Zella
Pacing, pacing, and more pacing. It’s all I can do while I wait for my sister to return from the land of Dawn and Dusk with a letter from my beloved.
A piece of paper with some words on it isn’t enough—nowhere near it—but it’ll have to do for now.
My pink slippers shuffle quietly against the stone floor as I walk across my bedroom. I press my ear to the wooden door, hoping to hear something. Anything.
But all I get is silence.
I try the doorknob again, but it’s locked, just as it has been for the past month. Ever since Keryth asked my father to approve of our mating bond.
After my father adamantly refused, he decided the best solution was to ban Keryth from the Day Realm and shut me in my room for an undetermined amount of time.
King Keryth was our enemy, he’d said. The Night Realm wanted revenge against us. They wanted to defeat us. Take our home. Possess our sun, our water, all our precious resources. Of course they’d want to claim the princess, too.
Father had argued that Valora is only so big, and that Keryth had plans to rule all the realms—Night, Day, Dawn and Dusk, and even the endless oceans surrounding the land.
I shouldn’t have expected anything different from a deranged, delusional man. Paranoia rules his mind now. Rational thought is lost.
My father hasn’t been the same since Mother died seven years ago. The mysterious plague that swept through our kingdom was brutal and vicious, only affecting adult females and leaving hardly any survivors. With a ninety-five percent mortality rate, we had every reason to believe Zephina wouldn’t live through it either. She was just on the cusp of maturity at the time, only twenty-one years of age. Maybe that saved her. Or maybe it was the constant care I gave. I was too young to catch the illness, so I stayed by my mother and sister for five days straight while the fever ravaged their bodies.
On the sixth day, Mother passed away while my father clutched her hand to his chest as though he could keep her here with him if he held on tight enough.
She was his fated mate. His soul was tethered to hers, and now that she’s gone, his heart is anchored to nothing.
He will go mad.
Eventually. Slowly. Painfully.
Being separated from the love of his life will lead to unbearable misery until he either takes his own life or gets himself killed on purpose.
Which is why I don’t understand how he could keep Keryth and me apart. Father knows this pain. Does he want me to be just as miserable as he is?
Maybe he’s provoking the Night Realm king, looking for a swift death.
But Keryth would never hurt my family. He’s a good man and a great king. He’ll be the best father to our children.
If I can ever get out of here.
I press a palm to my aching chest.
I feel hollow on the inside. Every breath I take is unsatisfying. Food tastes like nothing. I can’t find joy in the hobbies I used to love.
As I trudge over to my bed, I look at my knitting project on the armchair by the barred windows. A couple years ago, I started a blanket—a baby blanket. It kept me busy while I waited to reach maturity. I was almost finished with it when my hopes and dreams were shot down.
I haven’t picked it up in weeks.
Just looking at it causes an unpleasant spasm in my heart. Hopelessness overwhelms me as I fall back onto my soft mattress.
My fingers tingle and twitch as I resist the urge to use my powers.
As a princess of the Day Realm, it’s fitting that fire resides in my body. I hold the power of the sun in my hands. I could light this palace up anytime I wanted, but it would mean destroying the only home I’ve ever known and putting countless people in harm’s way.
And so I stay here, waiting for my meals to be brought to me by my personal servant. Kalla draws a bath for me once a day and helps me change my clothes. It’s a good thing, too—I simply don’t have the motivation to take care of myself.
The only thing I have to look forward to is Zephina’s return from our monthly trade deal with the Night Realm.
Four years ago, that became my job; attend the trade to ensure a fair transaction. The two rival realms had agreed a member from each royal family would go as collateral. Just in case anything went wrong. I, being the youngest of three siblings, was the obvious choice.
Once a month, I traveled to Dawn and Dusk, an enchanted strip of land between Night and Day. Being neutral territory, it was the perfect place to meet up.
A bittersweet smile plays on my lips when I remember the first time I saw the great and mighty King Keryth. It was literally love at first sight. For both of us.
One look, and we knew we were fated mates.
But I was only seventeen. Too young to enter into a mating bond.
So we were patient, and our courtship was pure. Stealing innocent moments. Exchanging longing glances. Getting to know each other.
Keryth surprised me with lavish gifts—jewels, Night Realm flowers, and stardust from the mountains by the Dream Realm. And I gave him gallons of day water, a precious resource for a kingdom where the sun never rises. When mixed with stardust, it creates a glowing light that can last for years.
Most importantly of all, we gave each other promises. So many promises to marry, to have children, to rule the Night Realm together.
It felt like the longest courtship ever, but when I was finally twenty-one, we thought the wait was over.
Oh, how wrong we were.
I still recall the anger and confusion on Keryth’s face when he was told I’d been promised to someone else, which was shocking news to me. Apparently, one of our Councilmen lost a wife in the plague, and my father had arranged a marriage without my consent.
I’d rather die than be some stuffy noble’s replacement, and I said those exact words that day.
The memory of my cries as they tore me away from Keryth echoes in my mind, and I close my eyes, wishing I could escape the gut-wrenching sound.
My biggest regret is that we never kissed. We wanted to wait for the right time. Now I realize the right time would’ve been anytime.
A welcome noise invades my thoughts, and I shoot up from the bed when I realize it’s footsteps. Quick, quiet ones.
A key turns the lock with a metallic click, and Zephina darts inside.
Before Kalla closes the door to give us privacy, my sister passes my faithful servant a gold coin. “For your silence, Kalla. Please.”
“Did you see him?” I run over, badgering Zephina before she has a chance to say hello.
“Yes, I saw him.” She tilts her head to the side. “He’s kind of scary-looking. All that hair, the muscles, and that black leather he wears. Black leather, Zella,” she emphasizes.
I let out a dreamy sigh. She’s listing some of my favorite things about Keryth.
Because of the hot temperatures in the Day Realm, thin fabrics and light colors are popular here, and the men tend to keep their hair shorter. Zephina’s never seen Night Realm people before, and I hadn’t considered the fact that their rugged appearance might startle her.
“He’s a gentleman through and through,” I defend. “He wouldn’t even kiss me because he didn’t want to ruin my honor by secrecy.”
Her face softens. “That’s very good of him.”
“Well, where is it?” Making grabbing motions at her, I impatiently hop as she produces an envelope from the pocket of her light blue dress.