The Journey and the Blessing
ALEX
"Will you stay with me for a while?"
"Of course..."
I accompanied Zeyana to her room, under the relieved gaze of the palace workers, who were probably worried about their empress. I smiled at Benjamin, one of the stable workers: I had had the pleasure of knowing him and helping him over the past few days, occupying my mind with work so that I could remain reasonably lucid most of the time.
"Your Majesty, shall I call the doctors?" asked one of the guards standing at the entrance to empress's rooms. They were looking at her alarmed, probably because of my presence at her side.
"I would like not to receive any disturbances... just bring us something to drink and eat."
"Your Majesty-!"
One of the guards stepped forward and glanced at me for just a moment, trying to hide his hostility toward me and avoiding explicitly saying he didn't want me around the Empress. The man reminded me a little of Tynov, but his tough exterior was just a facade; under the Empress's gaze, he would have trembled like a lamb and he did when Zeyana abruptly dismissed him.
"I gave an order. You are free to return to your usual duties or take a day off... just don't stand perched in front of my door." The Empress's voice wasn't aggressive, but imperious, and forced everyone to follow her commands without further ado.
"All right, Your Majesty, I offer you my humblest apologies..."
And so most of the crowd, which had made that wing of the palace a bit too cramped for my taste, departed.
Now I could finally breathe.
Zeyana's frustrated expression told me she had been informed of what had happened during her "absence." She had put on her toughest mask, the one that didn't allow any emotion to show in her demeanor or face, but I knew her, I could decipher her gestures and glances more than anyone else.
When we entered the imperial chambers, once alone, Zeyana turned to me, grabbing my hands and pulling me toward her, then embraced me: "I... I never thought they'd accuse you... did they hurt you?"
"No... I think they would have done better to keep me in there for a long time." They're dangerous when I'm alone.
"Alex..." She placed a kiss on my head and caressed my back gently, while I rested my head on her shoulder and wrapped my arms around her waist. I felt comforted by her warmth.
"I missed you."
She cupped my face in her hands, looking me over closely, then kissed my cheek, brushing her lips against my skin. She let out a quiet sigh of relief near my ear, sending shivers down my body.
"I love you." Her eyes, which reminded me of the ocean and had seemed icy with the guards, became warm from the first moment they rested on me. I saw no hesitation in her, and it was so reassuring.
I blushed, turning my face away so she wouldn't see the effect she'd had on me with just two words. Zeyana continued to leave the lightest kisses on my neck and soon I lost myself in her arms, forgetting everything except her, who was like a warm refuge in a storm... and who knows... maybe it would be the refuge I had always sought and had never found before.
***
Strangely, the weather continued to improve, despite the arrival of the coldest season; peaceful weeks passed: the sun seemed to blaze with joy in a perpetually clear sky, and nature, however weak, was present, a constant presence in my days. The oak tree remained stable and strong, even when the cold wind blew, even under the harshest weather. Every now and then, I would go under its branches, sit with my back against its trunk, and simply breathe, without thinking of anything, without speaking.
I never thought it would be so difficult to face the death of my loved ones, knowing they couldn't come back; I would never see them again, and I wouldn't be able to ask for forgiveness and make up for what had happened.
It would take time to regain the balance I'd lost, and my present was still blurry. I didn't know if I'd taken the right path, the path that would allow me to honor both my gift and my fallen family.
Speaking of which, Zeyana had informed me that she had executed and punished all those involved in the Fokranstad witch hunt, but the worst of all, Father Donovan, had escaped Atenarte's soldiers. Too bad for him that his escape didn't last long, and lucky for me, as his death had brought me great satisfaction. Around the time of Zeyana's recovery , news of Father Donovan's death had arrived from the current governor of Fokranstad. According to his letter to the empress, the cause had been a fire started in his home. A kind of well-deserved end for all he had caused.
He had tried to burn me alive, but in the end, he had fallen into hell long before me.
For once in my life, I realized that monsters like him couldn't always escape their fate; I could hope for a better world, perhaps, where people didn't have to fear seeing their loved ones killed as sacrifices or having to flee as fugitives, even if innocent. Zeyana had said that with my powers, I could improve the lives of many, and above all, prevent anyone else from experiencing the same tragedy I had experienced. Was it wise to trust such optimism?
Speaking of the Empress, after her recovery, news that she had prevented the world's destruction had spread throughout the empire; among the rumors, to my surprise, there was not one that mentioned me or referred to an actual ritual. It was possible that someone had created a beautiful story to pay homage to the Empress, or that the people loved her so much that they always saw the good in everything she did, even if in the end only Zeyana, Fiamma, and I would know what had truly happened.
The empress didn't have a moment's respite after her recovery, and although many rushed to her aid, carrying out her every order with precision, it was clear that the greatest burden rested on the ruler's shoulders, who was the center of power in Atenarte. My outbursts of madness became the main topic of discussion among the nobles, and they compared me to Yurik, trying to spread rumors that would somehow incriminate me, talking about my past behind my back, and judging my every action. I had learned all this by eavesdropping on private conversations between Zeyana and Thomas, the court advisor, and although it was clear that the empress didn't even glance at the other nobles and didn't want to waste her time on them, I understood that the situation was stressing her, so I decided to plan my social climb.
No one would ever again see Alex from Clevwood as the mad and out-of-control witch; I would return to amaze the public with my magic, to also save the empress's reputation and help her achieve her goals.
One night, to test my powers, I left Riviera and rode to the cultivation field closest to the capital, then stopped at its entrance, preparing to create a mind-blowing phenomenon. I spent many hours dedicating myself to that field, but nature was with me, and I knew I could do it: my goal was to allow the soil to bear fruit ahead of time, and I wouldn't act against the natural flow of the seasons; I would simply lend my assistance, increasing and strengthening the production of the fields around Riviera.
The preparation was natural, unplanned: I let my body dance with the magical flow, following the rhythm of nature's breathing.