Raziah’s brows creased. She was confused because what she had seen from her vision was different. At first, she had thought the man with Ash eyes in her vision that had promised to come back for her back then had been Zoan, and then he changed over the years, but given now that she knows there was a third brother, she could firmly say that that man might just be Elliot.
What she couldn’t wrap her head around was the age difference she saw back then. If they’re triplets, why did Elliott look older than Aragon in her vision?
Soon enough, she found out why as Aragon continued, "It was a very long time ago. My mother Spent nine days giving birth to the three of us. She gave birth to Zoan on the first day, Gave birth to me on the sixth day, and Elliot on the ninth. It was especially hard for her since she was a human carrying both a Vampire and a witch. It was a miracle she survived till the last night, and she died not too long after. Maybe it was because I was human, but my body’s growth rate was smaller than average. While Zoan and Elliot looked like grown adults, I still had the body of a teenager. It was after that tragic event I went through that my body began growing even faster and in two years I looked like my brothers. At that time, Witches and Vampires were still at war with each other and things weren’t as balanced as they’re now. I did know that the Crown witch then was trying to make peace with the Vampires, but that didn’t bother me too much as I was afraid of what I was turning into. It was getting more and more obvious something had happened to me, but I never let anyone too close, especially Elliott. I thought since he already knew what he was he had it easy, and I pushed both brothers away. I was so focused on myself that I failed to see the torment Elliott was also going through. He was a Prince of one of the strongest kingdoms in the world ruled by Vampires...and he was a witch! He tried to endure the harsh reality that came with it, and we, his brothers, the only people he had, didn’t care about that. Zoan did finally get close to him, but I was still trapped in my darkness. I was still trying to keep that part of myself hidden, Maybe if I had opened up to my brothers about it...things would have been different. Instead, I led Elliott to his death. I watched him die, and couldn’t raise a finger. He sacrificed his life for me..."
His relationship with Elliott reminded her of her and her mother, and the guilty and pain she had gone through had been devastating. She didn’t pray for another person to go through such a thing and live with it forever, so she understood Aragon’s pain. She understood it more than anyone would.
Her fingers gripped his shirt, and she squeezed her eyes shut fighting off the pain.
"Zoan completely hated me after that. He would forever blame me for our brother’s death. The only thing I could think of doing next was protecting the rest of my family from anything that could get in their way, and I climbed my way up and became one of the most feared kings that ever lived. Knowing that I knew no one would ever think of raising a hand against them. Zoan left a few months after I was crowned King, he didn’t want anything to do with me or the throne. Erandell was no longer his home, and I had to bare it all. That was when I realized I was truly alone, and there was nothing but loneliness and guilt left. With time, I struggled and learned a lot about what I could do, but I still didn’t know what I was. So when I met you and realized you were also an unknown, I wanted to study you and see if we were alike, that was why I put you through all that to see how you would react, if it were similar to mine, but it really seems like we are complete opposites. While I ran away from it, You faced them all with your head held high. You were always true to how you felt about people, and didn’t fake even the slightest bit of emotion. You opened up to the people you loved, and never let them feel left out. Even though you hated me throughout all this, You were... always there in your own way,"
He gently pulled her so he could stare at her face. Raziah’s eyes widened and danced with amazement and disbelief at the same time. She stared between both of his eyes that seemed so loving at the moment and wondered if that was what he truly saw her as.
Her heart ached badly, and she fought back tears again, "Don’t praise me..." She looked down between them where he sat on the floor.
"You would fight for what means something to you, and uphold your duties. I think I’ve made you go through enough, and from what I’ve seen so far, nothing else I can do will move you. That is why I have decided to free you. Go back to Naria, you love that place. Go and mingle with humans, dance, and sing. Attend balls and banquets because you want to, and smile as much as you want to. That’s where you feel the most safe, Raziah,"
And now she remembered. She had felt like small wings of freedom had grown on her back at Naria a night before they left, and while she had hummed and danced around her room, she recalled having a feeling that someone was watching her but when she checked, there was no one standing outside.
"It was my mother’s Song," Raziah said, and this time it was Aragon who looked astonished, "I saw my parents many times dancing around the garden as they danced to it embracing each other." She paused and looked into his eyes, "Honestly, I regretted ever singing it to you...or even choosing you,"
His heart stung badly, "I know,"
"I know I said I loved you before, and I haven’t been able to show it...I’m sorry." She swallowed, then added in a soft voice, "If it makes you feel any better, I do not...hate you as much as I did before. You might have been a not-so-good husband, but I feel a little better now." Biting her lips with a nervous smile, her cheeks grew a little pink.
He might not have told her everything about what happened to him, but she felt contented with the little she had because it wouldn’t have been as legit if it came from someone else.
"It’s dawn," Raziah pointed out as she could see a bit of sunlight reflecting through the closed curtains, "I’m to leave before dusk, right?"
He buried his head in her neck and inhaled her spicy and intoxicating scent that he was now addicted to, "Shut up!" He said grumpily.
And she chuckled, "Thank you...For everything,"
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