ALANNA
My heart starts to beat faster, my stomach churning uneasily. The king sits up, his burning gaze intense. I swallow hard, my gaze rooted to the floor. I have just committed a crime. What's my punishment? What if they decide to whip me a hundred times? What if I'm going to be thrown into a furnace? "I'm s-so s-s sorry, I shouldn't have c-come h-here. P-please don't be mad at me. I'll be g-good from now on" I stutter, tears blurring my vision. I'm panicking too much to even notice that the king has gotten out of bed and is now standing right in front of me with his robe untied. I don't notice his presence until I perceive the sweet smell of roses and lavenders. Oh my God. What smells so good? Someone touches my chin, caressing it a little. Slowly, my head is tipped back and my gaze locks with the king's heated gaze. I shiver, biting my lower lip."Curious, are we?" He smirks. His voice is like velvet. His voice is so smooth, I could listen to him speak forever.He's beautiful. Overwhelmingly beautiful. And he smells so damn good. His long eyelashes are nothing like those of humans. They are long, thick and so dark. His skin glows beautifully and he reeks of dominance and power. Everyone in the room watches silently, perhaps waiting for his verdict on my punishment."Cat got your tongue, love?" He says, raising one elegant brow."N-no, I- I d-didnt mean t-to c-come h-here. I-I j-just wanna go home" I say, my voice hoarse. He squints his eyes, looking thoughtful. In a split second, he's vanished from my side and in the next second, he's sitting on the bed, legs crossed at the ankles. "Valdrin" he says, not taking his eyes off me. "Sire"
"Take her back to her Chambers" he orders and there's immediately an outburst of whispering and grumblings among the maids and guards. "Silence!" The king orders, his eyes narrowed into thin slits. "She is human but she is my responsibility. She must be treated rightly or I'll feed you to the dragons" "We're s-sorry, sire" they chorus, trembling in his presence. "You're dismissed" he says and they nod quickly, walking away. Valdrin suddenly appears right beside me, leading me out of the king's chamber."I knew you would find your way to the king's chamber" he says, amused. Wait, a minute. He knew. He had planned it. He'd wanted me to come there, but why? "It was you. You sent the guards away and allowed me to get to the king's chamber" I say and he smirks. "Aha, we've got a winner" he says, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Why did you do that?" I ask when we get to my chamber. He remains silent, watching me carefully. "I can't stay here. I have to go home. I don't belong here, Valdrin. Why am I even here? I'm tired of not knowing what's actually going on" I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Are you even listening to me? I need to leave!" I yell, moving towards the door. He grabs my arm, spinning me around to face him. His eyes have turned cold. He's furious, I can tell.
"You saw him, didn't you? He's dying, you know. He knows it. We all know it. You are here for a reason. Stop being stubborn! Stay here! He needs you. If anything happens to my best friend, I'll hold you responsible because you didn't do what you were supposed to do. If he dies, I'll kill you myself. Just so you know, his life is in your hands" with that said, he storms out of the room, his eyes burning with fury. What's going on?
It's not like I'm a cure to the king's sickness. What am I missing here? I need answers!Exhausted, I collapse on the bed. With several thoughts clouding my mind, I doze off.***ZERON "Zeron, I can't continue to watch you suffer. You need to find the cure before it's too late. You don't even have a heir. Who would take over if you die? I can't loose you. I'm terrified" my mother says to me, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. I close my eyes, ignoring the intense pain in my bones. I want to tell her that I've finally found my cure. I want to tell her that I'll be fine but I know her so well. She'll go too hard on the human and force her to do whatever it takes to make me feel better."You aren't saying anything. Should I get the healers?" She asks, brushing my hair away from my face."N-no, I'm fine" I respond, wincing slightly. Brows creased, she reaches out to place a hand on my forehead. "Your fever is worsening" she rasps."Come to think of it, I've had this fever for centuries" I comment flatly."It doesn't mean you should get used to it" she snaps. "I want to be alone" I say."Ze-"I grimace, clutching my chest."I said, I want to be alone" I snap."Okay, if that's what you want" she sighs and leaves my room. I cough, grimacing at the taste of blood in my mouth. The witch. She's responsible for this. That heartless old hag.****A few hours after my mom has left the room, I decide to go to the gardens and perhaps, know the human better. Valdrin walks into my room. "You called me, sire" "Get the girl. Take her to the garden. I'll be there soon" "Okay" he says and leaves my chamber. Slowly but steadily, I walk out of my chambers. Zylon, one of my personal guards joins me as I approach the hallway."The human girl seems terrified" he comments."Of course, she should be. She's in a completely different world. A world she hadn't known exists" The human is pacing back and forth in the garden when I get there. She looks very nervous. I can't help but stare at her. She's such a beauty. She notices my presence and stiffens, her gaze rooted to the ground. I lower myself onto the chair in the garden. Then, she stares at me, shifting her weight to her right leg. When our gazes meet, her cheeks turn pink and she drops her gaze. "You called me" she says, avoiding my gaze. "Sit" I say. Hesitantly, she sits down beside me. "I know you have plenty of questions, you can ask away" I say, rolling my royal signet around my finger."Why am I here? Are you really dying? Am I a cure or something? When can I go home?-" "Slow down. I can't answer your questions at the same time. What's your name?" I say. "Alanna...... what's yours?" She says, cautiously. "Zeron""I guess, that would be King Zeron" she says slowly. I stare at her, amused."First of all, you're here for a very crucial reason" I say and she frowns, eyes wide. "Am I some sort of sacrificial object for some sort of ritual?" She asks and I give her a blank stare.
"Centuries ago, I was cursed" I say and she freezes, her eyes going wide."Who......cursed you?" she breathes and I clench my fist."I was just a child. My father had a visitor that night. Her name was Lady Rohanne. She was the only surviving witch of the Nazyr Clan; the ancient bloodline of powerful witches. She came to the palace claiming that she was pregnant. She claimed that her child was my father's because she wanted to be a queen at all cost. A heated argument then ensured between her and my father" I tell her as I turn to look at her."What happened next?" Alanna asks with a frown on her face."I came into my dad's chamber and she placed a hex on me" her eyes widen, her face turning pale.Centuries ago, "Gael! I'm definitely with child and you're the father of my child!" "No, I am not. Do you think I'm stupid? Rohanne, you've always been power- hungry. I know you would do anything to get power! I never touched you. You're not carrying my child!""How dare you accuse me of lying about something like this? Do you not trust me anymore?""Rohanne, what we had is over. I'm married now and I'm happy with her-" "Father?" a raven haired six years old boy said as he cautiously opened the door and stepped into his father's chamber. "Zeron, you shouldn't be here. Go back to your mum!" King Gael ordered. A look of jealousy appeared on Rohanne's face and just as the little boy tried to open the door, she used her magic to lock the door. A blast of purple fog appeared around her outstretched arms and she channeled it towards the king. It hit him right on the chest
ZERON Fiery red eyes gaze back at me from the full length mirror in my room as I stand in front of it, shirtless. Dark red liquid dribbles down the length of my arms and splats on the shiny floor, leaving behind vivid stains of blood. I tilt my head, staring at the self inflicted wounds and lacerations on my chest and arms with lifeless eyes. I can barely feel the pain despite how much I'm bleeding. This is because I've become severely attached to this disgusting act. I lost the ability to control myself centuries ago and I'd just been holding up a good image for the petty little human. I almost feel sorry for her. She doesn't know what she's gotten into. She doesn't know that it might be too late. She doesn't know that I have become quite the monster. I close my eyes, feeling the shadows of the darkness calling out to me. I exhale slowly, humming low in my throat. My mother had once said that my voi
ALANNA "What is he, then?" I ask but just before she can give me an answer, the door to my room swings open and Valdrin walks in, his facial expression unreadable. Taera bows politely and he nods curtly. "You can go, Taera" he says and she scurries out of his sight instantly. "Why are you here?" I ask and he stares at me for a moment, his face blank. "Get up. Today, you will be meeting with the queen mother and you're also going to be preparing for a wedding"I blanch instantly, my head spinning as a result of the new information I've just received. I'm supposed to meet the queen mother?! What if she doesn't like me? What if she tries to kill me because I'm human? "The queen mother? Wait, what wedding am I supposed to prepare for?" I ask and he sighs. I gaze at him, anxiously waiting for his reply. I can't possibly be getting married so soon, right? "Your wedding with the winter king"**
ALAANA Do I run away with Lochan or do I stay and get married to a total stranger? Come to think of it, they're both strangers and I can't trust anyone of them. I'd promised that I would try to help Zeron and I have to fulfill that promise. I'm not a coward and I won't run away because I'm afraid of him. I don't really have much to loose. Besides, Lochan might actually be the real enemy here.With every second that bounds by, my resolve is thickening. I have made up my mind to stay and get married to the king. I know it's risky business but I have to try to help him. Besides, I can't really tell what the red haired stranger wants from me. Why would he want to save me? Maybe he knows that I have a chance at saving Zeron from himself and probably doesn't want me to do just that."What's it going to be? Are you coming with me or not?" the stranger asks and I rise to my feet, slowly. "Wh
ALANNA No one seems to be bothered about the fact that Zeron has just stormed out of the throne room. Obviously, to them it is normal. If I was having second thoughts about my marriage with Zeron, my mind has been fully made up at the moment and I'm not going to give up on him. He must be suffering and hurting so badly. How does he even cope with all the internal struggle? "Go to him" the queen mother says from beside me and I flinch because I'd not noticed when she'd moved to my side. Her cold gaze meets mine and it is almost as if she expects me to be terrified enough to refuse. So I bow slightly before her and make my way towards the direction my husband had taken. Just as I make it past the first hallway, I notice the dark blood stains on the floor. When I look up, I realize that it forms a trail that leads towards Zeron's chamber. A gasp leaves my lips and I instantly hike up my dress and begin
ALANNA Pain shoots through my skull when I gain consciousness. I slowly sit up with my hand pressed to my temple. Blinking away the dark spots that dance across my vision, I quietly take in the sight of the bedroom I'm now lying in. The ceilings are bright red and white. The room is very spacious and most of the things in it are colored red and white, including the bed clothes. Panic washes over me as soon as I recall how the red head had taken me away against my will. I have to get out of here; he's clearly a psychopath. As soon as I slip out of the bed, the door jerks open and the redhead walks in with a smile on his face. I scowl at him and shuffle away from him. I can't trust him; not after the stunt he'd pulled back in my room. "Awake, I see" he rasps and I look away. He sighs and moves closer to me. "Leave me alone" I spit and he frowns."Look, I know that I took you away without your consent, but I need you to know
ZERON The coppery smell of blood clings to me as I saunter down the palace halls with my silver sword dripping red. The maids and the guards all avoid my gaze as I walk by and I don't really care. All I want is Lochan's head on a platter. But so far, he's done a good job at masking his location. I've been interrogating fire witches about their kingdom but it seems to me that they are all ready to die for their king because they won't tell me anything. That's okay, I'll keep killing them until I find Lochan and get rid of him for good. Alanna on the other hand, is going to regret deceiving me. I walk into my chamber and take off my cloak, letting it fall to the ground. My bloodied shirt goes off next and so does my pants. I walk into my wash room still wearing my undergarment. Soon, I'm relaxing in the water filled bathtub that smells a lot like roses and cinnamon. I close my eyes, ignoring the fact that the
ZERON She stares at me with wide eyes, her face pale. I take a step closer to her but to my surprise, she neither flinches nor steps away from me. "So, you run away from my palace and escape with Lochan. Then you return and expect me to throw you a welcome back party?" I ask and she frowns, confusion written all over her face. She's either a great actress or she's really confused."Escape with Lochan? No, I didn't! He forced me" she says and I narrow my eyes, not believing her. "You don't believe me, do you?" She sighs and I clench my jaw. "If Lochan took you to his kingdom, how are you here right now?" I ask, my fingers itching to wrap themselves around her neck and strangle her to death. "I met Talon-" she begins and I freeze, a wave of emotions washing over me. Talon...She can't possibly mean my brother. I thought he was dead. She has to be lying. "Who told you about my brother?!"