The Ice Queen - "What's Best" Ch. 10 (Patreon)

Cassian

My head pounds as memories assault my senses. My surroundings are filled with bloodstained snow as the Dragonborn attack overhead. I look around in a panic as my mother and brothers scream orders at me, the panic prominent on their faces. They drag me from my home and through the destroyed village, just as a Xindrite of the king runs his sword through the throat of my brother.

I jolt awake, my eyes quickly scanning the room for enemies. The dream felt so vivid and so real. But as the adrenaline slowly drops, I realize those aren’t my dreams. I sit up in bed, flinching from the pain that radiates from my ribs.

“Shit,” I murmur.

She lost control again, attacking me. The last thing I remember is standing over her. I didn’t have time to react or try and shut down her mind, as there was a strange entity blocking our oath. I should have healed by now. But since Neytiri is an Ikniri, and her power is shifting into something dangerous, my body is not. My gaze shifts to take in the chilling presence in the room with me. Neytiri is seated on the loveseat, her feet drawn to her chest as her chin rests atop her legs. She’s fast asleep, her wild hair flowing over her left shoulder as she rests.

Those memories were hers.

I feel guilt brewing in my gut as realization dawns on me. Her mind is having difficulty adjusting to her body’s current state. It still lives in the past. And not only did I, but her brother also tampered with it. We may have broken her mind without meaning to, and now I am paying the price for it. She’s lived through constant hell going from the day of the attack to living in that village with those people who feared her. Then her trauma continued in my presence until my final blow finally broke her mind.

She shouldn’t have been able to hibernate. She hasn’t had enough training in her magic to do so, but she did. Her body has been stretched to its limit and now I am paying the price. I lay back in the bed, placing my head against the pillow as my thoughts take over. I close my eyes, inhaling deeply as I feel the hedon brew deep in my gut. After a minute, I release my breath letting the heavy smog rise through the air to permeate the room. Now that it has become part of the air, Neytiri will inhale it making her too weak to fight back and possibly awaken for a while.

She’s dangerous. And I don’t know how much longer I can keep her under control. I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I wanted her to trust me more than I cared for my own safety. If something happens to me, this island and all the people on it will be in trouble. I slowly pull back the covers, stifling my groans as I rise out of bed. Ulric wrapped my ribs giving me a quick fix, but I need a healer. Finally, I reach the door pulling it open to reveal Hynden on the other side. Her eyes are wide from my sudden appearance, but as she takes me in, her gaze shifting past me to the sleeping Ikniri, she laughs.

“So, the legend lives,” she says bitterly.

I shift my body, blocking Neytiri from Hynden’s view as I close the door behind me.

“Come with me.”

We’re silent as we make our way through the estate. The tension between Hynden and me has been heavy ever since Neytiri showed signs of awakening. I haven’t seen her since the day I brought the doctors to the island, her communication coming through Ulric most of the time.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” I say as we enter my office. I sink into the cushions, watching Hynden carefully as she approaches. She’s wearing an all-white power suit cut dangerously low as she pulls her jacket from her shoulders.

“When the king calls, I am compelled to answer,” she says avoiding my gaze. She sits next to me, gently placing her fingers over the bruises and breaks. After a moment, heat from her palms seeps into my flesh as she begins to heal me.

After a long silence, she finally speaks.

“She did this to you?”

I nod.

“And yet, you allow her to roam with no bonds of any kind.”

“The last thing she remembers is me ending her life, Hynden. I’ve changed and I want her to see that. I don’t want to force her into anything.”

Hynden chuckles, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“And how is that working out for you your highness?” she asks. I bite my tongue not to snap at her as well. She takes my silence, her anger growing.

“Have you forgotten? I’ve been by your side while she slept, Cassian. You may have everyone else fooled, even yourself. But I know you better than anyone. I know what you’re truly like. Who you truly are. You haven’t had reason to show your true colors,”

Hyden looks up at me, her deep red gaze burning into mine.

“But she is slowly pushing you to that point, isn’t she?”

I don’t respond and Hynden smiles knowingly, dropping her gaze to focus on her task.

“It’s difficult, isn’t it? Having her but not controlling her. You once had her completely in your grasp to do with as you pleased and now-”

“Enough, Hynden.”

She’s silent for a moment before responding.

“…Apologies, My King.”

Silence once again envelopes us.

“Have you been to the colonies?” I ask. Hynden shakes her head.

“I see no reason going there. It is nothing like our home.”

I watch her with an irritated expression.

“I cannot bring the floating mountains back. You shouldn’t neglect your people just because the surroundings are different. This is a new home for all of us.”

She scoffs.

“You want me to make a home in the same vicinity as those savages?” she growls.

“Hyden-”

“Cassian I will follow you wherever you go. But how can you expect me to pretend the world isn’t like this because of those coward's decision to attack us when we weren’t expecting it?”

“The world is like this because of all of us, not just them. We all failed as ancients. We invited chaos. Don’t blame it all on them.”

“No. Only you can, huh? Only you can wipe them out whenever you please.”

“Yes. Because I am the high king. And my word is law,” I growl.

Hynden laughs, her eyes focusing on me.

“There he is. There’s the blood king. You can play house with the Ikniri all you like, but one day she will push you too far Cassian. And you will snap because of this facade you hold so dear.”

It takes another hour of silence, but Hynden finally heals my body completely. I silently stand, pulling a shirt on as I make my way to the bar. I close my eyes as I begin to internalize my heat, enjoying the warmth that smooths over my body. When I open them, Hynden is watching me with a curious expression. I pull out two glasses, motioning for her to join me. Once she’s seated, I pour both of us a glass of scotch, pushing the golden liquid in front of her.

“Thank you, Hynden.”

She gently takes the glass in her hands, glaring at it. But she doesn’t drink. She stares, twirling the liquid before finally looking up at me.

“I once wished she would never awaken. I had hoped that one day you would give up and move on… and that you would stop loving her. You would be rid of the Ikniri forever and finally able to be free as yourself.”

She laughs bitterly taking a sip.

“But I see now the fates are cruel. And your destiny is intertwined with hers no matter how much our mistakes twist it. And that’s something I will no longer fight against.”

I watch her silently, her usual stoic expression softening. My heart aches at the sadness I see there. Once, Hynden and I were in love and I know she would do anything for me as her king. Things changed between us the day of the Ikniri attack. I never looked back. In her eyes, it is another thing the Ikniri took from her.

“Hynden-”

“Don’t. I knew the arrangement when we started this. I just… I had hoped…”

She trails off, downing her glass.

“Hynden, I think you should remain here for a while. You’ve been in their world for too long. It’s time you live among your people, and integrate yourself back into our society.”

Hynden looks out the window and I can tell she’s unhappy with my words. She’s been doing everything she can to separate herself from her own, and I have turned a blind eye to it. But as king, I am to take care of her as I do all of my people.

“And if I refuse?” she asks.

I silently round the bar, placing my hand on her shoulder.

“It wasn’t a request.”

Silence once again encompasses us as she comes to terms with my words. She finally stands from her seat, grabs her jacket moving to leave. She pauses at the door.

“I will always serve you first and foremost, Cassian. And I will be here when the real you rears its head and she tries to fight you for it.”

Her eyes glisten as she takes me in, placing her hand over her chest as she bows, leaving the room and me alone with my thoughts.

“Dammit,” I hiss downing my glass.

She’s right. I’ve been cordial, calm, and blinded by my need for her trust. But that isn’t who I am. It isn’t who I’ve been. I am a king. A man that has control over every aspect of my life. Every aspect except for her, and it is driving me crazy. Giving Neytiri the freedom she desires has reared dire consequences, and I cannot keep allowing her to injure me as she does and look past it.

Once I finish my drink, I head back to my bedroom where Neytiri is. She’s fast asleep as I enter, Hynden’s words still ringing in my ears. I take a deep breath moving to where she is. Her breathing is deep and slow meaning the hedon has taken effect. I reach under her legs to pick her up and she doesn’t even stir. Her body is cold against mine, her skin giving off a small chill. It’s a stark reminder of how different we are from each other. And how dangerous.

As I look at her, memories of the first night she was brought to me appear. At the time I felt such peace at her arrival. I also felt a compelling need to control her in every way. I didn’t trust her. I didn’t trust what she was even though I knew her from years of being in my camp. It was because she is an Ikniri. To this day I don’t have enough information on her or her people. But it’s proof that I need to crack down.

Her trust in me is already so little. What more could I lose?

I reach her room, laying her down.

I feel conflicted. I’ve had this vision of how things would be, but they are straying so far from that. She is growing more powerful with each passing day, the danger of her lack of control looming over my head. I have to control her. Today proves what can happen if she isn’t.

A light knock sounds at the door and I know it is Ulric entering. He’s silent as he approaches, both of us standing over Neytiri’s sleeping form.

“She could’ve killed you.”

I shake my head.

“I know.”

“You must reconsider this strategy.”

I look out the window. It’s winter, meaning the snow, ice, and cold is in full effect. Which also means Neytiri is much stronger and will have a higher chance when it comes to accidentally awakening her power.

“Maybe I was a little too hasty introducing her to modern society,” I mumble more to myself than to Ulric.

But I know he hears me. I wanted to do things differently. I even let Caius be the one to teach her and be at her side so that she would feel comfortable even though I hated the idea of it. But I fear the amount of information on top of the new world she lives in is overwhelming her mind which is already fractured from our tampering.

Of course she’s a quick learner, but this much information is too much for anyone. Had I not been quick to raise my body heat, she would have injured me much more critically than she did. I chuckle bitterly to myself. I’m at war with what I want to do and what needs to be done.

I take a deep breath looking at Ulric.

“Make sure the island is set up. We’ll leave in two days.”