#celestina

C: So Gortash....

C: Who is this handsome young fellow supposed to be??

G: Well, dearest Celestina ... Me.

Happy valentines day everyone (I'm a bit late but shhh)

Kayla and Celestina print available via Shark Robot January 12, 2017.

The king of Jerusalem , ruthless in his glory…never thought his heart once hardened by agony , forged from the strongest of metals in times of war and crime would soften at the sight before his eyes. A small house , he wasn’t even sure if it qualified as one…destroyed and shattered…burnt into flames…a figure suffocating inside , he could practically hear the muffled moans of pain and anguish. "Why must I care ? Isn’t this what I wanted…" he thought to himself but no…it wasn’t. He hadn’t ordered the raid to be this way. It wasn’t his doing. That daum foul , Guy de lusignan, gave extreme orders…they were villagers , they were nothing but villagers. The muffled screams haunted him.

"Daum it…" he muttered under his breath

"My lord…where are you going ?"

"Wherever you are not. Wait for me , I must do something" Baldwin unmounted his horse with a swift movement. Adrenaline overshadowing his leprosy. He stood before the cottage looking at the flames eat it with such insatiable hunger. "Hell , is within." He thought. He kicked the door open and looked at the source of the muffled sound…gladly , she was just by the door , unconscious , her body frail and weak under the hellish flames , he carried her over his shoulder…back to his horse.

"This woman needs urgent medical care , fetch for the physician , QUICK !" He ordered , his voice authoritative , commanding…yet dripping with fear. He didn’t know why he did that. Why he risked the fire but…god knows , he thought it all worth it. His men all had dumbfounded expressions on their faces as the physician rushed to the king "my lord…are you hurt ?"

"Not me. If she dies , consider yourself dead. Heal her." Baldwin expressed , his tone cold and threatening yet his gaze fearful…very fearful. Baldwin knows guilt , it lives within him like a crippling monster , a soul sucking entity…a parasite , or perhaps apart of his soul. He knew he had killed…hundreds. His hands were stained with blood but this isn’t the blood he wanted on his hands. Knight code comes before all and knights don’t harm women , children or elderly…but he did…now he did , and this will haunt him forever.

"A word." He said to Guy with a threatening gaze.

Guy approached , a smug look on his face like usual , walking with pride. "My lord." He bowed his head.

Baldwin’s blue gaze pierced Guy’s fragile , narcissistic soul. "Who died and made you king ?" Baldwin asked.

"Oh…God forbid my lord , long live the king of course."

"Really ? If so…why did I carry an innocent maiden on my shoulder from the fire of her small home. I do not recall giving such orders."

"Well , my lord" Guy chuckled nervously searching for a lie to justify his bloodshed , "those villagers…they were hostile…like all saracens are ! I ordered knights to only harm those who harm them. If she’s harmed , she is no innocent maiden."

"If your men were truly harmed by a woman small enough to be carried on the shoulder of a leper , perhaps they’re more fit for a harem than they are for a crusade."

The physician tended to the girl’s wounds and she woke up coughing , tears in her eyes , she looked at the king with a look of disdain -at the very least- her eyes filled with fury…behind them a hint of sadness…

"You woke up…"

She didn’t reply

"Are you alright ?"

She didn’t reply

Baldwin has had enough. He stood in front of her and with the end of his sword lifted up her chin to look at him. “You speak when spoken to." His tone shifted to something more affectionate , warmer…"are you alright ?"

"Take a good guess , your grace” she said , her voice quivering as anger lingered onto every letter she uttered looking at her destroyed home.

"I’ll have your home repaired. I didn’t order this. My knights acted outside of their orders and they will be punished , I swear it."

"Your gold won’t bring back mother’s dresses…or father’s books." She managed to spit out as grief , anger , melancholy consumed her soul , making speech a chore , making looking up at him a harder one. She saw nothing but a monster , an anomaly.

"Did you lose anyone in the fire ?" The king said , surprisingly cold.

"No…" she said as she looked away.

"Then you lost nothing. All can be repaired." He said , his tone cold , his gaze colder , yet his words…there was comfort within them.

She stood up bravely , in all of her reckless ferocity to fight him , to cry , to storm only to feel her head lighten…her sight blur..she collapsed , only to be caught by the king’s good hand before she fell down. He caught her swiftly and then lowered her down. For a moment , he felt a sticky warm substance from her hair. "It can’t be.." he removed his hand to see it stained with blood…the blood of the innocent…on his hands , not symbolically this time , it wasn’t a figure of speech…it was his reality. It was as real as his illness and the savagery of his knights. A scary relevation indeed…one he could not grasp. "Dieu…seigneur…BACK TO JERUSALEM !" He yelled out to his knights as he blopped her in front of him on the horse , praying to his God and hers that she wakes up.