The Bastard Princess

27.

-HER-

I rose and crawled to the bars before I spoke, "Oh, daughter of the night... why are you crying? You are the North Star,"

It was empathy that made my hand raise and drive it through the bars before wiping her tears away, "You should not care about the brightness of other stars, for people don't know you because of your brightness but your place in the sky. It is you they look for when they need guidance while others' brightness is there for no use but to receive admiration. Your help should earn more than the admiration that others receive for nothing,"

My voice was just a mere whisper when I was done speaking. The back of my hand caressed her high cheekbones slightly before I retrieve my hand.

The vulnerability in her eyes made me want to break the bars that were keeping us apart. I felt this urge to reach out to her and speak to her.

I wanted so badly to tell her that I understood her and that I had suffered somewhat in the same way.

I knew she couldn't understand me but the tenderness of my voice must have been enough for her to recognize the comfort I was trying to bring to her.

Her eyes softened over me before she spoke with a wavy voice, "It's been a long time since I talked to him..." she trailed off and sniffed, "The last time it was when I found out that we were mates. He made it clear right away that he did not want me,"

Her words instantly reminded me of Chefren. The memories tugged the hole in my heart wider and wider. It constantly ached but I was getting used to living with it.

Now, I understood where her insecurities sprouted from. She had been hurt and rejected by the man she desired the most.

"He said that I was not worthy of being his mate... his queen," She sniffed as more and more tears trailed down her cheek. Her words made my eyes widen.

Who was she talking about?

Queen?

Her?

"Who are you talking about?" I demanded, holding her chin to make her look at me. The sternness in my eyes accompanied by confusion must have communicated my question to her. She wiped her tears with the back of her hands.

"Why? Ezekiel," She sniffed, leaving me perplexed and shocked.

The more I stared at her, the more I felt crushed due to the weight of the rejection she must have faced. I felt rage course through me. How could he reject her? She was the most capable female I had ever come across.

Afraid of giving away too much, I schooled my features and sat back with a sigh. I was overwhelmed with this urge to reach out to her. Never in my life had I related to someone so deeply.

"We have the same scars... just from different wars,"

~

I woke up in the morning with a headache. The prison air was thick with the scent of cigar that we smoked last night. Celeste was slumped in her chair, sleeping peacefully.

Looking at her, I was reminded of the conversation that took place between us last night. I fell asleep listening to her. There was something very calming about her presence that made me feel oddly safe.

At every step and every moment, I was left questioning about the strange relationship that we were starting to build. Was she telling me all her secrets because she thought that I couldn't understand her and was going to die anyway?

I couldn't help but lean on that explanation because it seemed to be the most reasonable. Though I couldn't help but wonder how she'd react once she comes to learn that I am capable of understanding every tongue she could speak.

While she slept, I paced around the prison thinking about what was going to happen today. Arles would be back with the sorcerers. I did not know what they were capable of and how long I'd last before them.

I did not know if it was morning yet but I was aware of the new day that had already started. It was hard to tell which hour of the morning it was because there were no windows in the prison.

It was the sound of angry footsteps that broke the silence of the prison. Celeste woke up with a jerk instantly.

A feeling of dread settled into me as those footsteps got louder. There was something different about the way sounded. I couldn't put a finger on it but the closer they sounded, the more my heart pounded in my chest.

Something was terribly wrong.

I was not able to see outside the prison but Celeste was. I watched her freeze in shock as her eyes continued to grow larger and larger. She soon ducked as an arrow came swishing at her. The arrow stuck straight into the wall beside my prison.

My eyes widened when I recognized the design of the arrow.

Fvck!

Soon, men dressed in black fighting gear filled the area in front of the prison. Celeste took out her sword and started to fight them right away.

I screamed when I found myself trapped in the prison while those men fired arrows at me. There was only so much place for me to move in the prison to dodge from the arrows. A loud and powerful growl slipped past her lips when she swung her large sword, slicing three men in half at once.

Her height and extra strength proved to be of use at this moment. In the next few moments, she took down the remaining handful. The place was covered with blood.

She stood still and examined the dead bodies at her feet silently. Her chest rose and fell while she did so. I knew that it wasn't over yet. There was still more. I knew how they planned and attacked. I had grown up and trained with them.

As Celeste wiped the blood off her sword and proceeded to put it away, the sound of more footsteps entered the prison. She froze and instead of keeping her sword away, held it with determination. She was ready to slaughter the next group of men but I knew about the weapons they were carrying.

With only her sword, she wouldn't be able to defend either of us. At this moment, I knew that if I didn't do anything then it would cost both of our lives.

I clutched the bars and spoke to her clearly, "Celeste, open the door,"

Her eyes widened at me when she realized that she understood each word that I had spoken to her.

...

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