Chapter 50

Three months later, still waiting inside the mansion for good news to come with hunger already setting in. Their food supply has reduced drastically and they could barely eat twice a day. The little farming they could do was in the garden and Cassandra weep bitterly when most of her flowers were uprooted to give space for planting crops.

“We couldn’t possibly eat flowers. Stop crying Cassandra” Fei had cautioned her. The young girl turned to glare at her.

“Why is it that everything is about food to you. I hate you, Fei” She had yelled and ran over to Desire to hug her and also cry to her.

On the day it became six months that they had been stuck in the mansion, they suddenly heard the faint sound of drums from outside their walls.

The world outside had been silent, there was no gunshot heard anymore and it was almost as peaceful as before. But the silence was scary, it was almost deafening as they couldn’t hear the voices of their loved ones.

They all wondered about who could be drumming at a time like this. The sound soon became closer and they all troop out of the mansion and moved to the gate to see who was drumming. By the time they were at the gate, they realized it wasn’t just a drum, it was tens of drums.

Ying opened the gate wide and the first person he saw was Sylvester in a horse with their soldiers and knights and some of their people, drumming and jubilation as they approached the gates.

The scene meant one thing; the war was over.

This threw everyone in a mood of jubilation as they all felt glad and happy that it was finally over. They could now live in peace and not fight anymore.

Ying and the others helped the wounded soldiers down their horses and walked them inside. Desire, Fei and Cassandra took over without caring if their loved ones came back safe and sound.

The three knew they had a new calling and it’s needed for them to not to put their personal lives and emotions before it. They knew they had to save lives as much as they had to regardless of any situation. Even if the person was an enemy, they still had to save them.

While stitching up one of them, Cassandra felt someone hugging her from the back. She didn’t need to turn before knowing who it was.

“Stop distracting me, brother. You need to move back” She said through the veil that had covered her mouth.

“Happy birthday Cassandra” The girl hadn’t even remembered that it was her birthday. Her brother had always counted it each year without missing out and through everything they’d gone through, he still managed to count it.

“Thank you for coming back safe to me. If you hadn’t, I would’ve haunt your ghost and killed you again” Cassandra threatened and tears slipped down her beautiful face. Words didn’t need to be told, they were glad to be alive.

Ying was assigned to the new female warrior who had returned with the rest. She’s the only surviving warrior from the group that the Queen had created. Her and Ying had known each other from training and they’ve always bickered and hated each other for no particular reason.

“Don’t you think you’re selfish for staying behind while the rest were at the warfront?” The girl questioned.

“I had a bit of a situation” Ying replied as he led her to a private room; the one that Naomi had used when she was still living in the mansion.

“If it was a bit, then you should have come out with the rest” Ying turned to scrutinize her and like the warrior she was, she stood straight, legs parted, a hand on her hip, the place where she kept her gun and smirked at him.

“I don’t owe you an explanation for any of my actions”

“Yet, you made the code of conduct for me and my fellow female warriors back then to always stand with our Queen and nation even if it meant death” The girl yelled at him.

“If you know I did, then you’ll know it wasn’t easy for me staying here while everyone was out there. In case you need to know,” He opened the door leading to her room and gestures for her to enter.

“This is your room and these are the wounds I sustained and for three months, I had to walk with a stick as support. By the time I was able to walk properly, you people had gone further than I could get. Don’t ever question a soldier’s action, there are more to be told than the eye can tell”

The lady felt impressed with what she heard so she thought he deserved a reward.

“Maybe more than a mouth could tell”

Before Ting could think about what she had said twice, she grabbed him and smashed her lips on his, kissing him angrily.

Ying pulled her away from his body and pushed her into the wall.

“Don’t you ever touch me again” Ying walked out of the door angrily.

“That was nice” She applauded herself.

Fei was in the middle of treating the same man who she had laid a curse on. He had only sustained a minor injury to his shoulder much to Fei’s dismay.

“I’m sorry I got myself wounded” The man apologized and Fei laughed bitterly.

She was so close to tears, she thought she had gotten over him but seeing him again had so much effect on her.

“I actually prayed that you come back with just an arm or a leg. This isn’t the answer to my prayer. You broke my heart, left and expected me to be sad because you got wounded. Your home is hell in case you wanted to know,” Fei yelled at him.

“I’m sorry Fei. I had to do that because I was too scared of how fast our relationship was becoming. I’m sorry I put you through all that but it wasn’t good on me either. I’m so sorry Fei, please forgive me” He begged for her forgiveness while Fei tears finally dropped.

He tried holding her hand but she pushed his hand away and he kept on trying until he was successful.

“That’s the woman you told us about?” One of the soldier’s asked

“Yes, she's my woman” He replied happily, smiling widely at Fei.

Desire was applying the only herbs they had left on the final wounded soldier when someone made a loud sound, getting the attention of everyone.

Once she turned, she realized it was Sylvester, he looked tired, worn out and as if he could pass out any moment from then. His beard had grown so much and he looked different from before. His eyes met hers as he cleared his throat and he smiled at her.

“For the last six months, we have fought physically and emotionally and I’m glad that we all are here safe and sound. We’ve all lost people who are special to us and we’ve lost our nation as a whole. The rest of us here are the only people who are still alive. The royal palace was attacked and the king is dead. Despite everything we’ve faced, we would not stop at this. By tomorrow morning, we will all go out there and start rebuilding our lives and our region. We’ve successfully gotten the barbarians off our land and they will no longer disturb us. The other regions had promised to send supplies that’ll help us to rebuild our nation. We will set out tomorrow and shine that light so the world will know we are really the Region of light. Thank you for staying alive”

Everybody cheered and applauded the man who had set his life on the line to make sure they all were safe. It was only his woman who felt indifferent about the issue.

He tried moving closer to Desire and when she saw him coming towards her, she turned and walked away from the scene. Sadly, Sylvester walked up to his room to change his cloth.

By the time she was done with her work, Sylvester had gone to his room. She picked up a new razor and walked into his room without knocking.

She met him sitting in his bed with his head down. He was thinking deeply about something. He looked up at the intrusion and his eyes lightened up when he saw her.

“Desire,”

“You look like a beggar with those hair all over your face. More like a barbarian if you ask me. Come into the bathroom” She instructed him and he follows her.

He sat down and watched Desire work on his face.

“I want to tell you about everything I've seen on the war front.”

“Well! I have to tell you about some very bad news too, my lord” Desire replied “Ying told me” He was silent for a while before continuing his words. “ I knew she wouldn’t make it when I saw her but I had faith in her strength. It’s just sad that I wasn’t here when she breathed her last. I still can’t believe I’ve lost all my families just like that”

Desire stopped and looked at him softly knowing what she was about to tell him might break him as well.

“Don’t look at me like that, Dove. You’re the last person I want to see that pitiful look in her eyes” Sylvester held her chin up.

“I lost our child. I guess I wasn’t smart and brave enough to keep it safe. I only found out after you left” Desire looked down, trying to avoid his gaze.

“When I saw you as I entered, I knew you were carrying a burden far beyond your power on your shoulder and now it became clear, Desire” he picked her up and placed her on his lap as she buried her head in his shoulder, crying out her pain. The same ones she’d kept all through the night whenever she longed for me, the same tears she refused to cry when she lost the baby.

“Being a mother is a blessing and not a duty, Desire. You did your best and what happened was fate. I will never blame you for such but I’ll blame myself for letting Fang manipulate me into believing that you were in love with someone else. I’m sorry Desire, for hurting you and for the baby” He apologized.

Desire lifted her head and looked into his eyes, she kissed him gently on the lips.

“We have enough time to make another baby” Desire suggested. Her answer meant that she was giving him a second chance.

He hugged her tight and whispered into her ear, “How about now, my love?” Desire giggled.

He carried her into the room, took off her clothes and kissed her hungrily. He removed his tattered uniform and made love to her slowly and gently, making her moan out for her.

“Sleep, my love, while we await what tomorrow will bring. You’ve tried hard enough, Sylvester.” Desire kissed his eyebrow before kissing his forehead.

“We know what tomorrow will bring: a new life, new things, a new beginning, and a long life filled with happiness. You are mine forever, Desire.”

“So are you, my lord.”

**THE END**