ELEVEN

ALANNA

I was surprised to see Zeron in my room as soon as I woke up. Had he been watching me sleep the entire time? I stiffen when I realize that he might have heard me talk in my sleep. It's a horrible habit that has stuck with me over the years. Speaking of sleep, I just had a weird dream; a dream in which I was terribly in love with Zeron and Lochan had attacked Zeron on the night of our consummation. I rub my palms over my face as I let out a groan. Why on earth would I be having such a dream? I gently feel around my head for the injury that had been there earlier but, it's all gone. The ache isn't there anymore and I'm guessing that I was healed through magical means. I quietly slip out of bed and brush my hair out of my eyes. Someone knocks on the door and I walk towards it to open the door. As soon as I open the door, I'm met with the dashing ice witcher whose name is Valdrin. "Lord Valdrin, what can I help you with?" I ask, forcing out a smile. "I heard about what happened. Are you alright?" He asks and I shrug. "I'm fine"

"Can I come in?" He asks and I shrug again.

"Not like my husband would care. So, why not?" He sighs and walks in. "I need to know the details, Alanna. What really happened at Lochan's kingdom?" He asks and I sigh.

"Why don't you sit down? It's a looooong story" I say and he nods and lowers himself onto one of the chairs in my room.

....

Valdrin left my room with his head probably spinning from all the information I'd just given him. Well, duh, he asked for it. While I have lunch in my room, Azalea visits and she nearly squeezes the life out of me with her fierce embrace. "I'm so glad you're okay!" She exclaims and I smile. "Me too"

"Did my brother hurt you again?" She asks and I shake my head. "He's been avoiding me" I say and her smile falters."Oh...."

"I'm really sorry about everything that has happened to you, Alanna. You don't deserve it" she sighs and I embrace her. "It's okay, Azalea. I've been wanting to take a tour around the castle, would you mind going with me?" I ask, pouting at her. She laughs. "You just have to ask. Come on, let's go. There's so much I need to show you"

****

"No way! Nine hundred years ago?! That's so..... ancient!" I laugh as we move towards the South wing of the castle. There are so many carvings and paintings here. "Is there a library in this castle?" I ask and she beams."Thought you wouldn't ask. Of course, we have one. It's very large and you can easily get lost in it"

"Cool. Where is it?" I ask. "The basement" she says and I grin. "Come on, let's get going"

We descend a spiral staircase that leads to the basement and when Azalea finally opens the door, a gasp leaves my lips. Holy crap! It's huge! "Amazing, right?" She asks and I chuckle, excitement coursing through my veins. "Can I explore this all by myself?" I ask and she laughs. "You seem to have forgotten that you're the queen. Go ahead, just don't get lost" Azalea replies and I nod. As soon as she leaves, I make my way into the library. There are tons of books in here and it's kind of weird especially because this place is a different realm. As I pick out a book which describes the originality of ice witches, I hear a dull thud to my right. My head shoots up and I move towards the sound only to see Zeron having some sort of break down. He's ripping books apart, the shadows around him growing thicker. I swallow hard, my senses telling me to leave him alone before I get hurt. On the contrary, my heart is telling me to do the opposite. So, I follow my heart and step out of my hiding place. "Zeron?" I whisper and he stiffens, not even sparing me a glance. So, I move closer to him, ignoring the way the shadows wrap themselves around me. I place a hand on his back and rest my head against his back. He stiffens but slowly relaxes. "Are you okay?" I ask in a small voice. He sighs and lowers his head.

"I-I don't know. I don't remember what it's like to be okay" he admits and my heart constricts. "It's okay, Zeron. Everything will be fine, soon" I say and he turns to look at me, his eyes hooded. I can see how confused and awed he is. "Why aren't you running?" He asks, tilting his head. "You're my husband, Zeron. I promised to stick with you. Besides, you don't scare me... that much" I say and he frowns. "How is that possible?" He asks. "I dunno. I'm just telling you the truth"

He looks away, his hands clenched. His claws dig into the palm of his hands and his palm begins to bleed. "Everyone lie to me. They don't tell me the truth but you, you do the opposite. What do I do with you? I'm a monster and I can't- "

"Sh!-" I say, placing my fingers on his lips. He freezes and so do I. Why on earth am I doing this? "I know you're a demon. But,  I can be your angel and your light. Just let me in" He stares at me with an unreadable emotion."What's the catch?" "There's no catch, Z. Just open your heart and let me in" He swallows hard.

"What if I hurt you or break you?" He asks, his crimson eyes burning with so much emotions. He's trembling and it's almost as if he can't bear the tremendous amount of emotions running through him. "You won't. You can't break me so easily"

"So, what do you say? Let's call a truce?" I say and he takes a deep breath. "Fine" he breathes and takes my hand in his. Our gazes lock and I almost sigh in content when I'm blessed with the sight of his gorgeousness.

....

Blood. So much blood. I can't see it but I can smell it. The smell of blood is so intense, it causes nausea to roll through my system. I don't know where I am but I can tell that this place is a small, enclosed space with no source of illumination. As I reach out in front of me, my fingers brush against the cold brick wall. I repeat the same action behind me and the same thing happens. Panic slowly starts to set in and my breathing speeds up. Where the hell am I? Suddenly, a blinding white light fills the whole place and I raise an arm to cover my face as a result of the intensity of the light. I slowly step out from the enclosed space and find myself in Zeron's throne room. A loud wail leaves my lips at the heartbreaking sight before me. Zeron's head is on the throne with a sword impaling his chest. His decapitated body lies on the floor in the pool of his own dark blood. I fall to my knees, cries of anguish leaving my lips. "Do not grieve, my queen. Our enemy is dead. Let us rule our empire"

I turn around to see Lochan standing at the entrance of the throne room holding a sword that is stained with Zeron's dark blood. On his head lies Zeron's golden crown. "Come on, wife. What are you waiting for?" He asks and I let out a strangled gasp, blood draining from my face.

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside my window. Quietly, I sit up and rub my eyes, letting out a shaky breath when I notice the tears on my face. I get out of bed and move towards the window to stare outside. I can't help but feel disturbed. Why do I keep having these nightmares? What if they become real? What if Lochan actually kills Zeron? I shake my head, trying to ward off these negative thoughts but they keep coming in floods. Zeron has agreed to let me in and that's something, but I know it isn't going to be so easy. The knock on my door startles me a little and I walk towards the door to open it. Taera walks in and embraces me. "I was so worried when I heard that you collapsed" she says and I smile."I'm alright now" I say and she nods. "What spell did you use?" She suddenly asks and I raise a brow."What are you talking about?"

"The king didn't kill you" she says and I roll my eyes. "I didn't cast a spell, Taera. You're being totally ridiculous. Besides, I'm not a witch"

"Right. Sometimes I forget that important fact" she sighs. "I heard that the king's brother is back and apparently, you saved him" she says and I smile. "I don't know what you want me to say. I need to take my bath" I respond and she pouts at me.

...

"So, did you find a book that interested you?" Azalea asks as we both make our way down the hallway. "Actually, I didn't explore the library. Zeron was there" I say and her eyes widen.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" She whispers and I give her a reassuring smile. "Your brother is not so monstrous, Azalea. You should have a little faith in him" I say and she looks away. "I don't know.... He keeps pushing us away" she sighs and I place a hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be fine in due time" I say and she gives me a sad smile. "I hope so"

Through one of the large windows I notice the odd darkness that's clouding the sky. It looks like the dark shadows that surrounds Zeron most of the time. "What's going on?" I ask and Azalea shrugs. "My brother seems to be in a very bad mood today"

My eyes widen as I stare at the cloudy sky.

"Is he that powerful?" I mutter. "Of course he is" Azalea replies and I sigh, wondering why he's in such a foul mood. Don't get me wrong. He's always in a foul mood but today seems to be worse. "Do you know where he is at the moment?" I ask and Azalea narrows her eyes and folds her arms across her chest. "Don't tell me you actually have a death wish" she states and I frown."I just need to make sure he's okay" I say and she pinches the bridge of her nose.

"I can't believe you're asking me where he is so that you would go to him. You're either very brave or very stupid!" "He won't hurt me, Azalea. You don't have to worry" I say and she grimaces. "Please?" I pout and she sighs. "Fine. He's in his private spot at the top of the castle. You can take the stairs and I do hope that you're not afraid of heights" she says and I smile."I'm not afraid of heights" I laugh nervously. Yeah, I'm totally afraid of heights. Azalea gives me an odd look and grabs my hand to lead me towards one of the large mirrors along the hallway. She mutters a spell and the mirror moves aside of it's own accord. Where the mirror had once been, there's an entrance with a spiral staircase leading up the castle. Azalea embraces me and gives me a kiss on my cheek. "Good luck, Anna" she grins and walks away. I smile at myself, mentally encouraging myself. I take a deep breath and begin to climb the staircase. All of a sudden, it begins to move like a freaking elevator!

Oh my God! My heart jumps into my throat as I hold on to the railings. Finally, I get to the top of the castle which looks like a balcony in the shape of a dome with a silver pinnacle on top. As soon as I step into the dome, goose bumps appear on my skin due to how cold the air is. "I was wrong about you" Zeron says from my left and I look up to see him sitting on a silver couch with his hair braided. He's wearing a black robe which leaves most part of his chest exposed. "Most people are wrong about me" I shrug and he turns to look at me, his eyes burning feverishly. "Why are you here?" He asks and looks away, his shadows thickening and spreading around us.