Chapter 5 Murderer

Present.

The Royal Office.

10:45 pm

* Knock*

" Enter"

A drained gruff voice speaks from inside and the speaker enters. Bowing.

" The black warrant for tomorrow's hanging. It needs to be signed by you, Your Highness. "

" Put it down. Dismiss. "

Placing the Manila folder on Zachary's desk. The guard bows and leaves. The door closes and Zachary's eyes stay fixated on the document.

Clenching his fists.

He extends his hand to pick it up. Taking a deep breath, he flips it open. And the small passport-size photo in the right corner made a knot twist in his stomach.

Those brown eyes which were once his world stared back at him in coldness and those wild tendrils he loved to take hold of when he entered her, were wildly cupping her oval face.

Eirene Waters aka Phoenix

The name written at the top mocked him like a sick joke.

The two persons he loved and hated the most in his life, we together in one line.

They were one.

Unknowingly the corner of the warrant gripped in his fingers, crumbles to the extent of tearing off.

His livid eyes dare to look down and he will be lying if he said he has seen a captive before with such a long list of criminalities.

276 Sections breached in total.

35 Murders.

The list of those murdered went onto the next page. Yet the first two names caught his undivided attention.

London Winters.

Rose Winters.

She murdered her own parents at the mere age of 10 years. The one who could do that? Could kill anyone.

Sense of emotions, love, and care were not dead in her.

They weren't even born in her in the first place. Yet, he fell for her.

Zachary scoffs at himself. Hating himself more than her. The girl has made of fool of him and his feelings.

Love.

The word sounds more toxic than poison now. And those brown eyes, satirize at him every time he looked at them. It's good that they will close down forever tomorrow.

They don't deserve to blink.

Trailing down his finger down the names.

He searches for one specific one in particular. And his finger stops at the 18th.

Xavier King.

21 years.

His eyes tear up just reading his name. A thousand emotions hit his insides.

Self-hate being the most prominent of all. The image of seeing his younger brothers burned dead body at a neighboring kingdom's border. Made him crack like a live wire.

Getting up, Zachary slams his fist on the wall. Cracking the very concrete. He couldn't save him.

Crack.

He was late.

Crack.

He didn't deserve to be even called a brother.

Crack.

He fuc*ing fell in love with his brother's murderer!

Fuc*! Blood seeped down his wrists and he breathed heavily to not even bother.

The physical pain was nothing in contrast to the emotions simmering inside him.

His knuckles were all red, skin punctured and the wall had a huge hole in it.

Running his bloody fingers through his hair, he turns around to grab the pen in his deathly grip.

He started through his blurred vision at the bottom of the page where he was supposed to sign.

His hand quivered.

Mouth runs dry. And he closes his eyes.

" I love you Zach...had and always will. "

" You are the best thing that happened in my life." . . .

" Bro! You know you don't have to be so upright all the time. "

" Loosen up."

" I am afraid your stupidity is going to drop you in deep shit one day, Xav. "

" Chill. Till I have you, bro. I know you will be there to pull me out of any shit I am in. "

" Hell, you will even pull me out of the claws of the god of death if he ever comes to take me. "

" That's bullshit!"

" I love you too bro!"

Zachary's eyes snap open and without any other thought. He did it. His trembling fingers scribble his signature on the lower corner.

And as soon as he wrote the last letter, he allowed the pens nib to break. The pen drops from his hands. His breathing was uneven. And one lone teardrop dribbles down his chin to taint the name written at the top. Eirene.

" Why..."

Was all he could ask as his legs failed him and he slumps back in his chair.

" Why did you betray me, dewdrop? WHY!" ...