EMPEROR AND I

FURIA

Queen Elora pulled her bed covers closer to her chilly body in the darkness of the night. She had been tossing and turning like any other night. Past memories plagued her mind with sorrow, yearning eating her heart alive while regret choked her from breathing.

Oren. Oh Oren. She missed him so much. Every part of her wanted him back because only him could fill the void he left.

"Run away with me," he soberly declared years ago and she ceased breathing, taken by surprise.

At that time she was a princess with a filial duty to her small country, Furia. As a peace treaty, she was to marry the prince of Huticah, Prince Tobba.

You see, Huticah was a prosperous nation with vast deserted lands that had no ending. Their power and might was also commendable that they would protect her nation. A marriage would also bring unity, peace and harmony for her struggling country. Funny how times had changed, because now it was Furia protecting Huticah.

She was pledged to marry the prince. But her heart was with her shadow guard, a swordsman who had enerstly dedicated his life to protect her.

"Come with me Elora," he pleaded, tugging the strings of her heart.

She stared at the man in front of her, her unabashed feelings for him raging widely.

"I can"t and you know that." A tear stroked down her cheeks, kissing her chin. She loved him so much, yet she couldn"t be with him. It was painful.

"I knew you would say that." He mocked lowly, his beautiful features displaying disappointment.

"Oren..." Her voice cracked, and she grabbed his hand desperately in the darkness of the room. "Please, don"t leave." What could she do without him? She had never imagined him being far from her. "It will get better. I promise it will."

"You have been saying that for the past two years, Elora." He sc.r.a.ped her grip off him. "Not days, not weeks but years. I can"t believe that even now when you are about to walk into another man"s bed, you are still saying such words."

"Walking there with what to give? Didn"t I give my innocence to you a few days ago?" She broke into heavy sobs. "I love you, Oren. Please don"t leave me." Why didn"t he understand that she was willing to do anything for him that was within her power? Further, why didn"t he understand her position? That she couldn"t live in recklessness. She was a princess.

"Not more than your glitzy crown," he muttered under his breath. Though the silent words were not meant for her, she caught them. Sharp as a knife, they needled her heart, setting way for the heartbreak that could follow.

The dressing room was dark, candles lit for her to change and set herself for her wedded husband. She had refused marriage consummation for weeks using lame excuses, but nothing would cut it anymore.

"I love you. Please don"t leave." A mantra was it now.

He shook his head. "I won"t leave if you leave with me." He pointed at the open window. "I will make you happy, make you forget. With me you will be the only princess."

He was hinting back on how her mother, the Grand Queen, chose her sister Nora as the crown princess whilst she, Elora, was sacrificed to Huticah. Her sister was the intelligent one, charismatic, elegant, flawless Furian beauty. According to the Grand Queen, Elora was nowhere near that.

Furia reigned upon the power of beauty, therefore their queen had to be just that. Breathlessly beautiful.

She wiped her tears away. "A true princess" heart is always with her people. I will never be happy if I left, Oren. It"s ingrained in my blood to serve my country."

"Even at my expense?"

Awkward silence stretched between them. Her words continuously failed her, not justifying her feelings.
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"It won"t be. My heart is yours."

"That"s the problem with you Elora. You have always been spoilt. You think you can have everything."

"No, Oren." She sniffed sadly.

He shrugged his broad shoulders and breathed hard, choosing to not be wavered by his love for her into staying. Oren turned around to give her his back, and at that she knew she had lost him.

"The emperor of Nevoria is looking for skilled swordmasters, so I leave to look for a new job in Nevoria.

Her eyes enlarged in horror. If he left it would be treason. A Furian n.o.ble who left his nation to serve another nation was breaking the law. His punishment would be death.

Oh, this meant one thing. He was leaving her forever. It was goodbye.

Queen Elora sat up on her bed and sighed. Oren was gone for years now. And she was all alone, missing him.

When he left her, Queen Elora settled down as the consort of Prince Tobba, then fell pregnant not long after. The beginning of her pregnancy was simultaneous to the fall of what used to be the great Huticah.

The country made bad political moves such as a.s.sa.s.sinating the Emperor of Nevoria, prideful of how big they were. But fate was not on their side as right after that, a famine swept through the nation leaving it weak, helpless, and at the mercy of other nations.

Meanwhile, an epidemic struck her people, killing dozens, royalty included. Her sister pa.s.sed away and so her mother kidnapped Queen Elora back because Furia was in need of a crown princess.

It was a bold move and as expected, Huticah wouldn"t have it that way. They wanted her back.

After all sorts of negotiations between the two countries, Huticah could only relent to giving up their bride in exchange of getting the child she bore. Moreover, Queen Elora was degraded from being "consort" down right to a concubine in Huticah.

The deal was perfect for Furia because to the nation, the child was identified as a curse, a blasphemy, an ingrate. Though prophecy declared her as a rising Phoenix, she was not purely Furian blood. A royal who could not grow wings was deemed unworthy, and that was her baby Elora. She only complained of back pains but never did her wings come out.

The negative sentiments grew even louder when the Grand Queen found Queen Elora a mate who dutifully made her pregnant. Royal lineage did not marry but was a.s.signed a mate with the right properties to continue the lineage. Thus then came her second daughter, Elaura.

Elaura was loved by everyone. She was beautiful, a pure blood and found worthy among the people. When Queen Elora saw her darling baby Elora being mistreated, she had to make a decision as a mother.

To give her child up to Huticah or have her stay in a nation that would shun her forever?

Again, Queen Elora sacrificed what she loved and the rest was history.

S.V