𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐬

~Sick~

"Flower, come here for a second," Stella Grey-Volkov spoke to her young daughter who was a day away from her fifth birthday.

Ariella Lilac Volkov skipped happily to her mother, finding a moment to admire her beauty. Ariella always thought her mother looked like a queen...like a Reina.

Stella always told her that she was a princesa. Little Ariella managed to pick up a few words in Spanish from her mother but her father always made them speak Russian or English and nothing else.

Stella knew that her daughter was a bright girl...not even five years old and she was already bilingual. But Stella made it her mission to speak as much Spanish as she could whenever Malakai would let them outside. Oh, how she begged him for that little privilege...but asking for something could not go unpunishable in Malakai's book.

But it was worth it to see her daughter skip along the grass and bask in the sunlight for a little while. The beatings were worth it to see her daughter smile and giggle. And she would do it a thousand times again if it meant that she would get this short amount of freedom in their golden cage.

But a free bird could never be caged like a zoo animal. Death was better.

"I'm here mommy!" Ariella chirped, announcing her presence. A small smile made its way onto Stella's face as she twirled a strand of her daughter's golden hair around her finger. Her husband's hair...

No, not Malakai's toffee-brown locks...

But it was Aslan's golden-hair...

No, she had to get those thoughts out of her head. It would be no help to think about him.

She picked up her daughter and set her on her lap, cradling her body in her arms as she tickled Ariella.

"Can you keep a secret, Flower?" Stella whispered, a smile still on her face. Ariella nodded enthusiastically, getting her listening ears ready just how her mommy had taught her.

"You are a princess. Your mommy is a queen and your daddy is a king. This won't make sense now, Flower, but you have to remember what I say no matter what, so you know who to love in the future," Stella started, tears brimming her vision but a small smile still on her face.

Ariella nodded slowly, getting worried.

"You are meant to be great. You will always be Aslan and I's daughter...our princesa. You will not give up no matter what. You will be greater than the person who you call father," she whispered.

"Flower, you will escape him. You are so brave and smart and you have to always remember that you are worth a thousand wishes and dreams. You are loved and strong. You will always be great and you will always persevere to make a better dream...to love," she muttered gently.

Ariella realized that her mom wasn't lying when she said that none of this made sense. But before she could ask questions a thundering voice made Stella flinch and pinch her eyes shut while holding her daughter to her bosom, holding her tight.

"Inside. Now," the rough voice of Malakai warned lowly. Ariella shivered and clutched onto her mother.

Stella nodded to Malakai and still held her daughter in her arms as she got up and walked toward him.

His umber eyes glared at her, promising a silent threat. She bit her bottom lip to stop it from quivering as her eyes welled up and walked into the house.

Before she could step further, a rough and calloused hand held her arm in a bruising grip as he leaned down to whisper something in her ear so that Ariella couldn't hear.