Bonds that Burn and Bind

Chapter 10 Part 1

AN: Thanks for the 746 reads and 212 votes! I hope that chapters 9 and 10 now chapter 10 aren't too confusing. Please let me know if they are though! -Sam
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My body snapped into survival mode, as I dug my nails into his face until blood bubbled up under my nails. The wind stopped roaring around us.

"Bloody hells!" he cursed, dropping me. The prince's height made it a long fall to the ground and I twisted mid-fall, like a cat, landing on my hands and feet, wedding dress and all. I was upright in the next breath and looking around the massive cave. Sunlight streamed in from the cave's triangular mouth, sparkling off the giant blue and purple crystals protruding from the walls. Moss and purple flowers grew on every inch of stone, from the smooth boulders littering the cave's floor to the cave's wall. The only thing not draped in green and purple was a triangular white marble altar that stood in the middle of a babbling pool, fed by a small waterfall that tumbled in from a massive hole in the cave's ceiling. A seven-pointed crystal star with 1000 glittering facets crowned the altar's peak.

I went for the cave's exit, scrambling over a boulder in the way of my escape route. The white silk slippers I had on had little traction, and I found myself slipping. I kicked them off, opting to go barefoot instead—the soles of my feet provided more grip. I reached the top of the boulder and a hand wrapped around my leg, yanking me into two solid arms.

"Let me go you beast!" I snarled as I twisted around, ready to claw at his face again. But he set me on my feet, shoving a dagger into my hands. He took serval steps back, his arms raised, as if surrendering.

"There you have a weapon to defend yourself. The blade is iron. Iron burns us," his voice came out low and soothing, and I hated how it made my body relax.

Still, I gripped the dagger, bringing it to the center of my chest. I held it pointed out towards him.

"Why would you want me to be able to defend myself?"

Was this a sick, twisted game he was trying to play with me?

"Because you are behaving like a cornered animal, I figured you would feel less cornered if I gave you some defense. Was I wrong?"

He wasn't wrong. The dagger made me feel more capable of protecting myself, which made my head much clearer. "It's a little hard not to feel like one when treated like an animal. Do you mean to hurt me?" I tightened my grip on the hilt. "Force yourself on me? Because if so, thank you very much for the knife."

His emerald eyes went wide while he gestured around him. "This is the Cave of The Fallen Stars. It's where the Star Mother and her Star Children come to visit and is the most sacred place in The Kingdom of the Forest of Clouds. I wouldn't taint this place with those kinds of acts."

"Then why are we here?"

"The next step, marriage, which can't proceed with you trying to claw out my eyes."

"So, you brought me here to marry me?" I replied, my breathing slowing along with my heart. "I decline. One marriage today is more than enough."

"It's not a choice, as you already know! I won't let my people suffer due to these games you keep insisting we play!"

I made a noise of exasperation in the back of my throat. "Everything I know about the curse I learned from Alma. So, I don't understand whatever she didn't explain!"

"It's part of the rules the curse makes me follow! I'm growing tired of your clueless act!"

"And like I said, you thickhead bastard, it's not an act!" I took in a long breath to cool my temper. "Is there a way I can prove that I am telling the truth so we can start working together to defeat this curse?"

He looked at me thoughtfully. "Make a bargain with me," he said. "You will answer three questions, and I will answer three questions. But if either of us lies," He gestured to the dagger in my hand, "then we will have to drive that through our palms."

"I thought the Fae can't lie." I narrowed my eyes at him and readjusted the dagger in my hand. "But they can be deceitful."

"Fine, if either lies or is deceitful, we drive this blade through our flesh. The one holding the dagger is the one that answers the questions. We will take turns alternating who is asking and who's answering." He held out his hand coated in drying blood—all its fingers now intact and whole.

I looked down at the dagger and then at his hand. It was tempting to accept his offer on the spot, so he could stop being so suspicious of me. But I knew that was impulsive, and I had to be smarter than impulsive.

"Before I accept another bargain, explain how they work. I only have a rough idea from stories," I replied.

"A bargain is a deal sealed by magic— therefore, magic makes you follow its terms. Unless it is broken."

"What happens if you break a bargain?"

"Usually, the bargain breaker won't walk away with all their limbs intact. Amendments may be made to the bargain before we shake on it. But once we shake, the bargain solidified and cannot be changed."

"Alright, but I get to keep the dagger at the end," I said.

"Fine, keep it as long as we marry straight afterward."

"Why the rush to get married so soon, anyway?"

"It's best to get it out of the way at the very beginning before the feelings the curse makes us develop reach their full strength."

"They aren't at their full strength?" I blurted before my brain could catch up to my mouth, and my cheeks heated.

"What you are likely feeling right now is pure lust," he looked away from me. "Before the next full moon and first test, those feelings will deepen into an emotional bond."

"After I complete these three tests, will the 'feelings' for one another be permanent? What about this marriage? Can it be annulled? Just for a second, pretend I am clueless and explain," I added as he opened his mouth.

He made a face like he was chewing on a mouth full of rocks before speaking again. "The feelings, I don't know. This ceremony won't truly marry us, though, since we aren't in love. To have a true Fae marriage, we must be in love when we say our vowels. The curse only states I must wed my bride before the first test, not truly marry her. So, standing in the Cave of The Fallen Stars and saying our vowels is enough to meet the curse's terms—the curse can be deceived in that way."

"I still want it in the bargain that my marriage to you will end at the end of the tests."

"Fine, is that all?" he asked. "Because I'm done answering your questions for free."

I nodded.

"Then it's a deal," he said, grabbing my hand. A small jolt went through me, and I gasped and released his hand as the bargain solidified between us.