Liam felt conflicted. He felt bad, he felt wicked and yet he felt angry and upset. He was not the one that deserved to feel guilty and wicked. It was Wura, he had seen her with another man, and not just another man, but his own closest friend and confidant.
He felt so conflicted and in utter turmoil. He did not want to pamper Wura and yet some other part of him wished to pamper her.
Liam looked down at her, clearly he could see that she was upset with him. He did not blame her, no he genuinely blamed himself.
Wura looked at him waiting to receive a reply. This was just too much for her to bear; she was hurting, he was hurting, they were all hurting.
"Look Wura, my answer remains final, you cannot go with me to the battlefield. It just is not done," Liam sighed. He spoke softly and sternly, he was not going to compromise on this decision.
"Are you just saying that to hurt me?" Wura asked. She just could not allow Liam to push her away like this. She wanted to fight for his affection, his love, his forgiveness. She knew that she had done him wrong.
It was simply the dangerous circumstances surrounding them at the moment that they could not speak calmly and peaceably.
"No, Wura, I am not saying that just to hurt you," Liam sighed. He was being reminded every passing second how truly stubborn Wura was.
"Wura, you cannot go out there with me, you will be safer here," Liam said. He softened his tone knowing fully well that if he was harsh with her, she would not listen and only end up crying.
"And I am telling you that if you go, I will go with you," said Wura. Liam sighed, he did not like this back and forth, it was simply a waste of time.
"You cannot do that Wura, for your own safety stay here!" Liam insisted.
Wura let go of him, she took a few steps back and sighed. She was tired of their arguing, their fighting, all of it, she was tired. She could feel him tense up as he insisted. She knew he was trying his hardest not to raise his voice at her once more.
"Wura, I cannot send someone else, I am the King, my duty is to be there to protect my people, I cannot hide away," Liam repeated. He had a feeling that this was what Wura was thinking and he would not allow her dare repeat this again.
Wura sighed, she understood that. She understood it very well.
"And I am the Queen, and the Queen's duty is to stay by her King's side," Wura added. Liam sighed, he had not expected her to make such a statement.
Liam turned around, he walked up and down. His men were waiting for him and the more time he spent arguing here with Wura, the more time that was being wasted.
"Not in this case, you will stay here Wura, and that is final!" Liam stressed. He could not imagine her going with him, she would automatically become a target, and he did not want her getting hurt, she would be a distraction, and he would not be able to concentrate properly, there was no way he would let her go anywhere, no not with him.
"You cannot even think about me, you do not even think about how I feel!" said Wura. Her eyes watered one more, and Liam kept silent.
"You do not think about how I feel, how I feel about you going out there, you do not know how much it kills me inside to imagine if anything happens to you again, please, not again," said Wura.
"I do not know what I would do if you got hurt or worse, Liam consider me, consider my feelings, I have prayed every night that you come back home safe, and you did, and I cannot imagine you being taken away from me again. Not again, please," Wura pleaded as tears dropped from her eyes. Her voice was shaky and broke with each word she uttered.
"I cannot live without you anymore, not again, I cannot go through that torture again, every day without you was pain, and if you leave and die right now, I will not be able to take it, I would rather die than live without you," Wura said. She cried heavily.
"Are you sure about that Wura?" Liam asked and she nodded.
"I doubt that is true, you seemed to be living just fine without me, I am sure that you and Mero would be happy together," Liam scoffed. The hatred, poison and anger in his heart just surfaced and he could not help but speak out those venom-laced words.
Wura felt like screaming as she heard his words. She turned around and began to walk away. She could not do this anymore, she could not continue to be subjected to so much pain from his words alone.
"Wura, where are you going?" Liam called out. Wura ignored him, she said nothing, she continued to walk away as she sobbed.
"Wura!" Liam called again and once more. She did not seem to have any intention to turn back.
Liam started to feel worried, he ran after her and pulled her back to him.
"Leave me alone!" She shouted. She pulled her hand out of his grasp.
"Wura," Liam called.
"I know you are angry, you have every right to be... but for you to conclude that if you died I would move on? That is so low for you to say!" She cried.
Liam kept silent, he wished to say that he was sorry, but he just could not bring himself to say so when his words were how he felt in the moment.
He did the only one thing he could do to show her his apology and that was pulling her into yet another warm embrace.
Wura tried to fight it, she tried to fight his warm, tight embrace but she just could not. She found herself sinking in deeper and deeper into his warmth.
"I hate you Liam, I hate you so much," She sobbed. It was true, he was the only man that made her hate him exceedingly, yet love him even more.
Liam said nothing, holding her again, it reminded him of what he longed for the most. If he had the chance to do anything differently, it would have been to arrive later than he did so his eyes did not have to behold the ultimate betrayal he had seen.
"You want to leave me again, you want to disappear again, you want my days to be long and hard again," She cried.
Liam felt his heart breaking, but at the same time, he found it difficult to fully lean into the meanings of her words considering what he had seen.
"You were always on my mind, always, and you dare undermine my feelings and call me a liar!" Wura cried.
"I never called you a liar," Liam said softly.
Wura looked at him with accusation written all over her face.
"You did, you did, your statement earlier was worse than been shot by a flaming arrow," She cried.
Liam felt guilty, he knew that his words were bitter and laced with poison, however, he could not control himself.
"You made me feel so terrible, as if I do not love you, when that is not the truth, I love you so much, everyday without you was torture and you dare say that all that is a lie," Wura sniffed.
"Liam, I cannot live without you, I truly cannot, and please, do not cause me any more pain, do not make me feel any more terrible, I beg you," She cried. "I know you are angry, but please, please, I beg you, do not push me away, not now, not ever, please.".
Liam sighed he heard her pleas and felt so terrible. He wished it was that simple, but in their relationship, nothing was ever that simple.
He knew that this was hard for her, but it had to be done, he knew that she was suffering but he was too, and he really did not want to make her suffer anymore, but in order for him to make sure of that, he had to go and settle this right now, without her.
"Alright... alright Wura," Liam surrendered and sighed. "I will not hurt you anymore with my words," He said.
Wura held onto him tightly and whispered the words thank you. That was all she could say thank you.
She could not imagine losing him again, she preferred him to be angry at her and she could see him and be near him than for him not to be here in this moment. She had prayed and hoped for this to be a reality and now it was. She was not going to allow her mistake make the answer to her prayers a nightmare.