So, here is the next one! I hope you enjoy it! :)

21.

Temptations

"This is ridiculous," Rolanda snorted dryly, glad that she was spared from a paralysing shock this time, though it still was an odd experience to hear him, a complete stranger who knew nothing about her at all, implying that she too had secret skills that seemed too fantastic to be true.

It also seemed like the subconscious part of her mind had already started to see the hints that had lead to the king's ultimate statement, therefore her surprise about Severus' words was not as big as she believed it probably was supposed to be. Still, she could not believe what he was saying – it simply was not logical.

"Why do you think like this, if I may ask?" Severus replied, the slightest hint of a puzzled expression showing on the surface of the mask that he used to distance himself from every other human being that was around him.

"Well, let us think about it for a few minutes," Rolanda snarled disapprovingly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You are telling me that I have been a witch for all my life, that I was possessing these magical powers you were talking about all the time and I did not register it, neither did my father or my mother. I surely would have been aware of it and my father would have seen it too if he is that powerful and wise wizard you say he is! So please excuse me, your highness, when I find it difficult to believe that I am a witch!"

Severus sighed inwardly and held himself back from covering his face with his palms – she was really straining his nerves with her need to get a detailed explanation on everything he told her. It would not be easy to convince her of the truth, even though she was a intelligent woman. He could understand why she was doing it, though – magic was nothing common as religion was, even though these two things seemed to be a little bit similar to each other in some aspects, at least from the perspective of a non-magical person.

Religion and magic were both about something like higher powers that stood above the average human being, the first one having been invented by people who had been seeking for an explanation of how the world and everything on it had come to existence at all. In tales, magic was used to fool people, in Severus opinion – it was always a tool to turn things around, so that even the worst and most unsolvable situation could be given an happy ending, which in turn was supposed to give people the false impression that even the most miserable situation could end good for them.

Religion was doing this too – spend enough time on your knees, listen to the words of the priests that are looking down on the ordinary folk from their pulpits, confess your sins to the old man's ground division and bow your head to show devotion, be a good sheep to the old shepherd and maybe, if the unreachable god sees you worthy, you will be blessed with a wonder or at least you won't end up in the most cruelest depths of hell.

And well, some people were just not willing to believe in things they had never seen before or they could not touch. These people were the most curious, and the most intelligent, in Severus' opinion, and normally he kind of liked it when people dared to question common beliefs – but recently he had also come to the conclusion that he should not like it that much now as he was the king. After all, he tried to erase everything his father and brother had ever established during their reign.

And well, right now, it was making it pretty difficult to show Rolanda that she really was a witch.

"Well, of course I am not an expert about your family history, but I assume that your father did actually see your signs of childhood magic, however he seemed to have decided that you shall be kept away from all magical business. Probably for your own safety, as the non-magical population is to be kept in the dark about the existence of magic and a child which is encouraged to show its magic is not aware of the danger every witch and wizard is in.

"Just imagine people's reactions if you had shown your friends what kind of odd things you can let happen – they surely would have ran to their fathers and mothers, excited to tell them about what you had done and trust me, adults tend to be suspicious sooner than you could imagine. I am sure that your father wanted you to grow up like a normal child, one that does fit into his family. After all, he married an ordinary woman, not a witch, and their second born, your sister Alannah, is a muggle too," Severus explained, showing more patience than he had thought he had left. Rolanda was still looking at him with a quirked eyebrow, making it clear that she was still not convinced at all. He would need a long breath to bring this home, that was clear.

"I feel like you not being aware of your own powers shows how much knowledge about magic itself your father really was able to gather throughout the years. He was able to keep your magic from breaking free, he kind of manipulated you and as we see, it was more than effective. Now, you ask yourself why I still am so convinced that you are a witch."

"Yes, right, I do, now stop being so secretive, as if I could run out of these chambers and scream it out to everybody who is willing to listen – they would think that I am just as mad as you are," Rolanda snarled, closing her eyes for a moment as she felt a slight headache sneaking its way into her skull. Hell, she was just so overwhelmed by everything that was happening in this moment... it was too much, but still she wanted more informations, simply because she felt like that she could go to the end as she already had get it started.

"Everybody who has magical blood flowing through his or her veins can sense the magic in other persons. Maybe you registered a tingling sensation around me – this is it, it is your magic reaching out for mine. Therefore, I am pretty sure that you are a witch, as I have never come across a non-magical person who gave me this feeling," Severus stated, and he felt a little bit relieved as he catched a glimpse of a little bit of recognision flashing over Rolanda's face.

"Okay, I was able to feel it too, but I never used my magic before! How do you know if I am able to do magic at all? What if that skill just vanished because it was never required?" Rolanda asked, feeling like she was still not able to accept the concept of magic being a part of her completely.

"Trust me, it is not possible for the magic to vanish only because it was never used. And I can show you how you can use your magic, how you can bring it to the surface again and be able to control it. If you become my student, I could show you the deepest secrets of magic, you would be offered insight to the biggest wonders and would be able to erase the guilt of your father, if you accept. You could be able to live a normal life, with your sister and with your parents if they should come home again, and you would never have to fear that I could come after you."

Rolanda stared at him, her interest being awake fully now as she heard him talking about her father and his guilt. She had to admit that it did really sound tempting, this prospect of freedom, though she doubted that anything could be like it had been again – they had witnessed too many horrible things, both in Waterhal and at Blackdown Stronghold and she was not sure if she ever was going to be able to forget these pictures.

Also, she did not know if she wanted to erase this guilt without knowing what he had done at all, and if it was likely at all that he would forgive her father if she herself would promise to help him as his student in magic.

"This is a very generous offer, your highness," she stated, choosing her words more than carefully, even though she had not really cared about how she had spoken with him earlier. "But before I consider agreeing to it, I would like to know what exactly you are accusing my father of. As you give me the opportunity to erase this guilt from your record for him, I would like to know what it is."

Severus could not deny that she did have a point, and he knew that he could not risk to loose her – if he would ever be able to capture Rolanda's father was written in the stars and the plan he had formed in his mind, which included Rolanda and her magical abilities, was just too good to throw it away. Of course she could still disagree after hearing the reason why he wanted to punish her father, but maybe he had to take this risk to succeed.

"Fine, I guess this would even the field, wouldn't it? However, I want you to know that this is one of the rare privileges I will grant you! And I also warn you to ever speak like this with me, disagreeing with me and challenging your king. This should not not become a habit of yours, as this could ruin the chances I offered you," Severus snarled threatingly, hoping that she would finally understand that he did not wanted her to behave disrespectfully towards him – it would truly be a pity to be forced to punish her even though she had the best opportunities just in front of her.

"Well, your father once denied me his help while I was seeking for more knowledge, keen to expand my skills. I was dwelving into fields of magic that he thought are too dangerous to be explored and even though I reaffirmed him several times that I am well aware of the risks and am more than capable of controlling the dark side of magic, he told me that he could not help me. It was against his beliefs, and his refusal had been a real problem for me at this time, and back then, I swore to myself that I would show him that it was the wrong choice."
Rolanda bit her lip, feeling torn back and forth – she could definitely understand why her father had refused and she was sure that she would have done the same if she had been in his situation. She did not know much about magic, but dark magic did not sound like something that was supposed to be supported, as it did sound evil after all.

But still, she had to think about the current situation while making a decision and for her, right now, the offer to become the king's student in order to enhance the conditions Alannah and her were living in at the moment. Of course she could never be sure if he would stick to his word and release them, and even spare her parents, but right now she thought that it was worth a try.

The king obviously saw her silence as negative, as he suddenly continued to speak:"You could become a powerful person so important to the kingdom that nobody in Ulidia would ever think about threatening you or your family. We would be a mighty pair, Rolanda, you and I, we could rule this kingdom together and nobody would be able to stop us from uniting all the kingdoms to brace us against all the threats that exist! The vikings, the French people... nobody."

He knew that he maybe had been a little bit too radical and honest about his goals while describing everything, but sooner or later, during their lessons, she would find out about his plans anyway. And though he was not formulating it like this, it was clear that he wanted to use her for his own benefit – but he was offering her a very high reward too.

Rolanda stared at him, barely believing that he was truly meaning his words the way he had said them. It seemed so unlikely that someone like him could offer her such a position and she was utterly convinced that she had imagined his words or that she was misinterpreting it all...

"Do... do you indicate that you want me to become your apprentice and... and y-your queen?" Rolanda stuttered, her heart racing in her chest and she felt like the world was spinning in a sickening speed.

What made it even worse was that the king was starting to smile, and it was a real smile for the first time since she knew him, being completely open without concealing anything. It was even more frightening than all his threats and furious outbreaks together.

He stepped closer to her and gently ran his fingertips along her face, starting at her temple before tracing her jawline. Rolanda trembled slightly as she felt small tingles erupting from the places he had touched her and he whispered:"If that is what you want. If you truly want to be by my side and change the world with me, then I will be glad to join hands with you in marriage."

Now he had said it.

Rolanda did not know if she was supposed to feel flattered or terrified about this more then obvious offer. All the while she was asking herself why he would do this. What kind of benefit would he have if he married her, additionally to teaching her everything about magic from his point of view.

Maybe everything of this was supposed to shock her father, maybe it would serve as some different kind of revenge. She actually was pretty sure that her father would have a heart attack if he heard that his daughter was considering to involve herself very, very closely with somebody he obviously was not a fan of.

But still she could not deny that his offer and the way he touched her was actually hitting a spot inside of her. She could feel a strong connection to him, though she did not know where it was coming from – maybe it was the magic, but it also could have been something else. Not necessarely love, but something like affection or... well, she could not even place that. Over the last few days, she had already felt it, but in this moment it was even more intense.

Of course she did not really long for power over people, but still there was something about the offer that was drawing her closer.

Maybe it was because she had always dreamed about being at the castle and being allowed to do what she pleased there when she had been younger.

This situation was more than confusing for her and she wished that somebody would have been there to help her. It did hurt a little bit as she remembered how she had always used to confide her secrets and problems to Aurora, taking a little bit of weight off her shoulders in the process of discussing everything with her.

But right now there was nobody who could have taken this difficult decision from her, and she felt a little bit helpless and even more overwhelmed as she registered that the king's face was slowly drifting closer.

His dark eyes were wandering between her lips and her own eyes and she felt shivers run down her spine as his warm breath was brushing over her lips. They nearly touched, but Rolanda stepped back just in time, clearing her throat a little bit too loudly.

Still her voice was shaky and low as she whispered:"I... I have to th-hink about it f-for a while... it, uhm... after all, it is a pretty big offer and... and it would mean a lot of change and new... new impressions and duties and... and decisions like this are supposed to be thought through pretty well, don't you think?"

Severus nodded slowly, but still she knew that he was not particularly pleased by her answer, that he surely had expected to hear something else from her. He stepped back a little bit and caressed her face yet again while murmuring:"Don't think about it for too long, Rolanda. Time is a precious good."

She had seen how the smile, that was still on his face, had changed, and she was a little bit afraid of the way he looked at her now. There was hunger and greed visible inside of this black orbs and she gulped hard as he allowed her to go down to the kitchen for some time after putting his wand away, storing it away safely in its hiding place.