9. Chapter Nine Rhea
Chapter Nine: Rhea
S tanding on the balcony, the wind rustles through my hair as I close my eyes and lean farther into it. It’s a perfect spring day in the Mortal Kingdom, the chill of the morning chased away by the pleasant warmth of the early afternoon sun. Bella lays next to me, basking in it with utter contentment. I open my eyes to take in the view before me.
The dark blue water of the lake in front of my gray tower extends far beyond where my eye can see, sparkling in the sunlight. Only a few boats, distinguishable by their white sails, float in the distance. I take in the various green meadows and rolling hills that are to the left side of the lake, leading up to a thickly wooded forest. Wildflowers bloom in large patches throughout, a kaleidoscope of colors breaking up the sea of verdant land. This is all part of the royal family’s estate, with the exception of the lake where it appears anyone is allowed to fish or enjoy the water. Even though I’ve seen maps of the other kingdoms and where they are in respect to Vitour, I have no idea what that distance realistically looks like.
Is the Mage Kingdom truly just beyond the forest that edges the rolling hills? Could I see the shifter isle from the Mortal Kingdom beaches? How far to the east would I have to travel before I see the rising mountains of the Fae Kingdom? Are they snow-capped all year long or only in the winter months? I think about the beings that neighbor us as well. How powerful are the mages? Many of the books I’ve read call their magic “raw,” but the descriptions never fully explain what that means. Though King Dolian says mages killed my parents, it just doesn’t fit with everything I’ve read about the people as a whole. But can one ever truly know an entire people? Could historians really categorize a whole kingdom as peaceful, when each being in it is so multifaceted themselves? And what about the fae? They have the ability to bond with dragons, does that mean they are as unpredictable and dangerous as those beautiful beasts are rumored to be? I had always loved reading about dragons and often wished I had that particular magic for myself. Could the shifters change into dragons? Or was their fantastical capability to transform limited to less intimidating animals? What of the sirens? What else can they do besides use their song to lure men to procreate with? How did the mechanics of sex underwater work ?
Though unfamiliar with the physical act myself, all the information I know about it has come from books. I have explored myself, taken the time to adequately see how I like to be touched by my own hand. Yet it’s hard to imagine what involving another person would be like. What if I eventually leave this tower, meet someone, and they expect me to already know what to do? How to touch them? Gods, how embarrassing is it going to be to explain to someone that, despite being an adult, I’ve never touched—or been touched by—another person that way? Feeling a blush bloom across my cheeks at the thought, I shake my head and look back out over the water.
At the very least, all the romance books I’ve read start with the couple kissing, which is something that should be more manageable. I suppose, even if I start off terrible at it, the right person will show me how they like it and I can learn. These thoughts are insignificant, though, because the first thing I’d need to do for any of it to happen is leave this tower. So, for now, I focus back on the wind on my skin and the view from the balcony over the mortal lands.
When the sun starts to dip to the west, I finally get up from where I’ve been laying on the balcony floor, stretching my arms overhead and side to side. Content from the day in the sun, I brush off the back of my white day dress before deciding to make something to eat.
Food is another thing I think about often, as I have eaten basically the same thing for my entire life. Would I like the foods of the capital? Of other kingdoms if I could visit them? Would Bella even be able to hunt for food after so many years of being hand-fed? Once I have secured my small plate of dried meat, nuts, and an apple, I head to the library and relax onto the bench by the window.
Looking out over the wildflower field beyond the castle and into the capital of Vitour, I notice there are newly placed flags of all colors rising from the shops and blowing in the wind. Though they look like mere colorful dots from this distance, they glow against the sunset sky. The banners signify the peak of spring, a time when the growing season reaches its pinnacle and everything from flowers to vegetables sprout at a faster-than-usual rate. Some books say it’s from magic somehow imbued into the land of the Continent. Others say that it happens to be just the right combination of sun, water, and earth to make things grow more efficiently.
I honestly don’t know what to believe. Only that one day, I would love to walk in a field of blooming wildflowers or pick fresh fruit right from where it’s grown. Such simple mundane wishes, but they’re mine. Sighing, I grab the book I had started yesterday and flip it open. I continue reading until night falls fully, before making my way to the washroom to bathe by the light of a small taper candle.
Today was a good day, as much as one can be when in my circumstance. It is the kind of day that makes it easy to pretend that I am someone else. Perhaps I’m still a princess, but I’m just visiting a faraway castle. Not trapped within these walls, but simply a guest able to leave when she wants. With another contented breath, I drain the tub and dry off before dressing for bed. Snuggling up against Bella, I allow my body to relax into the relative peace I feel for once. My mind is blissfully quiet as I let the darkness pull me away.
The tower is quiet, dark. The pitch black is lit up only by the moon and a few winking stars. Wiping a hand down my face, I move to get off the bed when Bella puts a paw on top of my leg over the comforter. My eyes are still half closed when I look at her, but it doesn’t take me long to realize something is wrong. She is sitting straight up, completely alert. She whimpers, and my heart drops into my stomach so quickly that I physically have to put my hand over my abdomen.
“Rhea, wake up.” His voice. His . Voice. It strikes through the night and directly into my heart like a poisoned arrow. He’s found me again in my dreams. Bella whines once more, louder and closer to my ear. “Rhea…” The muffled sounds of footsteps are everywhere.
“Rhea. Get. Up.”
I gasp as I sit up, my eyes wide in the near darkness of the tower. Beside me, Bella has buried herself beneath the covers, the shadows cast by the waning moon through the window enough to conceal her. I clutch the comforter to my chest as I watch the king approach me from the stairs.
“I have a surprise for you.” His smile, if it can even be called that, sends a chill deep into my bones. “Let’s go,” he commands, voice clipped as he turns back towards the stairs.
Disoriented, I slowly push the blanket off of me, feeling like I’m not fully conscious. When my feet touch the floor, a chill shocks the remaining haze away. It isn’t a dream. He’s inside. Propelled by my fear, I take one step, then another, following King Dolian down the stairs. The heavy sensation of something sinister has me holding my breath until I reach the bottom. I freeze, my eyes pinned on the man kneeling across the room from me.
“No,” I beg, but it’s barely a whisper. Something moves in the corner of my eye, the presence of others pushing on me, but I can’t look away from him. Even in the dark, with just the little slip of moonlight coming through the glass of the balcony doors, I can see one of his eyes is bruised and swollen. Blood leaks from his nose and mouth, and he’s been stripped of his armor and sword. Taking a step to him, my movements are suddenly halted by the king.
“I wouldn’t do that, Rhea.” His voice slithers down my spine. My shoulders creep up and my hands curl into fists. He steps closer, his presence behind me like a malignant ghost intent on haunting me until I either go insane or die from his malice. A hand gruffly lands on my shoulder, spinning me until I’m facing him. He’s too close, his body leaning over me as if he intends to swallow me whole. His fingers trail down my arm, squeezing so tightly at my wrist that I let a whimper slip out. He smiles at the sound. “Do you care about this guard ?” he taunts, his chin gesturing to Alexi with disdain, as if he is no better than excrement to be scraped off the bottom of a boot. “You are acting as if you do.”
It’s a struggle to remain calm, to keep my mouth shut and this magic inside of me hidden. I can feel it humming now, near my stomach, and I’m not sure if it wants to be used or is just reassuring me that it’s there. I don’t know if it’s even sentient at all.
King Dolian sneers as he stares at me, his hazel eyes narrowing. Color leeches from my skin, and my chest goes tight with panic. This can’t be happening . He shoves me to the side, the force causing me to fall to the ground with a loud thud. Alexi grimaces as he reaches out his bloodied arm towards me. The king motions with his hand, and that’s when I take notice of the five King’s Guardsmen that are also in the room—the others I had felt before.
One guard—the only one who has ever met my gaze—grabs Alexi’s hair and gruffly pulls his head back, snapping his face up towards the ceiling. I move to my hands and knees, just a few feet away. Is it possible to discreetly send my magic to him? I discard that thought, however, as I remember how brightly it glowed when I used it on Bella. Can it protect him or just heal him? I’m nearly desperate enough to find out, starting to lift my hand, when my eyes meet Alexi’s. He subtly shakes his head at me, willing to sacrifice himself to protect my secret. A scream begins to burn in my throat, only stopped by the sound of movement.
The king walks in front of him, drawing my gaze as he moves with measured steps, as if he has all the time in the world. Looking down his nose at Alexi, he drawls, “When it was reported to me that you had been abandoning your post in the middle of the night, I assumed it was to go to one of the many bars in Vitour. Or perhaps a brothel. You have been alone for a long time now.”
Alexi’s jaw clenches, the only indication that the king has hit a nerve. My uncle’s responding grin is like that of a serpent’s, pointed and horrific. His shiny black boots tap on the wood as he starts to circle Alexi again. Each step he takes is like a needle pricking into my skin.
“I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt,” he continues, eyes cold. “But I also needed to know for sure, so your punishment would match the crime. After all,” the king growls, “you left the most important thing to me vulnerable. So I assigned one of your own, one I trust, to watch you in secret. To follow you and see where you were sneaking off to.” He gestures to the guard holding Alexi’s hair and prowls around so that he is now behind them. “Nothing to say, Alexi?”
The king pauses his movements as if he actually thinks his question will be answered. In the silence, he sighs dramatically, placing his hands into the pockets of his breeches. The casual calm of his demeanor somehow makes him appear even more terrifying.
“That’s alright. I already know where you were going.”
My blood runs cold as pure terror slices through my veins. I gasp for air, but my breath isn’t coming in fast enough. The king meets my gaze, his brows drawn down and a near-feral look in his eyes.
“You were here, sneaking off to take what doesn’t belong to you. To touch what is mine, and mine alone.”
I try to deny his accusations, but the words are stuck in my throat, the shock of this moment locking me down. He can’t possibly believe Alexi was touching me… like that? Even more, why is he acting as if he would have the right to? As if I’m his to claim? To own ?
“I never—” Alexi attempts to speak, but the words die on a grunt when he is kicked brutally in the side by the king. He tries to double over his knees, but the guard holding his hair won’t let him move. My heart speeds up even faster, the thumping in my ears sounding like a death march. King Dolian wastes no time delivering another kick to Alexi’s back.
“Stop it!” I shout, not caring if it results in me also getting hurt, wishing he would hurt me instead. I can’t just sit by and watch this. I refuse to let them harm the one person in this kingdom that truly cares about me. Scrambling as fast as I can, I crawl to Alexi. My trembling hands lift towards him, but before I can make contact, King Dolian is shouting at his guards to drag me away. Screaming and kicking, I fight to get out of their grip, but the two men holding me are stronger than I am. They force me to my knees, their hands wrapped around my upper arms so tightly that I know they will bruise.
“Light some torches. I want to make sure she sees this.”
Dread tingles down my limbs until I can’t feel them. It’s such an odd experience, to be so astonishingly terrified that I lose the ability to sense touch. I try again to fight my captors, but I can’t. I’m forced to watch as the remaining two guards light torches and hold them on either side of Alexi. The flame illuminates his bronzed skin and the tousled salt and pepper hair that hangs over his forehead. Even beaten and bruised, he still looks like a formidable opponent. However, not even Alexi can fight off five trained men, even with my pitiful help.
The need to go to him is overwhelming, but I try to remind myself that whatever the king does to torture Alexi, I can mend him after. My magic can heal whatever wounds he sustains. I know it. A small flicker of hope lights within me at the knowledge that I can make sure he is alright until I hear the unmistakable whistle of a sword being drawn from its scabbard.
Time stalls, and every sense—every part of me—focuses on the king standing behind Alexi. His lips pull to the left in a half smile that I swear comes from the pits of hell itself. It’s pure evil. I want to vomit. I want to squeeze my eyes closed and shut this out like it isn’t really happening. Can my magic stop this?
“Rhea, let this be a lesson for you. I control your life. I decide who you are allowed to speak to. I am your future.” He speaks with a low, taut voice, saying the words through gritted teeth while trapping me with his gaze. The energy in the room shifts, a crescendo building as if in warning of what is to come.
I move my eyes down to meet Alexi’s, expecting to see terror on his face, but instead I’m met with calm resignation. And somehow, that is so much worse. I try to scream at him to move—to fight. To do something so I don’t have to watch what is about to happen.
“It’s okay,” he whispers, but the words don’t comfort me.
This is not okay. Tears roll down my cheeks and drip one by one onto the wood floor.
In the deafening silence, the king makes his last remarks. “I will make sure no one ever tries to take you from me. Everything I have done has been to keep you here, where you’re safe,” he declares, eyes bearing down on me.
Safe from what? The only person I’ve ever been in danger from is him because I am nothing more than something to possess—a thing to him, not a person. He’s never loved me like a family member should. Not like the man he’s currently holding captive.
“Look at me.” Having zero fight left, I obey. In the glow of the torches at his sides, my uncle doesn’t even look mortal; his eyes and smile are illuminated, while shadows cover the rest of his features so that they appear contorted into something monstrous. “This is your fault, Rhea,” he says calmly, like it’s the most obvious truth. “You allowed this guard to pretend he was someone important, and it will cost him his life. Don’t ever forget that.”
Before I can inhale my next breath, King Dolian plunges the sword through Alexi’s back, the tip of the golden steel dripping blood from where it protrudes from his chest. A scream like nothing I’ve ever heard before pierces the air; its anguish and sorrow causes the guards to cringe as it reverberates off the stone walls. Alexi’s eyes are wide as he slowly looks down to where he’s been stabbed. The king plants a boot onto his back as he kicks him off the sword, leaving him to fall chest first onto the floor. There is already so much blood, the crimson color pools around Alexi and dots the walls; it splatters across King Dolian’s tan breeches and his otherwise pristine boots.
It’s like time is moving in slow motion, my body thrashing as I fight to get out of the guards’ hold. If I can get to him, I can save him. Finally, I’m shoved to the ground in a painful crash. My screaming stops as I crawl on my hands and knees to reach Alexi. Grunting, I push with all my strength to roll him over, the new position placing his head in my lap as I sit back on my heels.
“Should we take the body, Your Majesty?” asks a muffled voice behind me.
“No. Let him lie there until tomorrow morning.” There is a shuffling of footsteps before the door slams, the king and his guards gone. Grim silence settles in as Bella darts down the stairs, coming to a halt and taking in the scene before her. A whine leaves her throat, long and high pitched, as she sinks down to the ground away from the blood still pooling around me.
Alexi’s face is pale, his eyes nearly shut as tears flood my own. Leaning forward, I whisper on a shaky breath, “I will heal you.”
My left hand cradles Alexi’s head as I move my right hand down to his chest, on top of his horrific wound. The warmth of his blood seeping out temporarily distracts me. Even Bella didn’t bleed this much. My eyes close, and I try to settle into the warmth coiled near my stomach. My mind feels too full to focus though, too many thoughts and feelings rushing past to silence. I let out a frustrated growl, squeezing my eyes even tighter. In my mind’s eye, I visualize my magic at the base of my spine—like glowing white ends of a flame. I reach for the tendrils, but it’s like my hands keep swiping through, unable to grasp them.
Suddenly I feel a hand, not quite warm but not quite cold, land on top of my own. I startle, my eyes opening as I look down at Alexi. The tips of his fingers, now pale in color, lay over mine on his chest as he slowly pushes our hands from his gash.
“No,” he rasps, blood leaking out of the corners of his mouth while his eyelids droop heavily.
“Alexi, I can fix this. Let me fix this,” I beg, trying to close my watery eyes again to focus.
“No,” he says a little more forcefully. I blink and stare at him, confused about why he won’t let me try. “You can’t. He will know.” The words are spoken so quietly, barely loud enough for me to hear though I hover over him.
“I don’t care. I can’t lose you. I—”
His other hand, trembling with the effort, slides up to cup the side of my face gently, silencing my words.
“I love you, Little One.” A tear rolls down his cheek as he struggles to take a breath, a gurgling sound coming from the movement.
My tears drip faster down my own cheeks as a sob rips from me. “Please,” I whisper, trying to slide my hand to his wound again, but his fingers scarcely press down in resistance.
“This is not where your journey ends. Promise me,” he gasps, the gurgling sound louder as his lips move but no sound comes out. The hand on my face falls to the ground, grimly splashing the blood that now surrounds us as his eyes flutter closed. My chest heaves as I watch the man who raised me, the guard who protected me, the father who loved me, take his last breath. Frantic, I lay both palms flat on his wound as I try to call on that magic to help.
Save him , I beg internally. Please, save him. I reach inside of me for that feeling of life that is coiled within, but like before, I can’t grasp it. The magic seems to dance away from my touch. “Save him!” I desperately scream out into the room, my hands pushing down more forcefully.
Finally, finally, that warmth begins to move up my torso. It’s something I can feel, but it can’t be seen from the outside. It flows slowly, resisting my call. Like it knows it’s too late. My teeth grit together as I force it to move, to get to my palms and flood Alexi with its healing abilities. When I feel the tingling sensation gather at my hands, I watch as the shimmery white light hovers over him.
Save him. Save him. Save him. Over and over, I command it to heed me.
But nothing happens. Seconds turn to minutes while my entire world crumbles around me. Alexi’s chest never rises again; color never returns to his beautiful skin, and his eyes never come back to life.