Why?

By the time he walked up to her though, his smile disappeared. Instead that smile of relief was replaced by a look of confusion, even anger. "Why?" Éinrí asked Ailis. That’s all he could think of to ask, “Why?”

"What?" Ailis said as she stopped walking when she heard his voice. "Why what? I thought you enjoyed it." She thought he caught on that it was her singing and not the girl she hired. "What's wrong? You look upset.

Éinrí had no idea that that was Ailis’s deception. Instead he feared it was much more sinister. "Oh yes, of course I would enjoy everything I fought for, being destroyed. I was going to say 'we' fought for, but obviously I was wrong about you. Making your getaway already?"

"My what?!" Ailis was shocked at the accusation. "I came out of the bathroom! I was on my way back to you. What are you talking about destroyed? Unless you mean the mob that'll form when they realize there are only a dozen bathrooms for all these people... I don't follow you, so spit it out."

He was very confused. She seemed to damned genuine and innocent, but then again she always did! He just didn't know what to think. Of course he knew he could scan her mind, but somehow he didn't want to, not in case he found his fears were the truth. "You are already spitting it out, or should I say your artillery. Your bombs should be here within seconds, so I would make your getaway now, while you still can."

"MY WHAT?" Ailis exclaimed. She shook her head as she asked, "What the hell?" She was dumbstruck. "I didn't give any orders, I even told the boys at the missile command to take in the party, not like we'd need them at their post." She put her hand to her mouth. "I don't believe this! After everything we've been through lately, and you THINK I'd throw it away like this?" She was ready to slap him.

He actually took a step back as he could sense the anger coming from her. Not that he could blame her. After all, he had felt compelled to hit her just moments before. But he got over his anger right away, though he could not get rid of the confusion. And naturally he had to defend his accusation. "What am I supposed to think when you disappear mere seconds before the missiles appear? Look, I said you better get the hell out of here, now, before it is too late. Now go!”

The missiles almost seemed to know where Éinrí was. He could actually feel them as if they were targeting him! ~Just run out of time. ~ he told himself and his sons – telling them that they would have to run the kingdom without him. He may have run out of time, but he didn’t want their children to lose their mother as well as their father.

So no matter whether she was innocent or not, they would both not die here. "It can't end here Ailis! If you really had nothing to do with this, then go and keep the peace alive. And do not blame me for suspecting every one; I would be no leader if I did not. And leadership must come above love and matters of the heart - you yourself know that. Now please, just go!"

Ailis tapped her bracelet to instigate emergency transport. Before she left, she said, "I love you Éinrí..." She blew him a kiss as she was transported to safety.

~Did she say she loved me?~ he asked, with a goofy smile on his face. He seemed to forget that the bombs were about to hit, at least for a second anyway. For just a moment, nothing else mattered except for one thing – that she had finally returned his love. What did it matter if he was about to die? At least he knew that the woman he had forever loved, loved him in return.

Hearing her saying she loved him, was the last thing he remembered, before the bombs hit and it all went to hell. Still as hell approached, he couldn’t help but look skyward to Heaven and say “Why!”

“Ailis, will you be in heaven, or will you be in hell... my damned illusive, Ailis my Queen.”

“Not like this!” Éinrí yelled angrily as he raced throughout his castle, fighting to ensure everyone was safe before it all was being blown all to hell. “Not because of you Ailis... please not because of you!” Of course he couldn’t argue about it with her, because he could not find her! But he didn’t know what he would do if he did find her. Would he wrap his hands around her neck and force her to admit that she betrayed him? Or would he crumble at her feet because he allowed his love for her to destroy it all.

He was filled with conflicting thoughts and feelings as he ran as fast as he could, knowing that time was running out. He was hoping to find her, but did he want to find her to punish her, or to rescue her? That was something he would think about later, if there was a later. Right now all he knew was that he had to find her, fast. He would leave what he would do to her, until the ‘if there is a later’.

Every turn he took, he found someone else in the castle, someone else who was not her. And they were someone who shouldn’t be there, not if they wanted to survive that was. There was no one he wanted to die there, not even Ailis if this was her fault. Just like a Captain of a ship, he would be the last to leave, and if he had to go down with the ship (of Peace), go down he would.

But by God Ailis would not go down with him. He would not let her. If she was responsible, he would make sure she would pay for it with her life. But her life would be taken by a court of law, not by him. Though it would be ironic if she was responsible for this hell that was coming, and she ended up perishing in affect by her own hand.

“Ailis!” he shouted as he rushed through the corridors of the Castle. “Ailis!” Time and time again, he would see a woman who he thought was her, only to find it was someone else. “Nico, transport these two out now.” He ordered Nico, wondering why they didn’t appear on their scanners. This made him wonder how many more of their people were not being picked up by their scanners. So he stopped just checking for Ailis, he checked each and every floor to make sure there was no one else around.

Finally sure the palace was evacuated, and getting more frantic to find Ailis with each moment, he knew there were only moments left before the bombs hit. He didn’t know what to think! If he couldn’t find Ailis, she might die, but then again so might he. Or, if he didn’t find Ailis, did it mean that she had in fact arranged this disastrous and deadly end to the peace treaty? He didn’t know what would be worse – to find out she had betrayed him but was safe, or find out she was innocent but about to die....

He just didn’t know what to think anymore, or who to trust. And with moments ticking down to ‘zero’, he couldn’t help but wonder why it all had to always go to hell just when peace was so close.

“Ailis, Ailis, Ailis, will you be in heaven, or will you be in hell... my damned illusive, Ailis my Queen.”

Just when he thought all was lost, he heard a group of people and once again had hope that Ailis would be there. "Nico, get the ones behind me." He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard them being transported away. He didn't look at them though, because his eyes were transfixed with someone he saw in the corner of his eye.

And there in the distance, he caught sight of her, and despite it all - despite the fact that the bombs were about to hit, he smiled!