Shifting Fates

Aspen

Aspen

We stopped after a few hours of riding, I needed to take a break and get off the horse. My heart hurt, my body hurt from the pain that was radiating from the organ. Zion silently helped me off the horse before starting set up camp. It was already getting dark, the winter solstice was approaching much quicker this year than last. Maybe I was just hyper aware of it with everything going on.

“I don’t understand, Zion. How could he? We’ve known each other since we were babes. Why wouldn’t he fight for me if he wasn’t going to accept my rejection?” I asked softly more rhetorical than anything, but knowing Zion, he had some words to say. Much to my surprise, he stayed silent while he built the small fire. Perhaps he didn’t know the answers to my questions, who did at this point? Silas. He could answer my questions. That was likely never going to happen.

Other than being a good fighter, Zion was very, very good at starting a fire. It took him minutes, which was rather impressive. He grabbed the blankest from the saddles of the horses and came to sit by me. Between the blanket, the fire and his body heat, I don’t think anyone would get cold. I took comfort in him and snuggled up next to him and stared into the flames of the fire as my heart tied to sort itself out.

“I don’t know the answers to your questions, Aspen. I wish I did. I wish I could tell you and make your hurt go away. “ Zion’s voice as gruff, yet he was speaking to me with such softness. “He’s an i***t for not fighting for you. Lena has nothing on you.” He said as I looked up at him. Zion gave me a wink and I smiled. He could always lift my spirits, one of the reasons I had begged my father to make him my guard. “Your father isn’t going to be happy about this.” He mumbled, I assume he was talking more to himself than to me. I felt his arm come around me and squeeze my shoulder lightly.

He was right though. My father wasn’t going to be happy about any of this. He wasn’t going to be happy that Silas is my mate, or that I tried to reject him, or that Silas still married Lena and didn’t accept my rejection. Silas had to know the pain he was putting me through, right? He wasn’t stupid. He knows what the mate bond entails. Why wouldn’t he just accept? It didn’t make sense. There wasn’t any way that someone of my standing could be paired with him. Sure I was a Princess, but I was a low, low princess. Nowhere near Lena’s standards. Her marrying him made sense. It fortified bonds between countries. Big countries. Powerful countries. Our little kingdom was nothing to them. We were just a blimp on the map.

As if on cue, I started to feel the daggers in my heart. The pain from him being with another. It felt as if I was being kicked in the gut repeatedly. I couldn’t stop the cry of pain that came from my lips as I pushed away from Zion and folded myself into the fetal position, tears streaming down my face. “Z it hurts.” I cried, closing my eyes. I felt my body being lifted and enclosed in two strong arms. I didn’t want to know why this was happening. I just wanted it to stop.

“Aspen, focus on my voice, love. I’m here. I’ve got you. Shhhh.” Zion’s voice cut through some of the pain, like he was willing it from my body. I still didn’t understand what was happening. Not until I got some images in my mind of a very naked Lena and Silas. Of course they would have to consummate the marriage. Why hadn’t I thought about that? Maybe some part of me was hoping he would fix this before that happened.

“H-H-He’s s-sleeping w-with h-h-her.” I sniffled out, clinging to Zion as much as my weak self could. I’m pretty sure I heard him swear under his breath. “It hurts.” I cried again, feeling the pain worsen. I was being tortured alive. From the inside out. At least that’s what it felt like. I felt Zion tighten his hold on me and for just a split second the pain was gone. I took a deep breath in hopes it was gone for good, but no such luck. How long did this last? Was this going to happen every time they did this? If it was, we were marching right back to the castle and I was going to demand Silas accept my rejection.

Zion lifted my head gently with his hand and rested his forehead on mine. It was such an intimate gesture, but I was in too much pain to see it. “Let me help you.” He whispered and I just nodded. I didn’t care at this point what it entailed. I wanted this pain gone. I needed it gone. He tilted my head slightly, just the right angle to bring his lips to meet mine. He had done this before we left the castle too. This time was different though. There was meaning behind his kiss. He was trying to take my pain away.

It was working. The longer he kissed me, the deeper the kiss went, the more the pain went away. I pulled away to take a breath. “Don’t stop, please.” I whispered. We didn’t have to go further if he didn’t want to, kissing was doing a fine job of taking away the pain. His lips twitched up at the corners before he gently lifted me up and placed me on my back, on the pile of blankets we’d been sitting on. I grippe his arms as he hovered over me, keeping his lips attached to some part of my skin. I don’t know how long we stayed like this, it could have been hours for all I know. The pain slowly started to disappear and he settled next to me, pulling me close.

“Thank you.” I whispered as I buried my head into his chest. He was so warm, and strong. I felt his lips brush the top of my head as he placed a small kiss there, I could feel him smiling. I couldn’t help but smile too. Zion was more than just my father’s warrior. He was my protector, even if from myself sometimes.

“Anything for you, my Queen.” He whispered into my hair, his arms enclosing me tightly. He smelt good too, I only just noticed this as my face was in his chest. There was no way I was going to be able to survive going through that again. Hopefully Silas could feel what Zion was doing to me, maybe it made it hard to keep it up for her. He deserved to feel the pain I was. “Get some sleep. You’re father is expecting us home tomorrow evening.” Zion’s voice cut through my thoughts as my eyelids began to droop. I wasn’t sure if I was going to have the energy for my father tomorrow.