Moonlight's Deception (Eclipse of Hiestora, Book 1)

Chapter 33 | The Sun Att

The iron bars were suddenly scalding hot in her palms that she quickly jerked her hands away. For years, she endured the gift's curse, the constant feeling of dread of being hunted. Clara longed to share her grief and right now in front of her was someone who could relate. After such a long time, Clara no longer felt alone.

"I do," she said in a whisper. Clara rested her head on the cell door, eyes closed, and tried to connect herself with the presence of the prince on the other side. "And however strange it is, I feel no fear now that..." She paused and looked straight at him with so much intensity. "Now, I'm not alone."

Emir drew a sharp intake of breath. "And I feel the same comfort as you do." His lips stretched into a gentle smile. "Are you still angry with me?"

The tears of disappointment had finally dried, but there was still a trace of them in her tender heart. "No, but I'm still upset. I wish you could tell me why." Clara raised an eyebrow. "Is your family in on this?"

"A straight answer to your question, yes."

They fell into silence for a moment, gauging each other's emotions and paying close attention to every contort of the muscles on their faces. Emir appreciated the princess for letting him take this at his own pace for he noticed the quick successions of gulps were evidence that she was holding herself back. And it surprised Emir because he never Anneliese to be patient with him. She'd always been wild and desperate around him, so eager for his attention. And here she gave the same equal attention and he appreciated, even more, her lending ears.

"But it is not to protect me," he added after a long pause, but his words seemed to weigh a ton. "My family hates this power as much as I do."

Clara sensed his reluctance. "On second thought, I don't think you can tell me right now. Only if you're ready." Quite the opposite of her curious desire.

"No!" Emir said loudly with a strong conviction that almost startled Clara. "This weighs on me for too long and I no longer wish to carry the burden of my guilt alone."

"Then let me carry it with you and together, we shall conquer it."

A tender warmth sprouted from the depths of his stomach and such happiness blossomed in the prince's cold heart for the princess just shone a light in his bleak world.

They were in their world. It was just them and no one else. The guards made sure they were as far away from the other prisoner as possible as per the master's order, so Emir felt no fear as he spoke of his past.

"Like the first holders of celestial magic who got their power before the age of ten, mine came to fruition when I was eight." Only you, Princess Anneliese, are the extraordinary one, he added at the back of his head. Figuring he owed her an explanation just as much as he owed himself a break from the years of self-torment, Emir would question her some other time.

"To some families, it is a pride and an honor that one of their own is the Chosen. But what could have been a celebration to us turned out to be a nightmare." A silence followed then Emir sank to the ground, leaning against the door.

"What happened?" Clara said. She too sat on the ground, her knees tucked beneath her chin as she listened to the prince's heavy breathing.

"Mother and I went off to visit a friend one day. Caspian, my second older brother, begged to come with us, but I didn't want him to. If he came, my friend wouldn't like it. He likes her as a matter of fact, but my brother's way of getting the little princess' attention is by making her cry, pout, and scream."

"Well, it sounds like he was pissing her off."

"He did." Clara couldn't see his face, but she could hear the smile in his voice. "No matter how many times I told Caspian his rather offensive pranks and jokes only made the princess hate him, he went on with his silly ways. That's just the way he is."