Arastella
The golden boat drifted back to the pier just as the twilight turned the sky into a deep, bruised purple. Castel stepped off first and offered his hand, helping me navigate the step onto the stone walkway.
"Shall we get ready for dinner?" Castel asked, his voice smooth and terrifyingly attentive.
I smoothed down my skirts, avoiding his gaze. "I am still rather full. I think I would like to just go to sleep a bit earlier."
"Of course," he replied without missing a beat.
He took my hand, his fingers warm against mine. I didn't resist—I was too drained to fight him in open daylight. Together, we walked through the quiet, torch-lit corridors of the palace, our footsteps echoing against the stone.
When we finally stopped outside my chamber doors, Castel turned to face me. "I will call the maids to get you ready."
"No," I cut in immediately. "Astelion will do it."
"If that is what you wish, my Queen," he murmured. He leaned down, taking my hand once more and pressing a slow, lingering kiss to the back of my knuckles.
The moment he let go, I yanked my hand back and forcefully wiped it against the fabric of my dress, right in front of him. Without waiting for his reaction, I pushed open the heavy wooden doors and walked into the room.
I heard the quiet, rhythmic footsteps of Astelion following close behind me, and the heavy thud of the door closing shut behind us.
The second the lock clicked, a fire erupted in my chest.
I whirled around, marched straight up to Astelion, and brought my open hand flying across her face. The sound of the slap cracked through the quiet room like a whip.
"You lied to me!" I hissed, my eyes wild with rage.
Astelion's head snapped back from the impact, but instead of shrinking away, a dark, dangerous smile touched her lips. Without a single second of hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped me right back.
"I did not!" she snapped.
I stumbled back a half-step, clutching my stinging cheek as I stared at her in absolute shock. A surge of pure fury boiled my blood. I lunged forward and slapped her across the face a second time, harder than the first.
"Don't you ever raise your hand against me again!" I roared.
Astelion didn't blink. She wound up and slapped me back with equal force, the sharp crack echoing off the stone walls. "Then don't hit me!"
The two of us stood there in the center of the lavish bedchamber, breathing heavily, both of our cheeks burning a deep, violent red. The air between us vibrated with dangerous tension.
I stepped forward, forcefully pushing Astelion's shoulder, and swung my arm to slap her yet again. "You deserve it! Especially since you have been fucking—"
Before I could finish the sentence, Astelion's hand flew out and struck my cheek again.
"I said stop hitting me!" She screamed, I completely lost my mind.
"I was honest with you!" Astelion yelled back, her eyes flashing with defensive frustration as she raised her hands. "We had something before I knew who he was! And I broke it off! I slipped up, and I know it looks bad—"
"Slipped up?!" I spat.
Before she could finish her excuse, I lunged. I grabbed her roughly by the back of the neck, wrenching her head down with all my weight while violently driving my knee straight toward her face.
Astelion's reflexes were blinding. She caught my knee with her palm, blocking the strike, and shoved my leg down while snatching her head back up out of my grip.
"Wait!" Astelion pleaded, taking a sharp breath as she tried to put distance between us.
I didn't listen. I stepped right into her space and brought my hand across her face yet again, the sharp blow cutting her off mid-breath.
"You did more than just slip up!" I raged, my tears of frustration finally breaking through my pride. "You lied, you compromised us, and you're rolling around with the enemy while lecturing me about survival!"
"I didn't mean for it to happen!" Astelion yelled back, her eyes shining with desperate tears as she held her burning cheek. "I have been with him for two months! Feelings can't just disappear!"
"Two months?" I threw my hands up in sheer disbelief, my voice ringing hollowly off the stone walls. "Two months is all it takes for you to fall in love, fuck the enemy, and get engaged?! That is weak and pathetic!"
"You don't understand, and you never will!" she cried out, her shoulders shaking as she tried to bridge the gap between us. "I admit I messed up! And I am trying to fix it!"
"Fuck you! And get out!" I snarled, pointing a trembling, sharp finger directly at the heavy double doors. "I don't want to see you right now."
"Please," Astelion begged, her voice dropping into a broken, desperate whisper.
"Do you know what I saw today?" I choked out, the suffocating memory of the Void crashing back over me like a cold wave. "Do you know what I felt? I could hear my father! I could feel my people dying! And through all of it, I thought I had someone here who I could trust... but you turned out to be on their team, too."
I turned my back on her, unable to look at her disheveled hair, her flushed cheeks, or the defensive terror in her eyes for another second. I walked toward the edge of the bed, clutching my arms tightly around my waist to stop myself from shaking.
"Can you please... please allow me to make this right?" she asked softly behind me.
I whirled around, taking in her bruised, red face one last time.
"Get the fuck out of my room!" I yelled, my voice breaking on the last word.
Astelion flinched as if I had struck her again. She swallowed hard, her jaw tightening as she slowly turned on her heel. She walked toward the entrance, her head held low, and pulled open the heavy oak doors before slipping quietly into the dimly lit corridor. The heavy thud of the door closing behind her sounded like a sentence being passed.
The moment the latch clicked, the fierce, burning adrenaline in my veins completely drained away.
The last bit of strength I had gave out. My knees buckled beneath the heavy weight of my purple silk skirts, and I collapsed onto the floor beside the bed. I wrapped my arms around myself, pressed my forehead against the cold velvet coverlet, and started to cry—sobbing for my father, for my dying dragons, and for the sickening realization that I was utterly, completely alone in the Mad King's trap.