Tie It With a Ribbon

I was sitting at a table, but that wasn’t what scared me. I wasn’t terrified because it was the table my grandmother had given my mother when Justice was born, though it had broken when I was six. I also wasn’t so worried because I was alone at the table—because I wasn’t.

I was scared because the people sitting at the table with me were Artemis, Justice, Dominic, Adrianna, Terrence, and Cain. I was also scared because they were all so bloody. I was sitting at the head of the table, and I felt so excluded from them, though they were within arm’s reach.

“Artemis?” I whispered, blinking furiously.

“Yes, milady?” he responded, the cold chill still in his voice.

He looked exactly as he had when he had died protecting me. There was still an arrow lodged in his chest, and blood dripped from the wound. His hands were also covered in blood—the blood of every Leonian he had ever slaughtered.

“I’m so sorry.” I fumbled with my lips for a moment. “You died…because of me.”

He shook his head slowly, his face remaining entirely neutral. “No, I died because I would not lose my honor by allowing the enemy to kill our princess.”

I did not know how to take that, so I looked to my most recently lost siblings.

“Adrianna, Terrence… I’m so sorry. I should have protected you.”

Terrence’s usually carefree and childish face seemed so cold and lifeless. He watched me through Cain’s eyes, though the stare was much more intimidating than any scolding I had ever received from our father.

“It’s not your fault I’m dead, Alena. I’m dead because of your guard.” I cringed. “He allowed the assassin onto our grounds, and he only cared about saving you and his charade. I wish I had lived so I could tell you what the assassin told me, so I could have spared you the deceit.”

“And I died because I screamed, trying to get Terrence to run before he, too, would die,” Adrianna breathed, her gaze entirely blank as she held tightly to her brother’s hand.

I shut my eyes, looking to my brothers. Dominic was absolutely covered in blood, and I could not help but picture a child-sized Zanzibar wandering too close to him. My gaze faltered until I was looking to Justice. He had been the first of many deaths… If he had not been killed, perhaps this entire war could have stopped without bonding the two kingdoms.

And yet, then a traitor would have become King.

“I miss you both so much,” I told them, trying not to cry.

“The Leonian has changed you, Alena,” Justice told me, his eyes not betraying any hint of emotion.

I nodded. “I know he has.”

“I cannot imagine how you can love a lion, but I suppose you were always a bit strange.”

I smiled at the brotherly teasing, unable to wrap my mind around what was happening.

“I almost killed your husband, Alena. What do you have to say to me?” Dominic asked suddenly, watching me so carefully.

Past the bloody mask he wore, I could still see the man who could never harm a fly…until that fly killed his brother.

“You were hurt, Dominic. We all were. I’ll admit I was rather shocked that you had almost harmed him, but I can understand. Then again, maybe I am only saying that because he is still alive.”

I pulled my eyes to Cain. He had been the epitome of the perfect Aquilan King, and I could not help but wonder what he thought of the current King.

“He is not what I expected for my daughter,” he admitted, as if he had been able to read my thoughts. “But I had always known that you would be what I expected of a Nicola child… Then again, blood is thicker than water.”

“What do you mean?”

I felt the urge to cling to his hand then, as if I was still just a little girl trying to spend time with her daddy in the hopes that he may wash away her worries.

“I was given the title ‘father,’ and I did not reject it. And yet… I can not help but wonder if the true father had hoped I would.”

My hands grabbed the table, and I leaned forward. “Cain, I found a letter.”

“I know.”

“And you have nothing to say about it? Nothing at all?” I hissed, praying he would speak.

“I did not need a letter to know that my wife had a moment of weakness. I also did not need a letter to know that you looked nothing like me when you were born.”

“Father, please,” I begged, standing. “What am I?”

“You are Queen, Alena. You are married to a Leonian, and you are a woman who has been trying to discover if hybrid children are possible. You have been searching high and low for the answer, and yet you only needed to look in the mirror.”

“Cain!” I cried out desperately, reaching out and catching his hand.

“Alena? Oh, Alena, thank the gods you are alright!”

That was not Cain.

I opened my eyes and looked to a shaking Zanzibar. He held my hand much too tightly, and his cheeks were stained with tears. His bloodshot eyes matched his trembling lips as he tried to kiss my hand, though the gesture was not stable.

“I thought I had lost you!” he cried, cupping my face with his shaky fingers as he tried to kiss my cheeks reassuringly.

“Zanzibar—”

“Please, just let me…” His voice trailed off as he climbed into the bed and pulled me into his arms. “Just let me hold you for a minute.”

“Where is William?” I mumbled into his shoulder.

“He is at his home. He helped me bring you to the infirmary, but he said it would be better if he returned home,” he choked out, trying to even his breaths. “Now, please, tell me what happened!”

“Cain is not my father.”

He pulled back, watching my face closely. “What are you basing this on?”

“William… He stared at me as he said he could not tell you if she is an Aquilan, and… Did he mean his lover or me? At any rate, I don’t know what happened after that. I couldn’t find you!”

“I was right there, sweetheart. All of a sudden you ripped your hand from me and stood up, screaming for me. I was right there, I promise.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what happened. But then I dreamed about everyone I’ve lost. They told me I wasn’t to blame for their deaths, but then Cain… He said that I only need to look in the mirror to know that hybrid children are possible.”

He sighed. “Oh, Alena. It was only a dream. You were simply nervous, and William probably did not help… We cannot base this on a simple dream and an even simpler pronoun.”

“But don’t you see? I thought you’d be happy!”

“Stop it.”

I cringed at the harshness in his voice. He helped himself out of the bed and watched me.

“Do not act like this. You’re talking as though I’d be delighted that your world is turned upside-down.”

I looked down, unable to meet his eyes any longer. They held betrayal, anger, and suspicion all at the same time.

“I’m going to talk to William,” I muttered, swinging my legs around and walking towards the door.

“No.”

He caught my wrist firmly. I whipped my head around, sighing.

“You cannot tell me what I can and can’t do, Zanzibar.”

He shook his head. “Yes, I can.”

My eyes narrowed to a glare, and I tried to rip my wrist out of his grasp, but I couldn’t.

“I’m not going to let you do this to that poor man. You have no proof, and you can’t act like this on an impulse. It would be entirely inappropriate of you, especially as a public figure.”

“You can’t control me,” I repeated firmly, managing to tear myself free. “I have more power in the Nest.”

He frowned. “I know. But I am the one who brought you here, and as a concerned husband and King, I can keep you here until I think you are well. Right now, I have more power.”

I reached for the doorknob, but Zanzibar was between the door and me in that second, his arms crossed firmly over his chest.

“Are you really going to do this?” I asked, shaking my head with a sigh.

“Yes, I am. But I’m only doing this because I love you and I don’t want to see you make such a careless mistake as this. We’ll figure this out—I’ll give you all the help I can—but we cannot put William through this. He’s an innocent bystander here.”

“But I need to know!” I insisted, trying to push him out of the way.

He pulled me into a sudden embrace, kissing the top of my head. “I know, but you know it wouldn’t be right to do this. If it’s meant to be, you’ll find out. We have to be patient. Please, for me?”

I leaned my head back, frowning. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, and that’s why I’m doing this.”

I nodded, wrapping my arms around him. “You know, I was terrified when I couldn’t find you. You were the only thing I could think to look for, because you were the only one I trusted to help me…but when I couldn’t find you I didn’t know what to do.”

He kissed me suddenly, catching me off guard.

“I’ll always be here for whenever you need me, Alena. There is nothing more important to me than you, I swear.”

I buried my face in the fabric of his shirt, holding tightly to him. “I know.”