Chapter 14 Unveiled
Unveiled
In her room, there were already several piles of books stacked on her desk. Apparently, the king worked quickly. She sighed and picked up one of the books, but before she could crack it open, there was a knock at the door.
Setting it down, she went to open the door, but it swung open on its own and Emily pranced through. With a mischievous glint in her eye, Emily asked, “Miss me?”
Luna ran to her sister, throwing her arms around her, nearly knocking her over. “You have no idea!” she said, crying into her shoulder.
Emily patted her on the back, and the two embraced for a long time, holding onto each other tightly, as if this embrace might be their last.
Luna stepped back and gripped her sister’s arms, still not eager to let go. “How did you get in? I didn’t think the king would allow me visitors.”
There was a glint of pride in Emily’s eyes as she explained, “You’d be surprised by the favours you can ask of a prince when he is wrapped around your little finger.”
Luna arched an eyebrow. Emily needed no further prompting to clarify what had happened.
“I told him I desperately wanted to see you, to check in on you, and he saw no harm in that, so he made it happen. Your guard is off running an errand.” So, Emily hadn’t been in her own little world during the banquet, she’d been planning.
Luna made a mental note that she would have to thank the prince the next time they had a moment alone together. She supposed this made up for the salt prank from earlier. “I’m glad you’re here,” Luna said with a sigh of relief.
Emily gestured to the room. “Tell me what happened. Why do they have you locked away like a princess in a tower?”
Luna snorted. The idea that she was being treated like a princess was ludicrous.
“This is going to be hard to hear Emily . . .”—Luna took a breath trying to find the courage to say what she wanted—“and I hope it doesn’t change the way you think about me.
” Luna walked over to the bed, and patted the spot beside her, gesturing for her sister to sit.
Emily joined her, sitting down on the edge of the mattress; her eyes were narrowed with a skepticism written plainly across her face.
“I’m skipping over some details, but after the protection ceremony, the king revealed that Nina was my mother . . . which makes me a unicorn.” Luna took a deep breath bracing for Emily’s reaction.
Surprisingly, Emily didn’t get up and leave. She didn’t curse her out, nor did she wish death upon Luna for being one of the beasts they’d been told to hate. Instead, Emily reached over and squeezed Luna’s hand. “I already knew that, Luna. I’m glad you now know it too.”
Luna stood up abruptly, her hands flailing in the air. “What do you mean you already knew?!”
Emily shrugged, looking coyly over her shoulder. “I figured it out a while ago.”
“And you didn’t think that was something you should tell me?!”
“I didn’t see a reason to, until the shadow unicorn intruded. Then when I tried, you didn’t want to hear it.” She danced one of her fingers over Luna’s bedsheets. “Remember when I asked you if you could choose to be a unicorn, if you would . . .”
Luna nodded; she faintly recalled that conversation.
“Then you remember your answer. You said you’d rather fall to a horrible death than be a unicorn. I certainly didn’t want to be the one to break the news to you, so instead, I continued working on the plan.”
Luna tilted her head. “What plan?”
“Well, you’ve always said you wanted to be normal, so I thought if I married the prince, I could convince him to do away with your restrictions.”
“That’s why you got so mad when he was showing me affection?”
“Yes. If he loved you, he’d probably do exactly what the king is doing right now: Keep you locked up in a room, like a trophy in a glass case. But if he loved me, he’d do anything I’d ask . . . including treating my sister well.”
Luna sat back down. “The king said he wants me to transform so that I can take Nina’s place and start performing the protection ceremonies.
” Emily shook her head with disgust, but she didn’t say anything, allowing Luna to continue, “He pretty much said I’d be as useless as trash if I don’t do it.
I have a feeling if I don’t transform soon, he is going to lock me in the dungeons until I do so. He’ll find a way to force my hand.”
“I won’t let that happen. Let me talk to Kieran. We’ll figure out a plan to stop him.”
“Emily, the prince was in the room when the king told me I was a unicorn . . . and he didn’t look surprised by the news. I think he already knew. If he was going to help me, he’d have already said something.”
“Of course, he knew. He’s royalty. He wouldn’t be excluded from a secret like this. But, have some faith in me, sister. I can be quite persuasive. I’ll figure out a plan. Just give me time.”
Did Luna have much of a choice? Luna looked down at the floor. “Do Mom and Dad understand what I am?” The question had been rolling around her mind ever since she first found out. Luna’s voice wavered, her throat tightening. “Do they . . . hate me?”
Emily’s eyes, shimmering with tenderness, locked onto hers. “They do know,” she murmured softly, “and they said that you’re their daughter, whether you are human or unicorn. Nothing could make them stop loving you.”
That was something, at least. She hadn’t lost her family. Dryly, Luna swallowed the lump in her throat. Was it possible that they had known all along, from the very moment they adopted her?
“They believe the king has your best interests at heart.” Emily snorted. “They are na?ve, to say the least. They believe you’ll be okay if you do what he asks—but I don’t. I think you need to get out of here.”
Luna agreed with that, but how she would manage escaping was beyond her. Emily said to leave it in her hands, that she would take care of everything, and then she left, much sooner than Luna would have liked.
She wasn’t alone long when someone knocked on her door. Thinking it was Emily already back to tell her she had thought of something, Luna rose and swung the door wide open. Disappointment struck her as she looked down at the servant who waited outside her door.
Upon seeing Luna, the servant announced, “King Hendrix has summoned you to the throne room. You are to go there immediately.”
She tilted her head. What else could the king possibly want?
Luna’s entire body shook from utter exhaustion as she continued to twirl and twirl around.
For what seemed like hours now, she had been spinning in a circle with her hands pressed against her chest, speaking in some ancient foreign language.
The redwood panels of the room blurred together, the walls caving in.
She pressed her hands against her head, hoping to stop the throne room from spinning, but it didn’t.
Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground hard, bruising her legs.
Rather than waiting for her to transform on her own, the king had decided it was time to try a different tactic. He believed her body would revert back to its natural form if she was physically and mentally exhausted.
So far, it had not worked.
The dizziness slowed, and the throne room came back into focus; the flames roaring in the fireplace matched the anger in the king’s eyes as he paced in front of his throne.
The prince, on the other hand, was lazily lounging across his throne with a goblet that he had yet to touch. He would’ve looked bored to anyone else, but Luna noticed the worry in his eyes.
“Get up and try again,” King Hendrix hissed at Luna.
Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. She balled her small pale hands into fists and glared defiantly at him. “Why don’t you do it if it’s so easy!” She knew full well that he was only a man and couldn’t transform. There was absolutely nothing magical about him.
King Hendrix shook his head with disapproval, abruptly stopping to take a sip from his crystal goblet of wine.
The tension hung in the air, and Luna’s heart raced as she watched him drink greedily. What was she thinking talking to the king like that? Did she have a death wish? She mumbled an apology so soft it could barely be heard.
King Hendrix looked over the brim of his goblet.
“Such insolence will not be tolerated in this court!” His voice was like the roar of a lion, and Luna shrunk away from the intensity.
He seemed only seconds away from summoning a guard to cut off her head.
Instead, he threw the goblet and the rest of its contents into the fireplace, sending shards of glass scattering everywhere as it shattered.
The flames of the fire erupted from the fuel of alcohol, dancing over the wood and devouring it with a fiery wrath.
King Hendrix stomped towards his throne, gesturing to the flames.
“Maybe you should stand in the fire and see if your true form is actually a demon unicorn like the Darkened One.”
Luna cringed at the mention of him. As far as she was concerned, his powers came straight from the depths of hell and she wasn’t a fan of being compared to him.
Prince Kieran swirled the content in his goblet, and with a sigh that suggested this had grown tiresome, he said, “Why don’t we give the girl a break? Get some water and food and then try again later.”
For a moment, she was thankful for the injection until the king rounded on his son. “If she does what I want her to, I’ll pamper her like a queen, but right now, I need her to focus, not stuff her face.”
Exasperated, Luna raised her hands above her head.
“This is all for nothing. I can’t transform.
” Did she just say that out loud? Shit. Before the king decided to turn the room upside down in a king-styled temper tantrum, she added, “I-I meant to say, I—um—am apologetic for my earlier outburst, Your Highness.” Trying to appear obedient, she dipped into a low curtsy. “What would you like me to try next?”