Flames left behind

24{Unbirthed Secrets}

       The sun was rising, and I was still in bed. I'd been asleep for the past eight hours, two hours passed by with me just laying there staring at the ceiling. So many things went wrong in so little time. Ronin was down in the Seelie Court getting "acquainted" with my mother, the Seelie Queen herself, and I was to be married off to her white knight. And on top of all that, Emrick wasn't dead. What a tragedy, right?

   Groaning, I flung a pillow at the wall, and looked outside to tell the time. The sun was high up in the sky, it was probably nearing the afternoon now. 

  I sat up and walked to my closet with a sigh. Today, I was supposed to get to know Usna and marry him the following week. If I thought my days with Ronin were rushed, this was worse. 

   I want to have a nap before I leave. A very long one. That was first on my to-do list, but it may have to be pushed back a few spaces. 

    Oscar's rickety old voice interrupted my thoughts. "Ambrosia, hurry up! You have an hour before we leave!" 

  "For the love of angels," I muttered. "I'll be out by then!"

  His cane clicked down the hallway and picked through my dresses. It seemed as if they changed everyday, though that could just be my lack of entertainment and sleep here. I finally settled on a deep red-velvet medieval dress. It was a few shades darker than my hair, that went off the shoulders and the sleeves were long, that flared out at my forearm. Gold flowers and vines weaved across the neckline and there was a gold belt sewn into it around the waist. It went nicely with my pale chocolate skin, and my eyes stood out in between all the red. 

  I tucked my hair over my right shoulder, and then topped everything off with a basic gold and red crown. I really did look like a medieval princess. 

   I'd be lying if I said I didn't fall asleep for the last 30 minutes, only being awoken by my door busting in on itself. Emrick came charging in, gripping my arm and dragging me out repeating, "We're going to be late, we're going to be late."

   I rolled my eyes and tugged my arm free, and we were out the doors of the Institute.

          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We soon made it to the toadstool clearing, and I narrowed my eyes at the little ring in front of me. 

   Emrick pulled out a handkerchief and coughed into it, blood speckling it. You see, he wasn't dead, but that didn't mean he wasn't on the verge of it. No one would know if I just killed him right now. 

   But I pushed the thought away as he pulled out another item, the bell, and rung it.

I got that weird dizzy sensation again and tried not to hurl, though I realized it was easier to face than it was the last time we traveled here. 

    We were back in the hallway, and picking up my skirts I started walking forwards, not bothering to care if Emrick was following behind. 

   I stopped as I saw a familiar flash of silver hair, and Unsa stepped out of the shadows. 

  "Greetings Princess Ambrosia, daughter of her Majesty Aubriella Marrinell. Pleasure to see you again, and yet so soon."

He took my hand in his and kissed it, but his eyes never once left mine. Those dark, soulless eyes.

  "Oh no, the pleasure is all mine, Caspian, white knight of her Majesty."

  I slipped my hand out of his and bobbed a curtsy, when Emrick cleared his throat. 

"You two will have plenty of time to talk after we meet with Aubriella."

   Caspian hissed, and Emrick corrected himself.

 "Her majesty, Queen Aubriella."

      Throwing a sly grin my way, he disappeared through a thin veil of nothing, and we had no choice but to follow. 

   The decorations were the exact same as last time, and before us was the Queen in all her glory. She lay naked, draped across her throne, and to the side of her was Ronin, his bare chest reflecting from the light of the barely alive will-o-wisps. 

  I didn't let my gaze linger on him though, for Caspian was watching my every move. Every flicker of my eyes, every twitch of my fingers, every itch that had to be left unscratched. 

  I held my chin high and dropped to a deep curtsy as Emrick bowed to his knee beside me. 

  She let us stay there for a good minute or two and then said, "Rise."

  Her voice was powerful, intimidating, and bounced off the walls of the chamber.

    "Greetings princess Ambrosia, daughter of Magnus Bane and mine, betrothed of Caspian, my white knight. And greetings Lord Emrick, father of the faeans, father of my betrothed."

   I stood, blood rushing from my head for holding the curtsy too long and addressed her.

"Greetings Queen Aubriella, mother of mine." I made sure to leave off a few titles, just to rile her up.

   "Greetings Queen Aubriella, fiancé to my son, ruler of the Seelie Court."

He coughed again, blood flying to the floor tiles. Caspian's look was one of disgust, whilst Aubriella's was one of amusement. 

   "Seems as if you're not in the best condition, Lord Emrick."

He straightened up.

   "Just a sickness going around, nothing unusual."

She sat up and leaned forward. I watched Emrick struggle to keep his eyes on her face.

  "A sickness? Or poison?"

He stopped and looked her dead in the eyes.

  "Poison?"

She smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes as she looked past him and to me. 

  I fixated my eyes on her and off Ronin, bobbing my head in acknowledgement. 

   She smiled again, and this time it was a warm smile. They type of smile that a mother gives her daughter before she releases her to prom, or to ask out her crush. Something inside me squeezed, but I brushed it off and ignored the tears that threatened to pour. 

  "Ambrosia, daughter. You look well."

"As do you, mother."

  She straightened at that.

"I must say, I do wish I was with you in your years of growing up. We would have made a powerful duo together."

  I looked at her and raised my eyebrows. 

"You could have been, so why weren't you?"

She ignored me and continued talking.

  It has come to my attention, that you and Ronin have bonded."

Ronin went as still as a statue, Emrick stopped mid-cough, Caspian frowned deeply, and I let a groan escape from my lips.

   "Yes."

"Those bonds cannot be severed unless both faeans each fall in love with a different."

  I frowned. The book didn't say anything about that.

"Ah yes. You must be thinking about this book."

  Ronin handed her something and she threw it at my feet. I picked it up, trying to read the cover in the dim lighting.

  "The faean book?" I asked. "It never said anything about severing the bond."

Aubriella grinned, as wide as a Cheshire cat. 

"Oh daughter, that book only shows you what you want to see. In your case, you wanted to keep the bond. You didn't want to let Ronin go."

  My frown deepened, as I looked at her. 

"Daughter, I have decided to wed you and Ronin."