The Soul Reborn: From Silence to Sovereignty Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Needing a Miracle

The second Noah heard the words, he stood without hesitation. He bent down in one smooth motion and scooped me up into his arms, lifting me as if I weighed nothing at all.

“Noah!” I shouted, startled.

“You’re tired,” he said calmly, but I could hear the edge in his voice. “I’m not allowing you to walk across the castle after everything you’ve been through today.”

I grumbled a bit, but honestly I didn’t mind this kind of position. As we made our way towards the Southern King, I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head against his shoulder as he swiftly moved down the corridor.

Many shadows falling in behind us.

“Noah,” I whispered as the cool halls blurred past us, “I knew something wasn’t right.”

His grip tightened slightly.

“I knew it, too,” he admitted. “The King was never this kind of man. It wasn’t how he led; he believed in slow diplomacy, in measured power, not threatening a pregnant woman and a loyal province.”

My head nodded at his words. “Someone helped him escape with how his current condition sounds. He must still have allies.”

“I agree,” he said, more quietly now. “This doesn’t feel like a trap. It feels like a man trying to outrun something he can’t stop.”

By the time we reached the infirmary, the guards were already stationed outside, and the halls smelled of iron, smoke, and something bitter I couldn’t place.

Inside… it was worse.

The king, who was once composed with silver-streaked hair and a voice like a gentle tide, now lay pale on a medical cot. His clothes were torn. Bandages covered his chest. A stab wound pierced his left shoulder. Cuts marked his body, some fresh, others old, like a man who had been running for days.

At least four healers worked feverishly over him, using boiled towels and clean water. Thread and needle moved with precision, while magic stones pulsed faintly against his ribs.

He was unconscious and possibly at death's door.

The way he looked now was in complete contrast to these letters we’ve received.

Noah stood over him for a long time, silent.

I said nothing, because what could I even say? It didn’t actually matter who was right or wrong about this situation, as this man looked like he wouldn’t survive the week.

So the Crown Prince was truly making his move, and this was probably only the beginning.

Eventually, the chief healer assured us he’d stabilize, at least for now.

There was nothing left to do but wait.

Noah carried me back; neither of us spoke, both being deep in thought.

That night, as I lay curled on my side with Noah at my back and his warm hand over my belly, I whispered into the darkness.

“I hope the morning brings us answers.”

He kissed the back of my neck but said nothing.

Because, like me, he wasn’t really sure what to think or say until we spoke to the king.

Sadly… he didn’t wake the next morning or the one after that.

His condition was stable. Breathing remained steady, and color had begun to return, yet his body stayed limp, as if the weight of everything he had been running from still held him down.

I waited, pacing in annoyance at the fact he still hasn’t woken up. This was important and could change our plans. Napping was the only time I didn’t feel that deep anticipation running through my body.

Something I’ve done more often lately as this pregnancy gets even closer to term.

Livia and Elowen kept me company, gently steering my thoughts elsewhere as the healers continued their work. It was the first time in days I wasn’t planning, teaching, or addressing the North.

Yet, I couldn’t stop thinking.

What had happened in the capital?

What broke the king?

It was late morning on the third day when the door to my room opened with good news. Noah stepped inside with a calm atmosphere, but probably only on the surface. His eyes were anything but stable.

I could feel the storm building up behind them.

He didn’t say a word at first, just came to me. Wrapped one arm beneath my legs, the other across my back, and lifted me. I just complied with him and wrapped my arms around his neck as I laid my head down against his chest.

“Livia, Elowen,” he said over his shoulder, “Follow.”

They nodded, moved without question, grabbed their cloaks, and hurried after us.

Only after traveling down the hallway for some time did he finally speak.

“The king’s awake,” Noah said with a voice low and tense. “He’s asked for both of us.”

I nodded. “All right,” I whispered. “Then let’s go.”

There was nothing I wanted more than to talk with him and find out what in the world was going on.

The castle shifted around us as we moved, guards whispering, doors parting, and tension crackling in the air like lightning behind the clouds.

People we passed in the halls felt it; something was clearly wrong. Curious gazes followed us as we made our way toward our destination.

Even those in our entourage who didn’t know exactly what was happening knew this wasn’t routine.

Our former king had escaped something; he bled across the freezing mountains to reach us.

Thankfully, he was now ready to speak. What truth had he carried while having such a battered body?

As Noah and I got closer to the infirmary, I realized this conversation was going to be a turning point in our lives.

Whatever the king revealed would shape the coming war and the future of the daughter soon to be born into this world.

When we finally arrived at the room, it was very quiet.

The scent of healing herbs clung to the air, thick and sharp. The royal physician stood off to the side, hands folded, while two elite guards stationed themselves at the corners of the chamber like statues.

In the center of it all, resting against the mountain of pillows was the king himself.

He looked older than I remembered. Not just wounded, but changed. In the short time we had been apart, it was as if his very soul had been worn thin.

But when he saw us, when he saw me, he smiled faintly as he glanced towards my belly.

“Well now,” he rasped, voice cracked but familiar. “Looks like you’ve gone and become a mother, Archduchess.”

Despite everything, I felt my throat tighten at his words.

I smiled weakly and nodded. “Almost there.”

Noah stepped closer and gently lowered me into a chair beside his bed; all I could feel was a wave of sorrow. Not pity, but just… heartbreak at this man’s current state. I knew he wasn’t the type of person to send such letters.

This man had once ruled an entire kingdom, and now he looked barely strong enough to lift a spoon.

I reached forward and took his hand in both of mine, gently but without hesitation.

“King Elric.” I said softly. Even though we severed our ties, I still felt like I should give him one last respect. “What the hell happened?”

He blinked slowly at my sudden outburst; his smile fell.

But then… he laughed bitterly.

“It’s my fault,” he whispered. “All of it.”

He coughed a few times, breathing shakily, and then looked at both of us.

“I failed to raise my son,” he said quietly. “I thought keeping my distance would make him stronger, that it would shape him into a man capable of carrying the weight of leadership. But all I did was leave him starved for power and control. And now…”

He trailed off, then inhaled deeply and said the words that changed everything.

“The South is lost, and a war far greater than the North ever expected is coming.”

The room went still.

No one spoke; we all waited for the King to continue.

But my mind couldn’t help but blurt out, “What do you mean?”

The King's face darkened.

“While I was kept in the dark, trapped in my own castle, my son struck a deal I never approved. He secretly married the princess of our western neighbors and secured their full military support. Over the past few months, he began replacing the castle staff, including advisers, guards, and servants, with people loyal to them.”

My stomach dropped.

“The infiltration was slow and quiet. By the time I noticed… it was already far too late. I wasn’t ruling anymore but just sitting on the throne like a puppet while the strings got pulled from behind the scenes.”

He coughed again, his voice more ragged.

“One of my most loyal men uncovered the truth and warned that they planned to kill me within the week. We tried to escape, but only a few of us made it out alive.”

His eyes closed briefly, pain flashing across his face.

“They all died… to get me here.”

It felt like the air was gone from the room.

Even Livia and Elowen, who were mostly always composed, had gone pale. The guards had worried looks on their faces, even gripping their weapons tightly as if the enemy would jump through a window at any moment.

As for me, I had no words. This was Noah’s domain.

War, strategy, defense, and command of all our forces were what he did best.

I could build a school or rewrite laws and light a fire of real change.

But I couldn’t lead an army.

I just sat in the chair, one hand over my daughter, and listened.

We weren’t fighting a broken kingdom anymore, but a unified enemy, one we hadn’t seen coming.

Noah will have to lead us through it.

After speaking with the king, reality felt heavier than the stone walls around us.

Two nations have joined together.

An entire foreign power is now arming and supporting the Crown Prince. We’re not facing a rebellion, but a conquest.

Coldmere and the North, despite our preparations, were now outnumbered greatly. There was no telling when they would actually approach us with bad intentions.

As we made our way back through the castle walls, my body clinging tightly to Noah’s, I couldn’t help but wonder what the future would look like now.

My mind was coming up with so many conclusions, and I just couldn’t keep silent. The dread I was feeling was overwhelming.

So… in a voice a little too casual for the situation, I looked up at Noah and spoke. “Hey… does this world have an Excalibur?”

He glanced down at me, brow slightly raised, “A what?”

“Excalibur,” I said with a smile, resting my head against his arm. “You know the magical sword in the stone. If you can pull it out, it grants you the right to be the greatest ruler in history. There’s usually a lake involved… maybe some mist.”

Noah blinked at me.

Then he gave a soft, amused smile. “No… not that I know of.”

“Tch,” I clicked my tongue and slumped just a bit. “That’s too bad; I was hoping you’d pull a glowing blade out of a rock, rally the people, and smite the incoming invaders in a divine light.”

He chuckled under his breath. “Sounds like an effective way to turn the tide.”

“Right, it’s efficient leadership.” I muttered. “You have the hair for it. All you’re missing is the sword and maybe a talking owl.”

That got him to laugh; even a little bit in the heavy atmosphere was good for us all.

I glanced up at him again, his smile fading just slightly, that ever-present tension weighing on his brow once again.

It was too real now, and we had to get just as serious.

Jokes wouldn’t stop the truth, but they reminded us we were still human and fighting through this together.

I bumped his side gently.

“I guess there are no miracle swords,” I said softly. “Just the two of us, building a kingdom that will endure.”

He looked down and nodded resolutely.

“Just us,” he agreed. “But that’ll be enough.”

With that settled, we had to prepare for an enemy that could easily overwhelm us. Making use of our terrain had never been more crucial than it was now.

We need sharp minds, strong hands, and a burning will from the people who refused to be defeated.

Noah and I will bring the fire the North desperately needs to face this newly formed enemy.

Take three hundred, for example. A confident leader can encourage his people into impossible odds by making them believe victory is within reach. Of course, we would hope for a different result than in that movie.