A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's took me so long to update but the wait it over. This chapter is in Nikolai point of view. This will be the last chapter in his point of view for awhile because im going to be focusing on Alina and the Darkling. Thanks for the awesome reviews last time, and the favourites and follows.

Betrayal

"The Apparat wants to meet tonight," Tamar said."Should I tell him that you agree to meet with him?" I was in my chambers, seated around a large table. Tamar sat across from me, Toyla to her right. The meeting was going smoothly, but still I could not focus. My thoughts kept drifting back to the night with Lucya, her body in my arms, her soft lips on mine, and the feeling of being wanted. I returned my mind to the subject at hand.

"Yes, of course," I replied. I forced myself to ask about Alina. "Has there been any news from the Darkling or Alina?"Tamar shook her head.

"None of late," she said.

I shifted in my seat.

"Good," I said. "Is that all?"

Tamar or Toyla made no inclination to move. I felt the feeling that they were keeping something from me, something important.

"Well, spit it out," I said, frustrated with their secrecy.

Tamar was the one to speak, "Know that I wouldn't tell you this unless I thought that it could be Apparat has informed me that one of his spies from within the Grand Palace at Os Alta, overhead a conversation between the Darkling and Alina about Lucya." She stopped, took a deep breath. " The spy has reason to believe that Lucya is a puppet of the Darkling's and was sent here to... dispose of you."

I felt my body burn with rage and disappointed. "And you believe this?" I looked at both of them "Both of you?"

Their silence was my confirmation. I shot up out of my seat. " Lies," I said, my voice louder.

"I know you have grown close to her but-"

I Interrupted her. "You know nothing!" My control unravelled. "The Apparat has planted these lies. Lucya couldn't...she wouldn't."

"You have been blinded by your infatuation for her," Tamar said. "You allow yourself to see only what you want to see."

"Get out!" I demanded them. "Both of you." They both moved towards the door. Tammar stopped and said, "It would be a shame to see you fall from such height due to the need of wanting."

How dare they! They know nothing! It couldn't be true. There was no way that Lucya could be working for the Darkling. She is to become my wife, not my enemy.

I walked briskly down several corridors, past walls decorate with paintings of the royal family. I made my way to the gardens, where I was supposed to meet with Lucya for lunch. The gardens were big and beautiful, a place where you could become lost if not careful. I spotted Lucya siting at one of the garden tables, her ladies flocking around her. As I came closer, Lucya 's Dark eyes connect with mine and I felt guilty for suspecting her.

"Your Highness," I said, once I was close.

"No need for formalities," Lucya said. "Lucya is fine." I smiled.

I sat in the chair across from her. "How have you been?" I asked. One of the servants came and poured us tea. "It seems like forever since I saw you last."

"And here I thought you had forgotten about me," she said with a mischievous smile.

"I will never forget you," I said.

"Make sure that you don't." She stirred her tea. " The king visited me earlier today," she said between sips."He wants to know when we will be married."

I shifted in my seat. " And what did you say?"

"I said any day now." Her voice was full of joy.

"What did you think of the king?" I asked curiously.

"He's a spoiled child," she answered.

I took a deep breath. Nobody spoke about the King like that unless they had a death sentence. The king had people spies knew everything about everyone.
She rose from her chair and offered me her hand. "Take a walk with me?" I hesitated. I looked at her, truly looked at her. She looked human, ordinary. Her dark eyes gleamed with anticipation and desire. There's nothing to be afraid of. I smiled. I took her hand and folded it around my arm. Her ladies began to follow, but she told them to stay. It was just us amongst the devouring tree's and colourful flowers. We were alone, utterly and truly alone. We walked in silence for awhile.

"Back in Shu Han when I was a child, I used to play in the woods for hours. I would forget the time and feel completely at home amongst the dark, trees." Her voice broke." This one time, after my mother had died, I forgot about the time completely until it became too dark to try and find my way home. I was scared, frightened, thought something was going to kill me. I thought any moment my father would come looking, he would send out search parties and they would find me but he didn't." She stopped. We came to a fountain, she sat own on the ledge and I did the same.

"What happened?" I asked, truly intrigued.

She looked at me, her dark eyes full of remembrance and something deeper, something darker. "At the first sign of dawn, I made my way out of the forest. I was starving, tired and in need of comfort. I went straight to my father's room and when I found him, he was asleep. He had completely forgotten about me."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

She looked into the water, her fingers tracing the surface. "I learned that day never to depend on anyone." Her voice was a whisper. "We're to be married, we should be honest with each other."
I could smell the salty air of the sea as it carried itself on the wind. My wings fluttered and it dawned on me that I couldn't remember the last time I had flown amongst the white clouds. Her eyes connected with mine, Her hand on my cheek, was wet from the water. She leaned in closer until we were only a breath space away and then she kissed me. Her lips were soft like velvet and I become lost.

She pulled back. "Please know that I am truly sorry."Her voice was sad, full of despair. Her hand had removed itself from my cheek and became clenched at her side, and somehow I knew that it was too late. The air was sucked from my lungs and my surroundings became dark. I fell to my knees, my hands grabbing at my chest. The sound of hurried footsteps, the chirping of birds, and rushing water was the last thing I heard before I collapsed completely and the whole world went dark.

I awoke to the feeling of soft sheets beneath me. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying to drive away the heavy fog that lingered. My head hurt and my chest ached from the lack oxygen. I heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. I looked around the room and found Tamar leaning back against the dresser.

"You're alive I see," Tamar said, folding her arms.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Whats the last thing you remember?" She said.

The kiss. Lucya saying sorry. Collapsing to the ground. Darkness.

"I collapsed and then everything went black," I said. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and got up. The world went spinning and I had to grab hold of the bed post to keep from falling down.

"Why aren't I dead?" I said. "It felt like I was dead or was going to be."

"I came looking for you and when I got to the gardens the guards said you were with Lucya and that the two of you wanted to be alone." She swallowed. "I couldn't take the chance of something happening to you. So I went searching for you and found you half collapsed on the ground."

"Thank you," I said, honestly. " I'm sorry for the way I treated you and Toyla this morning. I got so caught up in wanting to be wanted, that I didn't let myself see what was going on right in front of me."Tamar smiled. "What are friends for?"

Tamar smiled. "What are friends for?"

"Where is Lucya?" I asked." Is she dead?"

Tamar shook her dead. " She's not dead. " She hesitated. " But the king has her."

Traitors were as good as dead.

I was about to answer when the doors flew open and the King strode in. I cast a look to Tamar telling her to leave. She nodded, bowed to the king and then left. I took a deep breath, savouring the air. I pushed my shoulders back and lifted my head up high, trying not to look like the injured victim. The king's eyes landed on me, they were filled with anger and displeasure. "I should kill you for you stupidity," the King said. My stupidity? He was the one who wanted me to marry her.

"You're the one who wanted me to marry her," I said, my temper getting the best of me. "I was doing what husbands to be do." The king raised his hand as if he was going to strike me. "Careful, boy," the King said with spite. "You may be a prince but you are still just a boy."

The king raised his hand as if he was going to strike me. "Careful, boy," the King said with spite. "You may be a prince but you are still just a boy." The king lowered his hand. His angered eyes stalked around the room until they landed back on me. "You will sort this mess out," the King said, with a type of ferocity that was not to be tampered with. "I don't care how you deal with her but I want it sorted with." His cold eyes looked me over one last time. He made moved to leave but then added, "Oh, and sort yourself out. You look like shit." When the King was gone, I found myself breathing heavily. Only now realizing that I had held my breath the whole time.

I made my way to the dungeons, where the King was keeping Lucya. With each step, I took, the more I wanted to turn around and forget. forget about her and what I was about to do. The closer I drew to the cells, the darker it became, the only light was from the candles on the walls. The smell of death and old corpses hung heavy in the air. I had to cover my mouth with my hand to keep from gagging. I nodded to guards to open the cell door. I entered the cell and pity took over me. The cobblestone walls had moss growing from each crevice. The hard ground had splatters of bloodstains that never faded away. I willed myself to not care, to focus solely on her betrayal. I found Lucya, buried in the corner, Her arms hugged her legs to her chest and her hair covered her face.

"Are you here to kill me?" Her voice was confidence I had admired was long gone.

I should kill her. It would be a mercy.

"Is that what you want?" I asked curiously.

"Death comes as a blessing to some," she said between fits of coughing.

"The Darkling sent you here to kill me, didn't he?" I said. The thought of the Darkling made my hands clenched. She was silent. "Answer me!" My voice rattled on the walls. "Yes."

She was silent. "Answer me!" My voice rattled of the walls.

"Yes."

The truth did nothing to soothe the ache of betrayal.

"Why do it?" I asked, wanting to know if I meant anything to her.

She lifted her head and looked at me. Her left eye was bruised and swollen. " The Darkling would have killed me if I didn't."

"I could have protected you," I said.

"Nothing can protect me from him," she said. "Not even you."

I turned away from her. The smell of death became suffocating. "Did I mean nothing to you, after everything? I said. " Was I just some person who you were told to seduce and then rip apart." The sound of dripping water from the ceiling became unbearable. "I was in love-"I stopped myself before I wouldn't make a bigger fool out of myself.

She laughed. "You didn't love me. I was just some distraction." Her voice was low." I was the girl you went to, for when you needed to forget the pain, the heartache. For one small moment, I would be the person you shared your grief with and then nothing." Her voice broke. "But I'm flattered."

I wouldn't admit it, but she was right. I wanted to forget about the pain, the heartache. Alina. And she was the only way. I still couldn't forgive or forget about what she had done, what she had tried to do. I took a deep breath and turned back around. This needed to be done.

"You will write to the Darkling and tell him that you have succeeded in killing the war is over." I stopped. I watched her face, the way she chewed her bottom lip, they way her brows knitted together. I crouched down in front of her. I tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. My touch made her wince. "And then you will live out the rest of days in here, and whenever I am in need of you, you will be of service, " I whispered in her ear.

I lifted myself from the ground and signaled the guard to open the door.

"Nikolai!" She begged. "Please don't leave me here!" I heard the sound of the cell door locking behind me. Lucya grabbed hold of the bars, shaking them as if they will magically open. "Please! You can't do this to me."

Her screams echoed off the stone walls.

I didn't look back.

My dreams that night were haunted by her pleas.

Hoped you guys liked it. Please review, favourite or follow. xx