“FROM THIS DAY FORTH, DAELIA MOONBREAKER IS ETERNALLY BANISHED FROM THE KINGDOM OF CELESTIA!”
The crowd roars in its approval. A chorus of boos cascade through the audience, some even throwing garbage at Daelia. Alessia does not move to stop them; I’m not sure whether to intervene, but from the bottom of my heart, I can’t bring myself to care about Daelia right now, either. Her childish whim almost killed a dear friend.
“As soon as she is able, she will be escorted out of the city. Return to your homes for now.”
With that, Eren escorts fans out of the stadium. Alessia looks at me, averts her eyes, and storms past me, not even bothering to tell me where she’s going.
My heart is cleaved in two.
My mind is overwhelmed. A torrent of emotion tears through me, and an ache starts up in my chest. For a moment, I consider falling to my knees and wailing like a child.
But then, a sudden resolve washes over me, and I rush through the stadium, pushing past all the fans.
“Alessia!” I shout.
She doesn’t respond. My heart pounding in my chest, I push my way through the exit doors, climb down the stairs, and arrive in the entrance hall, where I call for Alessia again. Still, she does not respond. I assume she’s already left the building, so I crash through the exit doors and emerge outside of the building, frantically scanning the area for my wife.
Finally, I spot her, sprinting away from the scene as fast as her legs will carry her, a hood drawn over her head.
“ALESSIA!” I cry.
She glances over her shoulder, and the look on her face almost has me stopping in my tracks.
She looks like shattered glass. Her eyes shimmering, tear stains running down her face, and her lips quivering violently. She looks at me pleadingly.
Then, she turns away and runs even faster.
I’m not letting you run away from me this time, Alessia.
I take off as fast as I can, tearing through the streets at a sprint. I nearly run into shopkeepers and children darting between their parents’ homes, but I avoid them with expert agility and keep running. My eyes are locked on Alessia, who is pulling further and further away from me with that damn imperial human strength of hers. I can’t hope to keep up, but I don’t have to catch her here; I know exactly where she’s going.
When she enters the palace, I don’t feel the need to keep track of her. I head for the east side of the palace, following the same route I followed my first morning here, all those months ago. A lump forms in my throat as I remember that day, the image of Alessia standing in the sunlight tormenting me and warming my heart all in one. My wife hasn’t changed a bit; she’s still running away from her feelings, from me, from a chance at happiness, all for the sake of keeping up a brave face.
Not on my watch.
I follow the tunnels down, down, and down below the palace, noting the silver lining the path. When I reach the dead end, I barge right through the mirage. I run out into the secret garden, shielding my eyes against the harsh sunlight, searching for any signs of my wife.
Then, there she is, crying on her knees in front of the fountain.
“Alessia!” I call.
“Go away!” she shrieks.
She throws a volley of magic fire at me, but I dodge. She tries once more, and again, I dance out of the way, finally arriving at her side. She tries to get up and run away, but this time, I catch her by the wrist, and I hold her there, on the floor of the secret garden beside the fountain.
“Alessia, stop this, please,” I beg.
“I don’t need you! Stop touching me!”
She fights like a wild animal to get away from me. I let her kick me and punch me with her free arm, feeling it sting like hells, but I refuse to budge. That lump in my throat grows harder to swallow as I wait for her to calm down.
“Alessia, how long are you going to fight me? How long are you going to fight yourself?”
“Get away from me!”
She summons fire in her hand, preparing to strike. I don’t wince. I don’t lean away. Instead, I stare right into those beautiful blue eyes, seeing my sad smile reflected back at me.
“Alessia,” I start, “you’re not going to throw that fire at me. I know that because you love me, and I love you with all of my heart, too. We wouldn’t have spent weeks traveling together, learning to love one another, and spending our lives together if we didn’t care about each other.”
