Caged Heart

Chapter 27

Darius' head rolled a few feet away from his body, dripping blood the entire way. The king and princess' eyes were both wide and full of horror as each raised a shaky hand to their left cheeks, lowering it to see the dead king's blood covering their fingers. Serenity was the first of the two to break, letting out a blood-curdling scream as her mother had when it had happened.

Caleb's eyes were fixated on Darius' head while the rest were staring at his body. Violette had finally moved from her spot on her throne—the spot where she had felt the most safe as she was away from the antics of her son—and she was now kneeling down by the lifeless, headless corpse of her husband. His blood was seeping into the bottom of her dress, but she didn't care. She wrapped her arms around what remained of her husband, still feeling the warmth radiating from it, holding him close to her as she let out loud cries of agony.

Serenity felt her legs become shaky, and soon enough she was on the ground like her mother was, her head in her hands as she cried—she could also feel the blood seeping through the fabric of her dress, but she didn't have enough strength to care. Three people; this death made for three people that she had loved that had died. The only two remaining members of her immediate family were her mother and her power-hungry, murderous brother, the latter of the two being one she hated even considering as family anymore. At the sound of footsteps, she lifted her head to see her brother inching closer to the head of their father.

He smiled as he bent down and picked up the head, watching in wonder as more blood dripped onto the ground from it. The smile he wore slowly turned into a smirk as his eyes moved from the part where he had served it from the body and up to the crown that had, miraculously, stayed on his head.

"Guards!" Violette screamed at the guards Serenity hadn't noticed had arrived, "Guards, help, please! Arrest him!"

"Oh, mother," Caleb tutted at her like he had done to Darius and chuckled, "like I told Darius before, the kingdom hasn't been his for a while. The guards won't listen to you, I'm afraid."

"W-What are you talking about?" Serenity asked, clearly puzzled.

"The guards have been loyal to me and my plan since our father decided that he was going to allow Emerson to come and be a part of the Dahlian legacy." Caleb calmly explained—a little too calmly for the princess' liking, "I just needed the title of king for everything to be official, and—"

"Is everything okay in here?" Nellore rushed into the throne room, "I heard screaming and—oh my god!" She gasped at the sight before her.

Serenity turned her head along with Emerson, both of whom shook their heads at her, "Nellore," the princess said, "go, get out of here! Go to your father, tell him—" before she could finish, a hand was put over her mouth.

She and Nellore locked eyes for a split second, and that was all it took for the two to recognize that the prophecy from the cards had come true.

Two guards grabbed Emerson as one guard grabbed ahold of Nellore, who managed to fight her way out of his grip only once, but another guard helped him with her. Caleb laughed as he finally took the crown off his father's head, which he then dropped, and it made a disgusting squelching noise as it hit the ground.

"Always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Nellore," he said, flicking his wrists so that the guards would take her away.

Serenity made a noise of protest as Nellore screamed and tried to fight her way out of their hold, but no one could do anything but watch as the lady-in-waiting was taken away. Biting the guard that had placed his hand over her mouth, Serenity quickly stood and lunged at Caleb, who expertly dodged her advance.