The Sovereign's Sacrifice ☆ EDITING ☆

Chapter Nine: Ivan

I placed her cheek reassuringly in my palm, as I stared into her eyes. "Why didn't you seek medical attention when you returned from your last mission?" I asked her.

There was a flicker of pain in those soft dark orbs as she attempted to look anywhere but at me. "Elle," I spoke reassuringly as I rubbed her arms reassuringly.

"You can only gaze upon darkness for so long until it seeps into you," she spoke in a hollow voice." Her eyes flashed with pained recognition.

"Eliana," I spoke, gathering her into my arms and holding her.

"Our enemy takes our children, forcing them to fight against their loved ones. The ones who refuse are killed. On my last mission as a show of power, the captors slaughtered 37 children in an instant without a second thought. They were killed because we got too close. We slaughtered their men, but it wasn't enough. Thirty-seven innocent souls were lost," she explained in a hollow voice.

"I have given everything, my heart, my soul, and my sanity to fight this but nothing ever seems to be enough. It's a void I can't fill. I can still see their faces covered in blood when I close my eyes," she continued, her eyes fluttering closed to stifle her tears.

"You have saved so many that were taken, you need to focus your energy on that," I spoke pulling her into my arms.

"I used to, but after a certain point the faces of the ones you've lost become more dominant," she explained. "You asked why I didn't seek medical attention. I didn't deserve it, I deserved to fade away in that snow."

"Together, you and I will end this war, my love. I promise you that," I spoke as I placed my lips against her forehead.

It was a vow I swore not to break.

I rocked her silently in my arms until the sun rose. I had been on the battlefield many times, but never directly beside her. Her missions usually took her away from the battlefield and into enemy territory.

The things she must have seen. Her missions were usually victorious, with minimal casualties, but this was different. It was as if the enemy had been planning their slaughter from the beginning and waited for the opportune moment.

As the sun poked through the window and interrupted my thoughts I realized that Eliana had fallen asleep. I carefully laid her down in the bed. I stared at her for a moment before climbing onto the bed beside her.

I gently adjusted her, so she laid carefully against my chest. "Please, rest well my love," I whispered to her as I wrapped my arms around her and stroked her hair. As I slowly drifted into slumber, I sang to her softly, so only she could hear me.

"Deep in the meadow,
Sat stories untold,
Now gather my children,
And let them unfold.

A king and his queen,
A love that grew old,
A child, a beggar,
So gallant, so bold."