Reaver's Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 19

"Your wife?" I whispered. I could see the looks of pain and distress on his face. An unnatural pain, one that had existed for centuries. Throughout our years of being together Reaver rarely cracked his facade. Now, in this moment, it seemed like that facade had crumbled away, leaving a vulnerable and unrecognizable man in front of me. I slowly stooped down in front of him, resting my hands on his knees.

"Do you want to talk about it? You're free to do that now. Wraithmarsh is gone." He buried his head in his hands again.

"No, not particularly. I'd rather it had all disappeared with that forsaken, overgrown puddle of mud." He stood, gently removing my hands. He grabbed a bottle of wine, taking a swig. "But I suppose it's about time I told someone. You found my journal regardless." He took a deep breath, and let out a chuckle in disbelief. He slowly sat on the floor, passing me the bottle. "It's going to be a long night."

It was astonishing. To see such a wall of a man open up about something such as this; to tell a story no one would ever hear. No one but me. I sat across from him, absorbing every word.

"I was young and foolish, but what young man isn't. To make it worse, I was in love which only fueled the fire of my own lunacy. Each day I grew more and more in love with her, and each day I feared more and more of losing her. That's the risk with love; it only lasts as long as the people sharing it do. I was strong and determined, knowing I could best any man whether it be in my skill or my good looks; she knew it too. But she was better then I, beautiful and kind. The rarity of a person that lights up a room with a single smile. I loved that smile." He took another swig from the bottle, his voice breaking a bit. "I had it all, yet was so willing to trade it for a simple wish. I knew my days of prowess would outlive me. What if she outlived me too? Traded me for another, someone or something better? Or if I crippled under the pressure that love bestowed upon its followers? What was I to do but fall short of the rest. She would age gracefully, but not I. I would love her in her old age but how could I know she would do the same. So I decided to make a deal. But looking back she loved me and none of my fears would've mattered. I did it for her, but my dark gift was in vain. I knew it the minute the die was cast. There was no point of return."

He falls to his knees before the town he calls home-now a dark circus of screams. Hers was among them, but he can do nothing to stop them.

"There was nothing, much like now. There was nothing but broken ground and a sole memory. Strange how even after all the centuries have passed, I've never been able to confront it. Not until you."
He finally looked up from his horrific tale, tears stained lightly on his face.

"Reaver I..." He put his hand over mine, stroking his thumb over it.

"No words for it. None to ever do it justice, I know quite well. It's alright. In due time I'll heal, and one day so will you. After all, a queen must be resilient. Come now, lets go to bed. I think finally the shadowed memories may give me rest." There was relief in his eyes.

The Man. The Pirate King. The Reknown Lover. The Murderer. The Husband. The Friend. He had divulged all of these to me, and tenfold more. Only now had I realized who he truly was.

He was Reaver

{ Hi loves! To call my updates slow would be an understatement. Agonizing would probably fit better haha. I apologize for the long wait, but my life has been chaos this past year. I hope to make up for it with my take on Reaver's past in this chapter which opens up the gate for a more emotional storyline. The story will continue until its final pages are written and the storyline closes for good. I don't know when that will be, but definitely not soon. I will try to update swiftly but I would hate to rush and sacrifice the quality. Thank you so much for your support and messages, I still cannot believe that even a one person would enjoy my work, let alone hundreds.}