Page 11

11

The Lion’s Den

F or the first time—or perhaps the second—Astoria found herself at a loss for words in a verbal spar. So she fought the only other way she knew.

Holding Skylar securely with one arm, she released a barrage of spells at him.

She had married her enemy. The destroyer. The angel of destruction she was meant to bring down.

If the Creator helped her, she would fulfill the prophecy right then and there.

Cyrus was quick to block her. “Are you mad?” His eyes reflected a storm as he glared at her.

Gone was the man she had bickered and flirted with, the one who teased her and called her ridiculous nicknames. He was now a stranger wearing a familiar face.

“You tricked me, you fiend! You blasted, monstrous man! Where is my brother? What did you do to him? If you hurt him, I swear, I will kill you!” She unleashed another jet of spells.

This time, he didn’t block them. Her golden blasts dissipated into the thin air before they touched him, almost like he had cast an invisible shield.

“Thank the Creator I had the sense to request the addition to the vow, or I would’ve had to fight you every second of my life.”

“Where is my brother, you fiend!” she yelled, her anger spiraling tenfold as she realized the full weight of his trickery.

“He’s in the woods where we left him, probably panicked out of his mind and—”

“Take me back.”

Cyrus laughed. And it was nothing like the deep one she found soothing. This was an evil, wicked laugh that sent chills down her spine. “I’m sorry, are you commanding me?” He gave her a mocking glance.

Astoria lifted her chin. “I don’t care who you are. You are not my Emperor. And yes, I am commanding you to take me back to my brother.”

The young man in black snickered. “You two will make a wonderful couple.”

Astoria didn’t know who he was yet, but she narrowed her eyes at him. “I have no desire to be married to him! He tricked me!”

“We are bound with magic, Astoria. It would be stupid of you to even hope there is a chance for separation.” Cyrus gave her a deadpan look. “I will find you wherever you go, even if you hide in the farthest corner of the human realm.”

Astoria snorted a laugh. “Oh, you fool! You are the one who bound yourself to me with a fake name. It can be reversed.”

Cyrus’ lips curled into a smirk. “Who said I used a fake name in the vow? Why do you think I chose the name Silas? It sounds like my own. Cyrus. Silas. Cyrus. Silas.” His smirk turned victorious. “I used my real name during the vow, but you didn’t pay attention. No one did. Even if they did, they probably thought I didn’t spell out the ‘L’ in Silas.”

Astoria gaped at him in disbelief.

“So, who do you think is the ‘fool’ here?”

Astoria barely restrained herself from attacking him. There was no point. “You are such a monster!” she hissed in disbelief.

“Monster or snake? I admit I was rather cunning.”

Astoria’s hand flew forward, aiming for his face, but he caught her wrist. His eyes turned stormy again and he took a menacing step forward. “Now, now, Princess, listen closely. I know I promised to protect you, but if you don’t behave and insist on making things difficult, you will leave me no choice.”

Astoria tried to yank her wrist free. She refused to cower before him. “What, you will kill me?”

“Believe it or not, my wife, I’m not half the monster people say I am. I won’t kill you, but I can think of a few punishments.”

“Like locking me in a magical tower and starving me to death?”

He rolled his eyes skyward. “Like taking over your precious Daliston.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” she growled.

“Oh, I would.” His lips twitched. “I would also make your brother the king, and he would become one of my puppets. I know no punishment would be as effective as that for you.”

Astoria let out a snarl so unlike her and stomped on his foot. He yelped and released her wrist, cursing under his breath. He glared at her. “Are you—”

“Mad? Yes. Should I expect the punishment now?”

“Don’t mock me, Astoria. I can ‘send my army’ to your castle with a snap of my fingers,” he warned.

“Oh, why don’t you snap your fingers and send me instead so we don’t end up killing one another?” she retorted.

Cyrus adjusted his stance, wincing slightly as he did so, and snickered. “Even if you command me with a blade to my throat, no way in the realms am I ever letting you go.”

“How romantic,” she sneered. “Care to explain why?”

He shot her an incredulous look.

“Stop looking at me like I am supposed to read your mind like a red panda and spit it out!”

Cyrus began to laugh, sparing a look at the other man who was trying not to laugh. He met her eyes. “You don’t even know what you are, do you?”

Astoria’s heart skipped a beat. Did he know about the prophecy?

At her silence, he continued. “You are the weapon—the hope —of the rebels against me. The moment I realized it, I did what I had to do. I outsmarted them and married you, which now makes you useless to them. Of course, they are unaware of this at the moment, but they will know soon. All they know now is that some street performer beat the princess in her duel and married her and that together, they will be a powerful weapon against the Emperor—with or without the magnification. If you can’t tell, I am dying to announce the news of our marriage—and to crown you as my Empress.”

He finished with a wink.

But he didn’t mention the prophecy.

I think I get it… Skylar mused. Maybe this is the beginning of the prophecy’s fulfillment. This is how you are going to bring him down.

He couldn’t be wrong.

When Astoria first read the prophecy, although she thought it was silly, she had envisioned them facing each other in battle when Cyrus came to invade one of the unconquered kingdoms.

Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would find herself married to him— tricked into marrying him.

But with them married, how would the prophecy work? How could she bring him to his knees? Her magic wouldn’t work against him.

Don’t worry about that now. I’m sure there will be some loophole. The prophecy has brought you this far, after all. It will be fulfilled, Skylar said.

She had no choice but to believe it. She was trapped. Sil— Cyrus had teleported them to the farthest end of the continent, his home, and he wouldn’t bring her back.

Did that mean she wouldn’t see her brother again?

Suddenly, the prophecy was no longer her concern. The insecurities she had buried away came crashing in. She felt vulnerable. A life without Emmett; her nightmare was here.

Emmett was likely going mad right now after seeing the carriage with his sister and her husband disappear into thin air. Would he realize it was Cyrus’ doing? Would he be shouting her name all over the woods right now? What would he do when he couldn’t find her?

One thought of her brother in pain tore at her heart. She turned to her husband. “I want to see my brother first.”

His eyebrows rose. “First?”

“Then I shall stay with you.”

“You are staying with me anyway.”

She glared at him. “Do you want a tolerable wife or what?”

“Do you want Daliston’s invasion or what?”

“I just want to talk with my brother! He’ll go out of his mind when he can’t find me! I want to tell him what is going on!”

Cyrus tilted his head and pointed to his face. “Do I look like an idiot to you?”

“More like one, why?”

“ Why? To think that I would take you back to tell your brother that your husband is kidnapping you to his country at the far end of the continent! He’ll find out what happened soon enough.”

“Like when? A week later? I won’t—”

“My men tied your footman to a tree not far from the path. Your guards—”

“Your men did what ?” she exploded.

“You see, darling—”

“Don’t call me that!”

“—the wheel getting stuck was only a distraction. I cast an illusion at the front of the carriage so, to the onlookers, it seemed like your footman was doing his duty. Meanwhile, one of my men came out of the woods, gagged your footman, and dragged him out to tie him to a tree where I left my note for your family. Don’t worry, not a hair on his head has been hurt. In the meantime, one of my other men took the footman’s place and rode us through the portal, a portal that disappeared along with us so no one would follow us here accidentally.”

Astoria felt like she was going to be sick. The lengths this man had gone to eliminate his threat— her —shook her to the core. He had indeed been cunning.

None of them suspected him.

Had last night been an act, too? Not that she was na?ve enough to have formed an attachment or even a liking towards him overnight, but there had been something between them. Something silly and playful even with her being as rude as usual.

Had it all been an act?

And why did that make her stomach sink?

“So I’m your prisoner now?”

Something flashed across his face. Astoria could have sworn his eyes softened a little, but she didn’t want to jump to conclusions. “You’re not my prisoner, Astoria. You are my wife and soon to be my Empress. I told you last night, remember?”

“Oh man, please don’t speak about your wedding night in front of me. I’m going to be sick,” said the young man in black, whose presence Astoria had forgotten until then. He pressed a hand to his forehead.

Cyrus seemed to have forgotten about him, too. He turned to him and rolled his eyes. “No one invited you to our verbal spar.”

“Well, I missed your magical one, so I thought to invite myself.” The man turned to Astoria. “I’m sure you are wondering who I am.” He smiled crookedly and offered his hand. “I am Rowan, Cyrus’ best friend and right hand—he lacks one if you haven’t noticed.”

He winked and kissed her hand as she accepted it.

Astoria nearly smiled at his sense of humor. “Funny, I was too taken aback to register that you are not a Mage. Skylar and I thought you were the Emperor.”

Rowan threw his head back and laughed. He nudged Cyrus with his elbow. “You heard that?”

“I am not deaf,” Cyrus snapped.

That didn’t deter Rowan’s amusement. “Well, it’s so good to have you back, and with a wife to keep you in check. Why don’t we all go inside? It’s starting to get chilly out here.”

Cyrus and Astoria turned to each other at the same time.

“I want to see my brother,” she said in one breath.

“I already told you that is not going to happen.”

“No? Fine! Enjoy the first day of your doomed life with your hot-blooded wife as she makes your life insufferable!” She stomped past the two men towards the wide stairs that led to the black front doors.

She was going to make him regret ever marrying her.

The guards at the doors bowed. Astoria acknowledged them with a nod and stepped into the large entry hall of the palace. Her eyebrows flew up in surprise upon seeing that the interior of the palace was as much a dark beauty as its exterior.

The grand hall was an architectural marvel with high vaulted ceilings. The floor was a polished expanse of black stone and the walls were lavender-grey, with sconces each holding a candle in a matching lavender-grey shade. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were of blackened iron, and the draperies hanging from the windows were lavender-grey.

Things that weren’t black were lavender-grey, much to Astoria’s annoyance.

Altogether , it was stunning and intimidating, but she also couldn’t help but notice the contrast between the dark opulence around her and the vibrant, lively colours she was used to back home.

It seemed Cyrus loved dark beauty. And with that thought, an idea sprang to her mind.

Astoria smirked to herself. He may have won his game, but he wasn’t ready for hers.

Footsteps approached her from behind. “Like what you see?”

Astoria switched her expression back to sore and turned to her husband. “You have such poor taste in decoration.”

He shrugged. “I apologize we have different tastes. But you are free to style your new room according to your wish. Your handmaiden will see to all your needs.”

At the mention of her new handmaiden, Astoria remembered her own back home, the one she had sent to visit her family while Astoria was away. Astoria was glad she did so, or her poor handmaiden would’ve been trapped in the lion’s den with her.

At least, she had Skylar.

A soft jingling grabbed Astoria’s attention at that moment. She turned towards the sound and blinked in disbelief at the creature that was hurrying towards them down the grand staircase at the far end of the hall. Skylar stiffened in her arms.

It was a red panda.

And a female! Skylar had never sounded so high-pitched before, panic in his voice. He looked to his left and right as though searching for a place to hide.

Astoria tightened her arms around him as the female panda reached them, her intelligent eyes shimmering as they fixed on Cyrus. There was a golden chain with a small locket around her neck. Astoria realized it was the source of the jingling.

Calm down, Sky. What’s the matter if she’s a female?

You don’t understand! She is—she is—

She is cute? Astoria hid a smile.

She is beautiful, Skylar said in a choked-up voice.

Astoria wasn’t sure what shocked her the most; her best friend’s sudden infatuation or the way her husband opened his arms for the panda—or when he hugged her and stroked her head as she jumped into his embrace.

She blinked once, twice, and thrice. Emperor Cyrus? The angel of destruction? Showing affection to—a mystical red panda or not, but—an animal?

“Great, now we’ll have an Emperor and an Empress who zone out during meetings—thanks to their pets!” Rowan called out from behind, entering the entryway.

Astoria pivoted to him, not hiding her surprise. “The Emperor zones out of meetings and talks with his panda?”

Rowan snorted sarcastically. “You have no idea! He’s all ears for her whenever she wants his attention. If not for me staying at his side to snap him back to focus, the court would have deemed him a bad listener.”

“Not that he cares what others might think, right? He’s Cyrus the Great ,” Astoria said bitterly, glancing sideways at Cyrus, and saw him still engrossed in a conversation with his red panda. No wonder he was able to tell whenever she and Skylar conversed, rather than thinking she was being ignorant—as others did.

Rowan blinked at her bluntness. Then slowly, a smirk claimed his lips. “You are something, aren’t you? Cyrus has found someone quick-witted to tame him at last.” He winked.

“Rowan, did you just wink at my wife?” Cyrus turned towards them with narrowed eyes.

Astoria realized his pet was the source of the information. “Oh, drop it. At least, he’s nice to me—unlike you.” Before he could retort, she changed the subject, dropping her gaze to his red panda. “Are you going to introduce us or not?”

Cyrus seemed to swallow his original response and put on a neutral expression. The red panda hopped down from his arms and stood between the both of them, looking up at Astoria and Skylar.

Skylar began to squirm.

“Astoria, this is Spyrah. Spyrah, this is my wife Astoria.”

Spyrah huffed and turned back to Cyrus, a glare in her eyes. Whatever she told him, it caused Cyrus to chuckle. He turned back to Astoria with a twitch of his lips and added, “Spyrah is like a sister to me.”

Astoria raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. The Cyrus from the stories didn’t level up to the man in front of her who seemed to love his pet. When he raised his eyebrow in return, she dropped her gaze back to Spyrah.

“It’s nice to meet you, Spyrah. This is Skylar. He’s like a brother to me, too.”

Skylar’s squirms turned to writhing as Spyrah finally fixed her attention on him. They seemed to exchange pleasantries. At least, that’s what Astoria thought until Skylar’s writhing increased.

Put me down, Princess! Now!

Astoria loosened her grip and let him hop down. She stared at him incredulously.

Are you alright, Sky?

No! She called me a baby! He sounded mad.

Astoria stifled a laugh. What? Why?

Because you’ve been carrying me since the moment she came into the room. Never carry me without my permission again, alright?

Astoria bit her inner cheeks to keep herself from smiling. When she lifted her gaze from the ‘bickering’ red pandas, she found Cyrus watching her with a serious expression. With the same intensity in his eyes.

“What?” she snapped, letting any traces of amusement fade from her face.

Cyrus merely shook his head. “I will show you to our chambers. I’m sure you are tired from your travels.”

Astoria rolled her eyes. “Oh, only from the reality of my husband’s deception, I assure you.”

“If you are trying to elicit an apology from me, it’s not happening. I’m not sorry. I had to do what I should to eliminate the threat to my empire.”

Astoria took back what she thought about him when she saw him interacting with Spyrah. “Of course. You are the infamous, selfish, power-hungry monster, after all.”

He offered her his arm. She glared at it and huffed, “No, thank you.”

He turned and led the way, but Astoria swore she glimpsed a twitch of his lips.

Aggravating man.

On their way to the royal chambers, they came across a group of maidservants who gasped aloud at the sight of Cyrus and dropped into curtsies. The oldest among them stepped forward without bothering to curtsy and hugged him, while the others looked at him with the utmost respect in their eyes and told him they were on their way to greet him as soon as they heard of his arrival.

Astoria was half-convinced that they were under his influence. No one in their right mind would look at this man with respect, let alone hug him. Hug him, really?

“Meet my beautiful wife, ladies,” Cyrus said with a sweep of his arm towards Astoria as the older woman stepped back. He put that arm around her shoulders and drew her to his side like a loving husband eager to show off the woman he loved. “Princess Astoria of Daliston.”

That was when the maids noticed her presence at all. Their eyes went as wide as saucers, and their jaws dropped.

“Your wife ?”

“You got married ?”

“You never told me a thing, Cyrus dear!” The oldest woman gasped. “Any other news, I understand, but you getting married? I had given up hope!”

Astoria blinked at the woman. Did she just address him by his name? Astoria glanced aside at Cyrus for his reaction.

He rolled his eyes. “For goodness’ sake and the thousandth time, Clara, I am only twenty-four. And now that I am married, I think I owe you all the celebration you missed.”

Clara looked between him and Astoria with a twinkle in her eyes. “Will you at least tell me how this happened? And a princess from an unconquered kingdom?”

Cyrus looked down at Astoria with the smile of a doting husband. She narrowed her eyes in warning. If he was going to sell any nonsense about them being in love, she would seal his lips shut until she told these women the truth.

Oh, wait… She couldn’t do that.

But Cyrus seemed to take her warning. He turned to the eagerly waiting maids with a chuckle. “I’m sure we can spare time for the love story later. I’m looking forward to establishing it throughout the empire myself. Right now, my wife needs to rest.”

“Of course, of course, my dears.” Clara shoved them towards the direction of the imperial wing. “It’s so good to have you back. Rest well!”

Astoria shook herself out of his hold the moment they were out of the women’s sight. “What love story nonsense are you looking forward to spreading throughout your empire, may I ask?”

“The truth, my darling.” He shot her a side grin, only to drop it the moment he met her eyes. He turned sober, as though realizing he wasn’t supposed to be jolly towards her anymore. “Lies aren’t beneficial. However, the truth, as the old saying goes, sets everyone free.”

“Apparently, not me,” she mumbled to herself.

When they reached the black chamber doors, Cyrus opened them and gestured inside. Astoria stepped into the vast sitting room and looked down her nose at their surroundings on purpose to irritate him.

It was elegant, with black and lavender-grey beauty, but Astoria wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. “Everything in this palace is so black.”

“Because this is my palace, and it’s styled to my taste.”

“The colour of your own heart, I presume? Besides, this was King Biba‘s palace before you invaded it.” She raised her eyebrows, daring him to deny it.

She expected him to snap at her, but he said, “The keyword is was. ” Then he gestured towards one of the rooms. “That one is your room.”

He walked forward and opened the door for her. Astoria followed him cautiously and stepped past him inside.

The room looked larger than her own back home. Her things had already been transported. She looked around to assess the black and lavender-grey decorations when they began to shift into the colours of her room in Daliston.

“There,” Cyrus said from behind. She turned to him and saw him lowering his hand from the air. He smirked. “Hopefully, that will help you feel at least a bit at home. I wouldn’t want my colour palette to make my wife feel unwelcome in my palace.”

She narrowed her eyes. “If you are hoping to elicit a thank you from me, that’s not happening. And I’m definitely not going to feel at home here.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Didn’t dream of either, considering it is you, after all.”

“Will you leave me alone now?” she asked exasperated.

“Was about to,” he said, walking backwards. “If you need help, just ring the bell. I’ll ask Clara to assign you the best of handmaidens.” He nodded to the door on the other end of the room. “That’s the washroom.” Then he pointed to the door on their right. “And in case you need me—not that I think you would—that one leads to my room.

“Don’t look so petrified. I won’t come into your room unless you want me to. However, you are welcome to mine anytime. Since there’s no point in locking the door—you and I can unlock it with magic anytime—you will have to trust me. I intend to keep my word not to touch you unnecessarily. However, keep in mind that I will need an heir eventually.”

Astoria’s eyes bulged in horror. Give him an heir? In his dreams! “Don’t you have anyone else to give you heirs?” If the rumors were right, he had—

Cyrus looked at her like she was crazy, stopping her mid-thought. Alright, maybe she was crazy to consider believing a rumor and throwing it right in his face.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“I don’t know what you think of me, Astoria,” Cyrus began, narrowing his eyes and taking a step towards her, “or what all those rumors have convinced the people of the unconquered kingdoms, but I am an honorable man, and I intend to stay that way until my last breath.”

His gaze arrested hers, and Astoria couldn’t help but stare back into his intense, midnight eyes, captivated by them and unable to look away.

But then Cyrus broke the spell by turning away abruptly and storming out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Astoria blinked and stared at the door in utter bafflement, listening to his fading footsteps. What was that?