Children of Fire and Sun: The Rebellion (Updates Resume From July 2024)

Chapter Four: Maysa (Domhnall)

"The one to whom you can unravel your dreams, is your truest friend."
— Prince Mellor IV of House Memor
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Maysa used to be a heavy sleeper.

That was before the events that wrecked her life, five years ago. Now the Domhnallian princess could only lay in the bed for four hours, waking up just before the sun graced the skies with all its golden splendour. She had tried to change this habit, forcing herself to stay in bed at least until morning. Yet the sleep deities refused to visit her.

She would lay straight on her back, staring at the star-studded ceiling of her bedchamber. It was a beautiful piece of art, with the background painted a tasteful cerulean with darker highlights to emphasise its realism. Stars forming eleven distinct constellations were painted in a mixture of yellow and white. Maysa's father, the late Prince Mellor, was a lover of the heavens and the reason behind the existence of many starry motifs in Domhnall’s castle.

Maybe I should not tease Remus about him not sleeping. She smiled, turning the page of a law treatise with a gentle flick of her wrist. I too am doing just the things he does, after all. It could not be more true, for instead of being in her bedchambers, sleeping, Maysa was in the library. She would not sleep. Not tonight. In truth, sleep refused to come to her.

She could not shake the unease that settled into her heart ever since she heard the news of Lysa Trellis’s disappearance. It was a persistent whisper in her mind that kept repeating that nothing would remain the same. There would be chaos, a lot more than any of them could imagine. And no wonder it would be; if Edmund Eni were to claim himself that he suspects the crown prince of abducting his betrothed, things would get tangled.

Of course, he won't be able to take any drastic step in proving Remus guilty. Which would lead to the setting up of a convention, in which both parties would face each other in a clash of words and wits. Only if Edmund's side proved that Remus had indeed abducted Lysa, giving concrete proof, then only he could demand an apt punishment for Remus. None were appealing.

‘Upon a man of high standing stealing a daughter, sister or bride of another man, the aggrieved party, if of a similar or higher standing, may challenge the accused to a duel to death,’ such were the verdicts of most treatises. Maysa had covered so far, without little to no variations. As if the women were mere cattle, capable of being stolen and then fought for.

She leaned against the headboard of the plain wooden chair that dotted the floors of the library, a small sigh escaping her lips. Pale moonlight steamed through the open windows, causing a subtle dance of light shadows to play on the stone walls of the library.

Upon the alcoves cut high into the walls, tomes and treatises cast long shadows. Save for a single brazier burning towards Maysa's left, there was no other source of light to illuminate the library.

"I wonder if these men wrote the laws drunk,” she grumbled. Her full lips, usually drawn into a calculated smile, were now curled as if she were no princess but a petulant child. “How come a duel is the answer to such a crime?"

No, it made little sense to her. The laws that governed the rest of Namiona often had often befuddled her. It was not like this in Domhnall. If a man, no matter his position, were found to have abducted another, be it a man or a woman, they would first be stripped of all honours and titles. Then they would either be imprisoned or exiled, depending on the severity of the crime.

Violence was not always the key. But who would make the lords of Namiona understand this?

Maysa dragged her nails across the stone table, a childhood habit she never quite grew out of. When in worry, she needed something to scratch on. Her mother often called her a cat because of it, a memory that never failed to bring a certain lightness to her heart. She knew she should not worry so much, for Remus was innocent. Yet the folds on her forehead bespoke her lingering fear. She failed to shake it off.

Then suddenly, darkness occluded her vision.

Maysa shivered in her seat, as goose pimples erupted on her skin. She trembled as her teeth chattered against each other. In the middle of this summer night, she felt as if she had been transported to some terrain untouched by the sun. Wind howled in her ears even though she remembered well that the night had been still, with no hint of a breeze, let alone this gale.

The skin between her eyebrows throbbed. She throbbed, her face contorted in the extreme discomfort this caused. She could feel the pressure buildup behind her, eager to push out the eyeballs out of their sockets. Maysa gripped hard at the edge of the table, her knuckles turning white.

This was not the first time this happened. Maysa was well acquainted with these…episodes. Sometimes they showed her things, sometimes nothing at all. Just the extreme darkness and the discomfort. Yet, it had been a while since she had one of these.

She gasped as the pressure grew until—

"Maysa?"

The touch broke the spell. Maysa was back once more to the desolate library in Domhnall. Although her body tingled and a dull throb persisted, it was much better than what it was moments ago. She tilted her head to face Remus, who stood behind her with a frown on his face. She smiled, but the corners of her lips trembled.

"Y-ou still have not gone to sleep?" She asked, her voice quite gruff in the ordeal's aftermath.

"You are bleeding from your nose."

Maysa frowned and touched her nose. Sure enough, blood stained her fingers. It had dripped from her nostrils like streams of brilliant crimson and made their ways down her lips and chin. Yet before she could do something about it, Remus tore off a piece of his tunic’s sleeve. He stood in front of her and cleaned the blood.

"What happened to you, my sweet?" He cupped his left cheek with his other hand. "You look so pale."

Maysa looked into his eyes, so filled with love. She let herself be vulnerable in his arms, let him clean her message. In words, she could not articulate what comfort the warmth of his touch on her skin brought. It was akin to sitting by the hearth after a long journey back home. Yes, his touch was like a homecoming.

"I don't kno-w," her voice broke. "I know nothing, Remus."

Wordlessly he pulled her into an embrace, before throwing off the bloodied cloth into the brazier. She held onto him with all her strength, her face buried against his abdomen. She sobbed after years; the tears dampening the golden fabric of his tunic. He continued to hold her, staring into the darkness of the room. Behind him, the brazier cackled as the cloth burned.

He ran his fingers through her curls. "You can tell me what troubles you, my sweet. But you do not have to if that is something your heart does not want."

She looked up at his face, the tears on her cheeks glistening like gemstones. "Whatever would I do without you, Remus?"

"You would never be without me," He smiled. "Even if fate causes us to part, know that I will always be there to watch over you."

"No," she shook her head. "No, Remus. You cannot leave me. I won't let you go. If that means I have to travel to the ends of the world, I would do it. But I will never let you go. Never."

He raised her chin to meet his gaze. "Will you then fight with fate? We are all supposed to leave, someday or the other. It is the sole way, the ultimate predicament of us mortals. Nothing lasts forever."

She stayed silent, her eyes narrowed. Her lips quivered, her grip on him as strong as ever. It was a quiet resolution she made, a look that said much without telling anything.

"You know I would do anything for you." Her words were a mere whisper, yet it was full of conviction. "Anything at all, Remus. I can burn this world down if it pleases you. I can kill for you, and I can die for you as well."

Remus chuckled, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment to convey comfort. "What would please me in this moment, is that if you would allow me to escort you to your bedchambers. You need to rest."

"Would you stay with me?" She asked with her lips pursed. "I do not want to be alone tonight."

Remus nodded, extending an arm for her to take it. "If you want, then I will. Now, come. It is already quite late."

With that, the two left the library, hearts and hands intertwined.

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