The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 202: The Reveal (2)

"Jessamyn, look at me..."

The voice was familiar, laced with the familiar playfulness she was accustomed to. Her heart leaped at the sound, but her mind rebelled. It can’t be him! Why would he bring me here when he is busy thinking about his dead wife?

"Are you naked?" she asked, still covering her face. She must have turned insane thinking about him so much. He wouldn’t be thinking about her at all.

"It’s fine. Open your eyes and look at me..."

"Do not get closer! I do not want to know you!" Jessamyn shouted, hearing the man walking closer to her. Hugging her legs, she buried her face into her knees and took a deep breath.

She heard him let out a deep breath and felt his warm breath on her hands. A few moments later, she sensed the difference. Slowly, she opened her eyes. In front of her was the wolf. She let out a sigh of relief.

"If you’ll excuse me..." she said, walking to the tree. She had said what she wanted to the wolf. She could take it from there. The tree appeared to be calling her.

She walked to the tree and reached out to the uneven surface once more. Focusing on the face of the woman, she placed her hand over the hand of the woman in the tree.

"Geh!"

She yelped, her eyes widening as she looked into the bright light emanating from the eyes of the woman trapped in the tree. Images flashed in her mind, and faces appeared, which she couldn’t discern if they were from the present, past, or future.

The visions overwhelmed her senses: a fierce battle under a blood-red sky, a serene meadow where a boy ran giggling, a dark forest where shadowy figures moved silently, and a dreadful fire.

Faces blurred and morphed, some familiar, some unknown. She saw Jerrick, his expression torn between anguish and determination, reaching out to her. There were glimpses of ancient times, of ceremonies and rituals, and of a long-forgotten lineage.

The intensity of the images made her stagger back, but the tree held her in place. She felt the rough bark under her palm, grounding her as the flood of visions continued. Each image left a trace, an imprint on her soul, telling her a story she was only beginning to understand.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the light faded. Jessamyn was left panting, her body trembling from the experience. She withdrew her hand, feeling the warmth of the tree linger on her skin. She glanced back at the wolf, who was watching her intently.

"Jessamyn... What is it?" Jerrick’s voice was filled with concern.

He was floating in happiness. He didn’t know that she was feeling guilty for spending time with him without knowing that she was spending time with him. She was taking the marriage seriously. She was cute when she refused to look at him.

He knew one word could reveal the truth to her and make her spirit light—Mynah. Once he called her by that name only he knew, she would know that the secret tryst she had was with him.

He had a feeling this tree would mean something to her if she was the Gemma Luna. But looking at her now, he wondered if he had made a mistake by bringing her here.

Jessamyn kneeled on the ground as her legs lost their strength. "You didn’t trust me... It’s all left with me..." she said, looking at the wolf, tears streaming down her face.

"Jessamyn!" Jerrick shouted, trying to reach her. He had no idea what she was saying. She was speaking in the ancient language. He knew how to read it but did not understand the spoken language. She seemed to be speaking the way it was spoken in ancient times, which no one knew. It was a lost language—the language of their founders.

He looked at her, curled into a ball on the ground, shaking in tears.

"Jessamyn," he gently patted her head.

Within a minute, she composed herself. She looked up, a new vigor ruling her face. Her eyes were fierce, the earlier fear and uncertainty were replaced by determination. She stood up slowly, her body still trembling but her resolve firm.

"Mynah..." Jerrick said, confused by the expression on her face.

"Take me home, Jerry," she said, looking at the wolf. Her voice, though hoarse, carried a newfound strength.

The tremble in her hands still lingered, her eyes were red and her voice hoarse. The shock and happiness he expected to see on her face with his reveal was not there. She looked like she had seen something far more significant.

"What happened there?" Jerrick asked, glancing at the tree. He saw nothing unusual about the old elm, but the air around it felt different, filled with an inexplicable presence. The place was sacred, the resting place of The Queen Mother, and it was to be expected. Yet, something had clearly transpired for Jessamyn.

But he could see it did something for Jessamyn. It caused fear in his heart. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Nothing..." Jessamyn smiled.

The smile was mature, touched with a deep, ancient wisdom that hadn’t been there before. Her eyes, though still reflecting the remnants of her earlier ordeal, held a new clarity, a determination that spoke of strength and resilience.

Jerrick felt a pang of worry mixed with admiration. He had brought her here hoping to reveal a piece of her destiny. Instead, she had encountered something profound, something that seemed to reshape her very being.

She climbed on him and he moved slowly. Jerrick couldn’t shake off the unease. He wanted to protect her, to shield her from the weight of whatever knowledge she had gained.

Jessamyn, sensing his concern, squeezed him gently. "I’m alright, Jerry. It’s just... there’s so much more than I ever imagined. But I can handle it."

"I can share it with you," he said.

"It’s my path, Jerrick," she hugged him around his neck and leaned on him. "I shall handle it myself. I do need your help..." She chuckled.

"I am glad this is you, Jerry... I am glad this is you... Tell me all about this later, all right? I am so tired now, I want to sleep..." she said gently rubbing his fur. "Oh, you smell so good..."

Jerrick was lost for words. She sounded relaxed and so it must have been something good she saw. But he couldn’t shake off that dreaded feeling from the bottom of his heart.

"I have a lot to say to you, Jessamyn..." he said.

He didn’t hear her reply and thought she was already asleep.

Jessamyn closed her eyes forcing her tears back. She was shown a lot from the origin of the Kingdom, to... her death.

She saw her death.