She's My Queen

Chapter 30: An old book

"You want to tell him the truth?" Edward asks in disbelief. He drops his fork and pushes his plate of roast chicken away. "Great. I've lost my appetite."

"We can explain everything to him," I nudge his plate back, "finish your breakfast."

"Why?" he crosses his arms. "Why bother?"

I sigh. "He truly loves her. I could feel it when I met him last night. He deserves the truth."

"And what happens after that?"

"I don't know..." I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant, "when she comes back...maybe-"

Edward slams the table. "She is not coming back."

"Please-"

"DON'T."

We stare at each other for a moment. A dull ache is building up in my chest. "What then? Will you be with her?" I blurt out without realizing it.

Edward balks at me. "How can you even say that?"

"Isn't it time we accept this, I just-just" I choke on my words and start crying before I can finish my sentence.

"My love," his voice softens as he rushes to my side and wraps his arms around me. "I'm sorry," he kisses my forehead, "I'm sorry. I just can't accept it yet."

"Edward," I bury my wet face in his warm chest. "I'm scared."

"So am I," he whispers.  I hear a sniffle and feel dampness in my hair. I keep my head down, knowing that I wouldn't be able to bear witnessing him cry.

------------------------------------

"Here," I hand Catherine's diary to William, "this should have everything you want to know."

"This is insane..." William murmurs as he flips through the pages. He looks up and reaches for my hand. "Catherine, tell me this is some elaborate joke, please."

I pull my hand back, bewildered. Edward frowns and grabs my hand. "It's all true. Please keep your hands off my wife, thank you."

"Edward, it's fine." I turn to William. "I just want to know one thing."

He nods. "Go ahead."

"What is it you really want? The crown? Or Catherine?"

He doesn't hesitate. "She's all I've ever wanted. I only wanted the crown because of her."

I smile. "Great. Then let's make a deal. When I leave, you and Catherine can reunite. We'll pretend I passed during childbirth. Catherine must give up her old identity, and you must give up the crown. The two of you can never return to court."

"And you?" William turns to Edward, "you're willing to let her go?"

"I don't want anyone apart from my wife."

"It's a deal."

Now that we have settled things with William, I hope that my bloody dream will not come true. I cannot let Edward become a murderer.

------------------------------------

"My love," Edward kisses my forehead as he crawls into bed, his eyes are shinning, "we have hope."

I lay my head on his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Oookay...I'm a little nervous."

He grabs my hands, a little tightly. "It's good news, I promise."

We lie down on our sides, face to face, and stare into each other's eyes.

"Before my father was murdered," he whispers, "he left me something. A book, to be exact. He told me that I would need it. It was almost as if he knew what would happen. He gave it to me the exact night it happened."

I nod. "What did you do with the book?"

"I read it after he passed away, but I couldn't understand it at the time. I thought it was just a bunch of gibberish and scribbles."

"And?"

"I reread it today out of curiosity. You know what I found?"

I shake my head.

"I found a way for you to stay."

I gasp. "Are you kidding?"

He smiles and reaches backwards to grab a tattered blue book. "Here," he flips it to the last page, "it's a story about a girl who time travelled and fell in love with someone from the past. It sounds almost identical to our story." He points at the last paragraph, "look here, she managed to stay."

I take the book and notice that the page has been torn. "Where's the last part?"

He shrugs. "I don't know."

"Are you hiding something from me?" I frown, noticing that he looks slightly flustered. "What does the last part say?"

"It's not important."

"So...how did she stay?"

"Her lover. He killed the seer. I'm not too clear on the mechanics of it all, but the seer's death severed the magical bond between the two dopplegängers."

"What does this story have to do with me staying?" I toss the book off the bed. "It's stupid."

"No, it's not. It's the solution!" Edward pulls me into his arms. "We're gonna spent the rest of our lives together.

I sigh. "It's just a story, Edward. We are not killing a human being just because a story says so."

"Why not?"

"This is ridiculous," I kiss him, "I think you might be too tired. Go to sleep. You'll realize how absurd this is in the morning."

"No, it is not-"

I pull away, turning my back towards him. "I'm tired. We'll talk tomorrow."

That night, my dreams are once again filled with blood and Edward. I see myself crying over a corpse. This time, I see his face clearly. It's William.