Phantom of the Heart (27 page)

Chapter 27

“Your Highness, the Royal Army is at the gates.”

Mesmeria climbed to her feet slowly. She doubted any of the people in the palace were aware of how her heart pounded at the news. She had not heard from Cybralle in over a week. She had hoped that her wife would send a messenger ahead with the news of their pending arrival. The lack of prior warning could mean only one thing.
Cybralle was in some way incapacitated…maybe even..
. Mesmeria’s eyes shot full of tears. If Karas had not seen a queen of theirs cry in public, they would today. She would mourn her wife and child honorably. They deserved it. They deserved it more than anything else in her life.

“I will receive them in the Great Hall,” she said softly, not caring if her voice sounded thick with emotion. The servant bowed and left. Mesmeria brushed a shaking hand over her hair. Schooling her face into a mask of serenity, she made the short walk to the Great Hall. Her footsteps echoed on the tiles, as she briskly walked over to the large throne. Her gait faltered as she looked at the lesser adorned throne next to hers. Would it ever be filled again? Would she be able to find another as loving and committed as Cybralle? The questions poured through her mind, as she settled herself on the throne. She took a deep breath, pushing the anxiety to the back of her mind. She would have to deal with the general first, before she allowed herself time to mourn.

She looked down at her hands and for a moment, was puzzled by her affected sight. It was only when a teardrop landed on her shaking hands that she realized she was crying. She sniffed softly and quickly wiped her eyes. She would be Karas' queen only for as long as her audience with the general lasted. After that, she would toss the cloak of royalty and become Mesmeria, wife and mother.

The stomping of the guards’ heels at the doors made her look up. The general had arrived. A flimsy door stood between her and the most dreadful news she could ever to hear. She watched as the guards pulled open the heavy door. At the last minute, she averted her eyes which had welled up with fresh tears. She could not do this. She simply was not strong enough. In a haze of pain and fear, she heard footsteps approaching. They came to stop before the throne. Mesmeria tried hard to swallow back the sobs which were threatening to explode from her lips. She panicked slightly when she realized she was fighting a losing battle.

“Will you not greet me, wife?”

Mesmeria blinked at the stern order. No one would speak to her that way. No one would call her wife but…Her head jerked up. This time she did not stop the tears that coursed down her cheeks. Even through blurry vision, Cybralle was still the most beautiful sight to behold. Tall and straight, her consort stood, her body encased in shiny leather. But it was the silver gaze which held her spellbound. It carried a mixed expression of love, delight, and concern. Mesmeria did not know she had moved, but the next moment she was caught in a strong embrace. The sobs, she had so valiantly tried to suppress rang loud in the room.

“Hush, my love. I told you I would return. Did you doubt me?”

Too overwrought, Mesmeria could only shake her head. Her hands clawed, desperately, at Cybralle's shoulders. She craved to be close to this woman—her woman. When she could not get any closer, she opened her mouth and in frustration, took a nip at Cybralle's ear. The warrior grunted and gently pulled at her until an arm’s length separated them.

“You doubted my return, beloved?” Cybralle questioned softly. The silver eyes, too, were swimming in tears. “How could you, when you sent your prayers with me?”

“I…I…” Mesmeria took a deep breath. “I…please kiss me.”

Cybralle's eyes shone with love. “Until you are breathless, my Queen.”

***

The kitchens of the palace were a hive of activity, as servants rushed to put a feast together for the guests. Word traveled fast and the kitchen was supplied with a rough estimation of how many to cater for. Cold-meat cuts, boiled eggs, bread and cheese. The leftover stew of the previous night was quickly warmed, its contents reinforced with preboiled vegetables.

Standing in the pantry, Lima feverishly counted the supply of apples. She wanted to be busy. Anything would do to keep her mind distracted from what was happening outside. The fact no warning was sounded about the army's pending arrival did not escape her. It was uncommon for a royal to not announce their arrival. It could mean only one thing. There were no royals amongst the returnees.

Cybralle had been ruling with Queen Mesmeria for over twenty years. She had never and would never, let such an important practice slip. Lima's eyes filled with tears. She remembered how, when she had mourned Orla's passing, the royal consort had sought her out. She remembered how tenderly the large woman had folded her in her arms. Not a day went by that Lima did not miss her daughter—her only reminder of her Gentro. But that day when Cybralle had sat with her and cried over her loss, the pain had been bearable. Just the thought that she was not alone in her pain had made her want to live. Her hand clasped over her mouth. The absence of a royal in the returning party also meant that Sterling was not with them. Lima slowly sunk to her knees. It was all too much. Deep, heart wrenching sobs tore from her and in the dark, moldy smelling pantry, Lima gave in to the raw sadness that permeated her heart.

Soft hands landed on her shoulders, but she ignored them. If she did not let this pain out now, it would stain her eyes forever. They would never see happiness again. She needed to get this out. She was gently pulled up from the cool tiles and into a warm embrace. She wanted to scream at the person to leave her be—to leave her in this moment of mourning, but the arms around her tightened.

“It hurts to see you cry.”

The softly spoken words made her cry even harder. What would they know about hurting? But selfishly, she did not want to hurt alone. She lifted her hands and sunk her nails deep in the person's forearms. No sound of pain registered. The lack of reaction from her ‘captor' made Lima look up. Her breath got caught between a sob and a gasp.

“No…no…no…”

She reached out, her nails ready to scrape the familiar face off that of the imposter. A strong hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Mother?”

The imposter even sounded like her child. Teary, ice-blue eyes looked down into hers. Suddenly breathless, Lima's eyes moved frantically over the beloved face. It could not be. It was not possible. When Mesmeria told her that Sterling had gone in search of Orla, she had cried that night. Her daughter was dead. She was her mother, she would have known if her daughter was still alive. Realizing that she was not breathing, Lima inhaled deep and long. The moment her lungs were filled to capacity, Lima let out a shrill cry. With the explosion of air from her lungs came a sudden darkness.

Lima did not even try to fight it.

***

The sight that greeted Gentro when he entered the pantry was one of indescribable love. Seated on the cold tiles, her mother's fragile body in her arms, was Orla. She looked up and he gave a tender smile. In the last twenty years he had questioned his decision to leave Lima the way he did. He knew why he had to abandon her and he would probably do so again if he had to do it over. But, one thing he would never regret was leaving Orla to take care of her mother. As selfish as it sounded, he doubted even he could have done a better job. The way his daughter held her mother was so possessive, he wondered if she was even going to let him close to Lima. He slowly lowered himself to the floor and sat next to Orla.

For a long moment, silence prevailed while his eyes hungrily moved over his wife's face. Except for a few grey patches at the temples, Lima still looked very young. Her skin still had a youthful glow and her body still resembled that of the young girl he first met behind the soldiers’ barracks, years before.

“She thinks me a ghost,” Orla said in a broken whisper. “I thought she would know whether I was dead or alive.”

Gentro shifted closer so he could put his arm around his daughter's shoulder. For a moment, a feeling of wholeness rushed through him as he realized that, for the first time in decades, he was reunited with his family. Overwhelmed by emotion, he pressed a kiss against Orla's temple before his hand brushed over Lima's ashen cheek.

“When in wolf form, it is hard to sense the human essence. When you were in wolf form I could only sense you because I had your scent. Your mother…” He looked down at the unconscious woman, “she lost her link with you when you began spending more time in your wolf form.”

He watched, as Orla lowered her head and placed a gentle kiss on her mother's cheek. “I will not let that happen again. I missed her a lot.”

Gentro smiled sadly. “I missed her too,” he murmured softly, as tears filled his eyes.

When he lifted his gaze from Lima's face, he was met by her intense gaze. He swallowed when Orla carefully lifted her mother's slight body from her lap and gently placed Lima in his lap. As soon as Orla's hands moved away, Gentro clutched Lima close to his heart, as a soft whimper left his lips. He had dreamt of this moment for so long. Long tears streaked down his cheeks, as he cradled Lima. No person alive would understand how much he had craved to be this close to his wife again. Their time together had been so short and he had had so few memories of Lima to sustain him.

“I will leave you for a while.”

Gentro started at the sound of Orla's voice. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he had completely forgotten about her. He quickly raised a hand to wipe his wet face, before he faced her. Orla's eyes swam in tears. He gave her a curt nod. Once Orla left, he clutched Lima even closer.

“I have so much to tell you, my love.”

***

Cybralle gave a shuddering sigh, as she placed a small kiss on Mesmeria's ear. It was absolute bliss to be back in her Mesmeria's arms. The queen's eyes were red and swollen from all the crying, but her face held a dazzling smile.

“I thank you for returning to me, dearling,” Mesmeria said softly and brushed a sweet kiss over Cybralle's cheek. “Your reward will be significant.”

Before Cybralle could reply, the doors swung open. They turned together to see Sterling enter. Like an arrow shot from a bow, Mesmeria was in motion. Mother and daughter met each other halfway. Built bigger than her mother, Sterling had no trouble to pull her mother off her feet. No words were spoken as the two women embraced. As soon as Mesmeria's feet touched ground, the queen frantically ran her hands over her daughter. Sterling patiently indulged her mother by standing quietly under the other woman's inspection. Cybralle found the scene extremely intense, as she watched her wife slowly circling their daughter, her small hands tracing each and every limb lovingly. It took a few moments, but as soon as the inspection was over, mother and daughter embraced again. Cybralle could make out a few sniffles. She walked closer and pulled both her women into her arms.

“It is a happy occasion, why the tears?” Her teasing comment got her a sharp thump in the ribs from Mesmeria.

“You both gave me quite a scare when you did not announce your arrival. You both know the significance of failing to do so.” Assured of her family’s safety, Mesmeria's eyes flashed at the two warriors.

Cybralle quickly held up her hand. “We know, my love, but you also know that there is one other reason why we might not announce our arrival.”

Mesmeria cocked her head to the side, her eyes wide in disbelief. “You were outranked?” Cybralle nodded. “But…How? Where?” Mesmeria's eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you telling me that we have a royal visitor and you did not bring them straight here?” Mesmeria nervously brushed over her hair.

Before Cybralle could answer, Sterling answered. “They will be here soon, Mother. They asked for a moment to freshen up after the long journey.”

“Who…who are they?”

Cybralle pushed her fingers through her hair. “It is a long story and we have only but a few minutes to tell you the most significant parts.”

***

When she approached the throne room, the guards quickly opened the doors. Orla briskly walked over to where the three royals stood and bowed deeply before her mother-in-law.

“Your Majesty.”

There was a flurry of movement and Orla was pulled to her feet and engulfed in a sweet-smelling embrace. Hesitantly, her arms curled around the queen's slender waist. Orla looked at her wife from over Mesmeria's blonde head. When Mesmeria pulled out of the embrace, Orla was overcome by the affection she saw in the queen's eyes.

“I am happy to see you are well,” Mesmeria said softly and placed a kiss on Orla's cheek. “Have you been to see your mother?”

“We have met already,” Orla's said, not sure how much the queen knew already. “My father is with her now.”

Mesmeria smiled. “Sterling told me as much as she could in the short time since their arrival. All that matters is that you are well and back home.”

Orla felt her eyes well up with tears.
Home
. She was welcomed back like a long-lost daughter, despite her abnormality. Soft hands cradled her cheeks, and she looked down into the face of her mother-in-law.

“This is a joyous occasion and there is no reason for tears. We have all cried too much over the past few months. Let us celebrate the fact that we are all together,” Mesmeria said.