20. The Twisted Bargain
20
The Twisted Bargain
A storia twisted the orange stone of Cyrus’ ring around so that if Orion looked, he would only see the golden band.
The cottage, apparently, belonged to Wizard Orion’s late sister and the drawings in the box were his nephew’s. Both of whom he did not wish to talk about. Astoria was more than a little curious, but she didn’t push him. She had succeeded in steering him away from any sort of suspicion, and that was all that mattered.
But when he left, he took away the box and everything Astoria had spilled onto the floor.
Astoria paced the length of the room with growing anxiety, often pausing to stare out the window at the clear night sky. She couldn’t rest, let alone sleep. But as dawn drew closer, she eventually grew tired and sat at the desk, gradually falling asleep with her head resting between her arms.
A few hours later, she woke up to the door flinging open and slamming against the wall.
Astoria jumped to her feet and faced the intruder as he set a meager meal and a cup of water on the table.
“Are you mad? ” she yelled at the wizard, running a hand over her face to check for any sign of drool and— ew! She wiped furiously at her mouth. “It’s rude to barge into a lady’s room!”
“You are my prisoner, and you will get treated like one,” he snapped back with a glare. “Now, shut up and eat your meal. Your husband isn’t awake yet. Seems like it will take a little longer than we expected, given the amount of poison in his system. And we don’t want you to starve until then, do we?”
He smiled nastily.
To think that her father had wanted her to marry this man! He was disgusting.
When he left, slamming the door behind him, Astoria sank back into the chair. She hoped her letter had appeared somewhere safe for Cyrus to find when he woke up. Whenever he did.
The palace was undoubtedly searching for her now, including Rowan with his fake frenzy. She hoped Joaquin and the General would be safe from him, that at least one of them would stay in the suite with Cyrus while the other joined in the search for her.
The last thing she wanted was Rowan slipping into Cyrus’ room and—
Astoria stopped that train of thought firmly. No. Joaquin wouldn’t be foolish enough to trust anyone other than himself and the General with Cyrus’ safety, especially now that Astoria was missing, too. If only the wizard hadn’t taken the box away! If only she had the sense to send a letter to Joaquin as well!
She even called out to the wizard, asking him to give her back the box so she wouldn’t get bored. He refused. Her boredom was undoubtedly his entertainment.
This was the worst day of her life. Astoria missed a lot of things; Skylar, Spyrah, Emily, her powers. But most importantly, she missed Cyrus. She missed her husband.
Wizard Orion kept bringing her meals, looking like he would rather do anything else each time. She refused to eat them, and he told her if she didn’t eat by the next time he came, there would be no more food for her as long as she was held prisoner.
Astoria couldn’t care less. Not because the food was meager, but because she felt like there was a rock in her stomach. She couldn’t eat even if she wanted to.
That night, she lay on the bed, staring out the window, stomach rumbling and mind reeling. All she could think about was Cyrus and how much she loved him. She loved him, yet she didn’t want him to give up his throne for her. She loved him and didn’t want him to lose what he held dear to his heart.
If he fought, she was sure he could win. And Astoria wanted him to win.
Wizard Orion had come in and taken her untouched food away and hadn’t brought the night meal as per his word. Sometime later, she heard Rowan’s voice outside the door. She almost thought Cyrus had woken up but heard him say he hadn’t. Then, the door opened.
“Get out!” Astoria grabbed her pillow and hurled it at Rowan the moment he entered. He acted fast, throwing a hand up to stop it mid-air before sending it back to her. She caught it and glared at his smirking face. Then he stepped back and closed the door.
She thought he would put up a fight, but it seemed like neither of them was up for one.
When morning came, Astoria opened her eyes to the sunlight streaming through the window and realized she had slept through the night, unlike yesterday. She turned to her left and froze.
There was a folded paper on her pillow. She sat up and reached for it, gritting her teeth. Where did Rowan have the gall to—
She stopped mid-thought as her eyes landed on the familiar, slanted handwriting.
I couldn’t access the connection of our bond to locate you, Little Dragon. But I will find you even if I have to turn the human realm upside down. I will not rest until you are safe in my arms. Rowan will pay.
He was awake.
Astoria’s heart accelerated. He said he wouldn’t rest until she was safe. Rowan was going to take advantage of that. No, no, no! Didn’t he understand the direness of this situation? It was bigger than her safety. All of the empire would suffer if he gave up the throne just to save her.
Astoria was out of bed and pacing in the next moment. How could she tell him exactly what Rowan was planning?
The door flung open.
She froze in her tracks and turned to face Wizard Orion, crushing Cyrus’ letter in her hand. But it was too late. He saw it already.
“What is that?” His eyes narrowed at the crumpled ball of paper in her hand. “I thought I cleared every last of the drawings—” He stopped short as his eyes flicked back to her face. “It’s not one of the drawings, is it?”
He stepped into the room, slow like a panther.
“Why do you care? It’s just trash.” But panic betrayed her voice.
A smirk curled his lips. “But your face says something else entirely.” He moved his hand in the air in a strange motion.
Astoria’s palms burned. She shrieked, and the crumpled paper fell from her hold. It floated towards Orion before she could stop it. He snatched it and smoothed it over with his magic, and his eyes widened as they ran over Cyrus’ words.
“He’s awake,” the man muttered to himself. “And he knows.” His mad eyes snapped to her. “How?” At her defiant silence, he demanded more forcefully, “ How, girl?”
Astoria chose silence.
Wizard Orion might have realized there was no point in shouting at her. He stepped out of the room, slammed the door shut, and thundered downstairs. Not long after, the door flung open, and a mad-looking Rowan burst in.
“What did you do?” He advanced towards her and grabbed her by the arm. “You just have to get in the way, don’t you?”
Astoria tried to jerk her arm free, but he was stronger. Sure enough, there was a bruise forming. If someone had told her two days ago that Rowan would cause her a bruise, she would have laughed in their face. “Sweet, optimistic Rowan?” she would’ve asked.
She still couldn’t believe the Rowan she had known was merely the mask of a villainous man.
“You underestimated me, Rowan,” she seethed, glaring back at him boldly.
“And you underestimated me if you think forewarning Cyrus gives him the upper hand.” He snorted angrily. “Not as long as you are the leverage. Speaking of which, are you ready to be our bargaining chip?”
Not waiting for her answer, he pulled out the same object from his pocket and muttered in a strange language. “Orion, it’s time!” he called out before stepping into the glowing portal, hauling her behind him.
Astoria shielded her eyes as she followed him in. All too soon, she felt the change in the atmosphere. Voices surrounded her, but they soon dropped into pin-drop silence.
Astoria looked up. From the opulence that met her eyes, she realized they were in the throne room of her palace. Guards and lords stood along the wall she faced, gaping at her and Rowan, just before a powerful voice shook the air.
“Rowan!”
Astoria whirled around at his voice. Rowan’s grip on her arm tightened.
Cyrus stormed down the steps of the dais with a murderous look on his face. He looked thinner, but dangerous. So deadly that Astoria’s heart stuttered.
“Get your hands off my wife!”
“Uh, uh, uh…” Rowan sing-songed. She heard an unsheathing sound, and the next moment, a knife was pressed against her neck.
Cyrus stopped dead in his tracks, terror mixing with the anger blazing in his eyes as they locked with hers.
“Now, let’s talk.”
“Let her go, Rowan…” Glowing lavender-grey threads covered Cyrus’ fists.
“Come on, Cyrus, you know how this works,” Rowan tsked. “One wrong move, and I slit her throat.”
“If you hurt her—”
“Truth be told, I don’t want to hurt her,” Rowan interjected with a faux sigh. “So, why don’t you cooperate?”
Suddenly, there was a clank behind them, the unmistakable sound of a dagger hitting the floor. Astoria wanted to turn, but she could barely even breathe with the knife to her throat.
Rowan laughed, looking over his shoulder at the guards. “Which of you fools thought you could throw a dagger at me and solve this as easy as that? I’m standing here with a years-long, well-thought-out plan, and there is nothing you can do to stop me—especially you!” He turned back to Cyrus.
“Oh, really?” Cyrus’ eyes were on the knife Rowan held to Astoria’s throat, even as he challenged him, saying, “We can have a combat to see if it’s just your fantasy or not.”
“I didn’t say I’m more powerful than you, you fool. Sometimes, all you need is some brains, if not more powers, to outsmart your enemy. Right now, I have my leverage right here.” He shook Astoria, and for a moment, she thought the blade was going to dig into her skin. “Come on, it’s either your mother and sister or your wife. Choose wisely because you can have only one.”
Astoria caught Cyrus’ gaze and moved her head from side to side in a subtle shake. His eyes narrowed on her before snapping to Rowan. “Why are you doing this, Rowan?”
“Finally, you asked it.” Rowan sounded bored. “The throne was supposed to be mine before you usurped it.”
Cyrus looked like he wanted to snort. “In what sense, may I ask?”
“I’m the bastard son of the former king, and with no one else in the line alive, the throne belongs to me.”
Cyrus stared at him in shock. Whether it was the fact that Rowan was the illegitimate heir or that no one else in the line was alive that shook him, Astoria couldn’t tell.
“You killed them, didn’t you?”
“And I spread the rumor in the unconquered kingdoms that you killed them to take over the throne, yes,” Rowan admitted without an ounce of hesitance. “What? You thought they were still out there somewhere, living in a small cottage and leading a poor life? Oh, I killed them the moment I got them away.”
Cyrus tore a hand through his hair. He seemed to have a harder time than Astoria accepting the true Rowan. When he looked at Rowan again, his eyes were firm as well as slightly vulnerable.
“Rowan, this isn’t you.”
“You know nothing about me, Cyrus,” Rowan snapped. “I am the monster this continent has known under the rumors I spread about you, and you are just about to get a taste of my true self if you delay your surrender any longer.”
“You will not hurt her, Rowan. I know you care for her.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rowan pressed the blade harder against Astoria’s throat.
She gasped sharply, and Cyrus thundered, “Rowan!”
“Do you still refuse to believe the Rowan you knew wasn’t merely a mask?” Rowan’s voice dripped with smugness.
Cyrus’ eyes were a fiery furnace.
“Surrender, keep your wife, strike a magical deal with me over the throne, and make your life somewhere else. Or keep your empire, keep protecting your long-lost mother and sister whom you think are still out there, and lose your precious Astra in the process. Your choice.”
“Cyrus,” Astoria choked, dragging his glaring eyes to her. They softened and pained amid the ablaze. “Don’t you dare surrender! Don’t you—” she yelped as Rowan’s knife dug into her skin.
“Take my throne!” Cyrus yelled, stomping forward, his eyes wild as they glanced from her throat to Rowan. “Claim my empire! Do whatever you wish! But if you hurt her…” He paused, letting the weight seep into his words, “You are as good as dead.”
“Kneel.”
Cyrus froze. So did the whole room.
“I said, kneel, Cyrus,” Rowan said, his voice lacking all the previous mockery.
“You are crazy—” Astoria began.
“Shut up,” he snapped at her. “Come on, Cyrus.”
“I kneel to my Creator alone,” Cyrus said defiantly.
“I think you seriously need to reconsider that. I am practically holding your wife’s life in my hands.”
“You wanted the throne!” Cyrus gestured behind him furiously. “There, go! Have it!”
“I want you to kneel before me, Emperor Cyrus the Great.” Rowan’s voice sneered. “I don’t know if you are aware of this, but there’s a prophecy about your wife saying she will bring the angel of destruction to his knees. Apparently, that is you, thanks to me. But your wife refused to fulfill it, so I took it upon myself. Kneel. ”
Cyrus’ eyes locked onto Astoria’s; an unreadable expression crossed his face, and he clenched his jaw. Her heart dropped. She wanted to know what he was thinking. She wanted to explain herself. She couldn’t afford him to think wrongly of her.
Astoria opened her mouth, only to gape in horror as Cyrus began to lower himself.
“No!” she yelled, her eyes going wide. “No, Cyrus! No !”
The guards and the lords standing around the room protested in low and hesitant voices, but nothing deterred the determination flaring in Cyrus’ eyes. They remained locked with hers as he lowered and lowered himself until he was on his knees.
With the determination etched on his face, he had never looked more beautiful before. Astoria forgot her tongue.
The Emperor of Draken, the most feared and beloved Cyrus the Great, was on his knees before his enemy. For her.
For her.
Her heart stuttered and broke. Tears spilled from her eyes.
Rowan’s victorious laughter filled the air, grating in her ears. “Orion,” he said, and the next moment, something flew towards Cyrus and clasped at his wrists.
The anti-magic cuffs.
Cyrus dropped his gaze to them, but his expression didn’t change.
Rowan moved the knife from Astoria’s throat, and she took off in a sprint towards Cyrus. Cyrus looked up. His eyes softened just the slightest, and he rose to his feet. He lifted his chain-linked arms, and she ducked under them, colliding into his chest.
She crushed herself to him as much as possible with her cuffed hands between them. Cyrus’ arms held her close to him, his face nuzzling into her hair.
“Are you hurt, Little Dragon?” The immense worry in his voice that made him sound so vulnerable broke her heart further.
She shook her head against him. He snuggled her even closer.
“Guards, keep them in the dungeons until I deal with the court and am ready for the magic deal,” Rowan called out from somewhere ahead. Astoria opened her eyes and saw him now sitting on the throne. Cyrus’ throne.
Her rage burned. She spied the guards in her peripheral view, but no one moved from their position.
Rowan’s expression turned stormy at their loyalty towards Cyrus. “I shall deal with you all later. Orion, would you kindly summon our men?”
“With pleasure,” the man said.
Soon enough, footsteps sounded. Astoria refused to pull away from Cyrus and see how many had emerged from the portal.
Cyrus’ chest rumbled with a suppressed growl. His arms tightened around her.
“Marvelous! Four of you, grab this man and his wife and bring them to the dungeons. Lock them up in separate cells and guard the entrance—why, Cyrus, I shall make sure you are next to each other,” Rowan added as Cyrus shot him a glare. “Once we strike the deal, you both will be free, but I have something else to see to before that. You have my word.” He turned back to his men. “Don’t leave the dungeons until I send word.”
One of the men stepped forward and reached for Astoria but stopped as Cyrus growled at him, “Touch her. You die.”
“Alright, don’t touch them unless they fight back,” Rowan said tiredly from behind. “Now, lead them away.”
Astoria couldn’t believe this was happening. She looked at Cyrus’ face. He met her gaze but didn’t say anything as he began to walk them out of the throne room, arms still around her.
As they neared the doorway, she looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with Rowan. He smirked. She glared.
He would pay for this. At this point, she didn’t know how. After Cyrus struck the magical deal with him, they couldn’t make a move against him. But he would pay for this.
Cyrus squeezed her shoulder as though he heard her thoughts.