Songs of Fallen Stars

6

Elara

Four days pass and Rion says we will be leaving next week to find answers. I asked why we couldn’t go sooner but he just said he had other matters to attend to. I shouldn’t be surprised, he is the king after all, he has many duties to look after.

Thank God we are leaving soon though.

Yazier follows me around the castle from a distance, but I know he’s there. Rosa keeps me company most days, but I long for my cell phone and the internet. Hell, just electricity in general I miss. I am getting bored, there's no electricity here.

That means no phone, no TV, no music. Nothing. My reliance on my electronics is a lot stronger than I'd originally thought. Being able to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and turn on the light, all the small things I took for granted. Flushing toilets. Listening to my music is one of the biggest things I miss. I find myself humming the tunes to the classics as I wander the halls. Maids and even Yazier give me funny looks, they clearly have never heard rock before, which makes sense. The more I learn about this land, the more I can tell it’s more like a medieval fairytale. I feel like I should be the leading lady, but I’m not so sure.

I’m in the library reading when a knock comes at the door. Rosa brought me tea earlier and keeps checking in on me. Once she's satisfied with her check-up, she excuses herself once more. Rion asked me to read up on the history of his lands. I am learning a lot of interesting things. This whole thing still feels like a grimm fairy tale to me.

I’m reading up on Sirens, I knew them as mermaids back home, nothing but a myth. A sweet story we tell children at bedtime.

I can hear people talking in the hallway. I try to focus on my book but the voices rise and I’m too distracted. I close the book and get to my feet. Slowly walking towards the door, it is thrown open. I stumble backwards. I can see Rosa in the hallway, holding her arm as she is slumped to the ground.

She is looking at me with desperation, fear. I look at her assailant. I haven’t seen him before. Everyone living in or around the castle has come and introduced themselves to me. This man is new to me. He’s a bit taller than I am, his lean body closing in on me. His nose is pointed, as are his ears. His cheekbones are sharp, he looks around the room before landing his eyes fully on me. His dark hair hangs in his eyes, so I cannot clearly see his face.

“Can I help you?” I demand, moving to go to Rosa, but he blocks my path.

I try not to show any fear as Rosa shakes her head slightly at me. A silent warning not to move.

“I hear King Rion had a pet he was keeping hidden. I wanted to see if it was true for myself” He says slowly. His eyes slither over my body, lingering too long for my liking.

“I am no one’s pet” I snap. I take a large step backwards, away from him. He smirks and walks over to the chair I was sitting in before.

“Some light reading?” He picks up the book on sirens and examines it.

“You better leave, I have a guard that will be here any moment” I threaten.

“Yazier? He’s preoccupied. You have nothing to fear from me, little pet.”

He knows Yazier is my guard… is he the reason he is not here right now?

Did he do something to him?

His comment about me being a pet sparks a fire inside me. When he steps into me, I raise my hand and slap him across the face before I can stop myself. I stare at him wide-eyed at what I’d just done, I can see the rage explode on his face.

“How dare you touch me” He snaps, his eyes turning to fire. They seem to literally glow red. He grabs my wrists and pushes me against the wall. I squirm against his hold, he holds me in place and breathes down my neck, through the layers I’m wearing his breath feels icy on my body.

“Darius. That is enough. Unhand Lady Elara” I hear Rion from the door. I look past Darius and see Rion leaning against the doorframe.

He came to help me.

“I thought you had left after our meeting. Have you been slithering around my castle?” He pushes off the frame and steps into the room, his energy seems to fill every inch of the room.

His hair has been pulled back into a loose bun, the markings on the sides of his head seem darker now than before. He wears a pair of leather slacks and a loose gray shirt.

He’s holding a small knife, twisting it in his hand idly.

“You care about this.... Pet of yours?” Darius questions him, still holding me in place.

“She is a guest of my court. You will not harm her.” He warns.

Darius looks at me for a moment before lowering his hand and releasing me. I go to move away from him but he shoots his hand out again and grabs me by the neck, pinning me to the wall.

“Darius!” Rion yells at him, taking another step into the room. His eyes are even brighter than I remember.

I claw at him as he chokes me. He is unfazed by me though. I may as well be a kitten playing with a feather. My air supply is running out quickly, my fighting is only making it worse.

“You will do well to remember that you are not the only one of power here, Rion. You know what I want. Do not force my hand. You know how much I dislike dirtying them”. He drops me to the ground. I cough as I gasp for air.

I don’t look up to see Darius leave, but Rion crouches beside me and scoops me up,

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect him to linger in the castle. It’s my fault”

I push him off me and crawl to my feet, feeling my breath coming back to me. He looks hurt for a moment before he gets to his feet and crosses his arms.

“Where is your guard?” His eyes go cold.

“I have no idea” I say as I turn away from him. A single tear fell down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away and straighten my shoulders.

He turns and heads to the door, pausing and looking back at me, “Are you alright?”

I nod and he gives me a soft look before leaving me alone again. I collapse into the chair and feel myself break as the tears start to freely fall. Someone enters the room and I look to see Rosa. She grabs a blanket and places it over my shoulders before sitting beside me and I lean into her as I cry.

At some point, I tire myself out and fall asleep. When I wake, I’m back in my bed, Rion is asleep in a chair across the room, watching over me, I assume.

I can tell it is night time now, the lamp beside the bed is lit and the room has grown cold. I pull the furs up higher to cover me as I shiver.

I feel dirty from Darius touching me. I wonder if I could sneak away to the bathroom without waking Rion. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and my feet touch the ice-cold floor, making me gasp. I peek over at Rion and see him still fast asleep. I grab the lamp and start making my way to the bathroom.

The castle looks different at night. I feel myself getting lost as I try to navigate around in the near dark. I had thought the bathroom was just down the hall, but I’ve been walking for five minutes and still can’t find it. I turn the corner and hit something hard,

“Where are you going at this time of night?” Rion purrs into the darkness. He has no lamp. I suppose he doesn't need one. Not when he knows the castle so well, like the back of his hand.

“I was looking for the bathroom… I wanted to have a bath. I feel gross after today”, I confess. He gently reaches out and grabs my hand, leading the way.