Page 33 of Royal Lies

Why did I even think I could speak with him? One look at that arrogant asshole and I lose my shit.

"I didn't mean to, well I did, but I never meant to doYOUany harm. I love you, my dear little sister. I would never do anything to hurtYOUif I could help it." He pleaded, gripping onto my arm and pleading with me. His obsidian eyes and my galaxy-infused pupils clashed. I couldn't tell if he meant it or not. It didn't matter the truth of the deal was that he did do it. And he will again.

"But you did. And I will never forgive you for it." I repeated aloud, ripping myself away.

"I did it for us!" His words were like a bullet to the chest coating drowning me in crimson.

"You did it for us?Us?! That's the biggest load of crap you've ever said in your life. You're a fucking narcissist. You did it foryourself and we both know that!" I tossed back eyes coated in red as I watched the black burning hot in my brother’s irises, swirling around like a small black hole.

"I! Did! It! For! Us!" Lucarious roared as I scoffed.

"Is that what you've been telling yourself? Because in all the years of rebirth, death, and life, I have never once heard you even try to apologize toattemptto even let us have our court together. No, you let me rot in a peasant-filled minefield. I struggled after our first lives, every day, every second of breath that I took filled me with so much regret and anger. Rage at the fact that I was so foolish to believe you. To trustyou! My brother? I might as well give into the shadows." I turned my feet kicked up a storm of their own even if I tried calming down. As I reached the door his flames caught the fringes of my hair causing me to swirl back around.

It truly was no wonder no one thought we were siblings, we couldn't be more different. Except of course in that moment when his eye coated in black just like mine when we both felt the burning desire to turn our enemies into ash.

We were called Phoenix es for a reason. When we got mad our eyes didn't just glow like normal fae, they changed. Our pupils elongated into sharp narrow diamonds as our colors twisted into flames. Or so they're supposed to but since both my brother and I have tainted our blood it turned black instead of the natural flaming red they were supposed to ignite with.

"I was trying to give you a normal life. Isn't that why you're mad at me, is that whyYOUleft me!YOUchoseHIMoverME. Your own fuckingbrother. After all, we've been through. After the blood that flows through our veins. After the shared pain we both endured through the hands of our own creators!YOU CHOSE HIM OVER ME!" His finger jabbed back and forth between me and him with each pronunciation of his words. Hisroaring thunder echoed through the room and here it was, the crucks of the matter.

I could scoff at his words. It was always about him, always him this, him that. I'm so sick of it, so sick of the plans and the plot that were all abouthim! But what ofme?! What ofmyfeelings, ofmywants and desires? I was nothing but a chess piece to him whether it was now or then. Past, present, and future it will always behimfirst and no one else.

Closing my eyes I sighed. It was a waste talking to him. I was a fool in thinking he would ever tell me anything. What we once had was no more, if we ever really had any sibling bond to begin with.

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Chapter 12

Lucarious

For us Phoenix es, it's only common that we remember our pasts. What's uncommon is to relive a life over and over again.

One can say me and my sister were odd commodities or perhaps that's just what a purebred can do. In all my lives I've never once been anything but a prince. Never had I not slain my father, and never once had I been cast into the impoverished slums of the common folk. That was until this life.

What's more uncommon is that we Phoenix es shouldn't have such vivid recollections of our pasts. Yes, vaguely we would remember what we had gone through. But it was more like a feeling than an actual vision. We would know if we had been reincarnated but we wouldn’t be able to recall all the memories of our past lives. I always thought perhaps it was because I was aROYAL. But, then the books I've read contradicted my thoughts.

For my mother was aROYAL. Yet, when she was reborn, through all of my timelines, she'd never once been selected again to be aROYAL. For you can only have the same gift once no matter how many lives you get to live.

Why?

To be honest, I couldn't care less, I mean who would question the power they were given? At least not when it gave them such overwhelming strength. So I never did, until now.

Why give me all the magic in the world only for me to watch my empire crumble in this life?

The crown was taken from me by shadows of all fae. I'd tried every way possible to preserve my empire. I even aligned myself with those who were supposed to serve me. I helped them come out of those flat-against-the-wall imitations, quite literal shadows if you understand what I am saying.

They weren't always able to walk freely in a physical form of their own. Instead, they would take on the shape of other fae. I tried staying neutral. I even gave up the crown of my own free will, ok, no I didn't, but I offered a truce. Yet, how? How in the world did they manage to overthrow me- I mean me, of all the fae in the realm how dare they do this to me! And then, it struck me, a way I could get my kingdom back.

The idea was so sour, so cowardly I shivered in my skin. But, as vile and awful as the wretched smell of rotting corpses upon mountains of maggots, I had to. I had to ask for help. Gods save me now. I think I might faint. To think someone like me has fallen so low.

Alas, for my court to once again reunite with its glory and pristine flames of pride, I must ask for... dare I say it...help. So, sighing, inwardly, of course, I must never show my enemies my weakness, ever. So as strong as the Winter King was, when I heard word of Dracool ambassadors, I knew they were false. Fake. Masks to hide their true identity. And if memory serves me right, Eli had always prevailed in dethroning his father. Never really quite as efficient as I did but well, he eventually succeeded the throne. Thus, I knew this must be his little ploy to play lion in a mouse's skin. The only question was, how had he been able to pull off that little lie?

Straightening the tie around my neck, I smiled and lied straight through my teeth upon one look at those golden pupils shining even in the dim light of this tundra. By lie, I do mean to simply agree. That yes the badge was in fact from Dracool. What I didn't say was, no I do not think those three were any ambassadors of any court. Hell, I think they would all rather choke themselves to death than bow to that mongrel of the Spring Court.

Although I was planning on dosing myself in fairy wine after the evening's meeting, my poor dear little sister just had to dragme elsewhere. Making mereallyregret not drinking that wine before the meeting with the so-called Winter King. One of the only ways we fae could get drunk is by drinking those shadows-awful fairy wines. And although fairies were sometimes a good fuck, I wouldn't want to stay longer than the necessary time it took to get me off. Those things sure had a mouth on them, and not just for sucking my cock, pity.

I watched the amethyst strings of willowy hair trial against the small breeze flowing through the cracked window. Of course, she'll never understand my actions. Paint it as selfish, narcissistic, however, you like. It's not like I'm hiding it. I always did things that benefitme. I never cared about anyone else. That's just who I am. Why change a good thing, when it's been working for me all this time.

This whole overthrowing me for the Phoenix Court was just a little divergence in my path. It'll get back on track soon. Turning back to the mirror before me I tried to calm my rage. Ahh, my face always helps soothe the turbulence my sister leaves behind.

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