The Unwanted Princess

Flora and faunids

The dream passed by Roedin as quickly as it had come. He had climbed high on a mountain, the wind pulling at his wings as he gripped the warm rocks with his hands. Why he was climbing and not flying, he couldn't say. As he summited the peak a blast of cold air slammed into him, knocking him off balance. He tried to look out on the mountain range to get his bearings but the wind was so strong he couldn't open his eyes. It was freezing and he noticed his wings icing up. He started walking down when he tripped and fell off the side, unable to fly.

He woke in a cold sweat, shivering as the freezing air continued to bite his face. Confused, he looked around the dark room and saw that the balcony door was open and a small dusting of snow collected on the threshold. He threw off the bed covers and rose to close it, but instead stepped outside wearing nothing but his undershorts. He looked out over the city with its lights reflecting off the clouds above. He missed this view now that he almost always slept at Ember Place. He needed to stay close since she had trouble sleeping alone and didn't trust sapiens.

The balcony door opened behind him again and soft footsteps crunched in the snow. She slipped her muscled arm around his back, tucked up under the base of his wings. He lifted his elbow over her head and draped it around her shoulders pulling her in close.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" she whispered, leaning into his warm body.

"No. I had a dream. I fell." He squeezed her gently. She was naked, wrapped only in a sheet. "You should go back to sleep; it's not yet dawn."

She nuzzled into his chest. "Come with me."

Roedin tilted his face to her head and inhaled her sweet scent, burying his nose in her auburn hair. "I'm trying."

She began to shiver. He turned and wrapped both arms around her rubbing his hands down her scarred back. The shivering increased and he spread his wings to shield her from the winter wind. Her body began to convulse violently in his arms. She looked up at him, tears of blood leaking from her eyes.

Roedin wiped them away but only smeared more blood on her face. His hands were covered in blood.

Weeping now she stepped back from him with a dagger held in front of her. Roedin looked down to see a gaping wound in his abdomen. He touched his warm blood then looked up at Avery in confusion.

"I didn't mean to," he said.

"You can't keep me here."

Roedin cried out and sat up in bed, clutching his abdomen. The sheets were knotted around him, duvet tossed to the floor. He was in his room at Ember Place, as expected, a winter storm rattling the windows. Avery's amulet sat on his bedside table where he had left it.

He untangled himself from the sheets and stumbled over to the bathing room, not bothering to turn on any lights. The swirling snow outside picked up the city lights and painted patterns on tiled floor. He splashed cold water on his face and then wiped it dry, before throwing on a pair of loose pants and buttoning a shirt around his wings.

In the hallway he saw light leaking out from under Sari and Hayden's door. They had likely been awake for hours, if Hayden had slept at all. He was constantly pouring over reports from the territory, mapping out the movements of the rogue faunids and moving troops around to defend vulnerable villages. They were supposed to travel to Gallen today and meet with Alpha Prime Safira and her brother Tobias. Adelyn would stay with Arctos to ensure the city remained defended.

Roedin walked down the hall to the adjoining room and cracked open the door. A small lumenstone glowed in the corner, the shade projecting silhouettes of animals on the walls and ceiling. The fire was low in the grate so he tip-toed in and added a few more logs to bring it back to life. Cora would check on it after they had left. The house was much warmer than they were used to in the winter. Just like last year, he thought. Silently, he backed out of the room and closed the door again, ready to start the day.