Hi There,
Chapter 6 is here and it is dedicated to @colour_splash :D
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SPINACH-
Green leafy vegetables. Enough said!
My school teachers used to stress about its benefits, so you can imagine how healthy it truly is. I am truly not a fan of spinach. I don't like the taste of spinach at all (except when it's Palak Paneer, but let's face it, that's only because of the paneer 😉) But whenever it is cooked at house, I do not let it go waste simply because it is good for health.
It has high amounts of vitamin A, C and K1 that has many benefits like it improves your eyesight; is good for the immune system and bone health. But people who have kidney stone problems and are taking blood-thinning medication should avoid it.
Spinach promotes skin health, prevents hair loss and overall helps in building up the immune system and in times like this, that's what we need!
____
"So. Tell me. What do you think? Which is better? To take action and perhaps make a fatal mistake - or to take no action and die slowly anyway?"
― Ahdaf Soueif,
____
CHAPTER 06 – STAR ESSENCE
"We tried our best, but he was attacked brutally in the head and the injury has caused his brain tissue to swell and bleed internally. His wolf had collapsed within and is not responding to any of the treatments. It may take weeks, months for him to respond. Until then, I deeply regret to inform you that your son has slipped into coma, Sire"
The queen dropped to the chair and sobbed repeatedly, while King Stanislaus clenched and unclenched his fingers, glaring at the doctor, who refused to meet his eyes.
He was furious! He had sent the best team possible for his son and only two of them had returned home, with his severally injured son. In a day, the kingdom lost some of its best fighters.
Alex, the king's chief bodyguard for more than a decade, was killed in the attack!
Alex had been sure the whole thing was a work of some petty thugs, but how wrong he had been. It had been Ash.
Ash was the one who had attacked Saint and killed Alex and... The king closed his eyes and the growl that emanated from him, caused the doctors and the nurses to tremble.
He had sent the best team and now, they had been reduced to ashes. The burnt, broken bodies of the wolves found in the old, abandoned factory of Crescere, hadn't been recognisable.
"We... we will try harder. We'll get the best medical team for the prince" the head nurse stuttered.
"Then do it!" the king snapped. "I want my son to wake up and you do whatever you can to make that happen! And if he doesn't wake up soon, then I am going to close your eyes forever. All of yours!" the king threatened and then marched out of the room, while the doctor and his team cowered in fear.
As the king marched down the long hallway, his bodyguards followed after him and very soon, Oliver, his secretary, stepped beside him.
"Sire," There was something in his secretary's quiet, sombre voice that had the king stopping in his tracks. Oliver's brown eyes flickered to the king's bodyguards once, before he whispered, "I would like to have a word with you in private."
"Not now. I need to talk to the survivors," the king dismissed harshly.
"I am afraid it cannot wait. It is regarding today's attack" Oliver whispered hastily and the king stared at him for a long time, before giving a subtle nod.
The bodyguards left them alone and the king faced Oliver once again, "Very well, the bodyguards are out of earshot. Tell me, what is this urgent news that cannot wait any longer."
"Sir, our team of trackers and fighters have already visited the factory site. There were no CCTV cameras in the area and as usual, Ash's scent could not be traced" Oliver said grimly. "But they did notice something, unusual sir. The bodies of the wolves were burnt beyond recognition and the men were all killed before they were burnt. An investigation is going on to find out more details but the trackers are saying that they couldn't find the bodies of Alex and Gideon sir" Oliver finished slowly.
The king stiffened and then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you mean? You just said the bodies are beyond recognition. How can they be sure that Alex and Gideon aren't there?"
"They are collecting all the samples they possibly can but the trackers are sure Gideon and Alex's bodies aren't there. They think Alex and Gideon aren't dead. They believe both of them have been kidnapped by Ash. The chances of it being true are very much sir. Both are excellent fighters and Ash didn't stand a chance with either of them" Oliver stated as a matter of fact.
"Yet, Ash got them" the king finished grimly.
"I don't believe it was that easy for him, Sire. I believe Alex and Gideon are still alive and they were taken by Ash. The word has already got out that Gideon is missing and so, for now, it's best if we keep saying that he is missing, rather than he is dead. It'll make people hate Ash even more and could work in our favour" Oliver advised dexterously and the king nodded.
"I agree. But even if Ash has taken them, I highly doubt they would return alive. No one came back alive" King stated quietly.
"Alex and Gideon... they are loyal to you Sire and they are fighters. I refuse to believe they will give Ash what he wants" Oliver argued in fierce determination.
"They will not and if they do, then they will face treason charges" The king declared clenching his fists. "Very well, then, make an official statement that Gideon and Alex have been kidnapped by Ash and survivors have seen it."
"What do we say if they ask about Ash?" Oliver asked, confused.
"The usual. He has run away like a coward. Again!" King snarled and Oliver bowed his head.
"What will the survivors say?"
"The survivors will say what I want them to say" King finished firmly.
"I don't understand one thing, Sire—" King Stanislaus stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his secretary through his shoulders. "—Why did Ash spare the Hound?"
"I intend to find that out!"
•••
Sitting on a wooden stool, in the crowded audience room of the palace, Xanthos Zeke stared at space, with a frown in his face, as the doctor tended to the wounds in his back. The wolves present in the room, hounded Karl, the other survivor, with questions, he was unable to answer.
"Did you see Ash?"
"You must have seen him!"
"Did he kill Alex?"
"How did he fight?"
"How did he look like?"
"Did Alex and Ash fight each other to death?"
"Was he alone?"
Questions that deepened the frown in Xanthos's face and darkened his blue eyes, in barely suppressed fury.
The sound of glass clanking made Xanthos blink and he watched as the doctor removed yet another shard of glass from his back and dropped it into the steel vessel.
"Just a couple of more pieces. Then you are good to go" the doctor smiled but the fear was very apparent in his eyes.
"Come on, Karl, you must have seen something" Jake, one of the fighters, urged Karl to speak up and Xanthos watched as Karl slouched in his seat and lowered his head.
"Give us something" another demanded and more followed.
However, sudden silence filled the room when they sensed their king approaching the audience room. A minute later, the doors opened and everyone stood up and bowed their head in respect.
"I want everyone out except for Karl and Xanthos" the king commanded and as everyone rushed out, one of his bodyguards brought forward an upholstered accent chair. The king sat on it, fixing his sharp gaze on Xanthos and Karl.
"Xanthos, since you brought my son back to me, my sole focus had been on his well-being and I couldn't thank you at the time, but I sincerely thank you for bringing him home. At the time, I was also unable to ask you what happened in the factory. Of course, I already caught the gossips but I want to know from you... both of you, what exactly happened. Do not lie to me and do not leave any of it out because if I come to know you have done those things, then you'll wish you had died today, along with my other men." When King Stanislaus emphasized the last words, his harsh glare was affixed on Karl, who gulped audibly.
"Gideon led our team, just like you wanted" Xanthos began grimly, looking at the king in the eye and the king nodded. "When we reached there, they were already expecting us and so we attacked through the front. We had caught the prince's scent earlier on and was sure he was in the factory building along with his friends. But catching Johnny's scent wasn't a surprise to me and Alex" Xanthos added and the king's eyes widened when he heard that it.
"So, it was Johnny who dared to kidnap Saint?" the king asked through gritted teeth.
"Yes," Karl confirmed. "Johnny was there and I saw it."
"Then where did Ash come from?" the king demanded in a feral voice.
"We took down the guards in the front door and soon barged into the building. A fight was already going on when we entered the building because everyone in Johnny's gang had been rushing upstairs. The moment they saw us, they came down to attack us" Xanthos shared quietly.
"Someone else was already fighting with Johnny and his men, Sire" Karl added.
"You didn't see who it was?" Oliver frowned.
"The fight was going on upstairs and it was a scent I couldn't recognize. The prince and his friends were downstairs. I was assigned the task to rescue the prince and the moment I spotted him, lying in a pool of blood, I picked him up and brought him out of the building. He was bleeding profoundly and I asked Miller to drive back before rushing inside" Xanthos shared.
"But Miller refused to follow your orders?" the king growled.
Xanthos gave a half-grin and shrugged, "I am not their boss. Alex is, and he had promised he would get everyone out alive."
"A promise he couldn't keep" the king stated with compressed lips.
"No. I didn't know Miller hadn't left. I had rushed inside and had seen Vance (Johnny's friend) escaping upstairs. I hurried upstairs when I saw Johnny and two of his closest aid escaping from the building. Alex had seen it too and he had followed after them while I went to look for Vance. That's when someone attacked me from behind and bashed my head, repeatedly until I lost conscious" Xanthos growled out, touching the back of his head, where he was hit in the head.
"You didn't see the person who did this?" Oliver questioned.
Blue eyes turned dangerously dark when Xanthos looked King Stanislaus in the eye and said, "If I had then we wouldn't be having this conversation. The coward had attacked me from behind."
"So, what happened Karl?" the king gave him his full attention.
"I... I was fighting outside the building sire. I was to make sure no one escaped. When Alex asked for reinforcement, we went in. I had seen Alex and two others running out of the building and few of us were supposed to join him since most of Johnny's men were down. But before we could follow Alex, there was a loud explosive noise and then everything was on fire. Stinger missile. Two of those from the front side that we were supposed to guard. The explosion almost rattled my ears and the old walls of the factory. The building started collapsing and we were lying in the debris. There was so much smoke and dust, you could hardly see or smell anything. I heard gunfire noises and then I saw two figures coming from the back door. One man and another a woman. They were killing everyone" Karl muttered quietly.
"One man and a woman. Ash's closest aids?" King hissed.
"Yes. They were there and I am sure of it. They killed everyone. Through the fog of smoke and dust, I tried looking for the prince and his friends but I couldn't find them. Instead, I came across..."
"Me" Xanthos finished.
"Yes. Xanthos was on the ground, lying in between the debris and when I saw him, he was throwing off a giant piece of wall from his chest. I helped him and Xanthos saw a bullet coming towards me and we ducked in time. Most of them were down when the wall collapsed on them and then they were shot dead. Xanthos told me he had rescued the prince and we didn't waste time in finding more survivors. We just escaped through the nearest door and Xanthos once again collapsed in the car, while I drove us here" Karl said proudly and the king just nodded grimly.
"What about Miller?"
"He wasn't in the car with the prince. He had left the prince alone" Karl answered the king.
"I see," the king said with barely restrained fury.
"So, that means Ash didn't spare you, you escaped from there?" Oliver asked looking at Xanthos.
"He didn't fight me to spare me and I didn't want to escape... it was Karl who dragged me out" Xanthos shot an accusing glance at Karl, totally ungrateful for being saved.
"I had to. We lost so many of our men and I couldn't...." Karl looked away and the king nodded slowly before standing up and pacing quietly.
"Neither of you saw Ash?" Oliver asked them.
"No" they replied in unison.
"But Sire, I do not think Ash was there. Ash's men were there but Ash wasn't personally present there" Karl shared quietly.
"It doesn't matter to me if Ash was there or not. His men were there and they have executed his plan" The king growled. "They followed his orders and they killed my men. No one knows where Alex and Gideon are and thanks to Xanthos's presence of mind, Saint was saved but I have had too many casualties. It's obvious Johnny is working with Ash" King spat and Xanthos raised his lashes to look at him.
"Johnny ran away to make way for Ash and his men" Oliver pointed out. "Or how else would Ash know where you guys were? We are waiting for further reports. We are tracking everything. We will follow up everything" Oliver swore and the king nodded.
"There's just one thing I couldn't add up Sire" Xanthos began, "I presumed Gideon to be dead, but if Gideon is alive and is kidnapped by Ash, then I understand how they picked him up. Because he too might have been trapped under the debris. But Alex... He wasn't in the building. He had run after Johnny and there is no way Johnny would ever win a fight against Alex."
"One man and a woman" King whispered. "We know who they are— Lachlan Knox and Skyla Vallone. To catch Alex, Ash himself had come there and he wasn't in the building. He was outside, which means he came from the other side. Call all the trackers and tell them to look at the area for another scent on the opposite side. There must be some trace somewhere" The king's eyes shone brightly.
"You can leave," he told Karl and Xanthos.
While Karl hurried out of the room, Xanthos stood up and picked up his dust-covered shirt. "I am sorry, I failed you, Sire" he muttered bowing his head.
"You didn't fail me. You promised me to bring Saint home and you did. You just gave me another clue. I am disappointed with my men. Alex, Gideon and others... I had high expectations" King muttered looking at Xanthos. "What do you think? Do you think they are dead or still alive?"
"They are fighters" Xanthos stated calmly. "If Ash is as cunning as everyone calls him, then I am sure, he knows killing them would be unwise."
"I don't think he is going to spare them" Oliver pointed out sharply.
"He won't. He doesn't spare king's men" Xanthos continued and watched as King Stanislaus, curled his fingers to form a fist. Ash has killed every single wolf sent by the king to assassinate him. He had burnt their bodies and they had seen the photos received from the investigators. "Even when he knows Gideon and Alex are one of the best, he will not spare them. Ash wants something and to have that, he will cross any limits."
"He has no limits. No restrictions. He is a bastard" the king spat furiously.
"A bastard with money and fast-growing power" Oliver added.
"Nevertheless, we cannot let him win. Do inform me if you find anything on Alex and Gideon" with that said, Xanthos bowed to the king and turned to leave.
____
With a frown on his face, Xanthos walked down the long and wide hallway with stone columns. His shoes crunching against the gravel soil on the floor. As usual, his eyes flickered to the claw marks on the edge of each pillar. The marks looked like someone was desperately trying to hold on to the stone pillars but failed repeatedly.
He stopped and ran his fingers on the long, silver lines in the edges, before shaking his head and walking away.
The royal palace was a very old building that had been repeatedly renovated and every stone, every pillar of the building had its own story. Stories of blood and tears. Stories of struggle and fear.
The whole kingdom was once ruled by Zeke's whose name had now been tarnished and given to all the rogues born in the kingdom, including himself.
But there was one Zeke still alive. One Zeke, who carried the blood of the old royal family. One Zeke who still wanted to rule the kingdom.
Lysander Zeke.
Xanthos reached the doorway and stared at the claw marks on the wooden frame, which was more prominent here. It ran the length of the casing and was spread on the threshold. Through painting and patchwork, they had tried to cover the marks, but it was still visible when one looked closely. Xanthos stepped on the threshold— covering the claw marks— and walked away.
He failed today and he didn't like failing one bit.
Turning left, he entered an antechamber that had several leading doors. In the walls of the scantily furnished rooms, hung large gilded photos of several members of the Winthrop Royal family. Every member who had brought glory to the royal family, except for—
"Yolanda Zeke" Xanthos stopped in his tracks when he heard Oliver's voice from behind him. "Previously Yolanda Winthrop. She is—"
"I know who she is" Xanthos interrupted Oliver.
Everyone knew Yolanda was the first-born child of King Stanislaus. His eldest and only daughter, she was the only child he had with his human mate— Matilda Anderson, who died giving birth to their daughter.
"Then you must also know what she has done. What shame she has brought to the kingdom" Oliver hissed.
A smack sounded and Xanthos turned to look at Oliver clutching his cheek with his palm as King Stanislaus stared at him, with dark eyes full of anger.
"You will not speak of my daughter like that" King Stanislaus ruled out.
"My apologies Sire" Oliver breathed out, lowering his gaze.
"Get out of my sight" the king commanded and Oliver fled the room.
Xanthos buried his fingers into the pockets of his pants and watched as the king closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself.
"She has your eyes" Xanthos commented looking at the photograph of the beautiful woman in her mid-twenties, who had moss green eyes and dark brown curls, just like the others in her family. She was beautiful then and she was beautiful even now, in her mid-forties.
"There was a time when I used to always hear it" King Stanislaus murmured stepping beside Xanthos to stare at Yolanda's photo. "She loved the comparison. She loved me."
"Yet, she walked away from you" Xanthos pointed out quietly because Yolanda's betrayal was a story that never died.
Twenty years ago, Lysander Zeke had kidnapped Yolanda Winthrop on the day of her wedding to Anthony Hynson, an Alpha of the kingdom. The king's army had done their best to locate their princess and when they had found her, she had already been mated to Lysander Zeke. However, in an unexpected twist of events and a case of Stockholm Syndrome, Yolanda had fallen in love with her captor and once rescued, she had run away from the palace back to Lysander Zeke and had married him. The very same year they had a daughter, Minerva Zeke.
"He turned her and made her into his perfect marionette. He compelled her to betray me and I will never forgive him for turning my only daughter against me" King growled and curled his plastic fingers to a fist, that betrayed his anger towards Lysander Zeke, his greatest enemy other than Acheron Zeke.
Lysander Zeke was of the old royal blood that had ruled the united kingdoms of Aelius and Scevola, then known just as the kingdom of Scevola. However, when the kingdom got split by the two children of the then King Julius Zeke, his daughter— Violet Zeke, ruled the northern lands, which is still called the kingdom of Scevola, while his son Aelius Zeke, who got the reins of the southern lands formed a new kingdom and christened it with his name.
Lysander Zeke was the descendent of King Aelius Zeke and a true born Zeke. Though the Zeke's have lost their kingdom, Lysander legally still owned several acres of land and was an agriculturist by profession. Rich and powerful, he had been quite vocal about his hatred to the Imperium Throne. He also had his band of followers in the kingdom, whose sole aim was to overthrow King Stanislaus, whom they called manipulative and corrupt.
Words that Xanthos disagreed with.
"You forgave her?" Xanthos asked without looking at the king.
"She is my daughter and I love her. I will forgive her for anything. Even this" King Stanislaus stated.
"But she never came back" Xanthos pointed out with a frown in his face because he couldn't understand how the king was able to forgive his daughter, who had betrayed him and run away with the enemy.
"No. She chose him" King Stanislaus lowered his head and Xanthos's frown deepened.
Fucked up, love! He thought as he watched the king walk away, with head bent in apparent sadness.
It was widely known that Yolanda had been raped and impregnated when she was kidnapped by Lysander, yet she had chosen him over her father, who had only ever loved her. How messed up was that?
Xanthos never understood that emotion— Love. He hadn't seen it. He hadn't experienced it.
Maybe his biological parents had loved him, Xanthos wasn't sure of that, but his adoptive parents did not love him. They were abusive drunkards who had constantly blamed him for everything that went wrong in their sad, unhappy lives.
Xanthos's father had been a wolf and his mother had been a human. They had died within a year of his birth and the custody rights had been given to his mother's sister, who was married to an abusive drunk. For thirteen years, Xanthos had lived with them and once he had shifted into his wolf, he had claimed his freedom only to be captured again.
No, Xanthos did not understand love and he did not want it. It twisted and weakened people. He could see with his own eyes what it did to the king, the greatest man he had ever met. His love for his undeserving children had weakened him.
Xanthos didn't need such emotion. He didn't need any emotion, period. Emotions fucked up everything. It made one lose focus and Xanthos always wanted to be in focus. He couldn't afford to get distracted by anything.
A growl escaped from his mouth and he stared at the photo of the woman again. How the king was able to forgive Yolanda, he could never understand.
•••
Stepping into the wide balcony at the top floor of Lysander Zeke's sprawling mansion, Cyane stared unappreciatively at the glorious view of Lake Candor Depths. She pressed the jacket closer to her chest as the cool, evening breeze made her shiver.
Walking barefoot, Cyane reached for the steel railings mounting the stone parapet walls in a tight grip and closed her eyes. All she could see was Gideon standing near the window and waving at her.
That had been just hours ago and now, Gideon was missing... kidnapped by Ash.
Gideon was strong. A very good fighter and an Alpha Blood. Cyane found it difficult to believe that he could have been kidnapped. It was impossible unless done by deceit.
For the umpteenth time, since she got the news, Cyane wished she had gone back when she didn't find him near the window. She wished she hadn't taken his phone before flying away. It would have helped Lysander track him.
The glass door slid opened and Cyane heard Yolanda behind her. "How is she?" Cyane enquired about Minerva, who had shifted into her wolf, the moment she learned her mate had been kidnapped.
"She has gone out for a run" Yolanda replied calmly and Cyane nodded. "She can feel his pain and so far, she feels that he is unhurt."
Cyane was a little relieved to hear that but she was still shaken by the fact that Gideon's life was in danger because of her. It pained her fragile heart because Yolanda and her family had only ever been kind to her and yet, she had brought so much sadness into their lives.
"But she cannot communicate with him?" Cyane asked.
"No. Gideon is not from our pack. He is under the king's rule" Yolanda pointed out, standing beside her and watching her with moss green eyes. Eyes Cyane couldn't meet because she felt guilty.
"I am sorry" she ground out, holding back the sob threatening to burst out. "I am so very sorry. It's all my fault."
Cyane was the one who had refused to believe Winnie and Elvi were dead. Minerva had believed otherwise but for Cyane's sake, Minerva had agreed to venture into the woods, to look for bodies. Gideon had volunteered to join them after Minerva had informed him about Cyane's plan. Cyane suspected he had agreed just to spend time with Minerva, but she didn't mind it. Gideon was supposed to pick Minerva up from her college and then together they would pick up Cyane from the bus stand, where she had been waiting for them.
However, nothing went according to their plan because when Minerva and Gideon had reached the bus stand, Cyane had been taken away by Saint's men. Later, Gideon had got a call from the king to look for Saint, who had been kidnapped by someone named Ash.
So, yes, Cyane did blame herself because if she hadn't insisted on looking for Winnie, none of this would have happened. Gideon would have been fine and Minerva wouldn't be this upset.
"It's not your fault Cyane" Yolanda stated, placing a hand on her shoulders. "You'll only upset yourself more if you keep feeling guilty for something you had no control over."
"They agreed to go only because of me and I... I should have listened to you. I shouldn't have gone behind your back and made plans. You were right... Winnie and Elvi.... I think they are gone" Cyane let out the sob as she slowly accepted that painful truth. "I just... I refused to believe it because I hadn't seen their dead bodies and... Winnie... she was a friend. Winnie and Mel, they were the first friend I had in years. They were wonderful girls and I am unable to contact Mel and I cannot even remember what happened to Winnie and her sister. It's eating me from the inside... this loss of memory. I have tried so hard, but I cannot remember anything. I cannot" Cyane broke down and fell on her knees.
Yolanda kneeled beside her and held her hands as she grieved for her friends.
The glass doors opened again and Yolanda's husband entered the balcony, watching Cyane curiously. A tall, handsome man in his mid-forties, Lysander Zeke had dark blonde hair and pacific blue eyes. He was a fighter and Cyane knew that not just because of the scary scars in his tattooed arms but also because of the way he carried himself— Strong and proud!
"I am not lying. I truly cannot remember what happened that day" Cyane shared raising her head to look at Yolanda through teary eyes.
"I believe you," Yolanda said calmly. "You were struck in the head."
"This time. But I didn't remember the last time either" Cyane sobbed and Lysander furrowed his brows.
"What do you mean last time?"
Weeks ago, he had found this strange girl, alive but unconscious in the road. A few miles away from the bones and ashes of several others. An attack by Ash. Her wings had been out and he had been shocked to see an unconscious Lycorian in Aelius. She survived Ash's attack only because she was a Lycorian.
Lysander believed she had fought back against Ash because she wasn't a wolf, like Ash, but she couldn't remember anything. She didn't remember any attack and she had been unhurt except for a head injury. She claimed to not remember anything and that was... intriguing to him. In his forty-six years of life, he had seen so much but never has he come across a case as mysterious as Cyane.
However, the day his mate, Yolanda, had found out Cyane was Lisa's niece, she had asked him to help Cyane every way possible just the way Lisa had once helped them and Lysander had sworn then and there that he would help this innocent girl, who was way out of her depth here, but who also refused to go back to her kingdom.
And now as Cyane told him how she had run away from her wedding, which her grandmother had arranged for her, he finally understood why she refused to go back to her kingdom. In that comprehension, also lay a daunting truth that something wasn't right. This had happened to her before? She had forgotten what happened the last time too?
"Cyane, look at me" Lysander commanded, his wolf sitting proud and upright, "What do you remember from the last time?"
"I...." she raised her tear sheened eyes to look at him and the amethyst eyes, that held so much pain and mystery, further intrigued him. "I remember leaving the airport and getting on that car. I remember saying goodbye to Izzy and then... I remember waking up to see a canopy of leaves, in the middle of the woods. I don't remember how I ended up there when I sat in the car."
She seemed lost. Her eyes were unfocused and unseeing. Lysander could tell she was trying hard to remember, yet she couldn't. What was wrong with her? Why does she not remember?
"You have never tried to find out?" Lysander asked her because surely anyone would have been curious.
"I did. I told my grandpa's friend and he promised to help me but then... then I heard what happened to my parents and I just left" Cyane sniffed. "Then I found myself in the hospital, here in Aelius. No one knew me, no one had any expectations from me and I... I was free for the first time" Cyane said with a sad smile. "I let it go. I just forgot about it once I was there. I was happy. Genuinely happy because I have never had any friends before and I wanted to make the most of my time here."
Lysander nodded in understanding because he had been her age once and there was a time when he too had been carefree and a brat until his uncle and several difficult life lessons had forced him to grow up fast.
"Do you know anyone who might be able to help? Who might remember what you have forgotten the first time around?" Lysander questioned because once might be an incident and twice a coincidence but this... this to him seemed to him like a pattern.
Something was happening and now, he wanted to go to the crux of the matter and find out everything.
First, he had to find out information about what had happened to her in Scevola Airport and then, he had to find out why Ash was targeting her because the recent attack in the woods was done by Ash himself. Only he was the one who would leave behind the ashes of his victim. But why spare Cyane? Who was she to Ash? Or is Ash unable to hurt Cyane because she is a Sylvan? Can they help in killing Ash?
"Izzy"
"The driver? Just her?" Lysander asked, "What about the other driver?"
"Matt? I don't know him. I don't even remember his face clearly" Cyane scratched her head.
"Anyone else other than this Izzy, Winnie or Mel?" he had to know because this was more difficult than he imagined.
"Zander" Yolanda was frowning at him but Lysander chose to ignore her.
"There is someone" Cyane's purple eyes were wide and petrified, "But you shouldn't harm him. Promise me you won't."
Lysander narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but gave her his word, "Who is it?" Yolanda too watched Cyane, waiting for her reply.
"His name is Mr Black."
___
It was after midnight when Minerva finally returned home.
Lysander got up to open the main door and Cyane watched as a grey wolf, with light traces of brown fur, entered the room. She had seen all their wolves and knew that the brown fur that Minerva had inherited was from her mother.
Yolanda rushed to push open the nearest bedroom door, "I have kept clothes for you sweetheart" she told her daughter and closed the door to give Minerva the privacy she needed.
"She is upset," Cyane said lowering her feet to the floor. She had been lying on the couch, almost falling asleep when Lysander had announced that Minerva had returned. He had been in the balcony upstairs watching, waiting for his daughter to return home.
"Their bond is strong and it does... things to her, when she is not with him" Yolanda said softly, sitting on the couch beside Cyane. If Minerva hadn't revealed her mother's age, Cyane would never have guessed that Yolanda was in her mid-forties.
"I have heard a lot about it from my grandfather. About mates" Cyane smiled. "My grandfather believes I have one too."
"You might. You never know" Yolanda said and Cyane watched as her eyes, flickered back to the bedroom door.
When she looked at the close bond between Yolanda and Minerva, she always missed her mother. Cyane did love her grandmamma but the queen wasn't her mother and was not known to be an affectionate person. Cyane, who had lost her mother at a young age, had always felt the loss the most when she came across other mothers lovingly take care of their child.
When Yolanda sensed Minerva was taking a shower, she sighed a little.
"I am not a wolf," Cyane told instead.
"No. You are a fairy" Yolanda agreed, "But you are also a wolf's daughter; Never forget that." Yolanda placed her hands upon Cyane and smiled lovingly.
There was something so warm and gentle about Yolanda, that Cyane instinctively wanted to hug her.
"That's what Poppy always says" Cyane shared and her smile faded as she wondered how they would react when she finally went home. After today's incident, Cyane knew she had to return home.
There were only two things that stopped her. One— Mr Black hadn't come back to her after she let him leave and Two— Gideon was missing and Cyane did feel a bit responsible for that, no matter what Yolanda said.
Gideon had helped her escape from that hole and now, she had to help him. She wished there was something she could do. Something to help the people who had helped her. Something that would ease the guilt. Something that made her feel she was worthy of being a Lycoris Princess.
The bedroom door was pushed open and Minerva walked in. A slender girl, just out of her teens, Minerva was exceptionally pretty and although she had the same dark brown ringlets as her mother, her eyes were the exact blue shade as her father's.
"Did you guys have dinner?" she questioned her mother.
"No. We were—"
"You should have had dinner" she interrupted her mother with a frown. "I am okay. Don't stress yourself worrying about me" she shook her head and walked towards the dining room.
Ten minutes later, they were all seated on the table as the maids served them dinner. "You were out for long so naturally, we were worried," Yolanda said as Minerva added more beans to her mother's plate.
"That doesn't mean you have to skip dinner for me. It's not healthy" Minerva argued as she passed on the beans to Cyane.
"My men are at work. It might take some time but we will find out where Gideon has been taken" Lysander, who was seated on the head of the table, shared with a worried expression on his face.
"Gideon is strong and a survivor. He will get through this on his own; I will wait for him. But what I cannot wait for, is to kill that mutt" Minerva growled and Cyane watched as her eyes turned a darker shade of blue.
"Of course, they are tracking him down. We are aware of several of Ash's locations already" Lysander added.
"No, Papa. I don't want to barge into his house and destroy his things. I want to destroy him. The locations are useless to me if he isn't in the place. Tell them to find a location where he is present" Minerva said and then took a bite of her vegetables.
"You do know it's a difficult job. Nobody has caught his scent" Yolanda was watching her daughter with concern.
"No matter how difficult it is, I will do it for my daughter" Lysander swore. "These mutts don't know what it is to be a Zeke. They might have thrashed my family name, but they will never be a true Zeke."
Cyane had heard about it in the passing, long ago. How the name of a long line of a royal family was now used by every rogue in the kingdom. It was done to punish the royal family who had gone corrupt when the power got to them. Though, Cyane never saw that arrogance of power in Lysander, for he was an honest, hard-working man, who very much loved his family but hated the current king and after getting a glimpse of the crown prince Saint Winthrop— the lout who had kidnapped her— Cyane knew Lysander had every right to harbour his hatred.
Maybe once Zeke's got corrupted and the people overthrew them, but right now, the rulers who were ruling the kingdom were also unfit and they had to be overthrown.
"Oh! I am going to make Ash regret using that name. I am going to make them all regret using our family name" Minerva vowed and Cyane believed her.
"I am sure you will" Cyane agreed and Minerva whipped her head to stare at Cyane, who had been sitting silently, in the opposite seat, playing with her food. "I am sorry for today" Cyane added sincerely.
"Cyane don't. Don't blame yourself. You didn't ask to be kidnapped and Gideon did what any respectable person would do. If I was in his position, I would have done the same" Minerva asserted with conviction.
"I did hear the screaming. I did hear the gunshots and the blasts. I should have gone back" Cyane muttered.
"I am glad you didn't" Minerva was quick to respond. "You would have been very difficult to find" she added wryly which made Cyane chuckle softly.
"I don't deserve your help," Cyane said looking at the small, happy family around her. Happiness she just killed.
It reminded her of Anna. I don't want your darkness around my child.
Maybe Anna was right in protecting her baby, maybe there was some darkness within her because Cyane noticed that anywhere she went, she failed to make people happy.
"Your aunt was killed because she helped us Cyane" Yolanda stressed staring at her. "Lisa gave her life for us and what we are doing to help you, is nothing when compared to what she had done for me and my mate" she finished looking at Lysander, who nodded slowly.
"The king's men, they killed my aunt because she helped you, didn't they?" Cyane enquired because she had slowly started putting the puzzle to pieces and now, she began to understand why her grandfather hated Aelius.
"Yes. He disapproved of my relationship" Yolanda answered gravely.
Cyane had found out after overhearing some conversation in the hospital that Yolanda was King Stanislaus's only daughter and that she had run away from her home to marry Lysander, who was not only the King's enemy but also the rightful heir to the throne.
"Disapproved is a kind word Yolanda" Lysander growled.
Yolanda compressed her lips and nodded. "Your aunt helped me escape from the palace. She also kept my relationship a secret. She was my best friend you know... she used to always cover for me and she would joke that she would make me do the same for her when she met her mate, but she never did... they killed her" Yolanda's voice broke as she cried for the friend she had lost.
After hearing the story, Cyane tightened her hold on her spoon because, before today, she hadn't been aware that her aunt had been killed for helping two lovers unite. "Did my family avenge her death?"
"Yes. Duke, your father, he had avenged her and killed all the wolves involved, before leaving the kingdom for good" Yolanda replied and then took a sip of her water.
"Not all" Cyane whispered, "The king is still alive!"
There was a sharp intake of breath and Cyane slowly raised her lashes to look that they were all staring at her in surprise.
"He is" Lysander agreed.
"You hate him" Cyane stated.
"With every fibre of my being" Lysander gritted out because King Stanislaus had only given pain to him and his mate.
"Yet you have never—"
"I had a chance to kill him, Cyane, but I didn't take it. I only cut his hands off for taking something precious from my mate" Lysander breathed out.
"I—" Cyane was at a loss of words and watched as Yolanda lowered her head.
"I didn't kill him because I wanted to show him. He hates my family. He hates the royal family of Zeke's and I will show him that Zeke's are the true rulers of this kingdom. I will have the people overthrow him and I will have a Zeke sit on that the Imperium Throne again" Lysander swore with raw conviction.
"The people, they follow him blindly," Yolanda said as she wiped her tears.
"Not all. There are rebels and we are building an army of the rebels" Minerva contradicted.
"The king has an army of his own" Lysander added, "But it's the people that we want on our side. We want them to see his true colours."
"It's not just the people, who are the source of his power. There's something else" Yolanda advanced. "When I was a little girl, father used to take me to Ferro Locus also known as the Iron Fort. He would tell me stories of the wolves who had sacrificed their lives to bring the treasure that they have kept there. He used to call it the Heart of the Prime. It was a treasure he hadn't seen, but knew it was there, safe and protected."
"Cuore del primo" Cyane used the Italian term and her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "That's what Gian's father used to call it. It's the star essence of Gian's clan. How could I miss such an important thing?" Cyane slapped her forehead.
"Star essence?" Minerva asked through narrowed eyes.
"We... we have someone. Every clan has this ancient spirit sent by our God Supreme himself. He is the one closest to God after the angels. God has sent him to us so that he can protect our clans and usually he appears as a horse or a unicorn. He is not visible to everyone though. He can be only seen by those he wishes to show himself to. He is a very powerful being and his blood guaranteed longevity or so it's known. We call him the Pure Soul" Cyane advanced and then gulped the water down because suddenly she was very thirsty.
"Every generation, he chooses a rider. The rider is not only the most powerful fairy in the clan but also the one who can see him, who can talk to him. The rider has to protect him as he is the source of power to the fairies. Every clan had one Pure Soul but the harpies, in their greed for longevity, killed many of the riders and the Pure Soul of several clans. The death of Pure Soul caused many clans to be wiped out as fairies were massacred by the harpies. To protect the clans, even after the death of the Pure Soul, an essence was created, which is just like a shield. When the Pure Soul sacrifices its life or is killed unjustly, its soul joins with the soul of its first rider and essence is created which is called Star Essence. It is a glowing palm-sized trillion or Reuleaux Triangle shaped object that is very powerful and preserved in the high tower. The Alfonso Clan had preserved it too, but several decades ago, it was stolen from their clan by a pack of wolves" Cyane finished and they all nodded understandingly.
"To end Zeke's rule the wolves of Scevola and Aelius had stolen the star essence from Alfonso clan, who dwell in the deep forest. Nearly fifty wolves had gone to steal the essence and only 2 returned alive. I have heard about the essence from my uncle" Lysander shared. "It's protected in Ferro Locus because fairies cannot reach there."
"Yes. Gian's eldest brother died trying" Cyane said sadly.
"But wolves cannot take it either because it is protected by some witch's magic. It's a cursed place and no one who had walked into the fort had come out alive" Yolanda added and Cyane gulped audibly.
"So, it's because of this thing that the King and his men are so powerful even now?" Minerva asked.
"Yes," Yolanda agreed. "However, taking it from the fort is next to impossible."
"But someone has to" Cyane murmured.
"There's no one who has gone inside Ferro Locus and made it out, alive. Whatever magic is in there it can not only kill wolves but also fairies and trust me, I have heard that many fairies have tried hard and failed. We cannot just depend on the essence to do its magic, Cyane. We must do our hard work and try to help people see the truth for themselves and we need to do it quickly because time is running out" Lysander pointed out, wiping the corner of his mouth with the napkin.
____
Time was indeed running out, Cyane thought as she leaned against the wall next to the window, clutching the old phone, Lysander had given her for temporary use until he purchased a new one for her. Brushing the long, soft curtains aside she looked out at the well-manicured lawn that shone under the pale moonlight.
Decisions had to be made and Cyane couldn't waste further time.
Lost though she was, she couldn't escape from her family, her home and her duties forever. She had to return to the palace, demand answer from her grandmamma and explain her point of view to make her understand. She couldn't run forever. She was the princess and next in line for the throne. For the fairies, to survive, they needed to stay together in a clan and Cyane knew she had a responsibility towards her people.
Responsibilities she had always tried to avoid claiming she wasn't ready. Her people had never lost their faith in her but she had let them down... thrice.
For centuries, the next queen of the Sylvan clan had been chosen through a duel, popularly called as the Duel of the Daughters. It's the duel between the former queen and her heir apparent. It's named as the duel of the daughters because both are the daughters of Queen Cyrena, who was the first queen of the new generation.
A month before Cyane's wedding, the duel had been organized and a good number of people from the kingdom had come to view the duel that was to have occurred between Cyane and her grandmamma. Cyane had been a bag of nerves from the moment the duel was announced. She had trained every day for all her life, yet, she didn't have the courage it took to fight against her grandmother. She had been scared to lose and scared to win.
So, she had done the most shameful thing and had fainted just before the fight. The duel had to be postponed and was to be held after the wedding.
Furrowing her brows, Cyane let loose the curtains from her delicate fingers.
Cyane was aware that she had disappointed her people, first by fainting before the duel and then by running away from her wedding and refusing to return home. She couldn't disappoint them further. Which is why, when she went back to the kingdom, she wanted to walk with her head held high and to make her grandmamma proud of her, for at least once. To make the queen understand her choice of not wanting to marry Gian and her desire to have some time for herself.
Cyane wanted her clan members to see her as someone worthy and honourable. She wanted to receive heartfelt respect from them and lastly, she wanted to prove to herself that she wasn't a loser.
In the weeks she had spent in Aelius, Cyane had learnt that how privileged her own life was. She had been brought up lovingly and pampered by almost everyone in the castle. She had taken these things for granted but had only later realized the value of it all.
Yes, she had been caged all her life and groomed to be a perfect Queen but Cyane now realized that she could have fought back, made her own decisions, state her demands but she had not done that. She had just gone through it all without fighting back. She had chosen to stay meek.
However, after her encounter earlier in the day, Cyane realized that she couldn't take her title or the people of her kingdom for granted like Crown Prince Saint. She knew the crown waited for her when she returned to Lycoris. She knew she was to become the queen of Lycoris. A duty to which she had been groomed, but one she had always tried to ignore.
But that wasn't the behaviour of a queen. A true queen isn't someone meek and afraid. A true queen was someone strong and courageous and one whom people looked up to! A true queen wouldn't be afraid to speak her mind and stand for what's right. A true queen would be firm and would have no regrets of her choices.
Cyane didn't regret wanting some time for herself and not going home, but yes, she did regret causing hurt and worry to her grandparents. She had been angry at the time, but now, she knew they had been protecting her from herself.
There is something wrong with her and though she didn't know what it was, Cyane was sure her grandparents would know. The way they had been super protective of her all these years... it isn't normal and Cyane could see that now!
They had been so protective for a reason and Cyane wanted very badly to know why. However, she also knew that they wouldn't share it with her and so, Cyane wanted to prove herself to them. Prove that she was strong and capable of making her own choices. Prove to them that she can face anything!
Today's incident had given her courage and purpose. She had found her chance and now, she wanted to set things right. She had made a choice.
She firmly believed in her choice and knew it was the right one because it solved everyone's problems. If she simply returned back to her home now, then she would always regret letting this one chance go. She has the opportunity now and she would act on it.
Taking a deep breath, to gain some confidence in herself, she turned on her phone and dialled the number she had, at one point of her life, memorised when she wanted to contact him and get to know him.
"Hello," the voice on the other side said calmly and Cyane inhaled deeply.
This is it! There was no backing away from her decision now.
"Hello?" he repeated.
"Gian" Cyane whispered her former fiancé's name and then closed her eyes when she was greeted with silence on the other end. "It's me—"
"Cyane?"
___
Cyane is learning, growing and now, fighting to become strong mentally. The details of the star essence are important because it forms an important part of this storyline.
Since the stories lead character is a fae, I thought the story should contain some sort of magical object and that's why the Star Essence :D
What are your thoughts on it?
And today is the last day of complete lockdown in my district which means, from tomorrow I have to go to work daily and so yeah, updates will have gaps ☹
Next chapter will be out on May 13th.
Until then,
STAY HOME. STAY SAFE...