5 You Aren't Only A King

A dark and dreary place where the only sound that could be heard was drip, drip, drip of waters from the stalactites. The air was thick with humidity and difficult to breathe. The darkness was so thick that it was impossible to see anything.

The cave was located by the River of Valox. It only meant that the cave belonged to the Prophetess.

Taking a sip from her wine glass, she turned to look at the man that was comfortably sitting on her couch with his eyes closed.

"Quit staring at me, Amira." The man said while he remained in his position.

The Prophetess chuckled softly which echoed in the cave. She found the man rather amusing than annoying.

"You'll be getting married in five days, so you need to work on yourself." Amira; the prophetess said.

"I don't want to get married. That's against my wish." The man raised his head angrily folding his palm into a fist.

"You can't just go against the supernatural beings' orders. It's a way of redeeming the Kingdom of Macbeth from their sufferings." Amira explained.

He was a hard nut to crack, always angry. He has never listened to anyone and chose to follow what his heart desires if only he had a heart.

Seeing his unusual silence, Amira decided to speak first. Although she was slightly afraid of him she never showed it in her expression. It'll make him think lowly of her.

"Don't you think you're being selfish?" She said, her eyes meeting his cold gaze sending shivers down her spine. She cleared her throat to speak further. "Think about your subjects well being, they also need a queen, and the people of Macbeth, their situation is worst." Amira let out a deep sigh waiting for his response.

"I can't guarantee that she'll live a happy life with me. I don't want to drag another person to hell with me." He bowed his head with a frown resting on his face.

"I assure you, you're gonna be a great husband." Amira faked a smile. She knew what awaits the girl he was going to marry.

The stiff-looking man didn't say anything and kept bowing his head. What's going through his mind? She wondered.

____

King Lexis was pacing back and forth in his chambers. A worried look settled on his face. How was he going to face his wife and daughter? He can't imagine his daughter being married to an unknown man. A man she didn't know or love. That'll be against her will.

For now, he needed to put his daughter's feelings aside and think about saving his Kingdom. He wouldn't miss this only opportunity.

His wife; Queen Rebecca entered the room. Seeing her worried husband moving from one place to another with a frown on his face made her worried.

She moved closer to him and rested her arm on his shoulders. "My Lord, what's it that troubles you?"

Is it the right time to tell his wife about their daughter's arranged marriage? He wouldn't dare hurt her precious feelings but he had to. So he was going to tell her using another means.

"I want Ariel to get married. She has already reached the age for her to get married." King Lexis' frown deepened with the thought of him deceiving his wife just for her to persuade Ariel to get married.

"I also thought about that but has she?" Queen Rebecca raised her brown with a questioning look.

"She needs to get married in five days. It's the only way our Kingdom would be saved."

Shocked by his response she leaned closer. "How did you know about that? Have you met with the Prophetess?" His wife asked examining his face.

This wife of his was too smart and he really couldn't handle her so he needed to just go with the flow without lying to her.

"Yes, I already did. She came to me and not the opposite." He let out a sigh of relief.

"And..."

"She said I'm the reason for the chaos because I refused to please the supernatural beings." He explained exactly as the prophetess told him to his wife without missing any part. His wife only reacted with either a frowning face or a confused face.

The room was silent for a while and King Lexis was impatiently waiting for his wife's response. He couldn't help but tell her the whole thing. Now, what was running through her mind? He couldn't tell. His wife seemed to be lost in her world of thoughts as he cleared his throat to remind her of his presence because she might have forgotten that he was still there.

"I...I...I don't know what to say." She shutters.

"I know you care about Ariel as much as I do but you need to understand why I'm going to do this. As a King, my subjects well being comes first." He simply said not knowing that his words has angered his wife.

"Your subject well-being comes first?" She threw the question to him fuming in anger. Not only was he trying to marry their daughter off to an unknown being he was also only thinking about the welfare of his subjects excluding theirs.

Realizing what came out of his mouth, he was ashamed of himself once again. He was tired of being a failure. "That's not what I meant." He tried to convince her but it was of no use.

Queen Rebecca stood up from her seat angrily. "You don't even care about how your daughter would feel. You aren't only a King but a father and a husband as well. Yes, it might be the only solution we have but we have to talk things out with Ariel."

What she said makes sense. He was not only a King but a father and a husband as well. He was foolish compared to his wife.

"You're right." He finally succumbed and let out a deep sigh. "Have it in mind that we only have five days." He reminded and his wife nodded in agreement but she wasn't pleased.