The ringing sound in her ear was resounding and farmilar. Belladonna hated that. She clenched her fists by her sides and turned to her mother who stared right back at her with a scorn, asking her with her eyes 'what will you do?', positive that no harm would come to her."Careful." The words pushed through her teeth and it seemed, for a second, that she wasn't even the one saying it, or maybe the anger had taken so much control over her, that it was now the one speaking. "Another and you might lose your hand."Isa blinked, losing her footing in this stare down for a second, before she quickly recollected her and scoffed. She Instead opted to roll up the sleeves of her gown, showing her muscled arms as she spoke. "Is that a threat?"That action wasn't new to Belladonna, that was what she always did anytime she had the whip with that, anytime she was ready to use more than just the wipe if she felt like it. The memory felt so close to the forefront of her mind, that she could rememb
"The General is right outside this door. We can start right now and have him drag you to the dungeon or have him execute you. Save you from the troubles of seeing your unwanted 'product' ascend the throne." She paused and added with a bitter smile, watching how Isa's eyes went cold the more she spoke. "Rescue you from bowing to her. I wouldn't want you to hurt your back with all that stressful process, mother."Isa lost it right there. "I should have killed you the moment I gave birth to you! I should have strangled that tiny little neck of yours, I should have pressed a pillow over your head and seized the breath from that small nose, I should have stuffed the life right out of you a long time ago.""You could have!" No matter how many times she had already been told that she was unwanted by her mother, hearing it again always hurt. "You could have done all that so why didn't you?!" All the pity Belladonna would usually have towards her mother for the traumatic thing she had to ex
The next day had been really busy. First, a set of maids had come into Belladonna's room to clean it up. There wasn't much to do though and their presence had reminded about her maid, Belladonna had asked Anok if he knew anything about what was going on in the Castle recently.He had told her that the maid committed suicide, and it seemed there was someone she had been reporting to before that. "The King is out to find the culprit, Milady. Put your mind at ease, he will find whosoever is behind this."Belladonna had offered Anok a smile but it was unconvincing, even when he had added that the King was the one who instructed him to keep her updated while he was absent or the the fact that he had been here by her door last night, before he had to leave in a hurry because of the interrupting event."And Head Kuftan?" Belladonna asked, as they walked along the hallway, and down the stairs. "Do you know anything about what is going on with him? As the King informed you to tell me anythin
Belladonna's heart had thundered in fear as she felt herself slip down to the ground, her head feeling strangely too heavy for her to carry, as she wondered if the whole baby missing thing was all a set up to pull her away from Anok, by the people who were after her life.If this was just one of their missions. If they had used Aniya and her baby for that, or if Aniya was simply one of them too.Wondered if her parents had even left in the first place, or maybe they had not and this was one of their plans. If this was the people trying to kill her or her parents. But what difference would it make anyways.They were both after her life. Isa had made her intentions pretty clear. Belladonna had reached down for her heels, feeling the action taking a toll on her, as she observed the bare feet at her eye level, one that moved around frantically."I'm sorry---" she knew that shaky voice. That voice that always made her feel sick to her stomach. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I--- just want
He sat down on the bed, leaning towards her face, as his lips brushed lightly against hers and he grabbed her arms to further his assault.Disgust crawled underneath her skin and she clenched her fists, once again, an action she didn't make it all the way through. "I want to tell you something." She whispered and he frowned, pulling away to look back at her and make sure she wasn't hatching any crazy plans in her head. "I am doing this for us. You know that, right?" He asked, brushing his hand through his golden, curly hair. She nodded slowly, trying to fight the pain she could still feel from her throbbing head. Lytio's lips stretched into a small smile and he leaned down to hear what she had to say. "He will kill you." Her whisper was faint and his frown deepened, as he pulled away again. "I will do anything for us to be together. I don't care about the consequences."Her heart raced.He was obsessed and it didn't seem like she could stall him any longer, she had to attack him
Trigger warning: A little physical violence. Death too, maybe."I touched her! Did everything you would ever imagine and she loved it." He yelled, pulling against the chains that bounded him and making no progress. Someone had hit him from behind earlier and he had passed out. His head was aching and his whole body was in pain from how tightly the chains hugged his skin. He had woken up to see himself in a dungeon and soon afterward, he had been dragged here. Into this dark, empty, place. The only light was the torch in the King's hand that reflected on his golden mask. "She screamed my name. Told me she wished I was you and she didn't have to pretend to tolerate you just so you wouldn't kill her. You monster!" He struggled to stand up from the laying position they had pushed him into. It was uncanny to watch the King so still in front of him, his mask putting him at a great disadvantage in gauging his reaction to his words. Did he believe him?He couldn't figure it out. "Just
"She is my sister!" Someone's voice cut into the room. "Let me in!"There was a groan and the sound of someone stumbling in. Belladonna held her head, blinking as Aniya barged in, with Arlo placed against her chest, one hand on his back to hold him in place. "You are awake! You are fine." She heaved a sigh of relief and Belladonna frowned, standing up to her feet, fighting against the swaying floor to hold her ground. She could feel the headache banging in her head when she stood up and she pressed her hand against her forehead to find it wrapped in a bandage. What happened?The guard rushed in, apologizing to Belladonna, as they attempted to drag Aniya back outside but Belladonna stopped them."I told you I was her sister." She mumbled to the guards who were left with no choice but to leave the room. Then she walked closer to Belladonna who was standing by the side of the bed. "I was so scared when I found out what happened. I was--" she paused, sniffling. "Lytio deserves whateve
"It was a mistake. It happened once, then twice, and more times till it became a habit. It was a secret that would have cost him his position if people were to find out, especially his wife. It had to happen."Belladonna was not moved by her tears but she was shocked by the truth. Truly, such a secret would have cost the now-dead Village Head his position, since his wife's family had been the one with the royal blood to begin with, and he had simply married into it. But this still didn't make sense!"If you were already pregnant, why did you have to do all that?" She took a step forward but halted immediately when she felt like her head had swayed on her neck along with that step she had taken. You wouldn't have been qualified for the Choosing Ritual. You would be with child and a woman with child cannot take part in the ritual.""I had to save my reputation! If by keeping my mouth shut, I save the Village's Head's reputation what about mine? People will call me names if I can not pr
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