The Throne • Book Two

Chapter 1- The Questions

Author's Note: I hope you like my story! Feel free to voice your opinion, ask any questions and point out any mistakes I make.

A month later

Antonia's POV

It's been a month since my coronation, and Saber's birthday... the day I kissed him on the cheek.

Every day that I have been free, we've hung out as friends. I haven't done or said anything to show these weird feelings I have towards him, and he hasn't shown if he returns any part of my feelings.

Still, it feels nice - no, it feels right - whenever we are just in the same room together. We don't have to be talking to each other or doing the same thing, it's enough to calm my wild spirit if I am in his presence. Whether he feels the same way, or is simply following his Queen's orders, I don't know, and I'd like to.

"Why do you spend all of this time with me?" I abruptly ask, breaking the comfortable silence that filled the room while we were both engrossed in our own books. Saber looks up from his book at me with surprise in his face.

"You always ask me if I want to hang out, so I say yes, since I enjoy this time that we spend together. It's usually fun, or relaxing." Saber answers calmly, his finger marking his page in his book while he looks me in the eye.

"So it's not because I'm the Queen and you're scared I'll torture you or something like that until you hang out with me?" I insecurely ask, twiddling my thumbs and looking down at my lap nervously. Saber loudly laughs, looking at me like I'm insane while he does. "What's so funny?" I snap, trying to hide my fear with annoyance.

"Trust me, it's not because you can apparently torture me." He laughs again "You torturing someone, that's hilarious." Saber grins, puts a bookmark in place of his finger, and grabs my nervously clutched hands. "I know that you find it hard to hurt anyone, even if they might deserve it."

"How do you know that?" I question. Did he know me from before? Did he know me in the time that is just darkness in my mind, is that why he was there on the first day I remember, the day that I became the Dark Earth Queen?

"I know you from before you were the Dark Earth Queen." Saber whispers sadly. I frown and move from my seat to sit next to him on the couch, wrapping my around around him.

"Will you tell me about it?" I ask, not sure if he will. Saber nods, and shakily sighs.

"We grew up together. Your aunt and uncle raised you to hide you from bad people that would use your power to their advantage. Your actual parents are the king and queen of Gato Reino, and for your own safety, they had to give you and your twin sister up. Your twin is called Ivory, but she prefers to be called Ivy. My parents and your aunt and uncle are - were - really close friends, so we were always together. We were more like siblings than best friends. I had three younger siblings, and you treated them like they were your own siblings. They looked up to us both." Tears stream down his face. I stroke his cheeks, getting rid of the tears.

"Why do you refer to your parents and siblings in the past tense?" I question

"The queen before you killed them." Saber replies without emotion in his voice.

"I'm so sorry." I squeeze him, sending comfort. Saber simply nods, and continues.

"We would always spend our birthdays together as well since I'm just a week younger than you. Each year we would alternate from staying at your house for the whole week of our two birthdays to staying at my house for the whole week. People wouldn't really become close friends with us, because they were scared. We were a frightening pair, little troublemakers that always protected each other." Saber laughs

"You wouldn't let any girls be near enough to ask me out without questioning them, asking around about them and watching their behavior. Then again, I wasn't much better. I have to make sure whoever you end up with treats you like the perfect woman you are. I won't settle for any less."

"Okay, so basically we were best friends, and other people were nervous of us, and just avoided us because we were inseparable and very protective of anyone that tried to date the other half of our dynamic duo." I summarize, smiling. Our childhood sounds great. I wish I could remember.

"Yes. We were best friends, until we came to find your sister. Ever since you were 16, you had this recurring dream that basically said your aunt and uncle weren't actually your parents like you thought they were, and you had a sister. You asked, and they confirmed it. So, we went to the human realm to find your twin, and when we did, we found one of your mother's close human friends. She told us that we had a connection, and told us about it. Your aunt and uncle said we had a connection as well."

"What's a connection?"

"A connection is something that a cat with royal blood can get with someone they love deeply or have known for a long time and deeply care for. It connects their minds and souls, slowly weaving them into one. The connection allows them to do things as it gets stronger, like feel each other's emotions, talk to each other in their minds, see what the other person is seeing, and even teleport to the other person."

"So where's our connection?"

"It's basically sleeping, since you don't have your memories. It's like a massive wall I can't get through, it's just darkness."

"Oh. But what do you mean, we were best friends until we came to find my sister? Did something happen, did we have an argument?"

"No. We didn't have an argument."

"Then what happened?"

"We were asking Marie, your mother's friend, about the connection. She was explaining about the powers when you asked 'What about being calmed by your connection mate's presence or touch?' And Marie said that that's what happens when you are in love, and it freaked you out. You ran outside and I followed, concerned. I had a massive crush on you at the time, and had it for a few years. We were talking and you turned around and kissed me. Then, after that, I kissed you, and we became a couple."

"Oh." That's what happened. "Is that why I feel this pull towards you? Is that why I don't really feel alive when I'm not with you? Is that why I feel so detached when I am not in the same room as you? Is that why you have plagued my thoughts ever since you were the first thing I saw in this new set of memories that I have? Is that why you seem to make everything better? Does all of this mean I am in love with you?" I question, scared yet elated at the same time.

Having an explanation for these feelings is making me relieved, and just knowing what the explanation is makes me feel frightened but joyous.

"Yes." Saber says, and kisses me passionately on the lips. Suddenly, I gasp. I feel the connection again, and memories start filling my head. Every single one is of Saber, and anything in the memories that isn't Saber is blurry and indistinguishable. I feel the memories stop, and Saber breaks the kiss.

I stumble backwards, trying to get used to the rush of memories that just flooded my previously empty head. They all become a blur, giving me a massive headache. Saber is speaking, but I don't understand what he says.

I fall to the ground, darkness clouding my vision as I pass out.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author's Note:
Hi my kittens! If you're confused as to why in the previous book it was Nia's POV but here it's been Antonia's POV, that's because Nia doesn't have her memories, and doesn't remember the nickname, so she is just called Antonia. Saber is the only one in the castle that knows her nickname.

I think it's so cute how Nia feels a pull to Saber, even though she didn't know about their past or the connection.

Question:
Why do you think Nia was getting some memories back when she kissed Saber?

~Cat Queen