Alexia
In the reflection of the glass, not a drop fell from the sky, everything seemed normal again, but when I looked at the city I only saw ashes and fire.
I hated that sight, but I couldn't help remembering it.
And now, the days seemed empty as the kingdom mourned for the kings Acacius and Soraya who had died.
While Olimper still seemed to be on fire, I could see in the city the empty stares and the falling tears of the men and women who had lost their homes, their children, their hands, their parents, their companions and friends and their homes.
Ceiling upon ceiling, blood upon blood and a floor collapsed in destruction over a land that once exuded prosperity, now cried out for help.
That's what war meant, hatred, ruins, mourning and destruction.
There were a million things to be done, but my mind remained focused on Estevan, on how I saw him bleed out and now, there wasn't even a body to be buried.
"Shall we go?" I felt the soft touch of Mariah's hand and I turned to her, nodded and we walked towards the corridors.
As I crossed the great hall where everyone in the castle seemed to have gathered, blood still stained the walls, but no one seemed to notice.
Dozens of lit candles were like tiny points of light as I looked out and saw the hundreds of people standing in front of the castle weeping for their kings.
Lorenzo lit my candle and looked me in the eye.
"They want you to go ahead Alexia" I looked him in the eye and nodded, so I walked down the hall, feeling the touches that this time didn't bother me, in fact I felt nothing but a great emptiness.
Lights illuminating the path, small dots, blurs on the sun that was about to rise. Overnight the funeral was prepared and the day hadn't even dawned, my mind still seemed to be spinning over so many events.
Walking in silence as I looked at Acácio's coffin next to Soraya's, I noticed another coffin between them.
"What's that?" I looked at Lorenzo nervously, I was about to run when he took a firm hold of my hand at the point of his arm.
"Lorenzo, Estevan is..."
"No, Alexia, it's just an empty coffin," he said, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Was that the nobles' idea?" I asked him and he nodded "They want to bury Estevan so they can take the throne, but I won't let them!"
"Don't do anything here"
"How could I? As angry as I am, Lorenzo, I'm devastated." I took a deep breath, the sharp pain coming like a strong pang in my heart making it hard to breathe.
I couldn't ruin Acacio and Soraya's funeral, especially since I was the only one who could speak, being part of the royal family.
As soon as everyone had taken up position around the open grave, I took my place next to Father Miguel, who gave me a hug.
"I'm so sorry, Alexia, for your loss" I sank deeper into his embrace before pulling away and turning to everyone.
I looked into their faces and knew that I couldn't lie or invalidate my story with them.
"Everyone here knows that I didn't get on well with the kings... Ever since I set foot in Olimper, Acácio and I have had many ugly fights in the corridors of these walls, he's thrown me out of the castle and cursed my name more than once. Things with Soraya were even worse, we hated each other and couldn't be in each other's presence without insulting each other, without exposing all the anger we felt towards each other, that's why I don't understand why I'm so sad now"
My eyes filled with tears, I looked at the candle in my hand, their departure seemed so unfair "I really wanted to hate them now so it wouldn't hurt so much, I wanted my vision not to have changed, but I had the pleasure of knowing their kindness, their care and their love. I shared smiles, I got to know their thoughts and I understood that the intensity with which they looked after the people was the same for everyone, regardless of who they were. Acácio was an incredible man, Soraya a brilliant woman and they were the best kings I've ever met in my life, they changed my perception completely when they accepted me and I came to love and admire them"
A lump caught in my throat as the tears fell violently, Soraya and Acácio were the closest I had to having a father and a mother after my mother's death while my father I didn't even know before he died.
"I'm not good at speeches, but yesterday Olimper rained blood and the screams are still in my mind, that war is everything they didn't want and they did everything to stop it from happening... I saw their dedication to Olimper, which was commendable, there was no selfishness, although they were tough, they were what they needed, they were great kings and they died beautifully, protecting each other, today the flesh is gone, but it will be forever in the memory of the homeless man who got a house, of the humble family they clothed and fed, of the peace they made reign for a long time so that the people would have prosperity, so that they would grow with abundance. Soraya and Acácio wanted very much to see their grandson born" I touched my belly, a gesture that seemed to shock some nobles "This is one of the things that hurts me the most, because it's all Soraya talked about lately, but we can't choose when to leave and now it's their turn to rest. They are still alive in my memory and in the lives of everyone they changed too, just as I will tell my son about his grandparents".
I looked at Mariah worriedly, Mariah didn't seem to be crying much, but her breathing was too heavy, Lorenzo massaged her shoulder lightly as she looked at the coffins, the empty eyes seemed to have given way to what were once full of brightness and life.
I climbed down from the wooden elevation made while the priest took over speaking the words and reciting biblical passages, I approached Estevan's coffin and touched it, the sensation was strange, the tightness was great as I wondered where he was.
The coffins began to descend, all three of them together.
I looked at the men who were lowering Estevan's coffin.
"Don't lower that coffin!"
"Princess Alexia, we have..."
"Do you have an order from me or do you want me to consider it an act of treason to lower an empty coffin that symbolizes the death of Olimper's successor?" I questioned them and that seemed to be enough for them to raise the coffin again.
My whole body was shaking, but I couldn't cry as I looked at that empty coffin and the memory of Estevan being wounded with a sword in his chest came into my mind as I wondered where he was, if he was alive and if he was anywhere or if I was clinging to the hope that he was still alive out there, after all it had only been one night since he had disappeared and I wouldn't give up looking for him until I saw his body dead or alive in front of me.
I turned back to Soraya and Acácio and closed my eyes, the last memories of them popping up in my mind was like a goodbye, I blew out the candle and put it on top of Soraya's coffin as it was slowly lowered, people put their candles down and walked away, the sun had already risen without me noticing and one or two candles had gone out before they were even put on top of the coffin.
Lorenzo put his unlit candle on top of Acácio's coffin, while Mariah put hers on top of Soraya's coffin. She bent down and almost threw herself on the coffin, bursting into tears; her cry could cut through the soul of the most hardened person meters away, just as it had cut through mine.
I was two steps away, so I bent over her and began to pull her to me, letting her cry on my chest.
"Alexia, I saw everything, I saw them die in front of me!"
"Mariah, you need to calm down" I said to her, realizing that her heart was racing too fast, and smoothed her hair worriedly.
"I tried to defend her, I swear I did!"
"It wasn't your fault!" I said in her ear over and over again, feeling my chest tighten as I swallowed back the tears, trying to calm Mariah down. "You did what you could, Mariah, so listen to me, it wasn't your fault!"