"The past haunts you, flowing through your veins like water..."
Cyris Castellan is a young man with water magic and royal blood. When he was a child, his home was attacked and destroyed by gruesome magic users. They killed his family, orphaning Cyri...
AN: No Piarari Key needed this time. Be sure to drop some comments as you read. Enjoy!
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We all seemed to feel the somber mood as we filed back into the library. Our plan worked perfectly, but we didn't get as much intel as Cyris hoped for.
Rosanna turned to a stressed out Cyris and squeezed his upper arm, trying to soothe him.
"We're going to sleep, it's been a long night," she stated. She and Cyris wished us goodnight and left. They were followed shortly by Felix, who had also decided to go to bed. I sat down on the couch and sighed.
"Uh oh, I know that look," Arissa stated. She sat down next to me and laid down, resting her head in my lap. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"He wanted my blessing Arissa. He wanted my blessing to marry her..." I admitted.
I watched as Arissa's eyes widened. "What?" she asked.
"Yeah... Cyris wanted my blessing to marry Rosanna..." I repeated.
Arissa sat up all the way and glanced at me, still shocked. Her expression changed to joy as a wide grin spread on her face.
"What? What's that look for? I didn't give him my blessing, Arissa," I admitted.
"You what?!" she scolded, and her grin instantly turned into a frown.
"I didn't give him my blessing."
"Why?"
"I don't trust him completely. I don't know..." I replied as I bit my lip.
"You're seriously going to make him work for it, aren't you?"
The library door creaked open and, much to my surprise, Cyris entered.
"Kian, can we talk?" he asked.
"I'll be in our room, Kian," Arissa told me before giving me a quick kiss and leaving the library. I didn't miss the look she gave me over Cyris' shoulder. I knew she wanted me to give Cyris my blessing. I sighed and turned to my sister's fiancé.
"I suppose we can talk," I told him. "What did you want to discuss?"
"I'm asking again," he admitted. "Please give me your blessing to marry Rosanna."
"Do you realize how reckless you're being with her?"
"My whole love story with your sister is reckless," he explained and his eyes sparkled as he spoke of Rosanna. "We've been running for our lives and fighting a war. And we just ended up lost in each other."
"You've dragged her into a war, Cyris," I told him. "How am I supposed to trust you to keep her safe?"
"Have I not kept her safe thus far?"
I sighed. "She's been through so much pain, Cyris. I just don't want her to hurt anymore. I don't want her to experience any more pain. And I guess I'm terrified of her having her heart broken. How am I supposed to trust you with her heart?"
"I'm asking you to trust your sister. Trust that she chose me with care. I love her, Kian, more than life itself... I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Can't you understand? Aren't you in love with Arissa?"
"Cyris...of course I love my wife," I assured him. "I just...Rose means a lot to me as well..."
"I'm sorry, you're right. I shouldn't push you..."
I could hear the defeat in his voice. If he was giving up now, how could I be okay with him becoming my sister's husband? Marriage wasn't something you could just give up on half way through.
As my mind drifted to Cyris, I couldn't help but think about what had happened at the club this evening.
Not only was Cyris a quitter, Rosanna seemed to be heavily influenced by him! Tonight was proof of that. She came up with a devious plan, all by herself, and she was way too aggressive! He'd turned her into a ruthless, manipulative—
Not my Rosanna...my little sister... Was I being stupid? Was feeling selfish over her wrong? It was true I'd known her just as long as I had known Cyris, but it was different wasn't it? Rosanna and I shared a special bond that time couldn't touch... Yet I still felt this emotional pull, and it was making me feel unsure about my original decision to deny Cyris his blessing.
I just wanted my little sister to be happy. From what she'd told me, she'd gone through a lot of pain. I wanted that to stop. I wanted to turn back time and give her the chance to experience the loving environment she should have gotten. The one she would have had if the Trillium hadn't ripped it away from us.
I wanted to go back to that terrible day and change things. I desperately wished I'd saved her that day. That I'd found her on that doorstep before that couple did. I could have taken her in, protected her, kept her safe, taught her about her powers. She would have been fine with me. She wouldn't have been caught up with Cyris and his nonsense...
But I knew that was all wishful thinking and that there wasn't anything I could do to change the past. All I could do was look toward the future and move forward. So was I really doing the right thing? Was rejecting Cyris' request for a blessing truly in Rosanna's best interests?
Was I willing to let my sister go? I wasn't sure and I knew that I needed to figure it out.
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The next afternoon I found myself in the woods with Cyris. The palace had officially run out of firewood and we needed more, so the two of us had volunteered to collect some.
To say it was awkward would have been an understatement. We barely spoke. I knew he was still upset over what had happened, but I was only trying to look out for my sister.
Cyris suddenly let out a soft gasp and froze.
"What?" I asked. "What is it?" I scanned the area around us quickly, searching for anything out of place.
Then I felt it. Dark magic. A feeling of dread washed over me as this dark magic struck a familiar chord in my mind. I'd felt it the day my parents and older sister were murdered. The Trillium. They were here. I let my power surge, and my eyes turned pale blue. When I turned to Cyris, his eyes were glowing deep blue, almost black.
"Cyris, there," I pointed out.
And sure enough four guards emerged from the forest.
"Well, well, Cyris Castellan, just the warlock we've been hunting for," one of them stated. "And judging by the runes on your companion's arm, I'd say we have an Aster on our hands."
"An Aster and Cyris Castellan?" a second guard asked. "Queen Circe will be pleased."
"I really don't suggest you go up against us," I warned.
"Four of us against the two of you? I like our odds," one of the guards stated as they charged at us.
