Queen of Blood
Chapter 4

Weeks had passed since their arrival, since she had picked up the heavy and rusted metal swords to throw slashes at the poor practice mannequins again. Her physique had changed.

Her muscles returned to their usual definition but she was becoming noticeably skinny, not to mention how her skin began lacking the pink blush that was characteristic of her.

Suspicions began traveling the tongues and ears of the members of the Court, the Council and the Army of the Kingdom. The Heir of Pelagius was weak, she was not his legitimate heir after all, and more so. But her current condition had nothing to do with her powers. In fact, her power grew stronger by the day. Arline knew that wasn’t the problem.

She had to figure out a way of improving her health on her own. If anyone questioned her about how she felt, Arline brushed it away, blaming it on the curse or the training.

But it was going to come a point in which no one was going to believe that story. If anyone figured out it was the consequence of erasing memories of an entire city, the High Council was going to be at her door, ready to kill her.

The Huntresses were dueling amongst themselves, practicing close-range combat with knives, when a messenger came to the grounds asking for Arline’s presence in the War Room with extreme urgency. She knew that walk like the palm of her hand and it wasn’t long in the slightest, and yet it felt like she was walking over sand, under the heat of the desert.

She didn’t want to cross that door and stand in that room.Arline took a deep breath and walked through the gigantic wooden door once the guards opened it for her. When she did, the King, his Frontlord and the Head of the Order were waiting for her in front of the desk of his Majesty, and with quick but careful footsteps she approached their encounter, and stood with her hands behind her back once in front.

The silence was heavy, more considering that the only thing that could be heard was the constant breathing of the wolves, who were trying their best not to approach her side and ask for a pet as soon as they smelled her. But what was making her uncomfortable was the stare of the King.

He had his body laying on the edge of his desk, carefully looking at her. And he didn’t like what he was seeing. It reminded him to the time when Arline got stung by a water demon. She looked tired, her head weighting her down, irritated eyes and dark bags under them, not to mention that her skin emulated the color of hard ice. What made him mad was how hard she was trying to hide everything.

“What is happening to you?” Merrick spoke to her for the first time without moving his gaze from her. He was angry but his voice gave away his worry. Arline couldn’t look at the King, and stared at her feet.

“I am getting back in shape.” Arline was side-eying Lara in hopes for her to help her out of this situation. But her superior was only there to watch because she had been the one to bring up Arline’s health, or lack of it.

“Do not look at her, look at me right into my eyes, and tell me that you are fine.” Merrick was ordering her, pressing his teeth.

She looked at him as he had asked her. “I am fine.” Her eyes burned from exhaustion and her body ached again. The King couldn’t bare to look at her like this.

“You are talented.” He scuffed. Merrick had to hide every feeling of worry he had for her under a mask of entitlement and idiocy only Larsin would have been able to have.

“I am not lying, I am fine.” She repeated herself one more time, this time trying to sound more convincing for Merrick, but he saw through the mask she had put on.

“Then, why do you look close to pass out on the floor?” Arline stayed silent, and Aidan and Lara were watching her with pitiful eyes, hoping she could confess quickly and end this questioning. “You are suspended from training.” Merrick ordered as he saw she wanted to continue to lie straight into his face.

“What?” She jumped from her position a little too quickly, making her dizzy and holding her body on the edge of the desk, just further proving Merrick’s point that she was lying.

“Tell me what is wrong with you.” The General insisted again.

“Nothing… It will go away with time.”

“I thought that too, but weeks had passed and you have only worsened.”

Lara tried to convince her to talk about what was making her ill. Arline felt bad for her, she seemed truly worried and adding this to the list of curses that Lara had to help her handle, wasn’t fair for either of them.

“I-I did something I wasn’t supposed to do.” Arline admitted after making sure no curious ears were lurking around the corners of the War Room. “I tampered with memories.” She finally confessed.

“That you did what?” Merrick sounded alarmed. “Please, do not tell me that-”

“I erased everyone’s memories with me back home.” Arline wanted to take that bag out of her shoulders as quickly as she could.

“Have you gone mad?” His tone became more aggressive but Arline didn’t respond and took it in entirely, she knew that what she had done was reckless and dangerous. “You are getting healed, and if you want to fight me, you are more than welcomed to do so, your Majesty.” Merrick whispered loud enough for her to hear. Arline felt like Larsin in that moment, humiliated, angry and wanted to punch him right on his nose.“Tonight in the forest, you know the way.” Those were his final words and she left closing the door a little too harshly behind her.

“Your Majesty? Are you twelve years old?” Aidan rolled his eyes at his friend for the resentful and stupid attitude he had to handle the situation.

“She hates it.” Lara interfered and directed her words to Merrick. “Do not believe she doesn’t suffer the consequences of it. She cries in pain every night, when she should be screaming, and there is nothing in my power to help her.” The Head of the Huntresses lamented her best soldier. “I hope you never have to hear how she holds the pain within her to not disturb the rest.”

“Lara-”

“Hurt her again and I will fight you myself, Merrick.” Lara then left to help Arline.

Arline was walking through the dense trees in the middle of the night, in company of Lara until they arrived to her favorite place in the forest. The spot where she used to train her powers every night, where she sneaked out to get away from the castle.

The night was beautiful. Dark, clear sky with millions of beautiful stars that surrounded the Moon that lit the surroundings as the midday Sun. The summer breeze tasted like fresh pine tree and the water of the Great Lake stroked gently against the shore.

“Where is she going?” Arline asked nervously when she saw Lara leaving her alone with the Dark Prince.

“Don’t you trust me anymore?” His words came out poisonous, directing her a sarcastic side smile. “Sit on the water, please.” and she obeyed him in silence.

He asked her the reasons to do such thing again, in a whisper, “I didn’t have another choice.” She whispered back at him, hiding her face with her loose hair. Merrick rolled his eyes in the dark as he was preparing a tonic for her in silence. Arline didn’t move an inch from where she was sitting and followed his every move with her eyes.

In the past, this should’ve been entertaining for both of them. Spending their night hours hiding in the shadows of the woods and just playing with their powers until past midnight. Now, she feared his unreadable demeanor, his calmness driving her to the edge. And he was trying his best not to direct his eyes at her, because he felt the unnecessary need to fight her if they crossed gazes.

He handed her the cup for her to swallow whatever was in it and then sat on the shore, right in front of her, but never once making eye contact. To free them from that punishment, one of the medics of the castle presented himself and Arline began feeling how her head started to drop and a wave of heat covered her body, making her sweat. She wanted to lay on her back and sleep.

The medic bowed his head to his Majesty and approached the Heir, making her kneel in front of him and grabbed her temple. At first, the magic feeling that came from his fingers calmed her down and eased the pain but the pressure on her skull increased and was becoming unbearable.

Arline tried keeping her eyes open and clenched her teeth to stop herself from making any noise. But her vision was turning blurry and it was inevitable for her to grunt. She could feel how her brain was being held to her skull, the feeling of wires and needles twisting every part of her spine made her eyes shut, with fear of them being pulled away from their orbits. Tears began streaming down her eyelashes while she wailed out to the night for every kingdom to hear her pain. But the medic didn’t battle an eyelash because of it, he continued while the King watched from the shadows, growing sick by every minute she continued to fill the silent night with her screaming.

Her lack of strength made her body drop in exhaustion into the water and instantly fell asleep. “It is done, my King.” The man announced, getting up. “She should spend the night under the cares of the healers, in no time I can tell someone to come and-”

“I will take her to the cabin, sir.” The King interrupted him and didn’t hesitate to offer to carry her. He approached her body and lifted her up with ease, too much ease for his liking.

After dropping her off in the Healer’s Cabin, Merrick went back to the forest to ease his thoughts. “I didn’t have a choice.” He said while violently pacing the shore of the lake. “You damn well did have a choice.” The King mumbled, having the Moon as the only witness of his anger.