Heart of Fire

Prologue

Age 13

I realize that yelling in the middle of a dinner with the royal family is not the best decision I've made, but when I'm getting kicked repeatedly in the shin under the table it's hard not to.
"Adira! We are eating dinner, this is no time for yelling." My father scolds me.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes, I'm already in enough trouble. It seems as though I only get in trouble by my father when King Bastian is around him. I've always felt that Bastian doesn't like me, for what reason I do not know. Perhaps it's because I have my own voice and he's not used to women having such a thing.
"Father, it's Hudson's fault!" I defend myself, throwing my best friend a glare.
Hudson gapes in response, not expecting me to call him out. This isn't abnormal behavior from us, we're always getting into some quarrel. Even then, he's a pretty good friend to me, and I to him.
"Hudson wasn't the one yelling, was he?" My father says, giving me a warning look.
I know what that look means. It means he wants me to be quiet before Bastian lashes out on everyone. Sometimes I wish he was more like his queen, Evelyn. She's always so kind to me, even if she rarely speaks. I guess I would be quiet and miserable too if I were married to someone like Bastian, so I really can't blame her.
I drop the Hudson situation, obeying my father's wishes. Then an idea pops into my head, one that's sure to add fuel to this fire. I don't care if I get in trouble, I've never been one to keep quiet anyway.
"So Kenton, how come you're so quiet tonight? Still trying to learn how to not be a prick?" I ask, turning to the eldest prince.
Bastian drops his cutlery, slamming his hands down on the dinner table to glare at me. When I give him an innocent smile, batting my eyelashes, his face grows red with rage.
Got him.
"That is enough, young lady." He scolds.
I don't even flinch at his tone, this is something I'm used to by now. I do something stupid, but funny in my mind, and Bastian yells at me. It's a daily routine at this point.
I spare a glance at Kenton, who doesn't even look up from his plate. I can never get to him, I can't even make him mad. He may be two years older than Hudson and I, but he acts as if he's well beyond our years. He is in fact a prick, one that taunts me and wants nothing to do with Hudson or I. He's just so grumpy all the time. It's miserable to even look at him.
"You kids are dismissed now. I want to have a word with the adults for a little while." Bastian says, sitting back in his chair now that he's calmed down.
I don't conceal the roll of my eyes this time. Nonetheless, I get up from my seat to leave, Hudson and Kenton getting up as well.
"Not you Kenton, you can stay for this meeting." Bastain stops Kenton.
Kenton sits back down as Hudson and I continue to leave the room. I kiss both my parents on the cheek as I pass them, because even though I got yelled at just a second ago I never leave them without a kiss. It's something I've always done, no matter how upset they are with me.
I'm not a terrible daughter, contrary to what it looks like now. My father and I are close, and I love my mother dearly. As the General of the army my father is always busy, but he never fails to make time for me. He even trains me everyday, just like he does with his soldiers.
I follow Hudson to his room, where we always hang out. We could hang out in my room, seeing as though it's just down the hall from his, but his is much better than mine. Less messy too.
I close the door behind us before walking up to him and slapping the back of his head.
"What the hell, Adi! What was that for?" He wails, holding the back of his head.
I roll my eyes at him, slumping down on his couch. "You were kicking me the entire dinner! Then I got scolded not only by my father, but yours." I exclaim.
He sighs before sitting down on the couch next to me, leaning his head back to look up at the ceiling. I can tell something is bothering him, he usually never backs down from an argument with me.
"What's wrong?" I ask, watching as he runs his hands over his forehead. Now I definitely know something is wrong, he only ever runs his hands over his forehead when he's upset.
"Why do you think Kenton got to stay in there while they discuss? I don't think a fifteen year old should be allowed in adult conversations." He says, still looking up at the ceiling.
So Kenton is the reason he's upset. I should have known, Hudson always gets jealous of him when he gets to do things he's not old enough to do. Kenton is next in line to the throne, yes, but Hudson always feels left out when Bastian focuses on preparing Kenton for things and never him.
I sigh, "Hudson, I'm sure it's nothing. Kenton is probably bored out of his mind right now listening to them talk. He's probably rolling his eyes just like when he listens to our conversations." I say, trying to lighten his mood.
He doesn't bite, still looking upset. "Yeah, probably." He says dryly.
I get up from the couch to grab his hands, pulling him up. "Come on, let's go steal some pastries from the kitchen." I offer.
This gets him, as he perks up at the mention of mischief. He lets me pull him up to stand, smiling as I do. I know my best friend, and more importantly I know how to get him out of his moods. He's always there for me when I need him, so I'm always there for him when he needs me.
Just as we open his door to leave, I hear screaming down the hall. I snap my head to look at Hudson, who looks at me in alarm. The screams are coming from the dining room, where our families are.
We sprint down the hall to the dining room, not caring if we're supposed to be in there or not. Something is wrong, I need to find out what happened.
When I throw open the door, my breathing hitches. My parents are laying on the floor completely lifeless with blood pooling around them.
I run towards them, dropping to my knees to try to wake them up. My hands grow bloody from touching them as I scream their names to try and get them to open their eyes. They're completely limp, there's no sign of life in them.
My ears start to ring as sobs rack my body, my vision blurring from my tears. They're dead. When I look up at Bastian, he watches me with an emotionless expression.
He killed my parents like it was nothing, he had no reason to. I start to scream at him, but arms pull me away from him, from my parents who still lay on the floor.
As I thrash against their hold, I realize that Bastian will kill me next if I don't get out of here. I get out of the guard's hold, fighting my way through the other ones who try to grab me.
I don't look back as I run out of the room, despite the people calling out my name to get me to stop.
When I finally get out of the castle, I sprint into the woods where they won't find me. I don't stop running until I'm off castle grounds, frantically breathing through my sobs.
I know I have to keep myself hidden from everyone, they will kill me as soon as they find me. So as I run through the forest for miles and miles, I promise myself that I will get revenge on Bastian one day. I will burn that twisted man's life all the way down to hell, even if it's the last thing I do.