Ramus watched his Queen stand before the man.

His chest was spasming from the pure panic he felt at taking in the sight of her looking up at him. She barely even made it to his shoulders.

Sometimes Ramus forgot just how small she was, but this was a painful reminder.

He could barely hear their words.

He stood to the side, while the male's own forces faced them a distance away. The two leaders conversed in the middle.

Ramus almost had a heart attack when they had asked her to remove any weapons and a long knife had been pulled out from her thigh, hidden away by the folds of her dress.

That had made the rebel leader smile though.

"A Queen who is a warrior? Did our King make a wise choice for once?"

Ramus had taken a step forward, but her hand on his chest stopped any movement as she looked up to the male and smiled.

Watching now, the rebel leader seemed to be growing flustered. Ramus tensed, his eyes darting to connect with his men. They nodded to him, only a single command holding them back.

Until she turned to face them, walking slowly to Ramus. He stepped forward, his eyes not once leaving the leader as the male turned and went to his own side.

"Is it done?" Ramus whispered.

His Queen shook her head, "not even close, the fools. I understand what Josiah is talking about now."

She looked up at the sky, taking in the stars. Ramus stared at her skin, matching the picture with the image she gazed at now.

"This land may be cursed," she said, her eyes going down to stare at Ramus. He did not flinch from her words. He silently agreed with them.

Sighing, she patted her cheeks and turned back to face the other males.

"What are they doing?" One guard asked.

"Talking. I've said things that he needs to discuss with his own people. Give them a few minutes and then we will see."

Ramus wanted to ask what had been said but knew it was not in his place to do so. His job was not to become involved in the political affairs of his country. He was there to guard her and that was all.

They waited for a while. Ramus looked up at the stars, finding the one he needed to see how much time had passed.

"Half an hour, my Queen," he whispered.

She did not seem affected by this statement and only continued to look out, waiting.

After an hour, and much shouting from the rebels at each other, the leader finally stepped back.

He surprised them though, by not stopping in the middle. Ramus' hand went involuntarily to his sword, his position shifting so that it was half covering his Queen.

"Soter, have you reached a decision?"

Ramus felt disbelief run through him at the usage of first name. More so when the male laughed and said, "yes, Lumi."

Some of the guards shifted uneasily, but their Queen pushed their discomfort aside as she stepped around Ramus and walked towards the male.

"My Queen..."

Her hand rose- a sign telling him to stand down. He did just that, but his gaze hardened over the male named Soter as his grin only widened from the action.

"What is the final decision you have made?"

"I will accompany you. My men do not like it..." his grin only grew at the thought, "but we want to know more of this light you are referring to."

"Good! Then it's settled!" Lumi turned around, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly as she faced Ramus and the guards.

"I would like to present to you Soter De'mont, leader of the Shidu- he will be coming back with us to the palace."

Ramus took in the smiling male. He felt like pulling his hair out when the image of his King's angry face came to him.

* * *

"You brought the leader of the revolution to the palace."

Lumi nodded smugly.

"Lumi..." Josiah paused, staring down at the desk as he lightly tapped it. Seconds went by, only the noise of his knuckle on the wood being heard.

"You brought the leader of the revolution...to the palace?"

"Yes, Josiah," she sighed, leaning back in the chair, "I've already explained this."

"You brought-,"

"No matter how many times you say it, it won't make it untrue."

"Do you realize what you've done? What can happen? What he can do if he is inside?"

"I'm aware Josiah. Ramus and three other guards are constantly on him. He will be monitored at all times. I'm not foolish to think this is a friendly invitation. We are still enemies in a sense, but this was the only solution I could think of."

He looked at her in silence. Lumi felt his gaze only grow more intense the longer the quiet hung between them.

"Don't you want to know why I brought him?"

Josiah's head fell, his body suddenly sagging with heavy weight as he walked around his desk and sat down. He rubbed his face, looking out the window, "why, Lumi?"

"I told him about the inventors. Why they were here. What they were doing and what their result could bring."

"That was not your information to share," he whispered.

"It was my idea and my plan. I have as much right to let any that I want, know of it."

Lumi stood, going to him, her arms reaching for him but his harsh words clipped into her as he said, "get out."

She stopped, standing before him. He did not look at her.

"Get out. Please..." he covered his face with his hands, and Lumi thought she heard a crack in his voice at the end.

"Josiah..."

He only pointed to the door.

She knew it was useless to talk to him at this moment. So she faced away and started to leave. But she still heard his whisper from the doorway.

"I hope your decision does not cost our lives. The lives of you and our son. I hope I do not wake up to find slit throats in my own bed. I hope your actions do not have deadly consequences."

* * *

Soter walked around the room, taking in the noise of the inventors and the chaos of it all. Lumi watched as his eyes flickered to Josiah.

"He's not happy I'm here."

"He shouldn't be. You've caused him a lot of headaches."

Her words made him smile as he turned around to fully take in the room.

"Yes...I have..."

They stood together, watching the work that was being done. Lumi would stop some inventors, asking questions to them. Soter would ask some himself- thoughts that surprised Lumi with the insight and details he already saw in the work.

"Do you believe me now?"

He seemed almost overwhelmed. It was Lumi's turn to smile as he shook his head, "I...yes...I do..."

"There really is a power that can bring the same light as the sun," she laughed, "but I understand your desire to see such a thing."

"You come from a land where it is there?" he turned to her, looking down as he asked his question.

"Yes. I was born in the Summer Kingdom."

"And then our King formed an alliance with yours? I only heard he had taken a queen- one who was a beauty," Soter looked down to examine her, a slow grin spreading across his face.

Lumi crossed her arms and ignored his words, "We're not here to talk about me. We are discussing your revolution and the fact that you continue to attack the border."

Soter's eyes darted around the room, "perhaps somewhere more private to discuss such matters, Lumi."

She scoffed, "I don't see why?"

He scowled at her, "I'm beginning to understand your personality, and I'm not sure I enjoy it."

Both of their attention was cut from each other as the workers around them moved out of the way. They looked up in time to see King Josiah walking towards him.

"Well he does not look happy," Soter mumbled.

Lumi was unable to hear his remark. She smiled at Josiah, trying to soothe him in any way.

"My study," he paused only to let them walk beside him before he began to make his way to the room.

The guards filed in, for once allowed access in order to keep watch on the intruder.

"King Josiah," Soter bowed, and Lumi couldn't tell if he was mocking or not.

Josiah only sat down at his desk, nodding his head towards the male and looking at Lumi.

"This is Soter," she introduced, eyeing the two males with apprehension.

"I see..." Josiah cleared his throat, motioning for them to take a seat. Lumi sat beside Josiah, facing Soter now. He seemed uncomfortable being in the eyes of his King.

They each evaluated the other. Until Josiah spoke.

"So this is the male who has been leading the revolts on the border."

"And this is the male who fails to protect his people from Winter Scum," Soter answered.

There was a deathly silence. Lumi looked to the guards, her glare all they needed to know to stand down.

Josiah's dark eyes were taking Soter in, his gaze flickering to Lumi who stared at him and nodded.

"The border of the Winter lands does its job. When you attack them, what else do you expect."

No one said a word until Lumi cleared her throat.

"Soter...we wanted to bring you here to show you the effort we are making in the Kingdom to try and bring light to it."

"I see it and I acknowledge that what you told me seems true...but this land is cursed. We are cursed people," Soter looked at his King and smiled, "you yourself know that, King Josiah."

"Yes," Josiah whispered, "I know this darkness is a reflection of our souls."

"So why fight us?" Soter asked, "why try to bring us to our knees to make us listen and obey you. You want us to just blindly follow what you say, but we already cannot see. We already are in darkness."

"You have met my wife, Soter?" Josiah's question seemed to throw the male off. Lumi tilted her head, worry cracking through as she looked at Josiah.

"Yes..." Soter's brows wrinkled in confusion.

"Well..." Josiah seemed lost in his own thoughts as he stared past Soter, eyes unfocused, "you are in your own ways. You think I am not something that will bring you out of this darkness. I have to agree with you. I'm not someone who would know how to get out of it myself."

"You know of the customs!" Soter stood suddenly, making Josiah blink in surprise, "yet you and your father got rid of them- banished them from the royal life! Your actions mocked us! You established something you should not have!"

"They were uncivilized," Josiah said.

"Were they?" Soter laughed, "you condemned the culture, do you not therefore condemn your own people?"

"A new way of life can be built."

"We don't want that- we don't want your new life and your fancy palace."

"Might I remind you-," Josiah stood now, black eyes glaring at Soter, "that those traditions that you so love, killed my mother? Your former Queen?"

Lumi felt like an outsider as the two men yelled back and forth. She had never asked Josiah about his family or how his monarchy had been established. All she knew was that it was relatively new, and barely even functioning.

She watched as the confession from Josiah caused Soter to step back. Shame seemed to show on his face as he looked away from them.

"What do you say to that then? What?" Josiah's breathing was heavy and erratic. Lumi had never seen him like this.

"You want the sun? I don't have it! Maybe it's those barbaric cultures you claim to love that caused it to go away in the first place! You want to keep fighting the border guard of the Winter Kingdom to get my attention! That won't change the fact that we are still all trapped here together!"

Soter looked at his King. With the silence that was between them, Lumi slowly stood, motioning for the guards to take Soter away.

"We will talk later- when emotions are not so high," Lumi said. Soter only nodded, his gaze never leaving his King as he stepped out.

Lumi slowly walked to the doors and closed them.

"Josiah."

He sat down, putting his hands in his hair and tugging at the strands.

Lumi approached him, wrapping her arms around his frame as thick sobs rolled off of his body. She clung to him, closing her eyes from the sound.

"Ssshh..." she rubbed his back, trying to console him. He looked up, his tears falling slowly.

"I never told you how she died."

"No...you don't need to," Lumi wiped away his sorrow with her thumb as she held his face in her hand. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes.

"There is a tradition- when a woman is sick and not getting better. They cut her, and drain the bad blood. They did this over and over. I watched them and knew it was wrong. I had read books. I had read books of science and medicine, but no one would listen to me," he sobbed again as he said, "no one would believe that they were killing my mother."

Lumi tucked her head into his neck, closing her eyes as she listened to Josiah's sobs.

"Cursed. All of it is cursed. This land. These people. Me."

He pulled her away and she looked up, staring into his eyes. She felt surprised when his lips touched hers, a desperate touch, one full of need and sorrow.

"But not you," he whispered against her skin, "never you."

Lumi tightened her hold on him, as their foreheads came together. She watched as he closed his eyes, his breathing slowly calming down. She stroked his cheek, trying to let the silence soothe him in some way.

"Say something," he finally said.

"What do you want me to say," she asked.

He shook his head, "now that you know the truth. Of me. Of what my father and his father did before when they worked to establish this rule. Of what I carried with me into my reign. You of all people should hate me. You wear your customs on your skin- like they are a badge of honor. You loved your people so much that you sacrificed yourself for them, even when you knew you would receive nothing in return. I want to know what you really feel now that you are aware of just how...of who I really am..."

"Josiah."

He looked up at her, his tear stained face so vulnerable in that moment.

"You want to hear what I think?"

He nodded, his eyes never once leaving her.

She pulled back and let go of him. A broken sound left his throat at the action, but Lumi continued, reaching behind her to the clasp that was on her dress. She loosened it, letting the material fall open. Turning her back to him, she let her fingers trace the burn marks that were there.

"Look at me."

She turned to make sure that he had followed her command. She stepped closer to him, grabbing his hand and forcing him to feel the burned flesh.

"It's ugly," she whispered, "and I can understand why you would think badly of it."

His fingers softly traced the three markings.

"Do you know...in the summer lands there is a tradition that when a woman gives birth to a child, everyone who lives in that town will go to her and give her a flower? They lay it on her doorstep and hope that enough is there that she cannot even open her door. They are blocking her in, forcing her to be with her child, but even if she decides to leave the house, the flowers will be there, and the beauty of them will let her know that it's okay to step out. It's okay to take a break and leave for a few moments. To not feel guilty."

Lumi sat down on the floor, taking Josiah's hands, "my mother told me that when I was born, so many flowers were left in front of the palace, that one had to wade through in order to get out. It was a sea of beauty."

Josiah stared at her, uncomprehending what her words could mean or the intentions behind them.

Lumi smiled up at him, "one horrible act does not define a culture. One tradition does not make a group of people monsters. Like people, we all have our light and our darkness- and that is the same for the actions and customs we carry- the history we let unfold."

"You're saying that I judge too harshly?" his voice was level, hiding his anger, but Lumi still felt it under the surface.

"I am only telling you my thoughts. It's up to you to determine what message you get out of them."

She stood and reclipped the back of her dress. She turned to leave, but before she could, he grabbed her hand. She saw that same desperate look in his eyes.

"Do you hate me? Whatever I do...whatever I decide....will you... not love me?"

Lumi had a sudden thought, asking herself why the men in her life seemed so broken. Why there was a fragileness to them, that they could never show to the outside world.

She smiled down at her husband, and reached for his face, her fingers lightly touching it before pulling away.

"My love is not conditional, Josiah. You will always have it."

His head lowered, falling to his hands as he turned away. Lumi wavered, wondering if she should stay or not. But she saw that he was breaking, and at this point, she didn't know how to fix him. She didn't know if that was what he wanted, or even knew he needed.

So she touched his head, letting her fingers run through his hair, before she walked away.

This is literally me every time I am writing a chapter or about to post one->

->When I tell you people that nothing is planned out and I literally just let the chips fall where they land (fall where they drop? What is that saying? Let the dice fall? Let the chips fall? But now I'm wondering why you would drop your potato chips- what kind of sick bastard does that???)

Okay, but real confession- nothing is planned out EXECPT the ending *yay*

Another side note: Give me prayers and good wishes you guys because this new job I have is giving me ANXIETY (then again, I'm generally an anxious person so I need the prayers anyway).

Thank you for reading!!! ♥