Chapter 2 Happiness and Despair

After the night that he had a nightmare he can't imagine that one day he will leave the most important fairy of his life so he trying to make everything alright. He wanted that his last days will be full of happiness and the only thing that he can see even in his second life in the paradise is the sweet smile from Cassiopeia.

Marcus has the skill of foretelling the future in a minimal view but no one knows it even his friend. He saw himself on his dream that some arrows tuck on his body and he was dying on the hands of his beloved.

Early in the morning, Cassiopeia got up to prepare his breakfast then Marcus got up when he noticed that someone was cooking in the kitchen.

"Hey, why were you got up this early?" he asked then he sat down on the chair

She looked at him, "Good morning Marcus" she greeted her "I knew yester night that you will travel so far today to sell some fine goods on your crafts in the next kingdom from here" she answered then she gave him a hot tea

He sipped it, "But I can do it on myself" he protested

"But it's fine with me" she answered

He didn't protest anymore because she wanted it, "I'll be back in the evening, if you will go out don't forget to wear your hood" he reminded her

She put the cooked food on the plate and served it to him, "Just eat first, and don't worry I'll be fine here when you are away" she said and sat down next to him to eat breakfast also.

After they ate, Marcus checked the things on his bag if it's completed when he checked everything he said goodbye to her and walked towards to his destination. Cassiopeia on the other hand, checked their storage if they need some on the market or they can pick it up on the woods. When she checked on everything, she went to the woods to gather some fruits and herbs. While gathering some, she heard someone's scream so that she immediately seek who was it then she saw a wounded fairy man. She checked her hood first before she approached him;

"Are you alright?" she ripped the hem of her long skirt then put it around the man's wound "What happen to you?" she asked

He tried to calm himself, "A wild boar attacked me and accidentally a stone cut my legs" he answered then he accidentally saw her face, "Are you a fairy?" he asked, trying to inspect her face but Cassiopeia avoided his eyes

"Yes, I am fairy but my parents exiled me here for having a dwarf friend" she answered and immediately stood up, "You will be fine later, I put some herbs on your bandage" then she left him

He tried to stood up to thank her properly but she already left, "Thank you" he said to himself

She went back to where she gathered some fruits then she returned to their home. She prepared dinner for them once Marcus went home. When the dusk came, the male dwarf went home

"Let's eat" Cassiopeia said when she saw that Marcus was already there "I know you are very tired from the kingdom" she added

He stood up and approached her then he hugged her so tight from her back, "Can I be like this even a minute?" he asked

Cassiopeia was very shocked on how he behaves, "Marcus, did something happen to you when you are in the kingdom of the ogres?" she asked confused

He shook his head, "Nothing, I realized that I missed you so much when I am there" he answered

She took off his hand to her body, "Marcus, maybe you are tired and hungry" she said to him smiling "I'll prepare a bath for you so that you can relax after we eat" she said

Even he was very disappointed on how she response, he tried to smile "maybe, I'm just hungry and tired" he sat down and started to eat

Cassiopeia on the other hand felt very happy when Marcus hugged her but she needed to be sure about her feelings towards him. When she finished her food, she immediately went to the bathroom and prepare a lukewarm water for her friend, "The water was already lukewarm, you can take a bath now" she smiled at him

He stood up immediately, "Thank you Cassiopeia, I'm sorry if you needed to serve me" he said

She shook her head, "No, I am grateful to serve you because you save me from death" she answered "If not because of you, maybe I am two years dead by now" she remembered the day that she was accused and sentenced to death but Marcus saved her

He stood up, "Alright, I'll take a bath first then you'll be next" he said "we need to rest early because tomorrow we needed to go to work" he said then he went to their bathroom to took a bath. While he was on the wooden tub he didn't know how he could confess to her because until now Cassiopeia saw him as a friend.

After they took a bath, Cassiopeia went to the bed and Marcus on his mat. They nearly to fell asleep when Marcus called her attention, "Cass, can I talked to you in a minute?" he asked

Cassiopeia got off from the bed and sat next to him, "What is it?" she asked

He get a box on his bag, "I will give this to you" he handed it to her, a box with three stages and twelve corners in every stage "Use it when you needed to escape, and you use it when you are in danger" he added

She was very amazed on the box, "But why are you giving this to me?" she asked

He felt suddenly the sadness when he remembered his nightmare, "Just do what I say, and I wanted to tell you another thing" he said nervously

She was very nervous on what he wanted to say, "What is it Marcus?" she asked

He took a deep breath, "I love you Cassiopeia very much" he said then he averted his eyes to her "I love you since we are child, I know it was insanity to fell in love with you but I love you very much until now" he said

She can't believed to the words she heard from him, "Thank you for loving me all these time" she replied then she stood up "I don't know if I felt the same feelings as yours" she answered then she went back to the bed then pretend to be asleep.

Even though he felt disappointed to her reply the most important thing is he confess his true feelings for her before the day of his death.

At the same night, the fairy man that Cassiopeia helped this afternoon told to everybody that he saw a fairy that was looked alike their queen who executed two years ago.

"Are you insane Casmir?" a another fairy man asked

He tried to persuade them, "I'm telling you the truth, if you wanted to see for yourself you can check her into the woods" he said

The news was easily spread to the kingdom, and it came to the ears of the present queen

"What? What did you say?" the present queen Lilac can't believe to the words of her maidservant

The maidservant bowed her head, "The late queen Cassiopeia was still alive your highness" she repeated

Lilac felt so much anger that time, "You may leave now" she trying to be calm beyond her anger

The next day, the present queens sent some soldiers to the place where Casmir saw the fairy woman and search the whole place. They noticed that a dwarf was passing by;

"Excuse me, did you see a fairy woman who lives here?" he asked to Marcus

He looked at him, "No, I did not saw any fairy woman here" he answered "just think of it, how can a fairy lived to this kind of place?" he added

His question make sense to them, "We're sorry if we disturbed you" he said then they let him to passed by.

When he made it to pass by he tried to hide and waited to them to leave. When they left, he tried to sneak and went back to their house

"Cass, Cass!" he called her like a mad man "Cassiopeia where are you?" he looked her around the house

She came from the backyard, "Why are you shouting Marcus?" she asked him "Is there any problem?" she added

He held her hands immediately, "We need to go somewhere now" he answered then he pulled her hands and then they ran away.

"Wait a minute, what is happening now, Marcus" she asked while they are running

"The royal guards are looking for a fairy woman in the middle in the forest maybe they are looking for you" he said while gasping for air

She thought about it then she remember the fairy man that she help yesterday when she was into the woods, "maybe someone noticed me when I'm into the woods" she answered

"It's fine Cass, the important thing for now is we need to escape" he said. They suddenly stopped when they saw some royal guards on the way then they hid on a bush

"Maybe we can go back in the headquarters now and we will resume to search later in the afternoon" a royal soldier said then they leave

When he saw that they are leaving, he looked at her "Did you bring the box?" he asked her

She checked on her pocket, "I have it on my pocket" she smiled at him

"Good" then he brought out his box

She was confused about the box, "What is this for?" she asked

"It's a magic box with the power of time loop" he answered "It will bring you somewhere that you are safe but in the another time or another place depends on your mind" he explained

She suddenly became sad, "You mean, if I will use this there are the possibility that we will be apart?" she asked

He became sad, "Yes my princess, but I'll always find a way to find you no matter would be" he promised "I'll always looked for you" he added. He looked around, when he saw that there was no guard around they need to find a safe place to hide for the mean time but accidentally a royal guard was just sleeping on a tree.

"Excuse me, dwarf" he stood up "you are the dwarf that we let to pass by awhile ago, right?" he asked

"Yes I am, I went back to have my wife with me in the fairy kingdom to sell some goods" he tried to lie

The blue eyes of Cassiopeia caught the royal guards eyes, "Is your wife a fairy?" he asked

He was very nervous when the royal guards try to take off her hood, "Don't touch my wife!" he slapped the hands of the royal guard

"You, how dare you" he put up his spear to hit him but Cassiopeia pushed him that made her face revealed to the royal guards

Cassiopeia was very scared when she noticed that her hood was took off, "Oh my, what did happen?" she asked on her mind

"Here is the late queen!" the royal guard shouted repeatedly that made the other royal guards came to whereabouts

Marcus held her hands then ran as fast as they can but suddenly Cassiopeia fell down, "Are you alright?" he asked her then he assisted her to stood up but unfortunately the royal guards surrounded them

"Hey dwarf, just give up the late queen" a royal guard said

At that time, Cassiopeia was very afraid "What should I do?" she asked herself when her eyes are closed then suddenly she remembered what Marcus told her when she was in danger "Marcus, I wanted to tell you something" she said

"What is it?" he asked while his eyes was on the guards

"Thank you for everything, and I love you" she said

Those words make him very happy, "Cass, when I said rotate the box you will do as fast as you can, alright?" he said

She was suddenly became nervous, "What will you do?" she asked

"Always remember that I love you even we will live in different time, I always looked for you whatever happens" he said then he attacked the guards "Now, Cass!" he shouted

Cassandra immediately held the box and move it then suddenly a tunnel opened then it pulled her then she saw that Marcus has bathe to his own blood that made her grieved, "Marcus! I promised in the next loop I will find you immediately, I love you" then the portal closed and the Marcus was died with a smile on his face

"I will follow you my princess, I'll always love you no matter what happens" he said to his mind before he totally lost his life.