Chapter 5

It's been a week since the coronation, and so far, it's been quiet on Soren's end, but I know that he will strike any day now. I have to be prepared

My heart still aches at the thought of Soren, so I focus on my work to distract myself. Right now, I'm going over stuff for the army, and I signed a petition to seek more talented people for the military.

I'm the only one who can face Soren, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't strengthen our army since Soren said that he would return with an army. I don't know where he intends to get an army, but he always follows through on his threats.

I'm sitting in my office doing paperwork when Venus enters the room with a box

"Your Majesty, this gift is addressed to you," she says as I take the gift. I open the box, and when I see it, I drop it screaming, and my guards rush in as I fall to the ground sobbing because in the box was my mother's head

Venus and Marina usher me out of the office as Storm walks by, and when he sees me, he asks what's wrong, but I'm too upset to speak, so Venus answers for me

  "A box was delivered to her Majesty, and it contained the head of her mother. We were taking her to her room while the guards dealt with it," she says

"Of course, please continue, we must start planning a funeral soon, but we can wait until she is ready," he says as they continue ushering me to my room

The next day, I woke up with red, puffy eyes. Today we will be having a funeral for my mother, so I sit down to eat breakfast, but my appetite is gone, so I don't end up eating. So my ladies-in-waiting helped me into my black funeral gown with a black veil

After I'm dressed I teleport me and my ladies in waiting to my father's temple in Deathfall city which my father is the patron god of for my mother's funeral as the funeral goes on I Don't hear anything I just can't believe that my mother is gone I can't believe that Soren would do something like this

  After the funeral, everyone returns to their homes, and I return to my room in the Royal Palace, where my ladies in waiting help me out of my dress and into my nightgown

I don't sleep, though I can't. I keep thinking about my mother and about Soren. I know I have to stop him, I just hope I'm ready to do what needs to be done when the time comes.

I get out of bed and walk over to the window, staring outside past the imperial Palace grounds out over the royal Capital. I know I'm going to have to protect them, no matter what. I can't let Soren win, regardless of my love for him.

In the morning, I end up deciding to stay in bed. I don't leave my bed. I miss my mother already. I can't even bring myself to eat. I'm consumed by memories of her.

Her laughter, her smile, the way she used to sing me back to sleep when I had nightmares, or the way she was always there when I needed a shoulder to cry on whenever I was sad. She's gone now, but I wish she were still here.

My ladies in waiting see what state I'm in, so they decide to leave me alone for now to let me grieve in peace. Everyone in the palace is worried about me because they know how close I was to my mother, and on top of that, it's no secret how I feel about Soren, and the fact that he's the one who did it just makes it worse.

I know why he did it, he knows how close I am to my mother, and he knows that I'm stronger than he is, so he wanted to crush me with grief, hoping that I'd be too crushed to fight him. I know I have to keep moving forward I can't let him win but for today just this once I can let myself grieve I won't let him win but today I'll cry and mourn and tomorrow I will stand up a move forward not just for me but for my mother who is lost I won't let her death be meaningless and for my people the ones I have lost yet.

I cry so much that I eventually run out of tears. My ladies in waiting hear my sobs from outside my room, and their hearts ache for the pain I must be feeling. They wish there was something they could do, but they know there isn't.

Emporer Storm Olympus POV

I go to my wife's room and knock on the door, but no one answers, so I enter the room and find my wife asleep on her bed.

As I approach her, I see the dried tears on her cheeks, and my heart aches for her. I know that she must be devastated

I turn to her lady in waiting, Lady Marina, "I know she can't stay like this forever, but I can give her more time to grieve when she wakes up, let her know that I'll take over her work for the next few days to give her time."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll let her know, I'm sure that she'll appreciate it," says Lady Marina with a bow. He nods and walks out of the room, hoping that you'll be alright. He has his assistant, Irena, move Atia's work into his office. he knows that doing his and her work will be a lot, but it's the least he can do when she must be feeling so terrible.

As he works, his mind keeps traveling back to her, and he hopes that she'll be ok. She's strong, but she was also very close to her mother.