Court of Valor and Synn

Part One: Serena

||Trigger Warning||
This book contains depictions of death, light 'speciesism' towards werewolves, abduction, non-consensual touching between mates, drugs, alcohol, and just your usual amount of Fae smut that comes along with Reverse Harem/Why Choose romances.
This one IS kind of a slow burn on the "smutty" parts but it's well worth it, I promise! 😘
Please upvote and comment and I'm open to all kinds of constructive criticism!
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
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"The power of her ancestors swells within her soul as she is tugged gently into slumber and transported from the solace of her respite and into an all too familiar and harrowing nightmare."
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I find myself trapped in an unforgettably vivid and beyond surreal nightmare that continues to haunt my dreamscape no matter what I do to try to forget. Blinking back tears, I look around and take in the sight of the once opulent throne room, dimly lit with the flickering lamplight provided by intricate swans that stood proudly on each side of the ancient royal thrones. The elaborate carvings of swans and cranes that adorn the walls and ceiling seem to come alive, casting strange shadows and adding to the atmosphere of dread that permeates the air. My beloved parents sat atop their pedestals as they did every other day of my life, but this time both of them shared horrified expressions that shot a wave of terror through my very core. I try to reach out to my parents but my limbs fail me and my body betrays me, leaving me paralyzed in fear as I thrash about helplessly. Despite my desperate efforts, I am always too late to save them, and the nightmare always ends with an overwhelming sense of being left powerless to change the past on that horrific day. "Mother! Father!" Amidst the eerie silence, I call out to them frantically as the tears begin to fall freely and shallow sobs escape me. But my pleas seem to disappear into the abyss of darkness that slowly creeps across the floor, engulfing everything in its path. When the darkness finally swallows them whole and they disappear, it depletes all light and leaves me feeling bereft and alone in the once familiar throne room. Isolated by the darkness with no way to activate my powers and no glimmer of hope to guide me in this hellish mirage, I slam my eyes shut as the images of my beloved parents being devoured by an unseen force are far too heartbreaking for me to bear. The darkness begins to swirl around me, gaining speed and slamming my body around as if I were trapped in a vortex and finally, lifting me and carrying my body on the wind as if I were totally weightless. I force my eyes to stay closed until I feel the air calm around me and then go still just before the smell of smoke invades my senses. My eyes shoot back open, and I find myself hovering above the ruins of the once grand throne room. Fat, wet tears streak down my face as the wind begins to whip around me once more, lowering me slowly until my feet finally touch solid ground. The atmosphere feels as thick and heavy with sorrow as the dense smoke does and I struggle to breathe, choking and gasping for air. The echoes of my parents' once joyful laughter that filled these ivory halls flood my memories and my fractured heart aches with the weight of loss as my knees buckle and I fall into a heap onto the ground. I take a deep, heaving breath as the heavy feeling around my neck moves down to my chest. I knew this was a twisted nightmare, yet it was all too real and left me feeling too aware of how alone I felt in this world. The bitter pain of devastation grips my soul as I recall the sight of Rowena, my identical twin, her eyes filled with anguish and utter confusion as we all flew into the ruined throne room to find my parents completely gone and she spared but utterly traumatized from what she had witnessed. From what we could gather from the guards, a thick green fog penetrated the space, filling the entire room with an eerie and unsettling aura that made it hard for everyone to breathe before my parents just disappeared into a cloud of smoke that then exploded, rocking the entire Court of Valor and destroying the throne room.
Rowena still won't talk about it.
A not entirely 'unpleasant' quiver starts low in my belly as the heavy feeling begins to travel tantalizingly lower and lower...
It slithers down below my chest and straight to my throbbing core provoking a strangled gasp as my eyes fling open and my heart races a mile a minute while my senses go on high alert, warning me that I'm no longer alone in my room. I gather my bearings, and a surge of adrenaline courses through my veins, sharpening my focus. I can feel the remnants of the dream lingering in the air, hanging heavy over me like a dark cloud. But what truly sent me over the edge was the unmistakable sensation of someone touching me, and that is what had jolted me out of my agonizing nightmare. I visibly shiver when an icy chill cuts through the air and I glance over at my roaring fireplace, lost in a daze when I stare into the flames for a bit too long when my mind races with thoughts and theories of who could have gotten past my guard, Kellan, and into my room.
Did he just fucking fall asleep and someone made it past him? So weird. Kellan is by far, the most serious about his job as my guardian so why would he fall asleep when he was the one on guard duty tonight? Something isn't right...
Without hesitation, I blindly reach for my crystal dagger under my pillow, grasping the hilt tightly as I throw off my covers and hop from the bed in a flurry of movement. Narrowly slipping on my duvet, I expertly crouch down in a defensive posture, ready to confront whoever dared to mess with a crowned Princess of the Vale. Lucky or unlucky, whichever way you want to look at it, every member of the Court of Valor has been trained from a young age on how to protect themselves competently, and I, of course, was treated no differently. My sister and I were taught everything every other Fae child was taught, even though we are now Queens, and we each have three guardians to protect us if it should ever come down to it. My body, still fueled by the intensity of the nightmare and the feeling of being touched, sends another shiver through me. Every muscle in my body tenses, preparing for the worst. I concentrate, snapping my fingers and using my light to illuminate the space in front of me, searching every nook and cranny meticulously. A mix of fear and anticipation creeps through my core as I move about my room. I take quiet, careful steps, my eyes on a swivel as they fly about my bedroom, cautiously taking in the serene and elegant atmosphere and finding nothing out of the ordinary. The soft, dusty pink hues of my canopy bed sway silently and the moonlight shines serenely through my stained windows as I move around my bed, jumping a little when I catch my reflection in my opulent vanity. My ocean-green eyes stare back at me blankly as I shake my head and let out a laugh, continuing my search to my closet. A part of me hopes that it's just a figment of my imagination, a lingering residual effect of the nightmare. But deep down, I know that something isn't right. That someone was here. Touching me. My instincts are rarely wrong, and they're telling me that someone was definitely in my room, and it's probably the same someone who has been stalking me for the last few months. I roll my eyes at the thought and scoff into the darkness. I know that I should be trying to figure out who it is that's watching my every move and why, but I just can't bring myself to care about that with everything else that's going on in my life. Not right now. And besides, it makes me feel... Protected? Safe? Well, almost, if my Fae senses didn't tingle with alarm every single time and leave me with an empty gut feeling. A piece of my piled-high copper hair falls into my face and I blow it away in annoyance as I think deeper about the situation. It's the same feeling I get from those creepy ass notes I seem to be racking up. They always say unhinged nothings followed by stuff like, "YOU'RE MINE", and it's always after someone has tried to hit on me or touch me. Not that Mr. Tall, Dark, and Creepy need to worry about that. I'm willing to wait on my Fated Mate like the Children of the Vale are taught to from birth. It's supposed to be ingrained into us how important our Fated Mates are and very few deviate from the standard. But beyond that, most of the guys around here are far too cowardly to approach me because of Finn, Killian, and Kellan. They've always been hilariously overprotective and overbearing when it comes to me, and I didn't mind. It's mostly because they're my protectors and Royal Guard. My guardians were trained from birth to serve and protect me with their lives. I've always enjoyed it... For the most part. It undeniably would've been nice to 'date' around a bit in school, but these three kept me more than busy with their constant antics and mood swings. Honestly, no guy has ever stood a chance when they were the ones I longed to be with. They were so busy 'protecting' me that I don't think they ever considered that I was madly in love with all three of them. I've been in love with those boys my entire life and I'd be so lucky to call any one of them mine. I let out a deep breath as my body began to relax after a few minutes of prowling around my room like a maniac. After slowly opening my door to peek out the corridor to see my guardian, Kellan sitting on the floor, seemingly dozing off while he's supposed to be guarding me. Sighing inwardly and pretty satisfied that nothing is there, I shrug my shoulders in defeat and clap my hands together, snuffing out the pure, white light that's emanating from my hands. I hesitantly crawl back into my bed, tucking the bejeweled dagger I dubbed "Mr. Pointy" that the twins got me on my sixteenth birthday back where it belongs before settling in. I stretch my body out across the bed, my eyes growing heavy as I absentmindedly hum "Far Longer Than Forever" quietly to myself. It's the lullaby my mom always sang when she was putting Rowena and me to sleep, and it felt soothing in an almost cathartic way to hum it to myself sometimes. I sigh out loud as anxiety washes over me and thoughts of my duties invade my sleepy brain. Tomorrow is mine and Rowena's 21st birthday and to be completely honest, the only thing I'm excited about is FINALLY figuring out who my Fated Mate is. I've waited impatiently for this day my entire existence, and I truly cannot wait to start my life with my future mate. A nagging feeling creeps into my gut and I can't keep myself from worrying about my twin. She just hasn't been the same since that day, or even before that and it's completely breaking my heart to think of how I let us drift so far apart from each other. She's been so damned unpleasant to me lately that it's like it's shattering something inside of my soul. A strangled sob escapes from me before I can stop it, and I close my eyes tightly, curling up in a ball and closing my hand over my mouth to quell my sobs. My werewolf best friend will surely hear me if I don't quit crying, or at least be quiet about it and I can't take that pitiful look he gets in his eyes when I'm upset. Not right now. I take a deep breath and bury my head in my pillow to smother my cries. I should've been there, I could've helped Rowena contain whatever chaos that was that attacked our parents and minimized the fallout. But I wasn't, I was with my guardians. We were training, like we always did nearly every day in the training yard just outside Swan River Castle. Our parents were trying to train Rowena themselves since she had proven herself to be too difficult for Killian or even her crush, Kellan to train. She hardly showed up for class and when she did she refused to listen or cooperate. It was a mess trying to help her. But because of that and her attitude her powers are very immature and unstable while mine are... surprisingly more powerful. Almost dangerously so. While we look nearly identical with our curvy, petite frames, pointed ears, long copper hair, ocean-green eyes, and skin as white as a swan, I do have a small crescent scar that goes across my left eyebrow effectively splitting it. When Rowena and I were younger tried to help her with nocking her bow and arrow since she was struggling and she 'accidentally' poked me with the tip of the arrow! It hurt like hell and bled forever but it did seem to help the staff in the castle discern us from one another if our distinct attitudes didn't make it apparent first. It was certainly a turning point in our relationship and I feel like she's been acting out way longer than I even realized but otherwise, I couldn't be more different than my twin in every other aspect of our lives the older we get. Where I was more introverted, she always relished being the center of attention. When I tried to keep the peace, no matter the cost to me, she stirred the pot and constantly got ME in trouble for her ideas and schemes when we were growing up. When I studied how to control and manipulate my magic, she studied how to control and manipulate PEOPLE. I loved my sister deeply, but it always felt like it was a one-sided kind of love. It didn't help that she was always endlessly spoiled by our father, bless his heart. The only ones who seemed immune to her charms were my mom and my boys. Another sob escapes me, and I pull my pillow to my chest, hugging it tightly as I bury my face into the soft fabric. Thank the Goddess I still have my guardians. Well, for sure I still have Finn and Killian and I know that they will always be there for me. I know it deep down in my heart of hearts. 
There's Finn; My lifelong best friend, my protector, and probably the most loyal and possessive of my guardians. With his shaggy dark hair, piercing blue eyes, high cheekbones, and luscious, full lips, he would rival any model's good looks. Thankfully, we are the same age, so no matter what, Finn was always my partner in crime growing up in the castle.
Killian; Sweet as hell, the smartest man I've ever met and my tutor in all things magic. He's the reason why I've been able to control my powers and I'm so grateful to him. Killian and his twin, Kellan are equally stunning with their pale blue eyes pointed ears, and blonde hair that they both keep bound and braided away from their faces. They're both almost ethereal in their beauty, with their full lips, impossibly high cheekbones, and smoldering gazes but they don't need to know that I think about them like that.
Oh, my goddess. I'd die if they knew what I thought about them.
They are five years older than me and Finn are and they are incredibly gifted in their abilities. They have been our tutors and mentors since we turned thirteen.
And of course, there's Kellan; Killian's identical twin. He's nothing like Killian. He's in charge of our combat training, and he's... Intense. Like, really intense. He's been really hard on me all these years but all it's done is made me strong enough to kick his ass now so I can't be too angry with him for that. When we were younger Kellan was incredibly sweet but that changed almost overnight when his parents died. I was eighteen and they were twenty-three and Kellan had understandably been dark, distant, and sullen ever since they betrayed their mate bond and tragically killed each other in the process. I mean, I get it, I do. I'm not a heartless bitch who doesn't understand the gravity of the situation. It shatters something inside of me when I think of how close we all used to be. I just wanted to be there for him and everything has just snowballed since then. My sister is lost, Kellan hardly speaks to me unless he has to, and I can't reach either of them. What's frustrating is that Kellan might be able to have a real conversation with Rowena, but the last thing I want is for them to spend more time together than what is utterly necessary. She's been confident he's her mate our entire lives and well, I can't help but feel a tiny bit jealous and possessive even though I have no reason to be. Like, none at all. I loudly wail into my pillow and punch at my bed, anger rising in my chest and replacing the despair that consumed me a moment ago. It hasn't helped that he hasn't found his fated mate yet, none of them have, so it gives me this stupid, nagging glimmer of hope. Then again, I remember the snide comments and disgusting remarks that Kellan has made when he thought I wasn't listening... Oh! And the insinuation that he hasn't even waited for his destined mate to have sex, and all of that goes against everything we're taught in the Court of Valor. UGH! I roll over to my other side, snuggling in and slamming my eyes shut as the tears start to roll down my cheeks. Visions of my nightmare flash before me and I say a little prayer to the Goddess and hum to myself again. Willing a dreamless sleep to take me, so I can elude my wandering nightmares...