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❤️ Unveiling The Truth ❤️
Kira was confused. What other war Storm was talking about? The war they just finished had made her lose her two sisters.
"I don't understand you Storm, care to explain more?" Kira voiced out her thoughts. "What war are you talking about?" She asked.
Storm turned to face her. Kira could see his eyes were red and puffing from crying. "The toughest war is coming Kira believe it or not, I can sense the change of the atmosphere. It's not good at all." he told her. "You said you want to fight, well then, sharpen your sword and get ready my love. I will be needing all the help I can." He added.
"I still don't get you Storm, the war is over, we fought and won so there is no need to start another war." Kira stated.
"I never said I was the one who will initiate the war Juno, but you will get to understand soon." Storm stated and without explaining any further more, he left her presence and headed for his room.
Kira still could not understand what Storm meant but she will give him all the help that he wants. With a shrug, she followed him quietly.
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Kando still couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him. He knelt beside the bed. Gwen lay motionless on the bed, her face pale, too pale, and when touched her cold body he cried as he lay his forehead on hers.
Phoenix stood there watching him in sadness. It was so sad to see Gwen gone.
"I am so sorry that we lost her." Phoenix apologized. "She didn't complain or tell any one of us if something was wrong with her. We would have known and saved her if she had said something. She was just tired and needed rest. If we had known that would be the last time she would open her eyes, we could have kept her awake. Sorry." she added and the baby in her arms started crying again. She tried to hush the child but failed too.
Kando raised his head when he heard the crying of his child and wiped his tears from his eyes. He had forgotten about it. How can he forget about his child?
"Please, bring her to me." his voice muffled.
Phoenix brought the baby to her father and Kando carried the baby from her. Staring at the child in his arms, fresh tears sprang from his eyes.
"It's a girl." Phoenix whispered to his hearing. "She looks just like her mother." She added softly.
Kando agreed to that. His daughter looks like her mother. When the child opened her eyes, her dark eyes were staring at his own dark ones. He smiled tearfully.
At that moment, Morgan walked inside and went to grab Gwen's cold ones. When he had returned and heard that Gwen had died from Kira, he had quickly rushed to confirm if it is true and seeing her dead body made his inside turn and he hurried out of the room to his own room to cry so that no one could see his tears and now he could face her.
But one glance at him, Phoenix knows he has been crying.
"Why? Why Gwen? Why did you die? I thought you were strong, you told me that yourself then why did you leave me all alone in this world?" Morgan lamented as he climbed the beds to hold her. Placing her head on his chest. "It was a mistake when you slept with Kando and you became pregnant, I forgive you and still loved you wholeheartedly and now you gave birth to this mistake-"
Kando Interrupted him. "Don't ever call my child a mistake. She is and will never be a mistake." he warned but there was no strength left to fight Morgan.
Totally ignoring him as if he didn't say a word. "-and your child killed you. All my life I have seen when women who get pregnant give birth only after nine months but you went on to sleep with a deformed man who made you got pregnant and gave birth within a twinkle of an eye." he continued. "I hate that you left me. I hate that you didn't give me a chance to be the best husband and lover to you. I hate that you didn't make me choose if you will live or die, I would have chosen life for you my love. I am angry at you for not giving me a chance." he added and couldn't hold back his tears. "I hate you for that Gwenevere. Please come back to me, I will do anything for you." he begged Gwen's dead body.
Kando watched silently as Morgan cried. He could have slapped Morgan for calling his child a mistake but he didn't, they were both hurt and the woman they had fallen in love with has left them. So he knows Morgan was saying those things out of pain and didn't mean it.
"I'm sorry Morgan, you are not the only one hurt here." Kando began. "She hurt me too. I am in pain as you are right now."
Morgan glared at him and then came down from the bed after gently putting Gwen's head back on the bed. He pointed at Kando.
"You are neither in pain nor hurt because you still have her." Morgan pointed at the baby in Kando arms. "At least she gave you a child to remember her by, what of me, she gave me nothing to keep her memory so don't tell me you understand the pain I am going through. We are not on the same page." He added tearfully. If only the child was his, that would have consoled him.
"I'm sorry if you think that way. The point is Gwen left the both of us."
"Yes she left the both of us, especially me, the love of her life. But you, she didn't leave you empty. She left me empty," Morgan said then started crying. "She left me." he added and left the room.
Kando stared at the empty spot Morgan was standing then took a deep breath. Morgan was right, Gwen didn't leave him empty handed, she left him their little angel.
He stood to his feet and sat down beside Gwen's pale cold body.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help," he whispered.
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Cando felt this was all a dream and that he would wake up soon but the more he stare at Rumi body his hands clenched tightly, especially at the place that had caused her death, the more he wished she was joking and could wake up and laughed at his face for caring and crying for her.
Yes, Rumi died and he has confirmed the one thing he had been denying himself since the day he met her and was intrigued by her.
"Why is it taking so long for you to do something? She is your daughter, you have to save her." Cando told Adaoh who had her hands over Rumi's dead body on the bed and was whispering.
They were in one of the guest rooms in the Palace and Cando suddenly remembered how Adaoh had healed Kira, technically, her daughter. So she was doing what she did twelve years ago.
"Is not that simple Cando, besides I have done my best. She is dead and gone." Adaoh told him. She hasn't accepted the fact that she had lost her two daughters in one day. None of them which she has got to know deeply. On the day she had regained her freedom. Why her? Why didn't she die instead of them? She could have gladly given up her life for them. Why her? Why is the Creator so wicked to her? First it was her husband and now her two daughters. Why do bad things keep happening to her?
"What do you mean you tried your best? Well your best is not enough Adaoh." Cando bellowed in anger. Her title of 'my queen' 'my lady' has been pushed to the back of his mind. "You saved Kira once, you can do that to Rumi. Keep trying." He snapped.
Adaoh shook her head sadly. She wasn't angry at him. "You think I haven't tried all that I have know on her? You think I am happy that I can't wake up my daughter. I am sad that my magic failed and that's because I am not as powerful as my late husband. I have done my best. I don't know what else to do." Adaoh scolded. "She was pierced through her heart. She was dead unlike Kira who has got some life in her and Dean helped in that aspect." She added, closing her eyes in pain. "All I am saying is that I can't bring her back. She is gone." With that she left the room.
Cando stared down at Rumi's cold body.
"I should have listened to Kando when he told me but I had confidence in you. I boasted of how you can defend yourself and what did you do? You couldn't protect yourself. You let yourself get killed Rumi, why? Was it because you thought I didn't love you? Or maybe you wanted to punish me, right? Well you succeeded. You succeeded in hurting me the more. I love you Rumi. I really do but you didn't give me a chance to tell that to you. I was waiting and hoping that after the war I will see you to tell you how I really feel about you, but you left me without giving me a chance, without giving me a second thought. How could you do that to me, Rumi?" Cando asked the dead body, sniffing his tears. "You kissed me, remember, and you didn't wait for me to kiss you back or how the kiss made me want you more. Why did you leave me Rumi? I love you. I am falling in love with you. I'm in love with you Rumi."
The door to the room opened but Cando didn't turn to know who it was nor did he hide his tears. He felt a hand on his shoulder and when he turned his head, he saw Storm.
"I am sorry it ended like this, I didn't know he would kill her," Storm said. "I am sorry I let you down. I am sorry I allowed the woman you love to get killed." He apologized.
Cando didn't say anything to that because if he did, well, it may result in both of them fighting and destroying a lot of things which he didn't want any of that. Instead, he returned his gaze back to Rumi.
Storm understands when Cando didn't even acknowledge his apology he would have done the same if reverse was the case so he didn't push it. Adaoh was the one who had told them where Rumi was and who was with her. Kira had followed her to meet his mother and her other dead daughter
"Brace yourself Cando, I know the enemies want us weak but we won't show them any sign of it even though we are hurting deep inside." Storm stated. "War is coming and we need to prepare ourselves after we've buried them. Sorry." he added and waited for a few minutes then left Cando alone.
Once alone, he kissed Rumi on her cold lips.
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"There is no life in her, she is dead." Adaoh announced.
Kira and Kando nodded their heads sadly, then looked around in the room. "Where is the healer?" she asked. Looking at how Kando was carrying his child, Kira noted how a good father he will become.
"He left some hours ago when you went after my son." Phoenix answered. Now wasn't the time to catch up with Adaoh. There is still plenty of time but not now.
"Okay."
Storm entered the room at that moment. "We have to get them ready for burial and they will be properly buried tomorrow." He told them. It pained him talking about burying Rumi and Gwen. He had told some armies to gather the dead fallen ones who died in the war too so that they will be buried.
"Where is my father?" Kira demanded.
"He will be in his room." Storm answered. "He has been crying since."
"Even though he has just met Gwen, he still takes her as his child also." Kira spoke with tears and left the room to meet her father.
"No one is happy with the recent events but that doesn't mean we will go hungry forever. So I have asked the cook to prepare something for all of us to put on our empty stomach. We will be eating in the dining room," Storm said. "We have to be strong because our enemies are closer to us than we think. Please." He has to be strong.
He left the room and went to inform Morgan, Empress Rose and Fred too.
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Kira saw Emera who had been crying and went to sit on the floor, placing her head on his lap and both of them started crying.
"Just promise me, you won't leave me like they did." Emera spoke after a while and Kira nodded her head.
When Storm came in and saw them, he let them be.
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Empress Rose Room:
"At least she is gone now. You can now open your eyes to see the elegant beauties we have." Empress Rose said after Storm left them. He had made it clear that he wanted their presence so that they could discuss the coming war that will happen right here in Ashland. And according to him, everyone will participate in the war, well, not for her. She will be hiding in her room with Fred. She won't be a fool that will send her two sons to fight.
"Mother, stop it, you are hurting him." Fred scoffed at her. "He is already hurting and you are not helping."
After crying in his room, he went to Rose's room and told her that her prayers had worked and that Gwen was dead. He was on top of her bed, facing it when Storm came in.
"I'm not hurting him Fred, he is hurting himself, not me. The girl that wanted to separate me and my son is gone for good so why won't I be happy?" Empress Rose chucked.
Fred rolled his eyes at his mother and hoped his brother ignored her, which worked.
By the time the cook had prepared the food, it was dusk.
And instead of the dining room like he had told them earlier, he changed his mind and made the servants set the table and chairs outside in the Palace premises. There were plenty and the dining room won't accommodate them all.
The food was dished out on the table, but no one touched their plate of food except for Empress Rose.
Clearing his throat, Storm looked at everyone's face.
"Apart from Rumi and Gwen's death, I know you may be wondering why I asked all of us to eat, which will be the first time," Storm said. "Like I have been saying, war is almost at our doorstep." He added a second later.
"You keep saying that, explain to us what you mean by that. What war are you talking about?" Morgan asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"Let me tell you a very short story. Once upon a time, there were two brothers who lived with their wealthy father but one day their father died but before he died he divided his wealth into two and gave each of his son's fifty percent each. The younger brother wanted the wealth all by himself and planned to kill his brother, but unknown to him, his elder brother was already three steps ahead of him."
"And what has that got to do with the said war coming?" Cando asked, keeping his anger in check.
"Because the enemy thinks that I am stupid." Storm answered.
"Meaning?" Adaoh query.
"Meaning that Edgardo is still alive and his undead armies are on their way here."
"But Edgardo is dead." Kira said. "You killed him. We won."
"That is what he wants you to think. He is very cunning but what he didn't know is that I am more craftier and guileful than him even though he succeeded in killing Rumi," Storm said, tears rolled down on his cheeks as he remembered her. "You see," he added, getting up on his feet and moving away from his seat. "He didn't know that in this game he is playing, I am the master." he stated. Don't worry Rumi, I will avenge your death.
"So you are saying Edgardo is alive?" Morgan asked with unbelievable eyes.
"Yes, he is alive."
"So where is he?" Cando said. He wants to sink his hand into Edgardo's neck. So that he can feel the pain he is going through. "Where is that bas.tard?"
Storm stopped at the back of a chair. "Why don't you answer him Fred or should I say, Edgardo."
