Chapter 202 Chapter 0202

Chapter 202 Chapter 0202
AERITH'S POV

"Lucien!" My scream tore through the night as a sharp pain sliced across my back, so sudden and intense that my knees nearly gave out beneath me. I gasped, clutching my chest. That wasn't my pain; I knew it was Lucien. I closed my eyes, desperately reaching for the bond between us. 'Lucien?' I called, but he didn't answer, I tried again, 'Lucien, can you hear me?' I screamed through the mind, 'Lucien!' when another pain hit me; this time, he whispered my name.

'Aerith!'

'Are you...' Before I could finish, his mind was already shut, and I couldn't feel his emotions again. 'Lucien!' I screamed more, but it was a dead end; it was complete silence. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs. I had been waiting at the riverbank for hours, right from the moment the mind-link between us had faded. I had teleported myself from Lucien's chamber to this place, just as he had told me. He had promised he would come back to me. So I waited, one minute became ten, ten became an hour, then several hours. I had tried reaching him countless times, but every attempt ended the same way. His mind was completely closed to me now. I kept telling myself he was fine, he had to be. Lucien was strong; he was a prince, a dragon; he would come back for me. I hugged myself as I stared across the river. I kept praying to the gods that this day wouldn't turn out like the other days. "One more minute," I whispered, just one more minute, then he would appear. I would see his ridiculous smile, his cocky face, and he would tell me how those dragons and vampires are too lazy to even fight. And then I would hit him for making me wait this long. I almost smiled at my stupid thought, then another wave of pain struck me. I cried out because this was the worst; I could feel his pain traveling through the bond like a blade being dragged across my skin. 'Lucien!' I stumbled backward, then I heard his voice; this time, it was faint, broken, filled with agony, unlike the first time.

'Aerith!' My heart shattered.

'Lucien!' I reached for him, but before I could grasp the connection, his voice disappeared again, and this time, it disappeared with every emotion; the fear, the pain, the anger; everything vanished. My breathing stopped. "Lucien?" I called desperately, but it was nothing; fear enveloped me. "No!" I screamed, shaking my head, "No! No!" I tried again, "Lucien!" I screamed, not sure if I was screaming into the mind or outwardly, but it was still nothing. Panic clawed its way through my chest. I couldn't feel him; I couldn't hear him; I couldn't sense his presence. It was as if someone had ripped him out of my soul. "Fuck!" I cursed, wiping the tears gathering in my eyes. "I can't stay here anymore; maybe I shouldn't have listened when Lucien asked me to just wait here." I reached beneath my dress and pulled out my dagger, if Lucien was in danger, I would find him myself, I turned toward the battlefield, he said it was at the Eastern border, not sure how the war had spread but I was heading there, I barely took one step

"Aerith!" I heard my name, and I froze. The voice came from behind me. Slowly, I turned, and my blood ran cold; it was Queen Aria. She stood several feet away while Jael stood beside her. I immediately took a step backwards, my hand tightened around my dagger.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, as my eyes went from one woman to the other, neither woman answered, Jael just smiled, and it wasn't a friendly smile, it was the same smile she gave me when she and her minions attacked me a few weeks ago, and now she wore the same smile., I glanced around, no guards, no warriors, just the three of us, my instinct screamed at me to run, I turned, but Aria moved faster, she sliced her palm with a small blade and flung her blood towards me, the scent hit me, my stomach turned violently, "What the hell did you..." My words suddenly tilted, my vision blurred, and my legs became weak. I tried to teleport, but it was too late. I shouldn't have thought of running the first time. "No." My dagger fell from my hand, and I reached for my magic again; it felt distant, faint, and blocked. "What did you do to me?"  Aria's face blurred before me then darkness swallowed everything. "Hah! I gasped awake, as cold water splashed across my face, my eyes flew open, for a moment, I didn't know where I was, then I tried to move, I couldn't my wrists were tied, my ankles too, I looked down, I was strapped to a wooden chair, panic surged through me, "Let me go!" My voice echoed through the room. I pulled against the ropes; they tightened painfully around my wrist. "Who is there? Let me go!" I screamed louder, then a laugh came from in front of me. Queen Aria stepped into view; my stomach dropped. "You!" She smiled.

"Yes, it's me, your worst nightmare."

"Let me go, I have no business with you." She laughed,

"So you can ruin my son's life just like your mother ruined mine."  I stared at her.

"What are you talking about?" She walked toward me. I barely had time to react before her hand struck my face. A hard slap met my cheek. My head snapped to the side. Pain exploded across my cheek. Blood gathered in my mouth. I slowly turned back and spat the blood onto the floor. "I did you no wrong," my voice shook, but I refused to lower my eyes. "Let me go if you don't want to face Lucien's wrath." Aria laughed,

"You still think my son will save you?"

"He will." I said without hesitation, "Lucien will come for me," Jael stepped forward,

"You think this is a game." She kicked the leg of my chair. I flinched, biting my lower lip. I can't afford to let my magic out; maybe a little patience. I could get the information about my mother from this sly woman. "You ruined my face." My brows furrowed as her voice trembled with rage. She wiped the makeup away from her face, and there I saw the mark- the one that cat I had imagined left on her face. I didn't think it was a permanent mark. Gods, I wanted to laugh; she looked ugly without the makeup.

"How is that my fault?" I spat out. “You are ugly.”

"You," she screamed, ready to lunge at me, when Aria grabbed her hand. "Let go," she swatted her hand away from Aria. "I will make sure to make you suffer for this and for what your lover did to me." I looked at her with furrowed brows. "Your lover destroyed everything that I had." I stared at her.

"Stop beating around the bush, be specific with your words."

"You know exactly what I am talking about." She crouched in front of me. "You are the one who told him that I was having an affair with Thalion, and now Thalion doesn't want me anymore because he thinks I betrayed him by confessing the truth to everyone." My eyes narrowed. "And Drayen," her expression twisted, "he will never continue with the marriage because he thinks I am promiscuous." I almost wanted to roll my eyes, then she laughed bitterly. "That is, if he even survives the war." A chill ran through me.

"What did you say?" Jael stood upright.

"I said only if he survived the war." My heart began pounding; not that I cared about Drayen, but somehow her words had left me restless.

"What did you do?" She smiled.

"I made sure he wouldn't get away alive." I pulled violently against the ropes, acting vulnerable, so I could get more information.

"You planned the war?" Jael laughed.

"Not just me." I already know who is in this with her, of course, it had to be Thalion. "It was Thalion and I." I didn't react because I know Thalion is a traitor. As Elora said, Thalion could do anything just to get the throne. "They will all fall by the sword." She leaned closer. "Everyone." I shook my head.

"Not everyone." She laughed.

"Of course, except Thalion." My stomach twisted.

"You are insane."

“Maybe." Jael shrugged. "But soon I will have nothing left to lose." I struggled, turning to Queen Aria to see if her heart would melt because of her son.

"Queen Aria!" She looked at me, "You need to let me go,"

"Why?"

"I need to help Lucien, I could fight beside him." My voice came out in a ragged gasp. "Your son is out there fighting, your soldiers are fighting, the vampires are attacking, and there is no one beside him. I could fight beside him; I could help him with the war." Aria smiled.

"My son will never die,"

"You didn't know that!" She laughed

"He cannot die." Her confidence frightened me, but I couldn't give up.

"Then let me go."

"No." She stepped closer. "My son will survive the war; he always does." Her expression hardened. "But you," she grabbed a dagger from the sheath at her side, "will die." The blade reflected the dim light of the room. I shook my head.

"Aria, you think you could kill me?" I asked, she laughed raising the dagger

"Yes, I can." She said confidently. I smirked inwardly. Stupid woman, I said mentally, as I called to my magic, letting the robes loosen around me.

"Any last words?" I swallowed.

"Yes," her eyebrows lifted, "that I love your son." For a second, something flickered across her face. "But I will tell him that, myself." And that angered her.

"My son is mine alone" she screamed and throw the dagger towards me, I lifted my head, ready to used my eyes to control the dagger, but a body suddenly moved between us, the blade sank into his flesh, my eyes widened, as blood splashed across my face, across my chest, across my clothes, my eyes went to the person that stood directly in front of me. His blood poured from his body. "No!" Aria screamed, stepping forward. "What have you done?" He staggered, his knees nearly buckling. I stared at the dagger buried in him, then at the blood spreading across his clothes. "What have you done?"