Tie It With a Ribbon

My eyes shot open suddenly, though only darkness welcomed me. Everything was silent except for Zanzibar’s breathing…

There was a creak outside the door, and my breaths stopped as the person paused outside of our door.

Then the steps continued, but my eyes did not dare close. I glanced to Zanzibar, but his eyes were already wide open. I opened my mouth, but he shook his head gently without making a sound. He threw the covers off of him, jumping to his feet and heading towards the door without breaking the silence of the night.

He opened the door, peering into the hall, and he sighed.

“It’s only Salina,” he told me, smiling. But then that smile faltered. “But what is she doing?”

I threw the blankets away, hurrying to his side and peeking into the hallway as well. Salina was walking down the stairs, her fingers grazing the railing as she strode flawlessly through the darkness.

“Come on,” he murmured, following her.

Salina unknowingly led us right out the front door, but she did not stop there. I had thought that she would go to the market or some place similar, but she continued towards the forest! Zanzibar decided that this was far enough, so he tapped her shoulder gently.

She ignored him completely, stepping into the woods.

“Salina! What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, stepping in front of her. “Salina?”

He blinked furiously as she strode past him, leaving him flabbergasted.

“She’s sleeping,” he breathed, looking after her curiously. “She’s sleepwalking!”

“Zanzibar, I don’t like this,” I told him, hugging myself. “It’s too late to be out here on neutral grounds. I don’t like it.”

He nodded in agreement, grabbing his sister’s arm and jerking her towards him.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled. “Zanzibar, what are you doing?”

“You tell me!”

She glanced around. “Why are we outside?”

“Just…go back to your room, alright? You were sleepwalking.”

“Oh.” She made a face. “Okay.”

A twig snapped in the silence, and Zanzibar straightened his back in that instant, pushing me behind him and snapping at his sister and I to go back inside.

“Go, Salina,” I mumbled, pushing her. “But I’m not leaving you here alone,” I told Zanzibar, shaking my head as I walked back towards him. “We need you as much as we need me.”

He shook his head, his eyes already slits. He grabbed my wrist regardless, trying to look everywhere around him. “I can’t focus if I have to worry about you being killed.”

I tried to argue, but then a man dropped to the ground, grabbing Salina before she could even scream. Zanzibar and I rushed towards her, but then I felt something grab my wrist as cold steel was pressed to my throat.

Salina was sobbing uncontrollably, struggling to push the man away, but his arm was wrapped firmly around her throat.

“Should have listened, hmm?” the second man breathed in my ear as I prayed to the gods. “Or maybe you just shouldn’t have decided to create such an abomination!”

I swallowed a hard breath, biting my lip as Zanzibar looked around hopelessly. I would have hated to be him, to have to choose who to try to save.

A scream filled the air, and my panicked eyes returned to Salina, who was now running on four paws after having bitten her attacker. He rushed after her, but even I could see the soldiers waiting on the sidelines to shoot him with their arrows.

“You idiot!” the second man called after him, pressing the dagger even more firmly to my throat.

Zanzibar hesitantly turned to look at me, all of the blood gone from his face as his gaze dropped lower. “What do you want?”

I could understand why he was giving up: he did not want to risk four lives.

“I have nothing against my Queen, but I do have something against the spawn you placed inside of her,” he snapped, wrapping his arm around my throat as I struggled to breathe.

I was reminded of the dagger once again, the dagger that had saved my life and threatened to take Zanzibar’s. I stopped resisting, my hands dropping to my side as I tried to take the blade without him knowing.

“What do you want?” Zanzibar repeated, shaking his head at me. “Just tell me that. You can have it, as long as you don’t hurt her.”

“What if I wanted your life instead?”

I gasped, my fingers slipping. “No!”

“Okay.”

“What?” I yelled, fumbling the grab the knife. “Don’t you dare—Take it back!”

“No,” he whispered, shaking his head even more. “I told you that I would protect you, that I would keep you alive even if it cost me my own life. Just let her go.”

I shook my head. “You idiot.”

I slammed the blade into his thigh, scrambling to run from him as he cursed loudly. Zanzibar pushed me behind him then, his body still trembling.

“Never do that again!” I hissed in his ear, glancing around.

“You bitch!” the man screamed at me, tearing the knife from his leg and throwing it to the dirt. “I changed my mind—I want her dead!”

He lunged at us then, but a lion knocked him to the ground without much effort on his part. I smiled at the sight of the man who served to protect me, but that smile faded as I saw the traitor’s hand inching towards my blade.

“Zanzibar!”

I had to look away, an agonizing scream filling the air as the dagger was plunged into his side. I backed away as the man pushed Zanzibar off of him, his human body writhing as he tried to remove the blade without causing anymore harm.

“You are so dead!” he screamed, removing a dagger from his person as he lunged at me.

All I could do was close my eyes and scream. I had wasted my only chance, and that same defense had been used to hurt my husband again!

No impact came. I opened my eyes and saw Reginald standing in front of me, knocking the weapon from his hands.

“I said I wouldn’t let you get hurt,” he choked, pushing the man backwards and tackling him to the ground.

I brought my hand to my cheek, feeling something warm as my head began to swoon.

“Oh, my God,” I breathed, looking at the blood.

The dagger was coated in blood…and this blood made me feel dizzy.

It was Leonian…and Reginald was a pure Aquilan!

“Reginald, no!” I screamed, running after him in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, I could at least knock him off.

If the dagger was used on me, it would only cause dizziness; but that would be all it could do. If the dagger was used on Reginald, he would…

No.

But I was picked off my feet by Zanzibar, who refused to let me save him!

“Let go!” I shouted, kicking and screaming.

“I can’t,” he choked, trying to carry me further. “I can’t…”

He fell forward suddenly, landing on me and pinning me to the ground. He was out cold, I knew, and soon two screams cut across the sky as Reginald and the man killed each other at the same time.

I could only scream, hoping someone would come soon enough, but I knew that by the time the soldiers arrived, the poison had already stopped his heart.