Queen of Blood
Chapter 20

In a golden carriage pulled by bearded dragons, the Holy Messenger made his presence clear the day before the execution. And as a very educated and polite monarch, King Merrick received him in the Throne Room.

The Holy Messenger made the expected reverence for the King, who was sitting on his throne, with two guards on his sides and his Council. The Purser and Frontlord only stared at him and to remind him he was no longer on the Holy Grounds, his houndsapproached to smell him.

“Welcome back to Reiska, Ruang Sak,” Merrick greeted him, standing up from his seat and shook his hand once in front of him.

“Thank you for receiving me, your Majesty,” he said back. His already bright green eyes were somehow lighter, looking almost iridescent. “Where is the Heir of Pelagius? I thought she would have the decency to greet me too,” Ruang Sak mocked her.

He didn’t expect her to be there. Because he knew she was suffering the final days of holding the spirit within her body.

“Arline Cole is waiting for the execution to take place. Until then she won’t see anyone,” Merrick responded as soon as he finished insulting her.

“On whose orders?”

“Mine. At the end of the day, she continues to be my most powerful ally,” Merrick said to his disgust. “The maids will help you settle for tomorrow, I hope you replace the castle comfortable enough for your liking.”

To that, Ruang Sak only inclined his head and Merrick left followed by Cadel and Aidan. “Keep an eye on him, and make sure he doesn’t go near Arline, Larsin or Merlina,” he ordered not only to his Council but to his guards as well.

The guards left and they headed to the Council Room, where Arline, Valerya and Tua Nui were waiting for them in silence.

“How did it go?” Valerya asked a little bit too impatiently, her leg moving up and down.

“He called out Arline’s absence,” Cadel said.

“Bastard,” Valerya mumbled under her breath.

It wasn’t a long meeting. They all knew the main thing to do was to keep the old snake away from Arline. While everyone else left to attend their duties or roam around the kingdom, Tua Nui stayed in the room with Arline. She was sitting on the ground, facing the consuming fire.

Since she had found out about Tua’s relationship with Pelagius, she couldn’t look at him, knowing she was going to be the reason of his death.

“May I seat, young Arline?” Tua softly asked her and as Arline nodded her head, he sat with incredible agility for someone his age. “There is no need for sadness to invade your noble heart. Not when I have lived this long,” he said as he saw Arline’s eyes fixated on the crinkling fire. “I will never regret my decision of picking you to be responsible for his death.”

“I can’t do it Tua,” she said hiding her face from him in embarrassment.

“Your will is stronger than you believe.”

“Why me?”

“You were the first of his heirs to make him uncomfortable, even as a child. When you take his throne be fair and responsible with your powers,” Tua Nui advised her.

“I will try.”

“It will be easier with the God of Light and Shadow being by your side,” Tua tenderly said, trying to ease her thoughts. But Arline only blushed, to which he smiled almost imperceptibly. “I can tell young Merrick has found his Queen.”

“I need to come out of this fight alive first,” Arline almost didn’t hear that last comment or chose to ignore it to gain composure on her thoughts. “Any advice to give me?”

“On Pelagius? He likes to talk while fighting and shows off too much. On life? Do not let Merrick believe he can trust all of his people, someone will betray both of you eventually. Ruang Sak will make sure of it,” his tone was serious and she nodded.

The day passed by rather slowly. And Arline just grew more anxious by every endless minute that passed. She wanted the execution to pass, for everyone to go back to their kingdoms.

The Heir chose to join the representatives for dinner. She needed to show she was on Merrick’s side. That she wasn’t a coward in front of the Holy Messenger.

Dinner was served across the extensive dining table. Only the tingling of the silverware hitting the porcelain dishes could be heard. As well as some whispers shared every now and then.

“I am glad Ms. Arline Cole could join us for dinner,” Ruang Sak said out loud. Arline tried not rolling her eyes to the back of her head, but everyone seemed surprised at the supposed compliment.

She eased her shoulders, put the silverware down and said to the Holy Messenger with a smile. “It is always a pleasure to be in your presence, Ruang Sak. I wouldn’t miss the chance of dining with every kingdom finally reunited,” Arline was playing the role of a fool, of lady of a court. Very well educated and polite.

Everyone that knew her personally couldn’t believe the ease with which she said those words. With such honesty and sweetness it almost seemed real. Merrick and Aidan had to blink a few times to realize she was playing with his Holiness.

Even Ruang Sak appeared to be surprised, but his bright green eyes were admiring Arline with delight. “I hope the spirit of the Queen hasn’t been such a problem,” he said considerately for her.

“Only for the first few days. It is to serve a purpose and tomorrow I will, your Holiness,” Arline answered with the tone one uses to talk to their grandmother, which left him speechless.

As we know, Arline enjoyed annoying people and she had the special talent to do it to people she didn’t like.

Arline returned to her plate with a gentle smile forming on her lips that masked the true pain that laid beneath her skin and was making her temple pound. She had been raised to act like that. Ready to endure disrespect from her elders, she just learned to answer politically to it.

But the rest of the table was dead silent. She had made the Holy Messenger look taunting and he knew that. Even Merrick, Aidan and Cadel noticed.

Regarding Tua Nui and Cadel, they exchanged glances of disbelief towards Ruang Sak. And Merrick was waiting for another word to come out of his lips against Arline, so he could have an excuse for injuring him.

From then until the end of dinner, the wolves surrounded Arline to protect her and took turns to guard her side. She waited for him by the fire, when the entire castle was sleeping.

They sneaked out through the kitchen gates and enjoyed the cold night, covered in the warm furs of the elks that once wandered the lands of the northern kingdoms.

Once in their spot in front of the lake, Merrick said to her while looking at the water. “You always admire my ability for patience,” one kiss landed on her cold cheek. “I admire your ability to be composed in front of idiots.”

“I expected him to say something of that sort,” she tried calming him down while she wrapped her arms around his neck to tempt him to kiss her. But before Merrick could reach for her lips, branches began cracking behind them. And the wolves took protective stances in front of them.

The moonlight only revealed Aidan who was out of breath and relieved he had found them. “Larsin has called for Arline,” he said with a heavy breathing.

The Heir’s expression dropped and her eyes became violent, dark, cold. She could almost feel her power raging inside of her at the mention of the lame excuse of a man that had betray them.

She escaped Merrick’s grip before he could tighten his hands around her waist and began marching by Aidan’s side. Arline felt her heartbeat on her ears, her steps were heavy every time her boot stomped the soil. The sudden wave of rage turned into the Queen’s voice.

This time around, Merrick heard it and brought Arline to a stop right before arriving into the gates to the dungeons. “Stop it now and go back to the castle,” he begged her. “I can hear her indulging you to kill him.”

“He asked for my presence.”

“He will try to talk you out of it, to save him.”

“I would never do such thing,” she fought back, getting inside the building of the dungeons. “The idea of even seeing him disgusts me, but he asked to see me and after everything, I have to see his face before tomorrow.”

“Arline-”

“I love you,” Arline looked at him, holding his hands tightly. “No words that could come out of his poisonous tongue could make me change those feelings, Merrick.”

Deep down in his heart, Merrick feared she still felt some kind of sympathy for Larsin. He feared that his constant worry about her could backfire on him. Merrick was even terrified that maybe Arline visited him in secret. The King knew she had read his mind, he knew Arline sensed his insecurity.

“The last time I let you talk to him, you ended far away from me for months,” the King reminded her. “I am not allowing that to happen again.”

Arline’s stubbornness made him give in. Her mind had changed so much in the past year that she couldn’t believe she was eager to see him face to face. And that Merrick was the one hesitant to allow her to do it.

“Aidan was right. You are my only weakness,” he confessed and joined her, going down the stairs until they arrived to the heavily guarded hallway. But he stayed on the beginning of the stairs. He trusted her entirely. And with decision she crossed the hallway.

It was dark and cold. Every cell was pitch black. Larsin stayed on the last cell of the dungeons, guarded by soldiers and the hellhounds of the Lords of the Shadows. Who the Young Prince despised. Those beasts stood still as she approached, only wagging their tails for her.

“My favorite person has accepted my request,” a funny, raspy sounding voice whispered to her. Instantly the hounds growled.

“Is that what I am now?” Arline coldly asked into the darkness. “At least be a man and have the balls to show your face… Larsin,” she spat his name with anger and poison filling her voice.

The sound of chains slowly dragging in dirt echoed inside the cell of the traitor. His body slowly showed in the weak light of the lamps that illuminated the halls.

The Young Prince approached the bars, crawling in all fours. Tiredness showed in his moves and his muscles ached in pain after the nightmares his brother put him through every night.

“Hello beautiful,” Larsin said on his knees with a smile. “Power suits you.”

“Hello traitor,” Arline responded with a bitter tone and a fake smile. “Thank you, the King has been of help.”

Even in weakness, Larsin rolled his eyes and clenched his jaw at the image of his brother being near Arline. “I really believed he was going to ignore you until your death after you left.”

“Did you ally with Alaric Basset?” She asked him completely ignoring him, but he only nodded with a smile.

“Why was Merrick the only one allowed to have a water guardian as an ally?” He replied. “He is no match to your powers but the Council sympathizes better with him.”

Arline stayed silent, looking at him with emotionless eyes. She was ready for his execution. She was eager to be the one doing it. “Your anger is palpable, my darling,” Larsin said putting his entire weight on the bars and lifting himself up from the ground, grunting as he did.

“I’m glad you can feel it, tomorrow you will fell my blade through your neck,” she said. “Why call for me?”

“You are the love of my life, Arline,” he said with cynical eyes. “Please, help-”

“Help? That’s what you want?”

“I saved your life!” He shouted and reached for her cape, keeping her close, breathing right into her face. “You are mine, witch. You owe me.”

“Did you truly believed I could ever love you? After everything you did to me, one good action doesn’t erase all of your shit,” she said without an ounce of fear on her words.

The growls of the hounds were deafening as they resonated across the hall and the shadows thickened around them. “Do yourself the favor of being a man once in your life and take away your hands off her,” his older brother said.

“I didn’t call for you, your Majesty.”

“I am the King, I can be wherever I want,” Merrick said calmly. “Or do you need one last night of my nightmares to finally obey me?”

Larsin’s eyes widened with panic and let Arline go to his arms. “You can do better than him, Arline.”

“I doubt it,” she said locking her eyes with Merrick.

“You are not untouchable, Heir of Depths.”

“Neither are you,” she hissed back. “Until tomorrow,” Arline said to him from the distance and with Merrick on her side, whilst the hounds continued their last shift in front of the cell of the traitor.

Once on the castle, the tension could be felt on the rooms as the night passed by. Arline wanted Merrick to rest, to forget about her pain for a few hours. So she decided to spend her night in his old room.

The Queen of Blood stopped threatening her. But now she sang an ancient melody in her head. It was far away from scary. In fact, it was beautiful, it made her feel powerful. On the other hand, the pain was unbearable and no amount of silver chains could keep her contained.

She entered the old room of the Dark Prince accompanied by Valerya and Calix, to keep her company and make her feel safe during the night. Arline could barely remember any part of the room, but his lavender scent drowned every corner of it.

Calix lit a fire and she covered herself with a blanket and sat on the rug. After some silence Valerya’s voice dared to speak. “Quite an irony that fire and ice are in the same room,” she had a smug on her face while sipping from a glass of liquor.

“Don’t worry Val, I will keep my hands in place,” he smirked at her with that charm that could make any woman swoon and yet, Valerya seemed unfazed.

“How long have you known each other?” Arline asked with a smile as she enjoyed their banter.

“Eight years? I was practically a child. His kind helped me in my battalion, on a damned war that inherited me the throne,”Valerya sipped from her glass some more liquor.

“His kind?” The Heir furrowed her eyebrows.

“Children of Ashes,” Calix mumbled under his breath and Arline looked at him with a light on her eyes he hadn’t seen since he had shown her that small flame on his hand.

Children of Ashes or Xeni’s favorite children, as many guardians like to call them, are fire guardians with greater power than most of their kind. They are giving more power at birth and Xeni, Goddess of Flames, only allows them to enter her Fortress to ask for favors.

“Why do you always say it with such embarrassment?” Valerya laughed at his reaction. “Your only match is Aidan that, damn the gods, also holds that title.”

“Aidan too?” Arline’s surprise increased by every word spoken.

“We won if you want to know,” Valerya added. “Out of the four of my siblings, I was the only one who survived.”

“You looked so cute with the ice tiara on your head,” Calix mocked her.

“I am a Warrior Queen you idiot.”

“Wait,” Arline stopped them. “Why they address you as Princess if you are a Queen?”

“Protocol,” Valerya shrugged. “I rule my kingdom as a Queen but until my father dies, I am a Princess.”

“Coming back to you Calix Lohs, Child of Ashes, when were you going to mention it?” Arline asked crossing her arms in front of her. She couldn’t believe he had kept that kind of information from her.

“Ha ha very funny,” Calix sarcastically replied. “I never thought you would care, Future Queen.”

Arline punched his arm. She expected him to say Heir of Depths or something of that sort not that. But Calix only laughed and Valerya shook her by her arm in excitement.

“You should expect it, ” Valerya said with a smile. “Merrick will wait for you to be ready, but he will put a ring on your finger.”

“Deadly couple of monarchs you two would be,” Calix adventured. “Why do you blush as if you didn’t know he loves you with every inch of him.”

“It feels out of place, alright?” Arline buried her smile and blush on her arms. “And I love him… too much.” She confessed.

After the laughs, silence invaded the dark room only allowing the fire to fill in the void of their minds. Arline laid her head on Calix’s lap while he played with her hair, trying to get her to sleep and rest. But she was wide awake, watching the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “I am scared to death,” she confessed to her friend and closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the burning tears from coming out. Undoubtedly failing.

“Arline,” Valerya began but Arline sat down and interrupted her.

“I don’t want to do this tomorrow,” she began. “Not because I can’t see Larsin or Merlina dead. But because after this, I fight him. I am not ready for him, I will never be. Calix I am terrified,” Arline blurted out for them and once she finished she curled on Calix’s arms and began crying like a child whilst Valerya caressed her head with pitiful eyes, filled with sadness. “I can’t look weak in front of him.”

“He is terrified of you, Arline,” Valerya said in hopes of encouraging her. “The only reason he is comfortable insulting you is because he knows you won’t retaliate.”

“Merrick can’t know. I don’t want him to know,” Arline said and both of her friends went back to their calm night, allowing in Arline’s silent sobs as the moon crossed the sky.

Truth was, Merrick knew everything. He knew why Arline chose to be away from him that night and how scared she was for what was about to come. But the Dark Prince was going to be right by the Heir’s side, wether she liked it or not.