Chapter 249: Sister Alice

Opening his eyes, Alfred looked to his right and saw Isra’s worried face. Seeing her husband open his eyes, she dived in. "Alfred. You worried us." Unsure of what was happening, Alfred hugged her back. Looking to his right, he saw a doctor standing over him.

"What’s going on?" He gently pushed Isra off him and sat up.

"You collapsed, Your Majesty." The doctor spoke softly, and Alfred rubbed his head, feeling a light pain. He quickly remembered what happened, and covering his mouth, he froze. "The Empress has said you haven’t been sleeping well lately. You should rest for today. I have some moondrift I can give you if you require it."

"It’s fine. Thank you." Alfred knew it wasn’t tiredness that caused the collapse. "I’ll be fine, doctor; please, I’m sure others need your help." The doctor nodded, noticing that Alfred wanted him to leave, and quickly packed his things before leaving. Sitting up, Alfred looked at the wall ahead of him, and Isra sat at the end of the bed.

"Alfred. What happened?" Isra knew it wasn’t a lack of sleep. Even if Alfred had been sleeping poorly, he had never collapsed from it before. Alfred gulped and took a deep breath.

"I tried to kill her, Isra. My own daughter." The room went silent as Isra grabbed the sheets of the bed. For Alfred to call her his daughter meant he had already decided not to kill them. But looking at his face, she pushed her own feelings aside and softly smiled.

"Your human Alfred." Alfred looked at Isra’s smile, but his head dropped and frowned.

"Then why did you try to kill them? Before we knew they were even real, we spoke about this. I asked you not to do it. I didn’t want you to do it. I didn’t want to lose my wife, the same way you didn’t want to lose me." Isra looked away from Alfred, her face going cold.

"I have to protect Edward, Alfred. They are a threat to his future." Despite her words, she took a deep breath. "But, I may have been stupid. When I saw how much you were hurting that night, I thought it was the only way. If I removed all your connections to her, maybe you could move past it quicker without burdening yourself."

"Isra." His disappointed voice was worse than any anger for Isra as she looked down in shame. "I love you, but this wasn’t the answer." Alfred paused. "Look at me." Isra hesitantly looked up into his eyes. "If no one had stopped you, would you have actually killed them?"

Biting her lip, she averted her eyes. "I don’t know. My hand shook. I hesitated." The room went silent once more, and Isra bitterly chuckled. "But I think I would have done it."

Grabbing her hand, Alfred rested his head on her shoulder. "No more, Isra. I can’t have you killing them. I just can’t live with it." Lowering her head, she sighed.

"Okay." However, she smiled once more, kissing the top of Alfred’s head. "I’ll try."

"I know why you want to protect Edward Isra." The woman tensed up at his words, "I assure you, he will take the throne."

"But will others accept him? We both know that factions will start forming around each child in the future. It’s only a matter of when." Alfred said nothing, digging his head into Isra’s neck.

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Walking down the palace halls, Dimitri couldn’t help but feel that things had been odd lately. He had heard the rumours the servants had been discussing but couldn’t understand them. If they were Alfred’s bastards, why was he having such a reaction? It should have been Isra, if anything.

Opening the door into Reinhard’s room, the Slathan prince jumped in fright. "Oh, it’s you. Don’t you knock?" Dimirtir could hear the man’s annoyance but ignored it, taking a seat.

"You’ve heard the news, I assume." Dmitri leaned back into the chair.

"Yeah. Father won’t be happy. If the Emporer knew he had a couple of bastards, he should have married them to him, not the prime minister." Reinhard sat opposite Dimitri.

"It’s the same with Alexei." Dimitri looked to the right out the window. Squinting his eyes, he sighed. "But I don’t think the Emporer knew."

"When a man sleeps around, he should be prepared for this. I should know, my scumbag brother is like that." Reinhard dismissed Dimitri’s words, but looking at the man, he could see something else confusing him. "You don’t think they’re his?"

"No." Pausing, he rubbed his eyes, trying to find the right words. "I’ve asked around. Many soldiers don’t talk to outsiders, but a few can be persuaded. Apparently, the bastard’s mother arrived, and Alfred spent a near hour just stabbing her dead body. They couldn’t understand what was being said, but from what they could see, it was just hate between the two."

"So he didn’t like her coming back."

"No. There’s something more to it. The Empress still stands by his side, and I know the man better than you. He’s devoted to that woman. Not the type to take a mistress."

"You ain’t implying he got assaulted by a woman." Reinhard laughed at the absurdity of the thought, but seeing Dimitri’s lack of reaction, he stopped. "Seriously."

"I’ve known some woman to do pretty absurd things. I don’t know how she did it, but it explains a lot."

"That’s ridiculous. Isn’t it more likely he had, I don’t know, a moment of weakness? When would someone even get a chance to use him like that? The man is guarded heavily." Reinhard scoffed.

Dimitri shook his head. "This isn’t why I came here. The Emporer is moving against the church; I just got word. Thought I would tell you. Your father is going to have to make a choice soon."

Reinhard got up and walked over to the window. Looking out at Brookhaven, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted. "So the Principality is following the schisms, then?" Peeking at Dimitri, he saw the man give a small nod and sighed. "I’ll send word to my father."

"I hope the Slathans make the right choice. We have a chance for peace." Reinhard looked at him. Dimitir’s eyes were cold, but the young Prince only smiled.

"Is that a threat?" Staring at one another, a spark of tension flew through the air.

"Just an observation." Flashing a white smile at Reinhard, Dimitri turned and left the room. Shaking his head, he sat back at his desk and took out a pen and paper.

’Father. The Emporer has bastard children he hid from us...’Reinhard’s eyes flashed with a cold flash, writing the first line. Thinking on Dimitri’s words, he internally scoffed, thinking his theory was stupid.

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The Sisters of Gaia. A faith beloved by all. Issac looked at the entrance to one of the temples in Brookhaven and walked in. Tens of women silently prepared the temple, with a single older lady walking over to him.

"Sermons don’t start for another hour, child. Is there something you need?" Issac smiled back at the woman’s motherly smile and shook his head.

"Forgive me, sister. But I have come to see Sister Alice. She should be expecting me." The old lady gently clapped her hands and nodded, leading Issac to the back of the temple.

"She mentioned something about this." Opening a door into the back room, the old lady led Issac down a corridor to the set of doors. "Give me one second." Peeking her head into the room, Issac heard a low muttering. The old lady pulled her head back out and opened the door for him. "Please do not take too long; we must prepare soon."

Thanking the old lady, Issac walked in, shutting the door behind him. Alice knelt in front of a small wooden carving. Taking his seat, Issac waited patiently, watching the woman. She was a beautiful lady in her early thirties. Standing up, she brushed down her clothes and sat before Issac. Placing her hand on her chest, she lowered her head.

"I greet the Minister." Her voice was soft, and Issac waved off the greeting.

"Forgive me, Sister, but it is time. The Emporer said you would understand."

"Ahh." Alice nodded, her smile radiating pure happiness. "He truly is the Blessed One. To understand the unity of the Gods, who else but they can see it."

When Issac heard her words, he opened his eyes in shock and leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"You’ve read our doctrine, haven’t you minister." Seeing Issac nod, Alice’s smile grew wider. "The God are family, who care for nothing more than to guide us, humans. We have tried to bring the Church and Followers the truth and peace for so long. But the words of singular men have always made this impossible. His Majesty understands, however. The one single truth. No other can dare claim to be a Blessed One if they say he is not."

"Sister. You do understand what he is doing to bring about this truth." It was something Issac had to be sure of. Alfred had personally recommended that she become a pillar in the faith, but it was dangerous to have her if she couldn’t accept the actions about to be taken.

"An evil that will be necessary for future peace." Alice, however, didn’t budge, her eyes still carrying the same fanaticism. "We will be small pieces in history, Minister, but our impact will be felt for generations. When the world achieves peace, they will remember that the Blessed One allowed it. That the Blessed One saw the truth and was brave enough to enforce it."

Alice stopped and closed her eyes. Calming herself down, her smile became gentler. "Your worries, they are unnecessary. While I wish another way were possible, there isn’t. I am not naive enough to think we can have this without sacrifice, and if I must damn my soul to save the future generations, I will happily do so."

Looking at her, Issac could see she wasn’t lying. It was terrifying but also mesmerizing. He knew loyalty and faith, but the woman before him was different. She had both, but they were built on something pure. Built on something neither his father nor anyone in Alfred’s inner circle could claim.

"I understand. Just have things ready, please, sister. We will begin soon."