Princess Aenyra fell flimsily at the feet of the bed. The price that fairy Zarathia ntioned that was required to save Princess Sheana was more out of question than her own death.
She was a dragonborn, a royal, not to ntion a descendant of the famous Zhen family.
Her marriage and fated partner wasn’t her choice to make. For such a life binding decision, the elders have to be involved, the beast court must be inford, and an entire ceremony must be put in place before the decision is made.
The decision can only be made if the orb of fate decides that the beast in question she wants to bind herself to is her fated mate.
All the tall claims she was making about being capable of doing whatever it takes to save Princess Sheana’s life went out the window. How could it not?
The situation required for her to get bound to Princess Sheana right there and then. Agreeing to that would be defying her elders, and it would be considered unfilial.
Having been raised in a strict ho that follows strict rules. She knew better than anyone the consequences of going against her parents.
She looked onto her brother. Technically, he was an elder in her family, and the fact that he is a sovereign of an entire kingdom gives him the power to decide whether or not she can go through with that decision.
However, Her brother was sick and tired. He just started sleeping after a long ti, and she couldn’t bring herself to wake him up.
The only other choice she could think of was to turn to Nytherael. By power of their mated bond, Nytherael was legally permitted to make decisions on her brother’s behalf.
"What do you think I should do?"
"? Why are you dragging into this?"
"You are my brother-in-law. By family rules, you are older than and can stand on ceremony to witness be bound to Princess Sheana if that is the decision I intend to make."
"You wish for to decide that for you. Are you trying to start another war with being at the centre of it?" Nytherael asked.
Both parties in question were royalty of different clans and different bloodlines. Despite the fact that Drakheiron was under the Lu Dynasty, the dragons rarely bowed down to the phoenix emperor.
With him being enemy number one, to all existing clans within the dynasty. It was imprudent for him to make such a choice not just for Princess Aenyra but Princess Sheana as well.
Not only would his participation trigger the emperor, but it could also be seen as an attack towards the dragon clan.
"I already have the least favourite beast in the entire beastworld. And you want to give them more reasons to be against ?" He questioned. "You of all people should know how much I am trying to rebuild my marriage. It is very insensitive of you to actually ask with this."
"What would you have do?" Aenyra asked, her tone laced with desperation. "I can’t just stand by and watch her die..."
"Then make the choice yourself."
"I..."
The chamber started slling like frost lilies and blood. Moonlight poured in through the open window. The silvery curtains Trembled When hit with the breeze.
Princess Aenyra glanced over at Sheana. Every breath The dying princess took sounded wrong like her lungs were feeling with shattered glass instead of air.
Dark veins crawled beneath her skin as her skin continued to turn bluish.
"She’s getting colder," the fairy warned.
Princess Aenyra stood beside the bed, frozen stiff. Have fingers called helplessly at her sides as she stared at seductress.
Sheana was the last person in the entire universe she would ever want to be bound to. However, circumstances did not allow for such a luxury.
The Phoenix seductrees looked nothing like the radiant princess she rembered. Have pale and bluish skin was nothing like the life-like fiery skin that burnt with malice and sches against everyone around her.
Her hair was dumped with sweat. Lips had turned faintly blue, and watching her made princess Aenyra’s chest tighten painfully.
"No!"
The fairy looked up at her with an ancient exhausted eyes. "She’s running out of ti. The only way to save her is by anchoring her to this world with a mating bond and ordering her to forget the vision that she saw."
She was only repeating a truth that Aenyra already knew. The mate bond, It wasn’t exactly a marriage or a vow. It was a soul binding oath that can never be undone.
Her kingdom forbid airs from creating such bonds without the blessings of the elders, that much clawed at her insides.
Aenyra feared this day of being considered reckless, dishonourable, and, above all, a disappointnt. If a mother and the elders ever discovered that she did sothing of such without their consent and blessings, that is exactly the opinion they would form of her.
"I can’t..." She whispered hoarsely. " If I form the bond without permission..." her hands shook.
"If you waste any more ti worrying about propriety. Your friend is going to die!"
Aenyra looked back at Sheana. The girl on the bed suddenly arched in agony. A broken cry tears from her slightly parted lips.
"She has less than fifteen breathes to live."
Aenyra’s heartbeat stopped. Less than fifteen breaths? Her mind beca chaos. Suddenly, the thought of her duty, her kingdom, her elders, the consequences, and her parents... all floated away.
If Sheana died at that mont, she knew that you would never be able to forgive herself. Sheana had been there for her. It shattered her to think that propriety was holding her back from doing the sa.
She dropped onto the bed and gathered Sheana into her arms. The princess was terrifyingly cold. Trembling weakly against her chest.
"Can you perform the bonding ritual?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am certain. This is what I want, It is the right thing to do."
The fairy began chanting softly. An ancient magic stirred. Golden light flickered beneath Aenyra’s skin, answering the call instinctively.
Sheana’s heartbeat beneath her palm was fading slowly.
Aenyra closed her eyes. "To hell with the consequences." The words ca out shakingly.
Then she kissed Sheana to seal the bond. Magic exploded through the chamber. Gold and silver light burst outward in a violent wave, whipping through the room hard enough to shatter the windows.
Ancient runes ignited beneath the bed. The bond answered imdiately as if their souls had been waiting for this mont far longer than either of them had realized.
"Forget the vision you saw in the light!" Aenyra ordered.
Sheana gasped sharply against her mouth. The horrifying darkness paralyzing her body began to unravel strand by strand, consud by radiant golden threads winding protectively around her soul.
Then, her heart regained its beat. heartbeat. It was steady, strong, and alive. More alive than ever before because now a na was etched on it, it didn’t just beat for herself. It beat for Aenyra, too.
Aenyra broke apart from her with trembling breath, clutching her tightly as relief crashed through her so hard it hurt. The mate mark burned to life over her collarbone.
The fairy exhaled shakily. "Well," she muttered. "Now you can panic about the political disaster for your friends life is saved."
But Aenyra only buried her face against Sheana’s hair and held her closer as though letting go for even a second, she might lose her all over again.
"She is going to kill when she wakes up. Isn’t she?"
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