The Golden Noose
"How many more do you need, old man?" Rhalluan quizzed the blacksmith. He began to pace back and forth within the enclosed confines of the forge. Whirling smoke twirled in wisps around his face, stinging his eyes and filling his nose. He had to blink more than normal to keep his body from overreacting to the caustic stimuli.
"You have not brought me a new find in months, little lordling, do not dare to mock me." A spindled hand rose up and jabbed Rhalluan in his breast plate. Although he was armored the prince could still feel the offending digit.
"I cannot construct this fabled blade unless I have all the pieces. Pieces that you," The blacksmith jabbed the prince in the chest for emphasis, "Should have been able to collect long ago." His piercing miky eyes stared ardently into Rhalluan's, making the young man shiver. He felt as though he were under a looking glass with an intense light in his face, pinned to the ground by Ajax's claw like finger and searing gaze.
"I've told you, I cannot find any more Celestial acorna. The unicorns have gone into hiding. I have seen neither hoof nor tail of the insolent creatures." The Prince of Darkness explained, exasperated. He would never get his sword if Numinor's ilk remained so elusive.
"Then you cannot have your weapon." Ajax huffed, turning away from the prince. Pulling a pair of heavy woolen mitts on he went toward the furnace and opened a heavy cast iron door. A blaze of heat erupted from the opening, making the air and space around the blacksmith waver in a heated frenzied dance. The Mourner appeared unaffected by the intense incandescence, reaching with a pair of tongs he retrieved a red hot bowl that was filled with liquid steel.
"I suggest you back away before you get hurt, little lord." Ajax barked mockingly, sliding the heated bowl from the surface, using pure strength as he escorted it to a mold.
Rhalluan huffed as he stepped back. He did not know how such a skeletal figure could emit such power. He watched as the blacksmith poured the metal, not letting a drop go to waste. Once finished he set the bowl to cool and waited for the mold to settle. Ajax's face was streaked with soot and sweat, weather hardened and skin a cherry red from working so close to the furnace. The prince suspected that such work has damaged the man's eyes.
Ajax wiped his face with a dirties cloth, doing more harm than good to his complexion. His wiry brows skewed and going ever which way. He took off his cap to reveal more coarse and springy hair and stuck it in his apron pocket.
"What?" He snapped.
Rhalluan fought the urge to cuff the man across his disrespectful mouth. "What do you expect me to do?" He asked, biting the words out through clenched teeth.
"I expect you to find me more acorna." Ajax responded simply, tossing the prince an arrogant look.
"There is no more. Numinor has forbade any Celestial from coming to the mortal plane. They have abandoned their people." Rhalluan threw his hands up in frustration, expelling a gust of breath.
The prince turned on his heel when he heard the bubbling mirthful laugh erupt from Ajax's throat- the sound was a foul thing to be heard, full of mockery and contempt.
"What is so amusing to you?" Rhalluan demanded, invading the blacksmith's personal space as he towered over the diminutive looking man.
Ajax pushed aside the prince as if he were nothing, walking instead to the door that led outside his forge. He came face to face with a disgruntled Harbinger but quickly disregarded the hateful creature.
"Numinor would never abandon the people of Balinor. He would die of the shame!" Ajax laughed, venturing out into the blackness of the night with Rhalluan trailing behind him.
"Would he? I wouldn't know- the Golden One never leaves his perch." Rhalluan sneered.
"Why would he? He knows he would fall by your blade." Harbinger danced on the tips of his hooves in glee. He had been listening to his rider and the crazy smith from outside. The opening for the forge was not large enough to fit his stature. But now that the scene was moving outside the shadow unicorn pranced about, agitated from the bond he shared with the prince and malicious thoughts he had against the King of Celestial unicorns.
"He indeed would die from the shame. His pride would never allow it. He is too scared for his own life to risk anything in this war." Ajax grunted as he approached a well, turning a wheel as he began heaving.
Rhalluan watched, dispassionate, as the man struggled with the simple task of drawing water from a well.
"You sound as if you know the golden beast personally." He mused.
"No. As your little brat said- why would he come down?" The smith's arms trembling as they strained against the weight of the bucket being slowly retrieved.
Harbinger nearly bit the blacksmith for his comment but thought better of it after seeing Rhalluan's face.
"Besides, Aurora would never allow the Golden One to turn his back on the world." Ajax wheezed.
"Aurora?"
"The Dreamspeaker." Ajax grunted.
Rhalluan rolled his eyes before pushing the old man out of the way and taking control of drawing the water. The bucket appeared in mere moments before he reached for it with deft movement and set it upon the rim of the stone well. Ajax mumbled under his breath before taking a metal ladle from his tool belt that slung low upon his hips and dipping it within the bucket.
"Your strength has left you, old man." Rhalluan sneered, ignoring Ajax's scathing glare. "What do you know of the Dreamspeaker?"
"Ha, you shall never have her horn- if that's what your little mind was scheming!" Ajax barked with laughter, taking another drink from the well.
"I didn't expect to have her horn. The Dreamspeak has never graced the mortal plane in her true form. She walks this world only in dreams, or so I've heard." Rhalluan drawled.
"Ah that is true. The Moon Beauty has never before walked in Balinor. Rumor has it that if she is killed in your world then the moon would go dark and dreams would disappear." Ajax sighed, dumping the rest of the bucket's contents back into the well.
"So if she were destroyed..." Rhalluan mused.
"Don't even think about it my boy- there are some things in this world that should never be tampered with." Ajax snorted. "Besides, Aurora is not naïve. She has been watching you."
Rhalluan snorted at that. Like he cared. He knew that the Dreamspeaker was a a Watcher of the World- or so the ancient texts had told. A Dreamspeaker could be born in any band of the Celestial herd. One was born when the previous was ready to pass down the craft. It was something that was innate an learned at the same time. How they did what they did remained a mystery.
"Are you insinuating that she knows of my plans and my dealings with you?"
Ajax looked the prince dead in the eye. "She might."
Harbinger rolled his crimson eyes. "And she might not."
"Just think- if only you could part the curtain that separates this world and the Celestial Plains." Ajax began, shuffling back into his lodge.
Rhalluan was struck still at his words. Part the barrier between this world and the Celestial's? Was that even possible? But the idea of it was poetic and quite romantic in the prince's mind. The big question was if it were even possible or just theoretical.
"Could this be done?" Rhalluan called after the smith, quickly catching up to him.
"Why not?" Ajax sputtered, going over to his mold and uncovering the top. The beginnings of an ax place was in the making. He let a thin ropey hand glide across the crude weapon, just short of touching the surface. It was still a bit hot. Picking it up with a pair of tongs he thrust it back within the furnace, closing the heavy cast iron door.
"Damn thing isn't hot enough..." He muttered under his breath. "Make yourself useful, boy, go grab some firewood." Ajax all but roared, going to the bellows and began to work them.
"My patience wears thin, blacksmith." Rhalluan hissed, but complied to his command. He found it easier to do such minuscule tasks to keep the conversation going. He loaded the fire place with more kindling, stacking it high with fuel.
"What are you doing, fool?" Ajax howled, dropping the handles of the bellows. He scurried towards Rhalluan and relieved him of his collection of logs. "Raise it too high and the heat will burn out just as fast, I don't want to melt the bloody thing!"
The prince stood back, again resisting the urge to physically injure the man in front of him. Nothing he ever did was good enough for the Mourner.
"Can it be done?" He asked quizzically.
The blacksmith ignored him and returned to the bellows, opening and closing the handles, feeding the flames with rich and vital oxygen, filling the staunch air with more and more smoke. Rhalluan began heaving the air became so thick and left the forge for the free air outside.
"What more has the Mourner to say?" Harbinger questioned his rider, pawing at the earth beneath his iron hooves.
"Its like trying to get blood from a stone. The man is nearly impossible." Rhalluan retorted.
"I know your fondness of riddles." The shadow unicorn sniggered, tossing his head to the side.
The Dark Prince scoffed.
He hated them.
"He is suggesting that a full scale invasion of the Celestial Valley is quite possible." Rhalluan spoke quietly after a few pregnant moments of silence- nothing but the sounds of the blacksmith tinkering could be heard in the dead of night when ever the birds and the insects had finally quieted down.
Harbinger started at that comment. "Such a thing has never been done before." Through their bond his rider could feel the disbelief of the theory. It appeared, the prince mused, that such a thought had never occurred to his mount. Interesting.
"But what if it is possible?" He mused aloud.
Harbinger snorted, rearing up a bit as he felt the rising of the monster within him. He never held it back how much he enjoyed war, it made his blood sing to be in the moment. And even though his rider would never so carelessly admit it, his blood sang a siren song of ecstasy upon the battlefield. With the bond the shadow unicorn felt as though he were invincible and nothing in this world could fell him.
"Then we will lead our armies to oblivion and back, razing the Valley to the ground in a glorious burning that obscures the viewing window of the Father above."
Rhalluan smirked at the steed. "War monger." He jibed.
The stallion tossed his head before stilling. "Has he finished crafting the shackle you requested? I thought that was the entire point of this little side quest." his last word was dripping with disdain.
"I haven't asked, nor has he volunteered the information."
"And your precious sword is still just a figment of his mindless imaginings?" The black steed spoke in such a belittling way.
Anger spiked through Rhalluan's system white hot and lightning fast- almost burning out of control before he let a sinister smile curve his perfect lips. "You're afraid."
Harbinger felt his master's ire rise and still, a bit bewildered by the sudden change before he balked at his words. At times his prince took him on a whirlwind of negative emotions, most of which was uncontrollable and misdirected rage. But the feeling emanating from the prince now was a cool control and smug sense of mastery. The shadow unicorn felt slave to the feeling as everything within Rhalluan's iron orbs seemed to belong to him.
"I am not afraid, least of all you." Harbinger seethed.
A hollow laugh escaped from between clinched teeth, mocking and cold.
"You are afraid. Even you can comprehend the caliber of weapon that shall soon belong to me. I can feel it in you. Every time we fail to bring down a Celestial unicorn I feel the sigh a relief that passes through you."
Harbinger arched his neck before throwing his head high and looking down upon his companion. "Yet do you comprehend the weapon you've asked to forge?" He spoke the words quietly, regally, confidently, condescendingly- that it made the Prince of Darkness stop all though as he pondered the question himself.
It was by all means a fair question. Rhalluan had been consumed by power, greedily seeking more and more so he could free himself of his father. The more power he obtained the safer and more assured he felt. The sword would be a blending of the powers of light and dark. Such raw energies were never supposed to exist within one conduit- the very nature of it was destructive. There was no tween between light and dark- there was no fair middle ground. The inherently good magic within a unicorn's horn was often unpredictable, spontaneously doing things that even the wielder could not fully control. It was the same for the dark acorna, though the nature and consequences of that magic was inherently evil.
Forged within a sword nothing but chaos would reign supreme.
To have such wild power at his command... What could it mean to the rest of the world? To Harbinger? To himself? Words from the distant past flooded his thoughts.
"Never underestimate the power of balance, my son. Tipping the scales can be a deadly game with deadly consequences."
His mother had said that to him, but they had been playing a child's game and he had made a brash move which ultimately cost him the game, summarily ending his chance of visiting the gardens later that afternoon- she made him study instead.
Pain blossomed in his chest before it was quickly smothered with rage. Those times were over and done. "I do not care what happens to this world. I want it destroyed. Nothing will stop me." He said at last, his words harsh and heavy with unspoken sorrow.
For a long moment rider and charger alike stared at one another, unblinking, never moving. Like statues from the lush gardens of the Balinor palace they just continued to peer at one another, letting their bond violently pulse between them. Finally Harbinger sighed and stepped closer, arching his head down and out, descending down on one sooty knee in an effortless and graceful dip.
"If that is what you wish, O Prince of Darkness, then I shall carry you to the end."
Surprise flitted across Rhalluan's face at the sudden declaration before it was replaced with a hard look. Though the feeling was fleeting the bond allowed the shadow unicorn to feel his unadulterated response and he was not surprised when he felt the cold indifference emanating from his master at the moment.
"I expected nothing less." With that Rhalluan ended the conversation and returned to the forge. He saw that the old blacksmith had opened a few thatched windows to air out the enclosed building. Stepping swiftly inside he about ready to start threatening the man when he found the smith at the anvil, deftly hammering away at a heated piece of iron.
Ajax began to speak.
"About time, little lord. I thought you left for good and allowed me to work in peace. But I see I was wrong." Came his growling gravely voice.
The prince had been about to retort when he was cut off. "The curtain between our worlds in an invisible one, but one that the Celestials and even the Shadow unicorns open and close at will."
Rhalluan paused. "Harbinger cannot open portals between worlds."
Ajax paused for a fraction of a moment before he rendered an incredible blowing force upon the steel before him, effectively straightening out the kink he had been meticulously working on. "No? Pity. Then what do you call turning into shadow and disappearing and all such nonsense?" The smith tossed aside his heavy hammer in exchange for a lighter more petite one and began a series of softer blows.
What he says is true. I've never thought much about it before. When we disappear in shadow we travel between the Void, the space between two worlds. Came Harbinger's deep voice vibrating within the confines of Rhalluan's head.
Rhalluan's eyes widened a fraction. From his peripheral he saw that Ajax was smiling devilishly. The thought had never entered his mind when he melded into shadow. Where was he going when he shifted through the shadows? All he was ever concerned with was looking back from the shadows to keep track of where he needed to go.
"Ah and it begins to dawn on him." Ajax cackled.
"But Harbinger has never left for another plane."
I do not know the door to the Celestial Valley, just as a Celestial unicorn does not know the doorway to the Dunes. Besides- I would rather die first before I ever return. Came his steely reply.
"Unicorns are very strange creatures that flit between time and space. Find one to open the door for you or find the Link. Either way you need a Celestial's help to open that avenue." Ajax finished in a sing song voice- delighting in tormenting his client with nearly unreachable ideas.
"The Link has been lots for centuries." Rhalluan heaved, his mind already discarding that idea. The Link had been hidden from mortal eyes for reasons unknown to himself. His history had never been his favorite study. "And I can't find a Celestial to save my life."
"Ah but don't you know where one is? Hmm?" Ajax muttered, lightly hammering before suddenly shoving the heated ax into a basin of cold water. The erupting steam and hiss drowned out all immediate sounds.
Rhalluan narrowed a glare upon the smith. He knew far more than he let on. How else could he have known that Rhalluan knew where he could find a Celestial?
"The Gap is not a trifle to mess with arbitrarily." Not to mention no one knew what was on the Other Side. For all he knew they could be dead or worse.
"I was not referring in your failure to capture the little queen." Ajax sneered, sniggering. "Do you not have a pretty princess at your disposal?"
Rhalluan preferred not to answer that question. He had been trying to coerce Estellana to summon her bonded pair to her aid but the obstinate little bitch refused to even look at him. Even with force she remained rebellious. Locked away in some cellar not too far away from where they were now- he had commissioned Ajax to create a shackle that would prevent her from escaping. The little twit had a knack for getting separated from her guards. The prince needed something to keep her in check.
"Speaking of which, where is the item?"
Ajax's face soured a bit before he set down in tools and went to his worker's table, moving around various items and in general making quite a ruckus while searching for the article.
"Ah ha! Here it is." His rattling voice rang out. Within his hands was a ratty velvet cloth that had one been fit for a queen to use. Not it was worn and torn and frayed around the edges, losing the rich downy texture. With ginger hands he proffered it to the prince for his royal examination.
"What do you think?" Ajax asked, not waiting for an answer as he returned to his anvil and almost angrily threw the raw weapon back into the flames of the furnace.
Delicately Rhalluan peeled back the velvet strips to reveal the prize within. Immediately he covered it back up and stuffed it between his tunic and the breast plate of his armor.
"Perfect." He murmured. From his waist he unstrung a pouch and tossed it towards his worker's bench where it landed with a heavy thud, the draw string ripping open as silver coins spilled forth.
"Your payment."
Ajax glanced at the table and merely nodded. "You know how it works. If there are any problem, remember to return it to me."
"Of course." He turned to leave.
"Do not worry, little lord. You will complete your sword. That is a certainty." Came the Mourning blacksmith's ominous words.
A shiver ran down the Prince of Darkness' spine when he finally exited the forge.
"Quite the charmer, isn't he?" Harbinger scoffed, ears flat against his skull.
Rhalluan didn't respond and instead vaulted upon the shadow unicorn's back, settling within the saddle with practiced ease.
"I cannot tell you ardently enough how we must return to the battalion in haste." Rhallaun spoke coldly, detached as he touched his breast plate once more, making sure that his commission was still safely secure.
Harbinger snorted and crow hopped his displeasure. "Don't insult me." He spat back, his crimson eyes glowing eerily within the night as he felt his body stretch and expand, losing its definite silhouette. His body was fading and ripping apart as he melded into shadow and disappeared into the night.
Estellana scowled as an armored guard unlocked the door to her new prison. In his hand was a tray laden with rationed food, something the troops would eat. To her it looked absolutely foul and even though her stomach growled incessantly to consume the provisions she simply refused.
The last food she had eaten had been laced with a narcotic to put her out of her mind, make her paranoid and sorrowful. Because of the paranoia she came to the conclusion that someone was adulterating her food and thus began her hunger strike. She had lasted for nearly a week, from what she could tell from the passage of time before the Prince of Darkness himself entered her then gilded cage with a tray in his hands laden with food.
"You must eat." He had said, his voice stating a mere fact.
Estellana sat curled in the window seat propped up by pillows with a satin blanket wrapped around her torso gazing out from the magically sealed window with glazed eyes. She had not reacted to his presence.
"At the very least you must drink." He strode confidently to the vanity and set the tray down with great gentility. Picking up a pewter pitcher he procured a crystal goblet and poured the princess a glass of fresh water. Setting the pitcher down he crossed the space between himself and the princess and kindly offered her the glass.
Estellana remained blank as she continued to stare out the window.
"I must apologize, fair princess, for your treatment as of late." Rhalluan spoke softly, smirking a bit as he saw Estellana shiver and her face twist into anguish. She finally turned her head and met his gaze where he nearly gasped.
Estellana had corn yellow hair that hung around her face in straight sheets but it was her eyes, the color of the sea, eyes that were so much like her older sister's that made him take a step back. She had that same heart shaped face, those same defiant and vibrant eyes, the same tilt to her rosy lips and the decadent Cupid's bow. In Estellana's place he only saw Ildrianna.
"I'm no longer a princess thanks to you!" Estellana bit out cruelly as she bore her teeth menacingly at the prince.
Rhalluan blinked before he suddenly straightened, still offering the goblet to the young girl. Her voice was nothing like Ildrianna's. Estellana's was high like a soprano and piercing while the new queen had a lilting melodious voice, each word was beautiful to be heard. How could he have mistaken her for the other?
"Yes, well you can also thank your forefathers for that as well." Rhalluan sneered ruefully.
To his surprise the girl growled at him.
"Well aren't you the little spit fire? You won't last long, however, if you do not drink." He again offered her the drink.
Her oceanic eyes narrowed suspiciously as she eyed the cup. "I'm not drinking anything, least of all from your own hand."
Rhalluan rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Your drink and food are not corrupt."
At that the princess laughed, the sound chocked and dry, her lips brittle and chapped as they stretched back over her pearly teeth. "I'm not stupid."
Rhalluan took a calming breath. "Indeed." And to prove that the water was indeed not contaminated he raised the goblet to his own pale lips before taking a drink himself. Estellana watched him with wary features and visibly frowned when he again offered her a drink.
"You think that I would drink it now? After you've defiled it?" She hissed, arching an arrogant blond brow.
The prince's anger flared as he instantly reacted- throwing the priceless glass aside he grabbed the princess by the throat just under her jawline and pushed her back aggressively to the wall behind her. A shrill cry left her before she was cut short and silenced as the dark prince snarled in her face, dark eyes opaque and hauntingly frightening as his perfect features twisted demoniacally.
Her large eyes widened and became luminous and glassy as they resisted the urge to cry, etched deeply with fear. She held her breath, her hands having automatically wrapped around Rhalluan's wrist and forearm to try to stave off the pressure but to no avail. Her chest began to heave as it struggled to gasp for air, putting strain on her clamped windpipe. She remained frozen in horror.
Rhalluan stilled with her after his initial outburst. He was painfully aware of her fingernails clawing into his skin but sought to ignore it and instead concentrated upon her face. She was so weak and so frail, her body failing her even though her burning spirit did not. At times a warrior's spirit was not always born in a warrior's body. In her eyes he again saw the run away queen that had escaped him and it was that face that made him grimace and loosen his death grip upon the sister.
Estellana immediately gasped for air and wilted, her body collapsing. The only thing that was keeping her steady was the now loving caress of the dark prince's calloused hand, his thumb rubbing her jawline tenderly. She cringed under his attentions.
"You and your sister are so different." He mused quietly, saying it more to himself than to the trembling girl in front of him, but she heard him all the same.
"You mean the one you didn't catch?" She whispered, more because her throat was intolerably abused than to be quiet in any way.
His caressing touch ceased for a long moment before it resumed. "Do you have any other sisters that I should know about?"
Estellana was appalled, was he jesting with her? She felt his hand clutch her chin and forced her to look at him. When she looked into his eyes she glared, blinking many times to fight back tears. How she missed her sister.
"No." She answered.
They continued to stare at one another.
"You're a far cry from what I remember, Rhal." She finally said, eliciting an angry hiss from between his teeth as he shoved her away and stood up. She watched him, sea foam eyes haunting. She finally noticed that he only wore a tunic and a pair of pants and thick boots, no armor to be seen.
So you don't think me a threat, she thought menacingly, turn your back on me, will you?
From beneath her pile of plush pillows was a sterling silver knife her attendants had foolishly given her in one of her meals. She had quickly took the utensil without their knowing and had it near her at all times, biding her time for an opportunity.
Your mistake.
Silently she stepped out from her blanketed cocoon and gingerly placed her feet upon the marbled floor, butter knife in hand. She knew she couldn't cause him any real harm, but she could harm him none-the-less, the moment couldn't be left to waste. She quietly padded across the floor, slowly, as she watched him intensely.
He was pouring her another glass of crystal clear water, back turned to her, showing her that she was no threat. She would correct that mistake, even as her throat begged her to sooth it with the life giving liquid.
Just a bit closer- she raised her hand, brandishing the knife, unknowingly letting the weak light reflect upon the shining surface.
It was that that caught the prince's attention. He looked up as he set the pitcher down, watching her creep up on him from a large ornate gold framed mirror that hung on the adjoining wall across the room.
He smiled ironically. She was not aware of her surrounding environment and that was her downfall.
Just as she was about to plunge her weapon into his back Rhalluan stepped to the side and tripped the girl behind him, causing her to pitch forward as she lost her balance and slammed her head against the edge of the heavy wood vanity. He snaked a hand out and caught her arms and pulled her into a vice-like embrace, crossing her arms across her chest, guiding her hand that remarkably still held her weapon to rest threateningly against her throat.
It all happened so fast that Estellana couldn't comprehend how she ended up in the bastard's arms with the knife pointed at her throat and not his. She had seen stars and almost blacked out from the lancing pain that raced through her head. She could feel something slick slide down her face- she cried out and tried to move when her head was suddenly ripped back and her throat mortally exposed.
Rhalluan adjusted his grip upon the girl as he held her captive with one arm clamping her arms to her chest and the other had clawed into her hair, wrenching her head back- exuding complete control over her form.
"Will you behave?" He asked in a deep timber, his lips brushing the shell of her ear causing her to flinch and try to spring away. He instantly crushed her to his chest and hissed a warning that had her still immediately.
"Do not make me ask again." He bit out harshly.
Her entire body shivered as she whimpered and nodded, careful of her movements because of the proximity of the knife resting none too gently upon her flesh.
"No more foolishness?" He went on, breathing in her fear as if he were feeding off it.
She shook her head.
They remained silent for a moment as he listened to the girl's erratic breaths and even faster heartbeat.
"Good," And he summarily released her, stealing the knife from her weak fingers as she dropped like a doe to the floor at his feet.
"Your food is getting cold, princess." She heard, following with her ears the sounds of his boots walking towards the door. "Jyaeles!" He barked and she flinched inadvertently, she clutched the weeping wound at her temple. "Fetch the medic. He is needed immediately."
She could hear the retreating foot falls as the servant carried out the order quickly and without question.
Estellana slumped to the floor and curled up into the fetal position, clutching her head close to her body as she began to sob quietly.
"Is the lady alright?" Asked one of her bodyguards, she recognized the voice that was generously laced with concern.
Rhalluan looked back at the girl and let a wicked smile stretch across his unforgiving mouth, he had done what he needed to- he had to break the little dame if he was ever going to get what he wanted from the girl.
"She's fine. She's just having trouble accepting her own insignificance. Daeroc," Rhalluan paused as he surveyed the guard. "If you want to keep your post learn to keep your eyes straight ahead." Rhalluan said dangerously.
Daeroc straightened to attention. "Yes, sir."
"The good doctor, I presume? The girl needs to be patched up, see to it that she gets all the care that she requires." The prince said darkly.
"Yes, my lord."
Estellana jerked her head up as she tried to push herself off the floor, anger filling her body as she heard the arrogance emanating from the shell of a boy she once knew.
"You're a monster, Rhal!" She shouted. "A monster!" She shrieked.
Rhalluan glanced at the girl before closing the door, not a trace of pity or remorse within those vacant orbs. "That's quite enough of that."
Estellana wanted to laugh as she saw the Prince of Darkness, the bane of her existence, the scourge of Balinor kneel before her on one armored knee and a look of genuine concern etched in his features.
"How are you tonight, my dear?" He asked sweetly.
She looked away from him, his velvety voice though sweet left a foul taste in her mouth.
"Still not speaking to anyone, are you?" He went on.
She looked better than the last time he had seen her. Her cheeks were not as sullen and she no longer looked quite so wiry, but her pallor still did not return. Her once golden kissed skin looks thin and translucent from being shut away. Her golden hair looked drab and lifeless, as it too had seen a ghost. But what startled him the most were the deep circles of purple that rung the bottom of her eyes. She had not been sleeping well and she looked utterly exhausted.
Though she was poking at her food and drinking sips of water she refused to speak with anyone who approached her. It had been weeks since anyone had heard her voice.
"My guards tell me that you tried to escape recently. That just won't do." Rhalluan continued, looking at the chains around the girl's feet that were wrapped around a pillar that was supporting the ceiling of the dank and moldy cellar. Many torches had been lit to illuminate the windowless cavern that was filled with boxes of drink and stored meats. It was a place not fit for a pig let alone a royal.
A key suddenly appeared in his hand as he began to unshackle both ankles, relieving the gnawing pain that had been her companion for the last several days since her attempted escape.
She was wary and she was very cautious.
The clasps sprang open as he tossed them aside along with the heavy chain. With practiced hands he took one slippered foot in his hand and began to massage the her ankle.
How her battered body betrayed her- she thought repulsively as her body relaxed against the soothing touch. How she hated him even more for it. She watched disgusted as he set down one dainty foot and picked up another.
"Another province has fallen." He informed her.
When he heard nothing he glanced up at her to view her face but it was schooled into a blank stare.
"The resistance will be weeded out and squashed sooner or later."
He saw her lips twitch and nearly chuckled himself. Estellana caught it and wanted to kick him for his jibes but she thought better of it.
"You are a fortress, Estel." He reverted back to her pet name and her eyes turned to him with a heated glare.
His face stretched into a strained smile as he reached within his tunic. "I've brought you something. A gift, if you will."
I don't want your gifts! Her thoughts were laced with venom as she thought them. She would rather die than accept it.
From his tunic he produced a tattered rag, which immediately repulsed her. He began to unwrap it to reveal two rings of pure gold embedded with dark glossy stones all around the sides. One appeared to be a torque while the other looked more like a head circlet.
She couldn't believe it, he was giving her jewelry?
She watched him stretch out the torque a bit and leaned in towards her to place it around her neck. At first she didn't resist, as soon as he put it on her she was going to rip it away from her. He had to be mad to believe that she would actually humor him.
He reach around and caught her mass of hair and gently pushed it away as he slid the cool metal around her neck. Almost immediately she jerked away as if she were burned. What was happening to her? The sudden pain was excruciating!
"Thinking of reneging my gift?" Came Rhalluan's mirthless voice.
All he could hear was her silent cries as her mouth gaped open in pain as she clawed at the torque, she could feel her fingertips burning. It was as if a white hot piece of metal were wrapped around her throat consuming her in an uncontrollable inferno. The more sh resisted the more pair she could feel as it began to radiate down from her neck to her collar bone and shoulders, going further down into her chest. A smothered howl clawed its way past her throat, her body began to writhe, her eyes began to see fringing blackness.
Rhalluan grabbed her chin within one firm hand and shouted in her ear to get her attention. "Cease thinking of escaping and removing my gift and your pain will stop!"
And to confirm that she heard him she shut her eyes and went rigidly still, holding her breath until suddenly she began to gasp for air. It took several long moments for her to regain her senses but as he had said as soon as she stopped thinking of the torque it almost instantly stopped causing her pain.
While she was still recovering from the brutality of her knew shackle Rhalluan quickly placed the gold circlet on the crown of her head, completing her new bindings. He released her and got to his feet, looking down on her with imperious eyes. Watching her as she lifted her hands to gently touch and feel the torque around her neck and then finally traveling up her head to feel the plain band of a tiara. Her expression crumbled once again into pain as she touched the metal that crossed the breadth of her forehead and was buried in the roots of her head.
Large doe like eyes stared up at him in abject fear and horror, "What have you done to me?" She asked, her voice wavering and pathetic and had it been any other man who she had uttered those forlorn words to his heart would have broke.
But Rhalluan was not that man, even as he felt a spasm in his chest.
"What was needed to be done." He spoke evenly. He paced away from her before turning back. "If you try to remove the torque then the circlet will tighten and kill you. If you try to remove the circlet then the torque will tighten and kill you. Thoughts of removing either one will result in pain, as you have experienced earlier."
He paused thoughtfully.
"Inlaid in each piece are shards of dark acorna, the magic links you to me. At any given time, whether I am near you or not all I have to say are a few simple words to end your life, princess."
The dark prince moved to exit the cellar then turned back to her, "Even if you do escape you won't get far." He all but laughed the last part as he left, barking orders to have her removed and relocated at once.
A guard came to her side instantly and in her stricken daze she realized it was Daeroc, a man who sympathized with her plight. She had been orchestrating a plan to escape with him as her aid but that was impossible now. As Rhalluan had said- she couldn't get far. As soon as he heard word of her escape he would kill her or worse- use her.
If they were linked through magic because of these- she winced- gifts then he would be able to sense where she was at all times.
It was hopeless. Completely hopeless.
Emera! She thought desperately, Where are you?!
Daeroc gently led her outside to his mount, a shadow unicorn, and helped her mount. Her moves were automatic and mechanical, as if she wasn't really there. He genuinely worried for her health. His lord's harsh and paradoxical kindness to her was slowly killing her. She couldn't handle his volatile treatment.
As Daeroc hopped in the saddle behind her she suddenly caught site of Rhalluan and his wretched beast Harbinger.
"You're a monster!" She cried out, before she was shook by Daeroc's hand to be silenced.
Rhalluan mounted Harbinger and turned the shadow unicorn about, giving Estellana a sinister smile before shouting orders to move out.
This chapter is edited.
So I know I took longer on busting out this chapter and I apologize. I hope you enjoy it. Its kinda darker than my last one. This chapter- though took me longer to write- was a lot easier to get done.
Again sorry for the wait.
I would like to thank Perinne, Lady Akyrial, 365 PagesOfAwesomeness for reviewing!
Also I've posted two new links on my profile and the completed drawing of Rhal and Har and a speed painting of Emera. Please enjoy- any feed back would be appreciated in a private message if you feel compelled!
Thanks again!
Chapter nine is in the works, promise!
BVR
