He ChoseThe Wrong Daughter

Ryophlira POV

The tang of blood filled my throat as the dream replayed the horror in agonizing slow motion. I watched my own hands drive the blade deep into Ari’s stomach, feeling the sickening slide of metal parting flesh. I was screaming, cradling her collapsing body as the life drained from her eyes, my tears mixing with the blood pool spreading across the floor.

Then, the nightmare shifted.

The darkness ruptured into a sky raining ash and fire. I was ten years old again, and the entire West Kingdom was burning around me. The air was thick with the scent of burning flesh and smoke. My father held my small, trembling body tightly in his arms, his royal robes completely soaked in blood. Down in my own tiny, clawed hands, I was clutching Benny’s severed, lifeless head.

Ail was right, a cruel, whispering echo drifted through the smoke of my subconscious.

You should have died back then. Everyone would be better off if you were dead.

The guilt crushed me like a physical weight. How could I ever be a queen when all I knew how to do was destroy everything and everyone I loved?

My chest suddenly felt incredibly heavy, and a strand of hair tickled my nose. I gasped, coughing slightly as my eyes flew open. The blinding light of our bedroom flooded my vision. I blinked through the haze, looking down at my chest.

Ari’s head was resting right over my heart, her breathing soft and rhythmic.

"Ari!" I shrieked, bolt upright in the bed.

"Mmm... not so loud," Ari grumbled, wincing slightly as she was jolted awake by my sudden movement.

I didn’t care. I threw my arms around her neck, pulling her into a crushing, desperate squeeze. The hot tears instantly burst past my eyelids, pouring down my cheeks as a sob tore from my lungs. My words came out broken, tangled up in frantic gasps.

"I thought—I thought I killed you, Ari! I saw the blade, I saw the blood, I thought you were gone!"

Ari froze for a second before her arms wrapped securely around my back. She held me tightly, her own eyes glossing over as she used one hand to wipe my tears away as fast as she could.

"Shh, Ry. Look at me. You could never kill me. I promise you, I will always be right here with you."

We sat wrapped in each other’s arms, crying out the terror of the battlefield until the heavy click of the bedroom door drew our attention.

Yue-Senn walked into the chamber. His shirt was completely undone, hanging loosely from his broad shoulders to reveal his heavily muscled chest which was currently splattered with fresh, drying blood. I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, staring at him.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Yue-Senn let out a dark, dry chuckle, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Where should I even start? Your dear father? Wait, no, maybe you? Or should we talk about the rats from the South that I caught poking around?"

He shrugs out of his ruined shirt entirely, tossing the bloody fabric carelessly onto a chair before turning on his heel and stepping straight into our attached bath.

Ari and I shared a look, a sudden burst of girlish relief washing over the heavy atmosphere, and we both giggled. Ari shyly shoved my shoulder, her cheeks flushing a light pink.

I turned to her, my expression growing serious.

"Are you okay? Like... really okay?"

"I promise you, I am," Ari smiled softly, her eyes shining with absolute sincerity.

"As long as I have you by my side, I am completely okay."

Before I could reply, the door swung open again. My brother Riegthar walked into the room, balancing a large silver tray stacked with fresh fruits, warm bread, and soup.

The moment his eyes saw that we were both awake and sitting up in bed, he set the tray down on the nightstand with a loud *clatter* and ran straight to the side of the bed. He gave me a slight, push out of the way, completely ignoring my existence as he hauled Ari into a massive, desperate embrace.

He cradled the back of her head, burying his face in her neck before pulling back to cup her face with his large hands. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, his eyes scanning every inch of her body frantically to ensure she wasn’t hiding any injuries.

I sat there, watching the display with a mixture of utter confusion and growing irritation. I cleared my throat loudly.

"Excuse me? So you are just going to completely ignore your own sister?"

Riegthar didn’t even blink in my direction. I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

"You guys have been completely unconscious for two days," he muttered, his focus still locked entirely on Ari as he adjusted the pillows behind her back.

"Seriously?" I gasped, my jaw dropping.

"Two days?"

"Yes," he replied curtly. He pulled the silver tray back over, settling it carefully on the mattress, and picked up a spoon to start personally feeding Ari the warm broth.

This brat, I thought to myself, an annoyed twitch forming under my eye.

"Hey, your sister is sitting right here, starving," I complained, crossing my arms.

"Be quiet," Riegthar shot back without looking up.

"Your food is down in the kitchen if you want it."

Frustrated, I yanked the sheets toward myself. The sudden movement made the silver tray tilt, the bowls sliding dangerously close to the edge. Riegthar lunged forward, catching the tray just in time, and shot me a, dark look that clearly screamed

*quit it right now*.

I stubbornly stuck my tongue out at him. Ari let out a bright, melodic laugh at our childish antics, the sound instantly warming the room.

Feeling incredibly sticky, yucky, and covered in the sweat of a two-day coma, I threw the covers off my legs and swung my feet out of bed. I walked straight toward the bathroom, completely forgetting that Yue-Senn had walked in there just moments prior.

I pushed the doors open and stepped into the sanctuary of the bath. The room was breathtaking, illuminated by the warm, flickering glow of dozens of candles nestled into carved wooden arches and marble shelves. The dark green marble floors gleamed beneath the soft light, and the massive sunken oval bath was already filled to the brim with steaming, crystal-clear water, the lion-headed spout pouring a steady stream into the pool.

In one fluid movement, I gathered my tangled hair up into a high, messy bun, holding it in place as I reached my hands around to the back of my gown, desperately trying to unlace the tight corset and stubborn zipper.

Suddenly, a massive, towering shadow hovered directly over my back. The fine hairs on the nape of my neck stood up instantly. Before I could move, a pair of warm hands gently brushed mine away from the fabric. Slowly, his fingers began to undo the intricate lacing of my dress.

I slowly turned my head over my shoulder. Yue-Senn was standing directly behind me, completely naked, his skin shimmering under the candlelight as he leaned down to unlace the remaining ties of my corset.

I swallowed exceptionally hard, my throat running completely dry.

"Why so scared, little bird?" his deep, gravelly voice purred against my ear, sending a shiver straight down my spine.

"We have done so much more than you just see me naked."

With a soft rustle, my heavy dress dropped completely to the marble floor. My hands immediately flew up in a panic one covering my bare chest, the other pressing down to shield my lower body. I kept my back strictly to him, refusing to turn around completely.

I could hear the deep, rumbling vibration of his amused smile against my shoulder blade. I could feel the heat of his rigid, hardened length pressing firmly against my bare back, a silent testament to his hunger.

Then, the heavy thud of his footsteps retreated, his dark shadow shifting away from me. A loud splash echoed through the space as he settled his large frame into the deep, sunken water of the tub.

"Are you going to stand there shivering all night, or are you actually going to get in?" he asked, his voice echoing off the dark green marble walls.

I kept my arms locked over my body. "I don’t think we should get in together."

Yue-Senn tilted his head back against the marble rim of the bath, looking me dead in the eye with a wicked smirk. "Ry, I have literally licked, sucked, and explored every single inch of your beautiful body. So you can either get in here on your own, or I can gladly come out there and help you."

I held his intense, unwavering gaze for a few silent seconds. Realizing he wasn’t bluffing, I carefully stepped forward, keeping my arms crossed over my front until the very last second before slipping into the steaming water on the exact opposite side of the tub.

We sat perfectly matching each other’s postures, facing one another across the ripples.

"That’s a good girl," he murmured.

"Don’t call me that," I snapped, glaring at him through the steam.

"Can you at least pretend that you love me the way you did before?" he asked, a subtle, sharp edge cutting through his playful tone.

"At some point, I am actually allowed to face reality, Yue-Senn."

He chuckled, leaning his arms along the edge of the deep tub, completely unbothered by the gravity of the situation.

"You don’t seem particularly scared or concerned about what happened back at the West palace." I said resting my chin on my knees.

"Because I already know exactly what I need to know," he countered.

"You are incredibly arrogant."

"It’s my primary charm, darling."

"Whatever," I muttered, turning my head away to look out the towering arched window into the dark, snowy night.

"The North is now an official enemy of the West Kingdom," Yue-Senn stated casually, breaking the silence.

My head snapped back toward him, my eyes wide.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ry, you launching a assault against your own mother, me coming to your defense by fighting your father, and the two of us effectively destroying a third of their royal palace... that completely breaks terms in the contract."

"Shit," I whispered, the crushing weight of reality settling back onto my shoulders.

"Shit indeed," Yue-Senn agreed, raises an eyebrow. "You clearly didn’t think that through before you decided to go on a complete, rampage."

"I am sorry," I muttered, looking down at the swirling water. "I... I couldn’t control it. The darkness took over."

"That’s fine," he replied smoothly, his tone shifting into something purely tactical. "Your parents will be arriving here in exactly two days to negotiate an entirely new contract. They are running critically low on teleporting crystals after the damage, and to be frank, so are we."

I leaned forward. "What about the South? Has there been any movement from them since I’ve been out?"

"According to the Southern spy whose skull I personally crushed out in the courtyard earlier..." Yue-Senn’s eyes darkened, a vicious glint appearing in his gaze.

"...your dear sister, Ail, has already officially wed the Prince of the South. She has already made her first political move to get the King of the Elves to join her forces for the upcoming war."

My heart dropped. "Then we need to move immediately. We have to get the East Kingdom on our side before she locks them down."

Yue-Senn narrowed his eyes, studying my face carefully. "Are you absolutely sure, darling, that it’s the wisest choice to choose them? Instead of following your sister’s lead and attempting to recruit the other outside nations?"

"I am completely sure," I stated firmly, my voice leaving no room for argument. "Trust me on this."

"Well then, my Queen..." Yue-Senn stood up from the sunken tub, the water cascading down his sculpted, dripping torso. He stepped out onto the marble floor, completely unbothered by his nudity.

"...you better make damn sure that every single card you play from here on out counts. Because the war has officially begun... and we are nowhere near finished."

He grabbed a plush towel, wrapping it around his waist as a dangerous smirk spread across his lips. His eyes suddenly flashed a glowing green in the candlelight.

"Enjoy your bath. I will use the secondary bathroom down the hall. I need to make sure you are fully, perfectly rested... before I finally devour you."

With a final, lingering look that promised absolute wicked sin, he turned and strode out of the bathroom, leaving me alone with the steam and the cold reality of a fractured world.