Karmagisa: Our Fate Upon The Crown

40 | Golden Eyes

<Karma>
At this point the entire Kingdom was alerted by the warning bell. One ring with a pause meant that a criminal escaped. Two rings with a pause meant that impeding danger was approaching, like natural disasters, fires and others, to which people should take precautions. Three rings is something much different.

Not once in my lifetime, and even the current Crowns had the bells rang in this pattern which means that the Kingdom is unaware of the threat themselves. I know that most people who lived long before knows that three rings also means war.

Under such protocols the palace knights were ordered to patrol the Kingdom grounds, groups stationed at designated posts and anywhere else to cover.
Families were told to move to safe houses or stay indoors momentarily until the warning bells ended. However, in this case the bells will ring for quite some time.

I ended up leaving Nagisa at the palace and headed out myself.
I heard from Karasuma that the current Crowns as of the moment were traveling towards Sage Hill to meet with the Gaijins. So Karasuma and I took the chance to go to where Irina was in town.
••••••••••
Once we made it to Irina, she was breathless, physically exhausted, with coal-like stains on her cheeks and dirtied hands. Like she had been standing in the coal room of a train.

"Irina-."

A blur of a body bolted past me, startling my state and I witnessed Karasuma embracing Irina with desperation and worry.
Even he can get like this, it felt unsettlingly warm.

"Where's Nagisa?" Irina asked as she was appreciative of Karasuma's worry.

"Back at the palace." I replied.

"My King, I don't think this is a coincidence." Irina placed her hands on her hips, "everything is all happening at once."

"Let's not jump to conclusions at the moment." Karasuma looked about. The fires were fading and the chaos was depleting.

That was when we heard a loud thunder again. The ground beneath us trembling and quivering. Like a storm of disasters and imminent death.

"The hell!" Irina tried to gain her balance as Karasuma was already holding her with brace.

Birds that were housing in trees and animals in the area and escaped from the boom too.
The sky above was dismayingly grey and cloudy.

"It's a curse I say! To whom shall we blame for all of this?!" Irina panicked while screaming and shouting gobbled up what was left of her sanity.

"Calm down, Princess Irina." I tried to remind her of who she was and what she represented. The fact that the people around us can see her uneasy state, they are falling in fear as well.

"Karasuma, take her back to the palace." I instructed and he agreed. He took Irina's hand and escorted her to the carriage, riding back with her.

I stood alone in my own perfect world. How does something abruptly cruel, just appear out of no where? It's trampling and awfully painful to see the kingdom like this.
••••••••
<Nagisa>
Time achingly passed while both Aika and I remained silent in the room where Mamoru was treated. The doctors instructed us to notify them when he wakes up, or whether they see something strange occur.

Aika couldn't break her glance with Mamoru. She was quietly apologizing under her breath, as she tightly held his hand.
I took the initiative to talk, even though I knew she would break down pitifully again like before.

"Aika." I called her name and even with my soft voice she was startled. She closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"Yes my Queen?"

"Please address me as Nagisa, you're practically my family now." I assured.

Aika, who was greatly honored, trembled as she smiled. She kept her hands near Mamoru, while she turned her body to face mine.

"Thank you." She replied back.

"Aika, can you explain what happened? How did Mamoru become like this? May I ask how you and Kaede came out somewhat unscathed?" The idea of it all was quite hurtful you could say.

But I found it peculiar that Mamoru was the one with the lethal injuries.

"Did he go on a rampage?" I asked.

"N-no. Lady Kaede responded first. It wasn't until five minutes later that Mamoru couldn't confine himself any longer, was lady Kaede was losing face." Aika explained.

"Go on." I gestured my hand.

"Once Mamoru stepped out, as he told me to stay hidden, I heard the crowd grow wild. Miss Kaede was shouting louder with alarm, his name. I knew by then that they weren't there to loot us, but to take Mamoru."

What? How could that be?
So they were attacked because they knew Mamoru was there? Or was it because he was the only male and to assert power, they had to kill him?

"It was unsightly. The blood and horror that I thought I lived so far away from. It was quite frightening Nagisa but I chose this path didn't I?" Aika dropped her expression.

"Stay strong Aika, that is what Mamoru wants. You have to be brave and protect him, like how he is willing to risk it all, to protect you." I conveyed, staring over at Mamoru who was sleeping.

"As of for now, these doors are opened for the both of you. I'll keep you safe here. Is that alright? I can't say for sure, that it will not happen again." I spoke.

"Yes I understand." Aika nodded her head. "You're too kind." She said graciously.

In the end, Aika told me she wanted to be alone with Mamoru. I didn't take offense to the idea, so I went upstairs into my chamber. The two guards who usually stood there, as switched with another set of two. They both kneed when I walked towards them and kept their eyes away and straight.

Without the energy to even sit down and think, the broad windows that gave me assurance of the beautiful kingdom, instead displayed a movie of destruction.

I drew closer to the window panels and witness fires inflaming the outskirts of the kingdom, the more poorer areas where farms, and villages convened. Some towns in the same vicinity and bordering were dancing to the tune of devastation.

"Such a shame it became like this. That area over there." Queen Yua appeared, as she was leaning on my back, her chest pressing against me, and her arms wrapped around my shoulders, touching my neck.

Her slender pale finger reaching out and pointing towards the town engulfed by fire. Despite the far distance, you could see the mangling red from the palace. Magnolia Landing, the place where she lived in secrecy during the darkest times of the Kingdom during King Kirai's reign. The Massacre of Nobles.

"Like any other places damaged, they will be rebuilt." I ensured but she didn't seem to be convinced in the slightest.

She sighed and I didn't think that such a depressing expression like hers, could look so divine.

She laid her head on my shoulder, resting it.
"What is lost, cannot be retrieved like it was before. The kingdom is falling, the kingdom is falling."

The weight of her body was lifted off and she vanished into thin air once more.

What was left, was the fading scent of camellias.