by Ali Winters
Finally, the door opened and Prince Erik stepped through. With an effortless stride he crossed the room as though he were visiting an old friend and a small smile played on his lips as he took her in. Oriana glowered at his casual demeanor, still as intact as ever.
“Hello, Oriana,” Erik’s smooth voice crawled over her skin like millions of tiny glass spiders. She did her best to hide a shudder as he sauntered over to her, ignoring the two men in the room with them.
“Erik,” she greeted him with ice in her voice.
His cool fingers tilted her chin up, allowing him to inspect her face.
“What have they done to you?” he asked concerned, his other hand gently caressing her face. “Don’t worry, they will be punished for this.”
“I don’t care if they are punished or not. You and your people need to leave,” she demanded.
“That may be, but it won’t happen just yet.” His hands moved to lift her arms, tearing the ripped material away and examined the bruises, the corners of his mouth pulling down. Placing her arm back at her side, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief.
“You have no right to be here,” Oriana said, trying to ignore him as he dabbed at her face—doing what he could to clean the dirt and blood off her face.
He continued his efforts for a moment before answering.
“You are a prisoner, do you understand?” he asked, his tone soft and even as if he were speaking to a child.
Pressing her lips tightly together, she refused to respond.
Erik let out a sigh and lowered his voice, so it was barely audible. “Oriana, I may be able to help you.”
She froze, her eyes darting to the men who watched her, ready to jump to the Prince’s rescue in case she tried anything. They showed no sign of hearing what he’d just said.
Erik kneeled down on one knee in front of her, his folded arms, rested on his thigh. “If you agree to a joining, I will be the new King of Soleis and you will be my Queen,” his voice was once again at a normal volume and his words were flat, void of all emotion.
The air was ripped violently from her lungs. Had she heard him right? She struggled to breathe, but couldn’t manage to pull in a breath. Her lips opened and closed in silent protest. Snapping her mouth shut, she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.
His Queen?
Wrinkles creased her forehead as she struggled to wrap her head around the concept.
“Never,” she whispered, appalled that he could suggest anything so… unappealing.
“Don’t fight me, Oriana,” his hand came up and brush a lock of hair behind her ear. “I am trying to help you.”
Even if they had been on good terms, it would never be a union that would take place, “I am betrothed to Caelan. No one would honor a joining between us.”
Prince Erik hung his head, a sad smile gracing his lips. “I’m sorry, Oriana. There is no other way. It will happen.” He pressed the handkerchief into her hand. “Trust me, what I have planned is not so bad. You will see.”
Trust him? How can he ask something like that?
“Even if you force me to do this—it won’t work, whatever it is that you are trying to do. The other planets will never bow down to you. They will fight until they have defeated every last one of you.”
Ignoring her, he lifted her right foot and unlaced her boot, his fingers caressing her calf as he slipped it off her foot. Her spine stiffened as she thought of the crystal hidden in her other boot. Erik reached for her other foot and lifted it.
“Wh—what are you doing? St—stop that,” she said, swatting his hands away.
The two guards moved forward ready to pin her down. Erik held up one hand, halting them then placed her foot back on the ground.
“I’m checking to make sure you do not have any wounds that need immediate attention,” he said as he slipped the boot he’d discarded off to the side, back onto her foot, and laced it up.
That was close… too close.
Erik’s black eyes pulled at her, studying her. The endless infinity of space, empty and vacant of all life or light, except for the thin, bright, sapphire ring surrounding the iris. The gravity of his gaze trapped her and she couldn’t look away.
Abruptly, he stood and walked to the door. “Take her to her room, send in Emerald, to prepare her for the ceremony—it happens tonight.”
With that, he walked out of the room, leaving a stunned Oriana.
She didn’t have it in her to fight as Alton and Micah, who she assumed must be her personal guards now, lifted and guided her down the halls.
Oriana
They had denied her access to her old room. No doubt to show her that she had less power than a glass spider’s leg. Their effort wouldn’t break her. She refused to let it.
Oriana sighed and paced the cramped quarters of the old guest room, set aside for visiting royalty to keep their personal servants near.
The door opened to reveal a woman about her same age. Her pale hair—like the rest of her people, lacked shine—was pulled back into a long braid that draped over her shoulder. She wore a simple cloud grey dress accented with white lace. By the look of her clothes and her delicate earrings she wasn’t one of their menial servants, she must be one of the Erisian courtiers.
Oriana shot a look over her head, to the open doorway, meeting Alton’s eyes. The man glowered at her in warning before he shut the door with a clang.
“I am Emerald and I am here to assist you in your preparations for tonight’s… celebration.” The woman’s sickly sweet voice was sharp on the last word as if she were in danger of choking on it, and when Oriana didn’t respond, she continued. “I will alert them if you try anything.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Oriana said dryly.
Emerald crossed her arms and looked her up and down, letting out an exasperated puff of air before dropping her arms. “No, this won’t do at all. How does a princess get so filthy?” She marched over to Oriana and handed her the package she brought in with her. “Take this and go wash up.” Her long slender finger pointed at a small door.
Raising an eyebrow, Oriana didn’t move to take the cloth-wrapped parcel. No way was she taking orders from this invader.
“Go, or I will call Alton in here, and he will assist you in figuring it out.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Try me,” Emerald threatened between gritted teeth. “Now go, we are already short on the time we need to make you somewhat presentable to the high standards of Eris.”
Oriana bit down on the inside of her lip to keep from saying something she would most likely regret.
Turning, she snatched the bundle and walked into the adjoining room.
Not surprised to find the lock removed, she closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it. Oriana took in the small room; a cushioned bench pressed against the far wall and a claw footed crystal tub sat in the center of the room, already filled with water.
As much as she hated the idea of caving to Emerald’s demands, she didn’t need Alton or Micah barging in here and “assisting” her with this part.
Oriana opened the package and pulled out a thin white dress. She crimped it up into a ball and tossed it across the room. It landed on the edge of the bench and slid off pooling into a puddle of shining material on the floor.
Better get this over with.
With a slight hesitation, she touched the water with her finger. It was just warmer than room temperature. “How thoughtful of them,” she muttered.
Bending over, she unlaced her boots. She pulled out the crystal from the right and looked around the room. There was nowhere to hide it. If only she were in her own bathing room, she would know where to hide it. But this was a room she was unfamiliar with. Hoping for the best, she stuffed it into the toe of her boot.
Quickly, she shed her clothes and dipped her foot into the water. A shiver ran over her.
How long has this water been sittin
g here?
Oriana sucked in a breath and submerged her body under the surface. The chill penetrated her sore muscles, making them ache. Hot water would have been soothing, but this was uncomfortable. She scrubbed at her arms and legs examining the myriad of bruises.
Tears pricked the back of her eyes. How had she gotten here? One day she was Princess Oriana, heir to the throne of Soleis, and now she looked like she had been standing in the middle of a meteor shower. Her home, her family, her friends… everything, and everyone she loved taken from her in the blink of an eye.
“Hurry up! What are you doing in there?” Emerald called, her tiny fist pounding on the door. “If you’re not out in the next five minutes I will send Alton in there to get you.”
“All right, all right,” Oriana answered. “I’m getting out now.”
She lifted herself from the tub and wrapped a thin towel around herself, patting her sensitive skin dry. Walking to the crimped heap of cloth she was given, she picked it up and slid it over her head.
The thin material hugged her body, falling loosely around her feet. It was simple, off the shoulder with a narrow strip of lace across the collar. Long, fitted sleeves went past her wrist and across the back of her hand, ending in a point near her middle finger. The rest of the gown was unadorned with any embellishments, other than a wide belt of grey fabric that hung across her hips. The white material was from her own planet and the cool crystal fabric felt soothing against her skin, but the grey… her fingers plucked at the drab cloth. In true fashion, the dress was created from materials of both worlds that would merge. Her stomach rolled at the sight of it.
Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths. This wasn’t real. They could force her to go through the ceremony, but without her or Caelan’s consent, it wouldn’t count.
No Kingdom would recognize it.
She opened her eyes and bent down to pick the crystal out of her boot. Holding it tightly in her fist, she scanned her reflection. The dress was too thin and too tight to hide it anywhere.
“What seems to be the problem?” Alton threw open the door, leering. His expression dropped a fraction as he took her in. No doubt disappointed he didn’t catch her before she put the dress on.
“Get away from those filthy rags!” shrieked Emerald, as she ran into the room. “You’re going to ruin your dress.”
“Okay.” Oriana stepped back away from them, clutching the pendant behind her back. “I’m ready. I was just about to come out. You didn’t have to barge in here like that.”
With a sneer, Emerald pushed past him and went back to waiting for her in the main room. Alton grunted, his large frame filling the door way.
“Excuse me, I need to get by,” Oriana said through clenched teeth as she did her best to squeeze past him, doing her best to avoid any contact. She hurried over to the vanity Emerald was standing in front of, tapping her foot impatiently, and took a seat on the chair.
Emerald picked up the shimmering comb, and began working out the knots in Oriana’s hair.
“You should consider yourself lucky to marry such a handsome man,” she offered after a long moment of silence.
“Right, I’ve always dreamed of being forced to marry the man who would be responsible for the death of everyone I know and love,” Oriana bit out.
Emerald gripped Oriana’s hair, giving it a rough tug with the comb.
“You would do well to show some respect to your future King. If your Kingdom had acted responsibly, then they would still be alive to witness this ceremony.”
“If you think he’s so great, maybe you should marry him.”
“If I had the royal blood you do, then I would be the one preparing.” She ran the brush through Oriana’s hair catching on a knot. “Not all of us can be so lucky as to be the Princess of Soleis.”
“Ouch, could you be a little more careful?” Oriana asked trying to reign in her temper.
That explains her attitude.
She was not only suffering the same delusions of grandeur as the rest of the Erisian’s, but she was jealous as well.
A soft knock sounded on the door, silencing anything else either of them might have said.
“Alton, answer the door,” Emerald ordered. “And let yourself out, tell Prince Erik she will be ready shortly.”
He marched to the door and opened it, letting in a woman with short blonde hair streaked with ruby strands, cut at a sharp angle to be longer in the front.
Oriana’s heart speed up.
Vashti. Why is she here?
“May I please speak with Princess Oriana alone for a moment?” she asked. Her hands clasped in front of her as she lowered her eyes.
“Hurry up, the ceremony will be starting in less than an hour, and there’s still so much work to be done.” Emerald said with a huff of disgust.
“Yes, of course, Lady Emerald.”
Emerald jutted the comb out to her, “Don’t try anything, Vashti.” With that, she turned and stormed out of the room.
“I’ve been trying to get them to let me see you for hours,” Vashti said with a sigh of relief.
“How… why…?” Oriana’s mouth dropped open.
What was she doing here? The last time she’d seen her, she’d been locked up in the cells underground.
“I wanted to check on you, to make sure you are being treated all right. You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I—” Beyond a few bruises, she wasn’t hurt, but she wasn’t okay. “What are you doing here? You have to help me. They are going to force me to marry Prince Erik. We have to get out of here.”
Vashti’s orange gaze dropped.
“I know, Oriana.”
A sickening sensation washed over Oriana as she took in the other Princess. Vashti was free of guards, and wearing a dark grey dress—a grey that belonged to Eris. She betrayed her and Lucian for her freedom.
“You knew… you knew it was the Erisian’s who did this? Why didn’t you warn us?”
She dropped her head, her short blonde and crimson hair hiding her face.
Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, Oriana questioned the girl, “You told them we were here. We would have risked our lives to free you, and you gave us up to them. They did this to all of us. How could you?” Tears pricked the back of her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Oriana, I needed to protect my own Kingdom. I pledged my allegiance to them, for the safety of my planet. I couldn’t risk them for one Princess. All they wanted was a marriage alliance. It’s not so bad, Oriana.” Vashti smiled weakly and placed a hand on Oriana’s arm.
“Not so bad? You traded my freedom for yours, you had no right, and now… now, Prince Lucian is dead.” She jerked away from her touch.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice, Vashti.”
“Please forgive me, I had to do what was right.” She dipped her head.
“What was right? What you did, wasn’t right. It was selfish. We could have made it to Jupiter and told them everything. We would have saved everyone… we would have saved you,” Oriana’s voice cracked at knowing how close she’d come to being able to save the others, to saving them all, and bringing down Eris. But now there was no hope, and she was condemned to spend the rest of her life with the man responsible for countless deaths.
She hardened herself against the hurt and shame that crumpled Vashti’s face. The Princess had turned her back on the very planets her Kingdom had treaties with, for her personal safety. She didn’t deserve forgiveness.
Vashti ticked her head to the side. Her face smoothed into a neutral mask as she scanned Oriana. The pupils of her eyes grew, all but swelling the orange irises.
“What is this?” She gripped Oriana’s fist holding on to the crystal pendant.
“Let go of me,” she twisted her arm to get away but the girl in front of her dug her sharp nails into her raw wrist, and pried open Oriana’s fingers. She dropped to her knees, her hand still firmly held in the othe
r’s hand.
“Is this what I think it is?” she asked awed.
“It’s mine, it’s all I have left of my family.” Oriana yanked on her hand trying to free herself from the vicious grasp of the woman in front of her, but Vashti snatched the pendant from her hand before releasing her. Something was wrong with the girl. The sudden change of emotions, the contrasting actions… What had the Erisians done to her?
Fire raced along Oriana’s wrist, and she held it against her body.
“Is this the Lumeria?”
“No,” she lied. If she could just convince the woman in front of her… “It’s just a pendant my mother gave me. Give it back.”
“If I give this to King Mobius he will be sure to reward me,” she smiled, ignoring Oriana’s protests.
There’s no way I’m letting this sef ruin the last chance I have…
Vashti crumpled to the ground in pain dropping the pendant as Oriana’s foot kicked out, striking her in the knee. Scrambling to her feet while the girl clutched at her leg, crying, Oriana grabbed the pendant and stuffed it down the front of her dress. She towered over Vashti’s whimpering form.
“If you so much as speak a word about my pendant to anyone, I will tell them how you had it and failed to hold on to it for more than a few seconds. Then you will see what kind of ’reward’ you will get from your new King.”
The door swung open.
“What’s going on here?” demanded Alton.
“Leg cramp,” Oriana answered, motioning to the whining girl on the ground.
He nodded in a dismissive manner. “Are you ready yet?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Oriana gave one last look at the one who had betrayed her, warning her to keep her mouth shut.
Lucian
