Finding Contentus

Chapter 47: Two Worlds

"I hate to disappoint you little one, but the truth is, no one knows." King Baskriti spoke after some time, gathering his thoughts, letting his eyes wander for Queen Arrilalili to share her side of things.

"That crazy merm... he..." her voice had become flat, flat enough to redefine the earth to be flat instead of a sphere.

She glanced at Swalili for a moment who still held onto Neosa with shrunken eyes of grief.

"He came one day, out of nowhere, unannounced and by surprise with one mission and one goal. To kill all the primals of the Atlantic Ocean. To cure the world from it's incurable gene, to kill anyone that dared defy him, and to die trying to complete such a suicidal mission."

She paused, her eyes being lost to the community of colour.

"Swalili and I used to live in a community just like this. Earlwali. It was much bigger, much more grand, much more... " She wanted to use the word happy given that they were a complete family at the time, but she didn't want to offend the current community.

"In any case, Earlwali was a lot like a capital community of sorts." The memories piled into her, thus she decided to cut into the important details rather than spending too much time touching old wounds.

"Back in the month of the Eighth, I was to be married to Baskriti here, belonging to another clan, but the kind hearted fool rejected the offer the first time, believing himself not to be fit and strong enough to be the next King," she zapped Baskriti who groaned with a weak smile.

"It is true, at the time, I truly was not the right choice. I admired what your father and mother saw in me, but really I... just was not ready back then," he said in his defense.

Neosa couldn't imagine how that was the case. The very air and glow around him was anything but normal. It was that of a King. Hell his aura alone had the words "King" lit up all over it, and she would know, since she had royal Racaan blood.

Arrilalili rolled her eyes at him. "I wasn't ready either to be Queen but I didn't complain now did I? Then again, at least you had a choice. I didn't. Mother kept on insisting that it was high time I grew up to the role, same with Swalili here in taking my place as Princess."

Swalili smiled shyly.

"So, I spent my time learning and preparing for the role every day and night, as well as looking for a fine suitor to take my father's place as King, when suddenly..."

She came to a stop, a thin line forming on her mouth, and a storm of rain appearing above her expression.

"It — it happened so fast. One moment I was complaining like always about only loving Baskriti and even saying I would force him to marry me. The next moment—"

Her rainbow eyes with dominating blue shades became a pool of blues. Neosa felt Swalili dropping her head to rest behind her back for support to which she stroked her long flowing hair, hearing her sob.

"The next moment, a red pitchfork went straight through my mother's heart, and without rest, it went straight through my father's brain. Now, mind you, in a world filled with primals, I am not blind to gruesome death. I was more blind by the fact that we were just... talking... like always. There was no warning, no build up, no preparation. Nothing. It just happened, right before our eyes."

Baskriti's grip on her hand increased as she looked up above her as though wishing her parents could hear her.

"You know... this may sound horrible to say. But at the time, I wasn't sad at the fact that they died so abruptly since they were reaching the end of their long lifespans. I was... I was more so saddened by the fact that Swalili and I didn't get the chance to say goodbye. To thank them for all they taught us. For the unconditional love they showed us. For... everything. That is what hurts the most about death. It never gives you a time, even though you know the time will come. It never prepares you for that time, even when you prepare yourself for such a time. It just... happens..."