The Queen's Revenge

Chapter 16

I couldn't believe it.

Arian stood there, as cool and collected as ever, as he admitted that I was always on his mind.

But as always, I pretended I wasn't discomfited.

"My, oh my Princy." I smirked. "Why, I'm not surprised."
"Oh be quiet." he said. 

"Why did you try to kill me then?" I asked him. "That first day of battle, and then again at the ball?"

"My uncle was power hungry." Arian said, his cheerfulness disappearing.

"He killed my parents and would have killed me too if I hadn't made a deal with him."
I was silent. I did not know what to say. 

Hadn't I acted just like his uncle, when I killed my father? Or when my father killed my mother?

No wonder he hated us.

"I agreed to cut all ties with Anrgina." He said.

Once again, I was thrown into the past.

(Flashback)

"Arian!" I called. "Let's play catch, like the old days. I managed to evade Lelia."
My friend looked different. His jaw was set and his eyes were wet. He barely smiled as he approached me.

"I'm not in the mood." He said, a little bit of the coldness creeping back into his voice. 

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing!" he snapped. "Estella, we can't be friends."

"Why?" I asked, hurt in my eyes.

"We just can't okay." he said, his voice begining to falter.

He turned his nose up on me and crossed his arms. "I'm the crown prince and I deserve better friends."

Anger grew in my broken heart in spite of myself. "What the hell? You're acting like a git."

"I was imitating you." he snapped back. 

"Get lost." I yelled.

"Gladly." he screamed.

He turned away from me. "Go away." he said, and there was ice in his voice.

"Gladly." I threw his own words back at him, and stormed off, tears in my eyes."

(Present Day)
"He forced me." Arian said. 

"I know." I said.

Silence descended over us.

"What happened to your uncle?" I asked.

"Locked in the dungeons." Arian noticed my surprised expression and said. "I'm no murderer."
"I got that from your pitiful attempt to asasinate me that day."

He gave a barky laugh. "I wouldn't say pitiful, darling. You were quite under my spell, were you not?"

"Damn you."

He smirked again.

"I used to be a kind, passionate boy." He mused, his tone serious once more. "Then I became a cold, cunning prince."

"Who are you now?" I asked.

He looked at me, his lips pulled into a smirk but his eyes thoughtful and serious, 

"Perhaps I can be both, darling."

I thought over his words. I used to be a generous, compassionate girl, and now I was a cold-hearted, intelligent queen. Who was I now?

I decided I was like Arian, horryfingly.

Perhaps I can be both.

Well, it was time to get back to the job we came for, and I reluctantly faced him. 

"Very well then, hun." I said. "What do you want now?"

He looked at me, deadpan. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he looked like he was about to facepalm.

"Well what?" I said. "You want independence? I can give you that."

"No." he said.

"Gods of Alderwing then what?"

"You."