Unbonded Fire

ADESSA

I was born Adessa Elis Flumigale, Princess of Elmdora, daughter of the Mad King who sat upon the Seat of Death.

I was royalty in one of the largest and cruelest realms across the Seven Kingdoms, a realm that was billions strong and ruled by wolves who were as merciless as they were powerful.

The royals of Elmdora were unlike any other royal family. We were wolf-blessed, chosen by the Goddess of the Moon and marked by the Ignara, the Fire Moon. It was said that centuries ago, the Ignara descended from the heavens and blessed our bloodline with powers that no ordinary wolf could possess.

Fire and ice.

Two opposing elements that lived within our blood.

My brothers and sisters had all manifested their gifts. Some could summon flames from their palms. Others could freeze water with a single touch. Everyone had been born with marks that glowed across their skin whenever their powers awakened.

I had nothing.

No fire. No ice. No mark. Not even a hint of the power that ran through every other member of my family. I had only a small, frightened wolf. A wolf that hid deep inside me and trembled whenever my father’s presence entered the room.

I had spent years wondering what was wrong with me. Why had the Goddess blessed everyone else and forgotten me?

Why had I been born into a bloodline that expected greatness when I had nothing to offer?

I knew the answer my father had settled on.

I was a disappointment.

He had never said those exact words to me, but he didn’t have to. I could see it every time his cold eyes moved over my bare skin where the Ignara mark should have been. I could feel it whenever my siblings displayed their powers during royal ceremonies, and everyone praised them while I stood quietly among them, pretending not to notice the pitying looks directed at me.

I was the defective princess.

The weak one.

The embarrassment of the Flumigale bloodline.

At age fifteen, the kingdom held a test to see where our strength lay and which quadrant we belonged to. I had scored average in every part except one. I scored first out of the twenty million wolves in battle tactics.

But it wasn’t a good thing. With no wolf ability and a mad king as a father, it was a useless thing to have because the royals of Elmdora weren’t allowed to have barbaric powers such as fighting.

And now, all I had left was my virginity, obedience, a soul mate I hadn’t met but was expected to marry, and above all, royalty. In my father’s words, something I should be lucky to have, accompanied by the fake smile he wore at every gathering.

Acting like the caring father while he tied me up upside down every two nights, beating me and hoping to awaken an ounce of power in my bones, but nothing ever came. No matter how much he hit me in a way that never left a mark on my skin, nothing. To my siblings, they saw it as care, but it wasn’t far from it.

He had an unholy rage, a rage that came from wanting to be in control, and I was the only thing he had no control over… the only defect to his perfect life.  And this was my motivation to run away tonight at the feast Father had made to celebrate my sister Diana’s birth of her thirteenth child.

I wish she would take a hint and just stop having kids.

I wish she would take a hint and just stop having children.

Sometimes I wondered why they believed that was all a woman was meant for, to bleed, to birth, to raise children and disappear quietly into the life chosen for her. As though having an ambition of her own, a dream that belonged only to her, was some unforgivable crime.

The palace was louder than usual tonight, which was perfect for me because nobody paid attention to the quiet princess when there were musicians, dancers, and enough food to feed an entire territory occupying every corner of the great hall.

I stood near one of the enormous pillars at the edge of the room, dressed in a silver gown Mother had chosen for me, my hands folded neatly in front of me as I watched my sister Diana parade her newborn around like she had just given birth to the next heir to the throne.

I wonder how she could bring a child not one but thirteen into this cruel way of life.

Diana caught me staring and smiled. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

I looked at the tiny bundle in her arms and forced a smile. “He is.”

He was also crying...Loudly. Probably because even he had already realized what family he’d been born into.

“You’re next, Adessa,” Diana said casually.

My smile froze. There it was. The sentence every unmarried woman eventually heard.

“You’re next.” Next to marry. Next to produce heirs. Next to become another perfectly dressed prisoner inside these walls.

I glanced around the hall and saw my father standing at the center of the gathering, surrounded by ministers and royal guards, wearing that same pleasant smile he always wore whenever people were watching. He sure as hell looked proud, proud of turning my sister into his perfect little puppet.

I was leaving tonight, and I had to reach Blackfang before morning for the final test of strength. Thankfully, Sadi, my maid and the only person in this palace I trusted, had helped me come up with the perfect excuse. All I needed was for her to give me the signal within the next ten minutes, and then I would do what I did best.

Pretend to be helpless.

Oh, did I mention I was a terrific actress?

I didn’t have to wait long before Sadi finally caught my eye from across the hall and gave me the smallest nod, letting me know that everything was ready and it was finally time for my grand performance, so I placed the back of my hand against my forehead and allowed my eyes to flutter dramatically before swaying slightly on my feet like I had suddenly forgotten how to stand, and just when I was sure everyone’s attention was on me, I grabbed the edge of the table beside me as if it was the only thing keeping me from hitting the floor before finally letting go and collapsing.

I made sure to fall gently because as much as I wanted to escape Elmdora, I wasn’t planning on breaking my nose in the process.

“PRINCESS!” Sadi came rushing toward me with the most horrifying scream I had ever heard, and for a second I almost opened my eyes just to tell her that she was doing entirely too much, but I quickly remembered that I was supposed to be unconscious and stayed perfectly still.

“Princess, please!” She dropped beside me and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me gently while putting on what I could only describe as an award-winning performance.

“Princess Adessa, please wake up!” I remained still.

“Someone get the royal physician!”

I heard several people rushing toward us and had to fight the urge to smile because everything was going perfectly, until Sadi leaned closer and whispered through her fake sobs.

“That was such a terrible fall princess. Thankfully, I screamed so loud no one could notice.”

I nearly laughed. Instead, I let out a weak groan and allowed my head to roll to the side.

Sadi immediately gasped. “She’s alive!”

I almost rolled my eyes. Look who said my acting is bad. She was doing too much.

The crowd suddenly became quiet, and I felt a familiar presence before a deep voice cut through the noise.

“What happened to my daughter?”My father’s voice. My heart slammed against my ribs, but I kept my eyes closed and continued playing dead while Sadi quickly lowered her head.

“Your Majesty, I don’t know, Princess Adessa was standing there one moment and then she suddenly fell.”

I felt my father’s hand touch my forehead, and every muscle in my body wanted to tense at the familiar touch, but I forced myself to remain still because if there was one thing I had learned from years of surviving my father, it was how to pretend nothing frightened me.

“Adessa.”I didn’t move. He called my name again, his voice quieter this time. “Adessa.”

My whole body tensed, scared he might see through my facade.

“Aneolis!” Father yelled. “Take her to her chambers and call the doctor.”

I remained completely still, keeping my eyes firmly shut as Aneolis approached and carefully lifted me from the floor. I could feel the movement of the room around me as he carried me away, and every step he took made my heart beat harder because one wrong move could ruin everything I had spent months planning.

I could still feel Father’s eyes on me. I couldn’t risk opening my eyes.

Aneolis carried me through the corridors and into my chambers before carefully lowering me onto my bed. He adjusted my body against the pillows and pulled the blanket over me, and I continued to play unconscious until I heard him turn toward Sadi.

“Stay with the princess while I get the doctor.”

“Yes, my lord,” Sadi answered. The door closed behind him.

I waited a little longer before I opened my eyes and immediately sat up.

Sadi and I stared at each other. Neither of us said anything for a moment.

Then she sighed. “That was intense and insane.”

I grinned.“Thank you for doing this.” I threw the blanket off me and jumped out of bed.

“Do you  have the clothes ready?” Sadi nodded and hurried toward the wardrobe. “Everything is ready.”

I looked toward the door, my heart pounding with excitement and fear.

“Let's go. Bye-bye, Elmdora. Blackfang here I come.”