Tie It With a Ribbon

Alexandros was asking my mother if he should help track down the Leonian responsible for the deaths of the prince and princess. She had told him to keep an eye on me.

The next thing I knew we were in the marketplace, Alex carrying me through the spooked crowd. He was whispering something to me, telling me that everything would be alright. I couldn’t much focus, so I had just buried my face in his chest, trying to clear my head.

I must have passed out, because I was awoken by Alex speaking to another Royal Guardian. They had found the assassin: a low-rank male lion soldier. He had taken his own life rather than being killed by an Aquilan. He had obviously heard about the attempts of peacemaking and had wanted to ensure that it didn’t happen.

The funeral for my little sister and brother were as short as all of the others. They were cremated and their ashes were thrown into the wind, allowing them to sore to wherever they may before resting in peace. Alex stayed by my side, offering to hide me from society so I could cry if I needed. I shook my head but decided to call it a day and headed back home.

The castle was still in a frenzy, and everyone seemed to be on edge. My mother was wary about letting me retire to my room, but eventually agreed after making sure enough guards were placed in the hallways, including Alex right outside my door.

I tossed my day clothes to the corner, not feeling up to the task of taking care of them properly. I threw on a long t-shirt and fell back onto my bed, pulling my pillow close as I slowly closed my eyes.

My dreams were the usual scenes: Alex grieving over his older brother, my father being murdered before my eyes, and of course my betrothed being killed while saving me. I had grown used to those nightmares, but my mind was still racking up ways to make me miserable because the next scene was unlike anything I had been through before, except maybe the conversation we had shared back in the Gryphes’ land.

“Don’t scream,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

I jumped out of bed again, even less willing to trust him. “Why shouldn’t I? Thanks to your people my brothers and sister are dead.”

“I had nothing to do with that. I told you I wanted peace. I wouldn’t lie about that. I just wanted to tell you that Liam and Chordia didn’t come up with another plan. You told me that you would think over my words… Well?”

Zanzibar was sitting on my floor cross-legged, his hands resting comfortably in his lap. He was wearing leather pants and a tight dark blue shirt. His eyes still stuck out to me, but so did the talon necklace and feather bracelet. He glanced down to where my eyes were focused, and he took off the necklace, holding it out to me. I shook my head furiously, disgusted. He smiled, standing up and stepping closer, his hand out and still holding the eagle-talon.

“Stop that!” I hissed, smacking it out of his hand, no longer able to focus on calming myself. “You have some nerve, you know that? You come into my home and shove this in my face? How many corpses have you desecrated, hmm? You are the most revolting man I have ever met!”

Zanzibar looked shocked, but he smirked as he bent down to retrieve his necklace. “It’s not any of your peoples’, Alena.”

“What do you mean?” I growled. “I don’t like being toyed with.”

“I was wrong about you,” he told me, going on as if I hadn’t spoken. “Ancient lore says that your kind have no hearts. It says you can feel no pain, no joy or sadness. That would make you perfect soldiers, and yet… It says that you do not have hearts or souls, that you are just a walking shell.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he put a finger to my lips. A small chill ran down my spine, and my body begged me to pull away from this predator. I forced myself to not falter as I stood perfectly still.

“I don’t believe it. I heard about the innocent little Alena—the girl who had sat in the mud beside my brother as he died. I didn’t think it could be true. I mean, why would an Aquilan princess ruin her dress in honor of an enemy?” He took in a deep breath, a small smile forming on his lips. It was gone as soon as it had appeared. “Please, just take it. I promise it is not from anyone you could possibly know. It is from thousands of years ago and has been passed on from King to Prince. It’s sort of like an heirloom. It is believed to have been a gift to Merit, the first Queen Gryphes' son, from his twin sister, Temperance. This will show the guards that you’re here for me—I mean, if you choose to answer my plea.”

“And what would that be?” I asked him, taking the necklace. I stared at it before meeting his golden eyes. They weren’t nearly as piercing as they usually were. He looked tired.

“I’ve told you that I want this war to end no matter what. Perhaps if we meet without having to worry about your mother or guard’s interference, we can come up with another plan. If you come to my castle, my mother will not say a word, neither will my sisters. You will be perfectly safe, I will see to that myself.”

I’m sure fear flickered through my eyes because he dropped down on one knee, taking my hand into his. He tugged on my hand lightly, and I crouched down with him.

“Please. I do not want to be King of an empire fueled by hate,” he whispered. I clenched my hand around the talon, nodding mutely.