Tie It With a Ribbon

The next morning I awoke on my own accord, without the help of a rambunctiously charming man acting as my alarm clock and awakening me with a smile on his face. I rolled onto my side, rubbing my wrist from the phantom pain of last night. With that thought, I pushed myself to my feet and ran to the door, pulling it towards me.

“Where do you think you are going?” my disgusting guard asked me, glowering down at me as I pushed past him.

“To have you discharged!” I hissed at him, snapping my wrist as he tried to catch it. “I will not stand for this, Alexandros. You have raised your voice and hand at me, and that is enough to have you exiled!”

“That lion tyrant has corrupted you,” he told me calmly, his eyes speaking of absolute nothingness.

“He has opened my eyes, Alexandros, to what you are,” I spat in his face, hurrying past him and to my mother’s room before he could rush after me. I knocked frantically until she opened the door, and then I scrambled into the room, closing the door behind me.

“Alena, what’s wrong?” she asked, sounding genuinely upset for the first time in years.

I glanced down to my wrist as I caught my breath, and I sighed as I saw the red ring from my guard’s “protection.” I forced my gaze to reveal no hatred as I beseeched her to release—and possibly banish—him.

“I have a request,” I panted, keeping my back pressed to the door. “I want Alexandros discharged immediately.”

My mother stared at me for a moment before she smiled softly. “Oh, you just have cold feet. I promise it is normal, and you’ll be very happy once you go through with the coronation.”

“No, that is not what I am saying!” I told her, exasperated. “I want him exiled if possible; I want him away from me and the Nest entirely, Mother!”

“I don’t understand. Are you not choosing Alexandros?” she whispered, pulling me away from the door and helping me farther into her bedroom. She sat on the couch positioned against the wall, pulling me down beside her.

“No, but that is not why I want him discharged. He attacked me! He has been raising his voice at me lately, and he even rose his hand against me. Look, he grabbed my wrist!” I told her, rubbing my wrist tenderly. “And he wouldn’t even allow me to leave me bedroom—I had to push past him just to come here. He says I am to stay in my room for two weeks!”

She frowned, standing carefully and pacing across the open floor. “You do realize you are not Queen yet—I am. I have to go through the process, and it is entirely unorthodox to have a personal guard discharged or banished. Is there anything you’re not telling me?”

I looked down. I could not betray Zanzibar’s trust and tell her about Alexandros the Leonian spy.

I shook my head sadly. “He is abusing his power—and me. Isn’t that enough?”

My mother glanced over to me, sighing softly as she stepped up to me reservedly. “Are you sure he has harmed his charge and next Queen?” I nodded furiously, begging her to throw him out before he ruined everything. “Okay, I will bring it up with everyone, and we will see what’s going to happen. Until then he is not your personal guard. I will tell him of his demotion, and you are not to be near him, alright?”

“Easily,” I muttered. “And I wanted to discuss the coronation with you. I would like it to take place in four days.” That would leave time for Zanzibar and I to finish his coronation from the day before and be ready for mine.

“Oh. So you know who will be your King?”

I nodded. “Without a doubt.”

She smiled nervously. “When do I get to meet him?”

“When everyone else does. Actually, I’m going to run over and see him now. Would that be alright?”

She nodded. “Why would you need to ask?”

“No reason,” I muttered, pushing myself away from the couch.

The door closed behind me, and I looked straight ahead as I walked past Alexandros, hurrying down staircase after staircase until I was in the marketplace. My heart sank as I saw the row of guards blocking the way to the forest, and I realized that marrying the King of the enemy was going to be a lot more difficult than I had thought.

I sighed, turning around and deciding to return to my room. My breaths caught in my throat as I saw him standing there, that lopsided grin on his pale face. His eyes were not golden as I liked, but seeing him was good enough.

“Zanzibar!” I whispered, glancing around. “How did you get here without the guards seeing you? Are you crazy?”

“Crazy in love,” he teased, reaching out to catch my hand. He stopped himself just in time, furrowing his brow. “This is so annoying, Alena.”

I smiled, nodding in agreement. “We need to talk.”

“I should think so!” he hissed in a whisper. “I would like to discuss how you want me to kill that insufferable man.”

“Please, I’m being serious.”

“And you think I’m not? I’ll maim him myself if I have to, Alena. Don’t think I won’t! I told him not to pry, did I not? I gave him fair warning! And he had no right to touch you! I—I’m going to kill him!”

“Shh,” I begged, glancing around as people started to stare at the spectacle he was causing. “We’re not at the Den, Zanzibar. I spoke to my mother, and I’m sure he’ll be discharged and exiled.”

“That’s not enough.” He caught my hand, ignoring the stares. “Alena, might we go? The birds are ruffling my feathers.” He turned to them, glaring. “What? Have you never seen a thing called love before?” he shouted, pulling me towards the Nest as I gaped.

He led me up the stairs, somehow managing to remember the way to my bedroom. Zanzibar was raging as he stormed up to my door, looking absolutely furious at the fact that Alexandros was no longer standing there. He turned to me, kissing me suddenly, almost urgently.

“I’ll behave now,” he murmured so very quietly, a sad look in his fake eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve made a mess of things. There’s three days until my coronation, if you wish to back out now.”

I shook my head, slipping out of his arms. “You have made a terrible mess, but I’m not backing out. But how am I going to get to the Den with these guards babysitting me all day? And getting back will be tricky as well, because my coronation is the day after yours, Zanzibar.”

“I hope Alexandros gets a front row seat,” he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll sneak you out and back in. I got here, didn’t I? Your guards aren’t so tough.”

“What do we do about Alex?” I whispered, glancing around the empty hallway. “Did you talk to your parents about it?”

“He harmed his next Queen, Alena. In my land, the only punishment for that crime is death.” I glanced over to him, not having to ask the question aloud. “As your protector and provider, as well as your King, his blood will be on my hands.”