Home is Where You Should Be Safe
1432 Words
Normally, when a father is presented with news that their child is alive, immediate plans are made for their retrieval. But not Charles. He sat in his office for hours, rereading the letter. For a moment, he almost believed that his biggest problem was no longer his problem. But doubt gnawed at him. Charles had spent the last one hundred years erasing his daughter’s memories, resetting her future. She wasn’t ready to rule, and he wasn’t going to spend the rest of his immortal life watching the world suffer at her hands.
"Jace."
"Yes, your majesty?"
"Prepare a carriage. We are to pick up my daughter."
"Should I also prepare the reward?"
"No need. I am his maker."
Three days had passed since the library incident. Neither the king nor the princess had been seen in the same room. It was late on the fourth day when Marcus gently knocked on Isa’s door.
“Enter.”
Isa frowned as Marcus stepped into the room. “Yes?”
"Can we talk?"
"I thought I told you to speak to me only if there was news from my father."
"There is," Marcus replied, his expression serious. "I believe he is on his way."
"Thank you." Isa stared at Marcus as he continued to linger in the doorway.
“Can we talk? There are some things I wish to say before your father wipes our meeting from your mind completely.”
Isa angrily shut the book she had been reading and hurled it at the wall beside Marcus. He flinched, stepping back toward the door.
"Why does everyone think I need saving from my father?" Isa’s voice was sharp. "Don’t you think if I wanted out, I would’ve demanded you send me back to the humans?"
"But why go back?" Marcus asked quietly.
Isa’s expression softened for just a moment, but the sadness never left her eyes. “I was once a beautifully feared dark queen, but over the years, I’ve had to live a brand new life. I need to know what my father is hiding from me.”
Isa didn’t know how much had been hidden from her, or how much of it was a twisted version of the truth.
"What about your mother?" Marcus asked, his voice gentle. "Can't you visit the spirit realm?"
“I don’t even know who my mother is,” Isa replied, her voice tinged with bitterness.
Marcus chuckled softly, a strange sound in the quiet room. "You think not knowing who your mother is funny?"
Isa’s gaze hardened. "It's quite obvious who my mother was. You are the dark queen, so it only makes sense that your mother was also a dark queen."
"Excuse me?" Isa stood up from the bed, storming toward Marcus. She roughly pushed him into the wall, fangs bared. Marcus shuddered at the contact but didn’t pull away.
“What you’re suggesting is disgusting,” Isa hissed. “How dare you mention such a thing. I didn’t think you’d stoop to such a low level.”
"I wouldn’t lie to you, Isa." Marcus’s voice was steady, but a flicker of unease passed through him.
Isa listened to his heartbeat, calm and unshaken. Her thoughts began to cloud, her head spinning as her powers wrapped around her like a tightening web.
“It’s not what I intended to mean. Do you have any memory of Ava’s coronation?” Marcus asked carefully.
“I was bedridden for weeks, suffering from a disease,” Isa replied, her tone cold. “I had no strength to attend. I don’t know what you’re implying, Marcus, but Ava has been dead for quite some time.”
Marcus nodded, his face falling with regret. "You're right. I apologize, I spoke out of turn."
Isa exhaled sharply, letting go of Marcus and smoothing out her dress. She watched as he tidied himself, making himself presentable.
There was a gentle knock on the open door, and a butler poked his head inside. "Your Majesty, the High King has arrived."
"Thank you. We’ll be down shortly." Isa said, her voice low. The butler nodded and left to prepare the entrance.
As Isa moved toward the door, Marcus quickly grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks.
“Look, I know you might think I’m crazy, but I want to help.”
“How are you going to help me when I won’t even remember who you are?” Isa’s voice cracked as the weight of his words sank in.
“Take this.” Marcus slipped a ruby ring onto Isa’s index finger, mirroring the action by putting an identical one on his own hand.
“It should signal to me when you need me. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll also leave something for your wolf to remember.”
“What do you mean?” Isa asked, confused but unable to pull away from the strange comfort of the ring’s presence.
Marcus took her face gently in his hands, tilting her head to meet his eyes. His red gaze bore into her blue ones, and Isa felt a sudden snap inside of her, something in the core of her being breaking free.
“I’m not rejecting you because I don’t love you,” Marcus whispered. “I’m rejecting you because there is someone else out there for you who will help you far more than I can.”
“What are you talking about?” Isa asked, breathless with confusion.
“Shh…” Marcus’s voice was gentle. “Your wolf will always know who I am. Rejection is the best natural compass.”
He quickly released Isa’s face, brushing her hair back into place, before straightening his coat. He offered her his arm.
“Now, come, Your Highness. We mustn't keep your father waiting.”
Isa took his arm and let Marcus lead her down to the foyer, though her mind was a blur. What Marcus had said didn't make sense, and yet something within her stirred with unease. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Isa's vision blurred, and she gripped Marcus’s arm tighter, trying to steady herself.
When they reached the door, a soft tap of boots against the ground caught her attention. Isa looked up, squinting as the blurry figure by the door began to sharpen.
“Father.”
Without thinking, Isa released Marcus's arm and rushed into her father’s open embrace. She collapsed against him, tears spilling freely from her eyes.
“Isa, my dear,” Charles’s voice was thick with emotion as he held her close. “You have no idea how good it is to see you alive and well. I’m pleased you’re finally coming home.”
Charles’s words were warm, but his gaze turned cold as it met Marcus’s. Marcus gave a small, respectful nod, acknowledging the king.
“I thought you had left her to die,” Charles muttered, his voice laced with barely concealed anger.
“No, no, no, my child,” Charles replied, his voice softening as he stroked Isa’s hair. “After the fire, I searched for you with everything I had. Those damn humans took you right under my nose. After the attack on the castle, I never thought they’d succeed. When the fire was put out and the smoke cleared, I realized… Isa, you had been taken.”
Isa trembled as her father continued, his voice full of regret. “In the first month, I searched high and low. But when nothing came, I stopped looking. When no reports surfaced, I gave up. To me, you became the humans’ problem.”
Isa wiped her eyes, shaking her head. “It’s so good to see you again.”
“I promise, my child, I’ll never let you out of my sight again. Now, let’s go home. There is so much we need to talk about.”
Isa glanced over her shoulder at Marcus one last time before following her father out to the carriage. Once inside, she sat across from him, her thoughts racing.
"Did anything happen while you were gone?" Charles asked softly.
"No, Father."
"What about Marcus?"
“No, Father.”
Charles’s gaze fell on the ruby ring on Isa’s finger, and he sighed, the weight of the situation pressing on him. As the carriage started to move, Charles let his light fill the space. Isa’s eyes fluttered, and she slumped, her head rolling back as her mind succumbed to his influence.
In this white state, she would sleep for the next hundred years—or until Charles deemed it time for her to awaken.
- Writer
