webnovel

Flames of redemption

"You're such a bastard!" "I am a bastard," he agreed, leaning even closer to her, "but I'm your bastard, kitten." Someone who's not average, not ordinary, not trying to fit in, not....'normal', as defined by society. And deep inside, she felt the weight of eyes upon her, watching her every move. Questions lingered and haunted her mind: Who was the observer? And what motives laid behind those captivating gazes?

Izabel_Gamer · Fantasie
Zu wenig Bewertungen
106 Chs

69

As dawn finally set, Regan paced in her room, her emotions swirling from hate, fury, disgust and guilt. Maybe if she hadn't seen Agnar's affair, she'd have felt slightly better. But that would be a lie. She didn't know how to tell Artemis. But she knew she'd do it as soon as she would see her.Taking a deep breath, she tried to collect herself. She walked out of the room, her face meeting with the cold breeze of the fortress.Her steps echoed around, everything was calmly chilling. She went to the living hall. It was cold, despite the big fireplace. Regan felt as if she'd go crazy from not telling immediately of what she had seen.She sat on one of the white loveseats, her hands trembling, her heartbeats quickening."Calm down," she told herself.From the other side of the hall, she heard movements. She saw a guy with white hair. But it wasn't Agnar, it was his brother. His younger brother. Regan stood quietly, raising an eyebrow. The boy seemed to notice her as well and he sat down, his hair covering his eyes, his movements dull and distant as he looked through a flat tablet-like device."Where's your brother?" Regan asked in a whisper, her heart still pounding. The younger boy, looked at her, his gaze cold, but not creepy as he seemed to just study her, "I don't know. I don't care." He calmly replied.Regan sighed, "I saw something terrible," she said. She couldn't keep it any longer.Natsu didn't dart his eyes from the tech device, "What?""I saw him with Cora.... kissing Cora." Regan said embarrassingly. Maybe it wasn't right to tell his about that. Maybe he didn't understand. Or maybe he did.Natsu looked up, his expression unreadable for a moment, "The servant?""Yes."The younger prince looked down again, frowning, "I see," he murmured, "well, that's hardly a surprise. It's not the first time he does that."Regan felt a chill run down her spine. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice shaky."It's something common. So, it's useless to do something to stop it, when no one of them cares," Natsu said with a hint of bitterness, "It's better to just let them be. They'll eventually get tired of it," his voice was careless as he couldn't care less.The words stabbed Regan's heart. She wanted to deny them, to refuse to accept them as truth, "That's terrible. This is shameful," she whispered, her voice shaking.Natsu just looked up at her, "Is it? I mean, yes it is. But what can you do about it? If you tell everyone, it won't change anything. You'll get yourself in trouble. Believe me when I say that."Regan shook her head, "I can't let Artemis like this. I can't!""She knows," the prince said blankly, "and she doesn't care.""What do you mean she knows? What kind of marriage is that? How is she still married to him? I-I, I can't fathom it!"Natsu sighed, "Look, it may be foreign to you or maybe you're just acting like it's foreign. But if you can't stand it, you can leave. It's better to just leave than get yourself in trouble that would cost you dearly. You seem smart, you can do better. Just leave."Regan frowned, and walked away instead. Before leaving completely, she turned back, looking at the piece of paper that Iris had given her. Maybe Natsu knew the language.She approached the young prince, holding out the paper, "Hey, prince, do you know what this says?" she asked, hoping he could understand the language.Natsu took the paper, and glanced at it for a moment. "It's... Ancient southern. It says the name of a local bar in the City of Lights, 'Diamonds and Fangs'. Why do you ask?" he asked, handing the paper back to her."Oh, well, it's nothing really," Regan replied, taking the paper back, "Just something I found. Well, thanks for your time." Regan said and left on her heels. Despite what Natsu had said, she didn't believe his words. She was still resolute to confront Agnar. And then as if her wishes were granted, she saw the older prince walking alone down the hall.He noticed her, straightly noticed her. His face crossed a vicious smirk as he walked over to her, his movements predatory, "Cornelia? I was looking forward to this moment."Regan narrowed her eyes. She didn't know if Cora had told him. Maybe she was afraid to tell. Or maybe she had told and he was playing along."I know your affair. I know you cheat on Artemis with Cora," Regan said so straightforwardly that Agnar's smirk faltered for a moment, "It's disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself." She added, her face a scorn."What is it to you, little rat? You get to meddle with my business?! You get to tell me what I can and can't do?!" Agnar growled, his pale face turning red with anger, his fangs bared sharply.Regan didn't flinch, her gaze was steady as she met his angry glare. "You're a disgrace to the crown. You're a disgrace to your family. And you're a disgrace to your wife." She said, her voice steady and firm. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Agnar.""Oh, and why are you so pressed? Why do you act like you care about your stupid friend?" Agnar sneered as he walked closer, trying to intimidate Regan."I'm going to tell Artemis. I'm going to reveal this to everyone!"Agnar laughed mockingly, "Oh, do you really think that would change anything? Artemis isn't the kind of woman who would make a scene. She's too good for that." He stepped closer, "And, she knows. She knows what I do and she doesn't have a problem."Regan fists curled into balls as she could feel the flame cursing through her veins, "You're a bastard. Artemis deserves better," she hissed."What makes you think she does? Does she look all innocent and naive? She's not. She knows what I do and I know what she does behind my back as well. She's in love with someone else. She knows and doesn't care, so, why should you?"Agnar leaned in closer, his breath fanning her face, "Besides, if you tell anyone, I'll make sure you regret it," His hand snaked out, grabbing a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back painfully, "You little brat. You don't know what you're messing with.""Let go!" Regan shouted, struggling, "You're a sore loser!" She spat, trying to wriggle free. Immediately, she released the flames through her hair, making them glow in vivid red, striking them to Agnar, sending him stumbling back in pain."You're the loser!" Agnar roared, clutching his burned hands. "You think you can just come in here and threaten me?!" He growled, his anger making his fangs lengthen even more, "Why are you so pressed about it? Or do you want to be part of the game? You want to be my little pet....my lover?"Disgust spread upon Regan, as her hair glowed in red, her face tight with fury, "Fuck off! I'd rather be tortured alive.""I see you're something else, Cornelia. Fate didn't bring you here without a purpose. I see the fire in you, I see the passion. You could be useful. You could be my little pet. My lover...my blood source...." Agnar's voice dripped with sinister intentions, his gaze hungry.Regan's nails dug into her palms, nearly threatening blood, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she glared at him, "Your what? Never!""Why?" He took a step closer, his eyes boring into hers, "You are....his, aren't you?" He sneered. "He sent you here. You're just a tool. A weapon. Something to be used against me."Regan's eyebrows furrowed, "What the hell are you talking about? I'm no one's!""I see it now," Agnar smirked wickedly, "You are in love with him, aren't you?"Regan took a step back, her eyes widening in surprise at his words, "Who are you talking about?""Sirius sent you here, didn't he? You're a traitor! A spy!" Agnar growled, his anger building up. "You think you can just come in here and play innocent?""No!" Regan shouted, her face flushing with anger and embarrassment."Well, you know what? I don't care who claimed you," Agnar smirked, his gaze roaming over her body, "Sirius sent you here to spy on me, then you're just another pawn in this game.""Guards!" He yelled. Before Regan could react, two men burst into the room, their eyes wide with shock at the sight of her. "Take her," Agnar said, gesturing for them to approach.The guards grabbed her arms roughly, forcing her to her knees, "Get away from me!" Regan hissed trying to get rid off."You little rat," Agnar hissed, stalking forward, "Now, I know who you really are, and I know what you're here for. You're going to pay for this."He reached down, grabbing a fistful of her hair again, pulling her head back painfully. "Sirius is going to regret the day he ever sent you here," he growled.Regan's jaw clenched, fury boiling over her. In a swift and harsh move, her arm escaped from the guard's grasp and she rammed her elbow hard into Agnar's stomach, making him double over with a gasp. As he stumbled back, she took the opportunity to strike him. However, he was faster than she expected, dodging her blow and slapping her across the face with his free hand. "You little rat!" he snarled. The guards held her tighter, pinning her down as she struggled against them."You're a fucking creep!" Regan spat, struggling against the guards' grip. Blood dripped from her split lip as she glared at Agnar. Agnar let out a wicked chuckle, stepping closer to her."Oh, how brave," Agnar sneered. "So, you're not afraid to hit a man, are you? You're just another piece of trash, sent here to do Sirius's shitwork. You're a wretched witch, but I'll have fun with you." His gaze roamed her figure, his eyes dark. "I'll make you beg for mercy before I'm done.""You're not going to do anything to me!" Regan spat back, her words sharp.One of the guards grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head back even more painfully, as the other pinned her arms behind her back. "Now, you're going to tell us everything you know," Agnar hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "You're going to tell everything Sirius has planned against us.""Never!" Regan spat, struggling against the pain and the restraints. "You're a pathetic excuse for a leader. And I don't even know what Sirius plans. I'm not working for him! I'm not anybody's!"Agnar's eyes narrowed in anger. "We'll see about that," he growled. "You're going to tell us everything, one way or another. Guards, take her inside the filthiest, most disgusting dungeon you can find. Make sure she gets no rest, no food, and no water."The guards dragged her out of the room, down the hall, and into a dimly lit dungeon. They threw her roughly onto the cold, hard ground, her limbs aching from the rough landing. "You're a fool, witch," one of the guards snorted. "You should've just kept your mouth shut and minded your own business.""Get out of my sight, asshole!" Regan snarled, standing up, "You don't know who you're dealing with."The guards gave her a menacing stare and slammed the heavy iron door shut, locking her in. Regan stood alone in the dungeon, surrounded by the smell of damp stone and fear. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She couldn't let herself panic; she had to find a way out."You're pathetic for interfering. You should have stayed quiet as you have had before. Who are you to set justice?" Regan told herself, taking another deep breath. "I need to focus. There has to be a way out of here," she whispered.Standing up, she approached the iron bars. Rubbing her hands, the delicate flames danced between her palms. She put them on the bars and gripped them hard, intending to melt them. Nothing happened."Damnit! How it isn't working?" She kept pushing the bars but nothing happened. Were they immune to magic?She glanced around the cell, trying to find something to escape. The cell was damp and cold, its floor dirty with old food and waste. The only source of light was from a barred window, high above her. There was a wooden chair, but it looked sturdy and not like it would help her escape. She noticed a small hole in the wall, but it was so tiny to serve for anything.She took a deep breath and leaned on the bars. She had no idea what was going to happen or how she was going to get out of there. She felt sorry for Artemis but was angry at her at the same time. After all, she had done it for her, to protect her honor. And what about Artemis? She probably knew about Agnar's affair and didn't give a damn about it.Regan ran a hand through her hair, frustrated and angry. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing. She needed to find a way out. She looked around the cell once again, hoping to find something, anything that could help her escape.There was nothing, nothing that caught her eye."Ah, you fool!" she yelled at herself and grabbed her hair in frustration, "you're so stupid! There has to be something here I can use! Anything!" She looked around the dungeon once more, her eyes darting from one corner to another, searching for anything that could help her escape. Eventually, she leaned on the wall and slid down on the ground. She put her head on her knees, "I'm stuck. Again," she murmured, "what am I supposed to do now?"Times passed as she stood that way. There was nothing going on. No one passed by her cell, no one tried to help her. Time by time, she shot fireballs and flames around but they didn't burn anything. The seconds felt heavy. The air was thick with oppression and fear. She felt like she was suffocating and fainting from her panic.Her heart was pounding, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. She was trapped, alone, and helpless. "I can't do this," she whispered, sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the cold, damp ground. "I can't just sit here."