King Bayrel sat in his study, staring at the stack of papers before him. Even though Autem had forcibly sent them to a new world, administrative duties seemed to follow him no matter where he went. It annoyed him. He didn't complain about it. Without his various frenemies, his kingdom would fall apart. He knew he couldn't do anything without his supporters' backing and the loyalty of the imperial guards.
He glanced at the calendar and smirked. Today was Thanksgiving. He was in a good mood because Serenah was shut up in her room and out of his sight. He also had turned down Lancaster's invitation to Serenah to have dinner with Lancaster and his family. When the man had asked a couple of weeks ago, Lancaster had extended the invitation to Serenah only. Bayrel had attempted to wheedle the other man into allowing Amanah to join as well. After Lancaster steadfastly refused, Bayrel made up an excuse as to why Serenah couldn't go.
He hadn't told his youngest about the invite, and he was sure Lancaster didn't say anything to her either. He saw the time and made his way to the dining hall. He knew Amanah had convinced the kitchen staff not to invite Serenah to the dinner. He smiled at the guile of his oldest. She was so much like him that he was satisfied to pass the kingdom to her when the time came. He entered the hall and watched Noward rise and bow.
"Sit. Sit. Relax. It's just us here. Amanah should be here shortly." He ignored Noward's frown.
Soon, Amanah joined them, and they enjoyed the meal. While they ate, he kept Noward busy with meaningless talk. Everything was fine until the grand duke asked about Serenah's whereabouts. Bayrel was pleased with how Amanah swiftly handled Noward's probing. He exchanged glances with his oldest. He would have to start keeping an eye on the grand duke.
He made sure to brag about Amanah's accomplishments, and Noward took the hint. He couldn't wait to marry Serenah off to him and get both of them out of his sight. Once dinner was over, Bayrel went to his study. He buried himself in his work, stopping only when the clock struck midnight.
He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, letting the memories of ten years ago rise.
~***~
It was another beautiful day in the kingdom. Bayrel stood on the balcony overlooking the east garden and grinned. His kingdom was prospering, and things couldn't be better. His daughters were growing well, and his queen was content. He couldn't wish for a better life.
He decided to pick some roses for Ciela. His queen loved roses and personally tended to the ones in the east garden. Bayrel went to the garden and gathered two of each color. Satisfied with his collection of flowers, he turned to go inside when he heard a scream coming from the Queen's Wing.
Fear filled him as he raced toward the direction of the screams. The screams were growing louder. He rounded the corner and slammed into an invisible barrier, dropping the roses.
"Guards!" he shouted. On the other side of the barrier, he could see several unconscious maids on the floor outside Ciela's room. The stampede of the arriving guards eased some of Bayrel's anxiety. The magical barrier was stronger than his power could handle. He needed backup.
"Bring down this barrier. Use dispel and cast it at the same time as me." He held up his hand, feeling the burn of his rising magic. When he could barely withstand the pain of so much magic, he yelled, "Now!"
The dispel magic dissolved the barrier, and Bayrel raced to Ciela's door. With a savage wave of his hand, he slammed wind blades into the door, shattering it. The air hummed with the immense pressure of newly released magic. It was so thick it was suffocating. His mind stuttered to a halt, unable to process the scene before him. His senses shut down as time froze, horror stealing all thought from him.
"Your Majesty!" cried Dayrus, the captain of the imperial guards, as he ran to Bayrel's side, his sword out.
Dayrus's voice snapped him out of his shock. The sobbing screams of Serenah rushed into Bayrel's ears. He blinked, his eyes surveying the damage surrounding Serenah. A strangled gasp left his throat at the sight of Ciela's motionless body on the floor behind their hysterical daughter.
"Ciela!" He rushed past Serenah, knocking her over in his hurry to get to his unresponsive wife.
Bayrel fell to his knees, carefully cradling Ciela in his arms. Her lifeless eyes were open, her face frozen in a fearful expression.
"Daddy! Daddy! Something's wrong with Mama!" Serenah's high-pitched, childlike voice wailed behind him.
Her words poked his bleeding soul. His fated one was gone. Gently, he placed Ciela on the floor and closed her eyes with a gentle swipe of his hand. Fury, hot and fierce, bubbled up. It was Serenah's fault. Grand High Priestess Pira had said his youngest was a bane that would kill him one day. He would have preferred to die rather than lose Ciela. How dare his daughter kill her mother! No, she wasn't his daughter. Not anymore. She was a curse he needed to get rid of.
He got to his feet and stalked toward the wailing Serenah. Her violet, tear-filled eyes glanced up at him, and she ran to him, her arms open in a silent demand to be held. He easily sidestepped her, raised his hand, and slapped her hard. She yelped and fell back on her butt in shock, her crying temporarily stopped from the shock of the blow.
Bayrel ignored the surprised gasps of his guards. He had never hit his children. But this thing at his feet was not his child. He only had one true child: Amanah. He glared at Serenah.
"Do not touch me, Murderer. You are filthy and deserve to die. I'll allow you to live because Ciela would want that. You are as dead to me as the mother you killed. Do not call me Father. I am "Your Majesty" to you from now on."
He ignored Serenah's sobs of hurt and confusion. He had no room in his heart for the one who had taken the love of his life and fated queen from him. He would make sure that Serenah suffered for killing his queen. He would never forgive her for as long as Serenah lived.
"Dayrus, get that thing out of my sight," he ordered on his way out of the room. Serenah's piercing wail of sorrow did not thaw his cold resolve. He had to break the news to Amanah and prepare for Ciela's funeral.
~***~
Bayrel blinked. He always relived that devastating event every year near the anniversary of Ciela's death. Idly, he wondered what she would think of this new world and Amanah's growth. His wife had loved the twins fiercely, but, if he were honest, she tended to favor Serenah a little more. He had complained to his wife that she needed to treat the twins fairly.
Ciela had laughed and told him he worried too much. She treated each girl according to each one's personality. She'd often told him that Serenah was more empathetic when it came to people's emotions. Amanah was like him, bold and ferocious. She was fearless, unlike Serenah, who tended to jump at her own shadow. Despite Serenah's shortcomings, Ciela had loved her. He frowned.
Look what it had cost his dear wife. She had wanted to help Serenah with her first magical release. Ciela was a strong magic user in her own right. She should have been able to handle Serenah's magical release. Something had gone wrong, however, killing Ciela in the process. He'd had Serenah interrogated by the royal truthspeaker with no satisfying answer. The conclusion was that Serenah was too young to explain what had transpired that fateful afternoon.
Bayrel didn't care. She was a sinner and was never to be forgiven. Every chance he got to punish Serenah for her sin was a good day. The ultimate punishment was being married off to Grand Duke Noward. The man had peculiar habits that Bayrel overlooked because of the grand duke's fighting prowess. If Noward happened to kill Serenah after he got tired of her, who was Bayrel to stop a married man's prerogative?
He shrugged, stood, and stretched. It was a little after midnight. Time for some much needed sleep. It was time to focus on the present and future, not the past.