??? - ??? - ???

My consciousness was returning to me. Not fast, but really, I'd never been knocked before. I wouldn't be able to tell if I was recovering quickly when compared to others. Either that, or I was just really impatient. I was a lot more inclined to believe the latter than the former. At every second, I would feel a dull pain at the back of my head that seemed to intensify more as my consciousness returned. It was more annoying than painful, truthfully. And I really didn't have time to dwell on it. After all, only moments later, my consciousness had completely returned.

It was a rude awakening, to say the least. Even ignoring the pain, I had no idea where I was. Not only that, but I both my arms and legs were bound by ropes to a chair. It wasn't the comfortable, to say the least. Sighing, I decided to take a look of my surroundings.

I was in what looked like an office. The walls were painted in black and the floor was wooden. There were multiple couches, a table with food on it, a television and a fridge among other things. However, it was worth noting that they were some things that were packed into boxes.

'Almost like the people here were moving.' I thought. And then it hit me. Who those people were. Where I was. Maybe it had been pushed to the back of mind when I blacked out, but what was important was that I had finally thought about him.

"Why, hello there! Happy to know you've finally awoken! Hah-ha, ha, ha, ha!" That voice. Despite this being the first time I've heard it in person, I knew it all too well. Dhurke Sahdmadhi.

"Oops, you can't exactly turn around to see, can you? I'll just come to face you myself!" And then, he came right in front of me. No delay, no hesitation, no nothing. Dhurke just walked in front of me and stared down upon me. And smiled. He smiled because I was tied up. He smiled because I was powerless. He smiled because he's a murderer. He smiled because HE KILLED QUEEN AMARA!

I suddenly lashed out in rage, trying to break free from the ropes and attack the murderer standing in front of me.

"DHURKE! WHY YOU...! ONCE I GET OUT OF HERE, I'LL KILL YOU!" I screamed, my voice practically laced in venom. Annoyingly, Dhurke placed a finger in front of his mouth, as if trying to shush me.

"Hey, can you not yell? The babies will wake up." He whispered.

"I DON'T CARE! WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT A PATHETIC HUMAN BEING LIKE YOU!" I yelled once again. Suddenly, two loud shrieks erupted from another room, which then evolved into sobbing. Dhurke sighed and scratched his ear.

"Aww. Now I have to put them back to sleep." Dhurke complained. He then turned away and walked over to the room the sobbing was coming from, presumably to calm them down. I wasn't having it.

"DHURKE, STAY HERE!" I yelled, though at this point, it came across as begging. Slowly, he turned around to face me. But at that moment, I had no idea what to say. I barely felt mad. Everything just seemed to disappear from my mind. From rage? …Fear? I had no clue. It didn't how, but I wasn't speaking. Meaning, he had no reason to stay. Without a word, he continued to walk towards the still-crying babies in his room. I couldn't think.

"You... you killed her..." I said shakily, my voice barely louder than a whisper. Somehow, he managed to hear me, and once again, Dhurke turned around to face me.

"You killed Queen Amara... her Mercifulness; your own wife." I said, a bit stronger than before, but just as unstable. I felt tears stinging the corners of my eyes. I still didn't care.

"Why... would you kill her? Why? She was so amazing and only wanted to help Khura'in... And you assassinated her..." I continued, my voice slowly rising up in volume. "So why, huh? Why'd you kill Amara? WHY!?!" My voice reached as loud as it's ever been and my heart rate was going faster and faster. I was going insane. Despite my anger towards Dhurke, my scream wasn't one of rage. And despite the tears currently rolling down my face, it wasn't a scream of sadness. It could be described as what I just did. Insanity.

Dhurke turned back around and looked up. He said: "I see... You seem to have been affected by what happened a year ago as well. Once you have calmed down, I will tell the truth. The truth... of what happened that day." Dhurke then left to go check on the children.

"NO! DHURKE, STAY HERE! D-DON'T LEAVE!" I begged, my tears falling a lot more, even though I didn't even know what I would say if he did stay. Which he didn't. Dhurke continued to walk towards the room where the babies where, and entered it.

"DHURKE, STAY HERE...! DAMNIT, STAY HERE, YOU...! STAy here... stay..." As soon as he left the room, my voice's volume diminished drastically, as if the air I was breathed was forcefully sucked out of me. Not only that, but my anger disappeared as well. My tears continued to fall, almost automatically so. I felt nothing. Empty. And that emptiness caused me to fall into a deep sleep.

"Mister Lu'tion? Are you feeling well?" Queen Amara, her Mercifulness, inquired me. She had previously asked me to get her some herbal tea, and as a servant, I obeyed. Once I had given it to her, I must've zoned out, because I was staring right at her. But, Queen Amara managed to snap me out of it. I reeled back as fast as I could.

"Oh, um, I apologize, your Mercifulness. I must have zoned out for a second. I apologize for my impudence." I said as respectfully as I could. Luckily, or unluckily, Queen Amara chuckled. Whether or not she was amused or she was brushing it off, I had no idea. Queen Amara took a sip of the tea I had served her. Since she gave me no other command, I no longer had any reason to stay here. And honestly, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"If you do not mind, your Mercifulness, I shall now leave. Please call me if you requi-" I was saying, about to leave Queen Amara's quarters, until she spoke.

"Mister Lu'tion. Please stay here for a few moments." She demanded, stopping me in my tracks. Trying to calm myself down, I turned around and bowed.

"Your Mercifulness, what is your new command?" I asked. Despite me not looking at her, I could feel intense pressure radiating off of her, even though she seemed relaxed.

"Your tea, Mister Lu'tion, seems off. A bit bland, compared to your usual brew." She stated, raising the tea cup into the air.

"Oh, I must apologize for that, Your Mercifulness. I shall make you another brew right away." I said, standing up and nodding to her. However, she shook her head.

"No, that is not the problem." She said, putting the tea down. "You have been a servant of mine for the last six months, and in the time, you have never made a tea taste as bland as this. This, and your odd behavior as of late makes me believe something is wrong. Would you mind telling me what is wrong?"

"Umm, Your Mercifulness, while I am honored that you have been taking even the smallest bit of notice in me, I can assure you there is nothing wrong. Thank you. Now, if you have another comma-"

"I know of the death of Re'sol and Ab'sol Lu'tion that occurred a few days ago." At the moment, my blood froze. I closed my eyes and put my head down. "They were both monks, and were involved with the royal family sometimes. I have met both of them, and their death is truly a loss." She spoke clearly and showed some traces of sadness. I tensed up, but remained calm. At least somewhat.

"Your Mercifulness, I am once again honored... but... I'm okay. My parents' deaths... I have gotten over them..." I assured, my words coming out through grit teeth.

"Mister Lu'tion, you are not a very good liar. You obviously are in pain after they died." She stated bluntly. Honestly, Queen Amara was starting to provoke me a bit.

"I said I'm okay, Your Mercifulness. No need to worry. I... I will leave now." I said, a lot more annoyed than I was. I began to walk away. But, Queen Amara spoke once again.

"Rei'vol Lu'tion," She said my full name for the first time. "I understand you may feel the need to keep your feelings inside, however that would be most unwise for your health. Rei'sol Lu'tion and Ab'sol Lu'tion... the deaths of such important people in your life must have had an large impact on you." Queen Amara stated. When she said that, my annoyance reached its peak and I snapped.

"Your Mercifulness! Please, I'm fine! Nothing is wrong, and nothing was wrong! Just because my parents are dead doesn't mean anything! Just because... Mom and Dad are dead doesn't mean anything! I'm... not sad. I'm not..." Suddenly, Queen Amara grabbed my arm that was hanging by my side. She pulled it and held my tense hand firmly.

"Rei'vol. Like I said, it is unhealthy to keep emotions bottled up, whether it is anger or sadness." She began to slowly trace her finger on my hand. It felt... soothing. "I, as crowned Queen of Khura'in, must care for my entire kingdom; no matter who it is, or how they are suffering." She then smiled. A beautiful smile. "I understand your pain. And I shall comfort and aid you through it as long as is needed."

I was in shock. Myself and the Queen weren't friends. Heck, we could barely be considered acquaintances. I have to obey her every command, and anything I do against her can result in me getting jail time or even death. And yet, Queen Amara herself wanted to personally wanted to help me. It was amazing. However, what I was most overcome with wasn't surprise or awe. It was emotion.

My eyes slowly became watery. My hand in Queen Amara's hand lost all tension and became loose, as did the rest of my body. The water in my eyes began to fall and became tears, and I started to sniff. I had finally released my emotions and begun to cry, just as Queen Amara told me to do. And honestly, it felt rather nice to do so.

"There, there... It's okay... Everything'll be okay..." Queen Amara said, continuing to trace her finger on my hand, which once again soothed me.

At this point, I knew Her Mercifulness was treating me like a small child, even though I was 18. But for some reason I didn't really care. As the tears rolled more and more down my face, I felt more calm somehow. Like I was at peace. Queen Amara ended being the one to help me, despite the fact that a few moments earlier, I was more provoked than her than anyone else. And for that I owed her everything. Whether she would continue to comfort me on the death of Mom and Dad on other days didn't really matter, because this one 'session' helped me more than I think anyone I could ever comprehend.

"T-thank you, Queen Amara..."

I woke up, rather calm considering my previous state before I fell asleep. I was still bound to the chair, I felt weak and there were tears dried onto my face. I closed my eyes and thought about the dream I just had.

Queen Amara was the one who comforted me when my parents died. And now, she has died. What a twist of fate. The fact that she was married to Dhurke made me think she was somewhat naïve or too kind for choosing someone as heartless as him as his husband. But after that dream, I realized that Queen Amara was simply too amazing to have such false judgment. She managed to keep a kingdom safe and peaceful for so long, and at such a young age too! Could someone who was forced to make several tough decisions to keep Khura'in safe really not choose the right husband? No, that's ridiculous. She must have. Which only lead to an even bigger question. Was Dhurke even a bad guy?

My mind wanted to immediately reject that ridiculous claim. Of course he was. He killed Queen Amara! And the way he acted was horrible. But was it really? I mean, the only time I had actually talked to him were times when my state of being was so bad I would call it insanity. So, is Dhurke... not evil?

As I pondered on these thoughts, someone came up behind me and oddly enough, ruffled my hair.