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

Chapter 51

Ornella had refused to go back to her bedroom. I was not in the mood to deal with her excuses as to why she was in the dungeons to begin with. I was near ready to punish the guard who left her alone, along with the other guards who disappeared from the room.

Percy insisted I’d keep my cool as I thundered towards the throne room, my three sisters following closely behind. Word was already spreading within the castle that Ornella was attacked. As soon as the doors were opened, I saw the extent of the shock she was in, as well as how bloody she had become.

She sat at the throne steps, her head between her hands as she muttered something to herself. I didn’t rush to her aid. Morgana did, wrapping her in her arms.

Ornella threw Morgana back, shouting, “Don’t touch me!”

Morgana held her hands up in surrender. She turned to face me, her horror mirroring the same horror buried beneath my rage. I shifted my eyes to Ornella, taking in her appearance.

The bruises on her neck made my blood boil and rage seep through my body. The prisoner, Kathlyn, received her punishment in the form of her head hitting the stone floor. A mercy in a way. I’d have liked to have tortured her, pulling apart every bone in her body just for hurting a single hair on Ornella’s head. Again, Percy to the rescue, reminding me a quick death is better when my wife waited for me.

Ornella’s eyes found mine and a wave of sadness ran down our bond. Our eyes connected, making the tether between us tug at my body, urging me to step forward. I could not. I couldn’t move. She’d been hurt. It was my fault. I was ashamed of it. Ashamed that I hadn’t been there to protect her. Again.

“We should get you cleaned up,” April spoke gently.

She stepped forward, drawing Ornella’s attention away from me.

“What were you even doing down there?” Percy asked, grateful he’d taken that from me.

“i—eh—I wanted to…” Her voice was raspy as she swallowed several times, it must have hurt to talk.

“Fetch her majesty a glass of water!” ordered April.

“I wanted to see them.”

“Them who?” Morgana sat at her feet, not daring to move any closer.

“My friends.”

I sighed at her words. Her friends, the ones I planned to deal with for daring to enter my lands. The male would have eventually been brought up to tutor Ornella. The female was to suffer a slow, horrendous death. With the wedding and constant council meetings, I had yet to end their lives.

The male, he still sat in his cell, quiet and subdued. All he’d asked for were some reading materials and I’d granted it simply because he was no bother. Most likely not wanting to cause any trouble and face my wrath again. Whereas the female, I’d taken great pleasure in hurting.

There was silence in the room as Percy, Vanessa, and April turned to me, waiting to hear what I had to say. There were no words. I just wanted to keep my shadows at bay. Ever since Ornella’s arrival they’d flowed more rapidly, without warning or control and I couldn’t have that. A king who loses control is not a good king.

“I will take Ornella upstairs,” I commanded.

Morgana couldn”t hide the smile that was clear on her face as she turned back to comfort Ornella. Vanessa, however, did not seem pleased as a sudden rumble of thunder came from outside.

“Nic, we should at least know the reason why.”

“Why, what?” Morgana asked, surprised by Vanessa’s tone.

“Why was Ornella down there? It couldn’t have just been to say a quick hello,” she noted, setting her sights back on Ornella as Morgana looked at me, pleading for me to step in.

“I know it hurts to talk, but going down into the dungeons without the king”s permission—wife or not—is forbidden. You may have been given free rein in your old kingdom but here, especially with your lack of skills, you put yourself in danger and potentially the danger of our guards.”

“The guards can take care of themselves. It was lucky one of them was there in time to aid her,” Morgana replied as Ornella lowered her head.

“That’s the whole point Morg! The guards should know that their future queen, our queen, is perfectly capable of protecting herself and not getting herself into situations she shouldn’t be in.”

“That’s all right for you to say,” Ornella said roughly.

The footman appeared suddenly and handed her the glass of water April had ordered and she was quick to drink most of it, wincing with each dip of her throat.

“What does that mean?” Vanessa barked.

“You…you all have gifts, can fight, and I do not. I wish I did. I wish that I could protect myself and fight like you. If anything, I feel useless amongst all of you.”

How could she feel so useless when I’d made sure to have anyone with magical abilities steer clear of her. I’d even tried not to speak to her through our minds. Even when sometimes I just wanted to hear her voice from the other side of the castle.

“And perhaps I wanted more freedom. I am stuck here. Locked away when I was promised more freedom than I could even dream of!” she shouted, coughing at the sudden pitch in her voice.

Vanessa’s thunder clapped loudly while lighting flashed, filling the throne room with a bright white light. Even Morgana seemed to be shaken by Ornella’s tone. She curled her fingers into fists and caught my eye as I watched her closely. Nodding slowly, she stepped back from Ornella.

Morgana was the last person I wanted to lose her temper or control. Illusions may have been her gift, but there were other gifts, curses she’d been born with. Some that even rivalled my own.

“I suggest you lower your tone with me,” Vanessa demanded coldly.

“Aren’t you going to step in?”April’s in my head drew me to look at her, as she crossed her arms and tapped one foot.

“Vanessa can handle it, as can Ornella. I refuse to engage in a battle of tongues.”

April rolled her eyes at me and moved to stand next to Percy as he stayed quiet, obviously doing the same and not wishing to get involved in an argument with females.

“I will do no such thing. Since I arrived here, I have been ordered and told what to do. I wanted to see what damage had been done to my friends! And Kathlyn”—she stopped, holding back what looked like tears as she stared at me with hatred in her eyes.—“Kathlyn, she had her faults, but she was a shell of the woman I knew. Your king destroyed her.”

I did destroy her. After finding out more information of what Ornella’s uncle had done to her, the things he subjected her to and how Kathlyn, Ornella’s faithful servant and friend just stood by and allowed it to happen. Never once seeking out help or telling Ornella’s parents—anyone for that matter. Kathlyn deserved more pain than what I inflicted, and if Ornella knew the full extent, she would have understood. I hoped.

“Like you! Just like your family has destroyed mine! Your father killed my auntie, and your mother ordered the death of our parents! If anyone has destroyed anything, the blood of my family is on your hands. Nicholas only gave that woman death, and she still didn’t deserve the mercy of a quick death for what she allowed to happen to you! She should have been hung at the town square and then stuck on the spike!” Vanessa spat back.

Ornella’s eyes softened in shock as she looked at me and then at everyone in the room. I did not expect Vanessa to speak so cold-heartedly towards Ornella. I’d come to believe they were friends. Perhaps there was some resentment towards Ornella, most likely something I had put there.

“How do they know what happened, Nicholas?”

“Know about what?” Percy asked, as Ornella looked at me with pleading eyes.

How did Vanessa know what happened to Ornella in fact? Did Morgana know as well? April was the only one out of the people in this room who knew the truth, and that was simply because she read my mind the day after Ornella’s friends arrived.

Looking at April as she lowered her eyes from my gaze, I controlled my anger once again. Tightly wrapping my mind around it as it bucked and tossed to be free. April must have told them, for whatever reason I would possibly never know.

The look in Ornella’s eyes was enough to tell me I’d hurt her. Again. I was getting rather good at that, even when I wasn’t trying.

“I can’t—I…I” she stuttered her words. Jumping to her feet, she pushed past Vanessa and Morgana, stopping inches from me before bolting towards the courtyard door and running down the steps.

“Shouldn’t one of us go after her? Nicholas?” Morgana asked as she watched Ornella run out into the rain.

“Perhaps if her highness stops the rain, it would be easier for her majesty.” Percy stepped forward, looking rather uncomfortable.

“I’d forgotten you were even here,” Vanessa snarled, crossing her arms, as another thunderbolt roared in the air.

“Vanessa, enough!” I ordered, “Stop screwing with the weather. Leave her be, she is shaken up. She will be back soon, and we can then discuss everything without raising voices.”

I knew I’d easily be able to explain how April and the others knew of Ornella’s ordeal, if anything, it wasn’t all my fault. That was the problem of having sisters who read mostly all your thoughts and knew all your secrets. Even the ones you tried to hide.

“April, make sure dinner is ready, and once Ornella returns, send for her maid to clean her up. No one eats until she’s back.”

None of them questioned me as I turned and left the room, sending out a small prayer to the Goddess to protect Ornella and help her in any way. I wouldn’t chase after her, as much as I wanted to. I knew she needed to be alone as I too have felt like my world was ending before.

“She won’t go far I’d imagine,” Morgana said as she made her way out the throne room, along with Vanessa who stormed off in front.

“Are you sure you won’t go after her?” April asked.

“No, every time I go after her, we argue. I will leave her to have some time to herself and maybe discuss it with her later.”

April simply nodded as she and Percy left, leaving me to my thoughts.