"G-Gladiolus!" I screamed with such.

"If you want to die that badly then die!" Hector pulled out his dagger and readied for a final blow. Blood gushed out of Gladiolus' shoulder.

"Run…" Gladiolus looked back and whispered to me.

It was like time was in slow motion. Regaleon was running as fast as he can with his sword ready to pierce Hector, but he was far from where we are. Hector was about to pierce Gladiolus and he in turn was about to use his fist to counterattack.

But before the dagger was able to reach Gladiolus, someone was in the way to take the blow. Surprisingly, Patricia was in between her son Gladiolus and Hector. The dagger pierced Patricia on her chest.

"M-Mother?" Gladiolus was shocked to see Patricia in front of him.

"M-My son…" Patricia groaned, blood trickled from her mouth. "I-I am sorry I was late." Her body fell on Gladiolus' arms.

"No… no, this cannot be." Gladiolus said in a trance. Tears started to fall from his eyes. "Why… why would you do this. I am a traitor… I disobeyed you."

"My sweet little boy…" Patricia touched Gladiolus' cheek with her dirty palm. "You are my son. Of course, as a mother I will always protect you." She said with a sweet smile towards Gladiolus.

"Mother…" Gladiolus was out of words.

"Whatever you choose, I will support you. It was my error to keep you caged in my delusions and not let have your own life's choices. I always chose what I thought what would be best for you, but I was wrong. Clearly wrong." Patricia said. "I am sorry my son, please forgive me."

"I forgive you mother. Please... just conserve your strength." Gladiolus said. "You should not die. You have many sins you have to redeem for." Tears were flowing nonstop.

"You have grown into a fine young man, similar to your father." Patricia said, her voice getting weaker. "I love you so much, my son. Now, I can be with your father. I wish he can also forgive me… for all the bad things I have done." Then she closed her eyes and breathed her last.

"No… no no no NO!" Gladiolus cried out loud. "You should not die, mother! Please, open your eyes. Please… please…" Agony was etched on his face. He held his mother tightly in his arms.

"M-My queen…" Hector was shocked to see Patricia's blood in his hands. "No, this is not what I planned. Why… why would you be here? You should have escaped. I have ordered the crew of the sip to take you to a safe place and escape, so why are you here?" He looked shocked and confused at the same time. Tears started to trickle down his face.

Regaleon was standing right behind Hector without him even knowing. His face was dark and without a second longer, he stabbed Hector from behind with his sword.

"I cannot leave you be. You are a danger even just by breathing." Regaleon said with such cold tone, his eyes looked at Hector with contempt.

"Ugh…" Blood gushed out of Hector's stab wound after Regaleon pulled out his sword.

Hector crawled with all his might towards Patricia and was able to hold her hand that was lying on the ground lifeless.

"Just when I achieved the youth I so much craved for." Hector said to the lifeless Patricia. "I thought when we see each other again, you would have noticed me not as just your advisor but also a man that can stand by your side. I fell in love with you since the first time I have laid my eyes upon you when the late king of Jennovia took you home as a mistress. I resented him to the core after knowing what he has done to you, and so I helped you poisoned him. I helped you exact the revenge you have always craved for. I thought that if I have given you everything your heart has desired, you would know that I am the only man that can be by your side forever. Where… where did my plan go wrong…" His eyes were breaming with regret. I can see the affections overflowing while he was looking at the lifeless body of Patricia.

I was shocked to hear such words from the high priest. Who would have thought that he was in love with my Aunt Patricia for so long? I have lived in Jennovia for at least two years when I was a hostage, but I did not even think that there would be such feelings from the high priest to the queen of Jennovia.

"How dare you?!" Gladiolus hissed in anger. "How dare you harbor such ill thoughts about my mother? You… you were the one to poison her mind with thoughts of revenge. You fed her such ideas, whispering ill thoughts of bloodshed!"

"It was because she was still in love with your dead father." Hector replied. "I thought that if she got revenge, then she will be free from her feelings… that she will see me who was always by her side helping her. But in the end, she still thought of someone who have dies a long time ago." He said with a mournful face.

"You sicken me… sicken me to the core." Gladiolus said with disgust.

"Maybe… maybe I am bad to the core." Hector was having a hard time breathing. I can feel that his life was fading fast. "But my love for her… it was genuine and true. W-Wait for me… I will follow you wherever you go…" And with that he breathed his last.

All of us that were left was shocked with the sudden confession of Hector. His infatuation with Patricia had led to so many deaths that it could not be considered as pure.

"NO… I will not let you go to where my mother is." Gladiolus said with fury while tears were falling. "I will not let you."

"He does not deserve to be buried." Regaleon said and ignited Hector's body in flames. "He needs to be burned in hell." He said with a chilling voice.

Regaleon knelt on one knee by Gladiolus side and started to heal the wound on his shoulder.

"I cannot heal it fully because I have exhausted my magic, but at least I can stop the bleeding." Regaleon said.

"Thank you." Gladiolus said with a low tone.

"Uwahhh… uwahhh…" My son started to cry and not long after, my daughter that was safely at a distance with Anatalia started to cry out loud also.

"This has been a long day for all of us." Regaleon said while walking up to us. "Let us go home. I am sure the babies would need a warm place to stay." He wrapped his arms around me and helped me stand up.

"Yes, you are right." I said with a low voice. I looked at Gladiolus who was sitting on the ground holding his mother's lifeless body.

"King Regalon." Gladiolus stopped crying and wiped away his tears. "I hope that you give me permission to burry my mother."

"Hmm…" Regaleon nodded once. "It is the least I can give you, after saving my wife and child." He said with a firm voice.

"Thank you." Gladiolus bowed his head. He stood up and carried his mother's body in his arms.

"Alicia… Leon…" Anatalia ran towards us with my daughter. "Help is coming." She pointed out to a distance.

I can see numerous people in horse back coming towards us. I recognized mother and father right away. I can also see Snow running with them in her tiger form.

"They are here…" I said with a huge smile. "Mother… father…" I waved my arms towards them.

Anatalia passed my daughter to Regaleon, he carried her tiny little body effortlessly.

"Hello beautiful." Regaleon said while using his finger to hold her cheek. "Are the two of you hungry?" the twins were still crying in our arms.

"I think they are also exhausted." I said, also feeling tired. "I only wish to go home now."

"And we will." Regaleon said and planted a kiss on the top of my head.

The people on horse back came to greet us. All of them were worried for our safety. Snow came to me directly and I introduced the twins to her. Her tiger form was five times larger than before.

"Wow, they are so little." Snow said in delight.

"They are wonderful." Mother said. "I cannot believe I am a grandma now." She said with a huge smile.

"You made us young grandparents, huh." Father looked at me and Regaleon with a raised eyebrow but then smiled. "I am glad you are safe, Alicia." Mother and father hugged me.

"It is nice to see you as well." I replied and hugged them back.

Because we were all exhausted, mother and Anatalia helped us carry each twin back. I rode with Regaleon on top of Midnight, and I fell asleep along the way from exhaustion.

edited by: nalyn