Kapitel 4: Queen Thaliah

A shadow in the corner of my room caught my attention. I tossed the covers to the side. Before I got out of bed, the person was on me. He pushed me into the mattress. His body mass pinned me to the bed. Fingers curled around my neck. Self-preservation kicked it. Ice formed in my hand. A sharp dagger floated across my mind. The ice in my hand molded to form the image in my head. I gripped the handle, ready to strike if he did anything.

The intruder lowered his face to mine. "You've been a naughty Queen." Poison tainted his jeer.

"Velron," I gritted out through his hold on my neck, "what in the world do you mean?"

His hold on me tightened. Air to my lungs became scarce. "Why is he here?"

I didn't have to ask to know which 'he' referred to. "You had the court conspire behind my back. You want me to get married. This is me searching for a rightful King to the Ice Throne. Arson's an eligible candidate, isn't he? A prince of the Fire Kingdom."

I couldn't tell which one of those filthy bastards of the court wanted me gone. All my father's trusted men were gone. All mysteriously died a few months after my coronation. I couldn't tell where the snakes were. Each one clothed themselves in disguises. They presented their sons as if I would marry any of them. Velron was no puppet. But a devil. Worse man at court. The worst part was I couldn't tell if the others pledged their allegiance to him or if he planned to take them out like he did everything else that countered his desires.

As good as the latter thought was, I couldn't allow it to happen. An internal war meant a dysfunctional Kingdom. It would affect the citizens and not before long the other Kingdoms would get a whiff of our internal chaos. This could attract enemies. The Ice Kingdom could not handle an external war. Not when the head was unstable.

"Fire and Ice aren't meant to mesh. Had no one told you fire always melts ice?" His weight crushed my ribs.

"It's a good thing I have the power to wield water as well," I shot back.

His grip on my neck locked off my air canal. Panic swirled in my head. I curled my fingers at my side, stopping myself from holding onto his hand. My other hand clenched the ice dagger. I couldn't let him get to me. If he tried anything, I was ready for it. I was not going down without a fight. If I died, so would he.

"I should snap your fucking neck and be done with you," Velron snarled.

I moved the ice dagger close to his side, making him know how ready I was for him to make the wrong move. He cast a slow look down our bodies to the dagger. A smirk slanted his lips. The same one he wore whenever he got a rise out of me. To him, I was an object to play with. My life never mattered.

"He needs to leave." He pressed his body into me. "Make sure he does or else you'll regret it." He pushed away from me. I never took my eyes off him. He backed away with that despicable grin. His gaze diverted to my body. "You should wear suitable clothes to bed. Wouldn't want a recurrence of attracting unwanted attention in your room. You never know. A lot of thirsty men are just waiting to eat up a delightful Queen as yourself."

His words sent a repulsive shiver down my spine. I gritted my teeth, trying to stay strong. He could never see me weak. I would never let him see me crack. "Let them come. I'll kill every last one of them. I'm sure you saw what happened the last time."

He laughed. An eerie sound that made my skin crawl. "Yeah, we all know how well you managed those men. Such a pity I never got to see it."

My throat tightened and my chest burned. I wanted to yell at him. To throw him out. But I was no longer a child, and he was no longer my tormentor. I owned my destiny. He could no longer hurt me unless I gave him the power to.

He glanced at his empty wrist. "Well, I have to go. Have a great rest, Your Majesty." He bowed and walked out of the room with a whistle on his lips.

Air flooded my lungs at his absence. I wheezed and coughed, trying to gain my composure. The dagger dispersed into tiny particles in the air. I wiped my face with trembling hands. Damn him for throwing that incident in my face.

I rushed to the door, yanking it open. My guards were missing. Of course, they were. I couldn't trust anyone in this place. Everyone was the enemy. I closed the door. My heart refused to settle down. Fear crept up on me. Before I could push it aside, I was already making a dumb decision.

I pushed my hand behind the painting of my parents on the wall. Nothing but smooth surface met my palms. The cool area chilled my sweaty palms. Two of my fingers sank into a dent. A click rang through the room. I glanced behind me to ensure I was still the only one present.

The wall shifted to reveal the passageway. I slipped inside and pressed the dented trigger on the other end. The wall closed, leaving me in the dim lit path. I hurried down the passage, memorizing the route to the rooms in the palace. Two turns and I came face-to face with the wall to his chamber. This was a bad idea but staying alone in my room was far worse. I didn't know what Velron was planning, and I wished not to find out. I barely survived the last time.

With a deep breath, I sank my fingers into the trigger. The wall approved and opened for me. I stepped inside the room, expecting the prince to be asleep. It was quite the opposite. He stood at the bed with a flame in hand. Upon seeing me, he sighed and fisted the fire. It outed and he dropped into the mattress.

I ventured into the room and crawled onto the bed, dipping under the covers. He released another heavy breath and adjusted his position so we could lay next to each other.

He was first to break the silence. "I didn't agree to marry you, just yet."

I smoothed out the wool. "I know."

He propped his hands under his head. "Really? Because you're in my bed. There's only one thing I do with a woman in my bed, and it's not to cuddle."

I rolled on my side to get a better look at him. "Are you saying you're not a virgin?"

Something I never thought possible with all his morals. I thought he would at least wait until marriage.

Arson analyzed the ceiling. A smirk on his lips.

I licked my lips, seeing him in a different light. "How did it happen?"

His pause lingered in the air. I thought he wouldn't answer. He did, though. His next words never came as a surprise. "On my eighteenth birthday, Anubis sent two women to my room as his final birthday present. I didn't want to decline his offer, so I indulged. The other couple of times were when I snuck out of the castle."

It must have been nice to make such a decision. I wished I had that.

Silence fell over us. From this angle, he looked peaceful. I remembered all the time I watched him from a small chair in his library. He was such a specimen I tried to figure out. When Anubis spent his days learning to be the next King, and Baron lived in the training area, Arson stayed in his library. He was the first child I knew who knew all the languages of the Kingdoms at the age of eight.

I was so fascinated by him that I used to mimic him. I exchanged my dresses for books and forced my parents to let me learn the cultures of the other Kingdoms. I challenged myself to be as smart as Arson. I learned to keep up with his knowledge. He didn't seem to notice, though. When I got to the library, he would point at a chair in the corner and order me to sit. I would for two minutes until boredom kicked in and I wanted to be near him. He never liked that. Never.

"They really don't love each other, you know." Arson words helped me out of my head. "They had no choice but to get married. Rhia spent two years in her Kingdom after the wedding. If it wasn't the demand for them to have children, they wouldn't be in the same Palace together."

Oh, this again.

I kept my lips sealed. Any wrong word and he would kick me out. I didn't agree with him. I saw what I saw, and Anubis never denied it. Arson refused to see reason. I wouldn't blame him if he didn't. His brothers always looked out for him. It would be a punch in the gut if it turned out that the same brother kept a bigger secret from him. One that would ruin their peaceful childhood memories of each other.

"Forget what I said earlier, I was a wretch for saying it," I whispered. "We should get to bed."

"Hmmm. I hope you are not expecting me to cuddle."

Ugh. As if.