A Court of Secrets and Moonlight

44: Made

Leuruna

500 years ago, after the lie

Everything in this palace was gold.

Gold floors, gold walls, gold ceilings, gold fucking curtains?

It might have been the most obnoxious thing I've ever seen, not that I could remember ever seeing much else-but still. I was positive this took the cake.

The cuffs behind my back, also made of gold, felt as if they were burning my skin. Acantha had only tightened them when I complained. The two males, who I had learned were named Alexander and Xan, did nothing to stop her. Though, Xan, the golden eyed male, seemed kinder than the others. He wasn't entirely for tying me up and dragging me through the forest, and then throwing me in the back of a caravan.

Then again, the bar was pretty low.

Alexander had been nothing but taunting the whole way here. He was leading us now, busting through a set of golden doors and dragging me behind him like the body of a prized game. A long woven carpet led up to a dais within the room, massive pillars leading the way towards an intricate, large throne.

Shocker, it was golden.

A male sat atop the throne, with tanned warm skin and eyes like pools of molten gold. His light blonde hair was short and spiked, nearly blending into the massive golden crown sitting on his head. Alexander walked up to him, bowing deeply. He tried to pull me down with him, to force me into a curtesy. l forced myself to remain standing.

I didn't even know where the hell I was. I was not bowing for the first asshole to sit on a throne before me with a crown atop his head.

Alexander shot me a glare, throwing me to the ground at the foot of the dais instead. The floor was cold to the touch under my bare skin, the cloak doing little to protect me from the force of it hitting my knees.

"Your highness, I present to you Leuruna, fulfiller of the Holy Apenati Prophecy." Alexander said proudly.

The what?

"You three assholes couldn't bother the girl some clothes?" The King said, his eyes darting between the cloak around me and Alexander.

"She possesses the star. We did not deem it wise to make a stop for such frivolous matters, lest she fall into the hands of the rebels." Alexander answered.

What the hell is this star everyone keeps talking about? That's all I heard about on the way here. The star, the star, the star.

The King only turned towards Alexander, his golden eyes trained on the male, "The ones on your back will do just fine."

The male before him gaped, entirely unsure of what to do. Maybe, this King wasn't so bad.

"Go on." He urged again.

Alexander only shook his head, "You.... You want me to-"

The King looked mildly annoyed as he answered, "You seem to have no issue with nudity, Alexander. Or does that only apply to clearly brutalized and terrified young women?"

Alexander blinked at him a few times before obeying. Until he was standing there in only undershorts, his armor clanging to the ground at my feet. He glared at me as if I had done this.

"Xan." The King motioned for the shorter boy to step forward, "Uncuff her, and take our guest to get cleaned up."

His words were clipped, as if he was trying not to lose his temper. The cuffs around my wrists were removed, a relieved sigh escaping me as I rubbed the red marks they had created over my burned skin, noticing the way the King's gaze was fixed on me. I raised my eyes to him, examining the look on his face. The slight furrow of his brow, the way his eyes seemed to linger on my hands. I wondered what he saw, what I looked like to him as he stared down at me.