A KISS OF RAGE AND FIRE

SIXTEEN

She hasn't seen blood rubies in person. And what she's seeing at that moment are three blood rubies, shaped like drops of water...or blood. From what she's heard, blood rubies are so rare at nakikita lang iyon sa isang bundok sa Castamere. But she has three. The vampire clan gave her three of them. She couldn't help but be amazed. It was the prettiest stone she's ever seen, next to to the Dragon's Breath brooch she was wearing.

She looked at Killian ngunit nakakunot ang noo nito habang nakatingin sa laman ng kahon. As if he doesn't like what he's seeing.

"Ah, blood rubies," her father said at napatingin siya rito.

"Blood rubies mean good luck." Ngumiti ang ama niya sa kanya.

"It could also mean a warning," Killian said. His face was dark and I couldn't help but wonder.

"A good luck and a warning," she muttered.

"It's your birthday. It must mean good luck." Her father smiled at her at napangiti na rin siya but she glanced at Killian once again.

His face remained dark.

* * *

She's in her room. The thick curtains were closed at tanging ang apoy na nagmunula sa maliit na apoy sa  kanyang kwarto ang tanging nagbibigay ng liwanag. Nang tingnan niya ang orasan ay pasado alas kuwatro na ng umaga. She sighed. The exhaustion dawned on her like a dam. She stretched her body, finally free from the tight dress she wore earlier. Naalala na naman niya ang party kanina. It ended without Al asking her for a dance. And Killian was teasing her because of it. But Al was the one who brought her to her room. And she couldn't help but blush when she remembered the brush of Al's lips on hers.

Hindi na bale kung hindi siya naisayaw nito. He kissed her. And she thinks that's the highlight of her day.

She looked at the gifts laid on the table. The Assassin's dagger sat at the center atop the velvet pillow. Behind it were the gigantic dragon's eggs. The tiara shone with the light of the fire from the fireplace. The brooch laid comfortably on top of another velvet pillow and the black box beside it, containing the blood rubies.

It really is pretty. A rare stone only found in Castamere. A good luck sign or a warning—hindi niya alam. But it must be a good luck sign. It should be.

But she couldn't help but think about Killian's reaction when he saw the blood rubies. Maybe it was his Kingsguard instinct. Or maybe he was actually right. Maybe this is a warning.

But for what?

She looked at the fire and then stood up. She has to talk to her father. Maybe this was a warning. Maybe this is somehow connected to what's been bothering her for days. And Killian doesn't have a good feeling about it too. The more she think about it, mas lalo siyang nagdududa. She has to talk to her father.

The torches lit up the hallways one by one. Her fire burning the fuel. Her nightgown touched the floor as she walked down the hallway. Tahimik ang paligid. She couldn't see any guards. Nang makarating siya sa kung saan natutulog ang ama, agad niya g binuksan ang pinto. Wala ito doon. Judging from the dark room and the unlit fireplace, hindi ito nagpunta rito simula kaninang umaga.

So she closed the door and walked towards the office. There are only three places her father goes in the castle. His bedchamber, his office, and the gazebo by the courtyard. Eliminating the two choices, she decided to go to his office. Her father only goes to the gazebo when it's morning.

The torches continued to lit up as she passed by. She saw her father's office. And judging from the light creeping out of the door's crevices, sigurado siyang naroon ang kanyang ama. There were no guards stationed outside, either. Sa isip niya'y baka pinaalis ng kanyang ama. He does that sometimes. Sending the guards away so he could work in peace. But it's four in the morning. Not a very reasonable hour for him to be at his office when he should be in bed.

Kaya binuksan niya ang pinto.

She saw his dad's back on her habang si Alastair naman ay nakaharap sa kanya. The moonlight was bright, making the room brighter. The rain started to pour and the next thing she saw was Alastair, pulling the dagger. He pulled it from her father's body much to her horror.

Kitang-kita niya ang dugong pumapatak sa sahig na nanggagaling sa kanyang ama. Her father staggered backward while Al was just looking at her, his face didn't show any emotions. It was as if he turned into a completely different person.

She froze on her feet. It wasn't until her father fell to the floor that she screamed and ran to her father's side. His blood immediately pooled around him and his mouth was full of it too.

Hindi niya maintindihan. Hindi niya alam ang nangyayari. Her mind refused to believe what she's seeing right now. She cradled her father on her lap. Slapping his cheek lightly to wake him up. But she knew what just happened. She's just refusing to believe it. Alastair, the man she's ever loved, stabbed her father. She looked at Al. Maybe her eyes were deceiving her. Maybe...maybe it wasn't Al.

It can't be Al.

But when his eyes met hers, tears started streaming down her cheeks. His eyes were distant, cold. It wasn't the same eyes that would stare at her longingly, lovingly. It wasn't the same eyes that would smile when his mouth does. This man in front of her isn't Al.

"Isn't it past your bedtime, Kath?" His voice was cold. Hindi iyon si Alastair.

She shook her head, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She wanted to yell, but the only thing that got out of her mouth was, "Why?"

Al merely looked at the knife, examining it. The blood, her father's blood, shone under the dim light coming from the moon. But what caught her attention more was the knife. It was the Assassin's Dagger.

"Paanong—"

"I have bigger plans for Terrasen. And killing His Majesty is just the first step of my plans," he said and then looked at her. His eyes were cold. At unti-unti na niyang natatanggap that this man in front of her is the true Alastair. That the kind of man he showed her was fake. He dropped the knife. Hindi niya maintindihan paanong nasa lalake ang punyal. She was just looking at it in her room before she left. But her mind's too clouded to be thinking about it.

She stood up and coated her arms with fire. "How dare you." Her voice came out cold, deadly. But Al just shook his head. As if saying whatever she'll do will be futile.

"It's done, Princess. You're done. Killian isn't here to save you. It seems like fate has been in my favor. His Majesty sent him to find something. And by the time he comes back, he'll find both of you dead."

"What—" hindi na niya natapos ang nais sabihin nang biglang bumukas ang pinto ng opisina. Suddenly, she couldn't move. Binding magic. Al used binding magic on her. It extinguished her fire and made her immobile. She dropped to her knees. Royal guards kept swarming inside the office with their spears pointed at her, much to her horror.

"He killed my father!" she shouted at them ngunit nakatingin lang ang mga ito sa kanya.

"Call a healer, quick!" patuloy niya but the guards wouldn't even budge.

Sinubukan niyang kumawala ngunit napagod kang siya. Binding magic exhausts one's energy.

"Alastair killed my father. He killed your King! Why are you pointing those goddamn spears at me?"

"How are they going to believe you, Kath, when you're the one holding the knife?"

Napatingin siya sa sariling kamay at labis nalang ang takot niya nang makita ang kutsilyong hawak ni Al kanina. She's holding it. The Assassin's Dagger is in her hand.

"Wait—" Her words were cut off by her scream when the binding magic forced her to get on the ground. She saw her father's lifeless eyes from where she is. His blood pooled around his body.

Wala na ang kanyang ama.

At siya ang itinuturo na pumatay nito. She didn't do it. Alam niyang hindi siya ang gumawa noon. But something deep inside her feels that maybe she did do it. Baka siya ang dahilan kung bakit namatay ang ama. She was blind. Blinded by love. She was stupid. At that moment she prayed she could turn back time. And she will tell her father what she failed to say every day. That she loves her father and that she will rule Terrasen without worrying him.

She dropped the knife when another binding magic bounded her wrist together behind her. She stopped protesting. She stopped crying. The image of her dad's lifeless eyes burned through her head and she knew, even after she's dead, she will never forget it.

One of the guards kicked her and she grunted in pain as she laid her side. They dragged her out to the courtyard. It was cold and it was about to rain. Her knees hurt for kneeling against the sand. They forced her to stay upright and she did. She met Alastair's eyes and she couldn't help but wonder if what he had said, what he showed, what he made her feel, were all true. At hindi niya maiwasang makaramdam ng pagkadisgusto sa sarili. How naive of her to believe everything he said.

"Princess Katharina of Arathorne, the Crown Princess of Terrasen, you are guilty of murdering His Majesty. As by law and protocol, you are hereby sentenced to death."

Alastair's cold voice echoed in the courtyard. Hindi niya alam kung nasaan ang ibang tao sa palasyo. She lost the will to fight. Para saan pa? Her father's dead. At siya ang susunod.

She heard one of the guards step behind her. Her eyes remain fixed on Alastair. Still wondering how could he possibly do all of this. But his gaze remained the same. Ni hindi niya ito nakitaan ng emosyon.

She hitched her breath when she felt the sharp tip of a sword behind her neck. She muttered a silent prayer. Not for the gods or anyone to save her but a prayer of acceptance. Accepting that this is her end.

She didn't close her eyes even though she wants to. The binding magic has drained most of her energy and it prohibits her to use her magic. She couldn't do anything. Just like how she couldn't do anything to save her father.

She did not count. She didn't even blink as she felt the impact of the sword on her back. She felt pain but strange enough, it wasn't that intense. Maybe this is what death feels like. She felt herself on the ground. She could also feel the warm liquid on her back. Her blood. The binding magic has been removed but she was too weak to even blink. All she wanted to do was close her eyes.

"It is done," she heard Alastair's voice but it was muffled. She felt like she was falling deeper and deeper into oblivion. One she couldn't swim.

So she closed her eyes and let it take her.

* * *