Alexia
Sitting in front of Soraya, she poured me tea, the memories of the day I was poisoned would stay with me, did she think we could sit and eat cookies?
"Have some tea, it's not poisoned"
"Your words are very comforting" I said, taking the tea. I cooled it a little with my lips and then, repeating what I had done the same day I was poisoned, I threw the tea on a plant in the corner, only this time in front of her.
Soraya smiled in amusement.
"I haven't seen you in the castle for three days"
"I've been prowling the grounds with Silver, after I got the letter..."
"You need to rest" she said, cutting me off "Let Estevan and the men work, you need to rest!"
I frowned and then remembered what had just happened.
"If you're saying that because I fell in the corridor, I'm sure that if I get a good night's sleep I'll recover, I didn't sleep properly last night so my condition is normal."
"This is all being too stressful for you, Alexia," she said in a quiet voice, I didn't understand what Soraya was getting at, her concern made me feel strange.
"It's a shame we can't just leave the men in this war, you're our greatest strength" she said, putting her face down on the table "I wonder if there's any way you could let Estevan ride Silver?"
"Have you ever seen anyone ride Estevan's dragon?" I asked, "But you shouldn't know that they don't allow it, even at our command, the most would be Estevan behind me, but I understand... We've already tried that and Silver won't obey Estevan."
I was beginning to understand what Soraya wanted, I also thought that Estevan would be better than me and if possible I would let him take the lead, but Silver won't even move if he only has Estevan on his back.
There were hundreds of things we didn't understand about these fascinating creatures.
"If he went alone"
"Him? Silver?" I asked confused. "There's no way I'd let Silver fight another dragon on his own, especially knowing that George will be riding the dragon and that he won't be merciful."
Soraya shook her head slowly.
"There has to be another way"
"If I can find it, I'm open to hearing it" I said sarcastically, the last few days have been exhausting just looking for ways to win the war and prepare for it, Estevan had gone mad at the idea of me taking part, he feared losing me and I knew it.
But like Soraya, Estevan had tried and thought of everything since we returned from Letrons and learned from Charlotte's letter that there was no other way.
I had to take part in the war.
"I don't know which is worse, you riding on top of Silver or us losing the war"
"I don't understand where you're going with this discussion Soraya" I said impatiently "This conversation is confusing"
"Are you such a layman that you haven't noticed anything?" She asked with a sarcastic smile. "I saw the armor Estevan prepared for you, at least accept it."
"I'm not wearing that armor"
Soraya stood up, expecting an insult, an argument or any aggressive attitude, but she approached me and said:
"Haven't you noticed that your hips are getting wider?" She put her hand on my stomach: "I'm not wrong, I've never been wrong. You're carrying the future king of Olympus in your womb, so I wouldn't want it to be war!"
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Charlotte
At the dinner table I could feel the almost suffocating tension between me and George, I couldn't understand how he was still there because I would have left, there was nothing holding him to that place or to me, yet there he was, under the weight of what felt like a lump in his throat, he was barely touching his food, I looked at the plate and could see his reflection from afar.
I couldn't stay like this.
"You can't hate me for the rest of your life," I said.
"Do you think it's easy to forget Charlotte? You've disgraced me"
I sighed wearily and looked back.
"Charlotte, look at me" he asked and I turned to look at him, his wounded gaze seemed to have hit me hard and made me lose my appetite "What do you feel when you look at me?"
I didn't know what to say, I didn't know if what I was feeling was sadness or pity, a lot had changed since Torrem Castle and I was trying to find the love I felt for George, which was something that made me sigh, which made me renounce everything, forget my family, abandon the castle, riches and power.
The weeks seemed too long, love didn't fill my belly and George wasn't a man with many skills, I felt I had to pull the strings on the shadows so that they would survive, so that we wouldn't starve, we were sheltered in Lord Alexander's house for a few weeks, a man exiled from Torrem who I felt ashamed to be under his roof, but even in the first week I filled his head with hope and swore that I would redeem him before the crown if he infiltrated the castle and brought Alexia back to me.
Now, when I looked at George, I no longer felt the admiration I used to, I thought he was weak.
George sighed tiredly and impatiently.
"I get it Charlotte, I want a divorce!" He said in a low voice so that no one at the table could hear, he stood up tired of waiting for an answer and I took his hand firmly.
"Don't go away George, I need you" I looked into his eyes "You can't leave me!"
These were the first sweet words I'd given him in weeks, and George seemed stirred even though he still had a hard look on his face.
"I don't think we have a concert"
"We still can and we will!" I said to him, hoping that he would believe my words. I touched his face so that he could look into my eyes: "George, it's going to be you and me forever. Remember the promise I made you?"
I kissed his lips, feeling the tears run down my face, my heart seemed to be screaming with nervousness, deep down I still had feelings for him, but believing my words was like digging his own grave.
I knew that my stay in Zaïm's castle was like burying my husband, I still didn't understand how, but every minute of the hand was like one less beat of his heart, from Octavian's words I could see the dragon linked to me, George was an obstacle in the way and although my heart felt heavy and my body dirty, the anger I felt was greater than anything.
If Alexia had followed the plan, things wouldn't have gotten out of hand and my parents wouldn't have been killed in Olimper Castle by the kings, so whatever the cost, I would avenge my parents' deaths, starting with King Acacio and Queen Soraya.