"I would be a fool to marry you," Cyra spat at the arrogant prince sitting in front of her.

He looked unimpressed, and didn't utter a word. The temperature around them dipped, she knew it was his doing. His eyes somehow became bluer than before.

Cyra knew she had to play her cards right. Aenon was a powerful kingdom, but it was severely fractured on the inside. After the death of the late king, the court turned upside down, and Crown Prince Ezra needed an heir to maintain his position, or the court would overthrow him and scrabble to piece apart his kingdom. Unfortunately for him, Cyra had already decided that she wasn't going to be the one to provide him with anything.

The wind around Cyra had an icy bite to it, drying out her throat. She swallowed before continuing, trying to keep her emotions in check, and her voice from shaking. "Electra has no reason to form any kind of alliance with Aenon. I think you have misunderstood the recent dip in our economy. Electra is stable now, we won't need any foreign help."

But Ezra knew that. He knew that Cyra was able to bring her kingdom's economy back to normal before news even reached the other kingdoms. That's what made her an invaluable asset to Electra. That combined with her blue fire ability, she could overturn the entirety of the Aenon kingdom if she really wanted to. Marrying her would not only secure his power, it would cement it. And with an heir, no one would question his authority.

Besides, he needed her to answer some of his...personal questions as well.

The door behind Cyra opened suddenly, and she finally realized why she had started to lose feeling in her limbs, and her head was aching. With every word, Ezra had been layering the room with ice, and sheets of ice that formed on the doors had shattered when the door burst open. Cyra's mother walked in, an evident frown slashed on her face.

"I think it's time for you to leave, your majesty," she said to Ezra.

The prince had said nothing since his marriage proposal, and continued his silence as he stood up abruptly, and walked out of the room. Cyra's mother quickly threw a couple sparks at each cold torch and quickly brought the room's temperature back to something of more comfort as she walked to her daughter, who was still sitting on her chair, stunned by the prince's actions.

"What did he want from you?" she asked, melting off the pieces of ice that had begun to form on the ends of her daughter's hair. Cyra breathed in the heat, welcoming it. Even that small of a dose had stopped her head from aching quickly.

"An alliance," she replied halfheartedly.

"And you declined?" her mother asked in surprise, freezing momentarily. "Wouldn't it have been beneficial?"

"It was worthless. Besides, we don't need another kingdom to protect us." Cyra knew her mother would be angry if she told her what the alliance was really about.

"Then in that case I hope he isn't coming back." Her mother sighed. "Such temperatures are going to ruin your hair. Look, your skin is already so dry! Go soak in a hot bath for a bit. Go!"

"Let me warm up first, otherwise my skin's going to tear," Cyra said, standing up, and her mother led her out of the room.

Ezra sighed, and he sat down on the bed in the guest room. The warmth circled him, holding him in a tight, uncomfortable embrace, making him sick. With a growl, he froze the torches. Darkness fell upon the room as the fire dwindled out. A chill fell upon the room and he was able to think properly again.

A loud knocking came from outside the door, making Ezra's ears perk up. He waited for a moment, before realizing that he wasn't in his own kingdom, and had to go open the door. He walked up to the door reluctantly, to see that it was the queen walking in with her daughter by her side. Her face expressed immense displeasure and almost looked irritated at the sight of him.

"Your majesty," he said, breaking eye contact to go into a deep bow.

"Prince Ezra," she started. "You never cease to amaze me with your antics. Rise."

A small grin was laid out across his lips, contrasting the fierce look on Queen Emilia's face. She gestured for them to sit down at a tea table nearby. Emilia quickly relit the torches that Ezra had put out. Ezra tried not to squirm from the discomfort. Cyra shifted from behind her mother's shield and scurried over to the chair opposite to Ezra.

"Why are you here?" Emilia asked, getting straight to the point. She remained standing to tower over the two of them in the event that something would go awry.

"To marry your daughter, of course," he stated as if it were the most simple request in the world. He folded his arms, resting them on the table. "I was under the belief that it would be a mutually beneficial alliance. But unfortunately, I was turned away."

"We don't need the Aenon kingdom," Cyra's voice came, miniscule compared to the two of them. "Not once in history has there been an Electra-Aenon alliance."

Argument was not her strongest point, Ezra noticed.

"History can be changed," Ezra said, looking directly into Cyra's eyes, challenging her. She looked away first.

"Ezra. I don't think it's dark outside. I will ask the servants to prepare your carriage," Cyra's mother said, ending the conversation. "Cyra, call the head maid. She will sort this out."

She grabbed her daughter's hand and took her out of the room, leaving Ezra by his lonesome. The heat made him sick again.

This wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be easy. Electra isn't as powerful as the other two kingdoms, so why was it so difficult to find a weakness within the walls? These thoughts roamed his head, as he sat there, feeling defeated.

The maid entered the room, looking worn-out from the day she had endured.

"Good evening, your highness," she said, dropping into a curtsy. "Please tell me where your belongings are so that I may take them away."

An idea struck. Wasn't this Cyra's maid? Could she possibly know things that other people didn't?

He got up and slowly walked towards the servant. She hadn't realized she was frozen in place. The girl started shivering as Ezra stalked closer to her.

"What do you do in the palace?" he asked.

"I'm one of the Queen's ladies in waiting," she stuttered.

"If you fear for your life, then you won't lie to me." He was standing right in front of her now, and her skin had started to form thin sheets of ice. "By what does the Queen fear?"

The servant kept her lips closed tightly. Treason was not taken lightly in Electra.

"Nothing." she whispered.

Lies, and they both knew it.

"Little girl," Ezra sighed, tilting her chin up so she looked directly into his eyes. "I understand where your loyalties lay. I know your family would be deeply disappointed if you died. Give me one weakness. You will be compensated for it."

The ice had started to solidify, slowing her blood.

"By what does the Queen fear?" Ezra asked, planning on killing the girl if she didn't give him a straight answer.

"The princess," the maid whispered. Ezra killed off some of the ice, as she continued. "Princess Cyra hasn't been able to use her blue fire. Or any fire at all. The Queen fears that it may be an easy weakness for others to exploit."

Ezra grinned. That was all that he needed. He knew exactly what he needed to do.

Ezra strode confidently back into the throne room, confusing Queen Emilia, all of the courtiers, and the rest of the royal family. The court session that was taking place completely froze, as everyone turned to see who the newcomer was. Everyone around him was wearing some shade of red or orange, making Ezra painfully stand out with his blue clothes.

He walked all the way down the courtroom, and bowed deeply, rising on his own this time, not waiting for the queen to tell him to do so.

"I was about to leave, but I do have one more thing to say. To Cyra, specifically. May I have a word?" he asked, addressing the queen.

The courtroom had gone from dead silence to buzzing with confusion within seconds. Emilia thought for a moment before nodding, and Cyra followed Ezra into the hallway.

"Whatever else you have to say, I don't want to hear it," Cyra said. She only became more confused when Ezra started laughing. He doubled over, his entire head falling to the level of his waist. He raised his head, a devious smile played on his lips.

"Funny how you think you have authority over me," he crossed his hands over each other, leaning against the wall, completely at ease. He even took the liberty of blowing out some of the torches around them.

"I'm sorry?" Cyra asked, slightly flinching when the lights dimmed.

"The marriage proposal is no longer a proposal. It's a demand," Ezra stated.

"Have you lost your damn mind?" Cyra called out. He had no power to declare any of that. "Or have you not realized that you're still in Electra?"

"Colorful words for a colorless princess. Feisty too. Unfortunately your abilities don't match."

"What do you mean?" Cyra's voice had reached a whisper.

"I hear your fire is..." He paused for a moment to take in her reaction. Her little confidence had sunken into the ground, and she looked nauseous. Ezra grinned. "Nonexistent, isn't it?"

"Don't," she choked out.

"Don't what, princess? Where's the Cyra I saw earlier?"

"F-fine. Speak," she said, the rage being suppressed in her chest. He could hear her teeth grinding; Ezra smiled at his apparent victory.

"I'm no longer asking you to marry me. I'm telling you that you will. Besides, a kingdom with a powerless heir is up for grabs," his face had morphed into one of complete seriousness. "You can either marry me, or watch your dear kingdom fall to ruin."

He stopped speaking and allowed her to think about her options. It was between the fall of Electra or a marriage alliance with Aenon. Only one choice would save everyone from death. Unfortunately, it was the one that also put Cyra in an uncomfortable situation. She spun around on her feet and ran out of the corridor, making sure to not look behind her.

One of Ezra's knights walked in, baffled at the sight he had just witnessed. He stopped in his tracks to address his supervisor.

"Your majesty," he bowed curtly. "We are ready to depart. Do you have everything you require?"

"Almost everything," Ezra said, strolling out of the hallway. He caught up to Cyra who was standing beside her siblings, trying to blend in with the crowd.

"Let's go," he said, looking directly at her. She refused to look up, drawing more attention to herself, but Ezra persisted with his indirect commands.

"Come on."

He turned around, and walked down the length of the courtroom, and then stepped out. His knight walked up to him, and escorted him out of the palace. Ezra knew Cyra was smart enough to follow him, so without hesitation, he stepped into a carriage, and waited for his bride.

"Shall we leave, your highness?" The knight asked. He held up a hand to stop him from speaking any further.

"We're missing someone," he told him. "Where is she, I wonder?" He scanned the area for any sign of Cyra, but found none. He scowled, grabbing the handle of the door to slam it shut, but then he saw her running out of the palace.

Her maids were carrying her luggage, trailing not far behind. They all looked concerned as she directed them to the carriage.

"I'm here," she announced to everyone standing near her. The servants began loading all of her things, but Emilia stepped forward, fuming.

"Cyra! What is the meaning of this?" She yelled at her daughter. Several of the gardeners looked over at what the commotion was, confused to see their crown princess getting into an Aenon carriage. A crowd started gathering in a ring around the carriage.

"I'm going to Aenon," she told her mother, looking back at Ezra who couldn't contain his grin. "I'm getting married to Ezra."

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