**Chelsea's POV**
Loud cries began to sound from the child's lips. Esmerelda was sleep, with Thorian in her arms. As soon as his piercing wails reached her ears, she jolted awake.
"Shhh, Thorian," Esmerelda said gently. Her hands shook awfully, as she worked on her dress. I quickly got up, rushing over to help.
One breast was quickly set free. "Thank you," she whimpered, gently, as the Prince quickly latched onto her breast.
Darkness greeted under her eyes. Her lips chapped and often beginning to bleed at random. A continuous set of tremors always ensued when she fed Thorian. She could hardly keep food down. Her recovery was agonizingly slow.
"Ch...Chelsea..." after she said my name, Thorian began to wail once again. Esmerelda was not providing enough milk. The wet nurse from the next village over had yet to get here and the prince has been hungry all day.
King Sirus accidentally killed the first wet nurse... "It is okay, Thorian. Everything will be alright," I cooed gently in his ear, as I glanced at Esmerelda.
She was slumped back. Her breast still exposed. It seemed as if she had passed out again. "Why," I questioned, frustration filling my body as I made my way over to where I was to lay Prince Thorian.
I could hear the door opening, as I did so. "Get out. The Queen is indecent," I snarled, as I turned my head to see the King.
Glaring at me. I gave him the same look of anger he has given to me. After all he has Rowan in the cells.
"Has she fed him?" He questioned, his eyes glowing dangerously. His hair was very much unruly. His beard out of hand, and the hair on his head ill kept.
"Yes," I said warily, my hand instantly going to the hidden dagger in my dress. The King was unstable. Very unstable. His wolf was confused and lashing out at random. His animal did not understand why Esmerelda would not get better and it made him rage with worry and anger. That was how the first wet nurse died.
I watched him cover Esmerelda's exposed breast with a blanket. A growl escaping his lips as he slammed his fist against the post of the bed. Shaking it. Esmerelda did not move.
If he were to attempt at ending her life...I suppose he will end mine too. I will hate to leave Rowan from this world but I refuse to let Sirus kill her without me attempting to prevent such an atrocity.
"Do not harm her," I warned him, an odd look crossing his features as he took a few paces towards me. I held up my dagger. He glanced at it before, shaking his head.
"Put the knife down, Chelsea. You will not have that weapon so close to my son," he snarled, hair beginning to sprout over his arms. His muscles expanding.
I quickly dropped the dagger. If he shifted we would all die. A confused and insane wolf was a dangerous thing...not to be tampered with.
Once the weapon was out of my possession he visibly relaxed. "Has she spoken to you?" He questioned me.
I shook my head slowly. I did not want to speak to him. He has Rowan imprisoned! But I could not refuse to give him answers. "Yes...a bit last night but it exerts much energy. Usually she hears Thorian's cries and wakes up."
He nodded slowly. "What has she said?"
I do not know why this is important to him.. "She has spoke of home. Her kingdom...wanting to see it before she passes. She thinks she will die." I could not say the last part so loud. It made my chest clench. She was not getting any better. Just worse...
His jaw flexed, as he paced the room. "When she awakens tell me."
I nodded my head slowly, wanting to ask another question. "Sirus....can you please release Rowan? He loves you...he does. He was only trying to do what is right."
"No."
"He has vouched for you with Esmerelda many times. I have never tried to help you in any way only Esmerelda and he has tried for you! What have you ever done for him?! Please tell me King Sirus," I pleaded, an edge of anger to my voice. Rowan loved him, and I thought Sirus also loved Rowan.
He had already killed many of the guards who had captured him that night. He had punished them. He had punished Rowan. King Sirus sighed, yanking at something on his belt. He threw the item at me. "Let this be known to my brother, if he comes near Esmerelda or I, I will end both of your lives."
I was innocent, but I understood what he meant. He would not leave me to wallow in this world without Rowan, he would allow me to join him in death. It was...kind, but I did not wish to end my life so quickly. I jerkily nodded my head before grabbing the keys, and bowing to him. I wondered if I should leave Esmerelda alone. Thorian alone with him. "If you hesitate to long I will take the keys back."
Rushing out of the bed chamber, I made my way down into the dungeons. The amount of guards that were guarding the dungeon were scarce. Considering the King made an example out of them...by killing them, Rowan if he still had his position would have to find more willing males....
I passed Fiona's cell. She was sitting, legs folded over one another, smiling. "Come to free me?" She questioned, her voice scratchy. Her eyes were a bloodied red. Patches of fur were all over her arms.
"Never," I spat as she just blinked a few times.
"Did she die? Please tell me she died. If she does maybe Sirus will see she is nothing but a spoiled wench. Is her child alive? Maybe it died. My poor brother. Let me go, Chelsea. I will check on him."
This woman was insane. "They are both much very alive and you will rot in here forever," I told her before I realized that arguing with a mad woman was not on the agenda. Saving my mate was.
I made my way down the row of cells, pausing at where Rowan was. "Rowan...I have the key," I told him. He was lying down on his cot. Hands tucked behind head. "Rowan!" I worried.
His entire being was bloodied. His eyes were swollen...his clothes were covered in blood. I watched as his eyes slowly opened. "Chelsea?" He sat up, clutching his side, confusion in his eyes. "Did you steal that key? Sirus will kill you give it back," he sighed.
"No! He gave it to me," I told him as I began to tamper with the old lock. I finally managed to open the door and ran to him, hugging him tightly. He groaned. "You idiot," I sighed, as he hugged me back. "If he ever has another child you will not be responsible for locking him up," I told him as he chuckled, hugging me even tighter.
"Is Sirus sick? I thought I had at least three more months in here....This is not the first time he has thrown me in the dungeons...vice versa, I have had him thrown into the cellar a few times also," he explained to me as I got up and helped him up. He groaned, "the guards have done a number on me...per Sirus's request."
I did not understand. This made no sense. "If you succeeded in jailing him before why not just over throw him?" It was a question I had to ask. If something were to happen to Esmerelda, Sirus would be in no condition to absolutely anything.
Rowan paused in his walking, his eyes locking unto my own. "If I were to jail him, overthrow him, it would be chaos. Our people adore Sirus. I would never think of it. I have no desire to be King as much as you have no desire to be Queen or see Fiona be Queen. Sirus will always be King until he dies then Thorian will take over. I know this and will never try to change that outcome. I cannot ever change the man, but I can change his actions," Rowan explained to me as I sighed in frustration.
It had to be a royals way of thinking. I had no implications to think like that. Although Sirus is the only King I've ever known, I wondered how it would differ if Rowan was the King. I have no desire to be in a position of power...but Rowan could do it. "You would be a good King," I told him. "If Sirus were not King, you would be one of the greatest."
Rowan continued to shake his head, his injured hand cupping my cheek. "Chelsea...if I were to become King, this man you know me as now..I would not be. Power does things to people, Chelsea. I do not wish kingship on my worse enemy."
We heard chuckling, and Rowan turned towards his cousin. Fiona was now on the bars, laughing. Hysterically. Saliva dropping from her lips.
"Rowan you will always be weak! You have a weak mate, you have had weak moments all of your life! Of course you do not think of yourself worthy of the title King. You call him brother, you are nothing but a hypocrite! You are all hypocrites!"
"Fiona," Rowan snarled, his grip on my waist becoming unbearably tight. "Do not test me."
"Or you will what, Rowan?! You think you are so righteous and mighty! You think you are a saint! You think you can stop my brother from being his true nature when you cannot even stop yourself! Yes, Prince Rowan you are a hypocrite! Who calls a King a brother then sleeps with his mate!"
Rowan would never do such a thing and accusing him of doing something so heinous...set my blood boiling. Before I received the chance to get to her, Rowan had his arm through the bars, and his hand wrapped around her neck. "Yes, yes I slept with Illiana. I did not shy around it, I told him as a man should. You have no room to judge me when you murdered your mate for being weak! If anyone asks about my flaws I will tell them!"
He slept with the woman he called monster? He slept with Sirus's late mate? I do not understand... "I had to! I cannot rule with a weak mate! That is why my brother is a failure! And you, with your weak mate. Chelsea you disgusting abnormal sickness. You halflings and humans disgust me! If I had one wish it would be for all of you to die!" I was shaking now. I would kill her. Eventually. No one like her deserved to live.
Rowan let go of her and she snarled trying to claw through the bars to get to him. "I am done here. Come, Chelsea." Rowan seemed in even more pain. He reached out to me and I decline his hand. The fire I saw in his eyes surprised me as he grabbed me tightly around my waist and began to walk. Dragging me with him. t
He was my mate....people make mistakes. What should I expect from a royal? As thoughts muddled my mind, Rowan and I made our way up the stairs that lead away from the dungeon.
As we walked towards the bed chamber, I could see a a guard with a pile of letters in hand....and Hilda. She was hitting him with her long wooden cane. "Hilda, what are you doing?" I snapped, as the guard looked at Rowan and I with a pleading look.
I glanced at Rowan who glared at Hilda before kissing my hand and hobbling down the hall towards our room. He did not like Hilda and I appreciated him not killing her...because he really wanted to.
"This little dunce will not give me the mail! Tell him to give me the mail or I will shrivel his manhood! It will look like a straw of hay!" She chuckled, as I watched the guard look mortified and hand me all of the letters. He ran down the hall, as he kept looking at his groin.
I glared at Hilda who was looking through the letters, pulling out one specific one. "Ah here you are! Come Chelsea. Your Queen is out of commission so you need to assist me."
Assist her? Rowan will kill me if I am with her for to long. He thinks she is nothing but awful and well half of the time he is right.
She dragged me into a vacant room and slit open the letter. She read it carefully before handing it over to me. "The plan is going well except for the Queen being ill. That is not good. A war is coming," she smiled, an awfully happy gleam in her eyes.
What war?
Dear Fiona,
Has Esmerelda birthed yet? Both King Talon and I are very anxious and waiting idly by for your word. I have a few of my best men to accompany me and King Talon has, after much discussion decided that he shall not bring any of his men. He claims that he will not need them, they will only get in his way. I think it is foolish and a bit obnoxious of sorts, but he is an odd creature. Also I am not sure if I should be telling you this, but King Talon is very demanding when it comes to killing your brother. I have told him the plan is only to kill the child and take Esmerelda but he is not one to argue with. If you value your brother's life you will do as I say and give him a sleeping agent maybe and hide him away.
Best regards,
Everton III
I glanced at Hilda, before looking at the letter again. Did my eyes deceive me?! How was Fiona still writing letters from the cells? Esmerelda told me she had some type of plan but never spoke to me about it. Did she knew they were still communicating?
"Hilda, explain this to me now," I demanded. These men were planning to kill Thorian and possibly the King. Capturing Esmerelda. My head felt very light.
She chuckled, "That sneaky human Queen has asked me to help her make a letter to send to her human dunce friend, Everton, posing as Fiona. But our plan is awry since she is ill."
I was going to kill Esmerelda! Why would Esmerelda no tell me this information? Did she think I would tell Rowan? Anger and confusion wrecked through me. Of course she would involve Hilda! She is insane. "So what is the plan now?" I questioned, through clenched teeth.
"Well...I guess I will have to tell will I not?"
*****
Hi guys
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, vote and comment please!! Till next time!
Ps: Queen of the Dragons is also being updated too. Check it out if you already haven't!!!