Chapter 2: Prologue: Yna
The sun shine so brightly the next day but it did nothing to brighten up the Kingdom's mood.
News about the King's demise spread throughout and outside the Kingdom of Saquiro. The Kingdom was filled with grief. They adored the fallen King.
Meanwhile, in the princess' chambers, the princess was still oblivious to the happenings in the kingdom. She was still in great pain. She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted with brightness from the sunlight. Her whole body ached, especially her stomach, which felt like someone had punched her there. She felt alone and scared. She immediately cried for help.
The maids were waiting outside when they heard the princess' call for help. They immediately went inside her room.
One of the maids went quickly beside her, crouching beside the princess' bed.
"Saya Mara is awake! Get the doctor, quick!" Mara flinched from the loudness of the maid's voice. She felt like the maid's loud voice was pounding inside her head.
A doctor came together with few of the nurses and checked her condition. The doctor who had been the royals' family doctor even before the prince and princess were born, looked at the princess with great pity. He knew that the princess was still clueless about her father's death. She always had a soft spot in the doctor's heart.
The doctor made her drink something. It was incredibly bitter and almost made the princess puke. After a while, she felt drowsy and fell asleep.
Hours later, she awoke to darkness. She felt so confused, alone and scared. Her cries were heard throughout the night, echoing in the large room.
The maids in the west wing heard her cries but they couldn't do anything for it was forbidden to enter the royals' chambers at night unless called.
For three days, the scenario was still the same. The doctor came to check her condition and made her drink the bitter medicine. The doctor would stay for a while and console the princess but then, duty calls and the princess was left alone.
On the fourth day, she woke up, feeling much better. For the first time she was able to smile. Beside her was the doll her Ahma had given to her on her fifth birthday. The doctor probably placed it there for her to see.
She can now walk around a bit but the bruising on her stomach was still painful.
Later that afternoon, her mother entered her chambers. She was so happy that she cried and ran towards her mother, hugging her legs tight.
"Yna! Yna! I missed you! Where have you been? Where's Kugo and Ahma?" she asked with joy and tears in her eyes.
The Queen was solemnly quiet. She was carrying white fabrics with a blank expression. She walked towards the princess' bed and laid the fabrics on it. She faced the princess who was confused and crouched down.
She started to remove the princess' clothing making the princess feel even more confused.
"Yna, what's going on? Why aren't you talking to me? Where's Kugo and Ahma?" she asked again but to no avail. The Queen was still quiet and was now putting the white fabrics on her, which she just realized was clothing.
She remembered these kind of clothing. They were exactly like the clothes she wore when Mangko and Samaya died. She looked back at her mother, puzzled.
"Yna," she whispered with so much sorrow that it made the Queen's hands falter.
The Queen's head hung low and her hands started to shake.
"Yna?"
The Queen grabbed the princess, hugged her so tight and started crying. The princess had never seen her mother like this and it made her feel worse. She cried with her. Pouring all of her confusion and pain into her tears.
When the Queen had calmed down, she loosened her hug and looked at the princess. She wiped the princess' tears away and then hers. She force a smile at the princess and continued dressing her up. Both didn't say a word until the princess was fully dressed.
The Queen stood, took the princess' hand and led her out.
Maids were lined up in the corridor dressed in white. They bowed when they saw the Queen and princess.
Outside the wing, there was a carriage. The Queen led and helped the princess up the carriage and then climbed up herself.
The carriage travelled out of the palace and stopped at the palace square.
The palace square normally held festivities and ceremonies and was filled with people. It is the largest place in the palace, located at the middle of the west and north wing. It was a wide cemented place. In the middle, the crest of Saquiro, also known as the symbol of the Saquiro Royals, is painted. On the south side of the palace square, there is a platform, where the seats of the royal family were placed.
Today, there are more people than usual. It was packed. The ministers of Saquiro and their families were present, some royals and representatives of the other Kingdoms also came and so are half of the servants, guards and soldiers of the palace. Outside the palace, many citizens of Saquiro came to weep for their fallen King.
"Yna, what's going on? Why are these people here?" the princess asked but the Queen didn't answer. She looked at her mother whose face was now covered by a white veil. The Queen was holding a smaller veil and put it on the princess.
Stepping down the carriage, the princess looked around and saw her brother up on the platform where they usually seat. Delighted, she ran towards him, oblivious to the pity looks the people was giving her.
"Kugo! Kugo, there you are! I missed you! Where have you been?" she shouted whilst running towards her brother. The prince, pained to see how clueless his sister was, accepted his sister's embrace with a pained smile.
"Oh, Kugo. Why didn't you visit me when I was sick?" she said, pouting.
"Mara," Kugo let go of her sister and looked her in the eyes. "That night...," he whispered tears forming in his eyes. "Ahma..," he choked.
The princess suddenly remembered about that night.
Memories of that night flowed into her mind.
It all came back to her.
"Oh, no. Kugo, how's Ahma? Is he okay?" she asked her brother, her eyes filled with worry.
"Mara... Ahma is...," the prince was trying hard to explain it to her but just couldn't. Not with those eyes of hers.
"He's dead." shocked, the princess looked at her mother, who had said those words. The princess' beautiful eyes widened and her mouth fell open in surprise.
"Yna, what?" she whispered, having a hard time breathing.
The Queen crouched down beside her children, hands on one of their shoulder. "Your Ahma is gone. He died that night," she said, tears streaming down her pained face.
"No! Ahma is not dead! You're lying, Yna! He's not dead!" the princess shouted. "Ahma! Ahma! Where are you?! Stop hiding, please. It's not funny! Ahma, reveal yourself!" she screamed, running towards the center of the square as people watched her with pity and sadness.
A coffin in the middle of the square caught her attention. It was adored with flowers and the symbol of Saquiro was on it. She slowly approached the coffin, not wanting to believe that her Ahma was inside the coffin.
"Ahma?" she whispered. "No... Ahma... this is not true... You can't be dead...," she said, between her sobs.
The Queen put her hands on her shoulders and pulled her away slightly.
"Let's go. You'll see your Ahma later," she said to her daughter. "Your Ahma would not want you to act like this," she added and carried the princess away who was now crying on her shoulder with the prince in tow.
The burial ceremony started. All the while, the princess' mind was blank. Her Ahma being dead hasn't sink in.
"Its time," she heard her mother say. The Queen put her daughter down. The princess looked at where his father's coffin was.
Some men carried the dead King's body out of the coffin and laid him on a bed of silk, flowers and hay on the royal symbol painted on the ground of the palace square.
The Queen led her children to their father, walking with such grace, head held high like a true Queen.
Upon seeing her father near, the princess let go of her mother's hand and ran towards her dead father. Crying loudly, she asked her father to wake up over and over.
Seeing this, the prince also ran towards their father. Cradled his head and was repeatedly saying sorry.
"Ahma, I'm sorry I couldn't save you! I'm sorry I couldn't do anything! I am weak! I do not deserve to be your son!" cried the prince, his tears falling on the dead King's face.
"Ahma, wake up! You're not dead! Stop playing around! Please, Ahma. Don't leave us... please... please...," pleaded the princess while hugging the dead King's hand.
The Queen who stopped in her tracks when her children had let her hands go, continued her slow walk. She sat beside her husband's dead body, still not looking at him.
She slowly looked at her husband's face and her facade broke. She burst out crying and embraced his husband's body.
"My sun! Why did you leave me? How could you do this? You promised! You liar!" she exclaimed, her whole body shaking. "What do I do now? Without you...," the Queen choked, sobbing continuously.
"I love you... my sun...," the Queen whispered and kissed her husband on his cold forehead for one last time. She stood up slowly and offered her hands to her children.
"Let's go, my stars," she said.
"Yna, no! I'll wake Ahma up, you'll see!" the princess shouted, her hold on her father's hand tightened while the prince kept sobbing whilst cradling her father's head.
"My stars...," the Queen sobbed, "It's time to say good bye to your Ahma," she added forcefully, trying not to choke.
The prince knew it was indeed time to say good bye. He kissed his father's forehead and stood up, his knees shaking. He went beside his sister who was still trying to wake their father up. "Mara, it's time. Ahma would be very sad to see you like this," he whispered to her. She slowly let her father's hand go and accepted her brother's help.
They walked back to the platform and sat down on their designated seat. The Queen sat beside the empty seat of the King. The princess beside the Queen and the prince beside the King's seat.
A man, the King's guard, approached the dead King with a lit torch. His lips moved, probably saying his last words to his King and then his hand moved.
The bed of silk, flowers and hay was lit. Seeing this, the Queen closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her beautiful face. The prince screamed, calling his father and the princess fell down on her knees wailing.
Hours passed by, the only people left were the Queen, the prince, the princess, the ministers, the people from the other Kingdoms and some servants.
The ashes of the King were collected and put into a jar. The King's guard bended his knee in front of the Queen and held the jar to her.
That night was a sleepless night full of tears.
The Kingdom wept for days since that day.
The Queen had locked herself in her and her late husband's chambers. The prince and princess never left each other's side and consoled each other.
The minister's took the role of the King temporarily since the prince was still too young to step up to the throne. And the Queen was still distraught to leave her chambers.
A month passed by and the Queen finally decided to step up and resume the King's role.
Hearing this, her children went to see her. They saw how the death of their father affected their mother. She grew thin, eyes sunk and skin paler than ever.
They wanted to talk to their mother for they missed her so much. But, they failed to even say hello to her. She was bombarded with workloads and meetings.
Days passed by and they heard that their mother was in her chambers, resting. They went to her chambers but, was stopped by the Queen's maids and guards, telling them the Queen ordered not to see anyone.
"But, I'm the Ingko! And she's the Saya!" the prince exclaimed but was still denied entrance.
"The Queen does not wish to see anyone.
Especially, you two," said the maid, which broke their hearts.
There were many sources in regards to the King's death. One of the sources had claimed that the King had plotted to kill the prime minister who was against the coronation of the Ingko.
The prime minister had always suggested to the court that it was better to pick the most worthy among the sons of the ministers and the Ingko. And so, threatened by the fact that Kugo will not be able to take the throne, he ordered the Rogues to kill the prime minister.
The Rogues are a known group of assassins. Whenever anyone need someone to be killed, they are the ones to call. Because of this, Kingdoms especially Saquiro had threw them out of their kingdom, forcing them to live on the outskirts of Kingdoms where the lands are unclaimed and dry.
They hated the King for he was the one who revealed their identity and so, were treated like rats.
The Rogues broke the agreement and killed the King instead.
This discovery angered the Queen and demanded the real story. She knew her husband could never do such a thing.
She also knew that if this blew up, her husband's name will be tainted. And so, she did everything to cover it up, for it to never go into public's knowledge.
Months passed by and the siblings finally had the chance to talk to their mother. However, every time they did, they were just cold hellos and forced smiles.
They grew apart from their mother who was busy ruling the Kingdom. It is then the siblings realized that they lost their mother, too.
Years and years passed by, they finally had lunches and dinners with their mother but that was it. They were never filled with conversations. Most of the time, it was very awkward for them until the siblings came to dread seeing their mother. A stranger.
The moon and stars lost their sun.
The stars lost their moon.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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