Revelation - Chapter 26 (Patreon)

Braith

The prince is weak. Very weak. I can not only see it but sense it as well. The King is too preoccupied with tying the knot between his son and Nira, he doesn’t even care to notice.

Not only is he weak physically, but emotionally as well. It’s easy to lose yourself when the power of a thousand worlds is running through your veins. But when most of it was given to this world's existence, it made him more vulnerable.

His siblings have distanced themselves which is bothering him, and his future wife is constantly nagging for his approval. Not only that but the one person whose approval he cares for refuses to acknowledge him let alone speak to him. The plan is going perfectly. Even if he doesn’t realize it yet, the lack of rest and constant emotional barrage is making him so much weaker at the moment.

Even now as he stands in the front of the room with Nira, I can see his stress as if it were a physical entity. The king is going over the ceremony with both of them. And in two days he will marry the woman he hates, forcing him to cast out the woman he loves. If only he knew what occurred between Nira and Iris in his absence. He would probably drain her of her energy and break her arm letting her suffer for the pain she put Iris through.

It’s what I would do.

Now all that’s left is to tip the scales and awaken the power I planted within Iris. If I can do that in the right amount of time, Remus won’t stand a chance. I’ll have the perfect opening to take his brother out, and Iris may very well kill him on the spot if not giving us our escape. We’ll have months before he can even heal to the point of exacting his revenge.

And by then, we’ll have come up with a perfect plan to rid the world of the royal bloodline and finally be at peace.

My mind shifts to Iris and I immediately grin as I think of her happiness as well as mine. With the newfound power running through her veins, she and I can rule what’s left of this world. I would never think twice about putting another woman before her. She will rule next to me.

I look up when Remus suddenly begins walking towards me. He’s rubbing his temple as he pulls his arm out of Nira’s grasp. I bow as he approaches.

“Bring me, Iris.” He growls as he passes by.

“Make sure she’s dressed warmly.”

~

Iris

“Keep them closed a little longer,” Remus speaks behind me. I can feel that it’s much colder than the temperature I’ve become accustomed to in the castle. My nose is frozen and my cheeks are burning, but the rest of my body is warm and encapsulated in a coat and gloves.

I know wherever we are is far away from the castle.

Braith came in this morning with news that Remus wanted to see me. After some serious convincing I decided to indulge Remus, and suck up my depression.

Braith’s pleading words echo through my brain. They’re the only thing keeping me sane at this point. Remus’ touch, words, his mere presence is enough to make me want to retreat even deeper within myself.

I don’t want to believe that the entire population of Earth is gone. Just like that.

And as much as I hate to admit it even more so, the reveal of his marriage to some woman that’s been living in the same place as me kills me as well. Just when I was beginning to realize my feelings for Remus, it all blew up in my face. I never thought in a million years that he would marry someone else. Never.

He always made it clear that I was the only one for him. But at the end of the day, he once again lied. It just made me realize that at this point I can’t trust anything out of his mouth.

I have no idea where Remus is taking me, or why he even bothered to let me leave the castle. He didn’t speak a word to me when I saw him, only made sure my clothes were all fastened tight and warm and loaded me into a craft.

For all I know he could have already married the woman, been crowned king, and now he’s taking me to get rid of me. But I feel numb at this point. If death is what he’s giving me then I will gladly accept it. I feel steadying hands around my waist and Remus’ warmth behind me.

“Ok. Open.” I slowly open my eyes, blinking rapidly as blinding white light comes through. And then the white adjusts, and I can’t stop blinking from trying to believe the sight in front of me.

It’s snowing. And It’s beautiful. Simple. White. Like the snow on Earth. It’s filled the ground and caught in the trees. But it isn’t just the snow that takes my breath away. There’s a castle below us, carved into the mountainside. I rub my eyes in awe.

“Do you like it?” Remus’ voice cuts through my awe and I turn to look at him. He’s smiling softly at me, and it completely catches me off guard.

“I…” I trail off not knowing how to respond as I look back to the castle. It’s white. From this distance, I assume it’s marble. I have so many questions running through my mind at this moment, but I know that Remus won’t bother answering them. But to my surprise, he grabs ahold of my hand pulling me along with him towards the massive structure.

~

“There is plenty of room to fill with guests and family. I can even send for your brother to come and stay with you here. You could have Sky visit you whenever you like, and you’re free to roam anywhere you like. I’ll fill the halls with servants, so you'll never feel alone…”

Remus rambles on next to me, describing the features of this castle. Apparently, he’s been working on this place for a few months. Just for me, he says. It’s beautiful. Beyond beautiful. And as I look around I can see he put a lot of thought and care into creating this place.

I see things that are from Earth, I see paintings that are actual places we have been to including the courtyard in his home on Leviathar. And I see things as simple as an iris being carved into the wall of the castle. I look at him as he speaks. He’s smiling, his eyes roaming over everything as he explains its purpose and reasoning.

If I didn’t know the truth I would be very entranced with him right now. His guard is down. His usual serious demeanor is gone, replaced by this one. He seems at ease. Relaxed. But I can also tell that something about him is off.

I pause as we pass by a floor to ceiling windowed door. It opens up to a courtyard. My eyes widen when I see it. The courtyard is filled with red roses that are beautiful, lively, and vivid. The snow gently falls between the petals only to sit comfortably. None of the roses are shriveled or wilted from the weather. Remus smiles next to me opens the door motioning for me to step outside.

I take note that he stays back as I walk around the courtyard. I pause in front of the roses, touching the petals. The snow is cold, but the flower itself defies all laws of physics. I look back to Remus. He’s watching me with a hungry gaze. The intensity of it makes my heart beat harder in my chest.

“Where are we?” I ask. He takes a few steps until he’s standing next to me. He grabs a rose pulling it from the vine and hands it to me.

“It’s your new home.” He says. I step away from him, the gravity of the situation weighing in on me.

“No one can bother us here. It would be me and you.” He says. I stare at the rose in my hand.

“For how long?” I ask. I look back up at him.

“Why?” I rephrase my question. He focuses his gaze on mine, and I want nothing more than him to admit to me now the truth.

“I figured you hated the castle. This is more to your liking correct?” He asks. Tears well up in my eyes spilling over faster than I can catch them. His gaze morphs into a frown and he immediately bends to my level wiping my tears.

It takes everything in me not to back away from his touch.

“What’s wrong?” He asks. I shake my head dropping the flower to the ground. I look up at him, making sure to meet his gaze with mine. His eyes are beautiful. Something I’ve never appreciated due to the simple fact that they always fill me with fear.

He smiles softly.

“Iris, talk to me, please. Tell me what’s wrong.” He urges. I want to tell him. I want to ask him, and scream at him and hit him. But I can’t. I can’t do any of that. So I just shake my head and cry.

“How soon are you making me move here?” I ask. Remus frowns at my choice in words.

“Iris, I’m not making you do anything. Isn’t this what you want? More freedom?” He asks. I shove him away from me, and to my utter surprise, he actually moves. His eyes are filled with shock as he looks at me.

“I want to go home. To Earth.” I snap.

“If not for just a visit,” I say desperately. He raises a brow at me.

“A visit?” He asks. I nod my head.

“You’ve taken me away from my home, and forced me to be accustomed to yours, but I just want mine. Why won’t you listen to me?” I ask.

“I'm not asking you to let me stay. I’m asking you to let me at least see my homeworld.” I ask. He glares at me for a moment. He closes his eyes taking a deep breath.

“Ok.” He says. My eyes widen at his words.

“What?” I say breathlessly. He crosses his arms over his chest.

“I said, ‘Ok’”. He repeats. I let out a breath of relief. Everything I’d been feeling up to this point suddenly washes away as joy comes over me. My knees almost give out from the relief.

Braith lied. Earth is still there. My people are still alive. And Remus is going to let me visit. He watches me with a calculated expression, taking in everything that I do. His mind is moving a mile a minute. He steps closer to me.

“Why do you look so surprised, Iris?” He asks. His face is deadly serious. I shake my head trying to think of an excuse but all I can think is the reason behind why I’m so shocked.

“I…” I trail off and Remus laughs softly. His seriousness immediately melting away. He leans into me, giving me a soft kiss on the lips.

“I love you, Iris. More than anything in this world. I want you to know that.” He says. He pulls me in closer to him, and everything I was feeling earlier melts away as he becomes the center of my world.

“If you want to see Earth, I will take you there. Any time you wish to visit.” He says. He smiles, showing his teeth and those amazingly sharp canines. I can feel the heat on my chest and I know immediately it’s the symbol that he embedded beginning to show up again. It’s the bond between us.

I nod my head, tears of joy springing into my eyes.

“Thank you,” I whisper. I bury my face into his chest pulling him into an embrace. I don’t care about anything else right now. Just the fact that he spared the Earth. He’s going to take me to see it, and everything is going to be ok.

I feel his hand under my chin lifting my gaze to meet his. He leans down and kisses me.

~

Remus

She knows.

Not only that, but someone has tampered with her.

I look back to her naked body in my bed. She’s been asking about Earth since I got back. Not only that, but she almost collapsed when I told her she could visit. Somehow, someone has told her the truth.

Whoever that person is wasn’t aware that she and I are bonded. I knew something was off about her when I returned. Her skin was cold. Her energy was off. And I could sense the power within her while we were having sex.

It’s not much, but enough for her to begin to cultivate and turn her into the same race as the servants.

Rage boils through me as I think about it. I was careless. I was too focused on everything else. My father could care less about Iris so of course, he wasn’t watchful. I’ll have to take precautions to prevent anything bad from happening.

I walk back to the bed sitting on the edge taking her in. The one thing I had left to protect. And I failed. Again.

“Fuck.”

Whoever did this is smart. I’m not even strong enough to protect or fight back due to my lack of strength from the conversion. Not only that, but the wedding is in one day. I lay down in front of Iris taking in her features. They’re soft while she sleeps. No fear or concern or anger. My eyes travel to my crest that’s been engraved on her from our bond. Something that we will always share.

I let out a sigh of frustration.

For the first time in my life, I have no idea what to do.