squeezed her hand. “I wish I could see the joining of our kingdoms. It has been too long that we have been enemies. It is good that we are now friends.”
“The people of our kingdoms will be friends,” Elissa said.
“Elissa, right? Princess Elissa, you are such a beautiful young lady.” The king closed his eyes and his breathing slowed for a moment. With his eyes still closed, and his hand still holding Elissa’s, he continued. “You shall make a fine bride for my son. It is good for our kingdoms.”
Toknon smiled embarrassingly, and explained once again, “He does not know, or does not remember.”
Elissa smiled back, “It is okay. He does not have much time, does he?”
The king’s breathing had returned to a slow and steady rhythm. With his eyes closed, it was clear that king had fallen asleep.
“He has been ill for some time. He is old and has lived a full life. I guess it is just his time.”
Elissa did not know what to say, but she could feel the tears coming. She remembered once again the pain that she felt when she saw her father’s body, and the pain that she continued to feel as she went through his funeral and burial. It seemed as if she had cried for weeks.
The tears flowed because she was sad for the dying king, but also because she was utterly confused. The man who led the army that killed her father stood just two feet from her and she had stopped feeling anger towards him. At least until this moment. The anger came back as she realized she never had this moment with her father. She never had an opportunity to say good bye, at least not forever. He had left with a promise to return, and he had broken that promise. She was not naive enough to think that he was really at fault for breaking that promise, but if anyone was responsible, it was Prince Toknon.
The tears flowed because she was angry at herself for falling for this prince, this evil man who just so happened to have turned good when he needed something. He was the enemy and he deserved to die for killing her father.
“I am so sorry,” Toknon said.
Elissa did not look up, she kept staring at King Lorraine, wondering when he would take his last breath. She was actually looking forward to it, hoping it would break Toknon as much as her father’s death and broken her.
“I can see it in your face,” Toknon continued. “You do not see my father, but you see yours.”
“How could you!” she screamed at him. “How could you kill my father and then invite me into your home. How could you!”
“I can say it a thousand times and I would mean it no less. It is painful to see my father die. As difficult as it sounds, I envy you in that you did not see your father die this way, to slowly go away. I would much rather have him go quickly.”
She turned her head away from him, “And I wish that I had time to say good bye to my father. To tell him I loved him. To tell him what a great man he was and how much I will miss him.” She snapped her head back to glare at him. “And you took that from me!”
“I can only apologize so many times, Elissa. It could easily have been me that was killed in that battle. We have already been through this. Are you going to yell at me anytime something reminds you of your father? And then am I going to apologize a thousand times each time? When will you forgive me? I mean truly forgive me. Not just with your words, but with your heart.”
Elissa sniffled unladylike and rubbed her eyes. She turned away, hearing his words, but her anger had left. “You are right. I am sorry. I see your father there, and I cannot help but to see mine.”
“We really are not the enemy. We are your friends, all of us.”
She looked up at him through tears and let out a laugh. “We really have already been through this before, haven’t we?”
Prince Toknon smiled back. “Yes we have.”
A calmness fell over her now that
“The people of our kingdoms will be friends,” Elissa said.
“Elissa, right? Princess Elissa, you are such a beautiful young lady.” The king closed his eyes and his breathing slowed for a moment. With his eyes still closed, and his hand still holding Elissa’s, he continued. “You shall make a fine bride for my son. It is good for our kingdoms.”
Toknon smiled embarrassingly, and explained once again, “He does not know, or does not remember.”
Elissa smiled back, “It is okay. He does not have much time, does he?”
The king’s breathing had returned to a slow and steady rhythm. With his eyes closed, it was clear that king had fallen asleep.
“He has been ill for some time. He is old and has lived a full life. I guess it is just his time.”
Elissa did not know what to say, but she could feel the tears coming. She remembered once again the pain that she felt when she saw her father’s body, and the pain that she continued to feel as she went through his funeral and burial. It seemed as if she had cried for weeks.
The tears flowed because she was sad for the dying king, but also because she was utterly confused. The man who led the army that killed her father stood just two feet from her and she had stopped feeling anger towards him. At least until this moment. The anger came back as she realized she never had this moment with her father. She never had an opportunity to say good bye, at least not forever. He had left with a promise to return, and he had broken that promise. She was not naive enough to think that he was really at fault for breaking that promise, but if anyone was responsible, it was Prince Toknon.
The tears flowed because she was angry at herself for falling for this prince, this evil man who just so happened to have turned good when he needed something. He was the enemy and he deserved to die for killing her father.
“I am so sorry,” Toknon said.
Elissa did not look up, she kept staring at King Lorraine, wondering when he would take his last breath. She was actually looking forward to it, hoping it would break Toknon as much as her father’s death and broken her.
“I can see it in your face,” Toknon continued. “You do not see my father, but you see yours.”
“How could you!” she screamed at him. “How could you kill my father and then invite me into your home. How could you!”
“I can say it a thousand times and I would mean it no less. It is painful to see my father die. As difficult as it sounds, I envy you in that you did not see your father die this way, to slowly go away. I would much rather have him go quickly.”
She turned her head away from him, “And I wish that I had time to say good bye to my father. To tell him I loved him. To tell him what a great man he was and how much I will miss him.” She snapped her head back to glare at him. “And you took that from me!”
“I can only apologize so many times, Elissa. It could easily have been me that was killed in that battle. We have already been through this. Are you going to yell at me anytime something reminds you of your father? And then am I going to apologize a thousand times each time? When will you forgive me? I mean truly forgive me. Not just with your words, but with your heart.”
Elissa sniffled unladylike and rubbed her eyes. She turned away, hearing his words, but her anger had left. “You are right. I am sorry. I see your father there, and I cannot help but to see mine.”
“We really are not the enemy. We are your friends, all of us.”
She looked up at him through tears and let out a laugh. “We really have already been through this before, haven’t we?”
Prince Toknon smiled back. “Yes we have.”
A calmness fell over her now that
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