The Princess of Light and Dark

5. 2 years later

  I sat abruptly on my bed, my body cold and sweaty. Another dream.

I sighed and laid back down, wiping the burning from my eyes. I turned toward the darkness, my eyes adjusting to it easily after the practice. 2 years, I had tried and failed to escape 2 years ago, after that I had been brought down to the dungeons again and chained to the walls as punishment. I had once again been put on water and stale bread, but this time, as a 16-year-old, no guards took pity on me, for months I slept on the cold hard floor, with nothing but ripped camisole and tattered cotton trousers. And then one day Sarnarel appeared with clean clothes, a cot bed and fresh fruits. At first, I refused it and he left, but after an argument with Thuria I had called out to him, my voice low and pitiful. He had returned, a victorious smirk on his lips as he entered the cage and gave me the clothes and fruits. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Sarnarel approached me and sat next to me, taking my bruised wrists in his hands and rubbing slowly, his touch sending little electric jolts up my spine. He left without a word and every day since, for the last 2 years he has visited me. At first, we’d sit in silence, but then he’d started talking about the weather, the mountain, his mother. After a few weeks, I began opening up to him, Thuria always making me talk, often times pushing me into my subconscious so she could spend hours talking to him. He had offered to plead with his father to let us return to the Palace under two conditions; I would have to accept our bond and marry him and continue to obey his father no matter what was asked.

I had refused, I would never ever serve his father again, after all the nightmares that Thuria had failed to keep from me, I couldn’t let her go through with any more possessions. And besides, I would never admit to being his fated. He was much older than me and he had tricked me into leaving my family, kept me prisoner and treated me badly. Well, sometimes he treated me badly. Other times he was amazing. It was confusing, he is confusing.

‘Elvira, stop being so stubborn! ‘ Thuria shouted inside my head. ‘we’ve been over this child, it’s our best chance. ‘

‘I don’t care about our best chance  Thuria! Can’t you see? ‘ I pleaded with her ‘you can’t expect me to accept this fate. Once I turn 18 and reach my elven maturity my powers will grow. Just like you said, we can escape again. ‘ I shouted back. Arguing with Thuria had become an hourly thing, the only times we didn’t argue was when we ate or slept; and even in my sleep she would fill my dreams with images of a happy life in the mountains.

‘child you are your mothers daughter alright. Stars grant me the patience to deal with your tantrums!’ she growled in my mind. I scoffed.

‘Tantrums?! f*****g tantrums?! I’m trying to get us out of this forsaken mountain and you call this a tantrum?! f*****g stars give ME patience for you, you over grown petulant child! ‘ I screamed in frustration, my outburst so unexpected Thuria was rendered silent. I gave her a good minute to retort back and when she didn’t, I assumed she had retreated to wherever the heck she goes when I annoy her. I couldn’t believe she was so willing to give up our freedom, maybe doing all of Lord Lupus’ dirty work had corrupted her soul again. I was about to ask her when her voice broke through my mind, loud and clear.

‘Things will only get more complicated from here on out, especially with your fated. I want to protect you child, I truly do, but this is new to me too. I am used to taking control of minds completely, but with you, I was reborn. We share not just a mind, but a body, what you feel I feel. I never had that with Aladan or Rothien. And I know you feel some of my emotions too. Child, when you mature, I have no idea what will happen to our powers, or us for that matter.’

***

Thuria had been quiet for days, I had been left all alone in the dark, my fears and thoughts my only company. Not even Sarnarel had come to visit me. I hated to admit it, but I was starting to miss his company. I laid down on my bed and tried to sleep, but even in the darkest of silences, my mind was reeling with words.

The soft sounds of shoes hitting the dirt path of the dungeon brought a small smile to my lips. He was here.

“Elvira? “ his deep voice echoed around my cell and I sat up slowly, his face was illuminated by the torch he carried, his cold grey eyes fixed on mine, making the skin on the back of my neck prickle.

He opened the bars and walked in, locking the bars back up once he was inside. He noticed me watching him and he smirked at me. Bastard.

“Can’t have you escaping again, now, can I? Princess.”

“Lock it all you want. I’ll escape again someday. “ I muttered.

He moved closer to the bed, but has he reached for me he stopped.

“Something is different today,” he pulled the blanket back revealing my legs and leaned forward to touch my face. “Why can’t I feel you?”. He asked.

 I hadn’t realised, but now that he mentioned it, I couldn’t feel that usual need I felt to be around him, to be touched by him. His touch felt cold and as his hand moved from my cheek to my jaw and neck I shuddered.

“You’re cold, “ my tone sounded more childish than what I had intended and Sarnarel pulled back. “Why do feel cold?”

“What have you done to our bond witch? “he spat at me, his voice angry, his fists clenched by his sides, my whole body shuddered at the hate in his tone.

“I haven’t done anything to the bond. That’s not how my powers work.” I retorted and he stood up, pacing the small cave like cage. His steps measured and slow.

“No, you did something. "He whispered, "You definitely did something.” His voice had slowly become colder, harder, deeper.

Over the last 2 years, during Thuria’s many conversations with Sarnarel, we learnt that neither him or his father actually understand the truth about my powers. They have no idea that Thuria and Tharia are real elves. In their understanding, we are born with these powers, and they believe the powers to be gained from an ancient myth of magical stars. So Sarnarel has no idea that there is a completely different identity living inside me, or that we share everything, our thoughts, feelings and body.

For the past few days, I have had this instinct that my connection to Sarnarel may not be real, it could be a wayward spell from Aladan or Rothien, or even Elladan. They met so many elves in their darkest times, who knows exactly the full extent of the damage they created out there? What if, Sarnarel had been tricked into feeling a bond with me? Stranger things had happened. I felt Sarnarel’s cold hand snake around my neck, but I didn’t have the strength to push him off, his icy grip was but a reminder that he was a stranger to me, even thought we had spoken and spent time together in the last 2 years, I had mainly given Thuria the control of our actions, feelings and thoughts.

“Tell me what you did?” He whispered as his hand gripped my neck a tad harder. His silver eyes remained trained on my violet ones, never blinking.

“I did nothing.” I gasped and his grip tightened.

“Lies!” he shouted “I will get to the bottom of this.” He spat as he threw me backwards, my head connecting with the hard wall behind me. My eyes flashed with the pain and I gritted my teeth to stop from cursing him.

“You know what?” I asked in a small whisper, “I did do something to our bond.” I chuckled, and he turned, murderous silver eyes on me again, his jaw muscles clenched. “I rejected it! And I reject you too, you monster!” I shouted at him. His long legs ate up the short space between us and he moved to grab my neck again, but he couldn’t lift his arm up. He looked at me with wide surprised eyes, but I simply smirked at him and flung my hands into his chest, sending him flying into the other side of the cage. I ran as fast as I could and searched his pockets while he was dazed on the floor, I found what I needed, the keys to the bars, and opened them, running out of the dark hole I called home without so much as looking back at him.

***

I had made it to the top of the steps when my body stopped responding. I tried and failed to make my feet take the next step and I was about to blow the black door when a voice sounded inn my head.

‘Stop!’ Thuria’s tone was anguished and I paused, ‘please go back for him.’ She pleaded in my head.

‘Why should I T?’

‘Please, Elvira. I can feel his pain. He is badly hurt. Please go back. I won’t let him hurt you’

I didn’t want to, but suddenly my legs moved of their own accord, at first, I tried to fight it, thinking Thuria had taken control of my conscious mind, but then awareness came over me as I realised, I had turned around of my own volition. My steps faltered as I reached the cage again, my eyes slowly scanning for him.

‘He is unconscious.’ Thuria’s voice answered my unspoken question, and I entered the cage slowly. I made my way to the large, slumped form on the floor. I could just about see his upper body move slowly as he breathed. I crouched down next to his face and touched him, he no longer felt cold. His skin was warm on my fingertips, I ran them slowly over his cheek bone, down to his perfectly sculpted jaw. His eyes fluttered open and I recoiled. Moving backwards on my bum and hands away from his reach.

“Elvira?” He rasped, his voice gravely from sleep. Or being knocked out, "What did you do?” He slowly sat up, his hand reaching behind him to touch his head, he rubbed the back of his head and hissed, his fingers were coated in blood when he moved his hand in front of his face. I cringed inside. s**t, I had really hurt him, but I couldn’t be taking pity on him, I still needed to escape, I just came down here to make sure he wasn’t dead.

“I’m sorry, I can’t live like this anymore.” I whispered as a small tear slid down my cheek. I stood up fast, inside I could hear Thuria begging me for control, but I was fighting her. I pushed her out of my mind and moved to leave again, but Sarnarel was faster than me, while I had been momentarily distracted pushing Thuria away, he had stood and moved closer to me, close enough that his hand was now wrapped around my wrist.

“Not so fast, Princess.” he pulled my wrist hard and my body flew into his hard chest, my breath rushed out of my parted lips and his eyes glanced down. My throat was suddenly dry, as his eyes followed the tip of tongue that I had unconsciously used to slowly wet my lips. His pupils dilated and he licked his lips too.

I felt my feet rise on their toes and my face moved closer to his, his eyes danced around my face, desire clear in them. I gulped, and his hand moved from his side to the back of neck, holding me still as his face hovered inches from mine, his lips grazed mine and I involuntarily let out a soft moan. He took that as his opening and deepened the kiss, his hand forcing my head up so he could explore my mouth better. Our tongues had somehow found their way together and as his explored my mouth I felt a sharp pain on my chest. I gasped and my legs buckled effectively breaking the kiss. Sarnarel was panting as he held me up by the waist, I didn’t even feel his hands move there. The pain in my chest worsened and I clutched my breast as I howled in agony.

Thuria was desperately trying to gain control again and I was slowly giving in when golden brown eyes flashed in front of me, they were warm and calm, but full of hurt and sorrow, I gasped as Sarnarel’s hands held me harder, his lips were moving but all I could hear was Thuria’s desperate pleas to take control. She had promised me once that she would never take control without permission again, unless our lives were in danger, and as the pain in my chest radiated into my whole body, she took over, rendering me unconscious, with only the memory of those deep golden-brown eyes to keep me company in the darkness.