A Lover's Promise

You may not know this, but you were once a great leader. I know because I was your second-in-command, your loyal advisor and friend. You had great wealth and a prosperous kingdom. Your subjects adored you, the wicked hated you, and I loved you. How I miss your touch, your smile, the way your eyes seemed to glisten when you were pleased with me. I admit that, when you commanded me to do grueling tasks, I did them not because I felt they were my responsibility; I loathed dull work. I did them because I longed to see your eyes glisten when you saw that I had done well. Oh:,how I miss those days.

Then the interlopers came, beings from a distant realm. They destroyed your kingdom took your subjects, and vanished without a trace. I remained by your side through all this, I dried your tears, I consoled you. It broke my heart to see you in such a state. I feared I would never see your eyes glisten again. You recovered and vowed to save your people from the interlopers, and I would be by your side the whole time. It was a long journey, through realms our people had never explored, through light and darkness, traveling so far that the time and space of our realm was no longer relevant. I could tell you were scared but I did my best to remain brave, for I feared that you would only grow more despondent if you saw me in such a hopeless state.

It was impossible to measure the amount of time the journey took, since the passage of time is often inconsistent over these distances, but it was a long time for us when we arrived in the realm of the interlopers. It was a dark world, a wicked world. I was reluctant to enter it, but you pressed on, undaunted, desperate to recover your people from the interlopers. I admired your courage and your compassion. I considered telling you then, I wanted you to know how I felt, in case we didn't make it back to our realm. Not a day goes by I don't regret my silence then. If only I had told you, you might still be with me now.

It wasn't until you saw the pit that I could sense your fear. I wanted to run. I regret my cowardice even now. Every day I weep not because of the torment I am dealt by my captors, but because of my remorse. If time is so inconsistent, why could I not undo what I had done? If only I had stayed when the interlopers surrounded us! Instead I ﬂed, pushing through the darkness, scampering past the tortured souls that begged for mercy and death. Only when I realized what I had done did I turn around to see the interlopers toss you into the pit.

Then you were born.

They let me see you now and then. I have watched teartully as you, a once great ruler, were reduced to a fragile infant. A revolting creature in a realm I am forbidden from entering. I remained here, the prisoner of the interlopers. They have grown used to me, and I have grown used to them. Their torture no longer fazes me. The only anguish I suffer is the regret of having abandoned you and the loneliness I feel with you no longer beside me. However, I will not accept this fate. I have waited a long time, and I will wait no longer. If your death means your departure from that realm, then so be it. I no longer care for the laws. I only care for you, your glistening eyes, your kind smile, those lips I've longed to kiss. I'm coming for you, my love, and not even Hell can hold me back.