Chapter 16 - The Wish (1)

Edra shakes her head. She closes her eyes before taking a deep breath and looks at him with disbelief.

"Are you... care for her," no, that is not the word Edra intends to ask. She knows exactly that expression, seen every day without missing it, until the day Lady Byrl died, she had witnessed it all along, but she chooses to think otherwise and it seems like Rydan hasn't noticed it as well.

Rydan was surprised but then he sighs. Does he care about her?

"It's not that... I...” Rydan didn't know what to say. In cases like this, he was expected to deny her words, make her believe he hates her, and will always do. But right now everything seems blurry, out of shape and strange for him. Always since the day he first meets Elleryn.

"She's just a girl, mother. She didn't deserve to be hated by a stranger," a stranger that would turn to be her husband in nine days. But Edra continues to listen, his words had caused her heartbeat quickens, scared for the next words he would utter.

"She arrived here by force, tying her life to our family. The least I can do is... not hating her," he finally said. Looked away from his mother's eyes, too scared to face her, but deep down he knew he was right. He did not regret it one bit.

"And what? Are you gonna let her run away from the palace someday? Like Lady Hyrett?" Edra hissed. She couldn't take it anymore, the more Rydan's care for her, the more possibility it is for her to return his feelings as well and she didn't want history to repeat itself.

Lady Hyrett was the one of that history, the failure one they said. She had fallen in love with a werewolf, a servant that serves to protect her inside the forest. The two of them run away and decide to settle down inside a small cottage, hoping and wishing to live like a normal creature. But no... both of them were immediately tracked down by a witch. A witch from Qye, since then Hyrett was locked inside her room and never left the palace.

"We don't want her to fall for you Rydan, you know it. We can't let it happen like Lady Lyuana or Lady Wyrna. You get it, aren't you?" Edra tone had turned agitated, her eyes pulled up in worry, as she gripped her son’s arm, deep down hoping her words would enter Rydan's mind and stay there for the rest of his life.

Lady Lyuana was another story of a failure. She decides to commit suicide after realizing that she can't look at the King and his mate without feeling anything about it. Jealousy and hurt overtake her heart and she had chosen to end her life. That was the wrong decision to take because her little sister was quick to replace her role as Daughter of Qye, the fifteen-years-old Ravianne had to marry the King that was twenty years older than her.

Love also clouded Lady Wyrna's heart, but she planned to kill the King and the Queen using her power, but it was impossible. Because she had already tied with the spell of marriage that she uttered with the King, it's impossible to break the spell even if Daughter of Qye has all the power in this world.

Realization decides to rush within every core and nerve inside Rydan. The possibility of her having a feeling for him, the situation that without a doubt will happen, knowing fully well she is the powerful fairies. A war would perhaps be a choice she would consider, a death can be her option, flee from the Kingdom will enter her mind. Rydan turns scared at those possibilities, the feeling of care has brought him down to another thing that he thought he would never feel for a stranger, worried.

And so Rydan decides.

"I get it," he said, taking a deep breath and excusing himself.

Imagining it happens to Elleryn makes his wolf scream in pain and worry, he didn't want it to happen.

Hating her and keeping distances away from her would be the right thing to do.

Rydan would do that, if that can keep her alive.

• • ⊱∘────·❅·────∘⊰ • •

The dining room consists of a long rectangle shaped oak table that is perfectly situated in the middle of the room. A crystal blue chandelier hanging above the table, emanating luxurious air surrounding the room, on each corner of the room placed a big brown vase full of flowers that had given a little bit of color to the dull room. Windows on one side are closed tightly, preventing morning chills from coming inside. On the left corner of the room, a fireplace gives off the warmth that is needed.

But still, chills surrounded the room.

Arax’s cold stares toward the girl may be the cause of it.

Or perhaps Elleryn piercing orbs could be the main reason behind it.

In any case, no one would want to be trapped inside the room with both of them.

Arax never encountered or heard of this had happened before.

A Qye 'threatened' the King?

One agreement of the deal whereas a Qye residing within Suttern was obligated to follow every word of the King, but the little girl in front of him had decided to tarnish that deal between Qye and Suttern. Furthermore, he was more surprised, when the girl took a step forward, looked down and knelt in front of him, showing her neck.

It’s foolish to think a lion could kneel down in front of a hyena. Not only it's impossible, the idea would make most people laugh and would choose to not believe it, but Elleryn did anyway.

Lowering her head with a tight grip of her hand on her lap, she is desperate and doing this in front of the King isn’t difficult for her. If somehow that can assure the safety of her family, she would gladly do it a hundred times.

But Arax laughs, he can't trust his own eyes.

A Qye? Kneeling down?

"What is it you want?" Arax asked, standing and walking towards her, but didn’t tell her to stand. He wants to see this bizarre scene for a while longer, seeing his own weakness kneeling in front of him, without him having to threaten her or force her to do it. A rush of satisfaction flowed within his nerves, as a trace of a smile about to stretch, but he holds it in.

Elleryn grits her teeth, hoping to keep this position a while longer. Kneeling down is a disgrace for the Land of Qye, a stab towards Qye's people. Everyone would laugh and shake their head in front of her face if they stumble upon this situation, but only Arax and Elleryn inside the room at the moment, and Elleryn trusts the King.

A King would never blatantly disgrace this close-off meeting, right?

"Please," her voice shook.

Not only the lion has decided to kneel down, but it also manages to shake in despair for help, as if the cunning hyena has the ability to protect the lion from whatever out there is trying to hurt it. At first, Arax enjoys the tiny show he happens to witness, but within a second he could feel that she is standing on the edge of a sharp hill, about to jump and drown by the harsh current.

Arax notices that the girl is lacking some sleep by her pale skin, which somehow looks paler than usual, the glowing eyes that just now threatened him had now looked out of energy, her breath is uneven and her fingers are shaking, he saw this before, on Byrl. Before she could say anything, he knows what had made her so brave to barge in and be rude towards him.

It's a vision, It must be about her family.

"Increase the guard on the wedding night and please...” her lips trembles, “limit the people that could come into the kingdom," she whispered with her head lower, showing her neck in submission towards the King, a gesture that all his people would do in front of him, but not a Qye. As a creature that had more power than the werewolf, the Qye had a privilege to never show its neck in front of the King, the submission was never allowed for a Qye.

She is very serious about this.

"If it's a Vision you see, I can't do anything about it," the cunning hyena can't do anything about it, because the wedding night is always filled by the citizens of both Qye and Suttern. Not only is it a symbol and announcement, the party would strengthen the link between the two kept for centuries.

Besides, changing the wedding night arrangement just because a Qye saw a vision would be ridiculous, vision isn’t a reliable source of way to know about the future. Most of the time a vision could turn into something completely unrelated, there's no guarantee of knowing on the exact time it happens or where it actually happens, vision could be considered a warning, but nothing could be done about it.

Unless Elleryn decides to sit down and see the future herself.

Which will only drain all her power, and it could cause deep sleep for six months.

Elleryn stands up. She nods her head and turns around, leaving the cunning hyena behind, who just let out a frustrated sigh.

He knows what he was doing is the right thing.

It is what Byrl would want him to do.