Ephemeral Elysian

Sleeping Beauty [2.17]

There were clusters of random objects being thrown about in a small cottage. Books piled up at a young boy's feet, yet he didn't pay any attention to them as he continued to mutter to himself obsessively.

"This can't be... t-this cannot be."

Alleyn swiped another book off from the table and began heaving. He raised a hand up, chewing on his thumb incessantly as the thoughts of Sien filled his head.

"He's mine, he's mine, he's mine... he cannot be yours," Alleyn hissed out as a heavy feeling weighed down in his chest. "Mine, mine, mine... he has to be mine."

Alleyn felt his heart constrict and the memory of Sien easily allowing that... that nobody holding onto his arm. He let her so close to him and he even smiled at her.

The boy furiously rummaged through several drawers and took out large vials which held mysterious dust inside of them and laid them out on the table. Mindlessly, he grabbed something else from the drawers and looked down at a peppery thin material which resembled the shape of a wing, clipped away all nice and neat before he carelessly snatched it up and crushed it.

Alleyn couldn't help but sneer at the memory of Aurora. What qualifications did that girl have to stand beside Sien? Alleyn was also under the dark fae's care and protection—no, he should've been the only one Sien looked at.

But why did Sien look at her like that? How come she easily earned his affections when Alleyn tried gaining them for so many years? He could barely even touch the dark fae, yet the girl was able to hug him without being scolded.

He looked at her as if she was the most important thing in the world.

The boy gritted his teeth. Sien had always treated him like gently, but he would make sure there was distance between the two of them. Alleyn would always be at an arm's length, never being able to get too close to touch him.

Back then, Alleyn really thought he had it all.

He figured Sien's personality was always like this. Always distant and aloof to others, even towards Daemon. He thought that he had seen a soft side to the dark fae when he took care of Alleyn, but the boy was proven wrong when he saw that look of tenderness in Sien's eyes as he stared down at Aurora.

His hands trembled as they slammed themselves against the table. Alleyn crushed the small object in his hands further and forced himself to calm down.

"I can do this... I can do it, I've done it before," he stammered out.

Shakily, he let go of the crushed material and watched it fall inside of the vial. Alleyn swiped another bottle full of odd liquids inside of it, combining it together.

"He has to be mine," Alleyn whispered as he shook the contents inside of the vial, carefully mixing it in with the dust. "Just like before, he can only be with me."

He'll make Sien look at him. With this, there was no way the dark fae could abandon him.

~*~

Queen Leynna made good use on her word.

She made sure to swap Maddox out with another hunting party. She knew Sien could easily take these new people down if necessary, so the queen wasn't too worried about him having trouble.

The only problem she was facing was Prince Jasper. The young royal was demanding the queen why she pulled Maddox out.

She finally decided to persuade the boy into their plan since there wasn't any reason to keep him away. Prince Jasper had the right to know about his fiancé and what had happened, but when she vaguely told him about the details, the prince went quiet and the room grew tense between him and the queen.