The Royal Revenge
Chapter 157: Maybe Just One More

Chapter 157: Maybe Just One More

Elys was not dreaming her usual dream.

There was not a single fire that blazed around her, no swords clashing and heart wrenching screams piercing through the dead of the night. Her sleep was mostly plagued by the night her kingdom fell into the hands of the enemies, but tonight was different.

She could some kind of warmth all around her, a kind of warmth that only a loved one’s embrace could offer.

Elys missed that much.

The young queen had endured months now feeling as if she was all alone. Cordelia worries about her health and well-being all of the time, making her look as if a doting mother figure for the former Northern Princess.

But even with Cordelia’s unwavering attention towards her general well-being, Elys still sometimes find herself longing for the family she lost.

Being emotional was highly discouraged in the warrior kingdom’s culture, to which Elys had diligently mastered since the day she could understand her expressions.

Her worries, her happiness, even that of fear was bound to be masked and if ever shown, it was not everything but just a slice from the whole cake.

"Elys," a familiar voice called out to her.

She turned around in her dream and saw her father standing tall, his pearly white hair receding due to his age. He wore his formal uniform, that of the ones he used to wear during the days full-fledged warriors were initiated higher in their society.

"Father?" Elys replied.

Her foot felt like heavy iron lids, and she couldn’t move a muscle. It was weird. If this was her dream, then why can’t she do everything she wants? Why was she being restricted to one place when the father that she longed for was just in front of her.

"Don’t show your emotions, Elys," King Alaric spoke, his voice stern and authoritative, "the path you will take will be a difficult one. Keep your joy, sadness, disgust, fear, and anger in a bottle, and show only what is needed – there is no exception."

"Father, can you come over here?" she asked him, her feet still stuck to the ground of endless emptiness.

"No, this is where I can and will stand, Elysianne," King Alaric shook his head, "You know that I am only but a figment of your imagination, a reflection of your regrets and hopes alike."

Elys spread out her arms and said, "Father, I missed you and mother so much."

"What are you doing, Elysianne?" the King Alaric in her dream asked her, "you look as if you are expecting something from me."

"As a matter of fact, I do," Elys said as she shot her arms forward. "I feel so alone most of the times, all I need is one. Please?"

King Alaric’s expression turned sour and he said, "Didn’t you hear what I said a while ago? Your emotions will betray you. Don’t even ask for intimacy, child. You are the last of us royalties."

"Why can’t I get a hug? I have done my best to get where I am now," she said as her voice raised.

"The same reason why warriors should never show their emotions – because it will be their doom," her father replied.

Elys didn’t like what she was hearing, and concentrated as much as she could. This was her head anyway, and she was the one in charge of whatever comes in and out of her mind.

She stared hard at the distance, and then thought of the memory of her mother playing with her when she was young. King Alaric and his negative words vanished in just a snap of a finger. He was replaced by someone Elys knew would give her a break.

"Give me a hug..." she said as she raised their arms.

Her mother’s soft brown eyes looked at her. To Elys’ delight, the woman was different from her husband just as the real ones had been. Her feet trudged slowly, one step at a time, careful and calculated.

She gave Elys a hug, but then didn’t last long enough and let her go. The hug was nothing more but a casual thing, and Elys’ chest started to ache.

"Don’t go away, please," she begged, her arms tightening around her mother’s waist. "Be with me..."

The mother she created in her dreams reached out her hand to caress Elys’ cheeks.

She opened her mouth and said, "You will be alright, Elys. You will find someone who would be there for you, my child. Be patient, and be strong."

Before she could even get out from the hug, Elys’ mother slowly vanished, and she was alone again in her own mind. Somehow, this dream had turned out to be more stressful than her usual nightmares.

But although her dream didn’t go as she wanted them to, Elys still found herself calmed.

The hug, no matter how small and minute, did her wonders.

+++

"Elys?" Aleksander called out to her.

Her eyes were still shut, and although Aleksander did not shout, he knew Elys should have heard him call her name louder and clearer for the third time since she gave him a deadly hug.

Her arms continued to tighten around his waist, and it felt like blood flow was slowly being restricted as well for Aleksander.

By the time the young king decided to fully awaken her though, Elys had loosened her grip from him and turned relax. Aleksander scrambled to his feet and covered his mouth as he processed what had just happened between the two of them.

He sat back down his chair, and didn’t bother anymore to close the canopies. Elys’ face has turned soft, her eyebrows were relaxed and not a wrinkle could be seen in her face.

She looked as if she was sound asleep after the hug!

"This is truly perplexing," Aleksander noted.

Elys turned to her sides, facing towards her husband whose head was running a hundred miles per hour.

’Would another hug be beneficial to her sleep?’ he contemplated.