Chapter Twenty

Serafina

Another dream. I thought, taking in my surroundings of a grand marble entrance with tall pillars lining the walls and vibrant greenery hanging from the rafters. Around me was nothing but carnage. Dead fairies lay in clumps on the floor, their faces petrified into looks of utter terror. Wings ripped from their bleeding backs lay in shredded ruin beside many of them.

My body acted without my permission, as it usually did in these dreams. I panted hard as my bare feet pounded and raced through the dead, searching.

“Elek!” I cried out, searching without being answered.

Vibrating from a thunderous roar shook the walls around me as I darted through the large double doors and into the night air. In horror I watched as a black dragon crashed into a large fountain before the foreign castle with enough force to quake the ground.

“Elek!” I screeched again, rushing towards the beast, only to be thrown back with a cruel laugh sounding from behind me.

“No, you’ll remain here.”

When I turned to see who was speaking to me I was only met with darkness and then slipped into a dark void beneath my feet.

It felt as though a sledgehammer had split my skull in half. It was similar to a time when Anton had snuck in three bottles of wine for us to share with the others after Leena had gone to bed. It was a regretful morning the next day.

Focusing my energy towards my head, I managed to ease some of the pain before opening my eyes to a dimly lit room that wasn’t my own. Most of the walls and furnishings were light in color, such as cream, and the curtains were drawn tightly closed. The scent of burnt cedar flooded the sheets around me.

“I was starting to wonder if you would ever wake up.” Came Elek’s smooth voice from a chair beside the bed.

“So I slept until morning?” I asked, looking around to see that I was indeed in his assigned room.

“Try late afternoon. It’s nearly dinner time.” Elek commented, crossing his arms before his chest.

I grimaced at the thought of not showing up in my room last night. Sure, Leena was my alibi, and she was a solid alibi, but for no one else to have seen me all day was going to be a problem. Elek gave out an exasperated sigh.

“Yeah, because you didn’t return to your own room last night there was a search party being formed just before dawn. Your guard there forced me to come clean to our parents. They have been arguing since I told them this morning that we were bound now. I’m supposed to tell someone when you wake up so that they can come in and scold us together.”

It was nothing I didn’t already see coming. Leena told me to expect as much when I had finished talking with Huri yesterday. But I didn’t regret it. For once in my life I made my own choice without my father or brother having influence over it.

“Why didn’t you just bring me back to my room?”

His eyes went down to his feet and a frown formed on his lips. Then he raised his right hand that now had a dark reddish ring around his wrist. It was in the shape of the water dragon chasing its own tail. I looked down at my own to see a similar design but with a traditional dragon wrapping itself around my wrist.

“I couldn’t allow myself to let you out of my sight, no matter how irrational it was. I wouldn’t even allow your guard to touch you. We thought it best to just keep you in here, with me until you woke up.”

“How much trouble are we in?”

He gave me a lopsided smile.

“You sound like a child who got caught sneaking a cookie before dinner. Honestly, most are fine with it. The negotiations were almost over anyway and the Grand Council had already made up their minds. This just moved it along faster. But I’m sure your father and brother will have some opinions to share with you when they see you next.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if Zander avoided me completely for a while. I slowly let out a held breath and observed my mark again. Floating in my mind were emotions I was expecting from myself. Anticipation was certainly one of them, but there was one that I didn’t recognize as my own. Some form of dread. His face didn’t give anything away but I knew it was from him. It was not not lost on me that I expected too much from him and I was doing my best to not pester him about how he was feeling. Instead I continued to look at the mark and thought of a different path for the conversation.

“So does this mean we are married?” I asked, now tracing the dragon with my other hand.

“In a way.” He began, reaching out to grasp my wrist lightly with his marked hand, tracing the dragon with his thumb.

“What we have goes far deeper than a signed document at the altar. Our very souls are now infused with one another. Just how the Binding Chain intended for us. So, yes, we are married in the eyes of the deities. However, politically we will still have to have some kind of ceremony.”

“And the connection? It can be nullified now?”

A quick internal investigation found that the chain had slackened considerably and no longer tugged towards him. However, I was now more aware of him than ever before. From his expressions to his scent and now his own inner emotions. They mingled with my own, causing confusion as I tried to separate them in my mind.

Still holding onto my wrist, Elek reached into his pocket with his other hand and pulled out two silver bands. They each mirrored our marks, one being a sea dragon chasing its tail and the other a winged dragon. Each had its own gemstone embedded in the mouth of the beasts, preventing it from fully touching its tail. The sea dragon had a circular onyx stone as the traditional dragon had an emerald.

Elek slipped the dragon band onto the ring finger of my left hand and then slid the other one onto his matching finger. While I was still very much aware of him, my thoughts and emotions were more easily recognized and his could be shelved in the back of my mind. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

“The connection can’t be nullified completely, but it can be muffled. If you keep your ring on it acts as a blinder and gives me less access to you and vice versa with my own. At least it should.” He lifted his ring up to show me.

Not too long after the rings were in place the door to the room burst open. Everyone filed in from his father to Anton. Anyone who could possibly have an opinion on the situation we put ourselves in stood around us as Elek and I stood by the fireplace.

I forced myself to take in my father, then brother, and then Anton. My father’s eyes looked so sad, and part of me wanted to console him. But I remained in place as Zander’s expression darkened at the sight of the bands on my hand and wrist. Then he moved his gaze to Elek, a hand on the pommel of his long sword by his side.

In great contrast, Marek was grinning with sheer delight as Dea gave an aura of accomplishment. It didn’t go unnoticed by my father, who gave both of them a gaze of fury.

“How could you?” Zander whispered, his jaw tight and teeth clenched.

“Because it was a choice I wanted to make for myself, and where it seemed inevitable anyways I just took the plunge.” I said, allowing for a blank expression and unwavering tone. His gaze only grew darker.

“Serafina, this isn’t some political bargain you just agreed to. There can be actual repercussions from this. You can never truly leave him no matter how unhappy you become. And you will be unhappy. Serafina, you don’t belong there.”

“No, Zander. I don’t belong here, and I don’t think I will ever be able to. And if I end up regretting it then that’s my burden to bear, not yours.”

“You could have belonged with me.” Anton said quietly and my heart broke seeing the hurt in his cerulean eyes. But I shook my head.

“I wouldn’t have been happy knowing that you married me because you thought it would save me. Anton, I love you too much to allow you to throw your heart away like that.” I said just as softly.

Anton’s face became tight and his brows knitted towards one another. Whatever anger and hurt he felt, I would take it.

“Sera I love you too much to let you go off with him!”

He then reached for me. Elek moved to stand between us but I pushed past him and allowed for Anton to approach and grab hold of my hands. His own were quivering as he held mine close to his chest, to his heart. Heat rose up the back of my neck and his eyes bore into mine.

“I love you, Sera. Truly. I’ve loved you since we were kids. I would have protected you, provided for you, and devoted my entire being to your happiness. Maybe we can reverse this. Maybe the fairies…”

But I shook my head, his pleading eyes were agonizing to look at.

“No, Anton. It cannot be reversed, and if it could I wouldn’t do it just to be with you. You deserve to have someone who can truly love you. Someone who will devote themselves to you just as much as you would to them. I’m staying with Elek.”

I pulled myself away, but he grasped onto my fingers tightly and pulled me closer. A hand left mine and wrapped around the back of my head. Fingers tangled in my hair and then clamped a cluster of strands within their grasp. I let out a gasp that was cut off as his mouth descended onto mine. It was desperate and harsh as he held tightly to my hands and head.

Regaining myself, I tried to pull away again but he held firm. Then I opened my mouth and bit down hard on his bottom lip. Blood trickled into my mouth as he was forced to loosen his grip, giving me a chance to free myself.

Wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I stared down at him as he hunched over, trying to stop the bleeding with his sleeve. Fury raged through me, part of it not from myself, as I wrapped my head around what he was trying to do. Kissing me wasn’t going to win me over.

Everyone else looked on in astonishment. But they all kept their distance. Even Elek, who seemed just as ready to pull out his sword as my brother was, stood completely still and observed. Although, below the surface I could sense his rage. Even with the ring, it was an overwhelming sensation.

“Anton, you are my family. We grew up as siblings and that is how I will always see you. But right now, I don’t want to see you at all. At least until you have time to think about your actions.” I said tightly.

When he looked back up at me there was anger there. I could live with anger.

“My actions? What about yours? Perhaps you should think about what you have done and then come and find me when some sense has returned to you.”

He then turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him. Laney, who looked at me in just as much shock as the rest of them, was quick to follow her brother with Jelena and Elisa close behind her.

I dared to look back at my father, who still looked as though he wanted to cry. With a heavy breath his shoulders slumped down in defeat.

“The ball is nearly here. We won’t be announcing the ritual but we will announce the engagements of you and your brother to the Demarian twins that night. After that we will hold the ceremony for Zander and Celina in a couple of weeks and you can decide when yours will be in Demarcus.”

Even his tone was defeated as he looked down at me.

“Thank you.” I said softly, and I truly meant it. I was grateful for him not scolding me like Zander and for accepting that I did this for myself.

The most awkward part of the day was allowing for Elek to move into my room. Not into my bed, as he was going to take one of the two beds in the corners. This caused a lot of disruption amongst my companions, who were already living in tight quarters.

Leena suggested for them to take some of the spare rooms in the wing, causing all of us, excluding Elek, to stare at her in disbelief. She wasn’t one to ditch protocol but said that with Elek around my safety was not going to be an issue. That didn’t seem to convince any of them, however, as they chatted amongst themselves thinking I couldn’t hear them.

Elisa thought that Elek would take advantage of me. Jelena was certain that he couldn’t win against her in a fight. Laney just sat and observed closely as the foreign prince moved his trunk into my room and placed it at the foot of the bed closest to me. When he was done he sat casually on the small bed and looked over at the gossiping women.

“I’m not going to eat her if that’s what you’re worried about.” He said, a smirk playing on his lips.

I would have laughed if they hadn’t looked so serious. Did they think he was going to hurt me?

“We’re not concerned if you’re a cannibal or not.” Laney said harshly, having come back from Anton’s room in a sour mood.

“If any harm comes to her I will kill you.” There was no hesitation in Laney’s voice, and I found myself believing her.

Even Elek’s smirk faltered at her words.

“Or if you take advantage of her.” Elisa added, her tone just as harsh as Laney’s.

At that moment Elek’s features hardened and his gaze narrowed at them.

“I’m not that kind of man.” And he left it at that as he inspected the washroom and closed the door.

I turned towards them in disappointment.

“Please don’t antagonize him. It’s hard enough to get to know him when I have too many mother hens hovering around.”

“You can’t blame us, Sera. This whole thing was sudden and none of us have had time to process it.” Jelena offered and moved to sit beside me.

“Even if you were going to be contracted, you didn’t have to go as far as binding yourself to him. That’s something that beasts do, not humans.” She continued, her gaze lingering on my mark.

“It was to move things along.” I defended.

She looked at me in skepticism but didn’t push it. Instead she rested on my bed, taking up a whole side towards the windows. Her hand draped across my lap, leading me to lay beside her. Laney then came over and lay on my other side with Elisa then behind her. This was probably going to be one of the last times all of us just laid in my bed like this. Close and together. I loved them.