The Threadbound series : Unraveling

A Tug of War

Alex

It was a new morning, a new day, and I stood before my empty bedroom- my eyes taking it all in. I had packed everything, and Tristan had portaled my belongings to the Senate. My parents were already there. Dad was proud of me, for the first time in his life, and Mom was happy. They both thought I would have ended up in a ditch, drunk and dead somewhere, but now I had become an Elder. It seemed surreal.

However, my moment of happiness dimmed when I thought of Dantes. I didn't know where we stood now.

As if my thoughts had conjured her, she stepped into the room out of a portal. She looked the same, prim and proper, showing no sign of loss or sadness. Maybe she was alright, or maybe, like everyone said, nothing fazed her.

"Congratulations once again," she said, pacing around the room.

"Are you moving there today?" she asked.

"Yeah, Thank you.,Yes I am moving today" I replied awkwardly, brushing my hair. She observed the movement, and that's when I noticed a storm brewing in her eyes.

"Sashelle," I started, not knowing what I was saying. I continued, "If I were a better man, I would say this would be different if we were born under different names and had different duties.But the thing is I like you exactly as you are... all the strings attached."

This was the moment, the moment that would determine where we stood.

But her response caught me off guard.

"Was the election rigged? Did you sway the votes?"

I realized I was wrong about her. So very wrong. Despite her power being air , Sashelle Dantes was a rock. Solid and never swayed. She didn't give up, and she didn't lose. For the first time in her life, she had faced defeat, but she was already picking herself up, ready for whatever came next.

However, I couldn't let her be drawn into this mess, not when so many lives were at stake.

"Were you the violet-haired rebel at the temple?" I asked, trying to bluff, but my voice was stern.

Sashelle's response was cold, emotionless, and distant, just like her signature voice.

"So, is this how it's going to be? I pull one on you, you pull one on me? We keep pulling each other until we pull apart? Is that the game? A tug of war?"

Now I know she was one of the rebels for sure. It surprised me. She was a follower of the rules.

It was a tangled mess, and I shouldn't have come here. She said and turned to leave.

"I won't ask you to stay," I said quietly. Ask me to stay,Dantes.

She paused for a moment, looking at me.

"I won't ask you either, you know," she replied.

I know. Sashelle Dantes never asked for anything. From anyone.

"So, this is it?" she asked. She was letting us go - if there ever was an us.

I shrugged, and she gave me a nod. She began walking toward me, and for a moment, I thought... But just as I reached out for her, she disappeared into a portal inches in front of my face.This was how it had been from the beginning—I was always too close yet she was always so far away.

As the portals closed, she sealed her fate.