The Mad Queen

Chapter Eighty-Four: Three Years Ago

"I am not mad! I am not Mad! You monsters! You traitors! I'll haunt you for the rest of your lives for what you have done! The Queen's Trial is barbaric. How could you do this to our daughters? May you be cursed to the pits of the Death Goddesses hellish domain and suffer for the rest of eternity!"

~Evidence piece Ninteen. Given by Prince Niklaus Dulavelle. What Queen Orianna continued to scream to herself before the Trial had even begun.

Three Years Ago:

Kai and I manage to sneak back into the castle the next morning without being caught. I quickly head to my room and freshen up. Then, I have to get to work on the paperwork. At first, I find it hard to concentrate as my mind keeps thinking back to my night with Kai. Remembering his touches and his body against mine. Still, I force myself to focus. My father has given me an important job and I don't want to mess it up.

I hardly leave my desk all day. In fact, it is dark by the time I decide to call it quits. Razan spent most of the day curled up at my feet, keeping me company. Even if he has been sleeping. When I stand and stretch, he jumps up hopefully.

"Yes, we are going to the gardens," I say. He barks and runs to the door. It isn't long before I am taking a deep breath of the cool, fresh air and laughing as Razan goes and destroys more flowers. I shake my head, scolding my pup. Nishka's bark has us both turning to the other path. I smile as she runs toward me and I lean down, tickling and stroking her as she licks my hand and jumps up on me. Even licking my cheek.

"Good evening, Princess," Kai says to me. My heart flutters seeing him.

"Good evening, Solavar," I say, equally as polite. We don't spend long in the gardens. I sneak back into his room with him and we spend another night in each other's arms. When I wake, everything is so perfect. The morning sunlight trickles in through his window, making his skin glow. When I move, he holds me tighter.

"Too early," he tells me. I laugh into his chest.

"Coming from the man who takes his pup into the gardens before the crack of dawn," I state. He laughs, his chest rumbling against me.

"Well, before I didn't have a princess keeping me up all night," he continues, not opening his eyes as he holds me. I laugh. 

"I have work I need to do," I pout. He laughs.

"A couple more minutes," he says, kissing my shoulder. I sigh and close my eyes. He holds me tighter against his body and I practically sink into his warmth. Loving his huge arms surrounding me. 

When Kai eventually lets me go, I quickly dress and sneak back to my room. Then, I freshen up and get back to work. Like yesterday, I hardly leave my desk. I spend hours upon hours going through paperwork. Re-writing, organising, working out sums, scrubbing out useless information. It is a tedious task. Still, Razan keeps me company for the day and it makes everything a little bit better. After working well over twelve hours, I decide it is time for me to rest. I know I should go to bed and sleep like a normal person, but instead, I am sneaking back to Kai's room. In fact, I do that for the next two nights also. Wanting to spend as much time as I can with him. The more time I spend with him, the more we learn about each other's bodies and become comfortable with each other. Kai and I spend a long time trying new things and experimenting with each other. I love it. I love sharing that closeness and intimacy with him. I love the way his touch makes my body hum and buzz. Being in his arms is one of the most amazing feelings I've ever felt and my heart starts racing just thinking about it. I already know I will never be able to share that level of trust and intimacy with anyone else.

My favourite parts are waking up in the mornings in his arms. The pups snuggled around us. It feels so perfect. So natural. His fingers stroke my skin and his lips press delicately over my shoulders or my collar bone or neck as he gives me intimate, loving pecks. Sometimes he kisses my lips as we lie there and hold each other. This morning, I rest my head on his arm. My fingers trace over the little white scars over his non-tattooed pectoral. Each little cut representing a kill or a battle he has come out of victorious. Reminding me that he is a dangerous man. That only makes all of this all the more exciting. He shivers at my touch and takes hold of my hand, lifting it to his face to kiss the knuckles. I smile and lean up onto my elbow. His eyes open as he feels me shift.