Chapter 11
Chapter eleven
Ava
The days leading up to my execution seem to pass by at a tortuously slow pace.
I don’t know when it’s scheduled for, but it feels like I’ve been down here for several weeks rather than several days.
At first, I was convinced that the guards were merely withholding meals.
After all, how could so much time have passed since the last one was delivered?
But one look at the guard’s face when he eventually did show up confirmed the truth.
The man was terrified of me. Whatever Kaiser had said to him, it had put the fear of god into him.
I still haven’t received treatment for my wounds.
Perhaps they consider it a waste of personnel to heal someone who’s just going to be killed in a couple of days.
Whatever their reason, the throbbing of my wounds only serves to make the wait all the more excruciating.
There’s only one thing keeping me going at this point, and the soft scrape of nails against the stone floor signals their arrival.
Before me, lay ten dozen or so rats. It’s taken me the last couple of days to gather them all. I’d had no choice but to get the few that were down here to search the castle to recruit the rest. Their beady eyes stare up at me, prepped for mischief. I smile at the sight. This is going to be fun.
There isn’t much I know about Fae, but even I’m aware it isn’t in our nature to forgive or forget.
Regardless of her reasons, Maya Ashton had condemned me to this fate in order to boost her chances in the competition.
If I’m going to die anyway, I’m going to get revenge on the one who did this to me before I go.
It’s not like I can make things any worse for myself by doing so.
I would have loved to take my time roasting her alive.
But with my magic sealed away, this is the best I can do.
Unfortunately, I have to warn my rat friends to finish the job quickly.
I don’t want to risk Maya waking up before it’s too late.
At least the psychological horror of being chewed to death by rats will make up for the lack of tortuous pain.
I smirk darkly as I imagine the face she’ll make in the seconds before she bleeds out.
The rats scurry off and I am once again alone.
It’s impossible for me to know exactly what time of night it is.
But I saw night fall from my barred window quite some time ago.
Hopefully it’s late enough that everyone will be asleep.
It would be unfortunate if my hoard of rats were discovered before they completed their task.
Morning has risen by the time my little friends return. Their bellies are full, and a sheen of fresh blood covers their fur. I smile at them. They’ve succeeded.
It’s only a matter of time until I get in trouble for this. Yet, I can’t bring myself to care. Perhaps they’ll even move up my execution date for this. I can only hope, I suppose.
Approaching footsteps signal the arrival of someone new. I look up to see the guard that always brings me food. My stomach growls. Then, I notice the lack of food in his hands. Damn it. Somehow, it never occurred to me that my punishment for killing Maya would be them taking away my food.
I wait for him to question me about Maya’s death, but instead he unlocks the cell door. He bends down and unlocks the cuffs from my wrists. My magic flows back into me, making me gasp in relief.
Despite me being untethered, I don’t dare to move.
He hasn’t explained his reasons for freeing me, so I’m not going to trust him just yet.
The man clears his throat. “Miss Havenbrook?” he questions, as if he doesn’t know.
I nod, nonetheless. “Come with me, please. The king has asked me to bring you to him.”
Kaiser wants to see me? Why didn’t he just come down here himself?
I recall our earlier conversation with a mix of relief and disgust. I’m happy that we managed to sort things out between us, but there’s no denying he’s also one of the main reasons I’m down here in the first place.
I don’t understand why he’s calling me. Judging by the way our last conversation ended, I’m not what else we could possibly have to discuss.
I think about asking the guard why Kaiser called for me as he leads me towards Kaiser’s chambers. But on second thought, there’s no point. Kaiser isn’t going to confide in some random guard. Even if I ask him, the man is unlikely to know the answer.
The second I step inside, I realize this is the first time I’ve been in Kaiser’s room.
If I’d been there before, then surely, I would have remembered this kind of over-the-top grandeur.
Every square surface of this room has some sort of gold inlaid into it.
Even the fabric is adorned with gold-colored stitches.
To top it all off, at the moment the room is filled with lit candles.
I gaze around in confusion as I take in the romantic setting. I don’t understand what’s happening. Is Kaiser trying to get in one final romp before my execution date? No. That can’t be it. Kaiser isn’t that sort of man.
“Kaiser, what—?” I start to ask, only to be cut off by a finger pressed against my lips.
“Shh,” Kaiser whispers. “There’s something important I need to ask you. I have to do it now while I still have the nerve.”
My brows furrow together, but I nod at him to continue. Kaiser drops down to one knee. Time seems to stop. My breath catches in my throat. Is this what I think it is?
“Ava Havenbrook, will you marry me?” Kaiser asks, holding out a ring to me.
“W-what?” I stutter. “B-but my execution…and I’m Fae. Kaiser, we’ll never be allowed to go through with this.”
“Forget all that for now,” Kaiser says, shaking his head. “Ava, I love you. I’m not sure when it happened, but I do know that’s what I feel right now. There are other reasons I think our marriage will be a good idea. But at the moment, I can’t think of a better one than how I feel about you.”
“Kaiser, I…I—” There are so many things I want to still say to him.
I’m still so angry with you. What are you thinking?
But the moment he tells me he loves me, all I can think is how much I love him back.
“I love you too. I still don’t think we’ll be allowed to get married.
But for what it’s worth, I do want to marry you.
So, for now, I’ll accept your proposal.”
Kaiser lets out a whoop of joy. He jumps up and pulls me into his arms, crashing our lips together in a frenzied kiss. I can’t help but return his elation by deepening the kiss. Our tongues brush up against one another in a celebration party of their own.
I notice Kaiser slowly backing me up towards the bed, and I break the kiss. “Wait, there’s still things we need to talk about. What did you mean when you said there are other reasons we should get married?”
“Later,” Kaiser promises. “Right now, I just want to revel in this moment with you. I’ve missed you over the last couple of days, my firefly. Is it so wrong that I just want to enjoy this moment for now? Let’s save the complicated political talks for later.”
He yanks me back into his heated embrace, and this time I don’t bother to resist him. Despite all the other things that should be on my mind right now, all I want is to be here with him.
Unlike the last time we did this, our pace this time is frenzied and passionate. I’m not in the mood for any tender touches right now. All I can think about is how much I want him inside of me.
I wrap my legs around his hips as he carries me over to the bed. I shift my hips against the hardness in his breeches, and he lets out a raspy growl before dropping me down onto the mattress. I don’t give him a moment’s rest, encircling his neck with my arms and pulling him back onto me.
We don’t bother to undress. I lift my skirt up around my hips, and Kaiser undoes the clasp at the front of his breeches.
He sinks himself deep inside of me before I know it, barely giving me a second to adjust before thrusting in and out at a frenzied pace.
I moan at the mix of pleasure and pain as he rocks his hips against mine.
Kaiser’s fingers find the swell of my breasts beneath my dress. The feel of his fingers grazing against my tightened nipples through the fabric makes me cry out. My fingernails dig into his forearms. At this rate, I’m going to be sent spiraling off the edge before I know it.
Luckily, Kaiser seems to be of a similar mindset.
There is a slight stuttering in the movements of his hips as he reaches his climax.
Seeing that he’s not going to last much longer, I reach my hand between our bodies and start to vigorously stroke my button.
He comes just a second before I do. The feel of his fluid coating my insides is what sends me over the edge.
As I come down from my high, I feel Kaiser’s mouth move against my ear. “Ready for round two?” he asks, leaving a trail of kisses down my body. I cry out as his mouth reaches its destination.
Hours later, when we’ve finally had our fill of each other, we’re lying in bed together.
Our fingers are intertwined, and we’re staring at the ceiling trying to catch our breath.
Realizing that the man still hasn’t answered my questions, I tilt my chin towards Kaiser.
“So, are you ever going to tell me how it’s possible we’re allowed to get married? ”
Kaiser lets out a short laugh. “I should have realized you wouldn’t forget.
The thing is, Ava, I’ve been thinking. This war between us and the Fae has gone on long enough.
Both our kingdoms have suffered multiple losses, and I thought it was time we patched things up.
For a while, I even forgot why this war between us started in the first place.
When I remembered that reason, everything clicked into place. ”
“What do you mean?”
“Years ago, not too long before you were born, the Fae kingdom’s only princess went missing.
Since she was last seen near our borders, they accused us of killing her in secret.
Obviously, we did no such thing, so we refuted their allegations.
Yet, they never stopped believing we were responsible.
Over time, tensions increased, and war eventually broke out. ”
“That princess was my mother,” I gasp, understanding dawning on me.
“Exactly,” Kaiser nods. “I needed to know if Maya’s claims about your glow were valid, so I sent a messenger pigeon over to the Fae kingdom.
They were ecstatic to learn about you, my firefly.
We mutually decided that a marriage between the two of us would make for an ideal solution to end the war.
I got my advisors’ blessings right before I sent the guard to fetch you. ”
“I can’t believe it.” Tears start pooling down my cheeks, surprising me. I’m not usually much of a crier. “I’ve spent the last couple of days thinking my death was inevitable. But now, within the span of a couple of hours, I’ve learned I can marry you and I’ll have a family again.”
“Believe it,” Kaiser confirms, nuzzling into my neck. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through the last couple of days, Ava. It’s just that there were things I needed to get sorted out before I was allowed to set you free.”
“I’m sorry too,” I reply. “For lying, for not trusting you with the truth. I can’t help but think you would have figured all of this out sooner if I’d just been willing to confide in you.”
“Well…we don’t know that for sure. My father always told me everything happens for a reason.
Perhaps we needed to go down the harder, more painful path in order to reach our best ending.
All I know is that I don’t want to waste another moment regretting anything.
I love you, Ava. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. ”
“I love you too, Kaiser. We will spend the rest of our lives together,” I promise. “I won’t allow things to end between us in any other way.”
My fiancé once again pulls me into a fiery kiss. The road to reach this point may have been tempestuous, but our future shows nothing but clear skies.