"I shall leave then," the King said and hurried towards the door. He heard the High Priest call out behind him.
"I will have my senior apprentice guide your way as it's not easy for people unfamiliar with the terrain to find that hidden temple."
"Thank you for the help," King Theron said sincerely and walked out of that chamber. The moment he stepped back to the hall used for worship, he saw his wife standing near the statue of some goddess who didn't even look half as beautiful as her, looking at him with worried eyes.
Seeing his arrival, she hurried to approach him but before she could ask anything, King Theron wrapped his arms around her and held onto her as if he was terrified of losing her.
Esther could feel his restless emotions. He was clinging onto her like a man who experienced a horrifying nightmare and woke up to realize it wasn't real.
"W-what happened?" she asked. "Theron?"
King Theron didn't let go of her until his breath stabilized and he was able to calm down. His dark eyes stared into her caramel-coloured ones. "It's nothing. I have to leave to get help. I will be back soon."
"What? Why? No, but, where are you going? And what happened inside when—"
"Shh! Everything is fine," he interrupted her. He let out a shaky breath as he asked her, "Esther, do you trust me?"
She nodded. "Of course I do, Theron."
"Then promise me, whatever happens, you will wait for me to return and won't take any decision on your own. You have to promise me."
She could feel his disturbing emotions, and his restless eyes showed he was worried about something like there was a problem spiralling out of his control, though he was trying his best to hide it.
Esther cupped her husband's face and peered directly into his eyes. "Will you tell me what happened, Theron?"
"Since you say you trust me, then don't ask anything," he said. "I will explain things to you afterwards."
She let out a reassuring smile. "I trust you more than I trust myself."
"Promise me you will wait for me," he asked earnestly.
"I-I promise," she replied.
Only then did he feel relieved. He pulled away from her and straightened himself. "You have to go back to the palace and wait for me until I return."
"I will do that," Esther replied, "but where are you going?"
"I will tell you once I return. Promise me that you will first go back to the palace," he said.
"Yes, yes, don't worry. I will leave the temple now and go straight to the palace."
One of the priests then approached the King. "Your Majesty, I will be your guide as instructed by my master. We have prepared a horse for you."
Esther felt something was indeed wrong. "Wait, you are leaving the temple? You are not going to bring your guardian knight with you?"
"I want Galien to escort you back to the palace. I will be more reassured that way. Go now, my love."
Esther nodded and saw her husband leaving in a hurry with that priest. She felt her heart sinking deep somewhere, as if things were going terribly wrong.
However, she wanted to respect her husband's wish and wait for him to return to the royal palace.
Just as she took a step towards the direction where the royal carriage was waiting, she saw the High Priest step inside the hall used for worship. He was standing quietly, watching the King leave the temple with his apprentice.
As soon as the two disappeared from his sight, he turned towards the Queen and their gazes met.
She let out a small polite bow and walked towards him. "Can I have a word with you, High Priest?"
The High Priest gave a meaningful gaze at the other priests in the periphery, and they immediately found themselves rushing out of the worship hall. As the two were left alone, Esther spoke up, "I wish to know what happened during the ritual. Why is Theron so shaken?"
"I am afraid I cannot answer you, Queen Esther."
There were many reasons for him not to answer. The Queen made a promise to the King that she would wait for his return to hear his explanation. As a priest, whatever happened during the sacred ritual inside the chamber was something he could not disclose to outsiders. Not only that, the one who summoned the Devil didn't wish to pay the price asked from him. It would be better for King Theron to be the one to explain this.
Seeing her stubborn expression, the High Priest sighed. "I beg you to not be too hard on these old bones. I would advise you to follow your husband's request, Your Majesty."
"I understand Your Holiness' wish to follow what the King wants but you forget that I, as the Queen of Megaris, deserves to know the outcome of the ritual. I am equally responsible to protect this kingdom."
"Do you not trust your husband?"
However, Esther refused to step back. "I trust Theron. I really do. But how can you expect me to remain idle when he has that madness in his eyes? High Priest, how can you expect me to simply wait when he looks like he would march to his death?"
"But you gave him your word, Your Majesty."
"On our wedding day, in front of you, I gave the most sincere vow in my life that along with him, I will bear the responsibility for all the hardship that will come his way." Esther looked at him with eyes that looked like she was about to cry. "High Priest, I worry for my husband but he won't share his burdens with me. I request you to let me fulfil my vow and share my husband's worries and responsibilities."
Seeing the young woman plead before him with those tears brimming in her eyes, the High Priest somewhat understood why the King refused to pay the price that the Devil asked for. The love this young couple shared was beyond anything he had witnessed in his old life.
"I will only say that His Majesty is trying to protect you. He will do anything but sacrifice you," the High Priest replied.
Esther staggered at the answer she got.
'Sacrifice me? Did 'he' ask for me in return for helping Theron? But why? 'He' was the one who left me. 'He' cannot ask for me as we cannot be together.