The crackling of the fire and its fierce heat washed over Serenah. It matched the blaze of fury that was rapidly rising in her heart. She would no longer allow Alastar to hurt her. He was only a guard. He was not family. He was not her boyfriend. He had no right to tell her what to do.
Her eyes glowed with anger. She stood tall, her voice cold.
"Imperial Knight Alastar Luxnatus, you dare try to control a royal?"
Alastar's eyes widened, and he stared at her. She saw a flash of confusion before his true expression revealed itself.
He scoffed, smiling mockingly at her. He drawled, "My dear, dear princess, you are funny. You are weak, powerless, and useless. How can you hope to command me?"
His words landed, but she ignored them. Her bottled hurt, disappointment, and fury were not to be denied. Like a snake shedding its skin, Serenah was coming alive. Her fragile soul refused to be crushed any longer. Her mark pulsed with Fidelis's love for her.
She would not lose the one good thing in her life. It was time she changed. She would make a stand now. If she didn't do it now, she never would.
"You and my family label me as weak, useless, pathetic. I believed your words because I didn't know any better. Then Autem chose me. Told me that I was important. I still doubted. After all, didn't everyone say I was unnecessary, a burden, trash?"
She laughed. The sound, painful and sad, fell loud in the air, drowning out the noise of the wall of fire. Her expression felt stiff to her. She didn't even want to know what it looked like.
"Humans say the truth hurts. You can't run from your weakling status or ways. How I managed to tolerate you for this long, I have no clue." Alastar shrugged, his malicious grin betraying his kind tone. "Amanah has always been the better choice. Unfortunately for me, your sister is as picky as the king. Trying to be by her side was an impossible task. So I settled for what I could to achieve my goals. You were always a means to an end."
Each word bit into Serenah's soul. To hear Alastar's true thoughts after his years of service by her side froze her heart. Her soul and heart cried at the unfairness of it all. Was she fated always to have nothing but hurt and betrayal by those she tried to be close to?
She shook her head. No. Not everyone viewed her as her family and Poten nobility did. She had made friends with the lower classes and with Fidelis and his family. It was time to move forward and claim the life she desired.
Her response to Alastar was icy and determined. "I refuse to be shackled by all of you. I have found someone who sees my worth and will help me explore it. By his side I will stay and live. And you, my former friend, do not get a say in the matter."
Serenah reached inside her magic and found the thread that bound her to Alastar. It was a swirling gray with hints of orange. She should have recognized his intentions from the color of the thread. She had been blind in so many ways. Not anymore. Never again.
She kept her gaze on Alastar, alert for any sudden moves. He stood there seemingly unbothered by her words, condescending smirk still in place. He didn't see her as a threat. He was about to learn that underestimating her was dangerous.
Her royal power pooled in her belly before streaking out through her veins and slamming into their bond. Alastar's eyes narrowed.
"Are you trying to overpower me with that pitiful amount of ability? This is why you are easily discarded," he chortled.
Serenah ignored him. That first rush of power from her was a feint to hide her real actions. While Alastar gloated, she used her healing ability to twine it with his thread. She often did this when helping the severely injured. It gave her control of their body. Usually, she placed a temporary hold, but for Alastar, she would make it permanent.
She had to protect herself and Fidelis. She would grasp the future she desired. Her family would not hear of the secrets revealed here today.
Once her power had fully threaded with his, she smiled and yanked. She felt a second of resistance before it crumbled. She froze her former friend's limbs. Alastar's roar of shock rent the air just as the wall of flames blew apart and disappeared. Standing there, his posture rigid, was Fidelis.
"Sera!" he cried, making a beeline for her.
"Hello, Romeo, I mean Fidelis," she shyly corrected herself.
He stopped in front of her, his gaze quickly roaming over her before returning to her face.
"Did he hurt you?"
She shook her head. "No. He won't be hurting me ever again," she added.
Fidelis tilted his head and stared into her eyes. She saw his confusion and turned to point to the immobilized, swearing Alastar.
Fidelis's gaze moved to Alastar, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Sera, um what…?"
She grinned, feeling free for the first time in a long time. "I can't let him tell my father about your identity."
"So, you…what? Froze him?"
"Yes and no. That's not all I'm doing." She stopped explaining and walked over to Alastar. His cursing increased.
"You stupid, weak bitch! You'll pay for this!" snarled Alastar, rage burning bright in his eyes.
"I've already paid for it," Serenah calmly replied. She smiled sadly at Alastar's confused look. "Every day that you were by my side, lying to my face, I paid for it. Every time my father made me bleed when he punished me, I paid for it. I always wondered how he knew when I would sneak out to help the people. Why something that was supposed to be a secret always made it swiftly into the light of day."
She tugged on her bond to Alastar and forced his mouth shut. No matter how much he tried to speak, he couldn't open his mouth.
"Much better," murmured Serenah. She stared at Alastar for a long time. Her mind tumbled about various ideas of how to keep her former friend under control. She hadn't experimented much with a bond binding before. She felt like she could do it.
"Sera?"
She startled from her thoughts when Fidelis's hand touched her shoulder. She turned to her left and gazed into his eyes. The beautiful gray was replaced with a sky blue that made the sky's color pale in comparison. She could happily drown in his eyes. She blinked, blushed, and looked away at his knowing smile.
"It's nothing," she mumbled before tapping her power.
It hummed in response. She could do this. She returned her gaze to Alastar's hate-filled expression. She took a calming breath. It was time.
"Alastar, for the crime of treason against royalty, I will sever your bond and bind you to a vow of silence and slave obedience."
Serenah ignored the gasps of surprise from Fidelis's guards. She knew that doing this to Alastar could be viewed as cruel. She didn't care. Her empathy was gone. What she was about to do did not bother her. A curious numbness resided in her at this moment. She didn't ponder it too deeply. She had to wrap this up.
She pulled her power to the front and felt heat in her eyes as they glowed with her power. The swirling gray with hints of orange thread that bound the two of them appeared in the air between them. She saw Alastar's eyes widen in fear. She took no pleasure in it. She never wanted to hurt anyone, but she refused to be a victim anymore.
She held up her right hand, bathed in a soft violet light, and touched the thread. She ignored Alastar's terror that rolled through their bond. The thread writhed in agony as her power fought his. She increased her power until the gray and orange in the thread vanished, and turned red.
The thread pulsed in time with the beating of her heart. She could feel Alastar. His will was hers now. She trailed her glowing hand across the thread and to his chest. She looked into his eyes and saw a flicker of red in his eyes. She had done it. It brought her no pleasure, though.
"I command you to a vow of silence on the events of today, the truth regarding Prince Fidelis and those around him. I seal you in silence, and if you violate this bond, I condemn you to the darkness of your mind and the shattering of your soul."
Serenah's entire body was enveloped in a violet glow that pulsed twice before slamming outward into Alastar. He let out a pained grunt and fainted. She lowered him to the ground, turned, and ran into Fidelis's arms.