His King, His Cariad

Yes, Dad

Pain.

Scalding, blinding pain shots up my arms. I sink to my knees, unable to control the power flowing through me. The flames on my arms are so hot, it is almost unbearably cold. I open my mouth to scream, but silence is the only thing that comes out. Tears leak down my face and drip onto the swaying grass around me. Blue and red flames dance around each other, flirting. Making a mockery of their wielder.

Please. Please. Please. Make it stop! I chant over and over, unable to speak, begging anyone who might hear me. Apparently, someone does. The fire recedes, thank goodness. There is a brief reprieve until the pain returns. I peer down at my arms and see patches of charred skin and spots of... bone.

My bone.

A harsh sob escapes my throat. A snapping sound causes my head to jerk up, and I see someone coming towards me. Greer, I think.

"Bree?" Their voice pitches high in concern. They take one more step toward me when they notice my arms. "Oh, my god." Greer takes off running into the house. I feel so weak. Pitching forward, my hands instinctively come out to catch my fall. Shrieking fills my ears. I really wish whoever that is would stop. After a moment, I feel hands lifting me.

"Oh, honey! I'm here." William. He'll help me. He always does. "Shh, sweetie. You are going to be ok." I realize I'm the one who has been screaming. Greer picks me up and carries me to the house. They are ‌strong, handling me as though I weigh little to nothing. William makes quick work, healing aether sinking into my skin as we move. Instant relief.

In the distance, a roar rings out. There is a blur of movement in my periphery, and he appears. Selwyn's weapon forms as he comes to a halt, raising his blade while assessing the scene. His eyes land on me and widen in surprise.

"Where is the danger?" Sel demands an answer from the others, even though his attention is on me.

"We don't know what's going on. I had just come back from patrol and saw her on the ground and injured." Greer's long braid tickled my face as they turned to look at Sel.

Sel moves closer and reaches his arms out, weapon dispersing into blue wisps. "Give her to me!"

"Too... loud," I whimpered, voice scratchy but coming back to me. My head hurts. I am being shifted from one pair of arms to another. William's hands stay with me the whole time. A bone in my arm shifts, making me holler.

"Alright, you guys," William says with impatience. "We need to get her to the infirmary ASAP! Selwyn, you can figure out what happened later. I need to fix her now!"

***

I must lose consciousness because the next thing I see is a dimmed light overhead. My fingers twitch. There is a slight soreness in my forearms as I lift them for examination. No scars. Only brown skin looks back at me. Even the soft hairs have grown back. I sit up slowly, testing the pressure I can put on them. Cool air hits my chest as a thin sheet falls to drape over my hips. I'm only in my bra and panties. This is why Momma always told me to wear matching underwear. How many more times am I going to need to be stripped bare because of an injury? I turn and swing my legs to dangle off the side of the gurney.

My hair! I reach up, low and behold, the back of my curls are flat. I groan and drop my face in my hands. I just did my hair the other day! It took hours to perfect. Suppose I should get my hair braided, especially if I'll be dealing with mess like this often.

Someone's throat clears.

I jump and see Selwyn sitting in a chair, face turned away from me. Pulling the sheet back over my chest, I blurt, "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough. You have been incredibly unobservant lately. You should work on that."

"Or, maybe, you are an unnaturally silent, demon boy who should announce his presence more often."

He stands and stalks toward me. "Nice bra, by the way. Black lace always does something to me."

"Ugh. Could you be any less of a creeper right now?" I clutch the sheet tighter to my chest as Sel leans into me, eyes intent on mine. His hands settle on the bed beside my covered thighs.

"What happened out there last night?"

"I don't know what happened."

He hums a bit. "That is funny because nothing got past my wards. And you were supposed to be eating dinner, waiting for me to get back from patrol so we could train. Together. In case of any accidents." His head tilts. "Instead, you were found laying outside, alone, burned to a fucking crisp."

"I was not burned to a crisp!" One dark eyebrow arches. "I mean, yes, I was burned, but I wasn't crispy."

"What happened, Briana?"

"Well, I did go eat dinner. And then I was on my way upstairs when I thought I could get a head start on practicing my root. You guys can't help me with it anyway because you understand it even less than I do. I tried for a while, and nothing happened. I reached out to Vera, but she was no help. So‌, I switched targets. I tried to connect with Arthur, to see if he could help at all, but he was silent. Suddenly, there was this spark. This burst of power from within myself that I couldn't control." Tears collect in my eyes. A few fall and run down my cheeks. "It was so hot. I couldn't understand why my magic was doing this to me. Harming me. I guess my root picked up on the perceived threat, and it flared as well. Instead of it flowing out from me, it melded with my aether. Maybe it was trying to neutralize the heat, but... it just burned hotter." Pursing my lips, I shrug and shake my head in confusion. "That's it. That's all I remember."

Sel leans back to observe my face. When he doesn't respond, I ask, "Has this ever happened before? A scion's power attacking them?" Breath hisses from his nose, and he moves to the chair he vacated. He comes back with some of my clothes and hands them to me. I scoot off of the bed, and he turns so that I can get dressed.

"You are a unique case. These circumstances have never been presented before. I suggest that we handle this situation with care so that you are not consistently hurting yourself." When I finish zipping my jeans, Sel looks at me. "When you practice, I or William need to be with you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Briana."

"Yes, yes. I understand."

He nods. "Keep in mind: you are king now. Your actions have consequences that do not just fall on you. Act with caution. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good. I will grab Will so he can look you over." He exits the room, leaving me in quiet. As soon as the door shuts, William comes in.

"How are you feeling, Bree?" His blue eyes look puffy and tired. Has he been crying?

"I'm doing much better, thanks to you. How are you with, you know, everything?" Losing his squire and his friends. Always taking care of everyone at the drop of a hat. His answering smile is forced.

"I'm surviving, same as everyone else." His hands lightly grasp my arms, turning them and checking for any signs of scarring.

"Have you been able to see your boyfriend lately? It's been pretty crazy around here." Something shifts in his eyes. Before he can answer, Greer and Alice burst into the room.

"BREE!" they exclaim simultaneously. William steps back and clears his throat.

"She's all set."

I am being pulled from the infirmary, two voices talking over each other. Looking back at the door, I see William sinking into a chair. Wiping tears from his eyes. Alice mentions something about my hair being wrecked. I throw a hurried glance and answer at her, but when I turn back, William is gone.