Half a heart, half a crown

T W E L V E

My sword dropped to the ground way before I knew what's going to happen next. With his sword tightened in his grip, he stepped forward and forward until my back hit a very hard surface.

Sword pointed close to my throat, he said once again, "Princess Magnificent, do you think you could fool a king?"

I am nervous but a queen will never show her feelings so I pushed the thoughts aside and my lips turned into a half smile.

"Yes. I thought I could fool a king but when I met you, I was so wrong."

His gaze stared intensely into my eyes, unwilling to put his sword down, "you know what's funny? From the first moment I saw you on the battlefield, I knew you are a woman."

I stepped forward and that taken him by surprise, so he put his sword down. With one of my eyebrow raised, I said "so you decided to keep me? Not kill me?"

He nodded.

"Antonio I needed answers, I needed some answer to know exactly why you kept me here instead of burying me alive." I was confused about the whole situation, he knew I am a woman and yet he act like he doesn't know. He started the war himself and he killed many of my people.

He stayed silent.

"King Antonio" I spoke loud and clear, "why do you start the war by yourself without any permission from your father?"

Silence was all I received.

"Answer me!" My voice gone dark and scary.

He sighed, "There are so many things going on and you don't know, because you are living well at your place, so you have no idea how much I've been through and I can't deal with all these dramas so I decided to leave. But.."

I knew what he meant by dramas, Angelica Fanicanio, his fiancé.

"But?" I asked.

"But when I got to Ameragonia, I saw a beautiful young lady drowned in the deep blue sea."

"Help me!" I shouted through the depths of water.

"Help me!" I screamed once again.

I could feel water gets into my lungs and every part of my organs.

I suffocated for air.

"Help!" Another screamed escaped my lips.

I can feel my eyelid slowly drifting closed. And my breathing stopped.

"Please..." my voice sounded weak.

As my eyes began to close, I felt a grip on my palm and I was safe. I didn't know who he was but all I know is that I was safe. I needed to know that I was safe.

My eyes wide open, "so you're the one who helped me."

He continued, "only until later, I found out that you are princess Magnificent and your brother, Williams Dillionio was a crown prince."

I waited for his continuation but nothing came out from his lips the moment he's done speaking.

This is not all, I guarantee you, this is not all. I needed to know the real truth about what happened to my brother.

The night my brother died.

The stars today sure are really beautiful. My gaze stayed upon the stars, only until a figure appeared in front of me.

My eyes wide opened and the person that stood in front of me is my brother. He was covered in blood, one of his hand covered his chest to stop the blood from bleeding. His face was pale, his knee slightly bended and he looked lifeless. His suit all torn and ripped. His face covered in dirt. I could feel my eyes swelling up, "brother? Brother!!!!" I screamed and use my fragile self to lift him up, "brother? Stay awake okay? I'll call the medic and you'll be safe, I promise you, you'll be safe. Okay?" My voice shaking and it was loud and clear that there are fear and afraid in my voice. He try his hardest to nod and I screamed out of my lungs, "GUARDS!!!" No one came, I still use all my strength of pull him towards the door, "we almost there, don't sleep." I cried, i couldn't take it anymore so I decided to get him on my back and I walked, and walked and I promise myself I won't fall. His whimpered echoed through along the dark night, I cried hard, I cried like I am afraid because the truth heard very clear on my ears, I am afraid he couldn't make it.  "I love you." I kept on repeating it to him even if he didn't hear me. The muscles on my legs felt like it's going to ripped apart but I hold on, I knew I could make it because when I finally got close to the door, guards surrounded and helped me lifted my brother and everyone was crying at this state.

My brother laid there on his bed, soaked and wet from the blood. My hands were shaking and I felt weak. I walked towards him and I grabbed his hands and squeezed them tight. His eyes slowly opened to see me. I smiled at him with pain written all over my face, "You have to wait okay? The medic will be here soon. You are going to be okay. And I won't let anything happen to you. Not now, not ever." I hated the fact that my voice cracked at the end. He try his best to smile, but his eyes were filled with tears. "Don't cry." His thumb slowly lifted up and stroke my tears away. The door fled open and my parents ran in with face full of fear and worries. "Williams, the medic will be here soon." My mother cried, "son you don't have to worry." My father's voice cracked. I can't help but to cry even harder. "I love you. mother, father and my beloved sister." He coughed out blood, "I don't think I could make it." My father squeezed his hand tight and he started crying, "no son, you'll be a great king, you will conquer Ameragonia well. You are fated to be the king." My brother smiled and he squeezed my hand tight.

"I love you.", my brother whispered, "don't ever forget that."

Just as I was about to tell him things I wanted to tell him.

I could sense the tense atmosphere when my brother's smile started to fade away and the room became silent. My mother cries echoed through the silent room painfully. My father fall to the ground.

His breathing stopped.

His heartbeat stopped.

Tears dripping down on him, little by little.

"I love you too." I whispered, bringing his dead body into my embrace.

"Do you know my brother?" I asked while my eyes swelled up from the word 'brother'.

"I do and I don't." His voice became deep and his gaze became dark as night.

"I saw you talked to my brother the night he died." I let the words flowed out from my lips hurtfully. "And he was happy, he was smiling."

"And I got nothing to do with him!" He threw the sword to the wall and causes it to break into two pieces.

"You are not leaving this place until you tell me what the hell happen!!" I screamed.

"Who are you to tell me what to do!!" He screamed back with clenched fist. "Princess magnificent?"

My tears started to flow and I hated that, I hated the fact that I always cry at things, things that I should be brave and strong and not weak like I am right now.

"I AM NOT A PRINCESS BUT A MOTHERFUCKING QUEEN!!" I screamed my lungs out.

"Then prove it!!" Smirk appeared across his face and I hate it. If I could, I will kill him right now but my darling, if he died today, I wouldn't be satisfied, he need to die slowly and painfully.

"Got nothing?" Sarcastic tone appeared loudly in his voice. "Because you are just a weak princess who waited for a Prince Charming to take you on a white horse and live happily ever after." Just that I slapped him across his fucking face, leaving a red mark on his cheek.

"You are conscious yet?" I threw him a glare. "I don't need a fucking prince to take me on a beautiful adventure, I needed myself."

"YOU KNOW WHY I FUCKING STARTED THE WAR BY MY FUCKING SELF?!!!" His screamed were loud and clear.

"BECAUSE OF YOUU!!" He screamed, "BECAUSE OF YOUU, MAGNIFICENT. I WANTED TO SEE YOU AGAIN AFTER THE FIRST TIME I SAW YOU. I AMM NOTT SATISFIED!"

Suddenly the room became silent. Our heartbeats were loud and clear, and unstable? I wasn't sure of how I feel right at the moment when the words left his mouth. Do I felt happy? Sad? Angry? Upset? Mad? Or all of the above? I don't know. I just don't know because mixed emotions ran through me and my fragile heart and mind couldn't take it. I understood why his heart beat so fast because he was screaming but me? I screamed like one time and my heart right now beating so fast than I could even imagine.

We stood there staring, breathing.

His oceanic blue eyes locked into mine and my brown eyes locked into his.

"All because of I wanted to see you, Magnificent." His voice cracked at the mention of my name.