TALES UNDER THE NIGHT SKY

I stared at the mirror as Yasmin brushed my hair for me. All day I've been pondering about what happened in the dining hall with Ravenna. I still couldn't get what she said about her and the uniting of two kingdoms off my mind. Was she really betrothed to Ivan? Is there really going to be a war if their marriage didn't happen? And what exactly does it mean to be chosen?

"I'm done Lady Arianne." Yasmin announced bringing me out of my thoughts.

I shot her a smile. "Thank you and please just Arianne." I told her with a smile.

"Of course, Arianne." Yasmin said with a smile and I grinned at her, "Alright then, have a goodnight rest!" Yasmin said with a slight bow and turned to leave but I stopped her.

"Wait!" I yelled standing up and Yasmin turned to look at me, "I'm sorry, I've got a lot of questions to ask, may I?"

Yasmin let out a sigh then turned to face me her hands clasped in front of her. "After what happened today, it's not surprising you are curious. You may ask them but I'll only answer those I feel obligated to." She told me and I smiled at her.

"Was what Ravenna said true? Was she really Ivan's betrothed?" I asked looking at Yasmin expectantly.

"No." Yasmin confirmed for me and I suddenly had this feeling wash over me at that, relief maybe? "But they did know each other when they were children." Yasmin added and there's no mistaking the feeling I felt this time, hello jealousy.

I ignored the feeling and focused on asking more questions. "Then why doesn't he choose her instead?"

Yasmin let out an exasperated sigh. "Only the alpha knows that, considering he was willing to risk the uniting of the Zeagia Kingdom for you." She told me assessing me with a wary look in her eyes.

"So there's going to be a war then?" I asked her.

Yasmin let out another sigh. "With the way Princess Aurora humiliated Princess Ravenna today because of you? I'd say pretty much."

Shit! This wasn't good at all! It wasn't good at all! I muse biting nervously on my finger nails. First I was brought into the werewolves kingdom, I lost the only person I ever considered my family and now I pissed off the princess of Zeagia Kingdom? This wasn't good at all, it wasn't!

"You scared?" Yasmin asked me. I looked only to find Yasmin looking at me with an amused smirk on her face.

"YES!" I yelled out my answer a look of disbelief on her face, How the hell is she not affected by this? "The thought of bloodshed might not be that scary to you but it is to me! I am terrified! gods I need to get out of here!"

Yasmin let out an amused laugh at me. "Of course you are but then I think you can hold your own." She said assessing me with a smirk on her lips while I arched a brow up at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "You killed a werewolf, remember?"

I scoffed at that. "Killing one werewolf doesn't make me the fucking General of war, does it?"

"Of course not, it just means you are strong." Yasmin said trying to calm my nerves down, "But don't worry. King Ivan won't let anything happen to you." Yasmin assured me and I scoffed again at that.

"Ivan? You mean Ivan who I haven't seen all day and left me with his vengeful betrothed, you mean that Ivan?" I asked looking at Yasmin who rolled her eyes about how dramatic I was but I didn't care, I was freaking out. "Ivan couldn't give a pig's tail about me, in fact I'm not sure he cares whether I live or die, after all I am merely just a human being from the small side of town." I said blowing a strand of my hair that fell to my face.

"That's not true." Yasmin said and I arched a brow up at her, "King Ivan is a king who puts the needs of others before his own, regardless of whether they are human or werewolves." Yasmin stated firmly and I scoffed at that.

I doubt that! I thought to myself dryly as I folded my arms across my chest. I'm sure Yasmin was just being a loyal servant to her alpha.

"I used to be human once!" Yasmin confessed and that piqued my interest. "I was an orphan who lived on the dirty street of Alkea. In order to survive on the streets, I resorted to stealing. Just so I and a little girl I considered my sister won't die of starvation. I was caught stealing one day and my sister and I were taken to the village square where we were stoned to death. Ele...Elena didn't make it." Yasmin said her eyes shining with tears.

"Oh Yasmin." I let out a soft gasp at her loss, Elena must be the sister's name.

Yasmin cleared her throat before she continued. "I was taken into the forest and left for dead, I was barely breathing anyway. Just when I thought I would die, Ivan found me and turned me."

My eyes widened at that. "By turn you mean he turned you into a...a..."

"Yes, a werewolf!" Yasmin confirmed for me, "He saved my life that night and in return, I owe him. You guys see us as monsters, ruthless beings who kill for pleasure but the truth is humans are just as worse. Ivan may not act like it but he is a man who cares deeply about his subjects and one day, I hope you humans will be able to see that instead of putting yourselves first." Yasmin finished and when she did I felt terrible for thinking all those things about werewolves and also Ivan.

"I'm sorry." I apologized still feeling bad about myself.

Yasmin sniffed and looked away. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about, you were just clueless is all." She told me and I nodded my head at her, "So is there anything else you would like to ask me?"

I shook my head at her, I've already heard enough for tonight. "No, that would be all. Thank you."

Yasmin nodded her head at me before she turned and left. I went to my bed and laid down to go sleep. I laid down on the bed staring at my ceiling for good ten minutes but I still couldn't sleep, not with this new found information I heard from Yasmin.

I need some air! With a sigh I got up from the bed and grabbed a quilt to wrap around my shoulders. I headed for the door, I wasn't sure where I was going but I just need to get my thoughts in order so I would be able to sleep. I walked down the halls till I finally found the balcony, I also noticed someone was already out there, a man.

I took in his long dark hair and his wide stance as he stared at the night sky. His head turned slightly to the side and I could make out his face, Ivan. My heart skipped a beat as I quickly hid behind the wall. Not sure what I was hiding from, I mean it's not like I did anything wrong! I thought to myself as I peeked from the wall and stared at Ivan who was already staring directly at me.

"You planning to stay there and stare at me all night ?" Ivan asked a smirk on his face, "That's not very ladylike of you Arianne." Ivan cocked his head at me and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him.

I shuffled towards him and pulled my quilt tighter around my shoulders as I stared at the night sky. The moon was out tonight. It wasn't a full moon but it was enough to illuminate the darkness.

"How did you know I was there?" I asked without looking at Ivan.

Ivan let out a deep chuckle. "Apart from your alluring scent, I could also hear your footsteps. You were not being very stealth little one." He told me and I ignored his term of endearment.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Ivan asked me after I didn't say anything.

I gave him a small shrug. "I couldn't sleep."

"I guess that's normal, considering your ordeal with Ravenna." Ivan said with a small sigh.

I turned to look at him. "So you know?"

Ivan shrugged at me. "There's nothing that goes on the palace that I don't know about."

"Oh well then, in the near future please be sure to warn me about other jealous vengeful princesses you promised marriage to when you were kids before I run into them in the dining room?" I asked smiling sweetly at Ivan arched a brow up at me.

"Sounds like you are the jealous one in this case."

I scoffed at that. "Oh please, I just don't like it when my peace is being disturbed, especially at breakfast."

Ivan chuckled at me. "Of course and by the way I never promised anyone marriage." He corrected and I felt relief at that. "Also don't worry about Ravenna, she won't bother you again. I'm sure she got the message loud and clear."

Yeah I'm sure she did, I thought dryly as I remembered the look on her face. "Why me though?" I asked Ivan who arched his brow up at me, "Why am I your chosen? I still have no idea what that means, but why?"

Ivan shifted so he could look at me fully and I stared up at him. "Chosen is what we werewolves call our soulmate. Two hearts promised to each other by the moon goddess." He explained and I frowned at him.

"Soulmate? But that preposterous! You don't even know me!" I said looking at him in disbelief.

Ivan moved closer towards me and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Oh sweet Arianne, I know you a lot more than you think."

"But I..." I starter to say but Ivan cut me off.

"Ever wonder why you were chosen and not selected like the others?" Ivan asked me and I shook my head at him. "The selection is the human's form of truce to us werewolves. It was a pact formed long ago by the ancient ones. Long ago, a human, Feyre, once fell in love with a werewolf, Aryan. Her people couldn't bear the thought of one of their own loving our kind, so they killed her." Ivan said and I let out a soft gasp in horror.

Ivan gave me a small smile before he continued. "Aryan on seeing this became mad. He went on a killing rampage and slaughtered everyone in the whole village, then the war began. It was bloody and both sides lost a lot of good souls." Ivan told me a sad look on his face while I waited patiently for him to continue, "The council then called a meeting, finding both sides at fault, a law was made. Each first female child from the human world would be selected to go serve the werewolves and in return the werewolves promised to never harm them."

"So that's what happened." I said with a knowing look on my face and Ivan nodded his head at me. "But me being chosen..." I trailed off looking at Ivan expectantly.

"Ah yes!" Ivan nodded his head at me, "While some of us abide by this truce, there are some rogue werewolves who don't."

"Like those ones in the woods." I told him and he smiled at me.

"Yes, like those ones." Ivan confirmed still smiling at me and I ignored the fluttering butterflies in my belly. "To make sure that doesn't happen and to bring order and balance in both the human world and my world, I need a human queen. Which was why I chose..."

"Me." I finished looking up at him, "I'm scared." I admitted softly looking away but Ivan brought a hand to my chin and turned me to face him.

"Don't be." He told me softly, "I'll be right by your side, every step of the way." Ivan added and it sounded more like a promise. I smiled up at him as I stared at his stormy grey eyes that seemed to be looking at me now with a lot of curiosity in them.

"When you smile like that, I'm reminded of that time with you." Ivan said so softly I almost didn't hear it.

"What?" I asked frowning at him.

"Nothing." Ivan said with a slight shake of his head, "I'll leave you to enjoy the stars then, goodnight Arianne."

"Goodnight Ivan." I told him with a warm smile which he returned before he left.

I stood on the balcony alone, enjoying the night air and the view of the stars for a few minutes before I finally returned to my chambers. And that night, I slept with a smile on my face.

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