Silence drowned out their cheers. Even Elara ceased her sobbing to stare expectantly at her brother.
“Princess Naria.” He stepped forward, his entire body focused on me as if I was a single glowing light in a room filled with never-ending darkness. “Ever since I first laid my eyes upon you, strange as the circumstances may have been, I’ve known that you would be someone special. A gift sent straight from the Spirits, right into my waiting arms. There has never been anyonemore beautiful, more kind, more noble, and now that I have just witnessed you save my dear sister’s life –” he paused, looking long and hard at Elsie then back to me – “there has never been anyone more perfect to be my bride.”
CHAPTER 29
Staggered gasps sounded like crashing waves from around the crowd. Everyone in the room was staring at me, waiting patiently for my reaction. Of course, I wanted to react, but I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t move, completely frozen in a cold mixture of fear and surprise.
“Please, sweet Naria.” The prince drew closer before dropping to his knees. Desperation ravaged his sharp features. “Ever since we shared our first kiss, I have been consumed by thoughts of you,” he continued. “You have invaded my very soul! Anything you want, I will provide for you. If you want a kingdom, I will build it for you. Together, we can restore what your parents lost.”
A knot formed in my throat. This was what I’d always wanted. I should’ve jumped in excitement and screamed immediately ‘yes’! Corlixir had the chance to rise again, and I had someone who cared about me, even if he had an overly bold way of showing it. But standing there, in the middle of Luminessia,even as a handsome prince knelt before me offering the very thing I needed, for some strange reason, everything within me was screaming ‘no’.
In a dramatic sweeping motion, he extended his pale hand up to me. “Dear Naria, please take my hand. Accept my proposal, and together we can rule both the fae and Corlixir. To say no would be to deny your people a kingdom and to break my heart into a thousand pieces. So please, I beg you, Naria, take my hand.”
Did I even have a choice? As Princess, I needed to do what was best for my people, and surely, this was it. My parents trusted the fae, so I should too.
I should say yes. I needed to say yes. I…
“Yes.”
Time stopped.What have I done?
The moment my hand slipped into his, blinding light flooded the room and I yelped. Searing pain burned down my arm like a raging fire. I tried desperately to pull away, but the prince’s grip held me firmly in place.
“Accept the bond, Naria!” I heard Arenn hiss through the chaos. “It will sting for a moment, but then I’ll be forever yours, and you, forever mine.”
Whatever twisted magic this was, there was no escaping it now. I writhed in pain until, after a few more dreadful seconds, the intense light faded, and slowly, I blinked my eyes open. Embedded into the skin of my forearm, as if they’d always been there, were two glowing crystals, each one smaller than a penny. A quick glance at Arenn’s wrist showed he had a matching pair burnt into his arm, just like mine.
“A faery tradition,” he noted with a wink, “to mark the proposal.”
Then, snatching up my hand, he raised our markings high to the wide circle of fae that had gathered around us. “To my newbride!” he announced, beaming wider than I’d ever seen before. The ballroom erupted into cheers and cries.
“To the happy couple!” a familiar male voice boomed from the balcony. Up above, the Faery King smiled and tipped his goblet in our direction.
“To a successful Luminessia!” Queen Amabel called out from beside him, tipping her goblet too. Just like her husband, she was dressed lavishly and practically dripping with jewels. “And to our dear Naria, may this union bring you the peace that your kingdom deserves.”
After lowering our arms, Arenn squeezed me so tightly against his side that it almost hurt. For a moment, I wanted to push him away, and I almost did, but then I stopped myself. What would my parents say if they knew I was being so ridiculously ungrateful? This man, thisprince, holding me so closely was not only terribly handsome, but he was also young and perfectly willing to help my people. This was everything I should have wanted – everything any princess who grew up in a tiny forest village could ever wish for.
So why was there such an awful sinking feeling in my chest?
“And now,” Arenn continued, addressing the crowd with a wild grin, “it is time for me to present a gift to my new bride!” He tossed me a quick glance. “I think you’ll like this one, human.”
Judging by the sinister glint in his eyes, I doubted that very much.
“Guards!” he barked, making me flinch. Nearby, I heard the sounds of armour clinking as a few well-dressed soldiers straightened to attention. “Please deliver my betrothed’s gift, as we discussed.”
The surrounding fae cleared a path for the marching guards, and a new dark excitement buzzed through the ballroom. The excitement spread to Arenn’s lips as he grinned gleefully.
It wasn’t long before the two guards returned, each draggingthe limp arms of a thin, green-skinned faery. His face was hidden by a scruffy brown sack, but I could still hear his pained moans as he was hauled across the floor. Once they were less than a few metres away, they tossed the prisoner roughly to the ground and snatched the bag away from his head. My mouth fell open the moment his terrified emerald irises met mine.
“Valen,” I snarled, rage curling at the back of my throat. Visions of Raena’s terrified face flooded my mind.
Arenn chuckled. “A joyous reunion!” He then leaned in close until his lips tickled my ear – the feeling sending a surprisingly warm shiver down my spine. “Remember when you asked to see more of my magic? Enjoy the show, little human.” He pulled away with a smirk.
I barely had a chance to process what he’d said before he lifted his arms and a deafeningly loud crack echoed over the ballroom. Instantly, my hands flew to my ears, and I stumbled back. Several colossal black vines burst from the floor, shooting high up to the ceiling – the sheer sight of them sending our audience into an excited frenzy.
Gasping, I watched in horror as one of the vines coiled tightly around Valen’s leg and whipped him fifty feet into the air. With a painful crunch, he crashed against the shimmering ceiling before plunging back to the ground in a blur of screaming green. Just as he was inches away from colliding with the floor, another vine gripped his foot and tossed him back up into the air, only for him to crash painfully against the ceiling once again.
On and on, this tortuous game continued, his screams turning less faery and more animalistic with every throw. A painful crunch, then an awful scream followed by another, and then another. The noise sent my heart plummeting into my chest. I knew I had said I wanted for the guard to be punished, but this wasn’t punishment. This was torture – evil, humiliating torture. And it terrified me to see Arenn’s eyes glisteninghungrily with every horrifying crunch of Valen’s broken bones.
