All Chapters of Finding The Cure: An Order Of Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

18 Chapters

Wake-Up Calls and Other Forms of Torture pt 1

“Come on, Nera! Wake up! We have very important company today!” The shrill voice of my lady's maid Hana cut through my dreams like a knife. I groaned, curling deeper into the tangle of sheets, I didn’t want to get up. I was having such a nice dream of the forest. Another knock on my door had me finally dragging myself upright. The cold stone floor bit at my bare feet as I sat up helping me wake up further. I shivered in my thin sleep gown and glared at the window that a terrible draft always seemed to find itself through no matter what was done. I hated being cold.“Important company? Yea, right.” I muttered to myself making sure it was low enough Hana wouldn't hear. Hana would smack me if she heard my sass or saw my eye roll. Rubbing the grit of sleep from my eyes I began to wake myself up for whatever torment waited me in the form of “important company”. That usually meant more of Father’s tiresome suitors, each one awful in their own way. He was eager for me to choose one of the t

Wake-Up Calls and Other Forms of Torture pt2

“Come on, Belladonna. If I have to be awake, so do you.” I shoved gently at the great furry mass hogging my blankets. Bella cracked open one amber eye, huffed a hot breath that smelled faintly of venison scraps, and sprawled wider across the bed. Her thick coat was warm under my hand, her ribs rising and falling in a soft rhythm. “Lazy beast,” I whispered, though affection softened my voice. She was more like a wolf than a hound with her size and colors. Brown and grey like the wolves out in the woods, yet she was larger than any I have ever encountered. Somehow Father had let me keep her. He wanted to toss her out when he found her in my room. I was so lonely and wanted a pet for company. I found her with an injured paw but she protected me from would be kidnappers that night my father discovered her. Or so he thought. I was able to protect myself just fine as I was secretly trained to do. But it worked out I still hadn't gotten rid of h

Three Suitors and a Threat

The tea room glowed with firelight and polite chatter, silver spoons clinking gently against porcelain cups. Yet despite the warmth, my father’s cold anger clung to me like frost, coiling tighter the longer I lingered at his side. Something gnawed at him beneath that regal composure, and I dared not make myself its target. Noble ladies fluttered nearby, laughter practiced and sharp as pins as they angled for attention. Watching them practically begging over what I did not want left a sour taste in my mouth. Still, duty demanded I play the game. I began with Kyril, if only to get him out of the way. He stood by the finger foods glaring at it all. Everything about him felt dead. His hair was like the color of straw. It fell lifeless on his head. Dull brown eyes and pale skin. “How are things, Kyril?” I asked politely, bowing. “Better now that dumb Farret is gone,” he sniffed.

Sunseekers, Suitors, and Stupidity

My parents sat at the head of the hall, commanding every gaze. Father’s broad shoulders filled his high-backed chair, Mother’s poise as sharp as any blade. Both wore deep green trimmed with brown. The colors of House Verden, echoing the forests that bound our lands. Father’s gaze pinned me the moment I entered. He was furious. If I had to guess, it was because I was late—and, judging by the sidelong looks from the courtiers, because I was the only one not in house colors. ‘A disrespectful act’ my father would tell me. Anytime someone important would come I had to be in family colors no matter what. I’d known this dress would get me in trouble, but Hana had insisted. You will be married off to another family soon enough, why not stand out? she had said. I still didn’t understand why, but I trusted her. Hana had cared for me since birth, loved me more than my parents ever had.I dipped into a bow before the assembled court and guests—so many faces today, far more than usual. Whoever had

In the Shadows of the Kitchen

After that tense moment, my father dismissed me with a flick of his hand, ordering me back to my chambers as though I were a disobedient child. Humiliation burned through me hotter than the hearthfires, my fists clenching at my sides as I stormed away, my footsteps snapping against the cold stone floor. Heat flared in my cheeks, a pressure I couldn’t swallow down.In my room, the air felt too still, too close. I paced the length of my bed like a caged animal, skirts swishing angrily with each turn. My thoughts chased themselves in restless circles. Why wouldn’t Father let me join Sir Garret? He wanted me in his order! Garret wanted me! It was all I’d ever dreamed of, yet Father kept me wrapped in silks and lace, a pretty ornament to be paraded before suitors I didn’t even like. Meanwhile, my brother was free to gallop off to quests, blades in hand, while my future was reduced to tea time with ladies I don’t like and serving a husband I didn’t truly choose. Why was my freedom locked a

The Price of Disobedience

That was a clear threat. My stomach knotted so tightly I thought I might be sick. The murderous glint in Remier’s eyes almost pinned me in place. Move. I had to move. By the grace of the goddess, my legs obeyed, carrying me down the corridor toward my father’s study.Knock. Knock. Knock“Come in.” My Father’s tone was flat. Not giving me any indication on what he wanted from me, But I had my suspicions. I slipped inside, smoothing my expression into a calm mask as best as I could even though my heart raced. “Hello, Father,” I said, my tone steady though my insides shook. I stood before the chairs, waiting. He had told me to come in to speak, not to sit. I learned that lesson years ago. Even now, with my knees trembling, I stayed rooted upright. Remier’s threat still clung to me like a shadow and it was being working with whatever my fathers punishment from earlier could be.“I am extremely unhappy with you young lady” My father flatly said. His brown hair was styled and not a hair o

Whispers in the Library Shadows

At last, night fell. Hana helped me into bed, smoothing the blankets as though nothing was amiss. Only once her footsteps faded did I slip from beneath the covers and pull out the black cloak I kept hidden. My hunting cloak. A gift from Sir Garret after my first successful hunt. Worn but still soft with years of use, it still smelled faintly of leather and pine. My favorite. The halls were silent, shadows stretched long. My heart pounded loud enough to betray me as I crept through the corridors. Every flicker of torchlight felt like a watchful eye, every creak of the floor a betrayal. Yet somehow, I reached the library unnoticed.The far end was my destination. The fairy tale shelves, tucked away like a secret shame. My father had tried to burn them. But Mother had fought to keep them. She had filled my childhood with their stories: elves, heroes, sacrifices, and true love. She used to read to me all the time. She did a lot of motherly things with me. That ended the day Father caught

This Is How Wars Begin

The morning dragged, each hour heavy with the weight of last night. My eyes ached with exhaustion, but the memory of Sir Garrett's laughter, his stories woven like old threads of comfort, kept me upright. For a few hours, my world felt safe. For a few hours the dread of my future didn’t consume me. But reality returned swiftly. I was summoned to my father’s study. His gaze cut through me the moment I stepped inside, cold and assessing, as though he could strip truth straight from my skin. “Have you made your choice?” he asked. “Yes, Father. I choose Artair.” “Have you told anyone?” “No, sir. You are the first.” A pause. He tapped his finger against the desk once, sharp against the wood. “Good. I will announce it at lunch. Go inform Hana and have her dress you appropriately.” “Anythi

The Fall of House Verdan

The next few days blurred into endless wedding preparations. My brother left for his mission, promising he’d return in time to see me in my new home. His words made my chest ache. Once I was married, this place would no longer be mine. I would walk out these halls and never return. A part of me mourned that, but another part burned with the thrill of freedom and everything Artair promised. Not that I could ever admit it to Father. Until vows were spoken by the priest, he still had the power to rip Artair from me and chain me to Remier.So I filled the days with Artair. We walked the gardens and courtyards with Hana trailing at my side. He told me of his family’s trade and the lands they controlled, teased me with his wit, and made me laugh more than I had expected. Beneath his charm, I could feel something real growing. For once, I thought maybe—just maybe—I could one day love the man I was forced to marry.But the warning prickle never left me. At night, it sharpened. Each day it got

Through Ash and Slaughter

“Your lord and lady are dead!” Remier’s voice thundered over the gathered servants and mercenaries. “Bring me my bride, and you may live. Refuse, and you will all share their fate!”My breath stuttered. The world tilted. For one impossible moment, I thought if I just stood still, time would stop and undo what I had seen and heard. But Artair’s hand gripped my arm, pulling me back “We have to move. Now! We can’t let him see us.” I swallowed the grief down like poison and ran with Artair to find a close exit. It was too dangerous to go to the secret exit by my room. The kitchen was the closest.We slipped into the kitchens and cut down three mercenaries who barred the way—steel clanged, blood sprayed the walls. My blades found the ribs of one, and he collapsed with a strangled gasp. Artair skewered the other two with clean, practiced strikes.Then someone was grabbing me, I could see Artair. Shit, this wasn't good. I moved to fight but the voice from the unknown person stopped me in my

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