Chapter 4 NOTHING COULD EASE THE PAIN

It has been three whole days since the day since Rosety's kingdom was attacked and she has finally gone back to herself.

But not anymore like she used to. She is still a shadow of herself but she now manages to sleep and eats food when offered. But she never smiles nor talks and zannatul didn't force her as well.

Today, zannatul had decided to take her out of the palace so that she can have a change of scenery and hopefully, it might help her out in her sorrow.

She ordered the horse men to be at the ready while she forced Rosety to take a bath. She literally had to force her into the bathroom and drench her in the bathtub.

Rosety finally took a bath after three days and as much as she doesn't want to admit it, she felt refreshed.

She walks out to find her new clothes waiting for her.

They are cloths that were adorned with flowers and made out of the purest silk ever made.

"Take this back and bring me plain clothes" she asked.

She just doesn't feel entitled to adorn herself anymore. Zannatul didn't argue as well and let her wear what she wanted. It's more than enough for her that she's agreeing to step out into the sun again and not sulking herself to death.

Alas, the two were now seated inside their carriage and are heading out if the palace gates. Rosety kept on watching her surrounding and remembering just how her kingdom used to look like but now she was sure it laid in ruins.

"Where to?" Zannatul asks but she was too far to even hear her.

She felt a tap on her lap and that's when she jolts back to life.

"I asked where to?" she asks again.

But Rosety isn't in the mood to go out anywhere anymore.

"Just choose any place" she answers absentmindedly.

Zannatul ordered the driver to take them to the factory where they used to make jeweleries.

She just thought that seeing jewelries will help calm her friend down just like it she's her.

"His majesty will be returning tomorrow, I'll speak with him as as soon as he's back and we'll dispatch the army" she says, trying to give hope to her friend.

"That would be lovely" she say and smiles weakly.

"And thanks" she adds.

"For what?" Zannatul asks.

"For being there for me through those hard times" Rosety answers.

Moving closer to her, zannatul hugs her and places her head on her shoulder.

"That's what friends are for and you do not need to thank me for that, I wish I could do more" she says and she means it.

"You have done more than enough" Rosety says, tapping on her head and feeling more at ease.

Just then, the carriage came to a halt, indicating that they have reached their destination.

With the help of the foot man, the two ladies stepped out of the carriage.

"The famous jewelry factory of Ouwa" Rosety mutters.

"Yeah, the one and only" her friend adds.

She ushered them in while the guards followed behind.

They were greeted by the attendants of the factory.

Only princess zannatul was treated respectfully though as they thought Rosety was just a maid with her ordinary plain clothes.

And how would they recognize someone who has been declared dead. But Rosety didn't know that yet.

"Won't you greet..."

But Rosety stopped her friend. She feels like she doesn't deserve any royal courtesy whatsoever as of now.

Zannatul found a place for them to seat.

"I want you to make two identical earrings for me" she says.

"Just that princess, you could have called this lowly lives to take your commands instead of coming yourself and stressing you gentle self" he says.

"So I am not allowed to go out of my palace without your permission?" the princess asks in anger.

The poor attendant quick bowed.

"Forgive me my princess, I did not mean so, our gate is always open to you" he says in a shaky voice.

"Then get to work then" she commanded.

With a slumped shoulder, the man walked away to the back, where the real work was taking place.

"Why are you being so harsh to your subjects, back in my kingdom, we used to treat them..."

But then she stopped, remembering that she has no kingdom anymore. At least not now that she is a runaway of some sort.

Zannatul felt sad about that. She thought that bringing her friend her would make her forget all her sorrows but here she is again. And it's all because that attendant couldn't mind his business.

It was as if Rosety could read her thoughts, so she forced a smile on her face.

"You should please try talking to them with some politeness, they might seem like our servants, but they're still human beings too" she says.

She smiles at her and then nodded. They didn't have to wait the long as the attendant came out again.

"Your earrings are almost ready my princess" he says and bows.

She nodded at him.

"I'm sorry" she says.

The attendant looked around him to see who she was apologizing to.

He wasn't sure she was actually speaking to him.

"I'm sorry the way I talked to you earlier, it was a bit rude" she apologized again, this time specifying that she is directing it to him.

"You don't have to apologize to me princess, you are our future leader and so, you may do as you please, I was the one who crossed the line" he says.

"But I insist" she says and forces a smile on her face.

She is actually doing all this just to cheer up Rosety because in a normal circumstances, she would have never apologized to servant.

"I am honored my princess" he says and bows.

"If you'd excuse me, I'd like to check up on the process" he says.

She nodded at him in permission and he walks away, back from where he came from.

"That was nice and noble of you" Rosety comments and smiles at her friend.

Even though she knows she is just putting on a face, but she did try.

"Thanks" zannatul says and was happy that her plan did work, at least she brought a smile up on her friend's face.

Not long after, the man came out with a tray in his hand and on it, there are two identical earrings places carefully on it.

Just by the way, they are glistening from all the heat that they have been run into.

He placed it in front of her.

"Here's your earrings my princess" he announces.

She has not even reached her hand to examine them when a messenger arrives.

He was breathing heavily as he handed the message over to the princess.

She asked everyone to excuse them and all were perplexed as to why she didn't ask Rosety to leave as well.

She quickly unrolled the patch and reads it.

"It's from my father" she says.

"He said that he won't be coming back tomorrow as some important issue has came up" she says.

Rosety's heart drops by the news.

"He says the issue was from your kingdom, Farkland" she adds.

"Has he heard of what happened already?" She asked no one in particular.

But before she could get a possible answer, the bird that was sent to the kingdom of Larvana just flew in through the window, as if it has already known they would be there.

Rosety quickly pulled the letter that was attached to the birds leg.

The bird flew away once again.

She quickly opens the letter and starts reading.

'Greeting dear princess Rosety,

I have come to find out about the attack on your kingdom and I'd say that I am deeply sad about it.

And as you wanted to know, my kingdom has nothing to do with this, I assure you and I will do my utmost best to see that the impersonators are brought to justice.

My kingdom will always stand by you no matter what.

I will be coming to your kingdom when the moon reached it's half and we will discuss this in more details but for now, you need to stay strong, we are all with you.

And also, tell princess zannatul to take care of you.

Yours,

Prince Radan'

Rosety felt rather at ease that they are actually not the ones behind it. She handed the letter over and she read it over and over again.

"If he said the half moon, that means he is going there tomorrow too" zannatul comments.

Rosety quickly gets up.

"I need to go there" she announces.

"No, what if it's still dangerous?" zannatul couldn't help but feel worried for her friends safety.

"But didn't you hear what he said, he would be meeting me there tomorrow and so, I needed to be there"

"Plus your father's going there tomorrow is no mere coincidence, I have a feeling that something is going on that I need to see and that maybe would be out answer to all this attack" Rosety pointed out.

"Ok, but I'm also coming with you" zannatul insists.

She can't let her friend go back to a place that haunts her memory maybe for the rest of eternity.

"And one more thing" she pauses.

"You are going in disguise so that no one will recognize you" she says.

Rosety immediately agree with her idea. What if there is still some traitor out there and they also want to harm her for she was sure, who ever was behind this, was after the throne and being the successor,she will be on the person's radar.

**********

The two ladies are now riding on a carriage on their way to Farkland kingdom.

It would take them seven to eight hours to reach but on the fastest horses, just like the one Rosety came on, it would take about three hours.

Rosety was feeling all uneasy. She didn't actually picturing herself going back to her kingdom this soon.

She has promised to avenge them before setting foot back on the ruined lands again but this was the a good cause, she assured herself as this is the only place that she could get an answer to all that befell on her recently.

And now, she has her friend with her and she is sure that she won't leave her side for no reason.

Zannatul placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, trying to assure her that all will be fine.

The trip took them longer than expected and they didn't take off early and it was already dark and they couldn't move any further, so they had to camp here in the way.

Rosety had a half hearted sleep in the night as she was busy anticipating how her kingdom will look like now.

Would it still be full of corpses?.

No, she just couldn't bear the sight of that, seeing all her people, including her parents, all being dump like a pile off rubbish, with no one to perform their last rites and with only the vultures to feast on their rotten flesh.

The image was so horrible on her head that she just couldn't help but get up from her sleeping position.

She sees that her friend is busy sleeping peacefully.

She walks out to get some fresh air.

While sitting there and watching the stars up in the sky.

She remembered when her father used to tell her that the stars are actually the souls of the ones that have passed away, looking down upon us. But now that she is all grown up, she knows it wasn't at all the truth but she just pretended that it was and so, she looked upon the brightest stars and thought them as her parents and so, they are now looking down on her the only way they could.

All the memories of her and her parents running down the hall of the palace and when they used to play hide and seek and all other fun games they played together behind those peaceful walls came back to her.

If only she could bring back those times, then she will cherish them over and over again.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Hears her friend's voice.

She quickly wipes the tears off her face so as not to allow the other to see. She is doing her best to cheer her up and support her and she wouldn't want to see her feed disheartened.

"I'm just looking at the stars" she lies, well, half lied.

She was actually doing that for the first half time she was here.

"So, you also believe that they are up there, watching over us?" she asks.

"I think so" she says but deep inside, she knows it's not true.

What was taken from you can never be brought back.

"You know, when I was little, I used to think that my mother is up there, like this shinning star and I would always see her wink at me some time" she says.

Just then, a star flutters just like how a lamp does when it's about to fade away and then it comes back on.

"Just like that" she points out again.

For a few moments, they all sat there and pretended that all those stars were there deceased families and gave each and every one a name.

It was almost to dawn when Rosety started feeling sleepy and so, she allowed herself to have some sleep before she face her biggest fear again.

At the first sight of the sun, the troop decided to continue with their journey and they will soon be in the lands of Farkland.

From then on, Rosety's heart kept hammering in her chest. She is just feeling as if something is about to go wrong.

She kept rubbing her palms so vigorously that they turned red. She usually does that when she feels extremely unsettled and nervous.

Soon enough, it was announced that they have now reached Farkland and are proceeding to the entrance.

Rosety just couldn't help but look through the window to look at the gate.

It was still as she left it, no harm has come to it and it was still closed.

It stood just high and mighty, made out of the most strongest iron. This assures her that the assassins must not have broken in.

The possibility of an inside job occurred to her.

But who could it be?.

Who could have helped the attackers invade their town and that too without anyone's notice.