Come Love A Stranger

Twenty six

“Mariah,” Alador shook his head and stood up, “I have to, t’s the only way I could save you. I would rather do it than lose you. You do not understand the pain I go through every single time, you do not know how it feels to see everything repeat the same way right in front of me every time, I cannot take it anymore, Mariah, and I would certainly not let it happen.” He sat back on the bed and cupped her cheeks, wiping away her tears, he looked deep into her eyes, “I will find a way, I would look for a way to save us both, but if I cannot find a way,” he sighed and closed his eyes, “then I would have no other choice.”
“Alador, please, do not do this to me, do not hurt me this way,” she grabbed onto his tunic to stop him from leaving.
He softly detach her hand from his cloth and kissed her fingers, “I would try to remove your nightmares,” he looked at her, “there is a way, I would remove them so that your sleeps would not be troubled anymore, t’s the only thing I can do for you and I promise you that I shall,” he caressed her face softly, wanting to say many more to her but not daring to. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, “this time would be different, I promise you,” he smiled painfully then.
Mariah knew from his words immediately that she won’t like what he was about to do but she couldn’t tell what and neither would he tell her, “Alador, do not do something that I would find difficult in forgiving you and myself.”
He smiled and kissed her forehead once more, “do not worry, everything shall be okay,” he stood up then and Sheila came out from her hiding place to rub her face on his leg, he sighed and looked from her to Mariah, “Sheila shall protect you, do not worry, she understands more than an average human. I shall watch over you through her.”
“Alador…”
“Please Mariah, you have to let me do this,” he pleaded and right before her eyes, he vanished into the air.
Mariah couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks like waterfall, she doesn’t understand why she felt like it would be the last time she would see him or even be close to him. She was still wallowing in her pain when she felt a furry feeling and looked down to see that Sheila had climbed onto her laps and she sobbed and hugged the animal closer.
Soon after, she fell asleep and only woke up when she felt her mother softly caressing her face, she opened her eyes and Lydia smiled at her, “my darling, how are you feeling?”
Mariah sighed and just shook her head softly before answering, “I am fine now, mother,” even though she was far from fine as she remembered that Alador has left her yet again, she couldn’t tell her mother her problems and her heartaches because obviously, she would never understand.
“That’s very well my dear, the king is here and I told him about your illness but he still want to see you. Shall I bring him here or would you go down to meet him?”
“I will go down,” Mariah answered immediately, right before her mother could finish her words, her heart and body had already repelled the idea as she didn’t like the thought of having another man who is not her father or brother in her room other than Alador. She got down from the bed while Lydia stood aside and watched her.
Seeing the tear lines on her face, Lydia sighed and fetched a wet napkin and used it to dry her face, “was the headache too bad you cried?”
“Yes mother,” Mariah answered quickly to avoid any other question and Lydia smiled pitifully at her before they both left the room. Climbing down the stairs and seeing Lugar talking with her father and her ever playful brother finally in one place, Mariah wished she could be allowed to go back to her room as she would prefer to stay there alone and nurse Alador’s departure.
“There she is,” Josiah smiled and stood up on seeing them, “my lovely daughter.”
Lydia was smiling as she led Mariah to Lugar and she gracefully curtsied before him, “good morning, my King.”
“My beautiful bride,” Lugar smiled, looking upon her with so much affection and lust as his eyes settled on her chest, “how I cannot wait to finally make you my own once and for all.”
“All in due time your highness,” she answered and they all did not know that it took all the strength in her for her to speak so respectfully.
Lugar smiled, “aye, of course,” he chuckled and glanced at Josiah, “the palace is getting ready for her arrival, I would send for her in a fortnight, then after her practices, we would arrange for the wedding and then the coronation,” he looked at Mariah with a smile, “I cannot wait to make you my Queen my dear, it is giving me sleepless nights already.”
Everyone smiled, everyone except Mariah, while the king can’t wait to make her his bride, she can’t wait to find a way to call off the engagement, if only she could do that, if only Alador could appear before her parents and ask for hand, if only…
“Come my dear, let us eat,” Lydia disrupted her thoughts as she had missed when the servants announced that breakfast was ready. They all moved to the dining area and waited for the king to sit first before them and Mariah had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Earlier on when there was no Alador in her life, she had envied the power the King controlled and couldn’t wait to be treated like that but now, it felt stupid to her and was nothing but vanity.
The family settled for their tasty meal and after that, they all moved to the drawing room where they talked some more and when the king finally left, Mariah couldn’t be happier. She quickly excused herself to her room where she lay on her bed and cried and wished that the one man who had finally win her heart would return back to her but it was all but a wish for it didn’t happen.
***
It’s been fourteen days since the day that Alador left Mariah’s room, she had been trying to live well by the day but by nights, she looked as if her soul had left her and would often walk around in the garden, wishing he would show up and also surprising herself when she wished she could meet Ilayas, the man seemed to know Alador and there was no doubt he would know where he was now and also, why he was avoiding her yet again.
Tomorrow morning she would be leaving for the palace where she would take her teachings as a Queen and how to rule a kingdom and the palace and once after that, she would be married to the king. She kept wishing Alador would show up so that she would tell him about everything and they could figure out a way to avoid it but he was nowhere to be found. She had even pleaded with Sheila to please tell her or show her where to find him but her beautiful fox had not been able to do that.
As usual, they were strolling around the garden in the night like they do all the time since it was difficult for her to sleep these days and her nightmares or should she call them memories was getting more clear each time that she was finding it hard to sleep in order to not leave through such pain that felt like she was living in the moment.
“There you are,” a voice said behind her and she turned immediately, attracted by the beauty of the voice. Before her was a very beautiful woman, her hair was slivery blue and so long that she was jealous of it. She had always thought her hair was long but after meeting Alador and Ilayas, she had realized she was wrong but had not been bothered for they were men but before her now was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her eyes were crystal blue in color that even though the lights in the garden weren’t too bright, she could still see the glowing of her eyes. Her face looked like that of a goddess and after meeting two men like that, she knew immediately that the woman wasn’t human and was probably from where Alador and Ilayas are from. She was dressed in light blue clothing that her beautiful pale skin was visible and Mariah momentarily wondered if her people won’t complain about her scanty dressing.
“I am Azura, and I have been looking forward to meeting you,” she said in the very same voice that sounded like the angels were singing and Mariah found herself deeply attracted to her.