Fated To The Fae King

Chapter 23

▪️A L A R I C▪️

Cedric was a traitor.

The throne room was suffocatingly silent, broken only by the soft echo of my footsteps as I paced back and forth. My heart, usually calm and steadfast, now raced with turmoil. My brother's betrayal weighed heavily on me, a burden I could scarcely bear.

Memories from the earlier meeting with the Fae council and the Orc King and his people flooded my mind as I continued to pace the silent confines of the room. Cedric's treachery had been exposed in front of them all, shocking everyone to their core.

I could still feel their accusing stares, their disbelief palpable as Cedric's deceit was laid bare for all to see. How could he have orchestrated such treachery under our very noses? How could I have been so blind to his true intentions?

But now, with everyone gone to fortify defences and recalibrate plans that Cedric would have been privy to, I finally had a moment of solitude to collect my thoughts. Golnar, Kieran, Baldur, and the others were working tirelessly to safeguard the Fae Kingdom, leaving me with precious time to try and make sense of the chaos that had engulfed us.

I paused in my pacing, my eyes falling on the ornate tapestries that adorned the walls. They seemed to mock me, whispering secrets of a time when trust was not so easily shattered. So many questions flooded my mind, but one persisted above all others.

How could Cedric, my own flesh and blood, have turned against me?

"Brother..." I whispered, the word catching in my throat.

The betrayal cut deeper than any wound I had ever suffered, tearing through the very fabric of our shared history. Cedric had been my confidant, my advisor, my closest ally. And now, he was my enemy.

Was Cedric really upset about me getting the crown instead of him, as Kieran had suggested all those years ago? It was a notion I had vehemently dismissed, pushing aside any inkling of doubt that threatened to tarnish the image I held of my older brother. But now, as I grappled with the reality of his duplicity, Kieran's words echoed in my mind with unsettling clarity.

I recalled the conversations we had shared in hushed tones, Kieran's suspicions veiled behind a façade of concern. "Watch your back, Alaric," he had warned, his eyes dark with foreboding. "Cedric may smile to your face, but I fear his ambition knows no bounds."

At the time, I had brushed off Kieran's warnings as baseless jealousy, unwilling to entertain the notion that Cedric could harbour such resentment towards me. After all, we had grown up side by side, inseparable in our bond as brothers and comrades.

But now, as I stood in the shadow of Cedric's disloyalty, I could not help but wonder if there had been a kernel of truth in Kieran's words all along. Had Cedric's desire for power clouded his judgment, driving him to betray everything we had once held dear?

Memories of our childhood flashed before my eyes, each one tinged with the bitter sting of betrayal. We had laughed together, fought together, dreamed of a future where our kingdom prospered under our rule. But those dreams now lay shattered at my feet, broken by Cedric's treachery.

I clenched my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms as I struggled to contain the storm of emotions raging within me. Anger, sorrow, betrayal—each emotion vied for dominance, threatening to overwhelm me.

Suddenly, the heavy doors of the throne room swung open, breaking the oppressive silence. Golnar stood in the doorway, her expression a blend of concern and determination.

She approached me with a grace that never failed to soothe my troubled soul.

"Most of the defences have been refortified," she informed me. "Unfortunately, Cedric's betrayal has left us vulnerable. I know that you're hurting, but you can't allow yourself to get lost in your grief right now. We need our King; you cannot afford to let our guard down."