The Sky Kingdom Ch. 17

Thank you to everyone following this story, I've really appreciated all your feedback so far. Apologies for the delay with this chapter, life sometimes gets in the way!

I also wanted to say a massive thank you to those who've helped to edit/proofread this chapter.

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The last thing I expected was for a blue vapour to seep from within as I reflexively inhaled, and it swept into my mouth. I immediately felt a daze wash over me as I desperately tried to reach for my magic, only to find it slipping from my grasp. As I drifted unconscious, my last thoughts were of how I'd left Scarlett alone and vulnerable.

I awoke feeling dazed to hear a man and woman whispering furiously. I struggled to make out what they were saying as I tried to take my bearings. My shoulders and back ached and felt stiff, and I could not move my arms, realising that ropes secured my wrists behind me to what felt like a chair.

"Why hasn't he woken up yet?" I finally heard in Ravian from the female voice as I tried to look, realising a blindfold was covering my eyes.

"I didn't realise he would inhale the whole vial, and the smallest dose was enough to knock him out. He'll wake up eventually, and then we need to work out who he is," the male voice replied.

"I thought you said you recognised the sword."

"It looks familiar and I have my suspicions," he replied.

I suddenly felt a vicious cramp through my shoulder blades as I shuddered in pain and a deathly silence spread across the room.

"His heart rate just jumped," the man declared. "He's awake."

I reached for my magic, finding a faint connection, but as I tried to draw it, the link slipped away. I began to try again, but a blinding pain exploded in my head as I recoiled in agony, letting out a cry of pain.

"He's a sorcerer," I heard the man exclaim as the pain slowly subsided, "Try that again, and it will be the last thing you ever do," he then said in accented Volantian as fear rose within me.

"He's a sorcerer?" the lady burst out in surprise.

"He's just confirmed my suspicions. Fiona, please leave us, and I will speak to him alone."

"No, please let me stay. This is the best lead we've ever had."

"I'm sorry. I know you want to be involved, but I don't want you to see the next part. Please, wait for me upstairs," the male voice replied sternly.

"Yes, your Grace," she replied as I heard footsteps and the creaking sounds of someone climbing an old wooden staircase.

I heard a chair drag across the floor until it was right before me.

"Who are you?" the man asked in a neutral tone as I heard him sit before me.

I panicked as I tried to find a way to hide my identity from my captors.

Another explosion of pain cascaded through my skull as my head reactively lurched backwards, straining my neck as I cried out.

"Let me make this simpler for you then. Are you Prince Henry?" he asked with a dark undertone.

I was shocked that this person knew exactly who I was.

"Your heart rate gives you away, Henry," the man continued, "If you hesitate to answer my questions, your pain will only worsen."

I want to say that it was bravery that kept me silent, but in reality, I was still under the effects of whatever I had inhaled, and the combination of that and the pain in my head meant I was struggling to string two thoughts together.

"Now tell me, did your mother put you up to this?"

The left-field question put me on the back foot as I struggled to think of an answer. A slow, dull ache began to build at the base of my skull as the pain slowly increased.

"Wait, please!" I cried out in desperation, "I don't know what you are asking!"

The pain slipped away momentarily.

"Did you send the message?"

"Yes, it was me."

"Did Princess Eleanor put you up to it?" he asked in an overtly calm manner.

"No, I did it alone. Who are you?" I burst out.

At my words, I heard the chair creak as the man stood. Moments later, the blindfold lifted slowly from my eyes as a sturdily built middle-aged man was revealed who looked down at me with piercing brown eyes.

"I am the father of the murdered girl your message claimed to be alive. Given what your mother did to my family, I am considering taking an eye for an eye."

"You are the Duke of Ravia?" I asked as dread overcame me when he nodded in response. "What are you saying she did?"

"She had my daughter murdered." He replied as his stoic façade slipped.

"My mother? She couldn't hurt anyone!" I exclaimed in response.

"I always believed the same. At least until she sent me an urn of my only daughter's ashes and the locket she would never have removed," the large man paused as unexpected emotion spread over his face, "she promised me Scarlett would be safe and that she would keep her away from him."

"Away from who?" I asked, trying to piece everything together.

"From the king, of course," he replied.

"What did the King want with her?" I asked, desperate to know more about her past.

"Enough!" he roared, "how dare you ask questions after sending such a cruel message."

"What do you mean? I was trying to tell you she was safe and with me," I replied.

The Duke froze in shock, staring at me intensely.

"Say that again," he said as I heard the emotion in his voice.

"Scarlett is alive. I was with her before I came to collect the message," I replied, realising that he was reading my heart rate to see if I was lying.

The Duke lunged at me, grabbing my shirt collar.

"How do you know it is her?"

Before I could answer, I heard the scurrying off to the side as the lady bounded over to me while I struggled to make things out. When she came close to my face, I recoiled at how familiar her face was, albeit with a much paler complexion.

"Is he speaking the truth?" the lady asked with watery eyes.

"Fiona, I told you to stay upstairs," the Duke said without anger as he seemed drained.

"James, is it true? I thought I heard him saying he had seen my baby!"

"Ask him," the Duke replied noncommittally.

I struggled to think straight as a familiar face stared earnestly into my eyes as tears slipped out. "You look so much like Scarlett," I mumbled in shock.

"Please," she whispered in accented Volantian, "please be honest with us. Is she truly alive? Is my Scarlett alive?"

Seeing her heartbreak, I whispered in response again.

"She's alive. She had no reason to lie to me about who she is,"

The lady turned to look up at the Duke for confirmation as I saw the unmistakable Font collar around her neck.

"He believes what he is saying, but I'm not sure how this is possible," the Duke replied, looking lost. "Ellie never lied to me. She told me she was dead. How could she destroy what we had?" he continued in Ravian.

"If what he says is true, your hatred of her may be misplaced. James, release him, and we can discuss this more civilly," Fiona, Scarlett's mother, replied as tears flowed down her face.

"I don't understand. Do you know my mother?" I asked in perfect Ravian as I felt him slice through my bonds with a blade I hadn't noticed.

"You speak Ravian?" the Duke asked me, clearly surprised.

"My mother insisted I learn. My governess was Ravian and taught me," I replied as I stood to stretch, feeling pain throughout my body.

As the Duke moved before me, I noticed a blade of solid ice fade away in his hand. Moments later, a cold swept through my body as I felt the pain, confusion and tiredness begin draining away. As I began to feel better, I took in the room, which I only now realised appeared to be an old storeroom.

"Sit. Let us discuss this more constructively," the Duke said as he gestured to a table and chairs.

"Please, I didn't mean to cause you any pain, and I just wanted you to know that Scarlett wasn't gone," I said as I moved over to the table.

"Please sit. My name is Fiona," the lady said as she took my arm and helped me to a chair. "This is James, Duke of Ravia."

"I figured as much," I said while taking a seat as I looked over at the heated stare from the Duke. "Scarlett told me about you. That you are the daughter of a Ravian Lord, and the Duke bound you as his Font to protect you."

Fiona ignored what I was saying as she sat down opposite me.

"Where is she?" she asked, grabbing my hand, "You must tell us."

"I left her in the Penthouse suite of the Astoria Hotel, and I need to get back soon as I promised her I'd be back before lunch."

"Then I'm coming with you," Fiona declared as she made to stand.

"Wait," I exclaimed. "She doesn't know I messaged you. She asked me not to!"

"What do you mean?" the Duke asked with a bemused look. "She doesn't want us to know she's okay?"

"She is terrified. I don't know everything, but I know she has been through a lot."

Fiona released me and reached over to rest her hand on the Duke's as she turned to me, recovering her composure.

"Please, Henry, can you tell us what happened to her?"

"I don't feel it is my place to tell you everything, but I can tell you what I know," I replied, pausing momentarily. "After Scarlett's capture during the Ravian Rebellion," I began as the Duke scoffed.

"I guess history will always continue to be written by the victors," he added sardonically.

I made a mental note to ask more as I continued, "Well, after her capture, they took her to a slave-holding facility. Someone tried to kill her, but she survived the attempt and has hidden under a false identity ever since."

"How did she survive?" the Duke asked.

"It wasn't pretty. Scarlett told me that someone murdered her roommate, thinking it was her," I replied as Fiona gasped, "To save herself, she has been living under that girl's identity, and she goes by Natalia now."

"You can't just take on someone else's identity," the Duke said more coherently.

"I don't think Scarlett had much to do with it. In the aftermath, a young noblewoman claimed her as a slave and gave her to an elderly guardian. My theory is that this lady knew who she was and sought to protect her. Scarlett was slave marked with the other girl's identity and spent most of her teenage years safely in a training academy," I explained.

"That doesn't explain why she doesn't want us to know she is alive," the Duke replied.

I felt awkward at that moment but knew I had to tell them something.

"She was safe for a while, but her owner unexpectedly died after she turned eighteen. The new owners sold her to a facility in Tairhien." I continued feeling guilty about spilling the secrets she dreaded her parents finding out.

The Duke flushed red with anger while Fiona seemed unsure, "What sort of facilities are there in Tairhien? Was she made to do menial work?" she asked.

The Duke gave me a sideways look as I saw anger turn to sorrow in his eyes as it dawned on him where she had been.

"She was sent for training and was purchased as a gift for me last week," I said, cringing at every word, "I discovered who she was soon after. Her time as a slave wasn't pleasant, which was part of why I sent the message. I hope you also being back in her life might help her heal. I want to keep her safe, but she might not be quite ready to return to her old life," I replied as I felt my deep affection for her running through every fibre within me.

There was a moment's silence as I finished my statement.

"She can never return to her old life," the Duke replied soberly. "It would be too dangerous and would only end in heartbreak. We need to find a way to keep her safe."

I wasn't sure how to explain that she was bound to me, but the Duke seemed to concentrate on me as I returned his stare.

"You care about her a great deal, don't you?"

I blushed at his question, "She means a lot to me. I want her to be safe as much as you do," I replied honestly.

It wasn't lost on me at that moment that I might need to explain to one of the most powerful men in the Kingdom that his precious long-lost daughter was currently my happily bound sex slave.

"Are you aware that she is gifted?" he asked abruptly.

"I am," I replied.

The whispering voice of Fiona filled the silence that followed, "Will you make her your Font?"

Before I could reply, the Duke stepped in, "Fiona, my dear, that wouldn't protect her. If the King realises who she is, he would simply remove the bondholder to obtain her for himself."

"Why would the King be so interested in finding her?" I asked, dreading the response.

"I had her tested in secret when she was thirteen and was dismayed to discover that she was gifted and her powerful core is likely to develop into healing magic."

"Scarlett is a healer?" I asked, shocked.

"It isn't a guarantee, but it is very likely. I've never been able to find out how but the King learned of the result. After what happened, I always suspected Ellie, but now I'm second-guessing myself. He demanded Scarlett relocate to the Palace, and he would make her his at the first opportunity."

"The King wanted her to be his Font?" I asked in amazement.

"He has always been desperate to maximise his weaker healing abilities and saw her as the opportunity to make himself more powerful."

"I'm assuming the part the history books don't document is that you refused to let him have her?" I cautiously asked.

"Of course, I refused. Which person in their right mind would allow that monster anywhere near one of their children? Let alone for what he intended. I didn't expect that he had already mobilised the Kingdom's army and invaded Ravia hours after my response. My forces held off the initial attacks, but an ongoing conflict would only have caused strife for both sides," the Duke explained.

"So you gave Scarlett to the King?"

"Of course not!" he fired back angrily, "Your mother came to Ravia to negotiate. She agreed with her brother that he would take her as his wife once she came of age using sorceress manacles, and the agreement stipulated that Scarlett would live with Princess Eleanor until she was of age."

"But was she not taken as a Slave?"

"I never realised it was a ruse, but I trusted her to save my people and much of the Kingdom from ruin. The King's soldiers entered the Palace and took her away along with many other daughters of Ravia; it was the last time we saw her."

"She told me they took her straight to a slave-holding facility on her way to the Palace. She believed they had taken her to be a concubine once she came of age."

"I trusted Ellie implicitly, and she betrayed me, and she knew the King had no intention of making her anything but his Font. To save the Kingdom from a civil war, she had her killed," he finished with the look of a broken man.

"But she lives. Does that not turn your whole story on its head? Did you know my mother well?"

The Duke's expression froze before he slowly began to speak.

"If I tell you some of the past you seem unaware of, will you provide proof of Scarlett being alive?" he asked.

"I'll arrange for you to see her, but I don't think she is ready to meet you yet."

"Okay, but we need proof," the Duke replied as he gripped Fiona's hand, and she gave him a little smile before he began his tale.

"I lost my first wife while I was away campaigning in the Northlands," he began grimly. "In the aftermath, the King and Queen, your Grandparents, encouraged me to spend time at the Palace with my young sons. I hadn't previously spent time with Ellie, but she brought me back to life, and we soon became very close. The King was delighted, and he gave his blessing for us to marry. With your mother being gifted and soon to come of age, he even permitted us to use a set of sorceress manacles in the traditional Royal manner. But a few weeks before our wedding, the King died suddenly. Your Uncle ascended to the throne and quickly banned us from seeing one another."

"Why would he not let you marry?" I replied in shock, hearing this story for the first time.

"Your mother's magic may not be healing, but it is a rare and similar field. I believe the King feared that it would grant us too much power and make us a threat to him. We continued our secret communication, but before she came of age, your Uncle forced her to marry and bind herself to your father. You were the only thing that meant something to her in that whole marriage sham. We always kept in touch and wrote extensively in secret. When I told her about Scarlett's gifts, she hoped that the two of you might be able to take over where we had missed out," he finished giving me an earnest look.

"My mother wanted Scarlett and me to be together?" I asked with genuine surprise.

"Do you not see why Scarlett somehow ending up with you seems too coincidental? I was so angry when I first realised who you were, and it wasn't the first time we'd received similar messages, but they'd always led to dead ends. It felt much more personal considering our plans for the two of you."

"My mother wouldn't have had anything to do with this," I tried to reply while my confidence was wavering.

"Nothing with your mother comes down to chance. She plays the 'Great Game' with such grace and guile that few know she is even on the board."

I sat in shock, realising that Scarlett was precisely who my mother had hoped I would end up married to. There was one unknown in all of this that needed answering.

"Does the name Lady Catherine mean anything to you?" I asked the Duke.

Despite the situation, he let out a booming laugh.

"Where did you hear that name? That was Ellie's favourite pen pal name for our communications," he chuckled.

I had suspected by this point, but hearing his words shocked me.

"Lady Catherine is the name of the woman who protected Scarlett for many years," I replied.

The Duke was speechless as it became clear that my mother, Princess Eleanor, had been actively protecting Scarlett. I wasn't entirely sure how to explain that it was also likely her manipulations that caused Scarlett and me to become magically bound.

"All this time, the woman I loved let me believe that she had my daughter killed...how could she do that to me?" he asked, looking lost.

Fiona, who had been silent for a time, turned to the Duke.

"Have you considered that she might have been trying to protect you and Scarlett? Maybe this was the only way to keep her safe," she said.

"There are many questions that need answers. I'm travelling to see my mother tomorrow with Scarlett," I replied, "speaking of, I need to get back to her, and she'll be worried that I've been gone all morning."

"Henry," the Duke said, turning to me, "we need to meet again soon to discuss this further. We can make plans for how best to protect Scarlett."

"Do you not need proof?" I asked in response.

"I believe you, but Fiona will not forgive me if we don't see her soon. Perhaps we can arrange an opportunity where we can see her from afar."

I nodded my assent. "I can try to arrange something. We plan to set off tomorrow morning, and perhaps you could come to the Hotel to get a glimpse of her. I will have a message sent to you when we are leaving."

"Thank you, Henry. But you should also know that you were unconscious all day, and it is already evening."

I jumped from the chair in surprise, thankful for the restorative healing.

"I must return immediately. I promised I would only be out momentarily."

The Duke stood and walked to the corner of the room, returning with my sword outstretched. I took it gratefully and shook his hand as he crushed mine with a fierce handshake.

"Thank you for telling us about Scarlett. But you should know that if you bring harm to her, I will not hesitate to do the same to you," he said as I struggled to not wilt in his presence.

"Your Grace, I will protect and keep her safe," I replied as he directed me up the stairs.