A Queen's Redemption

Chapter 10- A Confrontation

*Amir’s POV*

They’ve left the house Amir. She’s on her own.

I looked down from where I was circling overhead.

Thanks Qasim. Issa, how’s it look?

You’re clear to land. We’ve made it so you won’t be interrupted for a while. Your mother should be expecting Selena and Lillia so they’ll be occupied for quite a bit. We’ll Keep a lookout for anything suspicious. If the bird comes back you’ll be notified.

I huffed in satisfaction.

Good job, thank you guys. I closed the connection and landed.

It’s been a few days since the meeting we had. I decided to put surveillance on Serene’s house to see if I can get an idea about what’s going on. The results weren’t satisfactory.
My mother and sister were correct. Something wasn’t right here. Serene hasn’t left the house at all, and you could tell her mother was pretty angst about her behaviour. My scouts also said that there was a bird that would come and perch itself on top of Serene’s house every few days.

A raven. The same one every time. We realised that there was a pattern to the days that it would show up. It was only on the days in which Serene used to come to the palace. That raised some major warning signs for us.

Serene refused to interact with everyone from the royal senate. And everyone that tried said the same thing. So I decided enough was enough.

I walked up to her door and knocked. I heard some slight shuffling inside before it opened and my eyes widened in horror. The girl that stood before me was not the same girl I knew months ago. This girl had bags under eyes, her skin was now pale and her hair instead of the shiny and healthy black it was…was now dull and looked lifeless. She clearly wasn’t taking care of herself. The girl that stood before me wide eyed and mouth agape was a shell of her former self. I could smell the pain and…was that…guilt?...rolling off her in waves.

“Pr.Prince Amir?”

And I was determined to find out where it came from.

~~~~~~

*Serene’s POV*

For the first time in what felt like weeks, I found myself home alone. My mother said she was taking Lillia into town for some shopping. She bundled her up and quickly left the house which surprised me a little, but I thought nothing of it.
I sat back, picked up my crochet needles and started working.

“Huh. Wow, this really is my life now.” I chuckled.

There’s so much I wanted to say. And people I wanted to say it to…but I knew I couldn’t. I knew the rumors that were going around in the town about why I stopped showing up. The villagers, including the parents of those I helped kept constantly popping up, checking to see that I was okay and asking why I never came around anymore. I heard the children saying they wanted to see my face and spend time with me again…but I couldn’t. I can’t. My mother was going absolutely crazy wondering about my change in demeanor…but I couldn’t afford myself to crack.

I won’t allow another child…another living being…to be killed because of me.

At that moment I heard a knock and groaned. I trudged my way to the door but hesitated as I prepared myself to turn yet another worried soul away from my door. I opened it and froze.

“Pr.Prince Amir?” I stuttered.

“Are you going to invite me in or do I have to invite myself in?”