"How Not To Get Chosen," Belladonna mumbled to herself in her silvery voice, her blue eyes on the cover of the thin black book she had just picked.It was fairly covered in dust, making the letters on it a little unreadable.She went down the ladder, then blew the dust off the book which made her cough lightly."By Moria Nakuriver," She mumbled the name of the author to herself and instantly shook her head.This book would be of no help because the author actually ended up being chosen as a bride.Moria was the daughter of the Village Head of Nakuriver, one of the seven villages that made up the mighty Kingdom of Ignas, which was ruled by the dreaded Dragon King. When Moria was 18, she had participated in the Choosing Ritual, as the rules had demanded, and had somehow been lucky enough not to be chosen. That was when she had written this book. Almost every lady across the kingdom started reading it, so they could be as lucky as she had been. But then she got chosen at 25, and people
Aniya was on her knees on the bed, resting heavily on her two hands as they held on to the sheets tightly while her silky black hair fell over the sides of her face, wet and glistering with sweat.Her full breasts dangled slightly as the man behind her thrusted into her over and over again. She took it all in, her eyes closed, her pink round lips, slightly parted.All the room had to light it up was a dim lantern on the dressing table, yet the images before Belladonna seem to burn her eyes. "Oh... Lytio." She heard Aniya whisper through trembling lips and she looked up at the face of the man that was behind.Indeed, it was her Mr Perfect. Lytio's hairy chest was glistering with sweats, his slim hands firm on Aniya's small waist, pulling her closer to himself, all his attention on what he was doing.Belladonna took a step back instinctively, her lips pressed together tightly, her eyes blank while her heart crushed into many pieces. "Oh... Lytio." Aniya moaned again and she opened he
"...I was drunk and the timing of your sister..."She gritted her teeth.The feeling of this betrayal by her family felt mightier more than yesterday's. How could her family do this to her?When she spoke though, her voice was controlled and firm. "I see that. I see it all. But I am not about to cry over split milk."Lytio froze for a split second before his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he straightened up, his hands falling to his sides."Your parents have discussed with mine on the 'incident'."'Incident? Of course, that was how they would refer to it.' Belladonna thought but she instead, she asked, "and...?""Bell, I want you to know that I love you very much.""I am sure that wasn't what they concluded on."Lytio clenched and unclenched his fists before digging it into his pockets. "I have to marry Aniya. It is for the best. For my reputation and your sister's. Also to prevent any more unfortunate incidents.""Of course. Do exactly what they want.""I don't have a choice. D
It was a long black leather whip splited into eight pieces.It swept through the air and landed on her back. A gasp of pain escaped her lips as she tumbled to the floor, her long black curly hair scattered to the sides of her face. She immediately curled up on the floor, her folded arms protecting her face.She knew how this went. This wasn't the first time, nor the second or third. She couldn't even count how many times her mother had done this to her and she knew this wouldn't be the last.Isa swung the whip, striking it countlessly against her, on her back, her hands, anywhere it landed on. She was breathing heavily and although her hands were arching her from how long she had been flogging her, she was blinded by so much anger that she just couldn't stop."H-how-- dare you?!"The beating continued, then Belladonna heard her dress ripping from how much the beating was, the whip cutting into her flesh and blood seeping out of the long cuts. She bit her lips till she tasted blood
It read: "Just wait for me, my love. I will find a way for us to be together again." Lytio must have had his brain replaced with one of the fishes that he captured to make such ridiculous promises. She looked at the piece of paper blankly once again and muttered to herself, "such terrible handwriting." She threw it into the fire, where some women were cooking for another wedding. Then left for the library. The moment she stepped into the library, the Librarian greeted her. "There you are, child. My wife told me everything. That mother of yours is a witch." Gladies, his wife, always some how knew everything that was going on in Inaymi. Belladonna had always thought they were a match made in heaven. While she knew about the things going on in town presently, her husband knew very well about the things that happened in the past. Soulmates, she often called them. "And that sister of yours is a snake. Spineless man, the father you have." "Technically, he is not my father."
Everyone fell on their kneels immediately, their heads bowed. Although Belladonna had been a little clumsy about it, she had managed not to draw any attention to herself. "Rise." The Dragon King commanded, his voice was deep and it commanded respect, a sought of authority that couldn't be ignored even if one dared. Indeed, even a flick of his finger resonated power.They rose up to their feet."Sit."They did.Then the Dragon King started walking towards the Possible Potentials section, the woman who had arrived earlier following after him.Belladonna quickly casted her gaze to the ground, her arms around herself protectively. Then she heard them stop right in front of them."Begin." The Dragon King said to the woman that was now standing behind. She stepped forward, looking from one lady to another while she went through the space between the benches. "Up." She commanded.Now that she wasn't announcing the presence of the King, her voice sounded firm yet sultry. The lady stood u
It was all a blur, right from the moment when she realized that she had failed herself and allowed herself to be chosen. All while the seven Potential Brides were led into the long carriage that had come to take them, while the carriage journeyed into the night, through the forest, down to the castle, while the ladies sat side by side, their hands curled up in-between their thighs, their eyes fixed to the carriage's floor under the strict gaze of the woman who had chosen them, until they finally got to the castle and stepped out of the carriage one after the other.Everything just felt like a huge blur.Belladonna had expected some dark, desolate castle with distant eerie sound of a forest, in the middle of no where. She had been wrong. Very wrong.The castle was the most beautiful building she had ever seen. There was a huge beautiful water fountain and a long colorful garden along the walkway. The lights illuminated the whole castle, making it look magical in combination with the
Just like that, she turned away, up the stairs and the servants started leading each down the hallway, to seven different doors. Everyone got a male and a female servant to help them to their door. The female servant helping Belladonna was a couple of inches shorter than she was, although she looked older, like she was in her early thirties. She had bags underneath her eyes and a few wrinkles by either side.The male servant on the other hand was just an inch or two taller than Belladonna. His face was calm and he seemed collected.Asides that, they were both wearing sought of deep blue uniform and they looked like as if they are well taken care of.Belladonna got the fifth door.Hung on it was the kind of slate which had a name carved on it. Moria Nakunriver.She furrowed her eyebrows at that.That was the name of the previous bride, the one who had authored the book containing all those rules she had read. The bride whom everyone had thought would be the last.Had this been her r
Her stomach rumbled, but it was quiet, and for the sake of her dignity, she hoped that he hadn't heard it. “You don't need the sun, you need food; I know a place.”“Get out of my sun.”“I’ll take you there.” Quickly she was on her feet, his arm along her waist to keep her stable. “Are you even listening or are you just deliberately ignoring me?”“Deliberately ignoring you.” “What? I expect the elderly to behave with more sense,” she jabbed, annoyed with his interference. “There are no elderly here.”In a flash, he is with Arlo. Then before she could tell, they were before a table that must have been prepared for them only moments ago. She was dizzy from the speed but the lovely aroma in the air could not be mistaken; there was food here. She felt Ikrus push her into a chair and she took her seat, blinking to regain her stability and clear vision. When she finally did, she looked around. They were in a kind of glass room with flowers on the ceiling. The table before her was smal
She cleared her throat, changing the topic. “Is my age a problem for you, Ikrus?”He sucked in a deep breath, looking away, still thinking about why he had brought her and Arlo here - still trying to figure out his thoughts. “No. I was merely surprised, that is all.” “I’m not bothered either.” She leaned closer to him, a hair’s breadth between them, catching him off guard with her action. “Don’t worry,” she skimmed her fingers over his hair and he stilled, forcing himself not to move as more of her fragrance consumed his air. “I have always fancied old men.”What?!Old men?!Old men where?!“I’m not old,” he said, clearly offended. “You are thirty-two,” she said as she lay down and closed her eyes. “Exactly. I am not old.”She felt his shadow over her and she sighed, wanting the warmth of the sun on her skin once again. “You are thirty-two… and blocking the sun.”“That is not old at all.” He sounded like he was losing his mind, but his voice was leveled. She shrugged nonchalantly
She turned to him sharply, wheels turning dangerously in her head already to come up with a lie, her lungs clogging with fear, only for her to discover that he wasn't looking at her but at someone else. “Look! Arlo is walking!” He declared in hushed excitement. Aniya rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath of relief, tucking away the poison bottle. He didn't catch her, she could still kill him. “Arlo can walk.”“For long distances like that?” He turned to her, surprised. “Yes.”“Oh.”“In fact, we must redesign the room to accommodate him. He keeps on trying to pull things down.”Ikrus frowned. In a flash, he was holding Arlo who was strongly protesting against being held. He certainly wanted to play on the ground. “How old is the little one?”“Arlo,” she said, emphasizing his name, subtly ensuring that he wouldn't call him “little one” again, “will be two soon.”Ikrus nodded, taking the information in as he easily moved Arlo from one hand to another in his struggle to get down. “H
Aniya told her about the strange lily she found in her coin bag while telling her how she had come by it, although leaving out part of the poison, while watching to see if the witch had told Oana about what she was searching for. It didn't seem like the witch told her anything. “I have seen something like that in my room before,” Aniya said. “I’m scared of what it means and I am afraid—” she looked over to Arlo for the umpteenth time, “of harm coming to Arlo or me.” Oana was very concerned and she said she would tell the Alpha and Luna about it so that they could give orders for the Pack House to be thoroughly searched. Then Aniya asked, “What about last night? Why did the sun suddenly come up and merge with the moon?” She rushed to the window. “Everything seems normal now.”“Elder Superior said it was a result of something that happened in another realm. It is none of our concern; our Realm stays unaffected, and all the portals remain sealed.” Aniya panicked.Another realm? Wha
That night, after they had both eaten, Alaris took Belladonna to a nearby river, where a burning incense was placed on a leaf pad to float away. “It is to let go of the past and begin anew,” he has explained. It was something that helped Belladonna even though she hadn't known she needed it. Her heart felt lighter and with a more positive perspective, she left the river bank.The Belarion Rebellion and the rest of the Cave had fully returned now. Shortly after, Belladonna and Alaris started trying to create the army. They were once again under an open sky. Nyka watched from a distance, just like every one of the dragon people had been advised to do. Her father was right next to her, he wasn't supposed to be here. He was still injured from the torture he had received from the White King’s warriors that had captured him but he was terrified that if he as much took a step from her, the Heir would seize her and kill her. “What do I do?” Belladonna asked, trying to shake off the press
[LYCANS’ REALM]The coins vibrated on the floor, clanking as they added to the slight trembling she could feel around her. Aniya’s heart jumped. Quickly, she dashed to her bed and grabbed Arlo, taking him swiftly into her arms. She could hear a bell ringing from a distance. Voices of terrified people seeping into the air, even with her ordinary human hearing, the building chaos felt loud to her.What was going on? Before she could make it out of the room, though, she felt someone sweep her away, and in a flash, she was in an enclosed space, an arm around her, so that she held Arlo between them. She knew it was Ikrus; with such speed and the feeling of momentarily ease that went through her, it could be no one else. She hated the Matebond for many things but for this little ease that she could feel right now, she appreciated it a little. Even if this relief was a lie that everything was alright, it was better than the sheer terror she had been experiencing.The rumbling continued,
Finally, they were under an open sky.The Moon was full in its glory above them. “It is a perfect night,” Ny'ka said before intertwining her with Belladonna's.“Close your eyes.”She obeyed. “Think of the Bearer, of her grave, of her presence, and connect with her.”The Bearer. Belladonna allowed her mind to roam, remembering the silver-haired woman she would always dream about. She had never seen her face so there was no way she could see that. The image was blurry and soon it was nothing but darkness. “Open the windows, open the door,” she could hear Alaris' voice. Then she remembered her way of sealing the windows and the doors of her mind. So many things were happening in her mind. She could see the path to the castle, down to that room, to that sarcophagus, Then she was back in that room again - with the windows sealed and the doors locked.There was a white beam outside the window and a woman with long silver hair that shadowed her face.“Open the doors and the windows!”
“Don't kill me please, I believe now. You are the Heir, you are the savior. I see it.” Ny'ka begged. They were in one of the underground rooms, away from the people of the Belarion Rebellion and those of the Cave. This was something Alaris didn't want many to know about.“Please, take my life instead and spare my daughter,” Leader Tyrek begged. He knew what crimes Nyka had committed, the Priest told him everything.“You tried to kill me,” Alaris said to Ny'ka who was still on her knees, begging, tears running down her cheeks.“It was a mistake. It won't happen again.”Alaris smiled. “It won't.”He held her wrist and pulled her up, but while he did that, he crushed her bones, and pressing his flames into her skin, he healed her, just like he had seen it happen with Nightshade and that stranger in the Castle during their escape.It was an excruciating moment for Ny'ka and it didn't help that he did it again and again and again…By the time he was done, she was back on her knees, breat
The moment the ambush came upon them, some guards had taken Ny'ka and discreetly escaped from the scene. They were headed to the White King’s Castle to be highly rewarded for bringing to him the daughter of the leader of the revolution against him. They were supposed to take Leader Tyrek along too, but it seemed the guards who had him in captivity had been attacked. There would be much to tell the King upon getting to the castle. While they silently snuck away, Ny'ka found a way to free herself from the bondage and attacked them. She would rather die than have them take her alive; it was looking like that was the only option for her until she felt she had until Alaris' showed up. He descended from the sky with his massive leathery wings and he saved her; he killed the guards and swept her up into the air in his arms. In that moment, she saw what the others saw in him. A saviour.In that moment, something changed. “You saved me,” she said, the wind almost stealing her words away