Kitanna
Chapter 269: EPILOGUE PART 2

Chapter 269: EPILOGUE PART 2

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: WUJI ~ WANG YIBO]

The palace began its preparation for the burial. The palace servants had their usual dresses changed into something dull, and the brighter colors were removed from the designs on the walls.

Friends and people close to the royal family arrived for the burial. Everyone had a plain expression on their faces, giving nothing away.

One of the servants carrying the ritual basket entered the tomb where the deceased would be laid, and everyone waited for the speech to be given before the body would be burnt to ashes and preserved.

Before the person to give the speech started, one of the officials said to the man standing beside him, "Why is the burial done like this when the person who died is not even a member of the royal family?"

The other official replied, "He is almost like family, a eunuch who served both the Queen’s father and the Queen. He played a huge role in making sure the Queen got her throne back." The man explained.

Kitanna climbed the stage with the help of Nix. She scanned her eyes around the crowd. There was Lady Hash, who carried her first grandchild, and Lord Hieron, who gave her an encouraging smile. Beside them was Cortez, who held a heavily pregnant Axilla, and close to them was Clephas, holding the twins, Larel and Labre standing together. Chantal and Kayla were there too.

She turned to her side; Nix was holding her hand. All around her were people who loved her so much and were willing to give their life to protect her in the past and still there to cheer her on in the present.

Kitanna started, "Today we lay to rest Eunuch Severus. Most of us might not know him, but he played a big role in helping me get back my throne. Even when he was locked away for many long years, he didn’t give up but stood for the truth until the day he had to testify. He never for once betrayed my father."

"He is someone I respect so much. I’m glad his last days were filled with nothing but peace and joy. He would now journey to the beyond to tell my father the tales he never lived to see. We now lay Eunuch Severus to rest." Kitanna ended her speech.

The remains of the man were burnt to ashes and sealed in a pot, which was kept beside the former king, Kitanna’s father.

After the burial, the royal family walked towards the main palace. They stopped in front of the old palace where Almaria had died, and everyone went silent.

"Father, why is this place not as beautiful as our castle?" A curious Adrian asked.

It was Heiron who replied to the boy, saying, "It’s a reminder of the implications of greed." He replied with a calm voice, but the young boy didn’t understand what his grandfather meant, so he shrugged his shoulders.

They continued their walk back inside when Axilla tightened her grip on Cortez’s arm.

"What is it?" Cortez asked worriedly.

Everyone turned to look at Axilla, then she regained her balance, "Nothing serious, the baby just kicked." She said in reply for others to nod.

Lady Hash, whose sight was not perfectly healed yet, touched her granddaughter who was sleeping soundly, "We should be ready for the next one, so it wouldn’t surprise us like this one did." The older woman pointed out.

"You mean how Zenda was given birth to?" Larel said, pointing at the first child of Axilla and Cortez who was sleeping peacefully on Lady Hash’s shoulder.

Lady Hash nodded, "Yes, on their way to the port, this little one decided it was okay for her to come into the world inside the carriage."

Everyone laughed at the memory; it was inside the carriage Axilla had gone into labor, with just Cortez and other female merchants who helped her deliver safely.

"We are prepared for this one," Cortez said in addition, getting a small smile from his wife.

Kitanna stopped laughing when she noticed the young man standing at a distance. The man had a beard and his hair all grown out, dressed in a worn-out robe. But Kitanna knew exactly who it was.

"Khelan..." She murmured, leaving the small crowd, she walked towards the person she had considered to be her brother in the past.

Khelan saw Kitanna coming towards him and turned to leave, but she called out to him, "Khelan, wait."

Khelan stopped in his tracks, afraid to turn his head. He held the small bag he was carrying tightly.

"It’s you, Khelan. How have you been? Venantius said you left the palace without a trace." Kitanna said, trying to catch a glimpse of the man’s face.

Khelan held his cloth tightly, "I- I heard you were ill, I wanted to make sure you’re okay. Goodbye."

"Wait," Kitanna stopped him, "Your son, Labre, is now a young boy. Larel trained him well, he would grow up to be a perfect gentleman; he even knows the basic martial arts. I’m sure he would do very well. And also, my twins love to hang around him every time, and they bicker like you and I did in the past. You can come to greet them if you want."

Khelan’s body shook terribly as he tried to stop his tears. He finally turned his face. When he saw the family walking behind Kitanna, the beautiful smiles on everyone’s faces, he remembered how in the past he would visit Kitanna’s room, and she would tease him to no end.

"I’m so sorry, Kit. Live a long life and forgive me for forgetting how special you were to me." Khelan said, wiping the tears from his face, he ran away from there.

Back at where everyone was still talking, Larel noticed Kitanna was not with them. She said, "Who is the Queen talking to?" She muttered.

"I’ll go check on her, go ahead." Nix said, leaving them to go stand beside Kitanna.

When Kitanna noticed someone’s presence behind her, she turned to bury her face on Nix’s chest.

"Khelan was here, Nix..." She sobbed, holding his shirt tightly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget that they were once siblings.

Nix rubbed her hair gently, "It’s okay."

Kitanna finally raised her face, "I wish nothing had gone wrong. If I had just accepted what Almaria wanted, maybe, just maybe, he would still be my brother, and he wouldn’t have to suffer like now, living like a dead man with no family."

Nix sighed, he turned to Kitanna, holding her face up gently, he said, "Princess, look ahead of you. What do you see?"

Kitanna turned to follow Nix’s trail of sight, then she turned to him and knitted her brow. "I don’t know,"

"A world you created, nobody but you Kitanna." Nix said, looking serious then he continued, "A beautiful one at that. Imagine if Almaria never tried to kill you, then there won’t be any Axilla. And if there’s no Axilla, we wouldn’t know about Cortez, or Lady Hash, and every other person we met during our journey. If you’re saying you wished nothing had happened, it’s more like saying you wished to not have met me or them. Everything has a price, including happiness." Nix explained, touching his wife’s hair gently.

Kitanna nodded, everyone in front of her has been a great part of her journey, and she didn’t regret ever meeting them. Or having them around.

"I hope Khelan would come around one day." She muttered.

Nix nodded, "He may or may not. But before then, enjoy the happiness you created and the blessings in front of you." Nix pointed at their twins who were running towards them.

"Mother, Father!" The twins shouted, going to hug their parents.

Kitanna coughed, using her hand to cover her mouth, she noticed blood. Then, she wiped it off,

"I’ll live in the present, and enjoy the blessings in front of me." She crouched down with one knee on the ground. She hugged her twins tightly while smiling at everyone who waved at her.

----THE END----