“Samara was very close to me. I loved her more than anything, and then I made the mistake of loving her more than you, more than my own sister, now look how things turned out to be. I didn’t just end up losing you, I ended up being the joke in the presence of all my comrades, all because of my love for Samara.”
“It’s okay if you do not want to witness her execution. I would have decided the same thing too if I were in your shoes, but please, I am begging you, Walden. You have to forgive yourself for the things you’ve done in the past. You have to move on towards a better future for yourself and your people.”
“I know I have to. It will be hard, but I will try.”
“Thank you, Walden.”
With her words, Walden turned to exit the balcony. “I will be taking my leave now. I think I will feel much better being away from all this. I’m sorry that I will not be attending the unity feast tonight but I will send a representative in my place.”
“That’s fine. The feast is just a feast. What’s more important is the cause that we are all celebrating for; our victory we achieved today.”
“Yes. Thank you for understanding, Miranda. I wish you and your mate the very best that love and life has to offer.”
“I also wish you the best, Walden. I pray that you will find someone to lift you out of sadness, someone who will comfort you and give you the kind of life you desire.”
“Thank you so much, and goodbye, Miranda.”
**********
It was a good day, and for the first time since Conor’s death, Sandy felt she could breathe a bit of fresh air. She’d sent for Conor’s mother who she’d kept with security in hiding out of town for months. Now that Samara was history, Conor’s mother would now be free and would no longer live in fear for the rest of her life. The only one regret that Sandy had was that she failed to protect Jaffar as much as she did Hilda.
Immediately after returning to her home, Hilda took the journey to visit the princess in her packhouse chambers, as she was expectant to find out everything that had happened.
“Hello, Hilda,” Sandy greeted as she was sent in by the guards.
“Hello princess Sandy,” Hilda wasted no time in getting down to her knees before Sandy could stop her. Tears of joy lined her voice as she spoke. “I want to thank you so much. Thank you for fighting for my Conor.”
“I should be the one thanking you, Hilda,” Sandy answered as she helped her get off the ground to take a seat. Thank you for trusting me so much by telling me the truth. Because of you, Samara and all her accomplices have finally paid for their crimes.”
“I was selfish, I should have come out to speak the truth earlier, but I was scared for my life.”
“You are not selfish by trying to protect your life, Hilda. You are a strong mother who loved her son, her only son who was wrongfully taken from her.”
“But now, at least my Conor can rest, he can go to rest knowing that his enemies are no more, and its all thanks to your bravery, princess. I’ll never forget the help you gave me and my son. Thank you so much, brave and beautiful princess.”
“I accept your appreciation. There’s no need for you to be scared anymore, Hilda. You are free now. Go and live the good life that Conor died for you to live.”
**********
Walden had been overwhelmed with so many responsibilities, but despite all that, he’d never forgotten his sister. He’s made so many mistakes, and she’d been present through it all. She’d been hurt so much from the choices he’d made, he feared that just an apology would not suffice.
Like his fears were confirmed, he met Sandy packing up her stuff as soon as he entered her room.
“Sandy… Princess, where are you going? Why are you packing?”
“I’m sorry, brother. I only stayed here long enough to mourn Conor and also to get justice for his life. Now that it’s all been taken care of, I see no reason why I should remain here.”
“Sandy. I know you’re upset with me. I also hate myself for the things I’ve done, but please, don’t punish me by taking the only light I have left in my life. I am going to change, I am going to be the best brother I should have been to you, but please, don’t go. I’m begging you, Sandy.”
“I am sorry, Walden, but my mind has been long since made up. I’m not leaving this place to punish you; I’m leaving because of how much Conor’s death and your behavior affected my mental health. I need a breathing space, a change of environment, and I need that to be far away from here.”
Walden sighed, knowing the truth in her words. Sandy continued.
“It hurt me so much. It hurt me to see just how much you kept believing Samara over your own family, even after seeing the whole truth for yourself. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you for that.”
“Sandy…”
“Please, do not stop me from leaving, Walden. Or else I will kill myself!”
“There’s no need for that, dear. I understand your hurt and anger towards me. I hope you’ll heal and find it in your heart to forgive me.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“So now, where will you go?”
“I will be with Miranda for a while. Her presence seems to comfort me the same way I did when she had trouble with you. I’ve made plans with her already and she’s agreed to let me stay in the silver packhouse.”
“How long will you be there for?”
“I can’t say for now, though I know that even if I leave there someday, I might not be coming back here.”
“I’ve lost Miranda, and now I’m going to lose you too, I am losing all my happiness because of my mistakes. Will I ever find peace again?”
“I am sorry, brother, I am sorry for this self-imposed exile, but I need time and space to heal. I need to forget the hurt and pain of the past in order to move towards a brighter future for myself. I hope you don’t remain alone for the rest of your life; I hope you find love and happiness as I need to find mine too, far away from here.”