by C C Morgen
Yuna gasped in heartache. “She wouldn’t back down against Luna.”
I ignored her words and was in tears. “Wake up, Alphard,” I said with a shaky voice. “You need to wake up now. It’s not too late.” I caressed her face. “I’m here, waiting. Don’t you want to stay with me?” I pulled her lifeless body against my chest and held her tight. “I will take you from the Queen if I have to, so you can be happy again. I’ll kiss you as much as you want, and I’ll hold your burdens as my own. But please wake up.”
All of a sudden, I felt her heart faintly beat against her chest. I pressed tightly over her heart and sent all the energy I could manifest into her body. The cuts began to heal once again, and death no longer had its grip on her as her body regenerated faster and faster until it was done. Her eyes remained closed in a deep sleep, but she was alive. When will she be awake? Yuna helped me carry her to the cove where I watched over her. I continuously sent healing magic into her mind as she slept.
“How did this happen?” I asked Yuna who was crying in the corner of my hut. “I thought you said she was dining with the Queen…Did she order this?”
“She disappointed the Queen and Luna was defensive,” she uttered. “She would not yield. I told her—I warned her. She didn’t listen.”
“Luna did this,” I said. “She nearly just died, and you said the Queen has her best interests at heart.”
“She said things to provoke Luna to do this!” She confessed. “I don’t think the Queen knows. Thank the ninth heavens she’s still alive. I don’t even want to fathom what would have happened. Alphard was so angry. Is she really okay?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “Her mind is not here. It’s in a dream-like state elsewhere. I don’t know if she will ever wake up. It’s up to her to come back to us.”
Yuna stood up. “I need to go assure the Queen that she is alright at least and not dead,” she said. “Better sleep than the alternative.” Her hand grazed Alphard’s leg. “Hopefully she wakes up soon.” She looked at me. “Take care of her. You have no idea…”
She left to inform the Queen and I stayed knelt next to Alphard, holding her hand. Her eyelids shifted in her dreams as if she was having a nightmare based on the sweat dripping down her forehead. Lucky her tunic was black, so I didn’t have to see the stains of red, but the fabric was completely shredded. I needed to wipe the old blood off her skin. I had fresh water in a bowl on my table that was still clean, and I took an old piece of blue cloth from my clothes and soaked it in the bowl of water. I squeezed away the left over and gently rubbed down her skin. She didn’t respond at all to my touch when I cleaned her legs, arms, stomach and chest. Sweat formed on her, making me worry that she wasn’t doing well. I send more energy, streaming into her mind. She was stuck in a darkness that I couldn’t reach with my magic. The nightmares continued until suddenly her eyes opened. She was finally awake.
A sense of relief lifted my mood and I was happy to see her golden hazel eyes gaze into mine. She wasn’t aware of what happened to her or her nightmares. I was livid, and I didn’t neglect to make it known. Her actions nearly cost her life if I wasn’t there to bring her back.
“You were almost gone. Think of me as of now when you make foolish decisions.” I embraced her with a kiss to remind her that she had me in this world.
However, our intimacy was shortly interrupted by the Queen’s presence. I never thought I’d see the day Celaeno visited the cove. She strolled towards my hut with Yuna and I wondered why she was apologizing in my mind. Celaeno thanked me for healing her daughter. The word daughter echoed in my mind, looking at her and Alphard, and finally seeing the resemblance. Manee’s assumptions were spot on, realizing my worst fears.
This was what Yuna warned me about. Alphard had shame written all over her face. She is the Dark Queen's daughter and a soon to be Harpy. My heart sank so deep, listening to the Queen speak and Alphard remain quiet next to me.
‘Are you going to say something?’ She lied to me about her place here on the island and she was the reason the Swift Wing clan attacked the tower. Alphard was the one they came to assassinate!
I felt betrayed because of being misled by my two most trusted friends. Then it hit me. I only brought this on myself. Alphard is a Harpy and a Demon!
It made sense why Yuna couldn’t tell me and why she had to be vague. Although, she did try to warn me the best way she could without revealing anything. Alphard should have at least been honest with me in the first place instead of having her mother, of all people, to tell me the truth.
When I heard her response for it all after the Queen left with Yuna back to the castle, it struck me in a way that made me question my friendship with her. It never dawned on me that I was too judgmental in the first place. Because of my hatred for Harpys, I never made her feel safe and comfortable to be herself around me. She hid the truth, because she didn’t want to lose me and here I was, angry about it. All this time, I thought I was protecting her and being a loyal friend. I never thought I was hurting the one I love. Instead of Alphard wearing the look of shame, I should be the one who’s ashamed.
She left on my command and headed back to the castle. The cove was empty again with only the sound of my cries, echoing around me in my little hut. What shall I do about this? Nothing is going to change this feeling. I’m in love with Alphard.
CHAPTER XXIII
Love is Forgiveness
THE DAYS WENT BY QUICKLY SINCE ALPHARD’S secret came out into the open. It was hard to accept for a while she was Celaeno’s only daughter. The lies she told still lingered in my heart like roots I couldn’t pluck away. Alphard was a sweet young woman with no ill will towards me even though I uttered horrible words about her kind. Her deeds of kindness and the concern she had was absolute when I realized she sent the Fairies to snoop on me. I knew she meant well by it, but I preferred to be left alone.
It didn’t disturb me when they observed me near my hut in the days and nights, but there was nothing to report about my well-being. No one figured out, I wasn’t in the frame of mind to move about the island or visit the ocean. It wasn't anyone's fault; I wanted to be alone and overwhelmed by my muddled thoughts.
As the days slipped by, I hoped time would heal my soul. However, nothing mended without Alphard. I still had the heartache, and I wanted to just scream and make waves in the sea. But I didn’t even have the desire to do that.
Manee visited unexpectedly after learning from the ocean creatures I remained confined on land. When he visited his hair, as expected, looked spiked and glittered in the sunlight as he emerged from the water and made his way to shore with his sapphire scales exposed to the sun. They sparkled like jewels as he laid on the beach and waited for me to sit next to him.
At first, he didn’t say a word. I sat there in silence, feeling distressed and not overly thrilled to see him. By his expression, he didn’t want to leave with the awkward silence. He tipped his head back and basked in the afternoon sunlight, and his tail flapped in the passing waves that kept his scales wet.
“You know I can be here all day,” he eventually spoke.
“It’s your choice,” I replied without affection.
“I’m here until you’re ready to talk.”
“I don’t feel like talking,” I laid back in the sand. “I’m exhausted.”
“I can see that.” He settled back. “You’re not in the best of spirits right now, so I’ll just lay down here until you feel like it. I have all the time in the world for you.”
“Isn’t your father going to be worried?” I twisted to glance at him with his eyes sealed in pleasure.”
“Not really,” he answered in a relaxed mood. “He knows you are not doing well. So, he gave me strict orders to make certain you’re sought after.” He popped open one eye to peek at me. “He has always regarded you as a daughter, Ocean Goddess. This emotional state you're in is somewhat disturbing.”
“There’s nothing anybody can do for me,” I announced. “I n
eed to figure things out on my own.”
“You can explain what happened,” he stated. “Normally this hour of the day you would be with Alphard. Did you two have a lover’s quarrel already?”
“Nothing like that,” I answered in a dull manner.
“Then what?” He pressed a slight further to have me confess. “Did she harm you?”
“No,” I perched up, struggling to not find his gaze. “It’s more like I hurt myself.”
Manee looked astonished. “How did you hurt yourself?”
“I let myself fall in love,”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” He sat up to console me.
“She’s the Queen’s Daughter!” I finally revealed. “She’s to turn into a Harpy.”
“Oh, Ocean Goddess. Does it actually matter so much that the woman you love is a Harpy?”
“I don’t know. Manee, for once in my life I suffer in shame for how I think. Alphard must have been terrified to love me. All the things I spoke to her about despising the Queen and the Harpy clan. She perceived I would reject her!”
“Have you rejected her yet?”
“Not verbally,” Tears dropped from my eyes. “I haven’t seen her or uttered a word to her. So, she might assume I’ve denied her.”
“Are you planning to let her know that you’re not rejecting her?” He suggested with a serious glare over the issue.
“No,” I responded. “It’s already too late to run elsewhere. I can’t see myself without her in this life.”
“Then settle things with her.”
“I can’t.”
“You mean you don’t choose to,” he rebutted. “Don’t contradict yourself. Do you wish to have a relationship with her or not?”
“What would be the point? You know the sacrifice a Harpy makes. She will surrender her love for me when she finally ascends. If I go to her, I risk being forgotten. Darkness will mask the love she has for me. I'll ultimately be dismissed by the one I cherish, and I must live with that.” I caught myself from sobbing. “There’s not enough time left to be with her since the Queen will decide soon her Ascension Day. By then it’s all meaningless. My love, her love, it will cease to exist.”
“So, what if your life together will be limited?” He appealed with a carefree demeanor. “Time is precious. It shouldn’t be wasted, thinking about the end, when you don’t know what will happen. It might not indeed be the end. Life is not meant to be squandered in fear and regret. If you are happy that’s what genuinely matters. Alphard might not let you go after her ascension. You won’t know unless you stay through the rough moments. Find a way to separate from the fear. To be honest, I don’t think it’s impossible for a Harpy to have a companion even though their feeling for love is lost.”
“I haven’t heard of a Harpy keeping a mate,” I answered with a slim trace of optimism in my mood, considering it. “That would be something if it were possible."
“Just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean you should give up on your love for Alphard.” He clarified. “It’s scary, that I do understand. Letting yourself be vulnerable to an unknown destiny, following your heart, chasing down a young woman that will be the next Dark Queen. Isn’t it worth the chance to see what could literally develop? Possible or not possible.”
“They will fear her,” I added. “The tender spirit she is now will become feared by many, and I will love her nevertheless and endure this connection we have. I can feel even now how lonesome she is and how saddened she is by not seeing me. To think I will have to live with her being shunned.”
“You won’t shun her, that’s what counts,” he spread his arm across my shoulder. “Alphard differs from the rest. She’s half Demon and the connection you two share makes this rare. Your love can reach her if you want to, no matter what darkness she plunges into. Maybe you can change her heart with yours, so she won’t be like her mother and the others.”
“If she does differ from the others, I never guessed I’d fall so hard for her. I never expected my mind would sway so often. When she almost died in my arms, I thought it was also the end for me. If she had died. I wouldn’t want to survive anymore in this life. I would have begged the Queen to end it.”
“It’s only the curse that occurs with being attached to your twin soul.” He sighed from my words. “I hope that never arises where something was to happen to either of you. But you have to consider she will feel the same about you. She would demand for the same fate because the pain is unbearable. Although, for now, your connection is your hope. Try to grab what you want for once. It’s right there.” He turned to look at the path that led to the castle. “Don’t linger too long to choose. I don’t want you to regret anything about this love that has been bequeathed on you.”
“I just need time, Manee. After everything that happened I require time. I don’t want to recall that feeling of almost losing her.
“I didn’t know she almost died.” He switched the topic after learning details.
“Luna got carried away,” I was still infuriated. “I’ve never been scared like that my entire existence.”
“I’m sure you were.”
“I had an unusual reaction, healing her I didn’t discuss with Yuna.”
“What was that?”
“A dark feeling clouded over Alphard.” I remembered back within the chaotic emotions of that day. “Death had its grip on her. It was peculiar the way it didn’t want to let her go. I’ve never had that much trouble healing someone on the verge of death before. And that’s not indeed the worst part. I could sense her mind being carried someplace dark. Away from the light. If I didn’t keep trying to reach out to her, she would have disappeared into the darkness.”
“What are you talking about?” He looked at me, puzzled.
“Her spirit was being stolen away. A soul that never reaches the ninth heaven is a soul captured and never released. I’ve never felt something like that before!”
The darkness lingered in my hands from when I healed her. “I can’t forget the sensation.”
Manee grabbed my hands and rubbed his fingertips over mine. His eyes widened. “It will go away in time. Touching the darkness can leave a residue behind. But it’s nothing to worry about. Alphard is just more interesting than I expected.”
“What does that mean?” I asked with curiosity.
“Just follow your heart,” he avoided the subject. “Don’t fret so much. Alphard is a beautiful young lady. Give your love a chance. She took a chance with you, you should be fair and do the same.”
“Once I find clarity, I’ll make my decision.”
Manee and I stayed laying on the beach for the rest of the day until the sun set over the horizon. By then, he left the cove, knowing I would be emotionally okay. It hurt every time to watch my friend leave as he swam off in the distance.
Yuna left word that the Queen decided to not force Alphard’s maturity until after the ascension ceremony. It relieved me, reading the parchment brought by the Fairies. I still wanted to be with her, regardless of what she would become.
I still loved her even as the months passed with me not seeing her. My mind needed the time away to reflect on my life. I would send word to her eventually, but she visited me before I could do so.
She expressed herself casually, and I did the same, trying to not let my grief show. I knew if she was here now after all this time, it was because the Queen decided a date for the ritual. It seemed like it was a goodbye even though we both didn’t want it to be this way. I could see it in her eyes she’s didn’t want things how they were and that she loved me still. She wanted what I wanted. And I was right, she was here to say goodbye, because the Queen decided to have her ascension ceremony on her birthday. Hearing about it made me livid, but before she could finish uttering the word goodbye, I placed my finger on her lips to silence her.
All the insecurities I felt during our time apart, released into the wind as it gusted between us. I didn’t want us to say goodbye, and I didn’t want to
lose her. It was time to speak with my heart and not my mind. I confessed my feelings and told her how much I missed her. It felt good to have her arms around me again, when she’d heard my words, especially the three words that made her expression shift into excitement. “I love you, Alphard. If it means anything, I don’t regret my decision at all. For the sake of my lover, I will be with you until the end.”
CHAPTER XXIV
The Cruel Choice
ALPHARD SLEPT PEACEFULLY NEXT TO ME throughout the night. I peeked at her sleeping with her face just inches from mine. In that moment, I could no longer sleep with her lips so close, enticing me to take advantage. Defeated by my desire, I tentatively kissed her nose, and her face twitched like it tickled. She remained asleep and swung on her back. The smirk on my face became broader with joy. If I had my way, we’d lay like this endlessly. There was nothing else I wanted more than spending the rest of my lifetime, having her next to me. My fingers skimmed the curves of her breast, tracing down her belly. Her body felt warm against mine. This feeling was something I had missed, being away from the foreign realm. I caressed my hand on her cheek and kissed her silky pink lips one last time before slipping into a deep slumber.
The dawn had arrived following a euphoric dream; I felt Alphard shift in bed like she was awakened. It was early, and I could sense her staring at me as if she craved something. Her yearning for me seeped into my soul, making my blood rush and my heart flutter against my chest. Even though my mind was in and out of sleep, my lips met hers, embracing in a kiss. I no longer wished to suppress the passion that blazed inside me. My hands moved on their own navigating her body. I passionately kissed her lips until I had her on her back where she could no longer act freely. I was wide awake now, pushing her arms down, enjoying the fever of her body surging with each heartbeat. The transformation was close, and her skin shifted before my eyes. 'Can’t stop now. ' My hand started its path between her legs where I felt how wet she was on my fingertips.
