Saying a last good bye

The ambience at the palace had gone back to normal, no one was grinning than their normal self. The princesses were being their usual pretty show off, Elliott being an all choice to the many young ladies of high class who had not gotten a mate, and that would desperately like to get married to the Alpha prince.

Who would not like to form an alliance with the wealthy royal family?

While Zachary was going around in his usual self, with his many pretty friends that he always spent most of his time with. Many of the friends he was always about with, never knew his true identity. And it would probably be like that, until they ever got to attend an event at the palace and see him. He had wondered many times, how the shocked expressions on their faces would be.

He had thought of it many times that if he ever got a mate, he would never let her live in the palace with the royal family. He often had thoughts of the pet names they would call each other, and the number of children she would give birth to. But he knew that he wasn't even in anyway mentally ready for a marriage, but it could happen anytime because those that got their mates too early probably did not expect it.

King Aldfrith would have expected that his second son Zachary, would be his brother's beta and train alongside with him. But he wouldn't even lift the sword to do any spar, ot strenuous exercise right from time. That attitude had made him hear painful words from this mother everytime.

She had termed him as her beloved child but a useless one too, if he couldn't help his brother even in the slightest way. And he was unperturbed by the words anyways, they did not hurt lot as much as they used to before.

*****

Right in Ayden's hallway, were servants walking around with different objects to fix his door to a even better one. After he had gotten finally cured from his cold, he had demanded that they fix the door that was broken already. The queen had almost dismissed it as unnecessary, but he asked a shocking question that went straight to the guts.

"I would like to have my door fixed to a better one," he told the king who had heard of it.

The maid servant he had told about it did nothing about it till evening, and he was sure that it would be the queen's place to refuse it. He had no choice but to tell it to the king himself.

"That would not be really necessary," the queen cut in calmly, with a toned filled with firm authority.

"So, someone can secretly come and get me killed at night, since no one even likes me here anyway?" He asked subduely, making the king who was about to make another suggestion speechless. They just had to get his door done, as soon as possible.

Just as he stood where he watched them fix the door detailedly and properly, he had sighted Eadlin strut towards his hallway, and he wondered if she had lost her sense of direction. There was nothing to talk about ever since they stopped being kids.

He could still remember the times they had grown together, with only a year apart from each other. They played and ran around in the huge castle, and even when the queen would try to separate them, Eadlin would cry and throw more fits against her mother's decision. When the queen would vehemently refuse, young Eadlin would run a terrible fever for hours. Her mother who have no choice to allow them play together again, so her precious daughter would be okay. And that always did the trick.

But now, Eadlin could even go days without speaking to Ayden, without having a drop of sweat break out from her skin. Having seeing her come in his direction, made him wonder what was going to happen. The buttercup gown she was wearing hung prettily to her body calves, that she looked so alluring and breathtaking at every step she took.

"I know you are wondering what I came to do here," she said saucily and rolled her eyes, as soon as she got there. Ayden who was not ready to house the slightest of her irrational attitudes, just remained mute as he observed every body gesture she made. Any little conversation quickly escalated into a big issue, especially when it came to talking to her, "I was wondering what door design is being done to yours, perhaps I could change my own too."

Ayden pondered in his mind if he should say something, but remembering their last encounter about who should be served the strawberry fruit cake the last time, could not make him utter a word to support her speech. The matter had escalated more than it should have, making the queen act like he has tried to steal her daughter's favorite treat.

"It is a nice one. I'm getting a change too," she nodded and paused, curbing the urge not to look at Ayden, so it would not look like she was waiting for him to say something. She watched in keen interest to what the painter was doing, and suddenly offered to help knowing, Ayden would not refrain from finally saying something.

She was already messing up the painter's work and messing the painting concept, by the manner at which she was swirling the brush randomly on the door. Quickly he grabbed her slender arms in his, and tried to take the brush from her which she fought for. Ayden could already sense a messed up ending, with the way things was already turning out.

Happy that the door was fixed to his perfect preference and thickness, he cared less and left her to do her own annoying thing as he opened the doors, entered into his room, and shut the door. She was surprised that the young prince had locked her outside, to do her whatever she pleased.

"That arrogant brat!!" She snapped on anger and matched back to where she had come from.

Even Eadlin enjoyed getting new jeweleries and gowns, she often felt bored by being alone. Her sister Edla who should be her company, had already gotten a new friend and had her maids accompany her.

"I totally hate this new life and setting," she groaned in anger.

*****

Azalea was glad that the day went better than expected, as she got more things from the market before she headed towards her home. She thought about the palace walls she has seen again previously, and wondered how it would be to rule in where there had once been a blood bath.

She was so inquisitive to know many things about the palace, and the legends of the past that Maude had always talked about. And suddenly about how the huge war had really ended.

Most of them working in there would probably not know much or anything about it anyway.

As she walked on in her deep thoughts, she began to notice some movement behind her, which could mean someone was probably trailing her. But why?

Without creating an hint of her awareness, she diverted her direction back to a quick road that could lead her back into the market, as she pretended to have forgotten something she did not buy.

She immediately mixed into the crowd and took another part, to other areas of the city that could lead her home without following the market part. And she that made her get home later than she usually did.

When Azalea got to the front of the house, she was surprised to see every corner of the front yard properly swept. She looked further to see the jars filled with water too. Astounded by what she was seeing, she quickly ran inside only to find her mother in a more surprising action.

Hama had swept the room too, cooked dinner and was arranging every clothes in the house. She gave her daughter a beautiful smile as she entered, who was still shocked by what was happening. Was her mother healed?

Tearfully, Azalea ran to hug her mother as she checked every part of her body from her face, to see if she was really fit for all the work that she was doing.

"Mother are you okay now?" Azalea asked emotionally as she hugged her. Her heart was beating fast with mixed feelings as she stared at Hama, who didn't utter and word and kept just grinning.

They both sat to eat normally for the first time in a long while, as Azalea told her about many things that had happened within the past few weeks. She also talked about the three musketeers she always met at the market, and how well they have bonded over the months.

"My daughter is really doing well on her own," Hama said and smiled, patting Azalea's hair softly who gave her mother a warm smile.

"Yes mother. I am really doing well without much help. So I just want you to stress not yourself, while I work and fend for the family," Azalea said confidently.

Hama just smiled with so much affection in her eyes as she watched her daughter, talk so much about the things she had missed out not telling her before. The things she had wanted to tell her mother about as usual, but couldn't because of her poor health condition. How lonely must she had been?

As they laid on the bed ready to sleep late at night, Azalea laid closely to her mother and wrapped around her. While Hama pulled her close to her bosom and patted softly on her back, as she told her many tales she had heard in the past and many other things. In that position was how Azalea slept off, and then Hama too drifted into sleep.

At midnight, Azalea's inner self was restless as she could still feel herself awake, even when she was still sleeping soundly.

Right from her sleep, she could hear weird movements in Hama's heart region since her ear was closer to her mother's chest. It decreased gradually by the minute with Hama still holding tightly to Azalea, who felt like she was in a cloudy haze where it was hard to wake up from.

She could hear the slowed breath more and more even in her sleep, till she suddenly heard it no more and that jolted her awake suddenly. She rubbed her eyes with both hands, and looked to the side just to see Hama smiling in her sleep.

Slowly, Hama's hand dropped lifelessly from her laps as she wanted to stand up.

Azalea immediately sat back down and turned Hama's body to the left which moved according, making her heart drop for a second.

Still not convinced of what she had just seen, she put her hand to check Hama's pulse and she could feel nothing. Azalea could feel hot blood gush into her heart and her brain, as she checked her mother's breath again through her nostrils.

"No, no. It can't be," Azalea said slowly with a pale trembling body and shaking head, as she held Hama in her hands to check over and over again. Hama was not moving or breathing. The young girl who not believe her sudden reality, shaked her head bitterly in disapproval to what she was seeing.

"Mother. Please stop this play. Stop it," Azalea held her mother's body and tapped at every sensitive region, hoping it would even do something.

Azalea suddenly screamed out in pain and languish, as she rocked her mother's cold and still body laid on her laps. The heartache was too just much for her to bear, that she could feel her blood dropping from within her. It was hot, and boiling in forlorn. Her screams were loud, her ears were closed, her voice was cracking and her heart shattered finally.