"His highness is alive, your grace," a man with a pale face panted beside him on his knees. Cassian's smile vanished almost instantly at his words.
"Damn bastard." he cursed under his breath. He'd known about the poison and had counted on it to finish him completely. Yet here Damien was, defying death once again. Without a word, Cassian turned and vanished into the shadows, bringing the darkness to around him...
Five Months Later...
Elena woke with a gasp as her heart pounded painfully within her chest. This was the second time she'd had the same dream that month.
The dream was always the same thing: Damien, chained head to toe in darkness begging her desperately to free him. His eyes, those piercing red eyes, had lost their sparky fire and burned into her nonetheless.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady her breathing, but her fingers moved and brushed the mark on her neck. It quivered warmly, taking almost half the flesh of her neck.
She stumbled to the mirror in the large, luxurious room, tucked away neatly in the king's quarters. The mark reflected glaringly at her through it. It was a jagged crescent etched into her skin and glowing a light shade of grey.
Every night, the same dream. Every morning, the same restless ache. She didn't want to feel this pull toward Damien. It was tiring and exhausting to still not know what was going on with her own body. But her heart betrayed her, tugging her toward him like a tidal wave.
"Elena?" Calithar's voice came softly through the door. She hadn't even heard him enter. His silver eyes studied her on the bed with concern etched into his sharp features. "Another dream?"
She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's him again, Cal. This time he was trapped somewhere...calling for me." Her voice cracked at the end. "And this mark..."
Calithar stepped closer and sat beside her on the bed. He reached out, hesitating before resting a hand on her shoulder. "The mark might be tied to him. To whatever bond you two had. But dreams... they're just dreams, Elena. Don't let them pull you under."
"This is the second time this month, Cal. I've had this same dream seven times since I got here." she started. "I'm...I'm scared and tired. I want to see him again..." Tears streamed down her cheeks before she could continue. Calithar moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms, slowly patting her back.
She wanted to believe him. He had been her anchor these past five months, ever since she was thrown into that portal by Seraphine, leaving Damien and the chaos behind. Seraphine had still not returned and the thought that it could be her fault pressed on her daily. But the dreams felt too real, too urgent. Like she really needed to do something.... anything.
And the mark? It was a constant reminder of the time she was wasting.
"I don't know what to do," she admitted in a small voice when she finally calmed down. "I keep fighting it, but... what if he's really in trouble?"
Calithar's jaw tightened, but his tone stayed gentle. He didn't want to look agitated in front of her. "If he is, that's his fight, not yours. You've been through enough, Elena. Let him go."
Elena shook her head at his words. "Can't can't you check him or something. What about Seraphine...? Wh—where is she. Why hasn't she returned from Veylar yet? Is it because of me? Is she trapped? Captured? Is she—"
"Elena." Calithar cut her off calmly. He rested his hands on both sides of her cheeks and brought her to face him.
"Everything will be alright ok? Seraphine will return and when she does, we might be able to take you back home, hmm? Trust me."
He used his fingers to wipe away the tears from her face.
"Right...I trust you" she said, burying her face in his chest.
...................
Damien stood in the middle of the court with one hand in his pocket. Five months ago, he had been a shadow, a man clawing his way through death. Now, he was a senior official promoted by the king himself. His new role placed him far above Cassian and Lucian and that burned Cassian with jealousy every time they crossed paths. Damien felt the weight of his position, but he wore it like armor and avoided him.
A meeting that required the presence of the princes and royal court was in session. The king sat on the throne, positioned at the center of the great hall at the far end of the palace, leaving a wide space in the middle. The five princes, elders, and officials were seated in the luxurious throne room, debating a trade deal with Qing, a neighboring kingdom that had been eyeing their market for trade deals. Damien stood near the king's throne as he addressed the audience against the offer.
Cassian, seated on the immediate right hand of the king as it is for the crown prince, stepped forward to counter him. "My lord, Qing's offer is generous. Their silks and spices could fill our coffers, and their merchants are eager to comply with our terms. We'd be fools to turn them away."
The king and the courtiers nodded, considering his point but Damien was not backing down. He stepped forward and spoke again with a calm but firm voice. "Your Majesty, Cassian is overlooking a very key risks. Qing's merchants have a history of undercutting local traders. If we open our markets, we'll flood our own economy with cheap goods and starve our craftsmen. Their offer looks generous, but it's a trap to control our trade routes."
The room fell silent. Cassian's smile froze mid air. Before he could respond,an elder in the king's court, Lord Xirathos, spoke up, "Crown prince, how could you be this short-sighted? Qing's tactics are well-documented and for someone who is meant to be the next leader, this shouldn't go unnoticed by you."
"The second prince is right. This deal would weaken us." came another voice.
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the court. Cassian's face reddened and his fingers curled into fists on the armrest. Damien didn't flinch, but he felt the weight of Cassian's glare. He'd just made the crown prince look foolish in front of the king, and Cassian wasn't the type to forgive.
The meeting shifted to other matters, but Cassian wasn't done. He leaned back before resting his arms on his knees. "Speaking of oversights, perhaps we should discuss another matter. The Princess Elena had been missing for months ever since he returned from Veylar and yet our 'esteemed' official Prince Damien still hasn't said anything about her whereabouts. Convenient, don't you think?"
The air in the room thickened and murmurs began to erupt slowly from the courtiers. "The princess is gravely ill," he said in a steady tone. "She is receiving care in a secluded location, as her condition requires."
Cassian smirked and got up, stepping closer to him. "Secluded? The palace has healers for royal illnesses. Why hide her away unless there's something you're not telling us?."
The king's eyes narrowed, fixing on Damien. "Explain yourself, Damien. Where is the princess?."
Damien opened his mouth to respond, but Cassian moved faster. In a single, swift motion, he lunged forward, grabbed Damien's shirt, and tore it open. The fabric ripped and three buttons flew open, exposing Damien's chest. The dark, jagged mark searing across his skin like tree branches came into full view. A collective gasp tore through the court.
Lord Xirathos pointed a trembling finger at the pattern. "Poison! He's been poisoned!"
The room exploded into chaos. Damien remained still with an expressionless look on his face while Cassian was beaming with a triumphant smirk plastered on his. The bastard had planned this. He had waited for the perfect moment to expose him.
Severin jerked softly from his seat.
How did he know about it?
"The mark isn't just a scar, everyone,it is proof of the poison that had nearly killed him. A secret he'd kept even from the king. Now, we all know how reverenced the royal blood is and this? This is a pure mockery of it!"
Something snapped inside Damien and he saw red. With a low growl, he lunged at him, connecting his fist with Cassian's jaw. The impact sent Cassian crashing through the marble wall, bringing down stones crashing down on him.
"I'll end you today, you bastard!" Damien snarled, leaping after him.
The court erupted into chaos. Guards rushed forward, but Damien was already blinded with rage and his fists rained down on Cassian. Cassian fought back with matched vigor, a maniac smile dancing crazily on his face. They traded blows, causing the air to crackle with the force of their clash.
"Enough!" the king's voice thundered, cutting through the chaos. Guards immediately rounded them up and threw chains over them. The chains though light, dampened down on their strength and they both fell to the floor. Damien's chest, exposed with three buttons gone heaved with mad rage flaring in his eyes. Cassian wiped blood from his lip, his eyes gleaming with pure malice.
The king stood and turned to him. "Explain yourself, now!." his voice thundered through the hall.
Severin fixed his eyes on him, expecting his reply but no voice was heard.
He said nothing.
Cassian laughed out in a cold and sharp tone. "Nothing more? That's a pure sign of poison brother and seeing how it's already showing signs on your chest, it must have already spread throughout your body, no?"
The king's gaze hardened. "Enough, Cassian!" the king said to him angrily. He then turned and studied Damien. After a long moment of silence he nodded.
"Very well then. Since you have chosen to be mute on this matter, I command you to be locked up in your quarters until the royal physician clears you of all doubts. As for disrespecting the court by being vicious, you shall be whipped five hundred times."
Turning to the crown prince, he decreed again. "The crown prince shall as well be punished accordingly for disregarding the sacredness of this court. He shall be whipped a hundred times and confined to his quarters for three days."
With that, the King stormed out of the hall with Damien and Cassian dragged out by the guards to the courtyard for their punishments.
..................
That night, Elena sat by her window in deep thoughts. The earlier throbbing on her neck had subsided after Calithar's petting. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that Damien needed her and that something was terribly wrong.
Calithar's words repeated in her head: "Let him go." But how could she when there was every possiblity that they could be connected? She closed her eyes, pressing her fingers to the mark as she tried to catch her breath.
She just couldn't stay still. She slipped out of her room, pulling her cloak tight around her body.
She came to his chambers and knocked but heard no response.
'Maybe he's dealing with some state matters' she thought and walked away from the door.
She headed for the old library that was located on the left side of the corridor after a turn. She had always taken a liking to reading ever since she was introduced to it back in Zerethane.
The library was dark when she entered. Elena lit the candle she had carried with her and made her way through the rows of old dusty books. Hours passed by and she was still there, nestled against a pile of books. She finally had enough and got up to leave when something fell softly on the end of her dress.
As she lifted the dress up, a small black book with strange writings on the cover fell out from it.
She bent and picked it up, opening it immediately. Her heart raced as curiosity and excitement hit her. The pages were old and brown with age with some of them even tearing by the sides
Elena's breath caught as she ran her fingers through them. She had never seen such strange writings before. She quickly hid the book in her dress and turned around to leave when a voice sounded behind her.
"What are you doing here, princess?"