*RHEA'S POV*

His hands held onto hers, so delicately, so beautifully, and she responded by weaving her fingers into his palm so innocently as if she didn't realise what she was doing.

It made my heart tremble.

It trembled very slowly at first, as bloody fingers with excruciatingly sharp nails crept around my heart, grasping it so tightly, all at once like it had every right to do so.

That's what it felt like every single time.

Every single time a female would touch Elijah, with an ugly gaze of hope swimming in their eyes as he welcomed and treated them with respect and attention, just like he was taught to do.

But I was always there, prepared to rip off their eyes and drown that hope in a flood of many other lost hearts, that had desired to make Elijah's heart beat in counter to their pathetic emotions.

And when I did make them disappear, I would always smile, as the fingers that had a tight leash on my own heart, retracted its nails and let me breathe, resting peacefully with the knowledge that nobody could take away what's ours.

As the sounds of her laughter swept around the small ballroom, and Elijah's arms circled itself around her waist, I felt the last few fragments of words I had constantly repeated to myself over the past week, that 'Elijah is mine' , disappeared into the wind, laughing at me as they pranced away.

No.

Elijah is yours. He has been and always will be. He will fall in love with you and take you as his Queen, and this female will only be a temporary barrier.

I shut my eyes tightly, holding onto that thought with every inch of my strength and whipped the tears back into its place, opening my eyes again.

Zyanna.

That was the name that made me arrive at the kingdom of Yandestine, a few days earlier than my presence was actually known and that was nothing but a purposeful action. I wanted to know who this newfound interest of Elijah was, and what I could do to destroy anything akin to a spark lighting itself between them.

I had inquired around, but no one in the kingdom knew who this female was. The servants only told me that she had apparently tended to Elijah's horse and made it better, and that was the first occasion they saw her in the palace.

At the end of my search, I found there was nothing remotely interesting about her. She was just a dirty woman that flounced around with goats and pigs, and to think that I have to even consider such an unequal abomination as a threat to my future - it was just vile.

My attention painfully shifted to them again, as they began conversing with words that I was going to make sure meant nothing for their future, regardless of what they might have been.

"Why did you bring me here, Prince Elijah? I thought I was learning how to properly walk again, not dance."

I wanted to destroy that twinkle in her eyes that fluttered freely, as he responded.

"You see, I remember you telling me that you didn't know how to dance, so I figured it would be interesting to enliven the boring process of just walking - something we've been doing for a while now - into something more active and fun."

"And you thought I'd find the idea of dancing while I'm basically unable to walk in a straight line without humping over...fun?"

Elijah slightly winced but he still nodded with an awfully sincere look on his face, and I clenched my fists tightly, trying my best not to slash the curtains I was hiding behind, and tear the matchless pair apart.

"I think I may actually like you, Prince Elijah. I do love a challenge, and breaking my legs permanently by trying to dance right now sounds perfect."

They both heartily laughed together, and he stopped to look away from her, his eyes drifting to their reflection in the mirrors - that surrounded them completely - except for the curtains I was behind.

"Look at that, Zyanna. Look at your feet," Her attention turned to their reflection as well, and he gently brought up one of her feet, holding her waist at the same time, and lifted it upwards. "Isn't it beautiful seeing them move in the air with such grace, just because you let them? Imagine how it would feel to have them gliding in the air, without a care in the world, letting that magic happen. Then before you know it, you'll have yourself back to normal in no time." 

"Is that so? But, considering everything, aren't there chances of me falling?"

Elijah stepped away from her, letting go of her completely, giving her a startle. "Very high chances, and I'll gladly let you fall. When you fully crash into the floor, and get back up yourself, I'll stand next to you and tell you that if you have the strength to fall, then you sure as well have it in you to fall again. And to-"

"-and to fall again, I'd have to walk again. That purely means I tried, and I can always only try, no matter what. When I realise that, I should never allow myself to fall ever again."

He stared back at her quizzically. "You know that saying too?"

She turned her face away with a quiet nod and a contented smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.

I hated every second of this.

The smile on this atrociously feminine creature's face; it looked so genuine, so distinct, but at the same time, so disgustingly familiar. It reminded me of the smile devils in a disguise wore when they knew they were at the brink of getting what they wanted, and knew nothing could get in their way.

Clearly, I thought as my eyes drifted down her body to the bandages around her stomach, my bow had wronged her and put her through the much-deserved agony to make her think different.

Then how was that wretched smile still there even after my bow had plunged through her body?

My lips quivered as their hands kept connecting and floated around each other, almost tangled in their own world. Elijah swirled her across the room repeatedly, leaving her without support for a few minutes as she tried to catch her balance on her own, then swept her up again with honest tenderness and laughter.

My body slid down silently, a painstaking shiver writhing inside me, as I pressed my back into the wall and concealed myself more than before.

Elijah is mine.

Elijah is mine.

Elijah is mine.

I subconsciously started whispering that to myself, hardly controlling my heavy breaths as I clamped my hand down on my mouth tightly.

The fingers waiting beneath my heart - perpetually ready to strike - cracked their knuckles and started to creep towards it, their nails digging into the blood surrounding my heart as they came nearer and nearer.

An unceremonious clutch.

It crashed into a tighter grip; crushing every little vein, every little string holding me together, and every bit of sanity I had left.

A ruined voice screamed from somewhere inside me, and with it came my ravaged heart and an incredibly blurry world.

It was always like that.

I was reduced to oblivion, and nothing wanted to stay with me except a cloudy memory of the matchless pair separating the curtains, and gasps filling the empty air.

Even when encapsulated by an unwelcoming darkness, a familiar voice lingered in my fading consciousness, and it wouldn't stop ringing.

'We have to fight for our fairytales, sweetheart.'

'I will, Father. I will.'

And that was exactly what I was going to do.

***

Hmm, what do you think?

Stay blessed and remember your worth, my queens and kings,

OceanaCamerons 🌹🌹🌹