Vermillion & Silver

Chapter Twelve || Bleak

The wind howled a sad cry that carried tear-like snowflakes through the open windows of Selene's sitting room. The castle had not yet recovered from the events of the claiming, its halls remained quiet and sullen, uncertainty and fear growing strong in the hearts of its inhabitants. Some of the guests had begun to leave, eager to get back to the safety of their lands, but others had chosen to stay and witness where the fate of Arcadia lay, in peace or in war.

Selene sat on the window sill, looking down at the servants that hurried about the inner courtyard readying the departure of some of their foreign visitors. It was mesmerizing to watch and kept her mind from fixating on what had happened at the duels the day before. She'd been unable to sleep, images of the blood-stained field and the eco of furious growls kept assaulting her when she tried to rest, a constant reminder of how her path was built with the suffering of others.

She put her hand up, hoping to catch a snowflake between her fingers, and an idea that she'd been trying hard to bury came to the forefront of her mind, she couldn't help thinking how easy it would be to let the wind take her, to fall and end it all. It felt like a logical conclusion, a way to make sure there would be no more blood spilled on her behalf, to finally get back to the family she so dearly missed. But deep down, in her bones, she knew that it wasn't an option. She couldn't disrespect in such a way the sacrifices so many had made to ensure her survival.

"Be careful, your highness. You are too close to the edge," General Ferro's careful words filled the room, pulling her away from her maudlin thoughts.

"Tell me General, would it no be better for you if I fell?" She asked without turning to look at him. Selene had not intended to be so confrontational, she'd lost and it was better for everyone if she accepted that, but the sleepless night and the unabiding guilt were making it difficult.

"I have told you before. I do not wish to harm you," he said, almost apologetically, but Selene was tired of the men around her and their promises.

She turned her attention back to the room, Ferro was standing a few steps behind her, with a box in his hands and a confused expression on his face.

"I forgot. You are too honorable to hurt me with your own hands but dishonorable enough to let others do it for you," she answered letting her anger get the better of her, she was a corned animal and this was her last line of defense.

"Alpha Fenrirsen will not harm you. You should not fear for your life," he argued but there was doubt in his eyes that did little to appease Selene. Everyone had witnessed just how capable of violence the Alpha was.

"He will just keep me out of your way, whatever means necessary," she responded. After a lot of thought she'd come to the conclusion that the events that culminated in the claiming had been orchestrated by Ferro, he'd outwitted Hadrianen in his own game and was a few moves away from taking full control of the kingdom. The next step was getting rid of her as soon as possible.

"War is about making hard choices," he justified with a blanket statement that made her want to laugh. Selene had never fought in a battle but she understood more about war than Ferro possibly could.

"Forgive me General, but I have little patience for pointless arguments. We are never going to agree," Selene said and turned her attention back to the cloudy skies and the smell of fresh snow. "I am sure you can find your way out."

The man hesitated, Selene could feel his presence behind her but after a couple of minutes he gave up and left. The confrontation hadn't made her feel better but she didn't regret it, she couldn't allow him to think that he'd done her a favor by not killing her, he had to know that he wasn't the honorable man he claimed to be. He was just another power hungry wolf pretending to fight for a noble cause.