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~ Twenty-Eight - Season IV ~
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The Impact of Her (ALL SEASONS) ~ Twenty-Nine - Season IV ~
Moments later, another group of guards entered with the prisoners.The pirates walked in a straight line as the guards walked beside them. Their hands were chained. A locked, metal chain was placed on their necks. That connected them with one another. They dragged their feet as they entered.Sweat and blood drenched their worn-out clothes. Bruises and whip wounds covered their skins. They were already thinner than before. And the lack of rest was evident on their faces.My right hand slowly curled into a fist as I turned to the captain. I specifically gave out orders that the pirates shouldn’t be treated with hostility. But it was clear no one listened to me.The captain finally caught my glare and lowered his head in shame.“Is there something wrong, Your Highness?” Gonzalo whispered.“Why are the pirates in such a terrible state? I thought I was clear when I ordered that they should be treated well,” I gritted my teeth.“That is not how we treat our prisoners, Your Highness. I merel
The Impact of Her (ALL SEASONS) ~ Thirty - Season IV ~
The atmosphere instantly shifted.The pirates raised their heads and looked at me, confused. The nobles continued their mumblings. My family, especially James and Gonzalo, turned to me. Their heavy gaze drilled down on my back.I did my best to maintain my composure. But my inner emotions were too tense, it was about to explode. And all I could do was to slowly grip onto my chair.My page resumed, “As the future ruler of Western Wind, I was taught to listen to my people and their needs. And these pirates are no different. They only want to provide for their families. But their abilities - their knowledge - were limited to the sea. And with no one to assist them, they resorted to violence.“Therefore, I changed my punishment from death to absolute exile. I hereby banish them to the northern borders of Western Wind. No one is to step in or out from the forgotten island but the ruling monarch. Signed, Robert Dex.”The nobles stood up in uproar as my page stepped aside. The pirates looked
The Impact of Her (ALL SEASONS) ~ Thirty-One - Season IV ~
My eyes widened as I stared at both of them.“Well, confused and shocked at most. Because your decision wasn’t something a victim of such a horrible experience would say,” Elizabeth explained.Mother then entered the conversation, “What came as a shock to me is the fact that you were given power to govern over the forbidden part of the kingdom. How were you able to do that?”I gestured towards the door so the three of us could start walking. I gave way to Mother and started, “After I was able to talk with the pirates, my immediate thought was to give them what they want. And all they wanted was a place to live. A piece of land that they can call their own.“When they mentioned that Grandmother previously gave them the northern borders of our kingdom, I knew what I had to do,” I continued. “But I had to make sure that James would hand over the borders to me.”When we arrived at the door, Elizabeth asked, “Why were you so confident that James will agree to your bargain?”Elizabeth’s que
The Impact of Her (ALL SEASONS) ~ Thirty-Two - Season IV ~
Pride. Joy. Contentment. Relief.A sudden flush of emotions rushed through my body as I watched everything unfold.The guards assisted the pirates as they built the foundation of their new homes. Some of the guards helped the families as they went through their supplies. The smiles on their faces were gratifying to see.And somehow, this sight gave me a reason to be proud of my decision. Especially during this difficult time in my life.It wasn’t as simple as it looked like. It wasn’t about a cheap pardon for those who tortured me. I only wanted to return what was wrongfully taken from them: a life.However, a part of me still wished that I could do more for them. As much as I wanted for them to live amongst our people, it wasn’t a possibility. I knew all too well that society would never allow such a thing. Even if that was who the pirates truly were: our people.I also didn’t want to cause more trouble than what I already did. I already gave James enough of a headache to ponder upon
The Impact of Her (ALL SEASONS) ~ Thirty-Three - Season IV ~
“Quickly now!”“Nana?! Nana!”“Where is the Medicine King?! Has someone called for him?!”The kitchen was in a scramble when I arrived. The maids rushed in and out whilst they carried basins of water. Others simply ran out and screamed in panic.I proceeded to the servants’ quarters. There, Nana was surrounded by her helpers. Three wiped her body. One on her forehead, one on each arm and one attended to her legs. Two helpers fanned from afar and the others watched helplessly from the side.“Nana,” I muttered to myself as I walked towards her.“Nana, please wake up.”“Nana…”Faint cries filled the room as I knelt by her bed. I held her hand gently as I examined her fragile frame. Thankfully, there weren’t any cuts or bruises. But what deeply concerned me was any possible internal bleeding.I turned to the other servants and asked, “What happened? Does anybody know?”“We were busy with our chores when we found her unconscious here,” the maid to my right sobbed. “She must have been too w
The Impact of Her (ALL SEASONS) ~ Thirty-Four - Season IV ~
Elizabeth grabbed onto the wall and spread out her shield; a desperate attempt to save the room.As the commotion died down, Elizabeth let go and fell limp.“Elizabeth!” I panicked as I caught her in my arms.Elizabeth groaned as her nose bled. I pulled out my handkerchief and wiped the red liquid off her face.“Why would you use too much of yourself?” I scolded Elizabeth.Elizabeth coughed as she held the cloth in place. “If I didn’t do that, then all of us would have perished. And this room would have exploded,” she argued amidst her groans. “And besides, I’ve meditated for years, cultivating myself. I am well-prepared for these kinds of situations.”A loud thud came from the centre of the room. We looked and saw James, with Mother in his arms, lifeless on the cold floor.Immediately, we rushed towards them. We shook them both in an attempt to awaken them. I wiped off any blood that dripped from their noses and mouths. Meanwhile, Elizabeth checked them for their pulses.“Are they al
The Impact of Her (ALL SEASONS) ~ Thirty-Five - Season IV ~
I broke down in tears as I heard her loving voice.I kissed her hand before I looked back at her. “Mother,” I sniffled as I held tightly onto her wrist.“Why are there tears in your face again?” Mother asked as she wiped my cheeks dry.I stared at her for a while to keep my emotions at bay. But Mother’s gaze was soft yet persistent. She never took our denials as the truth. Most especially, when it was about our emotions.James would ignore mostly anything that we said. But not Mother.She would always encourage Elizabeth and me to be truthful with her. And whenever Mother looked at me in this manner, it made it even harder to conceal my emotions.Slowly, Mother reached for my other hand and caressed my other cheek.With that simple gesture, I crumbled.I covered my eyes and sobbed. I laid my hand on the mattress whilst still holding onto Mother’s wrist. As I released every single bit of emotion, her thumb caressed my hand.Not a word escaped her lips. Mother simply gave me time for my
The Impact of Her (ALL SEASONS) ~ Thirty-Six - Season IV ~
That was the answer I feared to hear.I couldn’t believe how James was absolutely confident in his decision. Without any hesitance, he simply left the overall governance of our kingdom to Gonzalo? The time of our return was uncertain. The same can be said for Mother’s recovery, as well as Elizabeth’s.“Are you sure that Gonzalo can handle everything? That seems to be a lot of trust and responsibility, placed on one’s shoulders,” I expressed my doubt.James then explained, “I already explained everything that he needs to do. Gonzalo is aware of what he can and cannot do. Also, based on the amount of time that he remained by my side, Gonzalo is all-too-familiar with how I manage everything.”I stared at James, baffled and shocked. The amount of time that he and Gonzalo spent together shouldn’t be the basis of one’s confidence in another. And with how Gonzalo has acted recently, I didn’t expect that James would still trust him to that extent.However, I understood why James had to make t
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