Lilah
Ten months, twenty-five days, and six hours since I'd been told no one could find him. Spencer. He was gone. Vanished. I'd sent search parties into the town, the forests. Nothing. Even Phil, the king of our neighboring kingdom, sent his people to help look throughout Lupus, his kingdom. There was nothing.
He was assumed dead.
I didn't believe them.
I'd fallen so far into my own head I couldn't even complete my duties as Queen, so my older sister had to fill in the position for me. I refused to believe he was dead. There was no trace of him. No body, no nothing. An empty casket was buried, a stone carved. I wouldn't believe he was dead. Not until I had some kind of proof. I'd barely slept, and when I did it was my body forcing sleep on me. I searched for him myself. Finding only his horse in the woods. That had been a week after he'd vanished.
"Lilah!" My name being yelled ripped me out of my thoughts as I turned to look at my sister. "Lilah, he's here. He's alive-"
I didn't even let her finish as I ran past her, slipping past people in the castle. Spencer- he was alive. He was alive. I shoved open the doors, squinting against the sunlight. After my eyes adjusted I saw him. His hair was longer than the last time I'd seen him, loosely tied back from his face with a thin strip of worn leather. His shoulders sagged slightly, his form no longer straight and proud like it had been before.
"Spencer-" I reached out, still moving towards him.
He turned from looking at my eldest brother James, his small, tired smile twisting into a confused expression as he reached towards me. A moment later his hands were around my throat, his face falling into an expression of hatred and anger and.. fear. I coughed, clawing at his arms. "Spencer-" I choked out, his grip tightening. "Let.. go-" I could barely breathe as I kicked and clawed at him, now pinned on my back against the ground. I started scratching at his face, trying to get him to let go. My vision went blurry as I saw my brother pull Spencer off of me. I coughed, twisting onto my side and putting a hand to my throat. I looked up, finding my brother pinning Spencer down, gripping his arms.
The moment Spencer's eyes left me his body seemed to relax and he stopped struggling. His shoulders began to shake. "No no no-" He shook his head, his voice cracking. "No.."
James looked at me for a moment and shook his head before looking at Spencer. "No what?" He asked softly.
"I can't- I can't look at her. I'll try to kill her." He twisted his head away from me. "I don't want to- James I don't want to hurt her but I feel like I need to. You have to keep me away from her."
"Spencer she-"
"No! You have to keep me away. You have to. James- you have to lock me up so I can't find her, can't see her. Please.."
"She needs you. She hasn't slept in months, she needs you." James spoke softly.
"James if I see her, I'll try to kill her again. I don't want to. But I will kill her." Spencer pressed his forehead against the ground. "Please James. You have to lock me up so I don't find her. Even by chance."
James looked over at me, silently asking a question.
I just nodded quietly, fighting back tears. Nearly eleven months and the first time I see him..
My brother sighed. "Okay." He pulled Spencer to his feet, keeping him turned away from me.
Spencer spoke again, and I assumed this time it was directed at me. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
