The King's Beloved

~ [Music Recommendation: "Dreamspell" by Gary Stadler - available in Youtube and Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this chapter 0_0 ~

As the king went mad and writhed in agony, trying to fight the Curse of Hatred within him, Rania instructed everyone to safety. She told them to go to the Forbidden Chambers for it was the safest place she could think of, knowing Elliot was there. But the crowd hesitated for they only knew of the horrors of the chambers.

"Rania!" Selena called out as she caught Rania in an embrace.

Rania jolted in surprise. "Selena!"

"You're alive! You're really alive!" Selena burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for that day… sniff… if not for me, you -"

"- If not for you, I wouldn't be who I am now," Rania smiled at her, and wiped her tears away. "Everything was meant to happen. Don't blame yourself. I'm happy you seem to be doing well."

"Yes! Yes, I am. Thank you so much!"

"Selena, I need your help."

"Of course! What is it?"

"I need all of you to go to the Forbidden Chambers," Rania pleaded with her eyes, and her voice in a rush. "I assure you, there is nothing dangerous out there. It's a very safe place and that's the reason why I'm alive right now. The king… I'm not exactly sure what's happening to him but he seems dangerous. So please, go there with everyone else. The barrier there should protect you all."

How ironic it was that the place they thought was the most dangerous, was suddenly the safest there ever was in the Floating Kingdom.

"R-right…," Selena hesitated, too, but her trust in Rania was stronger. She turned to Mitis and the rest of the Sortis family to seek help in convincing everyone.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" 

The king's manic laughter reverberated in the whole place. 

"Where are you all going?" 

His face was that of a devil once more. Like a mad king with nothing but bloodlust in his eyes. His voice… sarcastic as it was so evil, sending chills to the spine of anyone who heard it. The Magi had known their king for years but never had they seen him so… devilish.

"Pity. We haven't even punished the humans who dared infiltrate our place!" Then, the king turned around, looking for his aide. "Servus? Where are they? Bring them here!"

Servus sighed, unsure if he should follow the orders of his king who seemed to be… out of himself. Nevertheless, he obeyed him. In a snap of a finger, he brought all of the humans who infiltrated the palace, tied up in golden chains - from their hands to their feet - and kneeling on the ground.

~ [Music Recommendation: "I Will Go To You Like the First Snow" by AILEE] ~

"Ughhh," Zeid, Nedge, and the assassins who came with them, grunted as they tried to escape from the magical chains. But it was useless.

Despite being held captured, their faces didn't show any sign of fear or remorse for what they have done. They all glared at the mad king who stood before them, looking down at them with spite so apparent on their face.

When Rania heard the king's order, she immediately looked at his direction, ready to protect her fellow humans. She cast a barrier around them and ran in front of them, facing the king - with her tiny back as their refuge.

"Stop!" Rania exclaimed to the king. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm punishing criminals, my dear. What else would I be doing?" the king scoffed.

"R-Rania?" a very familiar voice called out dearly to Rania. 

Trembling, it was, yes… but the longing was so evident from his tone.

The loving voice of someone she thought was dead… 

A voice so dear to her heart that amidst the thousand noises of the many people nearby, she was able to recognize it… 

A voice that she, too… longed to hear so much - ever since she first arrived there, captured like the other maidens… 

Rania slowly turned her back, her mind was in disarray, unsure if she was hearing things or… it was really him.

Like the world turning slowly, and everything else blurring white in the background, Rania turned to her back and saw the man she never expected to be alive.

"Ze… Zeid?" Rania barely managed to say his name. Her whole body trembled, unable to believe the sight before her. Before she knew it, tears already escaped her eyes like the rushing stream.

And there he was… kneeling on the ground, bound in chains, but with an extremely overjoyed face - Zeid Ardor - her beloved fiancé.

"ZEID!" Rania cried out, and quickly ran towards him, knelt on the ground, and embraced him. "Hu-hu-hu-hu… You're alive! Sniff… y-you're alive… hu-hu-hu-hu!" She caressed the back of his head and embraced him tightly despite her trembling body.

"Rania…," Zeid whispered as he, too, wrapped Rania in an embrace so tight, not wanting to let her go even for a moment, for fear that she might slip away.

Emotions kept untold for the longest of time revealed themselves…

Emotions that even millions of words wouldn't be able to express… 

Emotions so rooted deep inside that only the heart would be able to feel them to its entirety… 

Finally… after what had seemed to be forever… the two lovers reunited.

Rania and Zeid…

As their hearts reconciled, another's heart was left broken… 

Elliot, who was watching everything from the mirror in the Forbidden Chambers, clenched his hands and bit his lips, as he smiled bitterly. He remembered Rania telling him and Ducis about him when she first introduced herself - the lover who passed away at the night she was captured - only… he didn't really pass away.

While tears fell from Rania's, Zeid's, and Elliot's faces, the king's face grew darker.

"So it was you," his frightening voice directed itself to Rania. "You're the real lover of that man… not Azalea, my queen."

Rania jolted and came back to her senses. She let go of Zeid, and alerted herself. With her fierce eyes, she looked back at the mad king.

"Because of you…," the king continued, "my relationship with my queen has been tarnished. Because of you… I hurt her and almost killed her when you should be the one suffering!"

WHOOOOOSH!

In his anger, the whole kingdom shook once more.

Then, he raised his hand and out of them, came forth arrows made of fire, aiming at all the criminals before him. And the largest one of them was aimed at Zeid!

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