The Seahorse and the Spice 🪼🎩✔

25: What Goes Around Comes Back Around

"Me?"
"Yes."
Minerva looked at me for a moment and pulled my hand from her face.
"Duke Barma, I'm afraid you think of me too fondly. I am to be Andrew's wife soon and I appreciate the gesture but I'm forever Andrew's."
I made a face. "What in the world are you talking about?"
She blinked at me. "You didn't write that about me to flatter me and hope I'd fall in love with you?"
I blinked at her and then felt laughter well up into my throat and I laughed so hard that I started coughing. Minerva blushed in embarrassment and I finished my coughing fit, wiping away the specks of blood I'd accrued as discreetly as I could.
"You give me way too much credit, madam."
"I- I'm very sorry; I shouldn't have drawn such a conclusion."
"While it's not entirely untrue, I would never waste time to write an actual book just to woo a woman, even you, Ms. Cavensold." She blushed harder. "Either way, it's not what you think, I'm afraid."
"Then... what should I think? You seem to know me and my sons quite well to have only known us in this short amount of time."
"It's quite a complicated issue, Minerva. If you could figure it out easily, you would have done so by now and we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"True."
"So you've accepted my invitation then?"
"Y-yes, of course." She said, handing the envelope to me. "You really should rest, Salem, so that you'll be ready for your festivities."
"If appreciate your concern. I await the night we meet again. Oh and may I reserve a dance with you?"
Minerva smiled sweetly at me. "It would be quite rude to not dance with such a gracious host."
I smirked as she gave a slight curtsy and then left.
As soon as she was out of sight, I frowned and looked at the RSVP cards in my hand. I wanted her a part of society but I guess society makes us who we are more than I thought. I missed her brash talk and no nonsense attitude towards me. I had always been flattered all day long by so many people trying to get on my 'good side' that having that pinch of reality from someone telling you the absolute truth never hurt a bit. I really hope my father knows what he's doing. I don't have very long and dying to keep that family safe would be well worth it, but if I don't get to see her before that then... well... it would be very unfortunate.

***********************************

Bastion
It doesn't make sense... It just doesn't make sense! Why would the duke say that? It's been racking my mind ever since I was rescued from the Jacobys by the duke. "It requires some time manipulation and it will probably kill me." Why would he say that when I'm the one that the backlash comes for? Wait... now that I think about it, I haven't had any backlash in a while... In fact, I haven't had any at all.
"Are you alright? You'll have a trench in the rug with your pacing." Eadric said from behind a book.
"Something the duke said is bothering me."
"Everything that guy says bothers you."
"It's not in a bad way but a familiar way. I feel like I've met him before."
"You too, huh?"
I stopped pacing to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"Xerxes has been saying how much e missed the dukes 'big tummy' and we have no idea what he's talking about."
"Big tummy?" I asked in confusion.
"Yeah."
Just then, Xerxes came into the room, jumping on one foot and then the other, humming a song.
"Xerxes?"
"Hmm?" he said, looking up at me.
"Eadric said you missed the duke's 'big tummy'. What do you mean?"
His eyes seemed to light up in excitement. "We were livin at his house and we wrote a story and he had a biiiiig tummy. Then he came to our house, but it was poor. Then Mummy was rich!"
"So... you know the duke?"
"All us did. We were at his big house. I am Lord Piff!"

"All the backlash will be on me. You won't have to suffer anymore."

I put my hand to my head and grabbed the back of the couch to steady myself.
"Bastion?"
"I... I'm starting to remember..."
"BASTION!!!"

****************************

Minerva
When I returned home, I opened the door was met by the maids yelling at me all at once.
"Please calm down, ladies, one at a time."
"It's Young Master Bastion, ma'am. He's suddenly lost consciousness." One maid said.
I quickly shed my gloves and parasol and ran into the living room where Bastion was on the couch and Eadric was fanning him. He looked up at me.
"Mum!"
"Is he alright? What happened?"
"He just passed out. He said, 'I remember', and then just fell."
Eadric moved out of my way as I went to Bastion and smacked his face softly. He finally mumbled something and opened his eyes.
"Mum..."
"You gave me a fright! Are you alright?"
"Yes... Where are we?"
The other boys and I looked at each other and ten back at Bastion.
"You're home, of course..."
"Home?" He looked around for a second as if to make sure what he was looking at was real and then nodded slowly. "Right..."
"Did you hit your head when you blacked out?"
"No..." He suddenly gasped as if he remembered something and grabbed my shoulders. "Mum, I know what's wrong with the duke."
"Oh?"
"He made a wish on me and took away all the backlash of wishes made that bend reality."
"What do you mean? Bastion-"
"I know, I know, we only met him some time ago but that's not really true. We've known him for almost a whole year now."
I frowned. "That can't be."
"It's true! We were actually really poor and there was this really weird wish that was made on the duke so we had to help him out."
I shook my head, the scenario playing in my head seeming too odd for me, giving me a headache.
"Enough, Bastion..."
"But Mother you don't love Andrew! Andrew tried to defile you in the kitchen of the duke's home! That's why the duke has been acting odd towards Andrew and why he has been trying to woo you without caring about Andrew's feeling in the matter. He's in love with you and you were in love with him but-"
I didn't even realize I'd slapped him until he was staring at me with tears in his eyes, hand to his face, and a shocked expression. I floundered for a second but there was nothing I could really do to fix the issue. I cleared my throat and clenched my fists.
"I'm sorry... You're talking nonsense."
For the first time in Bastion's live, he seemed very angry with me and glared hard at me. I'm glad he wasn't Eadric that I had angered so...
"They are my wishes and I know when they've been granted. It took me a while to remember, but I know what happened."
He walked out and I sighed, hoping he would be alright.

******************************

Salem
"Salem?"
I looked at my father as he came to the open doors of the balcony.
"Hey."
"What are you doing out here?"
"Getting some fresh air... She said she'd come."
"Excellent."
"What do you plan on doing, Father? I fear that I may not make the date." I said, looking at my shaking hand.
Father touched my hand and I looked at him. He touched my face softly and then smacked me hard.
"If you would lay in bed and rest then you'd have the strength to recover properly, you little imbecile."
I made a face as I touched my burning cheek and he put his hand on my back.
"Son, please. Exerting yourself makes things so much worse for you."
"How can I build up strength if I lounge around in bed all damned day?" I growled.
A sudden coughing attack hit me and I could barely walk as I made my way across the room. Father was with me, helping me get into bed and hitting my back when the cough seemed to get stuck in my throat. I hated the coughing the most. It pulled at aching bones and muscles, scratched my throat that was already dry up with more roughness and usually involved copious amounts of blood spatter in my hand. Lucky enough, I may get a nice glob. Once I had finally calmed down, even though I was shivering like a leaf, Father pulled covers over me and then pulled my hand out to hold it.
"As of today, you'll need to stay in but the rest of the time, you only need to stay in about ninety percent of the time." I frowned as he smiled. "My p[lan should work and then all with be right with the world."
"Milord?" Uma said, coming into the room.
"Yes?" both Father and I said at the same time.
"The young lord, sir."
"Yes?"
"There is a young man here to see you. A Young Master Thrathum."
"Bastion?"
"Shall I send him up?"
"Yes, please." Uma nodded and left the room. "Why is he here?"
We waited as Bastion came in and when he saw it looked like he set his jaw in an angry position.
"Duke Barma."
"What brings you here, Bastion?"
"Unwish it."
"What?"
"The wish that you made. Undo it."
"You mean the one on the Jacobys? Sorry I'm not-"
"Not them you idiot, you!" he yelled, pointing at me.
"I don't know what-"
"I remember everything." He walked over to me and stood next to the bed. "Duke Barma, I know you wished for all the backlash to be on you but you have to unwish it... You're dying..."
I smiled at him. "I know that. It's alright."
"No it isn't!" he said, kneeling on the floor and grabbing my hand. "Duke Barma, if you die I don't know what I'll do. You're like a father to me and if I lose you... Please undo the wish, Duke Barma. Please, I beg of you."
I pulled my hand from his and touched his head softly. My mother's words came back to me just as clear as if she were in the same room with us now.
"'You have so much to learn, my son. You don't yet know the ways of life but one day, you'll find out. One day you'll sacrifice your happiness, your freedom, your pride; all for the sake of someone very dear to you. Whether it be your wife or your kids, you would rather suffer than see things go awry for them.'" Bastion stared at me and I saw he was trying not to cry. "My mother said those words to me when I was right where you are as she lay in her own bed, dying just like me. To her, dying to keep everything from falling apart was enough for her. To me, a wish that rights your life and the life of your family is worth every pain I endure. You deserve happiness of the finest quality and I am happy to die so that you all may live."
Bastion's eyes finally brimmed with tears and he leaned over me, crying on my chest just like I had done so long when my mother told me the same thing. I put my arm over him to comfort him as I looked at my father. I could see that he was trying not to cry himself. I had forgiven him a long time ago and I realized now that he had always known, always felt the pain... he always felt guilty for what he'd done."
"Please don't go..." Bastion said so softly that I almost didn't hear it.
I touched his head and rustled his ginger hair.
"I wish I could promise you that but I can't." Bastion moved to look at me. "This ball is my farewell present to your mother. Will you help me make it memorable?" Bastion sniffled but nodded and I smiled. "Dry your tears, Bastion. A young lord never cries in front of others."
My father left and I realized that those had been his words to me as they put my mother in the ground. Until now, I didn't realized that he hadn't been talking to me that day... he had been talking to himself.