Fated To My Sister's Mate

year ****

The city was quiet after the blood shed.

The air smelt like smoke and blood. Commander Alexander walked through the streets surveying the area. Houses were still burning and bodies scattered all around him.

Victory had been declared by his kingdom and banners had been raised. Yet a house sat untouched at the edge of the street but it had an eerie feel to it.

Alexander walked towards the house,his eyes cold and calculating. As he walked into the house, it felt like grief had claimed it.

There he found her, a woman knelt besides the body of a man. Her hands were soaked red and her dress dirty. She did not look at him or even acknowledge his presence. She just cried then suddenly she stopped.......she looked up and stared him right in the eyes

"Do you know what you have taken from me?" she asked in a steady voice

Alexander stood there, unmoved by her tears or her question. He had ended wats and shattered kingdoms, one life meant nothing to him.

"He was an enemy, his death ended a conflict " he replied in a cold deep voice.

then she laughed, a broken sound that echoed through the walls...

"Men like you always justify it as an ending......." she said as she slowly stood up, facing him head on. Unlike the way she spoke, her eyes were clear

".......You.....took the man I loved so I will take from you the one thing you do not understand yet so you will know my pain"

He stopped there still unmoving. He had no fear or doubt. He believed he had done everything right. He believed that he had served and he would be greatly rewarded. The man who died wasn't the first or the last. He just happened to be a part of this.

She stepped closer, her eyes sharpening into something ancient

"You will live" she said softly

" and in every lifetime, you will love. You will find her and you will recognize her soul and when you are softened by love, when you are finally redeemed by love, ....she will die" she said with a small evil smile.

Her voice trembled as she continued " Your memories will stay with you. You will remember every moment shared, every promise and every death. You will be tormented by the sound of her voice calling for you and her face as she dies in your hands.......then you will remember this very moment and realize how your loyalty to one man has cost you everything"

Alexander scoffed " Empty words from a mad broken woman."

her eyes remained on him...

"No no, this isn't madness, this is balance. you will lose everything just as I have"

she raised her hand , pressing it against his chest, right over his heart. He didn't even flinch

"You will lose her in every life..... until love costs you more that your victory ever did"

Something stirred in him, unease as he looked at the grieving woman before him For some reason her words held a promise....no a curse.

Before he could speak she stepped back and pick a knife beside her husband's body. she placed the blade against her throat and looked at him again.

"May you love as deeply as I have" then she slit her throat.

With that the curse was sealed.

What Alexander failed to understand was that this curse would hold. The words of a grieving woman should never be taken lightly. He took them as a bluff and now his ignorance would cost him.

_________

Long after, everything that was said. The kingdoms thrived and rebuilt. things settled. Alexander continued to serve with unwavering loyalty. He ascended to the highest positions and built a life he enjoyed. Until he fell in love.

He took a quiet stroll across the market and then he saw her, her red hair and hazel eyes. She enchanted him. He ran thinking there was a problem with him but they kept coming across each other. She noticed him too and always sent a smile his way.

Love didn't arrive as a fire, It came as repetition. They shared the same paths, familiar smiles, and conversations. She grew accustomed to his presence and so did he. Breathing was easy with her around.

He tried to convince himself that it was nothing, just a small feeling that would fade. It never did. He fought hard, until one night, her head on his shoulder and her laughter invading his thoughts like a song that could never be forgotten. He realized he was afraid, afraid of losing her.

She laid beside him on the grass as she counted the stars. Everything she did always captivated him. It felt like she could save him from all his past sins.

"I feel so safe with you, You are my light and my love. Loving you never needed to be taught" she said, looking into his eyes.

For some reason he felt as though he had forgotten something, like he feared the worst but when he looked at her all was forgotten.

He caresses her face....

"I will always love you, every second..... every minute, every hour........"

she smiled as the warmth bloomed across her face, she held his hand with tenderness that could only be felt by them, she continued his words

"Every day"

Every month " He continued , his heart heavy with a burden he had was yet to fully understand.

"Every year"

He leaned closer, his head against her's, breathing her in. Memorizing every curve on her face, his voice was steady and certain.

In every lifetime. I will always love you"

She smiled softly, unaware of fate or the centuries that waited between them. Alexander allowed himself a smile, one that no victory could have given him.

For a while, they simply sat there , enjoying each other's presence . the stars reflected above them.

Somewhere beyond the night, pats the limits of this life, the curse began to stir, binding their fate.

..............................