadly, holding her small petite hand.
“Simple, you will leave this place. You will rule Oraine and make sure our children fulfil their destiny,” she stated emphatically, looking him right in his hazelnut eyes.
“Yes, my queen, until next time,” he said, kissing her hand and placing his hand on his heart, “for the love of Oraine, your majesty!”
General Ludo Griffon exclaimed, “Your Majesty, the portal is closing!”
King Cid nodded and ran behind his friend General Griffon, leaving the tesseract realm barriers vibrating with the loud sounds of collapsing stones. There was a quick scream; he knew who it belonged to. Even though it happened so quickly, it seemed to last an eternity; he couldn’t hear his soldiers marching behind him, the tumbling stones, or the insults from the prisoners the guards had captured; all he could hear was his beloved Queen screaming in pain. Her screams felt like an eternal blade stabbed into his heart, and this one couldn’t heal. He wished he could go back in time and save her.
He wanted to turn around and throw his arms around her tiny, frail body, comforting her, telling her to relax and everything would be fine. He felt terrible about himself. To fulfil a long-held desire, he abandoned the love of his life. What would he say to his kids if he told them he left their mother to die? He’d betrayed his word, promising to protect her for as long as he lived.
The portal closed behind. It’s official. It’s finished. His Queen had served her time. Nobody could survive in the tesseract domain. He wiped a tear from his eye and whispered, “I love you forever.”
Five days later.
*The Kingdom of Oraine*
Soft breezes rustled through the tall green pine trees, and a flock of yellow birds chirped a melody from its branches. A few Grace bears played in the swaying grass. Cid always loved Grace bears. He believed they were magical because they were carefree animals that looked like regular grizzly bears but could enter the spirit world and return at will. He took a deep intake of Oraine’s icy cold air.
“Who’d have guessed we’d win?” asked General Griffon, taking a seat on the damp grass next to King Cid.
“She knew,” Cid replied, glancing at his closest friend,
“All that’s left is for Silas and Enola to fulfil their destiny,” said General Griffon joining his friend on the grass.
“Which they will. I promised Rionach, and I’m not going to break it,” Cid stated emphatically.
“Come on, the new Kingdoms’ rulers are waiting for us,” General Griffon said, getting up from the soggy ground and putting out his hand for his best friend.
“Our world will be solid soon. Deverdands will be solid with seven kingdoms,” Cid replied, pulling himself up by his friend’s hand.
~~~~~~~~~~
Cid had lost both his Queen and his life’s love at the same time. His world halted, but he was determined to fulfil his pledge to Queen Rionach; he had no choice. He wasn’t going to breach this commitment, either. He needed to confirm that Deverands was a reality and was only minutes away from doing so. He looked in the mirror after placing his golden crown on his head.
“Monster.” a voice said, echoing through his head. Cid ignored it, picking up his crown and polishing it with his sleeve.
“What sort of husband are you if you leave your wife to die?” the voice said, determined to get Cid’s reaction. “What kind of husband are you? What will your kids think?” it said, trying to crawl inside Cid’s mind. “What kind of man do you consider yourself to be?” it asked, testing Cid. he sighed, clenching his jaw, fighting what was trying to destroy him. “Monster! Monster! Monster!” the voice inside his head chanted. “Monster! Monster! Monster! Monster!” it continued. “You’re a monster and forever worse than she was!” Those words hit him. Worse than she was. She wasn’t a monster. Rionach was a kind queen who cared for the public, Cid, and her beautiful children. She was lovely, not a monster in his rush of thoughts. Cid could feel it rummaging through his mind.
“Monster!” it pushed him more, wanting a reaction.
“Shut the fuck up!” he gave in. Cid cried as he flung his crown with all his might across the room and crashed into the mirror. He wheezed as he looked down at the broken glass fragments scattered across the burgundy marble floor. Cid’s body jumped when the crown hit with a loud smash. “...... I can’t do this......,” he murmured, collecting himself into a little corner like a child. He cowered in fear as he stared at the floor and looked at his shattered image. “I’m sorry, I can’t do...... this isn’t right”, He grumbled, “The throne was hers, not mine.” He took a big breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself down. “Without you, Rionach, I can’t do th-h-i-s. I-i-i-i-i-i—i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-. This isn’t r-right.” He hiccupped.
“Breath,” the voice murmured, trying to calm him down, “breath,” the voice repeated. King Cid let out another slight hiccup.
“Are you going to cry now? You’re a freaking king, so grow up! You promised her you wouldn’t give up! You already betrayed her. Are you also going to betray your promise?”
“Get out of here! Just go away!” he exclaimed, his head bowed as his knees held it, and he wrapped his arm around his head, rocking his body back and forth, “...... please.......” he whimpered.
The voice growled, “Fine.”
Cid gradually regained his composure, wiping tears from his eyes as he summoned the servants to clean up the debris.
“I know you told me to leave, but I couldn’t even if I wanted to; you and I are both stuck together. Please, Cid, keep your word,” it begged.
He sighed as he stood at the door, waiting for the maids to leave. “Is everything all right, your majesty?” said the curly-haired lady, dressed casually in a black dress with a white apron with concern.
“Yes.. thank you for asking,” he said, throwing a fake smile as he ushered her out and closed the door.
He smiled, satisfied that he was alone, and padded towards the window. “doesn’t look right,” he mumbled, running his hands through his wavy grey hair and placing his golden-plated crown on his head.
Cid had always thought that they would both be alive once he and his wife completed their dream world, that they would both enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and that she would see her childhood dream become a reality; it’s kind of ironic that to bring her vision to life she had to die, but this was something he was doing for her.
“You’ve got this. This is something you must do.” the voice in his head agreed.
“Are you looking forward to it?” General Griffon interjected, fiddling with his multiple medals on the left side of his uniform.
“Just because you are my best friend does not mean I exclude you from knocking on my door.” snapped Cid.
“Oh, what’s got your underpants all twisted up?” teased Ludo
“What got my pan? This is one of those times when you just shut your damn trap,” he threatened.
“Oh, you miss her, don’t you?” said Ludo, looking his friend straight in the eye.
“What kind of question is that?” King Cid retorted.
“The kind that demands a response”, pressed his friend Ludo.
“You don’t have to wait for me to respond,” Cid said with gritted teeth, leaning his crown to the left, “, You have it by default Ludo.”
Ludo sighed, popped open the scotch bottle, poured it into a cup, and took a sip. “What made you abandon her?” he said, looking at the back of Cid as he continued to fix his crown.
“I didn’t”
“So, Cid, who did it? Who did?” he asked, swirling his drink in his cup.
“Ludo….” Cid said, looking back and facing his friend, his voice cracking. “I didn’t abandon her—he-he-he-he-he-his.” he stuttered. “I wasn’t the one who said it. It was the voice. It was not my choice. The kings decided it before me... They abandoned her.” he said with tears in his eyes.
“So you handed up your control to them?” he said, pouring another glass of the scotch, his hands tight around the glass as if a little more pressure would make it break. “You’re a coward!” he yelled. “For God’s sake, Cid, she’s your fucking wife, and you simply sit there like a puppet and let them dominate you?” Ludo ragged, chugging down another glass down his throat like water.
“You don’t know the voice; it controls the toughest of men, Ludo.” Cid said, taking the scotch bottle away from his friend, “The voice pervades my veins and those of anyone who has come before me or after. It seizes command. The voice is both a blessing and a curse, as well as my inheritance. It sees the past, future, and present. I can do nothing if the voice takes over my mind and tells me to murder my children. I will. The voice left Rionach for a reason, and I can’t argue with it.” he said, putting the bottle in his hand back in the glass cabinet.
Ludo looked at his friend dead in the eye, searching if he was serious. It wasn’t even Ludo’s wife, and he was more pissed off than him. “You’re a fucking moron,” he yelled, throwing his glass at the floor as it shattered into a million pieces.
“Perhaps,” he said, looking down at the broken pieces of glass. “but not the voice,” he said, lifting his head.
“But what good is a King without a Queen? What’s a father without a mother? What is a kingdom without a queen? What would you be without her?” pressed Ludo trying to talk some sense into Cid.
“My children will have a mother, and the Kingdom will have a Queen,” he said
“What? Are you getting remarried? Cid, she just passed away! It was only five days ago! Did she mean nothing to you?” Ludo’s neck had veins protruding from it.
“Let’s make one thing clear here, Ludo; there is no one else in this entire universe like Rionach. But I’m not referring to a romantic partner. A Queen doesn’t have to be in love with me to rule alongside me, and my children, Ludo, need a mother. I’m a free man, General Griffin, but I’m not selling myself to ladies; yet, a Queen must sit beside me and rule Oraine even if Rionach died.”
Ludo bowed down on one knee and placed his palm on his heart, saying, “As the General, I kneel to whatever command you issue, and I will.”
“I’m delighted you’ve finally seen the light, general.”
“However, I find you repulsive as a king’s acquaintance.”
“Tough luck. I’m the king, and you can’t change that,” said Cid, shrugging.
“When she died, your heart followed.”
“It did,” he responded, sliding his crown from the left to the right side of his head.
“Cid, you’re changing.”
“So is the rest of the world.”
Cid turned to face the guard. He ordered, “Go collect Prince Silas and Princess Enola.”
The guard bowed to him and exited the chamber, saying, “Yes, your majesty!”
“Today, the seven kingdoms, as well as Deverands, will become official. Ludo, we’re making history.” smiled Cid.
~~~~~~~~
With the guard, Silas and Enola entered.
“Come, my lovely children,” Cid said with a smile. “Beautiful clothing Princess Enola,”
Enola beamed at the compliment and twirled around, showing off her red dress with puffed sleeves, white lining, and black flats. The two children padded forward to their father.
“And my lovely Silas. Boy! You’re a lady magnet.” King Cid said proudly.
Silas smirked, displaying his immaculately ironed and pressed black suit.
“Are my highnesses ready?” The king inquired.
Silas nodded hesitantly in response.
“I was born ready,” said Princess Enola confidently.
“Children, today is a momentous day. Deverands is real, and so are the seven Kingdoms. It was important to me you be a part of it. All six kingdoms are outside these doors, with ours being the seventh. Are you all set, kids?” Once more, the children nodded.
As the guards pushed open the tall, massive golden doors embossed with the Oraine sign, the advisor stepped up to them. “I introduce the King of Oraine and his blood Princess Enola and Prince Silas.”
As the soldiers raised the yellow flags of Oraine, the audience erupted in applause. King Cid took his children’s hands and stepped out into the open. General Griffon trailed behind them. The crowd fell silent as the six kingdoms’ flags were raised, and their kings and Queens walked out in front.
Enola soaked in the praises of the crowd. One thing about Enola remained constant, and the entire Kingdom knew it. She was proud and stubborn, considered herself superior to all and appearing in front of all the Kingdoms just added to her arrogance. She knew that when her father died, she would inherit the Kingdom of Oraine and ensure that it remained more significant for all time.
Silas, on the other hand, was shaking in his shoes. Completely petrified of crowds.
He hated power and controlling people over others; unlike his sister, he merely desired peace. He was the quiet, shadowy kid, but he considered it a blessing rather than a negative. He used to sneak behind people and discover their darkest secrets, which he then used against them. Silas was quiet but cunning.
The goddess of power and Queen of Nealairia, long thin black braids, a silver crown with a broad black choker, and an iris skull threaded on a black necklace.
"The Kingdom of Nealaria is under your command,” Queen Corvina declared, bowing on her knees in front of the rest of the Kingdom.
Enola viewed Queen Corvina as a dramatic figure, yet she admired her just as much as King Sahil, the god of War, who stood before her.
King Sahil was no joking matter. He was instrumental in the formation of Deverands. He bowed to those deserving of his loyalty, and once you betrayed it, there was no way to earn it again. “Nekriomor is forever at your disposal,” said King Sahil bowing.
“The Kingdom of Xivalon agrees,” King Malachi remarked as his Kingdom fell to its knees.
Silas had a genuine fondness for King Malachi, the god of love.
Queen Elvira bowed and said, “The Kingdom of Mazar will always stand with the Kingdom of Oraine.” Queen Rionach’s dearest friend was Queen Elvira, the goddess of death. “I, god of knowledge, swear that as long as it is right, the Kingdom of Ahira will forever bow down,” declared King Amias, kneeling.
“The kingdom of Zaiyorus is your next-door neighbour.” Queen Valda, the Goddess of nature, bowed and said, “You may always count on us.”
Silas glanced at his sister, who was beaming from ear to ear; of course, she enjoyed it, he reasoned; she simply loved the attention, but Silas had other things on his mind, such as the fact that where on Deverands was his mother.
The seven kingdoms yelled together, “For the good of Deverands!” The little white-haired boy stared at his father, who was smiling like a Cheshire cat. Silas tugged on King Cid’s hand; he looked down and smiled. “Yes, my boy?” Silas looked up to him with his big ocean eyes and asked, “Where’s mother?”
