The Rose Of The South
Chapter 4: Eveil
Four days before the Rapture Meeting Day of the Crown Prince Nordhalbinsel...
The world collapsed before him when he saw the girl never opening her eyes. The glimmer of hope that almost filled him was extinguished just like that and only absolute darkness remained eternal. Xavier feels he has failed again in life this time. He lowered his head, unable to see the girl who was now lying weakly without any signs of life. He remembered that he had experienced this before. And even then, just like now, as if there was nothing he could do.
The girl's body was cold and pale. Eyes tightly closed. There was no movement that indicated he was breathing. No sound of heart beating.
It's all too late.
But unlike now, he used to be able to go to the sky and meet the Goddess of Heaven. Xavier remembered he had come to the Goddess of Heaven a thousand years ago so that Zhera could come back to life. The Goddess of Heaven granted her request at that time. There was something that the Goddess of Heaven asked for. There are requirements that Xavier must meet. And there are rules that cannot be broken. But Xavier doesn't remember what it was. Even so, Xavier knew the Goddess of Heaven had finally completely granted her request so that she could now meet Anna. But that's how fast he lost it.
Xavier went to General Leon and asked the General to take his life. After all, the General had indeed drawn swords on him many times over the past four days. Even so, Queen Schiereiland constantly asked the General to be more patient. The Queen kept reminding him that it was Xavier who saved her that night.
While letting his tears fall, he thought of various ways to die. If the General is not forgiving enough, he must be left alive so Xavier will suffer the loss of the girl for the second time in their second life.
But then someone clasped his hand. A reddish hue began to appear on the girl's pale cheeks. The girl opened her eyes, looking at him. A glimmer of light appeared in his absolute darkness. The light grew so bright that his world felt like it was being rebuilt as the girl called out to him.
"Xavier... Are you alive?"
...****************...
The moment Anna opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a pair of Emerald eyes looking at her in surprise.
Anna remembers all her dreams. So when she regained consciousness, Anna was still confused whether she was dreaming because again she saw Xavier. But at least Anna recognized the room. Not the magnificent balcony of Nordhalbinsel Palace. But the room in the little cottage that Leon bought.
"Xavier's... You still alive?" It was the first thing Anna said, forgetting not to address him as the Crown Prince due to a previous dream.
Anna clearly recalled the moment the sword belonging to one of the Black Mamba members pierced through Xavier's heart, and Xavier fell off the cliff along with Anna. Now that she remembered it, Anna was convinced that they should both be dead. But Anna felt nothing. He didn't feel any pain anywhere. He seemed to have woken up from a deep sleep on his bedroom bed in the comfortable Schiereiland Palace.
Xavier hurriedly removed the tears from his sight, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you, Your Highness Princess Anastasia? You're still alive..."
"Ah, right. You already know that. You know that I'm Princess Schiereiland."
Anna remembers everything.
As they are in the forest of the border area to search for the escaped prisoners—Queen Isabella and Crown Prince Alexis, suddenly they are attacked. Anna herself was not sure who had attacked them back then, but they were numerous. And the thirty men brought by Xavier died one by one until he and Xavier remained. Anna then sees a snake tattoo on the arm of one of their attackers. Anna knew that they were Black Mamba. But when Anna realized it, she was hit by the arrow of one of the Black Mamba members and almost fell into the cliff. Xavier helped her. Xavier clasped his hands tightly and tried to pull him back from the edge of the cliff.
"Daughter, hang on."
"P-Daughter?"
"I already know who you are. You are Princess Anastasia of Schiereiland. Queen Isabella must be waiting for you somewhere safe with General Leon, so you have to survive. Don't let go of my hand."
But by then Anna's hand was already ice-cold. His face paled from losing a lot of blood after the arrow stuck right in his heart. Breathing was very difficult for him. His gaze also began to faint, but just before his gaze blurred, he was still able to see what was happening. Someone thrust his sword through Xavier's heart. Xavier fell off a cliff with the sword still stuck in his heart. Anna, who was holding Xavier's hand, fell with him. After that Anna was unconscious, either because of blood loss, because of falling from a very high cliff, or because of both.
"So you're just gonna call me by name? Without the Crown Prince? Should I call you Anastasia? Or Anna just as usual?" Xavier asked, awakening Anna from his memory.
"How did we survive? Shouldn't we be dead? I got an arrow and you got a sword and we fell off a cliff. How can we still be alive? And how are we supposed to be here?" Anna felt strange for not feeling any pain at all. Anna felt the place where the arrow had struck earlier. There were no scars on his body. It was as if he had never been pierced by an arrow. "Is it all just a dream? Or is this still a dream? Or am I really dead?”
"Uhm. That's because—“
"Your Majesty!" Suddenly someone entered the room. That was Louis. "Is this a dream? Your Majesty is really conscious? Is anyone sick? May I examine your wounds, Your Majesty?"
"Louis? How can you—“ Hasn't got Anna to finish her sentence yet, someone else entered the room.
That man is Leon. He looked relieved when he saw Anna. But her eyes were swollen and crying and her skin paled. "Your Majesty, are you aware? Thank goodness."
"Leon? You too—“
"My daughter!" That's Queen Isabella. He entered and immediately hugged Anna while wiping her tears. "Mom won't be able to lose you either."
"Mother? How can you all be here? No, how are we all here?" There were so many questions in Anna's mind that she could not mention. The more he thought about it, the more strange it felt. Anna would understand if she only saw Xavier because last she remembered, she was with Xavier. But now he also found Louis, Leon and Queen Isabella in the same place.
"First of all, I have to make sure that Your Majesty feels pain?" Louis asked and pointed towards Anna's heart. "Your Majesty was pierced by an arrow right in the heart. It doesn't feel right if I check it out straight away, so can Your Majesty, I mean, the Queen's mother check the wound?"
"Alright, I'll check the wound."
"No need, Mother. I feel very healthy. No one is sick." Then Anna glanced at Xavier, who had been silent in the room since Louis, Leon and Queen Isabella entered the room. "And there's no scar of any kind."
"Your Majesty almost died. I myself have difficulty treating His Majesty because His Majesty lost a lot of blood. His Majesty's condition was stable, but then this morning His Majesty was very pale, his pulse weakened and then convulsed. It was fortunate that His Highness Crown Prince—“ But Louis did not continue his sentence because Leon threw a sharp glare at him back then.
"I told you it would work." Xavier said, smiling haughtily at Leon. Leon clearly didn't like it.
"What's? What's working?" Ask Anna.
"It's nothing. You just rest." Xavier.
"Where do you want to go, Your Highness the Crown Prince?"
"Remove your sword, General Leon.” Xavier said while taking out his sword as well.
“You two wait outside.” Queen Isabella said after judging from the situation, Leon and Xavier would kill each other with their swords in the presence of her recently sober daughter.
“I'll be right back, Your Highness.” Leon told Anna before following Xavier out.
"What exactly happened?" Anna asked after the two left.
"The story is very long, Your Majesty." Louis said.
"Shortly?"
"In short..." Said Queen Isabella. "Somehow, Crown Prince Xavier found this house and took you in a dying state about four days ago. Then Louis took care of your wounds for those four days but you weren't aware either. Meanwhile, Leon, who was very angry when he found out about your condition, nearly killed Crown Prince Xavier, but I stopped him immediately because I knew he was not a bad person. And until now they have continued to behave that way even though Crown Prince Xavier is willing to be our prisoner now."
"Wait a minute, Mother. How could Xavier bring me here? His condition shouldn't be better than mine. He was stabbed by a sword through his heart and fell from the same height as me. She should be as dying as me."
"There are no injuries, Your Honor. I've checked Crown Prince Xavier's condition. But there were no injuries to his body." Louis said.
"How possible. I've clearly seen his body covered in wounds."
"What did you see?" Ask Queen Isabella.
"I mean..." Anna sighed. "That's... The story is a bit complicated. But I know he has a lot of scars on his body. And wouldn't it be even stranger if he didn't have any injuries when he just got stabbed and fell off a cliff?"
...****************...
"How did you do it?" Ask Leon. After they came out of the little cottage.
Xavier was beside her, sitting on a pile of snow with a blank look. His mind was on Anna. If only his efforts had not succeeded and Anna had not managed to save him, perhaps Xavier would have regretted it forever. Maybe he won't even have time to regret it because at that moment he will think it's better to end his life than to be haunted by a lifetime of regret. The shadow of losing Anna feels so scary. His breathing was choked as the shadow of Anna's paled face flashed across his mind again.
Xavier remembers everything now.
A thousand years ago, Anna was her partner. And Xavier's lost Anna a long time ago. In this life, he doesn't want to lose Anna anymore.
"Crown Prince Xavier?"
"What?” Xavier awakens from his daydream.
"Healing Princess Anastasia." Leon repeated. "He was almost dead and there was no hope of seeing him alive again. How's it?"
Xavier sighed. Of course no one will believe him. "I told you about that."
"Tell the truth."
"What do you want me to say? I've told you the truth. We had a special relationship in the past that you won't be able to understand. My kiss healed him just as his kiss would always heal me."
"Don't say anything to the Princess."
"Have I kissed her to save her life? Of course I wouldn't say it even without you telling me to. I already have a fiancee." Anyway." Xavier sighed again. "Aren't you too obvious?"
Leon raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“You love it.”
Leon was silent for a moment before answering. "of course. We grew up together in the palace. He's like my own brother. And she is the daughter of the King I served since childhood. The king your father killed."
"That's not what I meant. You like her as a woman." Xavier. But even as he said that, it was seen that Xavier himself hoped Leon would deny it.
"So your words. You wrong. Me and Her Highness the Princess cannot have such a relationship."
But after saying that, Leon himself seemed to doubt his words.
If what he said was true, then why did Leon regret his words. Leon saw Anna as a little princess to protect, as the little sister who always needed her and as the daughter of the King and Queen whom she respected more than anything and anyone. But Anna is now a grown up. Leon is often surprised whenever he realizes Anna has grown into an extraordinarily beautiful and powerful woman. He has recently started to realize it. And Leon remembers why he couldn't or shouldn't even see Anna as a woman. Why he can't and shouldn't be with Anna. Leon could not find the answer to his own question. If the reason was because Anna was a Princess and Leon didn't even have a peerage, Anna herself had once assured him that Anna didn't care about it all. The more he thought about it, the more Leon felt that he had only been trying not to see Anna as a woman even though Anna was always trying to get close to him. And Anna's efforts, slowly, consciously or unconsciously, seem to be beginning to succeed.
"By the way, that sword..." Xavier points at Leon's sword, breaking Leon's daydream. "Isn't that King Zuidlijk's sword that was given by Grand Queen Zhera? A sword that was thought to be lost hundreds of years ago that he said could break the most powerful black magic. Where'd you get it?"
"It's none of your business." Said Leon, who then went back inside their little cottage.
...****************...