Court of Valor and Synn

Part Ten: Serena

"Betrayal reveals the true character of a person and it often speaks louder than any words of love."
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FLASHBACK TO THE DAY THAT KILLIAN AND KELLAN'S PARENTS, MOLLY AND KALEB DIED A FEW YEARS AGO.
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The chaotic throne room is filled with sorrow and despair. The atmosphere in what was once a vision of grandeur now feels heavy and somber. People are sobbing uncontrollably, their wails of grief echoing throughout the room and the air is thick with confusion. Amidst the chaos, I walk about the room aimlessly, my mind clouded with doubt and curiosity at the scene unfolding in front of me. I keep trying to make sense of what has happened, asking the people I know in Court what's going on but nobody seems willing to tell me anything, just shaking their heads at me sadly before shuffling away with haste. The overwhelming emotions and weeping in the room made it nearly impossible to understand what anybody was talking about regardless and I cautiously navigated through the grand hall, searching for any of my trusted guardians. After nearly giving up and going to the garden, my eyes catch a glimpse of Finn who is seated by my parents' thrones, looking lost and forlorn. I quickly make my way towards him, my heart racing with concern for everyone. "Finn, what happened? Why won't anyone tell me what's going on?" I blurt out anxiously, glancing over at my father, Corbin who is busy barking demands to the council members, who are scurrying around the room, trying to keep up with his orders. Meanwhile, my mother, Sasha, is standing beside Finn's mother, Elise, trying to console her as she sobs uncontrollably into my mother's embrace. The sound of her cries fills the otherwise vast hall, making my heart ache with pangs of sympathy for everyone hurting. Flynn, Elise's husband has Killian and Kellan at his side, his arms around each of them as if to comfort them. They are both blankly staring hard into the pristine floor, silent tears streaking down their handsome faces. I look around to see Rowena staring at Kellan, her face contorted into one of frustration. My chest constricts with empathy as I witness the twins' sorrow, and my instincts take over. Without a second thought, I head towards them to offer comfort and love, the only things I could possibly offer in their time of need. Suddenly, Finn appears behind me and gently restrains me, pulling me into the safety of his embrace and as I lean into his chest, I search for answers in his sorrowful eyes. A hint of apprehension flickers through them as he tenderly wipes away a stray tear from my cheek. "Seriously, what's going on, Finn? Please just tell me." I plead, raising my voice to be heard above the tense atmosphere. The twins glanced up briefly from the floor before quickly averting their gaze, refusing to meet mine or Finn's gaze. Killian's face is a picture of heartbreak and despair, while Kellan looks like he's at the end of his rope, seething with anger and defeat. With a sense of panic rising in me, I frantically scan the room, looking for any sign of their parents, Molly and Kaleb. Turning back to Finn, I feel relieved at seeing him beside me, leading me out and away from the chaos and ushering me into my serene chambers. When he finally speaks, he inhales deeply, and I sense that he's trying to steady himself. His words cause bafflement to swirl within me, and a sense of dread begins to fill my stomach.
"You know how important the mate bond is, right? And that we can feel everything our mate is feeling once you've bonded? The good, the bad, and everything in between?" I nod as I chew on my lip and an endless pit forms in my stomach. His cerulean blue eyes dip to my lips and back to my eyes then away from me swiftly as he shakes his head. "So you know that if you betray your mate it can kill them and vice versa..." His raspy voice drifts off and he takes a deep breath, "It's been a really long time since something like that has happened... That is, until now." I begin to speak, my voice faltering with disbelief, "N-no..." Finn cuts me off abruptly, his disgust palpable as he speaks, breathing out a weary sigh. "Kaleb betrayed Molly and it killed them both, Serena." Unable to hold back my tears any longer, I collapsed into Finn's lap, my sobs wracking my body as he tenderly stroked my hair and murmured peaceful words of solace in my ear until I was left gasping for breath. I cling to Finn tightly, my fingers gripping his shirt as the overwhelming weight of sadness crashes over me in relentless waves. Just then, my bedroom door slams open with a deafening bang! And in walks Rowena, her thunderous expression signaling that she's here to cause hell. "What are YOU doing in here, Mutt?" She taunts, her eyes piercing through Finn's in challenge but he remains unbothered, nonchalantly rolling his eyes and shrugging his shoulders. His sole focus is on soothing me, and Rowena's actions don't seem to faze him in the slightest. Still, Rowena is undeterred and stomps her foot in frustration as she lets out a loud huff of indignation before marching up to us with determined steps. With a slight effort, I hoist myself up and settle comfortably onto Finn's lap, plastering a polite smile on my face, hoping to project an air of ease."Hey now, there's no reason to get mad at him, Row. We're all highly emotional from this news but we don't need to take it out on each other." I plead desperately, my heart heavy with emotion, as I gaze into the identical eyes of my twin, hoping to convey the urgency of my plea. Finn tentatively creeps an arm around my waist and pulls me down further into his lap, awkwardly grinding himself hard into my butt... A sudden wave of warmth spreads across my face, and I can feel my cheeks turning red as a hot blush creeps up on me. I discreetly roll my hips against him, clearly teasing him at this point when I feel a deep rumble from his chest as he holds me still in his embrace. Rowena reacted to my statement with a dismissive laugh and an exaggerated eye roll before stomping over to my vanity chair and plopping down on it confidently as if she lived in my room. Gazing at herself in the mirror, she strikes a pose and admires herself adoringly for a few moments before finally addressing me. "I'm not sad about that, Serena," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm upset that Kellan will be too busy wallowing in self-pity to pay attention to me now." She then pouts and looks back at me through the mirror, clearly expecting my sympathy. Finn lets out a deep sigh as he carefully lifts me off his lap. He leans in to plant a warm kiss on my cheek before standing up, his movements slightly awkward.
"I'll catch up with you later, beautiful," he says with a playful wink, "I'll meet you at Wishing Well in the garden in an hour." He says as he turns to leave and Rowena just scoffs and rolls her eyes at Finn's words, clearly unimpressed with his flirtatious behavior towards me. "I can't believe you let that Mutt touch you like that, Ren. It's beyond nauseating." she sneers, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "You're a Princess of the Vale, not a lowly commoner. You can't be serious about Finn, he's a werewolf, for goddess's sake!" Overwhelmed with a flood of emotions, I find myself unable to control my temper any longer and my resolve crumbles as I give in to the urge to lash out at a smug Rowena. Ignoring her insensitive comments, I met her gaze squarely and spoke with a mixture of anger and sadness, "How can you not see how selfish you're being, Rowena? You don't even know for sure if Kellan is your fated mate or not, and you seem to think that he owes you his time and attention!" My words came out like a sharp, biting retort, fueled by my utter disappointment in my sisters' hateful comments. Rowena's eyes darken as she rises from my vanity chair and gets close to my face, her nose touching mine, "He is mine, Serena. I will have him and nobody is going to stop me." She hisses out her eyes wild. UGH! She's so delusional, Kellan barely pays attention to her as it is so why is she so obsessed with him? It's been this way as long as any of us can remember and for the life of me, I can't figure her out. Her guardian, Felix, worships the ground she walks on and she just laughs at him. She's downright terrifying sometimes. Despite feeling overwhelmed by her, I refuse to let her get the best of me. With a deep breath and a determined mindset, I muster the courage to leave the confines of my room. "Mmhm, sure, you just keep telling yourself that," I say as I step out of my door, A sense of relief flows through me as I walk down the grand hallway lined with shimmering chandeliers, and a sense of tranquility washes over me, momentarily easing the tension in my chest. I hastily make my way towards the twins' rooms, my mind is filled with thoughts of the recent events that have taken place. I can't help but wonder how everything is going to change now, and what part I can play in helping them through this difficult time.
Approaching Kellan's door, I knock loudly and wait for a response. When no answer comes, I push the door open gently and step inside. The air in the room is thick with tension, and I can sense immediately that something is wrong. I see Kellan lying in bed with his back to me, his shoulders shuddering with silent sobs. It's clear that he's in a lot of pain, and my heart goes out to him as my empathetic powers go into hyperdrive. I take a step closer, unsure of what to say, but knowing that I need to be there for him in whatever way I can, "Kellan? Are you okay? Of course not, that was a stupid question. Can I do anything to help?" I ask softly as I walk slowly towards him, "Go away, Serena. I can't deal with you or anyone else right now." He grumbles into his pillow, not even sparing me a glance. I sigh and sit down at the end of the bed and tentatively reach for him, willing, pleading with my light to heal him in some way. "GO AWAY, SERENA!" He shouts as he stands up, knocking me to the ground and acting as if my touch burns him and then he literally bursts into flames. I flinch and scramble away from him just as Killian rushes into the room and throws up a shield that snuffs out Kellan's fire instantly. "FUUUUCK!" Kellan screams as Killian grabs me from behind and starts dragging me out of his room. The sound of things crashing to the floor and breaking fills the air as he starts tearing things off the walls, knocking everything off the dresser, and flipping his room upside down, completely losing his temper. With the strength that belies his lean frame, Killian effortlessly heaves me up and over his shoulder, making a mad dash toward his room. I cling to him tightly, slamming my eyes closed as the tears threaten to fall. When he reaches his room, he gently places me down on his cozy bed and sits beside me, his presence enveloping me in a warm and reassuring embrace. "I'm so sorry, Killian. I'm so freaking stupid! I just wanted to be there for him." I try to explain as I nuzzle into his chest, letting him pull me closer to him. "It's okay, Angel. You're not stupid at all! He's just... Taking this whole thing very badly. He's already said he doesn't want a mate anymore. He thinks he was the one who is most like dad and he's worried he'll be just like him and..." Killian seemed distraught and overwhelmed, his words spilling out in a jumbled mess before his voice trails off into a deep sigh of defeat as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. I moved closer to comfort him, feeling the tremendous weight of his sadness and pain. As he began to weep silently, his body shook with sobs that wracked his chest. We lay down together on his bed, and he held onto me tightly as if his life depended on it. Eventually, exhaustion overtook him, and he drifted off into a restless sleep, still clutching onto me with fierce desperation.