The Eternal Guardians: Book 1: The Missing Heir

Chapter 32

It had been a month since Roman had left Nemiph and the new life he had built. He had taken to heavy drinking to mask his pain, and it did just that, but also the apple-flavored bourbon that he had taken a liking to, made him forget about the people of his kingdom.

Evidently, Roman had pushed Ashta and any feelings that he had for her to the back of his mind, and anger and hate had filled the empty gaps of his heart. He missed her dearly, but he didn’t want to feel those feelings any longer. He was sure that she had moved on and made that guard her partner.

The moment he had felt something stir up in his mind about her, he would replay the moment that his heart was shattered over and over again in his mind. This would fuel his anger and his hate, and it made it a lot easier to push those feelings back down. Evidently, when this happened, he would drink even more liquor to mask his heartache.

Seemingly, his father Rocco had started the fight club television show back up, as Roman wished, and Maya had given him the second largest bedroom in the castle. Roman was surprised that his father and the queen had kept their word. He was not used to this kind and loving treatment from them, and he still wondered what their angle might be. They never acted this way toward him in his whole existence.

Surprisingly, there weren't any more beatings or scoldings by his father, and the queen did not lock him in the dungeon every time they felt like Roman did something wrong. This really puzzled Roman, because everytime he did something that used to get him in trouble, his father and step-mother ignored it.

It all felt like he was really living the dream, but at what cost? With his new-found power and freedom, Roman still wasn’t satisfied. He felt like he was missing something. Even when he drank himself into a stupor, deep down inside, he could feel his heart trying to tell him something. To him, this feeling made no sense, he had everything he could ever dream of, so why wasn’t he truly happy?

Evidently, Roman began to accept their change of heart, and in return to his father’s and Maya’s new-found love for him, and bending to Roman’s wishes, he decided to repay their new kindness by agreeing to go to every ceremony and make an appearance.

As Roman promised, Chantelle was allowed to come to Taitum and stay in the castle during her visit. She usually came and spent a couple of days, as long as Roman didn’t have any matches for his television show. She hated the fact that her son had gone back to his old ways, and she hoped that this was just a phase and that he would snap out of it soon.

Seemingly, Chantelle could still see the good in him, and she encouraged him to bring that back to the surface, but he told her that part of him was gone. She also hoped that with her coming around, he would still hold onto that good part of him even if he didn’t bring it to the surface.

She knew that her son was not evil, like the villagers of Nemiph said he was. Roman had just gotten his heart broken for the first time in his life, and he didn’t know how to adjust. So, he went back to what he knew, and where he would be most comfortable. Seemingly, she was grateful that he didn’t turn her away from ever seeing him again.

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Ashta didn’t understand why Roman would just leave like he did, especially after the life he had built with his mother, and what he had built with her. Her heart ached for him, as her skin yearned for his touch, and her soul cried for him. Sadly, she felt like a piece of her was missing, and it made her heart ache even harder.

Secretly, she would sneak over to Taitum just to make sure he was okay, and that he wasn’t locked away in the dungeon somewhere regretting ever leaving. She would forgive him for leaving and save him from that dark, dirty place. That was the moment she realized that she loved the handsome prince, and she wanted to tell him.

To her surprise, the last time she had snuck over to Taitum, she saw Roman with a girl. Seeing this completely broke her heart because she realized that he had moved on. They were dancing to a slow song and Roman was spinning her around the room, staring into each other's eyes. To Ashta, she felt like he was looking at the girl the way that he used to look at her.

Painfully, Ashta felt a snap in her chest as her heart broke in a million pieces. It felt like he just said that he didn’t love her at all. Maybe she was his girlfriend that he left behind, and he wanted her more than Ashta. Tears streamed down her face as she went back to Nemiph and her room.

That night, she stood in the middle of her room in silence as she thought about how badly her heart hurt, and how hard her soul screamed. At that moment, Ashta closed her eyes and she began to fluently dance as she let all of her emotions go. The water element grew stronger around her and she lost control as she hit her knees.

Suddenly, the whole room was soaked and flooded, and Ashta screamed. Tears streamed down her face, and Lashanna rushed through the door. Ashta looked up at her friend with pain in her eyes, and Lashanna ran over to her. Lovingly, she wrapped her arms around Ashta as she sobbed hard.

Seemingly, Damian and Xavier heard the commotion and they ran to Ashta’s room. Sadly, they stood at the doorway in ankle-deep water, and watched as she sobbed in Lashanna’s arms. They felt helpless as they watched the sad sight.

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After that night, her uncles and her friends saw an unexpected and a significant change in Ashta. She grew angrier, and her main focus was always on training. When the festivals were going on, she would make an appearance, but then she would slip away.

A few more months had passed, and Ashta had really grown to hate Roman. He broke her heart, and just left her without any explanation. Forcefully, she pushed all of her feelings she ever had for him deep down, and she kept them there locked away.

Evidently, the prince would send her an invitation to every one of his fight nights, and she would refuse most of the time, unless it was one of the people from her kingdom that was going to fight. She thought the whole television show was a dumb idea.

On the other hand, Roman was ecstatic every time the princess accepted his invitation. Religiously, Roman made sure that he downed enough liquor to soften the impact of it when he saw her.

The first couple of times she had come to the fights, he felt his heart soar, and he had to call for a break before the fight had even started. He would go into the back and drink himself into a stupor. However, those first couple of times he saw her, after the show was over and he was back in his room, he would drink the lighter liquor that he had stored away, and let his emotions go.

Sometimes he would feel the urge to do the elemental dance creep up on him, he would ignore it. He never once did the sacred emotional dance without Ashta. It was a huge reminder of what he had lost.

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Damian was always there for Ashta when she needed someone after Roman had left, and she grew closer to the handsome man. However, Ashta made sure that he understood that they could only be friends, and she was not going down that road with anyone, again. Seemingly, she could not bear another heart break, so she always kept her guard up, no matter what.

Evidently, Damian learned to be patient, and he understood their friendship, but he couldn’t help the fact that he still yearned for her to be his mate. He was happy that Roman was finally out of the picture. That meant that Damian could spend more time with Ashta, now that she wouldn’t be running off all the time to go see him.

Confidently, Damian decided to be as patient as long as it took. In his mind he believed that she would come around eventually, and that they indeed would become mates someday. Unfortunately, he still didn’t completely understand Ashta, and he would step across the line every now and then, but Ashta was quick to put him back in his place.

Lashanna’s and Xavier’s relationship grew stronger and blossomed into love. One evening, Xavier got down on one knee and he proposed to Lashanna in the middle of one of the town’s festivals, and she said yes. King Gale and Liam hired a wedding planning team to set up the entire event.

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The kingdom seemed to be at peace again, and everything seemed to be going smoothly for everyone in Nemiph. Also, the kingdom of Taitum seemed to be at peace now that the prince was back where he belonged. Even with Roman now known as the same species as Ashta.

Unknowingly, there was a part of the kingdom that wasn’t happy. The gods watched them in anger, as the two elemental children had gone their separate ways. They knew that they would have to step in soon, and put the legend back in motion.