Tie It With a Ribbon
Nightmares
Dominic’s funeral was brief, and it was not the first one I had attended. I had also lost my older brother, Justice, and my younger brother, Clarence. The only Nicola children left were me, Adrianna and Terrence. Terrence was only seven, so I would be the next Queen. Even still, there was also the chance that I would be killed, too.
Alexandros walked me home, my mother and two siblings staying behind. I had to get out of there, or I knew I would have cried. I could not be a weak Queen, but Alexandros told me that he wouldn’t breathe a word if a tear did choose to slide down my cheek.
I shook my head, thanking him for walking me up to my room and for making sure I was alright even though I hadn’t wanted him to follow me in the first place. He only nodded, wishing me a goodnight and giving me a quick hug that no one else could see. I understood his need to be curt, because displays of emotion and affection would certainly be frowned upon. And as a Royal Guardian, he could not afford that.
As I sat up in my bedroom, I stepped out onto my balcony and looked down to the ground three stories below me. The marketplace was deserted, as was customary, because the prince had just passed away, so it was a day for mourning. I sighed, stepping inside and closing the curtains, so my people would know that I did not wish to be disturbed.
I had lost more than just brothers to this horrible war. For my tenth birthday, my father had been murdered in the marketplace (though mother insisted that he died as a soldier, fighting to save us). Alexandros was the only reason I was still alive. A Leonian assassin had slipped into the marketplace, but just before he had attacked me, twelve-year-old Alex had between us and slipped a dagger into my attacker’s ribs. He still carried the scar from that day when the man had managed to cut his cheek before finally collapsing to the ground. I had only been a young girl at the time, not aware of the politics and death that I would soon face every day of the rest of my presumably short life.
I had also lost the man who had been promised to me as my husband. It was tradition in our society for children to be betrothed as soon as possible. Artemis had been promised to me when he was four and I was a newborn. He had been the epitome of what was expected of an Aquilan suitor. He had always protected me but had also remained so cold and betraying no hint of emotion. It had been my fault that he had died when he was eighteen. He had died protecting me when I had been roaming the fields. At age fourteen, I had finally realized what had been going on my entire life and started going out in the hopes of helping our soldiers. I hadn’t seen the assassin coming, and Artemis had jumped between us, killing the man. The man had managed to pierce Artemis’ heart at the same time that my husband-to-be had slit the man’s throat. Alexandros had walked me home, hiding me from my people as I wept for the first time in so long.
It had been two years since I lost him, but he still haunted my dreams.
“Alena, it’s getting late. Perhaps you should go to bed,” my mother told me, stepping into the room. It was then that I realized that my door had been open the entire time.
“I know. Are you okay, Mother?” I asked her. She nodded. “Good night.”
“Good night, Alena. Sweet dreams,” she bid me, closing the door softly.
I slipped out of my day clothes and into a wool nightgown that I kept in the wooden chest under my window. I glanced out the glass once more before closing all of the curtains in my bedroom.
As always, my dreams were filled with blood and death. I relived when I was wandering the fields and Talon Giovanni had begged for me to kill him. Halfway during my speech, I was tossed into another old scene. I saw Alexandros kneeling beside his dead brother, weeping into his dead chest. I tried to comfort him as I did in real life, but this time he shoved me away. I didn’t have time to react before I found myself in the marketplace. I saw the assassin coming this time and tried to save my father, but I only managed to get knocked down. The man held a knife to my throat, but once again I left that scene. I finally came to the scene with my betrothed dying for me. I tried to save him but only managed to get Alex killed, too.
Unfortunately, my mind had come up with another way to torment me. I felt screams rising in my throat as I saw a pair of strikingly golden eyes right in front of me. I had only seen pictures of him before, but that was enough to make me terrified.
Standing before me was Zanzibar Giovanni, the only remaining prince of the Giovanni line. As his eyes fell upon mine, I froze. My body refused to react, and all I could do was watch in terror as he stepped ever closer.
I let out a bloodcurdling scream, begging myself to awaken.
The next thing I knew Alex was shaking me, asking what was wrong and if I was hurt. His brow was furrowed with apprehension as I gasped for breaths, my heart beating in my ears.
“What happened, Alena? Please, are you alright?”
“Yes,” I forced out, looking into his taupe eyes. They calmed me somewhat, but I could not forget the piercing gaze I had just seen. “It was just a nightmare. I’ll be alright.”
He glanced at me as if not sure if I was telling the truth. He placed his hand gently to my cheek, and I caught it, holding it there. His hands were cool to my hot face, and I took in a deep breath.
I forced myself to go back to sleep after he had gone back to bed. I was thrown immediately into a dream of Artemis. It soothed me to hear his smooth, charismatic voice again. I cherished the moment we were speaking again until I was flung into another bloody dream.
Alexandros walked me home, my mother and two siblings staying behind. I had to get out of there, or I knew I would have cried. I could not be a weak Queen, but Alexandros told me that he wouldn’t breathe a word if a tear did choose to slide down my cheek.
I shook my head, thanking him for walking me up to my room and for making sure I was alright even though I hadn’t wanted him to follow me in the first place. He only nodded, wishing me a goodnight and giving me a quick hug that no one else could see. I understood his need to be curt, because displays of emotion and affection would certainly be frowned upon. And as a Royal Guardian, he could not afford that.
As I sat up in my bedroom, I stepped out onto my balcony and looked down to the ground three stories below me. The marketplace was deserted, as was customary, because the prince had just passed away, so it was a day for mourning. I sighed, stepping inside and closing the curtains, so my people would know that I did not wish to be disturbed.
I had lost more than just brothers to this horrible war. For my tenth birthday, my father had been murdered in the marketplace (though mother insisted that he died as a soldier, fighting to save us). Alexandros was the only reason I was still alive. A Leonian assassin had slipped into the marketplace, but just before he had attacked me, twelve-year-old Alex had between us and slipped a dagger into my attacker’s ribs. He still carried the scar from that day when the man had managed to cut his cheek before finally collapsing to the ground. I had only been a young girl at the time, not aware of the politics and death that I would soon face every day of the rest of my presumably short life.
I had also lost the man who had been promised to me as my husband. It was tradition in our society for children to be betrothed as soon as possible. Artemis had been promised to me when he was four and I was a newborn. He had been the epitome of what was expected of an Aquilan suitor. He had always protected me but had also remained so cold and betraying no hint of emotion. It had been my fault that he had died when he was eighteen. He had died protecting me when I had been roaming the fields. At age fourteen, I had finally realized what had been going on my entire life and started going out in the hopes of helping our soldiers. I hadn’t seen the assassin coming, and Artemis had jumped between us, killing the man. The man had managed to pierce Artemis’ heart at the same time that my husband-to-be had slit the man’s throat. Alexandros had walked me home, hiding me from my people as I wept for the first time in so long.
It had been two years since I lost him, but he still haunted my dreams.
“Alena, it’s getting late. Perhaps you should go to bed,” my mother told me, stepping into the room. It was then that I realized that my door had been open the entire time.
“I know. Are you okay, Mother?” I asked her. She nodded. “Good night.”
“Good night, Alena. Sweet dreams,” she bid me, closing the door softly.
I slipped out of my day clothes and into a wool nightgown that I kept in the wooden chest under my window. I glanced out the glass once more before closing all of the curtains in my bedroom.
As always, my dreams were filled with blood and death. I relived when I was wandering the fields and Talon Giovanni had begged for me to kill him. Halfway during my speech, I was tossed into another old scene. I saw Alexandros kneeling beside his dead brother, weeping into his dead chest. I tried to comfort him as I did in real life, but this time he shoved me away. I didn’t have time to react before I found myself in the marketplace. I saw the assassin coming this time and tried to save my father, but I only managed to get knocked down. The man held a knife to my throat, but once again I left that scene. I finally came to the scene with my betrothed dying for me. I tried to save him but only managed to get Alex killed, too.
Unfortunately, my mind had come up with another way to torment me. I felt screams rising in my throat as I saw a pair of strikingly golden eyes right in front of me. I had only seen pictures of him before, but that was enough to make me terrified.
Standing before me was Zanzibar Giovanni, the only remaining prince of the Giovanni line. As his eyes fell upon mine, I froze. My body refused to react, and all I could do was watch in terror as he stepped ever closer.
I let out a bloodcurdling scream, begging myself to awaken.
The next thing I knew Alex was shaking me, asking what was wrong and if I was hurt. His brow was furrowed with apprehension as I gasped for breaths, my heart beating in my ears.
“What happened, Alena? Please, are you alright?”
“Yes,” I forced out, looking into his taupe eyes. They calmed me somewhat, but I could not forget the piercing gaze I had just seen. “It was just a nightmare. I’ll be alright.”
He glanced at me as if not sure if I was telling the truth. He placed his hand gently to my cheek, and I caught it, holding it there. His hands were cool to my hot face, and I took in a deep breath.
I forced myself to go back to sleep after he had gone back to bed. I was thrown immediately into a dream of Artemis. It soothed me to hear his smooth, charismatic voice again. I cherished the moment we were speaking again until I was flung into another bloody dream.