Despite his predicament and the seriousness of the upcoming judgment, Aero drifted off to sleep in the early morning hours. Even with the thoughts running through his mind, and the burdensome stocks the Prince was able to slip away. Maybe it’s the emotional exhaustion, or the possibility of death… an acceptance really, that given him these few moments of rest.
Prince Aero is awoken by the closing of his cell door. It’s time. Groggily he opens his eyes. As his gaze comes into focus, he sees a sight that he wasn’t prepared for, the dagger.
“Rania!”
“Aero.”
Aero looks up to see her face. She is looking down and away from him. Is she hiding shame?
“Oh…” Aero slightly gasps.
He wasn’t prepared for her. He has spent weeks trying to get her attention, and now here at the end she arrives.
“What are up…” Aero says before being interrupted.
“When I was a little girl… I was given a book. It’s called the Dairy of the Daughters. It was a collection of writings from every Meegan girl that has had to deal with a prince from your family. They recorded everything from their interactions, thoughts, and the aftermath of their experiences. It was meant to inform me of what to expect when you came.” Rania says before taking a pause. “Every woman’s thoughts, from how they fell for the princes to how they were all betrayed. Every single one of them wrote in detail, how they were betrayed and how they had to kill them for the good of their people. The most heartbreaking part is how each woman lived with depression the rest of their lives. Most of them never recovered.”
“How many?” Aero asks with sadness in his voice.
“Seventeen.”
“Including you?”
“No.”
Both of them remain silent. The moment seems too big for each of them.
“How were the women betrayed?”
“In one way or another, but each of the men chose the sword over love.”
“I wish I could melt that damn sword down so that no one would ever go through this ever again.”
“Do you mean it?”
“Rania, I’ve been saying it since I picked it up. The sword ruined everything for me, I hate it.”
“It’s cost me too. Neither of us asked for this, but we are stuck in this story.”
“The same story, just different faces? Uh… My entire life is reduced to a few pages in a diary. Is every story really the same?”
“It’s not that simple.”
Both of them hang their heads in shame. Neither of them are looking forward to what comes next.
“I’ve been trying to tell you something for weeks and you have told me that I couldn’t. You would tell me either not here or later… But you never gave me the opportunity. I’ve had to talk to your father instead.”
“Father didn’t want me to speak to you until he got the whole truth from you. He thought you would sway me to get what you wanted. Tell me now.”
“It’s too late.”
“Aero, tell me.” Rania says.
“Rania, I am lost. All my life I thought I wanted to be a knight and serve the people of the kingdom. To serve justice in the middle of all the evil in the world. I did it too, for years. I thought I was fulfilling my destiny and was happy or at least I thought I was…” Aero collects himself as a lump in his throat forms. “I was wrong. My life changed the second I looked into your eyes.”
Rania raises her eyes to meet Aero’s. Both have tears forming in their eyes.
“Everything about me was rearranged in that moment. All I think about is you. When I was fighting the Underbridge Assassin’s, I was fighting for you. When you asked for the sword, I gave it to you. I would gladly destroy the sword to prove myself. I am utterly in love with you… To the point that I have no reason to live without you. If you can’t be mine, then go ahead finish our story for your diary… Make me number eighteen.” Aero says as he hangs his head and weeps.
With tears flowing down her face, she knows her entire life has led to this moment. She feels the weight of her decision; somehow, she knows the entire world feels it too.
She kneels before Aero to be eye level; she gently grabs his chin forcing him to look at her. “I am not yours.” She says while looking into his eyes.
Aero knows what comes next, the dagger…
But she lingers. “But…” she begins but is caught on her words.
“You are mine.” She says quietly as she leans in and kisses the prince.
Aero’s thoughts fade.
Rania pulls out a key and unlocks him from the stocks. They stand and embrace, Rania kisses him again before speaking.
“I do not know if you remember, but I told you of the Meegan custom of the first kiss.”
Aero pulls her close “I know, we are engaged now.”
“Yes, and we have everyone waiting at my father’s office to find out my decision.”
“Your decision?”
“Yes, my father insisted on making it appear it was his to make, so that you wouldn’t use our bond like some of the others tried to do.”
“All I have wanted to do is declare my love for you. I was going to do it that night on our bench.”
Rania hugs him again. “You can declare it every day for the rest of our lives.”
“I will, I promise.”
They spend a moment or two embracing. The emotions were high, they allow themselves a cooldown.
“Everyone is waiting.” Rania says as leads him out of the cell.
Aero and Rania exit the prison and are accompanied by the Governor’s personal guard to the Governor’s mansion. They enter the office and are greeted by cheers. All of Aero’s people as well as the Governor’s family, along with Ser Ali and Captain Brotou.
After all the cheers, Governor Dabir welcomes Aero into the family. “My son, I humbly apologize for everything that has transpired in your time in Meego. It’s a hard thing for a father to have to watch his daughter struggle with this generational curse. But, you have more than proven yourself worthy of my daughter. She chose you; she made the right decision.”
“Thank you Governor Dabir. It has been a trying time for all of us. I think none of us expected this. But I promise, I love your daughter.”
“I know my son, and as a token of my trust in you…” Dabir waves Brotou over who hands Dabir the Royal Blade. “This is my wedding gift to you.”
“Thank you, but I really don’t want it. I meant that.”
“I know you don’t, but…” Dabir says but is cut off by his daughter.
“The King needs his sword.” She says.
“But I am not the king, I would have to turn it over to my father.”
“You are the king.” She replies.
“No.” Aero says.
“Yes, you are.” Dabir replies.
“No I am not.” Aero insists
“Yes you are brother.” David interjects. “I know you do not know this, but the magic in the sword only works for the one worthy of being the true king. It didn’t work for me because I am not the rightful king, you are.”
“And not when your father dies, you are the King now.” Stephan adds.
“But I don’t know anything about ruling, I wasn’t educated in the ways that David was I’m really just a soldier.” Aero replies.
“But I have raised my daughter in governance. You two are restoring the unity rotation. You may be king, but she is the queen. You will rule side by side, together.” Dabir says.
“And I was trained brother, I will be a better advisor to you than I ever would have been a king.” David adds.
Aero takes this all in, to say he wasn’t prepared for this crowning moment would be an understatement. He has lived his entire life under the belief that he would never be king.
“I can’t be the king.” Aero says out of shock.
“Aero, you’re right. You are the least royal member of your family. You weren’t trained in their ways. You were trained in helping people. Do you think the kingdom needs another trained member of your family? Can the kingdom survive it? The kingdom needs you and Rania. You are the King! And I pledge my sword to you until my dying day, King Aero!” Matthew says as he kneels.
“He’s right. You are the one to wield the sword because you didn’t desire its power. Together we will restore the kingdom and return justice to the land.” Rania says. “That is our destiny!”
Everyone in the room kneels before the new king and queen.
“All hail King Aero and Queen Rania!” Dabir shouts.
Rania holds her hand up to stop the praise.
“This has been an unprecedented era in our history. In honor of all the daughters who came before me that had to struggle through this this, I have decided to take a new name. For the seventeen daughters that wrote in the diary, I take the name of the first one as my own. This is one way that I will honor them with my life. From this day, I am now named- Asna.”
Dabir gives a nod of approval with a tear flowing down his cheek. He is a proud father on this day, his daughter is so brave. “All hail King Aero and Queen Asna!”
The cheers rain upon the couple. Once married, they will be the rightful rulers of the kingdom; but that doesn’t mean anyone will accept them. Aero looks at Asna, as long as she is by his side, he feels he can accomplish anything.
Relics of the Old Age 