They had journeyed with the strange elven man in hopes that their hope and faith would yield what they wanted.
And it did. For they were kneeling with their son in their hands albeit he was broken and bruised, he was alive. For someone whose burial had already been conducted, for someone who they believed they would never see again, finding him in this broken and unconscious state was more than enough for them.
They’d take a broken son over a dead one anytime, any day.
"It was true." Rakavi muttered with tears. "He really is breathing." She smiled with tears in her eyes.
...
Now Barak laid unconscious on a piece of cloth on the floor in the cottage, with his right hand tightly held by his mother. She’d been in that same position for over thirty minutes, just watching him without saying a word. She just stood there staring at her son. At first her tears were uncontrollable but eventually they had stopped pouring and just hung in her eyes.
It was a miracle, the biggest miracle that had ever happened to her. She only thought it was a pity that they Neriah was not here to see him. She would have been the most happy one to find out that Barak was actually alive. Rakavi knew how much the woman blamed herself for the death of Barak. Only the gods knew where Neriah was, was what Rakavi was thinking.
She prayed and hoped that wherever the woman was, she would keep herself and the child within her safe. And she prayed that Raknar and Regina would find her in time.
"Where are you, Neriah?" Rakavi muttered. "Your husband is alive, so I pray you return safely and don’t do anything foolish that will put your life in danger."
"I also wonder if Raknar has found her." says Bashan who had been sitting next to her in front of their son. "From the letter Barak wrote to us, I’m sure he has a big misunderstanding. I hope they can find her so they will resolve it."
At that moment, Mileka who had been standing in a corner with her husband and Rug seated on a small stool, realized who the king and queen were muttering about.
"F_forgive my impudence for suddenly talking when Your Majesties are talking but perhaps a_are you talking about the princess Neriah? Bara— I mean His Highness’s wife?" She asks.
"Aye." Bashan nods. "We didn’t want people to find out so it’s still being handled secretly but since you are the ones who saved my son’s life it’s alright if I tell you. Some days ago, the princess went missing she—"
"Forgive me again for interrupting but—" Mileka runs towards the door that shielded Neriah from the rest of the world. "The princess is here."
"W_What?" Rakavi stutters.
Mileka opens the door and disappears into the room, only to reappear again with a familiar pregnant woman who had caused quite a stir in the royal palace recently holding her arm as she steps out.
Rakavi and Bashan instantly stood to their feet staring at the woman before them, "Y_You—" Rakavi had no idea what to say.
"Neriah?" Bashan said her name. "My God, how did you end up here? How—"
For Neriah, seeing two familiar faces only brought tears to her eyes. It was like a child who had been wronged and refused to cry at the moment she was wronged but instead awaited her parent’s return and now that they were standing in front of her, she finally let it all out. The tears, the pain, the anger. "Mother, Father... He’s alive." She chuckles with tears running down her face. "But he hates me." Rakavi instantly walked up to her engulfing her in a motherly hug, "He hates me. Barak hates me now. He hates me."
"It’s alright. Everything is going to be okay."
...
"Mileka explain it to me." Botch who was rather surprised to see the pregnant wife of the prince who according to all rumors and according to what the prince himself had said, was the reason he almost lost his life. Rather than the question, what was she doing here? Botch was more concerned about how she got here in the first place.
"What happened while I was away." He whispered the question to his wife. "I’ve only been gone for three days. So what happened here? Who is that pregnant woman?" He asks even though he already knows the answer.
"The princess." Mileka casually whispered back.
"Why is she here?! How did she even get here?"
"It’s a long story, but what yah need to know is that His highness was the one who brought her back."
"What?!" Botch raised his voice louder than he had intended quickly bowing down to the royalties in the room for his lousiness before turning back to his wife. "What do yah mean he brought her back? The man can barely even walk."
"Yah should have seen him when he went to get her. Yah won’t even notice Hee had even a bruise more or less a pierced heart." Mileka said." He stomped out like a madman on a horse and when he returned she was here too."
"How did someone who is lying unconscious now, have the strength to ride a horse?!"
"It baffles me as much as it baffles you my love."
"But why would he bring her here?! Yah know she is the very same one who tried to kill Barak? So why did he bring her here? When he isn’t even healed yet."
"Quiet down yah big oaf, they’ll hear yah."
"But that aside, for a woman who supposedly killed their son, don’t yah think the queen and king are rather nice to the princess? Look how they are looking at her and holding her, I see no malice at all."
"Indeed yah right. It almost seems they care for her as much as they care for their child."
"But why?"
"Maybe they believe she is innocent—"
"Hush now, enough talk about them. I am more concerned about Rug. He has been quiet and sitting in that corner with his head covered with that dirty cloth since the queen and king arrived. Why is he doing that?"
"Perhaps he is shy."
"Shy? Have you ever seen Rug shy in front of anyone."
"Well,they are not just anyone. They are royalty."
"Dioes the Rug yah know care about status?"
"Now that yah say it. It is indeed strange."