Caged Heart

Chapter 19

King Darius turned to one of his guards. "Round up Emerson's guards in their quarters and take them to the dungeons as well."

The guard bowed and hurried to do what had been asked, taking a few more of the guard with him. The king also ordered that the villagers be made aware of an announcement that would be made early in the morning. He made his way back to his throne and sat down, still seething. Caleb stood next to him, replicating the same expression of fury that was on his father's face.

"I am so sorry, father," he said, squeezing the king's shoulder, "I did try to warn you."

"I should be the one apologizing to you, my son. I was foolish; I didn't listen to you. I thought he was truthful—I cannot believe I was so blind as to see what he was doing."

Violette laid her hand on her husband's, "You are not a fool, my love. He tricked us all." Her eyes made their way to Serenity, who was still staring at the doors of the throne room, "All of us."

The princess' head was spinning. This couldn't be right; he couldn't have been the one who did any of what he had been accused of. The looks in his eyes, the words that left his lips—those couldn't have been fake. They cannot have been deceitful; she could not have given her heart away to someone who would have betrayed her so harshly. But as she looked down at the sapphires in her hands, her heart seemed to shatter into a million pieces. For those gems were the nail in the coffin as to what was truth and what was fiction.

Serenity fell to her knees as she dropped the gems. She could no longer feel pain or sadness or agony; she could no longer feel anything. Caleb rushed to her side, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Sister," his voice sounded worried, "are you okay?"

She looked up at him, no emotion in them—there weren't even any tears. Upon seeing his sister's face, Caleb's eyes widened and his face paled. He looked to his father and mother, shook his head, and then looked back at Serenity. Speaking calmly, he helped her stand and then suggested that she lie down, but she grabbed ahold of his wrist.

"I do not wish to be alone."

Her emotionless tone of voice seemed to rattle the young prince, so he nodded. "I will stay with you until you fall asleep. Do not fret, sister, this will all be dealt with soon enough. By late tomorrow afternoon, you won't ever have to lay eyes on or hear of that traitor ever again."

She did nothing in response. Caleb looked back once more at their parents before leading Serenity back to her chambers. On their way there, his words played in her head. Won't ever have to lay eyes on or hear of that traitor ever again. These words troubled her, but she could not speak her inquiries aloud—she was too weak to do so.

Once they entered her bedchambers, Serenity walked straight to her bed and curled into a ball on top of it. She felt the bed dip where Caleb had taken a seat and then she felt his hand on her arm, holding it in a comforting manner. The silence that had engulfed the room was not a comfortable one, but it was one that was needed for some time. It was only before Serenity had begun to drift off that she finally spoke.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"I told you before," he looked at her, watching as her breathing became slower, "he's a Hallow, and Hallow's have always wanted our kingdom for themselves."

That was the last thing the princess heard before drifting off the world of darkness. Caleb noticed the change in her and slowly lifted himself from the bed, quietly walking back to her door to exist. Before he left, he looked back at his sister and his demeanor changed for a split second: his eyes became cold, and a soft sinister chuckle was emitted from his lips.

"Sweet dreams, sister," he whispered as he shut the door, "tomorrow, everything changes." He walked away from her bedchambers, his mask of innocence returning in an instant.

Serenity panicked as she ran through the halls with Godric. He held onto her hand tightly, leading her through many different passages and halls, some which she did not even recognize. Once they were a safe distance away, she stopped and leaned against the wall, bending over to try and catch her breath.

"Serenity, we have to keep going," Godric said breathlessly, taking her by the hand. The action made Serenity look up at him, "If we split up, he'll have a harder time finding us."

"No, Godric, you cannot leave me."

"I have no choice," he gave her a small smile and kissed her forehead, giving her no other chance to protest as he pulled away from her.

She called out to him, watching as he left her behind; he left her alone. She frantically looked around, seeing where she could run to when she heard the sound of a sword being dragged along the wall. Her body tensed and shook with fear; she was unable to move. She barely noticed the tears that were falling from her eyes as she struggled to hold her breath, hoping—praying even—that he wouldn't find her.

But he did.

Turning to look, she was met with two eyes that were filled with an oddly beautiful insanity. As much as she knew she should fight him off or run, she did not; she could not. Instead, she stood there, staring into his eyes, frightened of what he would do to her now that he had caught her.

She flinched as he lifted his arm, but she felt no pain come to her senses. She slowly opened her eyes to see him holding Emerson's crown and she gasped.

"Do you know who to trust and who not to trust, Serenity?" He said, his voice terribly distorted, smirking at her before lunging toward her.