I know! I can't believe I'm updating either! Sorry that it's taken me so long guys, but I have returned with a new part for the story. For a while I wasn't sure how I was going to write this part but I guess 8 hours on a train has a habit of breaking writer's block. Thanks for all the wonderful feedback guys! SO...here we go. Hope you enjoy : )

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Chapter 4


"Take your sister and get out of here!" Gone is the quiet confident reserved mask that my mother wore and in its place, something I've never seen crosses her face. Fear.

"Mommy!" I push harshly away from the arms clasped tightly around my waist only to be grabbed again a second later. "Let go of me!" Struggling, I try to reach my mother. So close. I can almost feel the once shiny, now dirty and tattered gown she wears. Dirty from running through the underground passages that will lead us out of the castle to safety. Passages we were never supposed to need. "Mommy!" I call out but she ignores me as she continues to talk to the owner of the arms around my waist; the arms that won't let me get to her. My brother's arms.

"Mom-"His voice gives away what his actions don't. That while his arms keep me out of reach of our mother, he's about as reluctant to leave her as I am.

"Damn it! Just listen to me Teague! GET. YOUR SISTER. OUT OF. HERE. Do you know what will happen to her if they manage to get their hands on her?" At her words his body stiffens and his arms around my waist slacken. I try to break free but his arms around me tighten before I get anywhere. What are they talking about? I look back to my mother's face taut with anger and frustration at my brother's hesitance.

"Mommy! I don't want to go! Don't make me go! I want to stay with you!" As if noticing for the first time that I am there she looks down at me and her face softens. She kneels down to look into my eyes, bright, blue, unsettling eyes that mirror her own, and I am finally able to touch her. My hands feel the fabric of her dress and move to cup her face as if trying to memorize her features, her face. I know somehow that this is the last time I will see her.

"No, sweetie you can't stay with me. It isn't safe-" She tells me softly while smoothing my hair and running her hands through my dark disheveled curls and suddenly the tears are falling hard and fast as the ache in my stomach rips me apart. I try desperately to wipe away my tears but it's useless.

"I don't care if it isn't safe!" I cry out loudly, my voice booming off of the walls around us and causing my mother to flinch. I know my yelling isn't ladylike but I've long since stopped caring and no one says anything about it. My mother recovers quickly and strokes my cheeks softly.

"Well I care. I don't want them to hurt you or use you in anyway." My arms ache to hold her but the arms holding me keep me in place.

"I want to stay with you." I whisper brokenly, letting the tears fall freely down my face. For a second I see tears gather in my mother's eyes but she looks away and when she looks back they're gone with no way to tell if they were ever really there.

"Honey, the best thing you can do for me now is going with your brother. He can protect you better than I can and he can get you somewhere safe, and right now that's the most important thing to me." A small part of me knows she's right but I won't acknowledge it. I'm fighting a losing battle, but I want to keep her for as long as I can.

"Mommy!" Pulling hard against my brother's arms, I throw my own around my mother's neck, holding her tightly until I feel them ache and even then I welcome the ache just to be holding her. I feel my brother loosen his grip and he lets me go to hug her. She wraps her arms strongly around me and I bury my face in the crook of her neck breathing in her warm scent trying to imprint it in my mind; sandalwood and a small hint of cinnamon.

"I love you. Remember that. I pray to the gods that one day it will be safe enough to see you again, but I fear it might not be." She whispers in my ear. "Ever again." She adds softly as an after thought chasing the breath out of my lungs. She knows too that this is the last time we'll be together. As if trying to stop time and will this all away I hold tighter to her than before.

"Mommy! I don't want to leave you!" Clasping my arms together around her neck I try to stop her hands from pulling me away from her, but moments later the warmth of her body leaves me and my brother is once again pulling me further down the tunnel and further away from my mother.

"Teague, get her out of here, now!" My mother cries as I kick and scream in protest.

"NO! Teague! Let me go! I'm not leaving her!" I scream hitting my hands against his back as he throws me over his shoulder. Frustrated and angry I pull my foot back and kick him really hard in the gut. He doubles over and I scramble out of his arms.

"OW! Serena, get back here!" He grunts out clutching his gut and rising to his feet after me.

"MOMMY!" Squealing, I run to embrace her one last time only to be pushed away harshly.

"SERENA! Damn it! Listen to your brother! I'm serious, GO. NOW!" She yells angrily. Gone is the proper, ladylike queen with her quiet reserve and in it's place I see a side of my mother I've never seen before. To a ten year old, one's parents are supposed to be invincible but what I see is nothing like that. All I see is scared, vulnerable, and frantic woman that's no different from any commoner. Suddenly her blue eyes, so much like mine, widen and a guttural inhuman sound rips from her throat as she gasps for breath and falls to the ground.

"Ma…ma?" I cry worriedly rushing to her fallen body. I desperately try to shake her awake but no matter how many times I shake her, her eyes remain staring unseeingly at the ceilings of the tunnels. Sobbing, I bury myself in my mother's lifeless arms that are quickly losing warmth when the sound of laughing falls on my ears and I feel another sob die in my throat. The laughter continues cruelly, laughter that sends sprawling to my feet trying to reach my brother. Too late, I realize as I am grabbed by the back of my dress and pulled violently backwards.

"Not so fast. Should have listened to your mommy little one." A voice whispers sneeringly against my cheek.

"Khivar! You bastard! What are you doing here? How the hell did you get in here?" Every fear I had as to who the laugh and voice belonged confirmed as my brother's voice hoarse with emotion and anger rings out.

"I think that answer is best left to your dear cousin who was kind enough to let me in." He answers smugly, stepping aside to reveal her. I half expected her to be in chains, but when I get a look at her she looks alright. But she wouldn't just let him into the tunnels. Would she? My stomach drops at the thought.

"Wh-what?" My brother stutters out in shock. I can tell the same thought is running through his head. Did she betray us?

"Teague, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I-" Any hopes that it wasn't true are crushed as she confirms what we're thinking. With this new information I feel sick and I find I can no longer look at her. A cousin I once loved dearly, who played with me in the fields, took me out riding, in whose wedding I was a flower girl. I turn instead to look at my brother and lose myself in studying his face. I watch as the different emotions cross his face almost as if he can't decide what to feel, when his usually sweet, kind features settle into a pure rage.

"I hope you're satisfied cousin, did you get everything you wanted?"

"Teague I-I-" She holds her hands up trying to calm my brother down to explain herself, but my brother won't have it.

"How could you? Just tell me one thing. Was it worth it? Did you enjoy watching MY MOTHER, your AUNT die? Did you just laugh inside watching her lifeless body fall to the ground!" He screams at her while tears pool at the bottom of his eyes.

"Teague STOP IT!" I scream as his harsh words reach my ears. I struggle against my captor and when I get nowhere I cover my ears to block out the sound and close my eyes. If I don't see or hear it, it will all go away. It will all go away. But all I see over and over behind my closed eyelids is my mother's body, dressed in the tattered ball gown from earlier falling lifelessly to the ground. All I hear in my covered ears, the dull thud she made as her body hit the tunnel floors.

"You know I never wanted that to happen!" I uncover my ears in time to her my cousin plead in defense. But it has no affect on my brother; in fact her words serve to only make him angrier.

"You know, I'm starting to think I never knew you at all. I can't believe you would betray us. Did you watch as they killed your husband as well? Did you watch as they killed him as he slept, unable to fight back? Did you love him at all?" He asks incredulously.

"Brother! Stop it!" I scream in vain but my cries fall on deaf ears. I don't think I could take it if I found out she also had to do with his death. Already I feel the contents of my stomach churning.

"Awww what's the trouble little one?" Khivar asks sarcastically running one of his hands down my cheek like my mother did not ten minutes ago, although instead of the touch being loving and comforting it's cold and sickening. I try to shrink away but his other hand is grasped tightly around my waist.

"Khivar, get away from my sister!" My brother yells hearing his voice and turning to regard us at last since learning of our cousin's betrayal.

"Testy, testy. I wouldn't dream of harming someone who may be of use to us." He answers smugly to my brother's anger. Then almost as if the thought just crossed his mind he continues. "You on the other hand…" He accentuates his words with a raise of his arms and seconds later it's my brother's body I see stumbling at the blow and falling backwards.

"BROTHER!" I shriek in despair and kicking harder than I had before I manage to free myself from Khivar's arms. Not that he was too concerned, he knows he could kill me anytime but that's the last thing I think of as I run to my brother's fallen body.

"Teague!" I hear someone scream and I look around to see my cousin's horrified face. "You said you wouldn't kill him!" She says turning in disbelief on Khivar.

"I lied. Did you really believe everything I told you? Well, you're more naïve than I thought." He says moving closer to my brother's body to admire his work and in desperation I try to cover his body not wanting to give him the satisfaction of enjoying the death of another person I loved.

"Damn you." I almost wonder if I'd said the words, I'd been thinking them, but once again I look to my cousin who looks livid and hurt. She has no right to be hurt, she betrayed us.

"This is YOUR entire fault! It's your fault Teague and Mommy are dead! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" I explode rising from my position to run over to her. The powerful need to hit something taking me over as I beat my small fists against her. She has no right. She has no right.

"Serena, I-I thought it was for the best." She whispers half-heartedly not exactly believing her own words as she grasps my wrists to stop my actions.

"For you." I bite out angrily. " You thought it was the best for you! Did you think that letting him in would really make things better! NO! Don't touch me! You lost that right when you killed my family! You're not MY family anymore." I tell her yanking my wrists out of her hands and taking I step back I spit at her; the action causing my hair to fly forward, revealing the soft skin of the nape of my neck and my birthmark.

"Ah what's this? I think she may be more useful to us than we first thought." Khivar speaks intrigued as he gets a look at it. "Do you know what this mark means, little one?" He asks turning me to judge my answer but I just glare at him. It's just a birthmark.

"Oh gods, Serena, you're the one?" It's at my cousin's reaction that I begin to wonder.

"The one? The one what?" I ask confused.

"Ah not to fret little one, you're going to help me kill the rest of the royal family and secure my future as high king." He tells me simply, patting my hair as a smile crosses his face.

"No Khivar." I don't know who is more shocked by my cousin's words, me or Khivar.

"Oh, don't tell me that you've chosen now to have a heart." He sneers out while his smile turns to a look of disgust.

"I'm not going to let you use Serena for your sick plans." She continues moving to separate me from him.

"But…" Khivar drawls out leaning in closr to her unfazed. "You were perfectly content to allow me to use her before; and what about your husband? Where was your conscience when I personally ran my sword through his chest? When with his last breath of air, he looked at you over my shoulder and recognized you as a traitor. The sound of your name falling off of his paling lips-" His words making me ill, he smiles as his words create the similar effect for her.

"Stop it Khivar. I know I can't go back; as much as I will it to be so," at this she looks at me, her silent apology, but I stay quiet. "But I can stop you from killing anymore of my family." She finishes not backing down.

"How touching, I think I am going to be ill." He answers completely unthreatened by her words and only sounding slightly inconvenienced. "What a pity and we could have had such fun, a high king needs a queen for those cold lonely nights-" He continues stroking his hand down her cheek.

"I'll die first." She responds coldly turning her face away from his touch.

"Done." He states with a smirk as if closing a deal and before she can realize what is happening hers is the next body to fall. A terrible shriek fills the air around me and I cover my ears to block out the sound until I realize it's me who's screaming. Khivar ignores my screaming and moves to kneel down next to her body.

"You're no longer of use to me anymore anyway. Perhaps your sister will be more obliging" He says moving his hand over her face to close her eyelids, then standing, turns to regard me. "…come along little one. We have work to do."

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"Miss. Miss!" I jerk awake as Erin splashes some water on my face. "So sorry to wake you Miss but you were having the nightmare again." She answers apologetically taking a step back.

"It's alright, thank you Erin." I answer softly, sitting up the images from the nightmare already gone. They're always gone when I wake. All that remain are just snippets of colors, words, and feelings teasing my memory.

"If you don't mind me asking, Miss-"

"It's just Serena, Erin. Enough of this 'Miss', I told you. You've known me for six years already." I reply smiling. She grabs the tray of food on the desk next to the bed and lays it on my lap.

"I'm sorry Miss-" at my expectant look she corrects herself, "er-Serena, it's a habit, besides, if your father found out I was speaking to you so improperly, I'd be out on the street." She finishes in a huff.

"Yes I know, my father always overreacts over things like that, but can you at least make an exception for when we're alone?" I plead sweetly. "I'm tired of so much formality."

"Aw, how can I refuse a sweet face like that?" She smiles pinching my cheek.

"Ouch, hey I'm not a little kid anymore, I'm almost eighteen you know, and you can't pinch my cheeks anymore." I respond but I know I've won.

"Oh I can't believe you're so grown up. It seems like just yesterday you were only twelve and I was brought in to be your new maid." She says, her eyes glazing over with the memory.

"Uggh, your not going to get all nostalgic on me are you?" I ask sarcastically. She scoffs at my reply.

"You, young lady, are incorrigible! What would your father have to say about that?" She says grabbing one of my pillows and hitting me on the head with it.

"He'd say, 'Serena! That's very unladylike'." I say, perfectly imitating my father and causing Erin to laugh.

"Yes, that sounds exactly like your father."

"But I've decided that I am sick and tired of so much formality. I don't care about being ladylike." I answer lifting the lid off my plate to take in my food. It smells wonderful and I can't wait to dig into the food.

"Well, what can you do? Your father lives for formality." She asks amused.

"I've decided that I am going to move to some foreign country and become an artist and live as wild and crazy as I want to." I answer throwing my arms dramatically into the air.

"Well, when you become rich and famous, I'm coming to live with you." She says rising from her position perched over me.

"What makes you think I'll be rich and famous? What if I intend to be a poor starving artist and then what will you do?" I ask smugly challenging her.

"Don't you try any of that on me young lady, I know very well you will be rich and famous!"

"And how do you know that?" I grin picking up my fork.

"Because I've seen your drawings and paintings, you'll be rich and famous alright." I blush at her sincerity and focus on my food. The scent of cinnamon reaches me and I get a small flash of long dark curls and a familiar laugh but it's gone as quickly as it comes, just a tickle at the edge of my memory leaving me with more questions and answering none.

"Serena." I tune back in to hear Erin calling my name concerned.

"What? What is it?" I question now alert.

"Where did you just go? I was calling your name for a whole minute. Are you okay?" She asks moving to feel my forehead. "You're not warm, are you feeling ill?" She asks with a frown at the idea.

"No, but I will be if I don't get some of this food in me soon." I answer trying to allay her fears.

"Okay, then if you're alright, I'm going to go draw your bath. I'll be back. Eat your food young lady." She tells me seriously.

"Yes ma'am." I answer giving a salute. Shaking her head she walks off muttering something about children. I bring my fork halfway to my mouth before I remember.

"Erin, wait."

"Yes Miss-Serena?" She asks turning around.

"You wanted to ask me something earlier?" I remind her, waiting patiently for her to recall what it was.

"I was just going to ask you, did you remember anything this time? You know… the nightmare?"

"No, no I never remember." I answer absently. And with that answered she turns back to draw me a bath and I eat my breakfast and nothing is said about it for the rest of the morning. And I know nothing will be said about it again until tomorrow morning, after the nightmare comes again. It always comes and I never remember.

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Hope everybody enjoyed it. And if you did...go review! And if you didn't...go review anyway! I could use constructive criticism.

Sariah