The Serpent's Chains

Sabine

Prince Cole sighed and paced back in forth next to the pond. He looked at me several times, shook his head, and resumed his pacing.

The tension that bound and knotted his muscles since the moment King Talis appeared hadn't abated.

I kept my hands clasped behind my back and waited for an order. I'd done what he asked but he still seemed irritated.

"Has my father talked to you about magic before?"

"S-Sire?"

My words faltered and I swallowed quickly. I wouldn't be able to lie about the king's visit if this line of questioning continued.

"You know how I feel about repeating myself. Do you really not understand the question?" He stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes at me.

"I understand, Your Majesty. It surprised me..." I had to tell him something but I didn't know how he'd react to finding out the king came to see me personally. "At the Solstice Dance, he was surprised to discover I was a magical slave." I fingered the collar around my neck.

"Yes, I suspected that's what he was interested in." He scoffed and kept pacing.

"Actually..."

The prince's eyes shot to my face and both eyebrows raised. "Well?"

"He seemed more concerned with the status of your personal life, if you take my meaning, Sire." I bowed my head to him.

The prince grunted and I saw him shake his head from the corner of my eye. "That's not surprising. Did he ask you to spy on me?"

"No."

"I'm sure the collar distracted him."

I thought back to that night. The king had been intent on discussing Prince Cole until he noticed my collar. That's when the conversation changed. The prince was right.

"Is that the only time he's ever spoken to you about magic?"

"I... well..." I hooked my hand around the back of my neck and chewed my lower lip.

"Sabine, answer me!" Prince Cole growled and advanced toward me.

"Yes! He came to see me while you were in Stivalia."

My words stopped the prince in his tracks. He seemed to deflate a little. The anger that swelled in his eyes dimmed to almost nothing.

"He came to see you?"

I nodded. "The king visited me in my quarters."

"Sly old fox..." His words were more for himself. "Tell me, how did that conversation go?"

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. If I was somehow a point of contention between the prince and the king, Prince Cole might decide I wasn't worth keeping around anymore. If he decided to sell me, my magic wouldn't be my most desired quality anymore.

Anyone who spent time with the nobles or royals fetched a high price for their bodies. I'd be rented out to anyone who wanted to feel "closer" to royalty.

I shuddered at the thought of greasy hands pawing at me and the lustful looks from men who had nothing better to do but fantasize about a more luxurious life.

"Did you hear me?" Prince Cole's snarl pulled me from my thoughts.

"Yes, Majesty. My apologies. I was remembering..." It was the best I could come up with on the spot. "King Talis told me he could get my collar off and elevate my living conditions."

"And why would he do that?" His top lip pulled up in a snarl.

"He seemed to think I was special, Your Highness. That I was worth more than the life of a common slave." I lifted my eyes to look at the prince dead on and challenge him.

He chuckled and shook his head. "That won't be happening."

"So, you plan to keep me as a slave even though you don't want a slave? Do you plan to continue to degrade and humiliate me!? You know I could have done something far better..." I threw my arm out to the rose bush.

The prince held up his hand and I clamped my mouth closed.

"I don't need you to understand my motives. That's the luxury I have as Crowned Prince."

Blood rushed in my ears and I threw my arms up. "I don't care what your motives are. The king offered me something you've refused me, despite your feelings toward all of this." I motioned to the slave collar.

"My feelings on any matter are not up for discussion. Until the time comes when I no longer have use of you, then I will decide what becomes of you. Not my father."

I opened my mouth and closed it again. Bowing my head, I nodded. What was I doing? Challenging the prince so forcefully was grounds for execution. I was always a step away from pushing too far.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The prince was silent for a while. I stole a look at his face. He remained surly and irritated like my submission annoyed him.

***

Cole

I didn't know what was worse. My father working behind my back or watching Sabine unleash herself only to clam up the moment she thought there'd be repercussions. Our conversations were always more interesting when she didn't temper herself.

Seeing her submit with her head bowed baited me. I closed the gap between us and grabbed her chin, forcing her face up.

Her eyes widened but held mine, unwavering. Her lower lip quivered. A few strands of her dark hair fell across her face. I hooked her hair with my finger and pulled it away, my fingertip brushing her cheek.

A shudder ran threw her and she cast her eyes to the side. She remained perfectly still.

I didn't want her to be meek and submissive. Not when I knew what she was hiding inside. Leaning in, I brushed my cheek against hers and whispered close to her ear.

"There is only one order I have for you. If the king comes to you again, you will tell me everything he says and does. Is that clear?"

Her breath trembled as she inhaled.

I pulled back but held her face firmly so she couldn't move away. Slowly, she nodded.

"Yes, Sire."

Her cheeks were a deep shade of crimson and I could see how rapidly her breast rose and fell. Her eyes were half-lidded and when I released her, she licked her lips slowly. She looked feverish and... lustful. Too attractive for her own good.

I cleared my throat and pushed those thoughts away. I took another step back, creating more distance between us. Was it a reaction from her I wanted or a reaction from myself?

"That is all. Leave me." I waved toward the palace.

Sabine bowed and hurried off.

You didn't have to push her so much. Talon lumbered back. He curled himself around the pond and dipped his claw into the water. The Koi fish swarmed around him and nibbled at the foreign object.

She lied.

No, she didn't. Nothing she said or didn't say was unfactual.

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. She lied by omission, then. You know exactly what would happen if my father got his hands on someone powerful like that.

He won't stop, Talon voiced the concerns that weighed on my chest.

I know. I kicked my boot into the cobblestone path.

Sabine's future in the palace was tentative at best. She could have been a slave, a royal mage, or a noble and it wouldn't have mattered. I refused to let anyone go through what I went through at the hands of the king.

Grunting, I clenched my fists and headed inside. I needed to work to keep my mind off things. I headed straight for my study.

There was a pile of sealed scrolls on my desk bearing Wyatt's seal.

More reports of Stivalian mages running loose in our territory. King Verill hadn't taken my warnings to heart. I tossed the scroll away and it floated to the floor. The more pressure King Verill put on Telasia with his mages, the more desperate my father would get to use all his "resources." He'd come after Sabine again.

Wyatt did offer to get Sabine set up in one of his free villages. She'd still be a slave. There was no way to remove the collar, but the king couldn't get to her. Princess Cara wouldn't be able to track her down. Denying the wayward princess what she wanted would be rather satisfying after the chaos she'd caused.

I slumped down in my desk chair and retrieved the reports I'd tossed on the floor. My father's visit to the gardens irked me more than I wanted to admit. He made too many good points. I knew how to get him to step down from the throne, although I wasn't convinced he'd relinquish his seat of authority so easily.

Then again, following through on his demands for an heir would give him even more power and control. Was that why he kept pushing me toward marriage and procreation? Did he see it as another way to force my hand?

Chuckling humorlessly, I thought of the pleading look Sabine gave me in defense of Rosalie. She'd willingly stepped up to the sacrificial block for my sister. If she hadn't, I would have resisted my father's command. I could have carried Rosalie's anger and hatred if it came to it. She'd forgive me with time. Sabine gave me the excuse to protect Rosalie without appearing like I was really giving in to my father's demands.

I wondered if she really knew what she'd done. It didn't matter. She was becoming too much of a liability, one way or the other. Sighing, I brushed some dust off my desk. Wyatt could take good care of her, far from here.

You can't send Sabine away!

Really? Even it if is for her own protection? You'd keep her here in danger to satisfy your curiosity?

I can protect her. You could too if you take that collar off.

Not this again. I'm done having this conversation!

Talon grumbled mentally to me, but he stopped pestering me. Denying him what he wanted could be just as perilous as denying the king.