Cienna glanced away from him, ashamed to admit that she was slightly too scared to go back. She didn't want to give Xavier a chance to claim her as his own, or any other such nonsense, not when she'd found someone like Harry. But then there was Madeline to consider. And Kayla, though the look in the other woman's eyes when she'd left had Cienna convinced that she'd never see her newest friend ever again. Tears sprang to her eyes at the thought and she tried to push it away. There was a high chance that Kayla had given up her life for Cienna. But on the off chance she hadn't, then she needed to go back and save her.
"We do."
"We also need sleep," Harry said sternly. "We'll be no good to her if we're too tired to function and make silly mistakes." She nodded.
"I know, but - "
"But they'll be safe while it's night, I think. We can set off so that we're back at the palace before noon. That'll give us plenty of time. I've heard that Xavier's Court doesn't rise until late. Or at least, they didn't used to. Not sure about now."
"They didn't rise until about one," she supplied. It'd been difficult to get used to at first. At home, she was often up with the sun, and the change of pace had really affected her in the first few days she'd spent in Demetra's palace.
"Perfect, that gives us time." He drew her away from the door and towards the bed, making her cheeks heat with embarrassment. She knew that Harry had already seen her in just her shift, when it was damp and clinging to her body, but somehow, this felt different. "We need to sleep."
She nodded.
Slowly, Cienna began to unbutton her dress, letting the fabric fall away.
"I'm sorry, I'll look away," Harry said hastily, but didn't move. Instead his green eyes darkened, turning Cienna's embarrassment into something warm and not at all unpleasant unfurling inside her.
"No need," she said, surprising herself as her dress touched the floor. Stepping out of it, her hands went to the laces of her shift, toying with them as if deciding whether she really wanted to remove it or not.
"Here," Harry said, replacing her hands with his own. Gently, he pulled the ties, and watched with hungry eyes as it fell to join her dress on the floor. Instead of touching her now almost naked body, he focused on her face, threading a hand into her hair. She closed the tiny gap between them and pressed her lips to his, igniting whatever it was that was building between them.
Harry's free hand moved to the bare skin of her lower back, pulling her closer to him. Her breasts rubbed against the fabric of his shirt and she let out an involuntary moan. How had she never known that things could feel this way? Why did no one ever talk about it?
Without really knowing what she was doing, she began to unbutton Harry's shirt, pushing it from his shoulders and forcing his hands to leave her. He pulled away, breathing heavily.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Sure of what?"
"This." He waved a hand between the two of them, and her eyes fastened on his toned chest. He may be a Prince, and he may have been a frog for three years, but the rippling muscles rivalled all those that she'd seen on the men in the fields. She thought about it a moment, and while she wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen between them, she knew that she wanted it.
"Yes," she whispered.
14 Svetlana
It was early morning when Svetlana awoke in a bed that wasn't her own, the dark silk sheets entangled with her body. She looked over to see Xavier still peacefully asleep next to her, almost in a trance like state. Unsurprisingly, or at least to her, they'd fallen into bed together in a tangle of limbs. Death seemed to have that effect on her, but she'd never truly gotten to experience it properly.
This morning the life force inside was more active than it had ever been before, igniting her in ways that she never thought were possible. Maybe it was the elf's lover that did it. On reflection, she was more convinced than ever that love had something to do with how nourishing the life force could be for her.
She lay back down, touching her hand to Xavier's chest. She focused on where their skin touched, trying to figure out where his life force was but finding nothing. Intrigued, she concentrated more, zoning out from the real world and focusing on the inner parts of him. She wasn't intending to drain him anymore, but now she was intrigued.
"What are you doing?" Xavier asked, not opening his eyes. Svetlana snapped back into herself, going through all the ways she could possibly explain herself.
"Looking for your life force." He raised an eyebrow, finally opening his eyes.
"And?"
"You don't seem to have one."
"Do you?"
She frowned at him. She'd never considered that before. She guessed that it was just mixed in with the others that she collected.
"I think so."
"But Marjolein had one."
"Marjolein?" she asked.
"The woman."
"Oh. Yes, she did. Why don't you have one?" Maybe it was a dangerous thing to ask, but she felt as if it was worth it.
"Maybe I sold my soul already,” he said offhandedly. “Are you considering draining me Svetlana? I'd advise against it." He sounded way too nonchalant about his possible demise for her liking. This was someone who didn't give much thought for his own mortality.
"No," she told him truthfully. Well, truthfully for now. It would have been nice to know that she could drain him if she wanted to, a defence mechanism was never to be sniffed at.
"That's the sensible answer." He closed his eyes again, clearly not worried about what she might do to him while he was at his most defenceless.
"So long as you don't drain me," she muttered.
"You shouldn't be worried there, you're far more use to me alive." He opened his eyes again and looked at her with a calculating stare. "Far more useful. How many people know about your gifts?"
"Just one's that are dead."
"I like your style," he chuckled slightly, almost shocking Svetlana out of the bed. He hadn't shown that much emotion in the entire time they'd been together, and even less than that according to her observations in the mirror.
"I like watching them realise what's happening."
"The look in their eyes as they realise it's the end?"
"And the vacant stare that follows?" She was getting excited now, and from the hungry look in his eyes, he was too.
Xavier sat up, and pulled her closer to him, their lips just inches apart. She licked her lips, and waited, enjoying the anticipation almost as much as she liked watching the life leaving her victim's eyes.
"I have a feeling we're going to be very good together," Xavier whispered, before pressed his lips against hers.
Yes, she had a feeling that they were going to be very good together.
15 Madeline
Madeline looked around the room, sad to be the last one left, even if she knew that both Cienna and Kayla were where they needed to be. Knowing Cienna, she’d be on her way back to the castle now to get her. The thoughtful fool. Which was why Madeline needed to be the one to approach Xavier and offer him the one thing he wanted the most: more power.
She didn’t want to do it, and not just because he was an emotionless shell of a person, but also because she knew what she had to offer. It was the only thing that she had to offer.
Sighing, she placed her hand on the doorway into the throne room, not at all ready for what was to come. But time was running out, and if she wanted to stand a chance at making sure the events that needed to happen came to pass, then she had to do this. Cienna’s daughter was the key to everything, and if Cienna was in Xavier’s clutches, then the little girl wasn’t going to be born. Neither was Madeline’s own. Or her two sons either.
Silence fell as she walked through the throne room, and she felt more than a hundred pairs of eyes bore into her. Probably wondering why a simple maid was daring to approach the King. She wondered that herself, but it was too late to do anything now.
"Out," Xavier ordered, and the Court dispersed back to wherever it was th
at they'd come from. "You too," he said to the dark-haired woman that was stood next to his throne. Interesting, Madeline hadn't realised they'd already met, and had only seen the woman in visions before.
"Your Majesty," Lady Svetlana said, dipping into an elegant curtsy and giving him a look that spoke volumes about where they were in their relationship. Though Madeline suspected that Xavier would still have Cienna if he could. He needed her spinning powers to refill the country's coffers.
After everyone had left the room, Madeline opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced with a dismissive wave of Xavier's hand. Silently, she fumed. Even without the knowledge she had about who Xavier would become, and the rumours she'd already heard, she wouldn't want her friend with this man.
"Considering her absence, I assume Lady Cienna didn't send you." His voice was just as cold as her friend had described it, but Madeline refused to be cowed. She was a seer, she didn't bow down to anyone she didn't choose to.
"No. I'm here on my own behalf." She held her head high, and even when he looked at her expectantly, she refused to add the words he wanted to hear. He didn't deserve them from her.
"And what is it that you want."
"I want you to leave Cienna be. And to sign a deal saying you will."
Xavier raised an eyebrow at her demands.
"A deal?"
"Yes. I know you can make them. I want one."
"And what is it that you can offer me? You're nothing but a maid." He should have sounded condescending, but instead he just sounded bored, something that she'd have found off putting if she hadn't been expecting it.
Even so, she was nervous. She couldn't see the future if it was her own, which meant that she was flying into this situation completely blind. It was how she also knew that she'd be leaving her daughter before she'd managed to tell her everything she needed to. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to have visions of the little blonde girl as a child.
Madeline's eyes glazed over as she induced the trance like state she needed when looking into the future.
"The light has the power to destroy the Darkness and restore the daughter to Alventia, whereupon she would be the greatest Queen the lands have known. The dark has the power to overshadow the daughter, and her soul will be lost, turning her cruel gaze upon Alventia and the lands beyond. The Queen of Darkness will rise, and her reign will bring terror to the world," she recited the prophecy that had come to her so many times before. Well, only part of the prophecy, she couldn't have him knowing the rest of it otherwise he might decide that killing Cienna was the best path. And he certainly wouldn't let his son be born if he knew he would be his undoing.
"I knew something was off about you," he said, rising to his feet and circling her like a hawk would circle its prey.
She scowled, not liking the way that he was talking about her. Madeline didn’t call him out on it though. She couldn’t afford for him to back out of the deal, there was too much at stake.
“So, you’re a Seer?”
“Yes.”
“And that is your prophecy?”
“Yes. I first had it when I was eleven years old,” she answered truthfully.
“And how do I make it come to pass?” He almost sounded curious. Almost, but not quite.
“You leave Cienna alone.”
He laughed, but without any of the warmth that most people would have.
“And?”
“You let me leave the castle unharmed, and don’t send anyone after me. Or after Cienna. Including Lady Svetlana,” she stated her terms, hoping that it wasn’t too much. Cienna’s daughter needed to be born too much for this to backfire, and her own children needed to be born to help her.
“You know about Lady Svetlana, interesting.”
“I knew before you did,” she said, swinging her head around so that she could meet his gaze.
“And what can you offer in return for myself, Lady Svetlana and any of my subjects leaving you and Lady Cienna alone?” he asked coldly.
“And Prince Henry.”
He nodded once.
“What do you want?” she asked, already hating that she’d basically offered him anything he could possibly imagine.
“You to stay here until you bear me a daughter.” He smiled in a way that made her think he thought he’d won. But just thinking of Thomas back home was enough to put her off. He may only be a woodcutter, but he loved her. She couldn’t just abandon him.
“No. Once a year, and a son.”
“How long will that take?” he asked. She zoned out again. While she couldn’t see the future with herself in it, she could determine things like the dates of her children’s births. With the knowledge imprinted on her brain, she returned to the present.
“Nineteen years.” She shivered, realising what it was that she was just promising herself to.
“Done. I’m sure you’re aware you can’t talk about the terms of a deal?”
She nodded. She hadn’t known for sure, but she’d been almost certain of it.
“Good.” He put his hand inside a pocket of his jacket and withdrew a roll of parchment, handing it to her. She unrolled it, cold dread settling over her as she read the terms that had magically appeared there. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised by that, it was a magical deal after all.
“Do you have a pen?” she asked, her voice cracking ever so slightly. Xavier smirked, offering her one. Slowly, she signed her name on the bottom of the contract.
“Excellent. I’ll see you this time next year, Madeline.” He turned and stalked out of the throne room, leaving her standing there, reeling from what had just happened.
16 Cienna
The ride back to the castle was fast and furious, hours on a horse weren’t helping to fight the ache in her whole body, even if it did mean that she could wrap her arms around Harry’s waist and press herself against his back.
She hated to admit it, but she was starting to fall for him already, which shouldn’t be possible. She’d known him all of five days, and for most of those he’d been a frog. But then again, that didn’t change who he was as a person. He’d treated her as an equal. That was something she knew most women didn’t find in a partner. More than that, when she’d said she needed to return for Maddy, he hadn’t batted an eyelid, and had instantly decided to help. That was something even rarer. She’d found a good man. And even if she didn’t want to admit to love quite yet, she knew that she’d be a fool to let him slip through her fingers.
“Who’s that?” she asked, speaking directly into Harry’s ear and hoping he could also see the lone rider in the distance. He looked around and nodded to tell her he understood.
“Not sure, think we should avoid them?” His voice rumbled through his chest and she felt it in her own body.
“No,” she answered with a certainty she was surprised she felt.
He nodded again and repositioned the reigns so that their own horse was heading towards the rider. Cienna just hoped that her gut could be trusted and that it wasn’t a scout for Xavier looking to try and take her back.
Harry spurred the horse on faster, and she began to gallop, making Cienna hold on even tighter than she had before.
It didn’t take long for the rider to come into recognisable distance, and Cienna let out a sob of relief. Sensing her emotions, Harry pulled the horse to a stop once they were level, and Cienna slid off at the same time as the other woman, engulfing her in an embrace the first moment that she could.
“How?” she whispered, stepping back from their embrace.
“He let me go,” Maddy responded.
“Why?” That didn’t sound like the Xavier that Cienna had come to know in the past few days, not at all.
“I don’t know.” Something about the words sounded off, and Cienna was even more sure of that when her friend glanced away and wouldn’t meet her eyes. But she was too relieved to press any further.
“Where’s Kayla?” she asked instead, hoping that the other woman hadn’t really given her l
ife for her. She didn’t think she’d ever forgive herself if that was the case.
“She’s where she needs to be.” Maddy placed a comforting hand on Cienna’s arm. “But I don’t think we’ll see her again. Not in this life at least.”
“She’s not-”
“No,” Maddy interrupted. But that didn’t stop the tears that were threatening in Cienna’s eyes.
Strong arms circled her waist, and she found herself pulled back into Harry’s hard chest. She pressed back into him, enjoying the comfort that he was providing without her even having to ask for it.
“Maddy, this is Harry. Harry, Maddy.” She probably should have introduced them first, but other thoughts had been occupying her mind.
“Your Majesty,” Maddy said, dropping into a curtsy.
“You knew?” Cienna blurted out, and Maddy nodded in response. It shouldn’t surprise her, but it did.
“You don’t need to stand on ceremony with me, Madeline.” Harry’s voice rumbled through his chest. “At least not out in the middle of nowhere.”
“But back at the palace?” she teased.
“I suppose. I’ll be back to being Henry there.” He sounded almost sad about that, and Cienna turned in his arms, wrapping her own around his waist and pressing her head into the side of his neck. He stroked her back absentmindedly, offering the comfort that they both probably needed.
“I’m glad you’ve found each other.”
“You knew we would.”
“I did.”
Cienna frowned at her friend’s short reply, sensing that there was more. “But?”
“I can’t come to the palace with you. I need to go home. I need to marry Thomas and live a quiet life.”
Cienna stared at Maddy, not sure what to make of it.
“You’re leaving me?” Tears threatened again, though this time she suspected that they’d fall regardless of if she wanted them to.
“I have to.” Maddy’s eyes conveyed the same sadness as her voice, causing Cienna to worry about what had happened after she’d left the palace.
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