When we arrived at the castle I dismounted the horse on my own, my head held high even as two Night Hunters take my arms in their hands. Holding onto my biceps tightly, they forceful guide me through the doors as I were some simple prisoner.
Beside me, my brothers were dragged with more forceful measures than I. It was quite unnecessary, and I catch Alex wince as he is shoved forward in an uncomfortable position. My face heats with anger, and I pull against the Night Hunters grips. "Release me at once!" I grit out, but my order is met with no response.
Once in the center of the throne room, the nights circled my brothers and I as if were would try to run. The two Night Hunters who had escorted me in still had their hands on my arms, their grips almost painfully tight.
"I demand you let go of me!" I yell in an unladylike manner. I yank one arm away, but the guards come in closer and I pull away my other arm as I attempt to knee the Night Hunter away from me. How dare they all handle the royal family in such a way?
I could already feel bruises forming from their tight grip on my upper arms, and although my eyes were slightly red from tears I stared at them with a steely glare.
"I apologize, Your Royal Highness, our intentions are for your well being." The knight's voice is emotionless, not the slightest hint of an apology in his tone. His reflective helmet hid his own face from my vision, and I stared at my own reflection.
I still had the face paint around my eyes like a decorative mask, but they only reminded me of Magiano. Magiano.
I need to talk to him.
How could he not tell me it was him all along? Why was I stupid enough to kiss a tribal boy I had met hours before? Why did this rebellious act make giddy butterflies explode in my stomach?
How could he break my heart only to steal it right back again and attempt to put it back together? Was my heart in too many shattered remains to be fixed?
I push the guard away from me in disgust, stepping towards my brothers and eyeing the Night Hunters beside them to dare push them around again. My fingers curled into fists. "So you think of me like a runaway dog? Excuse me, sir but I am your queen. You need to show more respe-"
"Anastasia," boomed my father's voice, interrupting my angry accusations. "May I remind you, that you are not the queen yet." His voice is hard, his gaze stony and fierce. My mouth opens and closes from surprise, and I lower my head at the disappointment in Father's voice.
With a side glance of a glare towards the Night Hunters, I approach the thrones with my brothers beside me.
Father's expression is chilling and guarded, but Mother's eyes are red and puffy. Her gaze remains trained on her hands folded neatly in her lap, most likely to keep her tears from prying gazed.
"Thank you Night Hunters, but I can handle my own children from here." Father addresses the knights without taking his eyes off me, and I watch as the guards snap to attention and bow at the waist. Then, without another word, they file out in a military styled line. Their footsteps fall into a rhythmic sound of clanking armor, and only the most trusted of the royal guards remain in the throne room to stand at attention at all the doorways.
Once the Night Hunters have finally filed out, Mother leaps from her throne and runs down to us. We stand in frozen surprise, meeting her embrace with tight hugs of our own. She kissed each of our cheeks with salty wet lips, and cups our faces.
A sob of relief escapes her lips, and she brushed away her tears with the back of her hand. "Oh my babies! Oh my babies!" She cries as she hugs, holding us in her arms like when we were still small children.
I felt guilt settle in my stomach like a hard stone. I hadn't even thought our parents would come to check on us. I didn't even consider how much it would scare them, finding our beds empty and our traveling cloaks missing, especially after loosing James.
My parents can't take another heartbreak like loosing a child. When we finally looked up to look towards the throne, we found Father staring down at us.
He sighed, standing from his throne with tired movements and walks down to us. He was slightly hesitant, as if he wasn't sure how he should talk to us now that we were in privacy.
"Don't you ever scare us like that again. Do you understand me?" His voice is low and serious, and we nod together. I can't help but let my tears fall again, and I brush them away fiercely.
He shakes his head, beyond words now, and joins our hug. The relief in his eyes made it clear that our safely meant more to him than possibly his entire kingdom, but when we let go he stares down at us with a serious gaze.
My brothers and I look away, rocking in anticipation. We all know that we deserve whatever punishment we may receive.
"Although I am glad you are home and safe you each know I have to punish you," Father says, snapping his fingers to remind us that royals never hang their heads. We straighten, looking to him with our chins held high.
"Yes father," we say together, our eyes darting to the walls and the ceiling and anything else in the room remotely interesting.
"It is disrespectful to leave without permission. You scared your Mother and I to death, but mostly you are expected to be examples for your kingdom," he turns to me, lips pursed. "Especially our future queen."
I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks, and I lowered my head again in an attempt to avert my eyes from my fathers.
"You are to be grounded to the castle for two weeks. Unless you are fulfilling royal duties you shall remain in the palace and are not allowed to see any of the people you may have met tonight or any other friends."
I wanted to protest almost immediately, but somehow manage to close my mouth.
I will find a way to see Magiano again. I need to.
I feel that if I don't talk to him I will burst. I have so many questions and that insist of being answered.
Surprisingly, it is August who looks up to oppose. "But Father!" He replies boldly. Father turns to him, raising his eyebrows and folding his hands behind his back. He seemed surprised that August had spoken against the punishment.
"You are to not see whoever you met at the festival until your two weeks are over." He repeats forcefully, but not angry. I could tell he didn't want to punish us but as a king and a father he had to.
August looked as if he wanted to argue, but instead he lowers his gaze and nods. The fire in his eyes made it obvious that not being able to see Enemene Halona made him only want her more.
"Now, we will have no more discussion of this topic. You must rest for the beginning of the trials tomorrow."
"Yes father," we all say together.
"I love you all very dearly." Father's voice returns to a tender tone, his dark eyes pleaded with us to understand why he was doing this. "But if you disobey my rules again I'm afraid my punishment will be much greater than this." His warning is clear, and we all nod as we turn to head off to bed, kissing our mother as we leave.
Before I can escape, Father calls out, "Anastasia, wait one moment please."
I silently curse. They are going to punish me further.
I am the Jewel of the Five Kingdoms.
I should be perfect at all times shouldn't I? That was what everyone seemed to expect from me.
The fact that they expected me to be perfect made me want to be imperfect. It made me reach out to the tribal boy with a broken past that I don't know. It made me want to know him more because together we are just two lost spirits with our wolves battling inside us.
Perhaps I am the bad and he is the good in our relationship, and I have had it wrong.
Maybe I will never know for sure.
I turn around, my teeth gritted. "Yes Father?" I ask softly.
He sighs, his shoulders falling once my brothers had disappeared through the doorway. "I know you already know what I am going to say, Ana." I wince at the sound of my old nickname. "But I have to tell you it anyways," he says firmly.
"You said it yourself. You are to be the queen. If you want respect you have to start acting like one. Queen's don't run away in the middle of the night to go to a festival," he says with a light laugh. "Though, I would have done the same thing at your age. . ." He adds softly.
I suddenly race up to him and my mother and embrace them both tightly.
"Ana... We know this is a hard time for you," my mother says softly as she tenderly strokes my hair. "If we could hold off the contest... We would. If-if James were here..." She lowers her head and tries to stop herself from sobbing at my brother's name.
My heart feels heavy. I hadn't been able to say his name either.
Mother takes a shaky breath, trying to compose herself and not break down. I truly don't know how she holds herself together. "If... James were here, he wouldn't want you to look on the downside of this, Ana. Please, for him and for us. Put your light into the situation."
I nodded, but didn't say anything in return. I was afraid my voice would fail me and I would let my wall break and a flood of emotions come over me once again.
I know my mother's words are right.
Feed the flame, Ana, feed the flame.
I repeated those words over and over as I headed down to my bedchamber. Tomorrow will be the first trial for my hand in marriage.
And you better believe the princes will not know what hit them.