Fractures of Eternity

Shocked by what had come out of Gerta, I couldn’t help but stare at her as she was set on warning me of the path I was on.

“You seem so into Loki that I feel obligated to tell you my story.” She gazed at me straight on, holding back all the emotions as her eyes glossed.

Luckily, Luna had fallen asleep on my skirt, as she was only five, and it was way past her bedtime, giving us some leeway to speak.

“Gerta, you don’t have to,” I whispered, clasping my chest.

“Asher and me…” She bit her lip. “We were both young and stupid when we fell for one another. I guess we’ve been together for the past forty years or more now. It all started when I came here, and that was when we were both eighteen. I was a mere maid, and I found myself falling for the playful vampire that didn’t seem to leave me alone.”

Crap…

“He was handsome and sweet—a girl’s true dream. Ring any bells, Vivian?” She prodded, prompting my heart to stop.

“I…” I trailed off, releasing a sigh soon after.

Our situation was different, yet at the same time, it was the same.

“We fooled around even after his father forced him to marry Andrea, which I hate to admit, but it was the point at which everything spiraled out of control.” She said, shaking her head slightly. “After they were wed, they forced him to conceive a child with her by feeding him drugs and forcing him into a room with her. I remember feeling helpless, since being a human has its limitations, as you said.”

Even though those were my own words, for some reason, they sounded heavier on her. It also seemed Alijah’s story was being repeated, even in modern times.

Hah… this is unforgivable. Loki can never be in that system. I won’t allow it.

“After each event, I’d sneak into his room to find him alone, crying about everything that was done to him. Andrea didn’t even stay with him after she was done with him, which sickened me, yet I would try to comfort him as best I could. Though sleeping by his side was the best I could do, and it frustrated me.” She closed her eyes, wincing again.

“To be realistic, I’ve never seen a man break like Asher did,” Gerta mumbled, tears visible in her eyes. “When he tried to fight it. His mother told him it was what society expected of him, and for him to claim the crown, he needed an heir. So, she told him to man up. He wasn’t the first or last who would experience this.”

Every word that left her, though, caused my stomach to churn.

These people are sick. Vampires and their struggle to keep their blood control trait are revolting!

“At that point, his father was on the newly formed council, which was only five years old at that time. The late king’s focus was on power alone, which meant Asher would not only have to inherit the crown but the council seat as well. By this point, his father was showing signs of the genetic disease so prevalent in the vampire lines, but that didn’t stop the abuse.” She scoffed, gripping one of the bars next to her. “Nothing changed until a year before the blooming moon, Lycan took the helm of the council, which was when Asher’s father finally passed.”

Crap… I don’t need to know, but he is your grandfather.

Gerta smiled bitterly. “It’s obvious that it’s an incurable, deadly disease, too.”

Huh… Will Loki have that disease, too?I… my heart.

“He thought it marked the moment of freedom for him, which was foolish. Even though he tried to keep our relationship secret, that night, he held me without caring for persecution. He just wanted a moment of peace, and we were twenty-eight then.” The head maid shook her head. “Sadly, the life of a royal doesn’t end once they’re in power. No, that’s when they realize they have nothing, as the title is just that, holding little to no power. No, for that… you need the nobles at your side.”

Alistair… won’t be free once he dies? That’s…

“That night, his wife walked in on us, which didn’t surprise her since she seemed to know about our relationship thanks to some nosey maids I had confided in.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “When she noticed how we were fucking with no protection, that angered her. She shrieked at Asher, yelling that if I conceived the child, he could never make it with her, that she would kill me and take it for herself.”

The queen sounds like…

“She was adamant that no one else was allowed to have his bastard child, especially since Asher was about to inherit the roles of the council, too. It was the perfect storm. He didn’t know; his father had married him to a viper—one who had the disguise of a saint, as she always portrayed herself as the victim of the king, too, but she wasn’t.” Gerta sighed. “She instigated the king, but Asher never believed me when I told him.”

So… how are you still alive if Leonard was your kid?

“Andrea has backers left and right, while Asher had no one at the time. The only thing he had was the crown, thanks to his birthright. Who knew that title was lighter than owed favors from nobles? This meant Asher would never be rid of her, and divorcing her was out of the question. That doesn’t work with royals.” Gerta continued, her voice growing heavier with each revelation she shared.

The systems in place were rotten to the core, affecting all races, and despite efforts to improve, some were still struggling.

Greed always swallows the good.

For Asher to protect his people, he had to sell his body, and to protect the one he loved, he would fall into the darkness he had once been oppressed by.

This is just wrong.

“Nowadays, this still stands as most of the unions are deal-based. Andrea would never have allowed him to leave her, which, by some unforeseen force, it turned out she was a barren bitch.” She huffed.

Now I understand why Alistair wants to keep his brothers away from it. Perhaps I misspoke… No… I just need to save you, too, but how?

“A month later, when I didn’t get my period, it sent Asher into a full-blown panic. I told him we should’ve aborted it, but that’s when he turned to me and said there was no way we could kill the fruit of our love, the one pure thing he still had left. He confessed I was the one thing that still had him tethered to his passion, yet I could see he was already starting to lose himself.” The old woman’s voice cracked as I couldn’t help but ache for her too, while Loki and Alistair were filling my thoughts.

There’s no way I can abandon them to that fate.

“He’s still kind, but at that point, he realized he had to be ruthless— all to protect me and his unborn child. Hybrid or not. He didn’t care if we had a dhampir, just that we had it.” Tears trailed down her cheeks as a soft smile rose on her lips.

The light in the darkness.

“Asher wasted no time in sending me to Celestelia, where I gave birth alone to Leonard, my beautiful baby boy.” She broke, prompting me to clasp tighter onto my chest.

Oh, gods… I…

“It was also where we spent the first five years of his life, which were lovely, but that never lasts, Vivian. Good things never last. So, enjoy them while you can before the system takes them away from you.” She huffed, bit her lip.

It was almost as if I could see what happened next.

“Even though Asher didn’t visit us, Andrea found out about the child. We still don’t know how, but she did. Luckily, she didn’t know I was that child’s mother, since the reason for my departure was covered by him, yet the moment he found out she was hunting for our baby, he pried Leonard from my arms with the promise I would see him again.” She closed her eyes.

“Much to Andrea’s displeasure, he brought me back to the castle without a child, ensuring I wouldn’t be connected to him, as he hid Leonard with a dhampir. A sister of his, from his late father, but I never knew what he had planned until it was over.” She continued, pausing for a moment for breath.

Ah… I know where this is going.

“Asher killed his sister, claiming to Andrea that he had made a child with her just to spite her once I left. It was to keep me safe, but it left me bitter. After all, the woman who tore us apart was about to raise my baby, and at that point, I knew my beloved had lost his way during the years I was away from him.” Gerta sighed, “He realized he needed the backing of the noble vampires for everything. Thus, he would try to please them in every way he could, even if it meant hurting others.”

I couldn’t help but tighten my grip on Luna.

What we did to this family… We destroyed it.

Andrea was the greatest villain in her eyes, but little did she know I was the reason her son was dead.

If I didn't exist, Leonard would still be alive, and so would Vera.