Enceladus 2: The War

When I woke up, I was in a hospital cot. I was even wearing a thin, white gown.

I took in my surroundings as I tried to remember what had happened. I was in a tiny room with all white walls. It looked like the infirmary in the palace.

I sat up and moaned in pain. My shoulder was bandaged and some blood had seeped through the white. What the hell happened? Even my head was hurt. I felt the back of my head and found stitches.

“Princess Amelia.” Talia came into the room and bowed. “You’re awake.” She seemed happy to see me.

“Talia, what happened?”

She came up to me and held a hand to my forehead. “You don’t remember?”

I shook my head.

“The war.”

It all came flooding back. The people I killed. The things I did. I met my father, the Devil. Caelum, Alessa, and Lainie. Lainie.

“Is Lainie okay?”

Talia nodded. “She’s alright. Sleeping.”

“And Caelum?”

“He is in a coma. The palace doctor says that Princess Drea must have stabbed him with a poisonous blade. They found toxins in his system.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Three days,” answered Talia.

I was about to ask her how but the palace doctor came in. He was a different doctor from when I lived on Enceladus. Much younger. He was close to my age. “Ah, Princess Amelia. You’re awake. I’m Dr. Jones. How are you feeling?”

“Groggy. And my shoulder hurts.”

“Ah, well we did have to do some surgery. It was a pesky arrow. Unique.”

“Why was I out for three days?” I asked him.

“Well, it seems you ingested a lot of life forces. All those dragons and the people of Tethys. You’re body needed to time to rest. You overdosed on power,” he explained.

I nodded.

“You can leave whenever you’d like. Just take it easy on your shoulder.”

“Thank you, Dr. Jones.”

He left and Talia handed me pants and a t-shirt to change into

She turned her back while I changed.

“Talia,” I hesitated. “You don’t seem to be afraid of me. Even when I had those horns and the tail.”

She faced me. “Because I know that you will be our savior and not our destroyer.”

My eyes started to water. “How?”

“You are a good person, Amelia Ladus. No matter what.”

I tried not to bawl my eyes out as I put on the shoes she handed me. How could she possibly think I was a good person after all I’d done? Maybe it was because I hadn’t hurt her. Yet.

I hugged her quickly and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Of course. Lainie is in the main infirmary. Along with Prince Caelum.”

I left the room and entered the infirmary through an adjoining door. There she laid in a gown similar to mine. As I got closer, I saw the effects of my energy sourcing.

Lainie’s cheeks were sunken in and her eyes didn’t look the same. Her skin wasn’t wrinkled but something was off. The color. Her whole body looked like someone had vacuumed the color right out of her. Her blue hair was so faded, it was nearly white.

I did that to her. I would never forgive myself for hurting her.

I took her hand and kissed her forehead. “I am so sorry.” I left, tears running down my face.

The next two days, I sulked around, barely sleeping. I visited Caelum and Lainie. When I wasn’t visiting them, I was with Lynx who slept less than me.

Every time I close my eyes I can see him . . . in half, he had said. He wasn’t doing well without Alexander.

Our kingdom had started to rebuild. Planet Hall had been almost completely destroyed. For the second time. The sectors hadn’t suffered any damage. Although, I didn’t think it would have mattered if they did. They were already in such poor conditions.

Space Enforcement had come the day after I was knocked out and took the remaining citizens of Tethys. They would punish them accordingly.

Caelum hadn’t woken and Golda never left his side. Our doctors and the scientists were working day and night to find a cure.

Right now, I was sitting with Lynx in Cassiopeia’s private dining room. We had lunch in front of us but neither of us had touched it.

King John walked in. “Princess Amelia, Prince Lynx. Lainie is awake.”

My heart skipped a beat. For a second, I debated not going. She would hate me. I nearly killed her. But I went with my brother anyway.

Talia was with Lainie, helping her sit up. Lainie looked much better. The color had returned to her skin. Her cheeks and eyes looked healthy and full again.

“Lainie.” Lynx gave her a gentle hug.

“Amy.” She looked at me but I could barely maintain eye contact. When I did, I didn’t see anger in her brown eyes. “Come here.”

“Prince? Why don’t we give them some privacy?” Lynx and Talia left the room.

I inched closer to Lainie until I was at her bedside. “I am so sorry for what I did to you.”

“I know you are.”

“Why aren’t you mad at me?” I asked.

“Because I know it wasn’t you,” she said.

“Yes it was. It was all me. That’s me. That monster.”

She looked at me with her warm brown eyes. There wasn’t a hint of anger in them.

“You should be angry with me. You should never want to see me again. For your sake, you probably won’t ever again.”

“What?”

“As soon as you’re well enough, you’re going back to Earth.”

“You’re not coming with, are you?” Her voice wavered.

“No. I’m staying here.” I had thought about this while Lainie was out. I would stay on Enceladus. Most likely indefinitely. Lainie would go back to Earth, never to return. “I really am sorry. I want you to know that I’ll never forgive myself for almost killing you.”

I walked out before I started to cry.

That night I slept. The whole night.

Two days later, it was time to say goodbye to Lainie.

Lynx, Cassiopeia, Delphinus, Talia, John and I were all there to see her off. We had one of our space crafts that was able to be controlled from Enceladus take her home.

She hugged my siblings. When she got to me, we just stood there for a second, saying all the things we hadn’t with our eyes. She hugged me.

“I’ll always love you,” she whispered. My heart broke even more.

Lynx helped her into the space craft.

“Amelia,” she called before the door closed. “I forgive you. Forgive yourself.”