Ariana
My head feels as though it’s been hit by a sledgehammer as I force my eyes open. All I see is darkness. Poignant darkness that seems darker than night surrounding me, engulfing me within itself. It keeps me captive so that I feel panic bite through my bones. I blink once, then twice, till it slowly begins to fade away.
I hold my breath in as I look around, my heart rate picking up to the point where I can hear it in my ears. My breathing begins to come out in loud pants as I zero in on the room. Everything feels a lot smaller as fear snakes its way into my mind. I try keeping myself calm by slowing down my breathing, but I can’t, not when so many eyes watch me.
Surrounding me are about a dozen wolves, each holding the royal seal, showing that they are guards. All of them have their canines out as they take a step closer to me. I look around frantically, trying to find a way out, only for them to take a step closer and me to shrink within myself.
I feel at a loss when they take another step towards me. The circle they form getting so small that if I reach out with my hand it will probably skim across their armed skin.
“Leave.” That one small command from a figure within the shadows has all the guards turning away from me.
I swallow hard, my heart almost wavering as I realize I’m in the throne room of the palace. I try to recall how I even got here in the first place, but all I can remember is a blinding light and pain. I slowly get up, my back screaming in pain at the movement, and step closer to the throne. The throne is overshadowed with darkness, while candlelight illuminates the rest of the room. The ground beneath my feet seems to tremble as a whisper of a word resonates through the room, “stop.”
My feet come to an abrupt halt as the command washes over me, and Will steps out of the shadows of the throne. I am almost confused by his presence, but when I look into his eyes, my heart stops in it’s beat. They’re not blue. Instead, they are a dark violet, a stark contrast against his pale skin.
Something within his eyes has me stepping back, my legs almost trembling beneath me as a whisper of a word leaves my mouth, “How?”
Deafening silence takes its hold on the room, making it almost impossible to breathe as I wait for him to reply. The tension is so thick between us that it is tangible. My eyes tentatively travel around the room for the first time and notice red curtains draped around something.
My neck suddenly snaps towards the entrance to the throne room, my eyes widening as Andria walks in. Her hair is loose, falling down her back, a sneer plastered on her face. She looks almost senile, her true self lost behind the dozens of jewels adorning her exposed skin.
“Hello, sister…” Andria’s words almost feel wretched as she slowly saunters towards Will. The glimmer of infidelity in her eyes has me almost disgusted by the fact that we are sisters.
“What am I doing here?” I ask, my voice coming out weaker than I had hoped it to come out. I had prayed that this day wouldn’t come, prayed that it wasn’t my sister but the witch who was behind this. Yet here I stand
“What are you doing here?” Andria repeats my question before letting out a sinister chuckle that has the room feeling colder than it already was, “Why don’t you tell me, sister?”
Her question was a trick, she most likely had found out what Prince Edward and I had planned. Fear grips my insides as my eyes find hers again, they look almost venomous, reminding me of a predator. When I don’t reply to her question, she responds, her voice cold and shallow as it hits my eardrums, “You, dear, are foolish to think that I would let you live after what you did to me. For what you plan on doing to the people of this empire.”
I feel stupefied by her accusations. Is she listening to herself? How am I the one who is scheming when she lies through her teeth about being the king’s mate?
“I did nothing wrong, and I plan on doing nothing wrong.” the words come out before I’m able to stop them. They almost echo through the room, as if reminiscing about Andria’s disapproval of my very being. I hold my breath, waiting for her to lash out the way she always did when we were children.
“Are you sure about that, Ariana?” Andria says, a smirk on her face, “A little bird told me that you and your friends were conspiring against the crown.”
I knew she had somehow found out about our plans, but still, the words coming out of her mouth made my eyes widen and my heart stutter. It is only then my mind begins to wonder where the rest are. Where is Nate? Where’s Edward? Where are Sicily and the witch?
“Where are they?” My voice comes out stronger than I expect, as my gut churns with panic while taking a step closer to the throne.
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about them. They’re in safe hands.” Andria says, her smirk widening as I feel myself pale. This is not good. ” Aren’t I right, my love?” Andria asks Will.
“Yes, darling,” Will says, his voice, sounding almost robotic without its usual smoothness. Something about the way that Andria looks at him just seems cold.
“Wh..what have you done to him?” I ask as I take a step closer to them.
“Ah…ah... I wouldn’t step closer if I were you,” Andria says, her eyes turning into a velvety purple as she looks into Will’s eyes. His shoulders slump forward as she whispers something in his ear. Total fear consumes me as I see the distraught look in his eyes, and I realize that Andria has power. Power that gives her the ability to control one of the most powerful beings in the entire world. My blood begins to boil as I realize that the Prince has been right all along. Andria was the one to have been behind all this. It hurts to think that she would do this to me just to have power.
“What are you doing to him?” I question.
“Nothing... just making sure he knows that he’s mine...” Her words are sinister as she kisses Will’s lips and trails her hands leisurely up his arm. “And now that you finally seem to realize that he’s mine. Let’s get this over with. Goodbye, sister.”
I am barely able to understand my surroundings when I am being held down by a dozen guards, with Andria marching towards me, a dagger in her hand.
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