Fated - Book 1 (Completed)

Chapter 20

Her usual pale skin was almost sickly ashy and swollen. She was cold to the touch as I traced the back side of my hand over her cheek. The sight of my bride was heartbreaking. My chest pulled as I tried to fight back my tears.It has been weeks, possibly a month, since I last heard her voice, felt her touch, since I last tasted her sweet kiss. Tears swelled in my eyes at the mundane memory of her waking up that morning and placing a light kiss on my lips.I felt a strange warmth at the feeling; I welcomed it and secretly hoped that for the rest of our lives, she would wake me like that daily."Artemis."Aziel's voice tore me back to reality. I pulled away from her and pulled myself straight. I tugged hard on my coat as I cleared my throat. I ran a shaky hand through my hair before turning to face him; the look scrawled over his face could only mean that I was not as representable as I usually was."They have arrived, and your sister, princess—I mean, Apollo—has been prepared for her trial. They are all waiting for you, my lord.""Right, I'll be there now."The man nodded and turned on his heels to scurry off. Before I left the room, I turned to my sleeping bride. I bent over her, pressed my forehead against hers, and whispered as I choked down my tears once again."Please, my princess, wake up and return to me."With one deep breath of her fading scent, I pulled away quickly before I took my seat and kept myself attached to her bed. As I left the infirmary, I was met with Aziel's heavy grey eyes.Since I haven't been tending to all of my duties, he has picked up on my slacking. He looked exhausted, his hair was untidy, and his clothing was wrinkled, as he would often fall asleep on the floor in the room with me. I owed him, but right now I was too concerned with my bride."Where are they?"My voice broke as I walked past him. I wasn't even sure where to go, but with every heavy step I took away from her, I felt sick."Well, I had the guards uhm take them to the garden."I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him with a heavy frown. I knew he was exhausted, but he sounded unsure of his actions."What Aziel?""Did you know?""Did I know what?"I turned to face him now with my full anger; the longer we stood here, the longer I was kept away from Aurora. Over the years, I have scarcely had to voice my thoughts with the man; we have always had this unspoken bond. Yet, at this very moment, he seemed to struggle to voice his thoughts."That the princess has siblings?"My brow shot up as my anger grew into confusion."Yes, she had spoken about them; why?""They are two sets of triplets; the oldest three bother me, and the little ones—oh, the little ones, Artemis—they have been here for no more than half an hour, and they have tiered out the guards! Those are just the children; the King himself is a big child; that poor queen has had to deal with that lot all alone; I was so pleased when your father's court came to collect the King."My arm folded over my chest as I tried to place some of her stories about her siblings, but nothing that he said was ever mentioned in her stories; she adored her younger siblings, almost dotted on them.As for our fathers, I have been aware of their friendship; they bonded over wars and smaller battles, but their best bonding was over a bottle or three of bitter wine or honeyed whisky."In the garden?"He nodded, and before he could try to convince me to return to my original place, I turned and marched towards the garden. My heels hit the cold floor hard as I made my way to where they were.The smell of flowers filled my nose, pushing aside the memory of my bride's fading scents. These flowers made me sick; the scent was too sweet and overpowering, unlike hers, which was subtle and never changing.A familiar, sweet laugh filled my ears; it made me sick to my core at the very sound. My mother has been locked in her room, riddled with a depression that has made my father worry.There she was on the perfectly manicured grass, laughing and playing with three children. My heart sat in my throat, and as my eyes landed on the little ones, they were filled with life, and one of them had a set of bright green eyes like their sister."You bastard!"Before I could react, Aziel caught a hand that was swinging at me. Behind my general was Aurora, a smaller image of her. The young woman was a young adult, no taller than her older sister. Unlike Aurora, this one had longer hair that was tied back with what I could only assume to be a braid.The young lady was identical to her older sister in her build and pale skin. The sight of her made me feel sick and dizzy."Sage, that is enough."Her voice was cold as she spoke, and I turned to face the familiar warm smile of the woman I owed my life to, Queen Morgana. The woman was as tall as her daughter but had a head of black hair and bright lilac eyes.Not thinking, I bowed at the presence of the woman. Behind her followed two figures that darted for the young lady that Aziel released, as he mirrored my action and bowed slightly towards the woman.Her hands were soft as they traced my jaw, and my tears swelled and threatened to run free as she pulled me in for a tight hug. I was used to the height, so I automatically adjusted to her and embraced her, accepting the warm gesture."My poor boy, I'm sorry for the pain that my daughter has put you through."She released me, then held me at arm's length before running her hands over her eyes, wiping away her tears."I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not protecting her as I promised the day you gave her to me."The woman smiled up at me before turning to face her other children, who were creating small storms of chaos. The teen who tried to slap me a few moments ago was now glaring at Aziel with two other faces, young men.The two of them resembled their father with their messy braided hair, big green eyes, and stubble that they had been trying to grow out. The view of them made me smile; their attitude and brazen actions reminded me of their older sister."Enough now, you three. Aziel is the prince's general and a lycanthrope; who represents the King of the East, so show him the warrior's respect, as you do at home.""If he's the general, why the hell didn't he protect our sister? Or is his prince's life too precious?"One of the boys snapped and growled, but it was swallowed by Aziel's raw, unfiltered growl as his temper rose from the boy's sharp tongue."Watch your tongue, boy; I'm not afraid to teach you respect for your elders.""Aurora taught us to never keep our tongue quiet, especially when someone doesn't follow their duty to their family."The other boy snapped back; the three of them flinched at Aziel's growl but never backed away; this only angered the man. To prevent any damage to them, I ran a hand over Aziel's back and squeezed his shoulder in a weak attempt to calm him down."If there is anyone to be angry at, it would be me, and I apologise for not protecting your sister.""That is enough, you three."Their mother's words were sharp, and she stopped them before either opening their mouths to snap or making a weak attempt to break me."The prince has apologised, and so has Aziel. Your sister had also taught the three of you to accept an apology and leave the situation as it is."The three nodded towards their mother before slinking away and taking seats behind their young siblings. The smaller ones were laughing and playing with my mother, who was happily entertaining them with her small magic skills.The smaller ones somehow seemed odd compared to their older counterparts. Two of them were young girls, while the smallest was a little boy. He had two eye colours: one eye was the usual bright green, while the other matched his mother.Of the two girls, one had bright green eyes, while the other had lilac eyes. Like their mother, she also had matching black hair, unlike her siblings, who all have brown hair. The sight was strange, but nonetheless, she held features that they all had."Where is she?"Morgana's voice was a whisper in my ear. We stood there and watched as the smaller ones played and now started to show my mother their simple magic skills; it made her smile. My heart was uneasy, but I was pleased to see her like this."The infirmary; she hasn't woken since that day.""Not my daughter, your sister."My body stiffened at the woman's words. I eyed her from the corner of my eye. Her eyes never darkened, and her smile never faded as she queried about Apollo. I turned to face Aziel, who was yawning beside me."She is being kept in the chamber under the castle."He knew what my sister's whereabouts were; he had to since he was the one who arrested her, and he took on the duty of being her keeper until her trial will take place later today."Before I tend to my daughter, I wish to speak to the young princess."Both of us snapped our attention towards the queen, and before I could fight back, my mother's soft voice filled the air."I agree with Morgana; let her speak to Apollo before you drag her around the castle to heal someone who is simply resting.""And I think Prince Artemis should take me; don't you agree, Queen Dione?"Before I could argue with the woman, my mother nodded and immediately shot her cold blue eyes in my direction, sending an all-too-familiar pain to my ass, where I had received her spankings when I was a child."Yes, mother."The oldest triplets snickered as to how I easily caved into my mother's orders. I turned to face Aziel, who had a hand clasped tight over his mouth as he tried to stifle down his laughter."Aziel, be useful and lead me and Queen Morgana to the chambers."The man nodded and drew a sharp breath before making his way to the queen behind me. Being from the East, he was raised with a strict upbringing, respecting any woman as if she were a goddess."Milady."The giant man curtseyed before offering his arm towards the queen, who happily took his offer and followed him. Before I followed them, I made my way towards my mother and placed a kiss on the crown of her head.Since that day, Apollo has been stripped of her royal title and status. When my father made the announcement, my mother had locked herself in her chambers, sobbing and screaming; she was inconsolable.I followed Aziel and the queen as we made our way down the stone halls and dimly lit set of wooden stairs. The rooms we were heading towards were the official detention cells for war prisoners and any other prisoners we thought should be questioned under any circumstances.My sister was placed here for her safety, as Aziel was in command over these rooms and what took place down here. The bitter scent of moss filled my nose as we approached the heavy wooden door.A guard straightened up as we approached him, and with a simple nod, he hurriedly pushed the door open to expose the dimly lit room's four iron cells. Apollo was dressed in a thin white gown that made her stand out under the cruel lights.The chambers were four small cells that were huddled together against the thick stone wall. Thick stone walls, accented with iron chains and matching cufflinks, separated each cell.On the cold floors were thin layers of materials that were gathered to make a bed for those who weren't chained to the wall. The wet smell of moss filled the air as water trickled down one of the walls.Attached to the chambers was Aziel's torture room, which was guarded by a heavy, thick wooden door. Despite its size and weight, it never stopped the noses that would leave that room; it was done this way to scare anyone else held captive in our small cells.My body suddenly stopped on its own as I approached the doorway. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, and my knees felt weak under me as my eyes landed on my sister's pale, lifeless face."Artemis?"His voice was heavy in my ear. Aziel released the queen and made his way back towards me to help me stand. My exhaustion, stress, and mixed emotions suddenly hit me at the sight of my sweet sister behind iron.Heavy hands held onto me as I tried to use the door frame as support, but my head spun. My eyes tried to focus on her, but they swelled with tears as my knees gave up under me. The stone floor was cold as I fell to it. My tears took advantage of my weakness and rolled down my cheeks."My sweet Apollo, I'm Morgana, Aurora's mother. We met the day of the wedding, you expressed your excitement to have a sister and that you were happy that your brother could now have someone to trust."The Queen's voice was gentle, warm, and welcoming as she spoke to my sister. I sat on the floor sobbing as I ached to hold my twin in a tight embrace and never let her go, but my body wasn't allowing it as I was forced to sit there.Aziel fell to the ground beside me. The guard stammered but was silently ordered to stay in his post by Aziel, whose eyes were now golden as he tried to divide his attention between me and my sister."Yes, I remember you."Her voice was soft and raw; she had been crying."You were the first of the dragon riders to introduce yourself to me and my husband, and the first hopeful who believed the union was for the better, of your twin.""I'm not a rider, Your Majesty.""You had a dragon; you have a rider's blade; you have mastered your twin brother's beasts; you, my dear, are a rider and the best in my opinion."I heard a sob as my eyes pulled shut. I tried to stop my tears, but they never stopped."I am so sorry, big brother; I have taken the life from your eyes and broke your heart with my betrayal."Her sobbing only made my chest pull tighter, as a scream was fighting to escape. My twin had betrayed me; she had broken my heart. I hated her, but I forgave her the moment it happened."It wasn't your fault, my dear."The Queen's voice was cold as she sliced through Apollo's sobs."The reason why my daughter is still sleeping is due to her releasing the spell that was placed over you.""What do you mean?"Aziel's voice followed quickly as he turned his full attention towards the queen. Slowly, I rolled my head over to the women. Apollo was on the floor, her head curled between two bars as she sat there sobbing.The Queen turned to Aziel with a warm smile before dropping to her knees to run her fingers through my sister's hair. The water stopped slowing down in my eyes, but my eyes remained troubled by lingering tears."Aurora has the unique skill of seeing spells while they are being used and even hours after they have been casted. From what I have read in the letters and reports of that day, she must have seen the spell in your eyes and released you from the curse. As usual, she did it without thinking and used the blood from her wound.""Which caused her to summon too much magic? That whiplash has caused her body to slip into a coma, to rest and heal from the overflow of raw magic. Why the hell didn't the healers pick up on this?"Aziel was expressing his anger and knowledge of magic all at once. He had to, as my mind was unfocused and my knowledge of magic amongst other species was almost nonexistent. Either way, he was right; why didn't the healers pick up on the overuse of magic?"They don't know what to look for or how to treat it, as they only deal with dragons who have a natural ability to use magic without any need for a sacrifice."Apollo answered the question in the air. She slowly lifted her head to look up at the smiling queen."You can wake her up, right?"The queen nodded, which made my sister smile."Good. I would hate to be executed knowing that she isn't awake to look after Artemis for me once I'm gone."We all froze at my sister's words. I could understand if I or Aziel were slow with the situation, but not Apollo. My joints released their tension as I pushed myself up from the ground.I groaned as my joints clicked or popped. I felt as if I were one of the elders as I wobbled towards the cells where she was being kept. Both she and the Queen looked up at me as I fought with the lock keeping her sealed.My body warmed as I summoned the fire burning in my core. A blue flame flickered on my fingers as I melted to pull it away from where it was tied to the iron bars. Once the door to the cell was free to swing open, I took three heavy steps before falling to the ground behind my little sister.With warm arms, I pulled her small frame into my grasp. She was cold—a sickening cold. I held onto her tight as I wrapped myself around her in the small cell. The wet moss smell faded from my senses as her powdered scent filled my nose."My silly Apollo, you are going to live a long life and grow old and grey with me."Slowly, the realisation filled her mind, and soon I felt it, her releasing her cries into my chest. Her small body shook in my arms as she sobbed and screamed as relief filled her body.