Chapter 51
October 24th - Calis
Trixie
There were muffled noises at the other end of the line when the other person picked up. Trixie waited for a while, but the commotion continued and the recipient still did not greet her. She spoke into the receiver hesitantly. “He- hello? Is this Master Dragonoir?”
“Uh,” came the reply. A deafening yell of command ensued. She cringed. The previous shouting must have been muffled by his hand over the receiver, which he had forgotten to cover this time round.
The hollering finally stopped. Trixie cut in immediately. “Um, hello? May I speak to Master Dragonoir, please?”
“Speaking.”
“Oh, um… Hi. This is Trixie from Minnow Hospice. I am calling to pass you a message from Mistress Mejaine. She wishes to see you today.”
A pause sat uncomfortably between them. The buzz of her computer in the reception area became the only thing audible for a long while.
“Mistress Mejaine?” Master Dragonoir said slowly. “In a hospital? Wait-a hospice?”
“Yes, sir. She has been admitted to Minnow Hospice for more than a month now. I’m afraid you should come to her side. As soon as possible.”
“Where the hell is Minnow Hospice?”
“We are located in Calis, to the east of Grythen.”
There was an even longer pause.
“Hello? Are you still there?” Trixie frowned. This was probably the worst phone call she had ever made.
“Tell her it’s too far and I don’t have the time. Bye.”
“Wait! Don’t hang up!” she almost shouted into the mouthpiece, her free hand slapping the keyboard in agitation. “Don’t you want to know how she is doing now? I can’t divulge patient information over the phone and I don’t usually do this, but I’m pleading to you on her behalf now. Find it in your heart to come over today or tomorrow. She has refused every single visitor into her room and she’s asking for you now. This must be really important.”
October 24th - Grythen
Zaelem
The warrior stared at his phone for a while before turning his attention back to his trainees, but he could no longer concentrate on them. Mejaine had already been filtered out of his system and bringing her back today was still a little haunting. When was the last time he had even heard about her?
Should I go? He stared at his phone again. What if this was a trap?
October 25th - Calis, east of Grythen
Mejaine
Mejaine opened her eyes at the sound of messy footsteps. There was more than one person.
“Hello?” she said uncertainly, her eyes darting around aimlessly.
“Mistress Mejaine, the person you requested for is here.”
“Oh,” she smiled, resting her back on her pillows again. “Thank you, Trixie. Please leave us.” Her throat sounded very sore, she realised. It didn’t matter that her voice was no longer smooth like before-that is, until now. Until Zaelem stood in the room.
Trixie hesitated for a while. Zaelem whispered to her, but Mejaine could catch it all. Her hearing had improved tremendously since her stay here. “She’s not going anywhere or I'm leaving too.”
The door closed softly. She could feel the weight of his eyes on her. It felt like he had two pairs of eyes instead of one. He must be taking in the sight of her slowly, recording every horrible detail. It was painful, for she knew she must have looked ugly.
“I used to know it was you from the sound of your footsteps. They sound so different now. I could hardly recognize them anymore,” she began. “It was as if you are a different person now.”
“You wanted to see me?” he asked quietly, not unkindly but not with concern either.
“Sit down, Zaelem.”
He did not move. “I don’t have anything more to do with you, Mejaine.”
“Can you pretend that I’m still that little Jane? After this…” she sighed, “Who knows, this may be the last time we will ever talk to each other again.”
“I never knew you to be a sentimental person,” he replied wryly, but his tone had softened.
She licked her lips, finding words to say. “I knew we would come to this. I knew it all along, deep down in my heart, ever since that first time I saw you cry. I’ve never seen you cry before, Zaelem. Never, you know that? Not even when I broke up with you. You got teary and all, just about to cry but not yet. Not a single tear would fall.”
She closed her eyes, as though in pain.
“But that day at the palace, before she was about to be sent to the research centre, before your dear old Master Viken appeared like a fairy godmother, before everything was going to end for her, you cried. You cried when you thought she was going to be sent in there.”
“I saw you break down, shaking on your knees, like you were going to lose something really important. At that moment, I was so angry I thought I was going to faint. I felt so sick-so, so sick with jealousy. I would have torn her face out if the other Segaris wasn’t there.”
“From then on, I knew she had already taken you away from me, yet, until now, I still can’t believe I’ve lost it to her. I can’t believe I could have lost it to anyone at all,” her voice wavered. “I have gotten what I wished for, yet what I wished for isn’t what I wanted. Not anymore.” Her breathing grew ragged. “Even wishing for long-lasting youth too soon became a mistake. Even my body is rebelling against what I wished for.”
Raspy sounds tore through her throat as she began to sob. “I have lost it all now, and I can’t even see you for one last time.” She cried even harder as the reality hit her again like it always did as she waited to fall asleep each night. “I know it’s impossible, but I still wish we could start all over again.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but I heard you crying, Mistress Mejaine. Is everything alright?” Trixie crooned as she hurried to Mejaine’s bedside. “It’s okay… it’s okay,” she coaxed and patted her patient’s back.
She turned to the visitors. “I’m sorry but she’s a little upset now. I will have to ask you to leave us for a while, Sir and Ma’am.”
The crying stopped with a choke. “Kismette is here?” Mejaine asked hoarsely.
“I didn’t want any misunderstandings,” Zaelem said resolutely, but he turned his face down. It was hard to be unfeeling to someone bedridden, someone who couldn’t even see her fingers if she reached her hand out. “I would have told her everything anyway.”
But it was more than just knowing everything. It was the humiliation of seeing her in such a reduced state, watching her plummet from grace and ending with such a grand slam to the ground.
Mejaine’s lower lip trembled for a moment as her fingers curled into angry fists. “Yes, yes,” came her throaty reply as she nodded a few times with narrowed eyes, “I admit total defeat to you, Little Healer. Get out now, all of you. I want some rest.”
October 31st - Grythen
Zaelem
“Yes, his gift of dexterity is finally put into good use.”
“One life in exchange for a few million lives. That’s pretty worthwhile, if you ask me.”
“Ah, so he is here now.”
Zaelem bowed in front of all the Nobles. Together with the King and Queen, they made up the board of decision makers for the country.
“Please rise,” King Fred said softly. “As your King, ruler of Quesdeja, I hereby command you to fulfil a mission-a great plan of utmost importance to the country.”
“My honour, Your Majesty.”
“You will go to Kiraul disguised as an ambassador and slay the King of Kiraul for me. For all your brothers. For Quesdeja.”
Nobody spoke for a long while as they watched Zaelem’s reaction. Kiraul’s castle was famous for its excessive defence. The entire building was laid with booby traps and security cameras, and every section had a gate that locks down upon activation by the King’s remote. Even if he could get the King before he presses the remote, a guard in the security tower watching the camera would still trap him. His star’s range was not long enough for him to get out of the castle before all the gates come down.
“Will you save Quesdeja, Zaelem?”
He took a good look at his King, probably for the last time. The man had grown ashen under his heavy crown of worries. With a heavy heart, he uttered, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
*****
Zaelem found himself fiddling with his mobile phone endlessly. Should I tell her the truth?
His door flew open and the very person he wanted to see appeared. “Please don’t go,” Kismette whispered.
“You knew?” he asked softly.
“Please don’t go,” she simply repeated, clutching his doorframe for support.
“It is my… my duty to the country.” He could not bring himself to see the expression on her face.
She shook her head slowly in disbelief and fell to her knees, her limbs no longer strong enough to hold her weight.
“Kismette!” Zaelem rushed to her side at once.
“Tell me you won’t go,” she wailed, her voice gaining strength from the sudden liberation of tears. “Tell me you won’t go!” she screamed. “Don’t go, please, don’t go… please…”
His face contorted in agony. It burnt a hole through his heart to see her so tormented. “I…” Grief strangled him by the throat, taking his words away. He sat down helplessly and enveloped her with his arms instead.
“Please, Zaelem,” Kismette cried, her breathing shallow and rugged. “Please… please… please,” she said over and over again, even though she didn’t know what she was begging for anymore.
Zaelem stroked her hair and kissed her on top of her head. He wanted to comfort her, but he had lost the battle to keep his emotions bounded inside him too. He cried just as badly as she did, the unbearable pain immobilising them in each others’ arms.
On my knees, I’ll ask
Last chance for one last dance
‘Cause with you I’d withstand
All of it to hold your hand
- Far Away, Nickelback
Ning: *points* Ooh, what’s that over there? *runs*
Haha, okay, I kinda need to touch a little more about Mejaine. You see, she got her age-pausing spell illegally ( Chapter 31) before the official age of 25 and it wrecked her body as a result. (I remembered that someone guessed it already and I had to screen the comment, but I can’t seem to find that comment now. O.o)
Aaand, I hope nobody was expecting something naughty with that cover picture, hehe.
I should probably stop sounding so cheerful. I'm actually very sad over this chapter's ending. :'(
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