'Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love' - George Eliot

"Your highness." Hera gasped as soon as she saw an armored soldier getting ready to swing his sword across Baekhyun's neck. She blocked the sword with her own body, letting out an audible gasp as soon as the soldier's sword met her chest the same time Baekhyun turned his head around when he heard his wife's soft yet pained voice. He felt his heart drop as soon as he saw his wife collapsed on the sand covered ground.

He dropped his knees to the ground and softly pulled his wife in his embrace, silently begging her to stay awake.

"My wife, please don't close your eyes. You're going to be fine." His eyes watered as soon as he met eyes with his wife, who was already struggling to keep her eyes open. She opened to say something but before she could, the darkness had caught up with her. His tears fell as soon as he saw the eyes of his wife's closed shut, knowing that he would never see the playful glint that she always showed him whenever he was feeling down. 

The bright and innocent eyes that never failed to make his heart flutter since two years ago. 

"Hera-ah." He cried softly, his voice strained. He repeatedly called out for her, hoping that she would open her eyes again but he knew that it was futile.

He felt like his heart was painfully ripped out of his chest. Before he could even recover from his loss, he felt an arrow being pierce through his upper right arm, near his shoulder. He bit his inner lips to prevent himself from letting out a cry in pain. This pain was nothing compared to his loss. He regretted every single second he had spent with that corrupted and manipulative brother of his. He was betrayed. After telling him that once he was king, he would keep all his brothers safe, what a fool he was to actually believe it. 

His naivety had not only killed his entire family, but his happiness and freedom as well. It had cost him the life of his beloved wife. 

A fool. He thought to himself.

He glared at his brother with so much loathe but his brother didn't seemed faze. In fact, he simply just aimed another arrow towards Baekhyun and Baekhyun didn't even bothered to defend himself. Not like he could. He couldn't even hold a sword properly. If only he had paid attention to martial arts classes, he would've not only saved himself and his wife, but his family as well. Regrets... That was what he was going to leave with. 

Baekhyun closed his eyes as soon as the arrow was shot but instead of a pierce he felt, it was the clinging of metal against metal that he heard. He opened his eyes and saw the 4th prince in front of him, defending him. "Hyungnim." He managed to mutter out in shock. 

He threw Baekhyun a glance before he fought with the soldiers, getting distracted and allowing the newly crowned king to take the opportunity and shoot another arrow towards Baekhyun, piercing him right through his abdomen. He gasped at the pain that came with it, looking at the arrow in disbelief. He wanted to take out the arrow with his own two hands but his hands were trembling uncontrollably, making it impossible to even touch the arrow.

"Baekhyun-ah!" The 4th prince cried as soon as the arrow pierced through Baekhyun's abdomen. He went over to him, supporting him so that he wouldn't collapse to the ground. Baekhyun was slowly starting to pant, his vision going in and out from the pain but he still managed to glare at the King who was pointing another arrow at him, with the intention of permanently taking his life with that last arrow. 

"Hyungnim. Do you remember the present that you gave me for my birthday? He ... was the one who manipulated me into saying that. Telling me ... that you were the only one who could give me the gift." Baekhyun said, stopping to catching his breath once in a while. He closed his eyes and swallowed the accumulated saliva in his mouth before turning his head to his befallen wife.

"Now I know what I want and it's what only you can give me. I can't leave her alone, so, I need to follow her. Please." Baekhyun said, his tears falling. He saw his brother shed tears as well but he was prepared to obliged his wishes. He stood up and Baekhyun had prepared himself. He was going to see his wife.

He closed his eyes as his brother raised his sword up, and with one swift motion, he felt a slash across his chest and his body jerked up instinctively. He let out a gasp and his body collapsed on the ground, facing his wife. Tears were slowly falling on his temples as he felt his heart at bliss, happy at the thought that he was going to meet his wife soon. 

He reached out his arm, attempting to grab his wife's hand at least for the last time but his energy was already at its limit. Before he even knew it, he had already welcomed the darkness that had been catching up to him.

Hera opened her eyes and was greeted by the sun shining down on her face and the warmth that the sun was offering to her entire being. She looked around and noticed that she was in a familiar valley. A valley where she usually trains at, and the valley where Baekhyun and her caught a bird for the first and last time. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a white attire that she remembered wearing when Baekhyun and her shared their first kiss. 

Hera cheeks felt warm as soon as the memory started playing in her mind. She smiled and started swinging her arms back and forth, her heart feeling at peace yet it felt restless. It was a conflicted feeling. She was worried about her prince. Have someone come to his aid? Has he been saved? Is he hurt? 

Questions of the prince's wellbeing filled her mind. She let out a sigh and looked around to find something to do. She collected some twigs and vines on the ground, making a small basket just to pass time. She knew that she was dead but where was she and why she was here, she was completely clueless. After all, it was her first time dying. "This goes here..." She mumbled to herself as she twined the vine around the twigs to make the basket. She stood up and search for some more materials when she realized that she didn't have enough. 

She picked up some flowers and grass on the way to decorate the basket as well. 

She grinned in satisfaction at the completed handmade basket. She out the basket down and walked around the valley to find for some twigs, sticks, vines and even dried leaves. She wanted to make something out of it since she had nothing to do and she basically had to wait for something to happen to her. Where was the white light that she was supposed to see anyway? 

She sat on a rock and started making stick dolls, more baskets, a twig board, basically whatever thing she could make with sticks, branches and vines. "This is so boring." She let out a sigh and pouted, hitting the twig board against the rock that she was sitting on. It was so boring that it was frustrating for Hera. Hera was an active person and with nothing to do, she was becoming more and more restless. 

She tied the twig mask that she made for herself around her head, covering her entire face except her eyes. There were two holes just for her eyes. She slouched her back, feeling extremely dejected and lonely. Her father had told her that if a dead person still lingers, they still have unfinished business left in the real world, but she did everything that she wanted. She had no regrets. She even got to marry her first love. 

Just thinking about her father and the Prince brought tears to her eyes. Well, now she regretted leaving the world early. She should've continued enduring the pain and forced herself to stay awake until at least her father arrived. She didn't even get to see her father for the last time before she left. 

The tears unknowingly started dropping on her cheeks that were hidden behind the mask. "This is so unfair." She sobbed and sniffed, not caring if the smell of the twigs entered her nose. She had lived in the forest majority of the time so the smell of the woods were nothing but homely to her.

She stood up and decided to climb up a tree that was just behind her. She needed some fresh air and the higher she went, the fresher the air seemed to be. Nature. She smell nature. 

She took off the handmade mask and put it on her lap as her legs dangled below the tree branch she was sitting on. She breathed in the fresh and comforting air after wiping her tear stained cheeks. She let out a sigh of content, feeling the wind br