A pair of luminescent crimson eyes met hers, belonging to no other than the prince. Arzhel Lucien was tall and slender. His raven hair was slicked back, the dark color contrasting against his pale skin. Like his sister, Arzhel was a spitting image of the queen, sharing her sharp nose and cheekbones. The dark circles under his eyes were prominent today—never a good sign for Airess.
“Let’s go,” Arzhel ordered and grabbed her arm, his grip tight as he dragged her out of the bedroom. The Sight bloomed over Airess’ eyes, overriding her will and revealing Arzhel’sblackaura. It was so dark, the energy stagnant, unmoving andstrong. His energy repelled her more than anyone else’s ever had. She physically flinched at the sight of it.
She blinked back to her normal vision and hurried her steps to catch up with him, not wanting to appear weak in front of anyone who walked by. Anger bristled within her as she side-eyed the prince who looked like a ghostly vision. He was more physical than usual today.
“Let me go,” she demanded, her voice low. Arzhel ignored her, increasing his pace. Airess fumbled after him, his grip still prominent on her arm, dragging her around like she was a piece of property. She snapped—the anger and anxiety mixing together into an ugly, uncontrollable feeling inside. Airess yanked her arm away, her face flushing. “I saidlet go!”
She stumbled backwards as she broke free from his grasp. Arzhel stopped and turned to her slowly, looking her up and down as if he just now noticed her for the first time. “Ican touch you whenever and however I’d like. You’re to bemywife, so you aremyproperty.”
He stepped forward, letting out a bitter laugh. “You should consider yourself lucky, marrying into the royal family despite your halflingdefects. As much as I disdain this union, I understand my role in producing an heir, unlike you. But don’t worry,” he continued, lowering his tone as servants passed by. “I’ll be sure to give you my heir as soon as possible, and we will both have fulfilled our duties.”
Disgust rolled through her like slick oil. The inevitable she had been dreading for so long would be upon her tomorrow night— that is, if her escape plan fails. Arzhel’s words only solidified that she would die trying. Airess supposed she should be grateful for such a long engagement. It was a miracle in itself that their union had been pushed off for so long.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway. They both turned to see The queen walking towards them. For once, Airess was relieved to see her.
Airess had known the prince since she was ten years old. Even as a boy, Arzhel had been unnecessarily cruel. He saved that part of himself especially for her—his prejudices against anyone that were not pureblood Elven the reasoning for his wicked behavior. He felt that Airess was beneath him, and treated her as such.
“You both look wonderful!” Melanth exclaimed as she gave both of them a once over. Melanth paused at the locket Airess wore at her neck, her smile melting away. “Where did you get that?”
“The seamstress, my queen. She gave it to me as a wedding gift.”
“Is that so?” Melanth asked, more to herself than to Airess.
As quick as her displeasure came, it went. She shook her head and grabbed Airess and Arzhel’s arms. “Well, no matter. Come along. It's time for our entrance. Remember, chin up. Smile. Oh, and dance with our guests please. Especially you, Airess. A good queen always dances with her guests.”
Airess heard the crowd before they stopped in front of the ballroom doors. Arzhel grabbed her hand—the action looking tender, but the feeling anything but. She felt the discontentment radiating off of him as their hands touched, and she tried her best not to cringe.
Airess stared at her shoes in silent prayer to any Gods that might hear her.If you have any love for me, if you even exist at all, please, help me escape.
The doors burst open, the light from the chandeliers overwhelming Airess as they walked forward. Their arrival was announced as they walked, the ballroom lively with chatter and music.
The room, floor to ceiling, was made entirely from white marble. The light from the chandeliers glittered beautifully against the sleek tiles the ballgoers stood upon. Floral arrangements were placed on every surface they could fit—a mix of creams and blues to represent the Lucien House.
The sweet scent of the florals wafted up to her nose, a stark contrast to the bitterness she felt inside. Airess’ heart began to thrum, cheeks heating at how exposed she felt with all eyes on her. After all this time, she was finally making her debut into society and all she wanted to do was turn around and hide. A group of musicians played in the corner, grounding her into reality, the music projecting loud into the large space. Airess focused on the sound of the violin as she walked towards the dais, her palms beginning to sweat.
How surreal it was to finally come to this moment, to confront an event that her entire existence in the castle was based upon. Airess went through the motions, her subtle greetings and curtsies to various Luciena aristocrats blurring together. Dissociation set in as she put on a performance, feeling astray from her body. It was as if she were watching herself from the outside.
At last, the formalities ceased and she was relinquished from her social obligations. Airess sat at a table on the dais, away from all the ball attendees and accepted a glass of wine a servant offered to her. She sipped, savoring the bittersweet liquid flowing down her throat.
“I’ll have one, as well,” said a feminine voice to the servant. The princess walked up to the table and sat across from Airess with a glass of wine in hand.
Morana’s eyes dipped to Airess' wrist, the red mark from Arzhel’s grip lingering. Airess waited to see if Morana would have a reaction—anything to show Airess her friend was still there somewhere inside. The empty look remained, and Airess felt like a fool for hoping her friend would ever be the same again.
“Cheer up,” Morana said bitterly, raising her glass in the air. “You get to be queen one day in exchange for a few hits from time to time. I’d say that’s a fair enough tradeoff.”
Airess’ brows creased together in disbelief. The emotionless words stung more than she expected. Though, she didn’t know why she wasstillsurprised at Morana’s lack of empathy. They weren’t the girls they once were. And they hadn’t been friends in a long time.
These past few years, Morana had warped into an entirely different person. Airess knew part of it was being shipped off to the northern mountainlands where she resided with her husband. Although they never spoke of the matter, Airess knew Morana had a deep dissatisfaction with her life, being married off at the ripe age of fourteen. Airess remembered Morana begging her mother to change her mind, to not send her away. The queen didn’t listen, instead insisting that a member of the royal family must produce heirs.
Since then, Morana’s coldness had grown over the years, the princess distancing herself from Airess. At first, Airessthought Morana’ssudden change in behavior was due to the fact that it had taken years for her to conceive. But her demeanor never softened, even after giving birth to her now one year old baby. It only grew colder.
Airess drank the rest of her glass and leveled a stare at Morana. “I know you don’t mean that.”
Morana rolled her eyes, brushing Airess off, and looked beyond her to the crowd. Her dark eyes grew distant. Withdrawn. For a moment, Airess caught a glimpse of sadness in her, like her behavior all along was a facade. An armor.
“All of this, all these people,” Morana gestured her hand to the crowd, “will be yours someday. And I’ve never understoodwhythat is.”
Airess didn’t know. She had wondered about that herself for many years. Surely it wasn’t because of her weakpowers. There had to be other Magick Wielders much stronger than Airess, yet what the queen wanted, she got.
