The Yelastine was a place that was most treasured in our kingdom, out-competing the value of even the Alcove of Amortas. It was almost a palace in itself, holding precious souvenirs brought from the wars waged against our country. But these weren't souvenirs that can be used to decorate dressing tables or walls, unless one had a keen interest in using blood-soaked items for garnishing their homes.

These souvenirs ranged from the decapitated heads of past enemies, with their weapons that mercilessly laid on the battleground without an owner, and many more 'treasures' that reminded us of the blood every reigning king ever, had poured for their kingdom in their battles throughout.

We were to only visit this quarter of the palace once a year, during a colossal festivity to celebrate the history of the kingdom of Yandestine.

As Zyanna and I stood in front of the gigantic doors, I thought about what could happen if we were caught exploring a place we shouldn't even be in.

I might have been the heir to the throne, but that didn't mean I was above the rules. My mother had always taught me that, and I abided by it, clearly until now.

"Elijah, stop being dramatic and step inside! If it's just the darkness you're afraid of, then I'll let you hold my hand. Actually, wouldn't it just be like the old times, when we were younger and you were too afraid to go to the bathroom by yourself at night so I had to-"

"My goodness, stop, stop! I'll come inside, just don't open your mouth!" I whispered out angrily, almost jumping into an embarrassed outcry.

Aaliyah pressed her lips together immediately, her eyes still crinkling with laughter, as Zyanna laughed out heartily and stepped inside before me.

We started walking, as Lia held a large candle in her hand, leading us forward.

"Where are we exactly going, Lia?" I questioned because we were still surrounded by partial darkness, the candle only showing what was many doors within the Yelastine that we rejected and passed.

Aaliyah didn't respond, as she finally stopped at one particular door among the many other ones. The only difference in this one was that it had a painting of my father upon it, whereas the other ones held the painted portraits of the other kings that had reigned over Yandestine in the past.

The doorknob was carved in the shape of a crystal ball, shining with a sparkle that was brighter than the candle's flame.

Lia touched the knob with her index finger and did an unusual drumming pattern on it, and then turned the knob down, opening the door. It was sort of like a key to opening this door, each door holding its own rare finger pattern, so that no outsider could just barge in to steal what was ours.

"Lia, I'm afraid of your answer, but how exactly did you obtain that pattern that is only known to our father?"

"I didn't threaten or kill anyone, if that relaxes your conscience, Eli."

I frowned with disapproval, still not entirely convinced. Sometimes, my sister really did frighten me as there were endless boundaries she was willing to cross to achieve what she knew was right.

The room had immediately lit up the second we stepped inside, bringing the walls, floors, and everything in between magically alive.

"Wow," Zyanna whispered in awe as we entered the room, that could hardly be called that, as its corners couldn't be identified for a good distance, it's size being huge enough to hide it.

"It's definitely something, isn't it?" Lia smiled at her as their eyes wandered around, while the familiarity of this place failed to make me control my own bewilderment, making every time I came here to feel like the very first.

It wasn't the beauty of it that struck us, no.

It was the horrendous objects around the room, presented in a gruesomely beautiful way that might have sent the unaware into admiral, but I knew better.

There were huge and tall glass boxes around us, separated at a measured distance between each one, every one of them stained with lines of blood purposefully.

Despite the dried blood, it was the content of the transparent boxes that immediately drug your attention.

Beheaded bodies stood there, pinned onto the wall inside the boxes that were built against the wall too, the top of their heads tied to the ceiling, still not sealed with their actual bodies underneath as it should have been. It was a reminder that their bodies when it did have a life in it, helplessly lost in a war they shouldn't have entered.

A reminder to the visitors and royalties of other neighbouring kingdoms, that if they did try to start something similar, this is just a visual taste of the consequences they would face.

In my father's words, it was only a 'kind threat' to ensure peace. When I asked him about the bodies, and how the peace had clearly disappeared there, he just laughed and said: 'Well, not all peace is meant to last, son. Some people just need to be put down, and peace with those sort of people is simply not worth it. The mistakes of the past have taught me just that.'

I think it sufficed to say that I was coming to terms with what he said to me, slowly beginning to dissolve the depth of his words, especially considering the events of the past few weeks.

I shook my head, vowing inwardly that soon, things would go back to normal, and peace shall return. "Let's not lose focus, sister. Tell me the reason as to why you've robbed us of our sleep and drug us here."

Aaliyah rolled her eyes and looked at Zyanna. "You would think I would have got used to this preacher of righteousness and holder of an annoyingly bland personality, right?"

Zyanna chuckled and innocently shrugged. "I might actually have to let that brew for a while, Princess, you never know what changes the future could bring."

I offered her a 'bland' glare, but Lia dosed it down by snorting. "Suit yourself."

Lia straightened up and proceeded forwards, towards a long rectangular table that had a variety of items scattered over it. Each item was labelled with painted dots of three different colours; red, green and grey where red represented the most important and grey being the least. It was so that we could understand which item would have to be examined with the most priority and which could be looked at another time without a hassle.

"Here we are. Some of these items, materialistic and written letters, directly concern our very special escapee - the dancer. Other items are related to other enemies that we suspect, as you strongly believe that the dancer couldn't have pulled all her crimes off without some sort of help, Eli. I have marked some individuals here that seem to wish our kingdom the best, but 'seem' is the keyword. So do not get angry or agitated with the outcomes, brother."

I nodded at Lia, agreeing with her words. "It wouldn't be a surprise if there's that one sheep in a den of lions, Lia. We are royalty after all, and royal blood that can truly be trusted doesn't run in all veins, unfortunately. Hence the idea of suspecting our neighbours - other kingdoms and such, isn't something worthy of neglection."

"Your highnesses, I apologise for the interruption, but is that someone familiar to the kingdom?" Zyanna walked closer to us and pointed at the painting I had done of the dancer, the one I had drawn after accidentally painting Zyanna a week ago.

Lia arched an eyebrow. "You could say that. Why? Is that someone who rings a bell to you?"

Zyanna narrowed her eyebrows in concentration, and me and my sister both unknowingly leaned forward with slightly bated breaths.

"I think I've seen her, yes. Prince Elijah? Remember when I was taking a bath in the river and-" She immediately halted her sentence, her eyes widening as she met my own.

Lia appeared confused, looking between us, where my face was stupendously trying to cover up any signs of a guilty expression. "Bath in the river? When was this? Was Elijah there too?"

Words quickly poured out of my mouth, hopefully, believable. "No, no. Zyanna was just recently telling me about taking a bath in the river. Right, you were saying Zyanna?"

Zyanna raised an eyebrow, a smirk almost revealing itself, as she continued again. "Yes, exactly. I was telling Prince Elijah about taking a bath in the river, but there was indeed a detail I had missed."

"Wait, why were you telling my brother about taking a bath in the river in the first place? What was so special? Did you get bitten by a crocodile or something?"

I opened my mouth but Zyanna beat me to it. "Fortunately, for my sake, it wasn't that exciting, Princess Aaliyah. The water was just so impressively cooling, that I thought it would be of interest to his highness, as he and his soldiers could use a refreshing drink when travelling through the long forest."

Lia turned and nodded slowly to herself as I pulled in an escape of a relieved sigh from myself.

"Well, back to the matter at hand then. How did you see this female, Zyanna?" Lia questioned again, carrying a more focused look.

"She...she was there just as I was about to enter the river to bathe, that night. It was during the dark of the night, and I thought it was the perfect time to get some silent peace for myself without being seen," Zyanna eyes subtly stole my widened glance before going back. "I'm sure I saw this same face, holding a torch of fire in her hands. I'm sure she had seen me, but for some reason, she quickly disappeared after. I didn't actually question it at the time, because there wasn't really anything I could do. Or wanted to do, to be honest. I thought she looked like a nice person, very beautiful and all."

She had seen Zyanna. She might have even known where she lives, and everything else about her, including how we met. That last element, she could have even seen with her own eyes near the river.

Me and Lia shared worried looks, as I vividly remembered seeing a fire run along the forest the same night before I decided to jump in myself and investigate. It was her after all, and she apparently hadn't fled far away from the kingdom after her escape.

But, why?

"Brother, this could mean the dancer is nearer to us than we expected. If she hasn't run far away after escaping prison, then it has to mean she still has business in the vicinity."

"Let's not forget that she also has our royal advisor captured, Lia. The many secrets he carries, of our kingdom's past and present, can put us in a very dangerous position if it flies into the wrong hands. I truly do not care about whatever it is that she needs to do. We capture her, stop her, and perhaps bury her body alive if we're allowed to."

Zyanna's eyes widened and the dire look of bafflement made her shift her eyes between us incredulously. "Your highnesses, is our kingdom truly under danger?"

I walked closer to her, wanting to reach out for her hand but remembered my sister's presence.

"I promised you, remember? As long as I'm near you, I won't let danger's shadow touch your fingertips," Zyanna arched her eyebrow at me and smirked in satisfaction, making me roll my eyes. "Even if I've already failed you twice, yes."

Zyanna didn't say anything, but only put up her fingers that counted three instead of two.

Oh...yes.

"Coming back to what we actually came to do," Lia drawled out with a hint of boredom as she looked between me and Zyanna, "This is what I wanted to show you, brother."

Lia pushed a couple of letters across the table, which had a red dot on top of it, hinting its importance.

I moved my hands to examine them, identifying their familiarity immediately. "Sister, I already know these exist. Both of these letters are from that dancer, we know that. What's new?" I questioned, annoyed.

"Yes, we do know that. But, read both of the letters again."

I glared at Lia, hoping this wasn't one of her devilish methods to taunt me.

She sighed and urged me to pick it up and read it again.

So I did.

I read the very first letter we had received from her, paying attention to each word to see what I had supposedly missed.

The words read the same as before, but my internally warring emotions only multiplied tenfold, each time I felt how confidently the letters danced across the paper, daring me to see otherwise.

I looked back up at Lia, shaking my head grimly as I was clearly irked.

She was about to reply, but her eyes cautiously flickered to Zyanna who was holding onto her stomach, hardly able to stand with her sleepy eyes.

I remembered that the healer has advised Zyanna to not involve herself in any strenuous activities, and that included standing for too long for the first couple of days after treatment.

Lia smiled. "Zyanna? I've set up a guard outside the doors, his name is Vladimir. He'll safely help you return to your current chamber, if that is fine with you? Thank you so much for your help today. I'll make sure to it that no one disturbs your sleep any more, including my brother. "

Zyanna replied with a soft nod and chuckle, leaving me and my sister with wishes of a good night.

Lia's head whirled around again, once the doors closed, and she hurriedly crossed the table to me.

"Do you remember the letter your burnt, Eli?" She questioned.

"The letter I had received with the arrow that struck Zyanna?" Lia nodded, her eyes in a rush to reveal something. "I don't think I could forget it unless we discovered a way to turn time back and erase it."

"The words that were written in that particular letter you had received, do you remember them?"

I leaned forward, with a mixture of curiosity and a return of disgust from the cruel words I had read. "Why are you asking me that? Of course, I do, now tell me what the matter is!"

Lia switched her glance down and brought the first two letters closer to her, placing them next to each other. "These two letters addressed to you directly; where the first one threatens us with our royal advisor, and the second one which is too ominous to make any sense of. But both of them, they clearly hold a specific intention, don't they? The dancer, who we are sure wrote both of these, as she clearly refers to your night together where she attacked you."

"But I'm the one who drove the sword through her and succeeded, Lia."

Lia grunted. "Not important here. I want you to pay attention to the emotions behind those words, brother, forget the flashbacks."

I looked at the letters again. "Because, when you fool someone else so mercilessly, you're bound to have the gift returned." I read the words aloud with a whisper, then switched to the last one we had gotten. "Would you ever strike your sword through your enemy's back, when you're brave enough to look into their eyes, and attempt to actuate death with just your fingers as your weapon?"

I looked at my sister, the atmosphere strangled with a dangerously serious air.

"Brother, we both know that these words...they aren't confessions of compassion, towards you or anyone else. They're clear and raw threats, and there's no playing around it."

I let out a breath of agreement. "Yes, we know that. How does this connect to the letter she sent when she attacked Zyanna? That was a threat too, only that time, she spilt innocent blood."

"You burnt that letter, Eli. But I remember the words it had entailed, clear as day. Do you?"

"I've been waiting for you so long, so patiently. For you." I said those words, my memory of it clashing against my thoughts.

I slowly began to understand what Lia was trying to say.

Pay attention to the emotions, not the flashbacks.

"She called Zyanna 'a breathing vessel that you have apparently taken a liking to'. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, Elijah, but does that seem like a threat with her usual waves of vengeance, or does it seem something more akin too...something else?" Lia narrowed her eyes, cocking her head at me.

"Even if it is what you might suspect it to be, what's exactly wrong about that? She is a female after all, and she had visited me in the chamber that night with intentions that turned into the unexpected."

Lia suddenly lost control and slammed her fist against the table. "Open your eyes, Eli! Do you even know how us females work? Because I for sure, wouldn't go off and attack a bloody prince, send letters that are sure to get me beheaded for a kidnapping crime, then express my inner feelings of jealousy and compassion that suddenly sprouted from my butt! Do you see my point? Are those wheels in your head bloody moving or not?"

I stepped towards Lia, trying to keep myself composed from her continuous outbursts. "Lia, cease that foul language immediately and stop shouting, for the sake of Yandestine! Are you saying that it wasn't the dancer who attacked Zyanna? Are you saying it was a different person...because the emotions between those two letters and this one, hugely contradict?"

My sister slightly relaxed, her fist relaxing too as her fingers spread across the table, as she turned her back to me with a sigh. "Brother, believe it or not, but that dancer's true intentions don't lie anywhere near desiring you. Desiring your fall? Possibly. Your unfortunate death? Definitely," I glared at the back of her head, trying my best to hide my shock at how simply she laid her words down. "But if it was a romantic desire, she would have stayed that memorable night with you, cherishing what would have been a golden opportunity to express whatever she wanted to."

I slowly started to nod, her words sinking into me with strong chances of holding the newly discovered truth.

Lia faced me again, her eyes flashing with a nasty sternness.

"The dancer didn't attack Zyanna. My intuition tells me that it was someone who apparently knows the recent happenings in our kingdom, and used it as an opportunity to pose as the dancer and deliver direct threats to you, brother."

"It was so that we wouldn't even try suspecting anyone else, and aim all our searching towards the dancer, and her only." I replied, the animosity in Lia's voice being reflected in mine with a harder intensity.

Lia nodded gravely. "There's someone that wants you, Elijah and they clearly want to achieve something with you, and it's not your death or downfall."

Threatening possessiveness and strange desires had wafted from that letter, a person that was cowardly with their own identity while committing a crime.

On the other hand, blood and vengeance were already painted and prepared in the dancer's letters.

I did not know which was worse.

***

I'm always so scared that some of you might be so confused about what has happened lol, which is probably due to my horrible narrating, so if you have any questions, please please do ask me! I'll do my best to not try and confuse you even more hehe :)

So, what are your thoughts? What do you think about how our lovely Elijah, Aaliyah, and Zyanna so far?

Stay blessed and awesome,

OceanaCamerons 🌹🌹🌹