An Oath to my Serpent Prince!!

**Nora’s POV**

Ronin gave me a puzzled look, “Are you okay, Nora?” he asked, glancing at my pale face. I nodded, still scared about the crazy dream and Dark Shadow.

“I am trying to be okay”, I responded, with my hands instinctively wrapped over my body as the cold, sharp gushes of rough winds were stinging hard on the exposed parts of my skin. He gave me an amused reaction before turning around.

“Ronin, we need to talk before I can explain to you what happened between Rorik and me. This is something serious, and we need to be careful,” I told him, grabbing his hand.

He tried to shrug it off, “Stop ranting in circles and be quick for what you want to say. I don’t have time nor patience to handle you.”

“Please try to understand. I can explain. It was not our fault. The Dark Prince is doing all this,” I pleaded to him while he just kept on ignoring me.

“Really! First, you blamed Rebekah, and now you have another one to blame, some Dark Prince. Do you think of me as a fool? Is it written all over my face? Your fake innocence won’t work on me from now on. If not for our babies, I would never want to see your face nor your lover’s,” He bashed in a stern tone, trying to storm past me, but I attempted to grab his hand again, pleading him to at least listen, but he was in no mood to budge.

“Okay, Whatever! I am going to ravines right now and will be waiting for you, and if you didn’t come, then I swear you will never see my face again,” I threatened him, and trust me, I hated every word shooting out of my mouth, but I didn’t have any other way of making him listen to me. I know there is no excuse for my actions, but at least I want to try and then it’s his decision of what sort of punishment I deserve.

I went near the ravines and sat on the rock, which was on the edge of the steep ridge between the two plateaus of solid rocks. The valley beyond has the small puddles filled with dark-green foamy water up to the brim. At the same time, the surrounding areas of mud were coated with the white layer of salt and minerals which were shining under the illustrious aura of the moon or whatever heavenly body it was called as I knew, we were not on Earth as well as Crixus. This is altogether a different planet with biodiversity like Earth.

I stayed there for a couple of minutes, and he came following me.

“Don’t get any fake assurances. I just came to make sure that you are safe, and if you care for babies, put your ego in the back seat and start behaving responsibly. Lurking in this unknown place at night time is a stupidity,” He spoke. I was tempted to answer him back, ‘If you cared for babies, then you should have never brought me here.’ But I didn’t want to piss off my already pissed off prince, so I said, “Sorry, I will be careful, but we need to talk”. He threw his hands in the air and sighed defeatedly, taking the seat near me, looking at the steep ravines with the dark and hollow gaze.

“I am listening,” he said in a deep, thoughtful but hurt voice. I put my hand on his and turned it around, placing them on his muscular thighs. He was fazed, and his muscles shifted a bit with my touch as he stiffened his back but didn’t resist.

“I am not asking you for forgiveness as no amount of repent or remorse will take away the guilt from me. I know I am not worthy of you, your love but trust me, it’s not Rorik’s fault. It’s the Dark Prince who took over his body and controlled him. Rorik may have feelings for me, but he always knew how we loved each other and accepted our relationship wholeheartedly. He is innocent, and I was well aware of what I was doing, so I am at fault. I was in my senses. I am not excusing myself or trying to defend myself. Still, as you already know, I am constantly fidgeting between Nora and Rebekah, the kind of diabolical life I am living these days. It’s as if I am stuck, trapped in some labyrinth and the ability to differentiate between reality, dreams, and vision is turning foggy. I am no longer feeling my true self. The haunting memories, visions, relationships, traps, cunning schemes and enemies of my past are back to hunt me down again. The Dark Prince is here to claim me back, to punish me for making a fatal mistake of crossing him over. I am shrouded with the turbulence of overwhelming emotions. Sometimes I want to run away from everything, but it’s not so easy as my fate, as I am blood bound to the most ferocious predators who have no mercy in their eyes. It’s as if a curse has befallen upon me and everyone else connected to me,” I muttered with tears starting to brim up my eyes. Still, it didn’t stop me from venting out my thoughts due to the enormous pressure built in my mind, “I am not asking you to forgive me, but don’t loathe me. I need your support. I have given you my heart and will give my life as well. I swear I never thought of betraying you. It was just the heat of the moment. Rorik and I did some kisses and other things, but trust me, he didn’t enter me. The way my life has turned upside down, I never thought how I became unfaithful to you. Say it once that you don’t hate me, do this for me so I can die in peace. My tears are not fake. Please believe them for once. I will always love you.” I cry my heart out.

He silently sneaked out his solid arm around me and pulled my body to his in a tight embrace. He held my back firmly with his hands. I closed my eyes and held him tight as the rivers of tears trailed my cheeks.

“Ssh…Calm down…I…I understand,” he muttered in a deep voice close to my ears as his warm breath circled my cheeks, “Don’t be scared. Nothing will happen to you as my existence only lies to guard you and my babies fiercely. I won’t let anything happen to you till I am drawing breaths. I also need to tell you something, but let me make it clear, they are my thoughts, my feelings and I can be wrong,” He replied with a warning. I shoved a confused glare on him.

“I had already forgiven you and Rorik. Being a serpent, I am not only blessed with untamed, mighty, unmatched and unbeatable powers but also with sharp instincts and senses. I know beforehand if something bad is about to happen. A kind of feeling or uneasiness warns my subconscious mind of any jinxed or fateful events. Since the day I stepped foot on this place, a weird feeling has been engulfing my body as if things are not going to end well for me. I have this heaviness on my chest, an eerie feeling full of darkness which makes me believe that my end is coming very soon or some bad accident is bound to happen to me. I am even losing the hope that if I will be fortunate enough to see my babies’ faces and trust me, I am not scared to die. Still, the thought of being separated from you, devoid of a chance of seeing my babies just for once, holding them in my hands, caressing the softness of their skin and adoring their lovely smiles is killing me, crushing me to the core. Promise me, take an oath, if something happens to me, you will take care of my babies, give them all the love they deserve and accept Rorik as-” He trailed off with a heavy voice before continuing, “He will prove to be a much better father and a husband than me. He will keep you happier than me,” His sobbing voice shuddered me to the core. My breath hitched for a moment as my heart paced wildly in my chest. Blind panic has frozen me in time; shock gripped me as if my blood is frozen in my veins. The flood of tears raced through my cheeks as I abruptly moved away from his embrace.

“What are you saying? Hate me, loathe me, leave me, kill me or punish me in whatever way you desire but don’t do such kind of jokes with me,” I screamed, grabbing his hand with such a force as if it will rip out from its socket, I placed it on my tummy, “Swear in their names, you are joking. Is something happening to you? Are you not feeling well?” I blabbered incessantly as if a mad, possessed woman shaking wildly, not making sense of any words coming out from my dry mouth. My hands roved around his body in wild moves with frantic desperation of a drowned woman trying to hold on to any damn thing which could be her life-saver. “Are you injured, hurt? Did someone threaten you? Did you say something? Did you dream of something bad? Is Dark Prince trying to harm you?” I whined, trying to touch his body to check if he was injured or attacked. He gripped both my hands with his single iron fist and yanked me again to his chest,

“Ssh…Nora…Nothing is happening to me. No one threatened or attacked me, and I am well. It’s just what I am feeling. I can be wrong. These thoughts can be due to the worries of my unwavering, possessive and insecure mind. Maybe, I am stressed about all the emotional rollercoaster which you are going through, or maybe, I am worried about our babies. I didn’t think much of it before, but I realized the fatal mistake of dragging you here after coming here. I forced you behind the enemy lines defenceless. I never thought in my dreams that I would lose my powers. From the most ferocious predator, I have become a helpless lover and father whose planned defences went in vain. But like I am saying, it can be a false alarm, so don’t panic. If we both are together, then we can fight it out, emerging out as winners,” He muttered.

I don’t know for how long; I remained curled onto his body with my face drooped onto his chest. I felt his large hand trail up my neck and hold the back of my head. His fingertips did this light gripping motion in my hair, and I groaned at how nice and soothing it felt. It was having its desired effect as I started to relax enough, and he continued to do what he was doing. I felt guilty for not sharing that Crescent Lure was with me. I blindly trusted him, but I couldn’t risk telling him or anyone about Crescent Lure.

The necklace I saw in my dream and possession is different, like day and night. I am not sure about the authenticity of the Lure, which I have in my possession as the one in my dream was real as I saw Dasan making a portal with it. Still, I know my granny can never lie to me and hand me a fake thing. Yet, I need to protect it with my life as it’s the last hope to get us away from this dreaded planet. Well, I also need someone who can make a portal.

The dawn started to pour through the clouds, lifting our depressed moods bringing out the fresh wave of energy and willpower to move the mountains. His touch has a magical effect on me as if a hallucinogenic drug soothes my senses. I am grateful for being a part of his life, and I am taking an oath to always be faithful to him in front of the ravines of Azra, which is believed to be brimming with the holy spirits of the priests of Temple of Sanctum.

The brightness and essence of mornings give the Ravines of Azra the sacred and heavenly aura and breath-taking beauty.

“Legends say that if you close your eyes and pray to the spirits in the Ravines of Azra, they will show you what you truly desire. So, Ronin, crown-prince of Crixus, single-headed Orynx! What is it you truly desire?”

He closes his eyes to pray, “I only desire you, Nora. I don’t give a damn about this place. The only truth I know is you are both my destiny and desire. And the whole power of the Universe cannot change it. I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there is a life after that, I’ll love you then. I want you. All of You. Your flaws, Your mistakes, Your imperfections. I want you and only you. You are mine!”