Princess of Faerl

*Elentari*

The door to the room burst open and a man with hair like Selene’s entered. “Pardon my intrusion, Majesties of Faerl, but I could not ignore such a large family gather.” He took the empty chair that Lucinda would have occupied if she weren’t within me. “How have the children of my sister been?” His eyes landed on each person around the room. I shivered a bit, but Stacie shivered more.

“We are just peachy, uncle.” The outspoken one answered him.

‘Elentari?’ Stacie mind-linked me. ‘I feel weird, like I’m being drawn to that man. I don’t like it.’ fear laced her sentence.

‘Fuck.’ I heard Selene mutter. ‘I never gave that playboy a mate, nonetheless a mortal teenager.’ I let out a long, deep exhale.

“Who are you?” I asked. “You’ll have to forgive me, history has never been my strong suit.” It was Selene’s turn to be annoyed. ‘You realize you just gave him a chance to brag about himself? You could have just asked me.’ she retreated to the back of my consciousness, presumably to get away from his incoming monologue. Audible groans spread across the room as he cleared his throat.

“I am the guide of the chariot of gold, child of Hyperion and Thea, the one to bless the day with the sun until night is to come, Brother to Eos and twin to Selene, whom you should be well acquainted with, Lunar Guardian. I am Helios.” He bowed with a flourish. His eyes then met Stacie’s and he was transfixed. Lust filled them and Stacie blushed, trying to look away. She didn’t understand, I knew. She wasn’t 18 yet. Helios seemed disappointed, but tried to keep it to himself. Everyone but my family that raised me, noticed.

“Helios, welcome to our humble home. Tonight seems to be one of great blessings.” Alaric cut through the silent tension that had followed.

“So what dire mission brings you all here?” He studied all the faces again, “And where is that child Lucinda?”

“Over here, Uncle dearest.” Lucinda called out, giving away that she is my wolf soul. “I am with the Lunar Guardian.”

“So you are child. Again, I ask, why are you all here?” His attitude switched to authoritative in the blink of an eye. The outspoken female looked to me, probably hoping for her mother’s intercession. “Lenora?” He singled her out. So she had a name, Lenora.

“Mother should be the one to tell you, or Father. Possibly even Aunt Kali.” Her previous air of arrogance had vanished. His smirk disappeared too.

“Lucinda?” He growled lowly, “What is being hidden from me?”

“You know, you could ask me yourself instead of trying to talk to the souls within me. I might know a thing or two.” I was quite annoyed in my own right for being treated like a simple conduit. “I’m not a fucking telephone.” I knew I promised Belle and Alaric I wouldn’t speak inappropriately, but my anger was blinding. This man was so arrogant, in my eyes.

“Mighty bold for a mortal even if you are the Lunar Guardian.” He was truly unhappy being talked down to. I scoffed at him, not hiding my dislike. “I could snap my fingers and end your pathetic life. Disrespectful, insignificant…” His voice grew as my anger rose. Tongue click and all I glared at him.

Selene apologized to me for what she was about to do, knowing it could completely drain me of energy as it did previously. It was fine though, what needed to be done would be done, and I assumed I would simply get stronger the more I channeled the Goddess. “Say. That. Again.” Each word was emphasized with a threatening aura. Selene could take him bragging about himself but not his disrespect for her Guardian. “You wouldn’t dare harm a hair on my head, nor could you. I am the voice of Selene.” I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Selene and I combined our voices, “I am her and she is me. You will not speak to us like that again.” Lucinda, Arashi, Silk, and Serenity joined their voices in the second sentence. The room went silent. Helios looked terrified. He kept shaking his head.

“If this is happening, the God of Gods approaches. Not even Gaia can hold him back now. The creator of all were-beings and creator of all others. All will be won or lost, and it depends on this insolent little child?” Scorn filled his eyes. “That also means I should have already been reincarnated. We have always been twins.” His eyes fell on the King and Queen, “Do you have something you wish to tell me?”

Belle’s face fell and Alaric held her close. I could feel her pain. Unfathomable pain. “He was still born, Helios.” My dad spoke for them. “I was supposed to guard her while he was going to be raised in Faerl, but he was stillborn.”

Selene couldn’t accept this answer. She poked and prodded at me to ask questions. “Who was there, at the birth?” Lady Emily stepped forward. “Only you?” She shook her head no. “So who else was there?” I asked impatiently.

Belle stood, tears in her eyes, and touched Lady Emily’s head since she couldn’t seem to utter a word. Belle motioned for me to come forward and do the same. Selene knew what was happening. With a loud boom, dark mist escaped her body. Helios grabbed some and smelled it, eyes turning sour.

“That devious spineless…” Anger was oppressing the room, “Jealous, greedy slut!” His fists were shaking as he wiped the dust from his fingers. “She is helping him. Jealous little tramp.”

“You’re talking about Great-Aunt Aphrodite, aren’t you?” Lenora looked sadly at her uncle. “This is bad indeed. The God of Gods is truly coming to claim what he perceives as his prize. That which Zeus and Mother denied him of when Father was placed in an ageless and eternal sleep.”

Everything they were saying wasn’t truly reaching me. My mind was frozen. I had a twin? My world was shattering. “Lady Emily, is he really dead?” my heart was breaking for a being I didn’t previously know existed.

She cried softly now that the spell was broken. Eyes red and swollen, “Lyssandra… she made a deal with Damion. He has been possessed by Aries. He promised her the protection of being Aphrodite’s human. I don’t know who the midwife was that took the boy’s body away. I was tasked with you, My Princess. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I allowed myself to be spellbound and a tool.” She fell onto her knees, forehead touching the floor as she wept. I kneeled down beside her, placing my hand on her shoulder.

“Please don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.” I smiled sadly, lifting her face and gently wiping her tears, looking at Belle. “Do you have anything that touched him? What was his name supposed to be?” I had an idea. Belle disappeared for about ten minutes, bringing back a blanket, a locket, and two certificates. Those pieces of paper made my heart stop. One for life, one for death. He had at least taken a breath and cried. Belle set them on the table.

“The locket contains a lock of his hair and a drop of his blood from his umbilical cord.” Belle explained to me. “The blanket is his receiving blanket that he was wrapped with when he first entered the world.” She broke down sobbing in Alaric’s shoulder again.

I was determined. The certificate read Aranelda Tirisil. I called for my Grimoire. I flipped through the pages, looking for a spell to feel a life chain. The book took over once it finally knew what I wanted. I placed my hands over the items and began to read. I didn’t know what language it was, but it seemed to flow from my tongue easily. I’d have to ask Selene about that later.

“Phanes vendui-na ni estel,

A gwedh na ton-

Cuil naud na cuil.”

My physical body crumpled as darkness took hold of my mind, hurling it into a void. I could hear a soul crying out in anguish and it was ripping me to pieces. I ended up in a dark cave. It smelled horrible.

“Come to torture me more, Hades?” the male voice spat the words out at me. Chains clanked as he aggressively growled.

I held up a long thick branch. “Uruloki.” I commanded, fire lit on the end. Soft light flooded the room. His eyes closed almost as if in pain due to the dull light.

“You’re not Hades and you don’t look like Persephone. Who are you?” His defeated words echoed in my ears.

“Oh Gwanur… Nin gwanuning… What have they done to you?” I bent down and wept at his feet. “Do you even know who you are? How special you are?” my tears were an unended river. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t find you sooner, I didn’t know… I didn’t know…”

“Nin gwanuning?” He seemed to be in disbelief, “Who are you?” distrust swept over him. “No one cares for me or weeps for me. I was orphaned after I was born and sent to Hades to be his whipping boy. Why did you call me nin gwanuning? How do you even know that language?” His eyes studied me carefully.

“You are Aranelda Tirisil. Prince of Faerl, son of Belle and Alaric Tirisil, meant to be the host of Helios and thought to have been stillborn. Aphrodite and Aries sent you here. Now that we know where you are, we will not allow them to keep you.” I touched each binding, disintegrating them. “I am not physically here, but at the very least I can do this and you can try to hide from hateful eyes, or if you can escape, please do. The castle of Faerl is open to you. It is your home.” I touched his forehead just as I had done with Lady Emily, hoping to dispel any negative spells or charms that might be on him. “I have to go, but follow the chain to me, and trust the voices in your head. They will not lead you wrong.”

As quickly as I had been flung there I was back in the dining hall. Worried eyes studied me. I tried to tell them before I passed out from exhaustion. “Alive… with Hades…” and the world went black.