A Dance Of Twilight: (A Fae Dark Fantasy Romance Stand-Alone )

Chapter 15

There was a rush as everyone pulled Norok off the ground while the horse master pulled away his horse. I didn”t know where to look or what to do. Norok’s face and body were bloody and broken. His arm hung limply off the stretcher as they placed him on it.

Kathlyn had quickly removed Talia and Gelda from the scene. I rushed down to join Father. Once we reached Norok’s tent at the arena, Mother appeared out of nowhere.

Norok was thankfully unconscious as healers appeared and began to work quickly on him. They worked swiftly, removing his armour and exposing his wounds. He was already bruised across his chest, which wasn’t good. Healers would not be able to do much.

We needed a mage.

Without even thinking, I rushed from the tent and headed down towards the market—to that stall where the seer was. I prayed to the Goddess she was still there, and by the blessings of light she was.

“The prince needs you!” I shouted as I grabbed her hand. I didn’t give her time to argue.

I was gone for perhaps ten minutes by the time we managed to rush back to the tent. Mother was crying on Father”s shoulder and the healers all stood over Norok’s body. They weren”t doing anything, just standing there. No, he could not be dead. I wasn’t going to allow it.

“Save him!” I shouted to the seer as she entered the tent.

Mother looked up, her eyes red and raw from crying. She looked at me, her eyes then moving towards the seer before nodding to give her consent. The seer went to work on Norok’s body.

She waved her hands in a circular motion and clapped them every time they met. A faint golden light began to appear around her hands. We all watched as she placed her hands to rest on Norok’s body and began to chant the language of the mages.

This went on for what felt like hours. The sun had begun to set while she worked. I had to leave the tent to get some air after holding myself too tightly. I bumped into Marcus as I parted the curtains, not saying a single word before rushing behind the tent and throwing up.

“Are you alright, your highness? Is the prince—” Marcus’s voice broke as he spoke.

I couldn’t answer him. I only stared into nothing. If Norok died I would — I didn’t want to think about it. He may be my annoying older brother but he was my big brother. Our crowned Prince and next in line to the throne. If he died, that would mean I would be made heir, and that was the last thing I wanted.

He was going to be fine. He had to be fine.

Slumping down on the ground, I wrapped my arms tightly around my knees as silent tears fell from my eyes. Out of all the nobles to be hurt, why did it have to be Norok? The more I replayed it in my mind, the more I saw Lord Cole looking as if he were smiling while he rode away.

“Marcus, find Lord Cole,” I managed through gritted teeth. “He will answer to the crown for what he has done.”

Nodding and bowing to me, Marcus did as I asked. I watched him round up a few guards before they left the arena. Many of our court were still waiting to hear about Norok, including all the knights. What was meant to be a fantastic, happy, and exciting day had quickly taken a sad and dark turn.

“NOROK!” Mother’s voice shouted through the air.

Within seconds I was back in the tent as she cried over Norok’s body. He didn’t move as she sobbed. The seer stepped towards me and placed both her hands on my shoulders. I could feel as her magic radiated from them.

“He is alive, but he will not be as he once was. His mind may still be there, but his body is broken.”

She kissed me lightly on the forehead. Before she went to leave, she paused and bowed towards Father who pulled her into a hug. The act shocked me despite understanding the reason for his embrace

“He’s alive and I thank you for that,” he said as he let go of her. “Please, come to me tomorrow and I will see you rewarded.”

“The reward of seeing our prince awake is enough, my king.”

She curtsied and left the tent as Father rushed to Norok’s side. I couldn”t move, I was still frozen, standing there like a fool.

The tournament was meant to be good fun. It didn”t matter that everyone knew the risks. What mattered was that Lord Cole harmed our crowned prince before leaving in a way that made me believe it was in a vicious manner. It was something I considered unforgivable. I would find Lord Cole and make him pay for what he”d done.

We each took turns to sit at Norok’s bedside for the next few days. Never knowing if he was going to wake up or even move a finger. He had around the clock healers taking great care of him. Father sent out many seekers to search for the greatest mage healers known to our world. None of which returned with any success.

Lord Cole had disappeared into the night. The place he was staying at had been ransacked and emptied out by the time Marcus and his men reached it. I felt a hole within my heart. Had I really misjudged him so much?

We as a family had never felt this kind of betrayal. Grandmother stayed to help run the kingdom while Mother and Father grieved the potential loss of their son and heir. All the while Gelda’s belly continued to grow with what we all believed to be Norok’s child. The one who would inherit his birthright where his father couldn’t.

I had finally stopped crying by the second week. I sat on my balcony, replaying the events in my head on a never-ending loop. It all felt like my fault, I was the one who suggested and organised the tournament. I was ashamed to show my face to anyone and I could no longer sit beside Norok. Kathlyn brought my meals every day and for the most part, I remained silent.

Norok may have been my older brother, but we were almost twins. Perhaps not by age, but we were cut from the same cloth. He had been the person I always ran to, and now there was the possibility I would never hear him speak, laugh, or smile again.

“Ornella.”

It took me a second to register the voice and where it was coming from as there was very little light on the balcony now that the sun had set. Just a few candles littered the small table where my cold dinner and the half full jug of red wine sat.

“Your highness.”

Cole. Shifting my eyes quickly, a pair of large hands appeared over the bannister of my balcony, closely followed by broad shoulders and then an entire body as someone heaved themselves over it.

I tried not to scream as I quickly rushed from my chair and towards my bedroom doors. I had no weapon to fight an intruder. If Cole was here to finish me off after he’d already destroyed my brother, I would be defenceless.

He jumped over the bannister, landing on his feet. He held his hands up in front of him in surrender as our eyes met. He was wearing a beautiful black suit, the same suit he wore when we first met.

“Please do not call the guards,” he begged me.

“And why shouldn’t I?” I demanded in a shaky voice, stepping further back into my bedroom. “You tried to murder my brother! Are you here to kill me, too?”

“I didn”t mean to harm your brother and I’d never hurt you. I promise.”

He stepped forward, trying to close the gap between us, to which I stepped back again. He didn’t seem to care about the distance between. He continued to close the gap until he was in the doorway as I was nearing my bed post.

“Please stop backing away from me. Please let me explain.”

“If you didn’t mean to hurt my brother then why run away?”

He sighed, walking into my bedroom. I watched as he pulled the stool out from under my vanity, where he then sat and seemingly made himself comfortable.

“Any man would have run, princess. Especially if they just hurt the heir to the throne—mistake or not.”

He had a valid point. Even if it had been Norok’s best friend who hurt him, that friend would have stood trial against the crown. Lord Cole was simply doing what he thought was best, but then again, I was still convinced he was smiling when he saw my brother go down.

“You were smiling when you disappeared.”

“Nerves,” he said flippantly, “Honestly, I would never hurt Norok.”

He still had his hands up in front of him, to continue showing me he wasn’t carrying a weapon. Except I would never be one hundred percent sure that he didn’t have one concealed, as most men did.

“I don’t know if I can trust you, Lord Cole.”

“I would never hurt you, princess. I risked my life coming here. I had to speak with you. I know your brother is in a bad condition. I could have a healer from my lands come and help him.”

I sat down on the edge of my bed with a sigh. I was exhausted from having this conversation with so many others. Everyone had a healer they could send, but no one was powerful enough to remove the infliction from Norok. None of them were the Goddess herself.

It distressed me as I just wanted my brother back. I wanted everything to go back to the way it once was. Where the only thing I had to worry about was marriage.

“I am sorry I hurt you.” His voice broke as he lowered his hands finally, looking at me with his beautiful eyes.

“Did you really not mean to hurt Norok?”

“No, I mean, I meant to win but I did not intend for his horse to trample him.”

That was true, the aim of the game was to knock the other rider off their horse and Norok’s injuries were mostly from his horse running over him multiple times. It did not explain his actions, even if he thought he’d be to blame for hurting Norok on purpose. It would have been proven to be a mistake, but as he ran, everyone blamed him.

“Your highness, I came here tonight to say goodbye. I am leaving to go back home. My father has sent word to the king that it was an accident, and I will face my consequences at home.”

My chest twisted a little and I felt oddly sad at the news of his departure. It made sense why he would leave. He would no longer be welcomed here. Not to mention that the idea of him and I marrying was now very much a faded dream.

“I am sorry you’re having to leave,” I said before admitting, “I will miss our conversations.”

I didn’t know what came over me or why I felt unexpectedly brave or courageous as I stood from my bed and made my way towards Cole. He looked at me with hunger burning in his eyes as he stood. Our eyes met, making my heart thud in my chest.

“I will miss them too,” he muttered, stepping towards the balcony doors.

“Will you miss me?” I asked.

I wasn’t sure if I could trust him fully, but his eyes didn’t lie when he spoke of Norok. Perhaps he didn’t mean to hurt him at all. Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding and with Norok not being awake to say his friend meant no harm, we would all continue running on our emotions from that day.

I stood in front of him, my hair trailing behind me with the breeze from the doors. The shawl around my shoulders that I wore over my pale pink dress slid down my right arm. His eyes darted to the bare skin that had been revealed. His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip. I tracked the movement with my eyes, wanting to trace the exact same path with my own tongue.

“I will miss you greatly,” he confessed, our eyes meeting once again.

Even more closely now, I could see how truly handsome he was and how much I would have liked—enjoyed even—looking in those eyes for the rest of my life. The rough pads of his fingers lifted my chin, angling my face towards his. I never realised how tall he was until this moment. He stared into my eyes, and I stared back, his eyes never leaving mine.

When he leaned in closer, a sigh escaped my chest. Our lips were only inches away from one another. I didn’t dare move, I didn’t dare breathe. This would be my first kiss, and I wanted him to have it. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to close the space even more, when he stopped.

“Goodbye, my princess,” he breathed.

Seconds later, his warmth disappeared as did he, leaping over the balcony and my heart shattered with him.

By morning, I’d not slept a wink. I continued to stare at my balcony doors, still open, waiting and wondering if Cole would be standing there. I wanted to look up to find him racing towards me to claim me as his. How I stupidly longed for it. “Ornella,” Talia said from behind me as I sat in the same place I did every day, my breakfast now cold. She placed a hand on my shoulder, and I shrugged it off. “Father wishes for us all to attend the hall, he has an announcement.”

“I already know what it will be. Norok shall no longer be the heir to the throne and that will now be placed on my shoulders.”

Lord Cole’s appearance had left me to wonder if he ever would in fact, miss me, or if it was all just a game and it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Talia stood in front of me with her arms across her chest. Her eyes were just as raw as Mother’s as she stared at me with anger in them.

“Norok will wake up, and when he does, everything will be fine. And then you may go back to whatever you do best. For now, our family needs us to bind together and be there for one another.”

I rolled my eyes and looked away, unmoved and uninterested in her attempt at a speech. The family didn’t need me, and the line could stay firmly where it was, Norok would get better in time and then I would finally be left alone.

“Ella, I will kick you from your seat and all the way down those stairs if you don’t move right now.” Talia”s voice rose as she slammed her hands either side of me. “I swear to the Goddess herself. You do not get to break as well. I need you!”

Drinking my glass of wine, I stared at her with emptiness in my eyes. She needed me—I needed Norok. We all needed each other and right now, that wasn’t possible. His mind may have been there, but his body was broken. My mind was not here, and I had no strength left in me to find it.

She swiped her hand across my glass and knocked it clear out of my hands, shattering the glass on the stone floor before she leaned back again.“Stop being an ass and get up—please Nella, I need my big sister.”

Her voice broke as the nickname she gave me as a child fell from her lips. When a tear escaped her eye, I hung my head in shame. In my grief, I had forgotten hers. Sighing, I held my hand out to her. She took it instantly as I rose from my seat. I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly as she began to cry.

“I’m sorry, Tal, I just feel lost without him.”

“We all do. But we need to stick together. Now, Father is asking for you and you must see him.”

We slowly headed downstairs as much to my discomfort, I knew what was coming.

We could hear the shouting and arguments going on as we walked down the stairs. Father shouting back at Mother as she raised her voice. Tension was thick in the air and the subject of discussion—was me.

“Ornella, there you are,” called Mother as we stepped through the entrance doorway.

“Your father has decided something.”

The room was filled with nobles, the same nobles which had been in the arena. All smiled and bowed at me as I walked past. Talia clung to my arm with each step. I spotted Dorian standing to the side lines of our mother’s seat.

Father rose from his throne and waved everyone to be quiet while Mother took her seat. Talia took hers, but I refused to sit, choosing to stand at the foot of the throne stairs.

“Princess Ornella, I have decided, with regret and the devastation that has befallen our wonderful Prince Norok. You will now be declared as my heir.”

Even though I knew he was going to announce I was to take Norok’s place, the hole around me grew wider, ready to swallow me whole.

“And as such, you will need a husband to help you rule when the time comes.”

That was not something I expected. Grandmother ruled for many years before she met my grandfather. I imagined I would have been given the same allowance—the same freedom as Norok.

“We had hoped to present your husband after the tournament, but we’ve had to make a last-minute change.”

A change? The wheels of my mind ran wild as I looked at Father and then back at Mother, who seemed annoyed at his confession. Was the person they were declaring today not the first choice?

“Father, before you continue, what changed?” I had to know, I needed to know for my own sanity.

“Ornella, the one we originally chose, has now left our lands to face the consequences of their actions.”

I felt sick to my stomach as I put the pieces together—at the realisation of what he meant. Cole—they were going to allow me to marry Cole. Was that why Mother left the tournament when she did? She knew. If Father had declared it, that meant she wouldn’t be able to contest it.

I wanted to throw up. To tell them Cole did not mean to harm Norok. All that we needed was a public apology, and then I could go ahead and marry him.

“But as such, and against my own wishes,” Father’s voice broke my train of thought. “Your mother wanted to allow you sometime for this news to settle in before your official ceremony happens, followed by your wedding day.”

What was happening? I felt all eyes on me as my palms grew sweaty. Mother shifted in her seat, looking a little uneasy, as did Talia. Talia knew who they’d picked and given me no hints or even a clue as to who that person could be.

“With that all being said, may our crown princess’s future husband please step forward.”

My heart sank as I watched the men move back and only one remained standing as he took a single step forward. My mouth filled with bile as I stared at him wide eyed and filled with rage.

“Dorian,” I muttered and he smiled sadistically back. “You cannot be serious. I cannot marry my uncle! That’s disgusting!” I shouted and a few mumbles were heard in the crowd around me. Clearly people agreed.

“Surely this goes against all codes of our line.”

“Dorian has agreed to marry you only in name. He has many years on his belt as my advisor and will take great care of you should anything happen to myself or the queen.”

I turned to storm out. This was not going to happen. I would not allow it to. Once I got to the courtyard doors, I flung them open and headed towards the rose gardens, moving quickly to the tree line.

As I reached the tree line, I stopped dead in my tracks. Why had they suggested Dorian? When there were so many other nobles within our court and outside the realms that would have done a perfect job—a better job in fact.

Maybe, this could work in my favour. I would destroy him from the inside out before he lay another hand on me. Only in name was a lie. It was easily a way to get back to me. That had to be it.

“Well then future wife.”

My blood ran cold as I heard him speak from behind me. I wished at that moment that I had known how to use a dagger and kill him. Turning around, I had to keep myself from throwing up at the sight of him.

He was uglier than I remembered. Since that memory burned its way through me, I only felt disgust when I saw him. I had to try hard to keep the ringing in my ears to a minimum and ignore my racing heartbeat.

“We may become married only by name. Of course you are repulsed by the idea of your uncle, I however know you will eventually warm up to being more than a named wife, but a wife in every way.”

He stepped forward and pulled a strand of my hair towards him, twirling it in his fingers. The only thing I could think to do was spit on him. He took a sudden step back, shocked by my reaction. He then moved forward quickly, slapping me across the face. He pinched my cheeks together, forcing me to look at him. I tried desperately not to cry but my eyes began to burn.

“Do that again and I will make you pay for it in more ways than one.”

He pulled at the hem of my dress and ran his hand up the inside of my thigh.

I screamed.

I screamed at the top of my lungs. No, he was not going to touch me ever again. Never again.

“Your highness?”Marcus shouted from a short distance away.

Dorian quickly let go of me and left me standing there. The rush of adrenaline clawed at my body. I wanted to run away. Dorian walked past Marcus as if he were on a mission and disappeared into the castle.

Marcus placed himself in front of me, keeping a protective stance. I wondered if he was waiting for me to give him an order. It only took a moment for me to understand what he was actually doing. He was allowing me time to compose myself and protect me from any peering eyes.

“I could make it look like an accident, princess, if you wished for it,” he whispered.

I held back a shattered laugh. If only he knew. “That’s alright Marcus, I will be served my justice soon.”

And I would. Making a vow to myself he will never touch me again.