The Fire Didn't Stop Her

Love's Alive and Love's Died

Cinder walked into the dining area while forcing a smile on her lips. The shorter this took, the faster her departure would come.

Her aunt and Kai were already seated at the long table, waiting for their food. Which was completely normal. But what was out of the ordinary was the fact that Levana was smiling, which meant someone was either dead, or going to be. "Good morning, Selene."

"Good morning, Queen Levana." Cinder took her seat across from Kai.

"I understand that you and Prince Kaito reconciled after the events that took place last night." Cinder's hands balled into fists. She could see Kai's jaw tighten from across the table.

"Yes," she replied simply.

"Well, that's wonderful," Levana sang. "Now, we can proceed in the order of business that I would like to discuss." Her hands that were nicely folded in her lap rose with a prism between them. She placed the black rectangle in front of Kai.

"May I ask what this is? And what it may be used for?" Kai leaned back from the box, unaware of what it contained. But Selene knew what was inside. She stood up from her seat, and a hand was placed on her shoulder. Sybil Mira forced her back into her chair.

Levana lifted the lid of the box. A black ring with a small diamond at its highest point. "You may use it to propose to my niece." Kai's eyes widened. Selene struggled to take control of the woman forcing her to stay still. "And in case you think about refusing. Keep this in mind. If you don't ask the princess to marry you now, you'll never see her again. We will leave back to Luna, and I will marry her off to one of the court members before you become Emperor. She will be forced to stay on Luna, will have to give up her right to the throne so her husband can be King, and you will never see her again. She won't use the netscreens for meetings, she won't attend earthern balls, and you won't come to any Lunar events."

Kai stared at the ring. Levana smiled at him, knowing that she was going to win. "I made of mistake thinking that Selene would glamour you into loving her. Even after I threatened to kill her cousin and friend." Kai shifted his gaze to Cinder. "But now, I don't need her. Because I know exactly what you are going to do, Prince Kaito. You can't live without her now. You and I both know that. And I think Selene knows it too."

A blanket of silence fell over everyone there. From the three at the table, to the wait staff, to the guards posted at the door. Unable to stand it anymore, Cinder glamoured Sybil into releasing her. She ran for the door, but was blocked by two, burly guards. "You can't run from this, Selene," Levana laughed. "You can run from this any more than you can run from him."

Kai reached for the block. Cinder twisted and turned to find another way to escape. But every other exit was also blocked by palace guards. Levana must be controlling them.

"Cinder," Kai whispered in her ear. He was directly behind her. He took her cyborg hand and began to lead her back to the seat that was his. To where the ring lay perched in its box.

He drew the ring out, observed it closely for a moment, and turned to her. "I have come to know you as several different people." No. "Princess Selene of Luna." No. "Cinder." Please don't, Kai. "My best friend." Please. Stop this. "And the only one I'll ever love." Cinder urged him to seize his words in his head. She begged him to stop silently. Even as she pleaded, he continued. "Ever since you came here, you've consumed my thoughts completely. At first I believed it was you, attempting to glamour me. But then I realized that I was the one forming these dreams of you in my head. And that you are the only one who would ever understand me. And care about what I really think and want."