Audra Farley

"Maybe you would've made a great queen"

The wind is the coldest during this time of the day. The full moon was up and the stars sparkled in the night sky as the breeze went harsh against my pale skin. I was bruised from the rough ropes against my arms and ankles. With my bare feet on the roof top, I struggled my way out and as always, every weak effort was futile. Perhaps, this would be the end of me. Not exactly as I expected and not as quick as I imagined either. If all went as it was to be, this would be one of the most painful deaths in the history of man. I was abducted from my home by someone I would not have, in a million years, expect it to be, and brought to the top of a building, far away from the ground. My arms and feet were tied and with the swift movement of her blade, I would be released to fall to my own death.

Originally, I concluded that she was sent from the Shaws. It could be that they figured out the woman in the red hood was me and that would mean I further broke the agreement that was already broken. Whatever way it would be, I was to be assassinated or at least that was my thought. Words became sentences and sentences to a conversation, yet, I couldn't understand why or who she was. One would call this a misunderstanding if she didn't go on to explain my whole life to me. It was almost as if she'd been watching me all my life. From highschool even to all that transpired between I and Olivia Shaw, she knew it down to the slightest details. Who would've thought anyone would put in so much time to a life like mine?

"I believed you'd be the one, the first great queen of Bellum. Strongest in the battle, fiercest on the throne, you had everything a queen could possibly ever need. You know, I saw it coming but I wouldn't have thought that after all I'd put in to be queen, you would take it all away from me"

"I am not a queen"

"Not yet, but you will be as soon as any of my dumb brothers see you and that problem has to be solved"

"By killing me?"

"I didn't bring you up here to kill you Astra, I brought you here to help you."

"By keeping me up here, where I'll possibly fall to my death?"

"I'm giving you a new life Astra or should I say, Samara"

Samara Shaw

Hours to days and days to weeks, there wasn't a trace of either Accius or Justin. No ruffling of the autumn leaves, no blow to the concrete wall, there was nothing. I did not think it would take this long, a few days was the maximum I expected. I never saw myself still here in the building for over five weeks, every day even worse than the last. There wasn't a thing that didn't make me think back to when I was free. Those few days with Accius and Justin was my only taste of complete freedom. It was quite the experience with everything chasing after my life but at least it's the only time I took responsibility for myself.

It was even worse than it was before I ran away. Vince protected the building against any single thing that could help me out of here. There was not a time I didn't have at least a pair of eyes staring at me. My room was the only place I didn't have everyone around but a peek outside the window and everyone is out to catch me. In fact, Vince would walk in every once in a while and in another form, he stayed at my balcony at night on all four paws. If I didn't know better, I would say he was simply protecting me to prevent anyone from walking in but with days I realized, he was more worried I would find my way out. Truthfully, I considered many ways I would leave the building but a single second wouldn't pass without someone watching.

I did not know what happened to Accius and Justin or why it's been so long since the day we separated and I didn't know if this truth has finally been discovered or at least something close to it. There wasn't more for a princess locked up in a castle. One could call me blind in a situation like this, cause I was more of a burden at this point than I'd ever been in my life.

"Samara"

"Leave me alone Vince. You don't see me running away, do you?"

"But I see tears on your cheeks, this isn't how your mother trained you"

"What is it to you the training I received? I'm not ready for your bickerings this evening Vince, please leave me alone"

"As you wish, do remember that the fate of your friends out there are in my hands and it's up to me to decide if they walk in or not."

"If that's a theat then I think I need to remind you of who I am"

"You don't know who you are"

"But I do know it's up to me decide whether or not you step on that throne as King and I can assure you with it is, I'll pick a fly over you"

"You don't have to make this difficult for us Samara, why wouldn't you ever see all I do is to protect you? For you to have a better life. It's more than obvious now that you don't understand the situation and you desire the truth more than you desire your own life"

"I fight for the truth as much as I fight for my life. Perhaps, you'll never understand that because you've lived your life being that perfect prince everyone wants you to be. Have you ever thought of life without being king, if I choose Accius over you?"

My words pierced deeper than I thought and the emotions on his face showed it. Not only did his eyes become darker but something about the atmosphere changed. The air, in something less than a second, turned cold. It was not enough to give me shivers but the change was evident and I could feel it on my open skin. One could compare it to the temperature that comes with winter with the only difference being the speed of occurrence. One of the many I'd seen in Thorne but the few I'd seen by Vince himself. Although, I'd seen him change to an animal a few times but it's different when I have no knowledge on all he was capable of and in a moment like this, what would happen next.

When my eyes met his, they changed once more. It was just as I saw him the first day I walked into this place. How I found myself on a separate wing and a man made me unconscious after seeing his glowing eyes. I passed out too soon to see it for more than the few seconds I did. It's different because I stared at them and I couldn't feel my eyelids falling or the world spinning around me. What I did see, however, is the beauty.

"Is this to fear me?"

"Who taught you this? Accius?"

"I don't understand"

"You're stronger, I like it"

One more glance and he lunged at me. It was sudden and I had less than a second to compose myself before I jumped off the bed. The sound of the metal cutleries hitting the wooden floor came first and then my body was the next. I felt his impact on the bed and wondered what would've become of me if I spent just a second more.

"Are you insane?"

"Let's see how strong you really are Astra"

"I'm Samara, I'm not Astra"

I never imagined Vince ever raising his hand to me. After all, he did tell me he would never hurt me. That was the only thing that kept me in this building, the belief all could go wrong but I would never have the smallest cut. The way he protected me, it was almost as if he would kill anyone that goes as far as touching a strand of my hair and here he is, trying to kill me himself.

"Oh you were Samara and I would never lay a finger but for Astra, I'll bring out the beast in me"

Back on my feet, my eyes scanned the room swiftly. I needed an escape cause no matter how far I'd gone in realizing who I am or that I'd freezed a juice or turn into a fox, I will never be able to fight a man as hunky as he was. Just a hit from him and I would have my bones in pieces and that he had other supernatural capabilities beyond my understanding, kept me in a more vulnerable condition. If I would make it out of this, I don't know but whatever I'm able to do, even if it's to run away, I'll do it.

"If you kill me, you'll never be king"

"Is that all you have? A simple threat? Truly you are queen and you hold the power to make me king but the Astra I know wouldn't hold on to that alone, you know why? Cause she knows that if she dies, Marianah will become queen and that'll be worse than I can ever be"

"Marianah"

The name escaped my lips and my mind was drawn back to her. That was Vince and Accius' older sister and she believed herself to be the rightful queen which is why she tried to kill me. If Vince successfully killed me, Marianah would be queen and neither Vince or Accius would ever step on the throne. This game didn't revolve around me alone, I was queen but i would lose my title the moment I breathe my last breath. On the other hand, what would it mean to him if his sister reigned as King over him? I'd never seen anyone as thirsty for power as Vince was, It didn't matter that happened or what it took, he wanted this more than any other person. Perhaps, that's the only reason I stayed alive here.

The next thing I did, was something out of the ordinary. Where the decision came from, I didn't know but I glanced at the window and the dark sky outside. There was a sudden rush of energy in me, it was just like the one I felt when I jumped down the window. Although it didn't end well, there was something about that minute that felt different from then, from every other time in my life. Whatever happens next happens and if I die, at least I die queen.

A few thumps of my feet on the wooden ground and I jumped out the window. The sound of the shattered glass around me and the wind in my ears as I went lower to the ground. My eyes stayed wide open as I rapidly went down. It was not until I was a few seconds away from hitting the ground that I was snapped back to reality and everything could have gone wrong at that moment if anything was to. It was that time I would've ended it all that I saw light. It wasn't any type of light, it was sunlight. I fell into a type of circle, almost like a portal. Every other thing was normal, except the little space that could fit just me and I didn't know what or when but I fell in completely and when I looked up, it was gone.

I was no longer in Thorne.