Tie It With a Ribbon

Our footsteps echoed throughout the room, and Alexandros rose to his feet in a manner that revealed aching limbs, presumably from a recent beating—from both kingdoms—for attempted murder on two accounts. His eyes narrowed into feral cat slits before he threw himself at the bars of his cell, flailing wildly without any graceful pattern. His hands and legs were in shackles, though the chains did not provide much consolation.

“What the hell do you want?” he spat, having used all of his stored energy in an attempt to break solid steel. “Or is this a pleasant visit between friends?”

The anger and pure hatred in his voice nearly winded me, as it seemed to act as a reminder of the past, both when he was a friend speaking with protectiveness and “love” and as an enemy with the intent to slit my throat once the opportunity arose. Nevertheless, my body swayed on my feet, and I was thankful for the silent man beside me, who caught my wrist to steady me.

“You’re safe, Alena. I’m right here,” he murmured, his eyes burning into mine, almost as if begging me to insinuate that he was being both overprotective and overbearing.

I nodded silently, trying to make amends. “I trust you,” I told him, begging for him to forgive the previous outburst.

He smiled very slightly before turning back to the prisoner, and no traces of that smile remained as his eyes fell onto the snarling Siberian.

“You have a death wish, obviously, for being such a smug bastard,” Zanzibar warned in a low voice that resembled growling rather than a menacing hiss, much out of his feline character.

“That vocabulary is surely perfect for a pompous brat such as yourself,” Alexandros told him, perfectly calm and level-headed despite the fact that he was looking to his executioner. Before the true lion could hurl a single menacing threat to the prisoner, Alex laughed softly, glancing around the display and allowing his eyes to fall on me. “Tell me, Alena, was I right about this one?”

I flinched, but Zanzibar did not even hesitate as he whirled around to question me, as if forgetting that he was turning his back to a criminal. I was nearly certain the Siberian was enjoying himself too much to dare disturb the entertainment he had created for himself.

“What does he mean, Alena?” His anger was misdirected, but I focused my glare on Alexandros.

“Oops,” he muttered mockingly, his shackles clinking against the cement as he pulled himself across his cell. “Did you not tell him about our chat?”

Zanzibar turned around quickly, spitting harsh, foreign words at him before returning his rage to me. In a voice no louder than a whisper, he hissed, “I told you not to talk to this traitor, Alena. Why would you go behind my back like that? To get yourself killed?”

“No,” I muttered neutrally, falling back on the learned tendency to become soulless. “I just wanted to know more about the Leonians, and he is one, so—”

He interrupted me, a hand crashing onto my shoulder firmly. “You mean you wanted to know what you were getting yourself into,” he corrected. Louder, he asked, “Just what did you ask him that you couldn’t ask me, your husband?”

“She lumbered down to my cell and asked why I referred to you as a sexual deviant, and she seemed to take my words into consideration quite well. And she also wanted to know about your little Monica, if I can recall correctly,” Alexandros answered smoothly, sounding amused at the situation yet disgusted with the man with whom he was speaking. “Speaking of disgusting beings, tell me if I was right about this one, Alena. How long did it take for you to fall for his charm and into his bed—?”

“Alexandros!” I gasped, shaking my head furiously. “This is entirely inappropriate!”

“Since when has propriety been your first concern? Certainly not since you met this vile creature!” he hissed, flinging himself at the bars of his cell again, causing me to flinch suddenly, though Zanzibar was guarding me in an instant.

“Alena, I wish you had come to me with these questions,” he told me, still watching the thrashing Siberian. I nodded silently, staring at Alexandros. “We certainly need to have a talk later, as I see it. This simple man does not know the behavior of the royal family, and he certainly does not know me, I can assure you.”

Alexandros finally calmed down, leaning against the cold wall, panting. “As if I care. Why are you down here? If there is no reason, then you can get the hell out of here!”

“I came,” Zanzibar spat, “to tell you about the extent of your crimes and the punishment that has been decided. I can promise it is the worst possible way to die, and it is certainly the least honorable as well.”

He looked completely bored, as though his execution did not affect his life in the least. “That is fantastic, and a complete formality. Just get on with it, as you must, for this to be a true trial.”

His eyes narrowed, but a creepy grin formed on his face. I could not stand to look at him for long when he had that look on his face, so I focused on the cell and the man inside.

“I believe my mother said it would be a public affair. You will first be stripped of your lion form, and then you will be stripped of your own skin. Both processes will be excruciating for you, but fortunately losing your magic will not be enough to kill you. Most remain alive up until the pain of losing their skin causes a heart attack. But if you manage to last past the last rip, you will be tortured to our best abilities until you either die miserably or quickly when I—personally—get to rip your heart out.”

“Oh, you don’t say? This public death sounds a lot like the event held for Monica. I believe she refused to die along with her body, didn’t she?” Alexandros asked innocently, a delighted look on his face as Zanzibar became furious yet again.

“But I am sure the crowd will loath you much, much more. They are becoming quite fond of Alena, and Monica did not try to assassinate their King and Queen.” Alexandros hissed at him, to Zanzibar’s pleasure. “Unfortunately, I am not allowed to fulfill my duty until all of the soldiers come to terms with things, as it seems some of them still think of you as a friend. There is also the matter of discovering the one who released you from your cell. His death will not be as gruesome, but it certainly will not be pleasant. I have no idea as to how long this will take, but I promise you will have constant surveillance from my hand-picked guards.”

“Why, thank you. I can now rest easy!”

“Shut up,” Zanzibar commanded, his voice echoing off the walls. I looked to him, stunned at his sudden stolidity. Even Alexandros paused. “Alena, we are done here.”

He turned away then, heading towards the steps without a moment of hesitation. Alexandros and I exchanged shocked glances before I hurried after him, keeping a safe distance between us.

“We need to talk,” he told me, turning to face me as the dungeon door slammed behind us. He looked completely worn out, and I frowned, looking down. “Go up to my room, if you would, and I will be up shortly.”

“What are you going to be doing?” I asked quietly, watching him very carefully.

His eyes were narrowed as he glared at the grass, a scowl on his face. “I need to calm down before I do something unforgivable.”

I gulped, nodding hurriedly and rushing myself towards the Den. Unfortunately, I could not recall the way to his bedroom in my worried state of mind, and I ended up walking circles around the building before running into Camille, who seemed very excited to see me.

“Oh, my new sister!” she cried happily, throwing her arms around me. I smiled softly, hugging her in return. “Where’s my brother? If he left you at the mercy of these winding halls, I—”

“No, it’s not like that,” I promised. “I’m supposed to be in his room, but I can’t find anything here.”

She smiled. “Of course I’ll help! What are sisters for?” She gestured for me to follow her, and I did, very obediently. “I should hope to say that you are glowing.”

“Pardon?”

She glanced over to me. “Don’t blush now, birdie. I was just hoping that by now you would have that motherly glow about you, but… Do birds not glow?”

I blushed furiously, and she laughed happily. “Camille, I don’t know how to respond to that. I don’t know that I have ever seen a pregnant Aquilan; we hide it very well.”

She shrugged. “It was wishful thinking. You can’t tell me that Zanzibar isn’t beaming at the thought of a little rascal running these halls. He was thrilled when Salina was a toddler, and he just chased her around for hours!” I smiled nervously. “Oh, come now. I was just expecting some progress in the intimacy department.” I felt my cheeks burning, and I pushed my face to the side to cover it, though it did not escape her gaze. “Oh, it is! Then how do you know you’re not glowing? You don’t look it, but I can dream, can’t I?”

“Why do you want us to have a child so badly?”

She gasped. “Oh, but babies are just too cute! And you can’t say you think I’m bad? That is, unless Zanzibar hasn’t been behaving as himself.” She frowned. “He’s alright, isn’t he?” Her voice was low as we stood outside his bedroom, a concerned look on her face.

I bit my lip. “A marriage is never without a few fights, right?”

She frowned. “Maybe small ones. What happened? I don’t understand.”

“It’s a terribly long story.” She shot me a sad look. “I didn’t fully understand Leonians, so I asked Alexandros about it awhile ago. Zanzibar found out and asked why I didn’t ask him, and now he wants to talk about it, and he is acting really strange.” I frowned.

“Why didn’t you ask him?” I looked to her, a light blush on my cheeks. Her eyes went wide, and she mouthed, “Oh.”

“Camille, can I have a moment with my wife?” Zanzibar asked, suddenly standing before us. Camille smiled, nodding after casting a comforting glance to me. “Alena, after you.”

I walked into the room slowly, sitting on the bed with my knees pulled to my chest. Zanzibar closed the door behind him, leaning against it as he watched me.

He let out a heavy sigh. “Where do we begin?”