Acacia

Chapter 12

The brief awareness of plunging into the abyss woke Anna from her slumber- a soft knock had echoed through the room. Her heart raced with fear as she remembered her past weeks under the control of another. Another knock echoed, coming from her chamber door. It was a dream, she thought to herself. Once more the knock rang louder.

"Anna," Sebastians' voice reverberated through her. But this voice was different. It wasn't the same attractive growl that she'd come to love, but a desperate call to her from the other side of the oak. Footsteps paced outside, heavier than she had remembered. "Anna I know you're in there, please, answer me." Desperation grew louder.

Quietly she walked on her toes to the window, the doors drawn shut on them. She unlatched it, realizing that the door to her chamber was also being attempted at. Her heart quicked with fear-I don't think this is my Sebastian, she thought to herself. "Anna, what are you doing?" His desperate cries echoed louder within her as she rushed the windows open.

The cool night air rushed in the room as she scurried outside, sure that he was on her tail she noticed a guard standing nearby the entrance of the inn-placed for her protection of course.

He looks like Sebastian, they will believe it to be him, she thought. The image of her love dragging her away, claiming her to be sleep-walking crossed her mind. At once she remembered her dream, Sebastian was not who he claimed he was. She'd been dragged into the realm of the gods by another and he fought for her under his true form.

"Ádis," she whispered. The calm of the night faded as cool hands rested on her shoulder. The wind rose as his scent filled her nostrils, she closed her eyes instinctively, enjoying his touch.

"You know my name," he whispered in her ear. She could feel him smiling, but knew danger lurked nearby. She felt another presence creeping behind them.

"Someone is following me," she warned him. The silence hung in the air, thick with tension, as he cautiously turned, heart pounding. Every rustle of leaves or distant sound of wildlife made him tense, yet the landscape around him remained undisturbed, bathed in twilight shadows. Sebastian knew he couldn't let his guard down; the weight of uncertainty pressed heavily upon him, making each moment feel like an eternity.

"Whoever it was, they are gone now." He said. She visibly relaxed, but he could still sense the tension.

"I-I think it was Marc." Anna's voice quivered, whispering his name like it was the plague itself. Her eyes glazed, the once vibrant blue was dulled by the exhaustion and stress. At the back of Sebastian's mind he feared her mind had been weakened by the events of the past week.

"If it was, best you sleep with me tonight." He smirked, grabbing her hand gently and rubbing it with his rough fingers. Anna chuckled.

"Perhaps yes," she replied with a smile. As they retreated into his domicile, where he would watch over her as she slept, they assumed that the threat had faded. On the contrary, the threat continued to watch them as he gazed out of his window. From the shadows, Marc watched Sebastian move through the room, caring for the princess of Acacia with loving eyes.

As he lurked in the shadows, the flickering candlelight cast menacing shapes on the walls, while the laughter of his uncle and the woman echoed in his ears, piercing through the veil of his anguish. He had meticulously crafted this plan, using every ounce of his charm and guile to disguise his true intentions, but the taste of betrayal was bitter, fueling a tempest of rage that threatened to consume him. He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of impending revenge swell within him, vowing silently that he would reclaim what was rightfully his, no matter the cost.

Frustration surged within him as he stood there, knowing she needed support but feeling the weight of the barrier between them—both physical and emotional. Each sound reverberated in his mind, reminding him of the vulnerability hidden behind that locked door, of the battles she fought silently beneath the surface. Driven by a desperation to reach her, he contemplated his next move, wondering if he should break through her defenses or wait until she was ready to let him in.

Who is it? She was supposed to say, as he knocked. But she was silent. "Anna?" He called, perhaps knowing it was him may convince her to open the door. But still she remained silent. He heard the creaking of the bed as she stood, the soft footsteps retreating away. He called her again. When the window pane opening was heard, he panicked. He began trying the door once more, harder this time. "Anna, what are you doing?" He asked, his voice cracked. There was no question in his mind that his trickery had been revealed.

With a mix of desperation and admiration, he took in the sight of the fledgling dragon disappearing into the moon lit sky, her iridescent skin catching wisps of the moonlight. He cursed the stubborn door that had delayed him, feeling the weight of lost possibilities press upon his chest. Yet, as the cool evening breeze swept through the open doorway, he couldn't help but feel a spark of hope; perhaps this was not the end but a beginning, both for her and for him, as he contemplated the journey ahead and the magic that lingered in the air.

Determined yet heartbroken, he lingered in the shadows, contemplating the depths of his obsession and the lengths he would go to claim her love. The weight of his uncle's expectations crushed him, yet passion ignited an unquenchable thirst for revenge. As the sun rose, illuminating a world unchanged by his turmoil, he realized that his desire could lead him down a dark path, forcing him to choose between love and hate, and the dire consequences that awaited. Each passing moment amplified the urgency of his decision, underscoring how far he was willing to venture into darkness for a fleeting chance at affection.

He remembered the first moment he ever laid eyes on her, how he thought her beautiful but too young for his age. Though it wasn't unusual he'd been long past his prime and beyond the glances of most maidens-especially princesses. But as she eloquently spoke across that council room he could not help but feel a rise within him. It was as if the gods of love themselves had stricken him down with a sudden lust for her he couldn't explain.

That night he'd gone to her chamberdoor and convinced himself that she would fall for him. He'd propose his adoration and suggest to her a courtship. It was Sebastian however who'd answered. The lady had left for the night for some fresh air. At the time he thought he was nothing more than her bodyguard, he knew his true self and as did Sebastian know his. They could sense it within each other, but still Marc pressed. "I love her," he had declared.

"You don't know her, speak to her outside your authority again and I will inform the council how you tried to sway the next in line to usurp authority." Sebastian had responded. Fueled by a longing that had quietly intensified over the years, he felt the weight of unspoken desires pressing down on him, compelling him to act. The innocent yet charged moments—fleeting glances and stolen thoughts—had woven an unbreakable bond between them, transforming his admiration into an all-consuming need. As he stood at the brink of decision, the lines blurred between love and obsession, and he was torn between the urge to express his feelings openly or to seize her by any means necessary, blinded by the intensity of his emotions.