FERBELA OF HASREVELAND
Ferbela woke up agitated, even though she hadn't dreamed of her grandmother. She felt distressed by her memories and the last argument she had with her about her destiny. She looked at her palm and noticed two lines, which she rubbed, wishing she could somehow unite them again.
She didn't know what it meant; she could choose, and those destinies would choose for her. She had never seen herself as a puppet, nor did she intend to be one. She had to mature and become strong after the death of her grandmother, the great elder of the forests.
She wiped away her tears melancholically; she hated shedding a tear, and although she had controlled her emotions, she only let one tear escape. She is a being of light in Hasreveland; every mystical creature bowed to her. She had earned their respect, and her steely resolve had made her lands more prosperous than during the years her father ruled.
No one entered and no one left without her permission. She used the methods of the Wells, and although they seemed wild and primitive, she noticed that her vast green lands prospered. No one approached without an appointment or an invitation from the great nymph Ferbela of Hasreveland herself.
She had no choice but to get up and continue her rounds of her lands, seeing the workers and builders, visiting the little creatures who smiled when they saw her, and visiting the halls.
With a snap of her fingers, the doors opened, letting in two maidservants who held her tunic for her to wear. They prepared her bath with milk and flower essence. She sank into the tub while the two women soaped her body and washed her long, curly hair.
She was dying to finish as soon as possible and sneak away to see Stev. She hadn't seen him in days, and he had been acting a little strange lately. He was her best friend, but deep down in her pure heart, she wished he would notice her. She didn't understand why he couldn't be her fiancé; he was the eldest, he should be. Although the pact only mentioned that she would be for a Wells, it didn't specify that it had to be Bremman. She smiled, and perhaps that was the twist of fate she had taken for granted.
She should do whatever it took to win Stev over. She thought of many things, perhaps wearing slightly more revealing clothes. She noticed that her garments were too modest, just a piece of fabric wrapped around her, concealing her figure and flattening her breasts.
She took extra care with her appearance, adjusting her flower crown, and spraying on some of the lotion that Stev loved to smell on her. Her cheeks flushed when he was about to kiss her.
And then she tripped over that stone. She always cursed herself for her simple misfortunes; her ankle was always giving her trouble, complicating her life with embarrassing accidents.
"Come on! Why are you taking so long?" Ferbela covered her breasts, startled by Rezo's audacity in entering her chambers without knocking.
"You should knock, godfather, it's not right for you to come in like that, and besides, you can't see me this way."
"Please, I wiped your butt when you were a baby, move it! Now!"
"Give me a reason not to kick you out," she glared at him, something the wolf didn't care about, finding her antics silly.
"Your handsome fiancé is outside, he wants to see you."
Ferbela's face showed disgust for Bremman; she didn't like him at all, much less did they get along. He was an unfaithful dog who took everything as a joke and always looked for ways to anger her and leave her stranded. She was fed up with that i***t Wells; the hatred was mutual.
She only wished he would break off the engagement, but he never did, and she could see it on the tip of his tongue, trying to say it. In the end, he was just a trembling puppy, afraid of his father, practically wetting his pants.
"Maybe he's come to break up with me."
"Does that make you sad?" Rezo replied sarcastically, and she rolled her eyes.
"I'll be glad if he acts like a real wolf and does it. I'll even respect him. He doesn't like me, and I can see the disgust he has for me. He's an arrogant, narcissistic, stupid son of a b***h, no offense to the moon of Reveland, but his scummy son is a damn cretin. I can see in his eyes that he'll be the ruin of us all if they don't lock him up."
"Are you sure about that?" Rezo asked. "You can see the future now."
Ferbela shook her head. She couldn't see her own future and only saw fragments of others', but they were so blurry, and if they had anything to do with her, they couldn't be clear.
She had no choice; she stood up, revealing her nakedness. Rezo went to get a towel to cover her. She wasn't embarrassed that he saw her naked, and he didn't look at her with any lewdness; there was trust between them. “I brought you something,” the wolf said, ordering one of the women to fetch it. “You’ll like it, maybe it will work.”
“So…” Ferbela’s fiery eyes lit up when she saw the beautiful, pearly dress, all delicate, thin fabric. She didn’t hesitate to thank her godfather for the gift. “It’s beautiful, it looks like something from a…”
—Queen, you are now, happy birthday Ferbela.
The nymph smiled; she couldn't believe he had given her a goddess's dress. The golden threads and the low neckline... she wouldn't wear those simple, square dresses anymore. Rezo knew how to cheer her up on sad days, and she was grateful that he remembered her birthday. She appreciated him keeping his word to protect her after Datalia herself had asked him to, and she understood why he couldn't be with her, breaking his promise.
She had done wrong when she was very young, but she only wanted to feel the warmth and love of a mother; what was wrong with that? She didn't deny that she enjoyed her love, and the day she had to let her go was the day a part of her was taken away by Datalia. She blinked a little because in those memories, those eyes full of hatred and anger stared at her.
She shook off her thoughts and wouldn't even say her name, and she hoped she wouldn't run into her, as she had promised that time when Bremman at least defended her. Years had passed, and although she should have married two years ago, an illness shook Hasreveland, postponing the engagement, and that, for her, was a sign that she shouldn't marry Bremman.
—Thank you, Rezo, it's very beautiful, I'll put it on now.
—I'll leave you so you can get dressed, and I'll talk to your dashing fiancé, who must be desperate.
—He shouldn't be, unless it's that slut he's sleeping with—she said with disgust. She didn't dislike Tatiana Pett, but the rumors were starting to spread, and Bremman wasn't discreet. —I don't know how I'll manage when I marry that i***t and have to give him children. The mere idea of him touching me... it disgusts me.
—You're a smart girl, you'll know what to do.
She took her time, as much time as she wanted to make him desperate. She didn't want to spend time with Bremman, so annoying and boring him was better than anything. She sprayed a little flower essence on her neck and applied golden oil to the curve of her breasts. The nymphs admired her beauty, and she blushed. Perhaps she was incredibly beautiful and radiated light, but it wouldn't touch the heart of the man she loved; it would be useless.
She stood up and swept her long braid, adorned with flowers, behind her, admiring herself. She noticed that her figure was more curvaceous, revealing her long, slender leg.
"My lady, you are a goddess."
"Thank you, but we both know I'm not a goddess. There was one, and we don't know when there will be another. We help keep the wall strong; we are the ones who do the work, and yet they still think we have no say before Alpha Reveland."
"It's a shame you have to marry that wolf, my lady. He doesn't deserve you," the woman covered her mouth, regretting her indiscretion, but Ferbela knew there was truth in her words.
"I won't leave you unprotected. You are my daughters, and I am your pillar. Marrying Bremman is just a matter of foolish agreements. He thinks he'll be the alpha here, but above all, I am the law, something that Alpha Salvatore himself doesn't understand. Taking me as his wife will make his son powerful, but I am not my grandmother, I am not my father, nor my ancestors. I am Ferbela of Hasreveland, and I am the queen; he will merely be a decorative consort," the nymph smiled, and they were pleased to hear her speak with such confidence. "It's time to see the fiancé," she said sarcastically.
Ferbela knew how to move sensually through the grand halls of Hasreveland; the servants bowed reverently to their nymph, whom they believed deserved to be a goddess. Her hair reflected flames, like her expressive eyes, a shimmering green with reddish glints, unique and characteristic of the goddess of the forest.
Bremman, impatient, turned to look at his fiancée. He surveyed her with his gaze, and even found her interesting to look at. It was the first time he hadn't seen her dressed in rags that covered her from her throat to her ankles; now she showed her true caramel-colored skin. He composed himself; it was Ferbela, the wolf reminded himself, the nymph he was supposed to dislike.
"I apologize for the delay, why have you come, Bremman?" she was direct and curt with her fiancé. "There's no appointment or invitation."
Alpha Bremman smiled; she could dress in the finest silk, but she was still an arrogant nymph. He clicked his tongue and tilted his head to see her better. Ferbela wasn't intimidated by the wolf's gaze; on the contrary, she faced him with annoyance, hoping he had come to break the engagement.
"We must go, my father is waiting for us," Ferbela frowned and looked at Rezo.
"I won't leave unless you tell me where."
"You always ask so many questions. I'm your fiancé, you just have to come with me." She became irritated, as he expected.
"You are only in name, because we both know this is a mistake. When will you be a true wolf and confront your father, and tell him you don't want this?" Bremman bit his lip defiantly and walked towards her. Rezo was ready if he tried anything. "We're leaving," he demanded with an alpha's gaze, and she gritted her teeth. "Remember who the alpha of everything is. You may be a little fairy and all that nonsense, but in the end, you're just a pawn of my father, and if he wants, he can take away these lands that once belonged to Reveland. Remember the history; what is given may not be taken back, but it can be destroyed. Think of them, of your children."
The nymph pressed her lips together. Bremman observed Ferbela's full lips, which looked almost ready to bleed. She shook off his grip and moved toward the door. Bremman looked at Rezo, who shook his head. He was just like his father, playing dirty, like a true damn Wells.
"I'm putting one foot outside of Hasreveland, so at least tell me where I'm going."
"To a celebration, what else?"
"Oh, I suppose your father must have gone to a lot of trouble for me," she hinted, referring to her birthday, something the wolf hadn't even wished her a happy birthday for, though she hadn't expected it anyway.
"To Diago Wells's engagement party," Bremman smiled.
Ferbela's face contorted, and she looked at Rezo, who shrugged. Her anger flared. Why hadn't he told her anything? She smoothed her hands over her dress. It was her birthday; perhaps the celebration was for her, not for attending that wolf's engagement party.
Not his.
She didn't want to see him.
And she knew why.
His threat echoed in her mind, reminding her.
She would see Diago Wells again.
Hello, thank you for reading this chapter.
The chapters will start like this.
The next one is about Diago.
Until the stories intertwine.
Although we know who the protagonists are.