Forbidden (mxm)

33. Hope🌓(Sai)

   Everyone seems startled and desperate after The First announced that the keepers wouldn't be able to hold The Portal closed more than a year. My heart almost shuttered to pieces when I heard my cousin, the prinx, confirm the bad news. 

   One year is nothing. A hundred years are nothing. A whole eternity won't be enough for me to be with Dey. Fate is cruel. I just found love. I got engaged yesterday. We are not even married yet and I already know exactly when it will end, when the world will end. 

   We will fight the monsters. There is no doubt about it. But we need to embrace the bitter truth that it's a battle we can't win. Decades were necessary to exterminate a hundred of them. I suspect there will be thousands this time. There is no hope.

   The official lunch is drowned in tense silence. The banquet hall is probably the most lavish and beautiful place in the palace. Ironically, the floor is lined with the most expensive marble on the continent, called 'the end of the world  blizzard', a sparkling swirl of lilac, white and ochre threads with golden nuggets, sprinkled among them. The walls are painted by the most prominent artists with breathtaking historical scenes and spectacular landscapes. The crystal chandeliers are shining in silver and gold. All this splendor is in vain. The enormous table is overloaded with food but no one is eating. The gravity of the situation has forced everyone present to lower their heads in deep thought.

    I am not able to put anything in my mouth except a few sips of water. I feel nauseous. The guilt is killing me. I'm not a warrior, but still I'm ashamed of the utter shock and fear that has overwhelmed me. I don't want to be a coward. I want to be strong and brave. I am The Chosen. I am not afraid of death or pain, but I can't stop chanting the words of the prophesy in my head, "...the only savior to stop the doom will be the dark haired prince...', '...the only hope will come when his body is torn into pieces...', '...the tears of a lover, hearing the screams of pain of his loved one...'. 

   I can't let this happen. Nothing matters anymore if he's not by my side. There must be another way. Our love can't end like this. I need so much more than a year.

   "Moon Ray," I feel my prince's gentle hand sliding up my back. His fingertips lovingly caress my nape. "What is this mournful face? Eat! You had almost nothing for dinner and no breakfast. You need food. Starvation won't change the destiny."

   "I can't, Dey," I shake my head. "I'll throw up, if I try. I just... I need time to accept this."

   "You have to accept nothing," he smiles. "We will find a way. I promise, my love. I'll never leave you. I swear."

   The tears threaten to escape my eyes. I start blinking quickly to chase them away. King Dorth is watching me carefully from under his furrowed brows. I am sure that he'll take advantage of any sign of weakness he can spot. I'm not giving him this opportunity. I stuff my mouth with bread and meat and start chewing slowly, fighting the urge to spit it out. 

   "We need a plan," his voice booms over the table. "We have a whole year to prepare. We can fight the demons. All our military forces shall be positioned around The Portal. They'll whip the insects away the moment they break free."

   "You can't deploy the army there, Your Majesty," The First quietly says. "You know where The Portal is. There's barely place for our dwellings on that steep cliff. It can only be reached by a narrow bridge. There are no open spaces for the soldiers to camp. Besides, everything within a radius of a tenth of a dive (100 km) will be burned to ashes in seconds."

   "We'll fire at them from the air then," King Dorth doesn't give up. As much as I don't like him, I admire his determination. "We'll use the diver's cannons."