THE WEAPON BRIDE:I Married My Family's Killer

My father was not in his coffin. That was the first lie.My father was not in his coffin. That was the first lie. I stood beside my mother, Queen Trina of Rubicon, as they lowered King Aldric into the ground. The castle priests chanted. Everyone in Rubicon cried. But I had seen the coffin before the ceremony. I had lifted the lid when no one was looking. It was empty. I grew up in Rubicon. I thought Rubicon was my home. A normal kingdom. I knew nothing about Ascension Parish. They never told me that name. They told me my powers were a curse to be hidden, not a legacy I am Elara. Eighteen years old today. And I was burying a man who was not inside his coffin. We were in Rubicon. Rubicon was all I ever knew. My kingdom. My home. Green hills, white stone houses, the castle where my mother Queen Trina ruled beside my father King Aldric. I was the princess of Rubicon. That is what they told me since I was a child. A normal princess of a normal kingdom. They never told me about Ascension Parish. Not once. That name never existed in Rubicon. My powers were the secret. Since I was six, my hands would freeze. Since I was ten, fire would dance on my palms when I was angry. When I cried, chairs would fly across the room. When I was terrified, I would blink and be in a different room. Telekinesis. Teleportation. Ice. Fire. My mother made me swear. "Elara Malphida," she would say when no one was listening, then quickly correct herself, "Elara of Rubicon. Swear you will never use them. No ice. No fire. No moving things with your mind. Never again. If you do, they will hunt you like they hunted your aunt Rosita." Who was Rosita? She never said. Who was Malphida? She never said. Today, King Aldric died. Or so they said. I stood beside my mother in a black dress. The priests of Rubicon chanted. The villagers threw white stones into the grave and cried, "Rest well, brave King!" But I had come early. I had lifted the lid of the coffin when the guards were not looking. It was empty. No body. Just a black cloth. "Mother," I whispered, my voice shaking. Ice was crawling up my fingers and I hid my hands in my dress. "Where is father? Why is it empty?" Queen Trina did not cry. She did not look at me. Her hand squeezed mine until her nails broke my skin. "Don't ask about things you don't understand, Elara. Rubicon is your home. You are a princess of Rubicon. Nothing more. Promise me you will never use what is inside you." That was the second lie. Rubicon was not my home. It was a hiding place. Before I could answer, the ground shook. Horses. A black carriage rolled through the funeral gates. Not Rubicon flags. Namara flags. Black flags with a silver wolf. Everyone went silent. Namara was the enemy kingdom. The kingdom that burned villages. The kingdom our priests said was our ally, but everyone feared. The carriage door opened. King Kael stepped out. Twenty-one years old. Tall. Cold. His hair was black like mine but with blonde tips, his eyes like winter ice. He wore black armor. He was the King of Namara, the grandson of King Velrock, the man my father's family hated. They said his kingdom burned our real village when he was ten. They said he ordered it. He did not look at my mother. He did not look at the empty coffin. He looked only at me. "Elara Malphida," he said. His voice was ice and it made my whole body freeze. "Your father offered you to me before he died. His debt is paid. You are coming with me to Namara. You are my wife now. You are my weapon." Malphida. He said it again. No one in Rubicon ever called me that. "Malphida?" I turned to my mother, tears finally coming. "Mama, what is he talking about? What is Malphida? What is Ascension Parish? I heard his knights whisper it. What debt?" I didn't know what she meant. I didn't know the pearl held Saney — a 100-foot soul of purple fire who could consume me. I didn't know I would have to survive Talock the beast and the Wrath of Heaven to control it. I didn't know my black hair would one day turn blonde with purple tips. I didn't know I would become a monster. And then I heard my own voice, but not my, A voice that was older, angrier, and had purple fire in it. "You came to steal the pearl, little king?" my mouth said, but I didn't say it. I screamed and fell. Kael caught me. His hands were strong. His face, which had been cold as stone, was white now. Truly terrified. He was not looking at me. He was looking at the pearl in my hand. "Not here," he hissed at me, low and dangerous. "Never in front of them. Hide it. Now." Before I could ask what he meant, another voice came from behind us. Soft. Kind. Young. The opposite of Kael. "Brother, you should be more gentle with your bride." I turned. And that was when I saw him. Riven. Kael's younger brother. Smiling at me like he already knew my secret My father was not in his coffin. That was the first lie. I stood beside my mother, Queen Trina of Rubicon, as they lowered King Aldric into the ground. The castle priests chanted. Everyone in Rubicon cried. But I had seen the coffin before the ceremony. I had lifted the lid when no one was looking. That was the second lie. A black carriage rolled through the funeral gates. Namara flags. The enemy kingdom that burned villages. Everyone gasped. King Kael stepped out. 21 years old. Cold eyes like winter. The King of Namara. The grandson of Velrock. He looked at me and said, "Elara Malphida. Your father offered you to me before he died. His debt is paid. You are my weapon. You are my wife." Malphida? I had never heard that name in Rubicon. And then I heard my own voice, but not my voice, say: "You came to steal the pearl, little king?" I screamed and fell. Kael caught me. His face was white now. Truly terrified. "Not here," he hissed at me. "Never in front of them." Before I could ask what he meant, another voice came from behind us. Soft. Kind. Young. "Brother, you should be more gentle with your bride." And That's When I Met Riven