24. Hadeon

What could barely be called fights continued. I would be beaten to within an inch of death and left in my cell to recover. After beating me with fists seemed to no longer satisfy the king, they brought clubs and maces to bludgeon me. The torture was endless, and I never understood the purpose. Surely, my pain could not amuse the king so much that he continued this process. He and the woman were always conferring as I was dragged away, neither seeming pleased.

Forthe first time in my life, my thoughts were not directed at willing my body to give in and die. Instead, something unfamiliar blossomed in my heart. After every beating, my ethereal visitor would come. Her hands would touch me with a gentleness that I had never known as she tended my wounds. I couldn't speak. My jaw was often broken, so she regaled me with stories.

Somewere fantastical, of legendary heroes and unspeakable evils, but mostly, she spoke of her life, and I had never found anything so beautiful.

"You won't believe what Mother did to me today, Hadeon. She scolded me for taking the Tome of Arendilout into the garden, saying the book might become damaged. As if I can't care for a book properly. The weather was so gorgeous; how could I be expected to complete my studies inside? The best place to read is the garden under the great oak tree. I cannot wait to show it to you."

Shelied to me like this often. The sweetest, purest lies telling me that someday my pain might end, and I would know more than darkness. Sometimes, I let myself believe her. She ran her hand gently over my forehead while my head lay in her lap.

"I wouldn't know; I never learned to read," I managed to croak out.

Hereyebrows shot up. "Well then, I must teach you! Reading is invaluable. PerhapsI can even bring you some books down here…" She continued on and on, but the words didn't matter. All that mattered was her sweet voice and the warmth of her hands on me.

They approached me with swords, and I had no doubt this would be our last dance. I'd bleed out before my body could heal. A few weeks back, I might have welcomed it, but something soft clung to my scarred heart. It was a soft laugh and a vision of an oak tree swaying in the morning sun.

Themen approached me slowly, more hesitantly than normal. They knew this was the last time, so maybe they were showing me the only kindness they could by delaying the moment. All it did was let dread creep into my heart. I didn't want to die! Was this fate"s final cruelty? I had been blessed with a fae's long life only to have it cut short at twenty years. I had been ready to die when fate had sent me her to give me hope, so that a deep, razor-sharp dread could claim me just before my end.

Iwas back in that burning house, and I was afraid. I was scared of Death as he descended on me, and there was no way out. Flames licked at me, devoured me, and I could hear my mother calling my name.

"Hadeon!" No, that wasn't my mother.

Ilooked up at the stands, and the king stood with Plagis and the woman as he always did. But clinging to the woman's robe, there she was—golden and perfect, with tears streaming down her face.

"Hadeon, run!" Pallas shouted. The older woman slapped a hand over her mouth as the king looked on in annoyance. She didn't fight, only looked at me with pleading eyes as her tears sending rivets of the arena's dust down her face.

Noone had ever cried for me before. I stared at her and felt her gentle hands on me. I imagined her soft lips touching mine, as I had every day since she had first saved me from the dark. She had driven it away and filled my heart in a way I had never known before. Even at that moment, I could feel it, like a storm rising inside of me. As tears fell from her like rain, my heart filled with the clouds, thunder, and lightning of a tempest.

Painslashed across my ribs as the first man struck me with his sword. I fell to my knees and looked up, but all I saw was her.

"Pallas…" I whispered her name, my final prayer for when the gods finally answered. Another man stabbed me through my stomach, and as he pulled the sword back out, a storm erupted. Lightning, uncontrolled and hotter than the sun, flared from my heart. All three men in the arena were incinerated, the smell of the burnt flesh was hot in my nostrils. The storm didn't stop. I heard stone crack as my power laced through the walls of the stadium. Wind and dust blinded me. I fell on one hand, the other clutching my stomach, trying to stem the flow of hot blood.

Lightningflared, and my vision went black. The last thing I heard was that beautiful voice calling my name.

I drifted in and out of consciousness like waves in a storm. Sometimes, I heard voices so diffused they hardly seemed human. Other times, I felt a warm hand pressed against my face, calming me in the dark.

Eventually, shapes solidified, and I found myself lying not in a dungeon but a fine room. The voices around me became clear, and I kept my eyes closed to listen.

"What was your final analysis, Runya?" That was the voice of the king.

"The power he presented was remarkable. Even before the magic began fading, we hadn't seen someone at his level in centuries. He rivals the power PrinceAbraxas held two hundred years ago."

"So, the prophecy, it was correct?"

"We can never be certain, but given what I have seen… I would say he is the best chance we have."

"Then it's time he learns how to be a prince. Let me know when he wakes," the king ordered, and I heard the door close as he left.

Thebed beside me sank down, and my eyes snapped open. The older woman I had seen, Runya, sat next to me. Up close, she looked so similar to Pallas that my heart stuttered. But this woman wasn't Pallas. Her eyes were deep and pitiless, and the hand that touched my face was icy and harsh.

Shepinched my face in her hand, forcing me to look at her. "You have a lot to live up to, GreatHero. I hope you are up to the task." Her grip was surprisingly strong, and my jaw ached. I felt that tempest rising in my heart again, and I felt the crackle of static over my skin. Her hand snapped back, and for a moment, I saw fear flash through her eyes, and something about that felt better than anything else in my life ever had.

Thedoor flew open again, and a soft voice called out my name. "Hadeon!" A moment later, Pallas' kind face appeared over me. "You're alright! Mother, tell me he's alright." Tears clung to her eyes as she reached for my hand.

Runya, Pallas' mother, stood. "He will be more than alright. You may remain with him until the king returns." She left the room without looking back.

Pallasimmediately sat on the bed and laced her fingers through mine. She gently stroked my cheek, and for the first time, I reached out and touched her back. I ran my hand over her hair, so soft and smooth under my callused fingers. I stroked her jaw, and a blush rose on her cheeks.

"Hadeon—"I didn't let her finish before I grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down to my lips. She let out the most adorable little squeak, but after a brief hesitation, her lips softened on mine. For a moment, that was enough, for a moment we were both enough as the world stood still.

Thenthe tempest in my heart rose again, and I pulled her to me more tightly. I pressed my tongue through the barrier of her lips, and I felt her stiffen but did not stop. The tempest rose and I felt the hairs on my arms stand when she let out a small cry and pulled away.

"You… shocked me," she murmured, rubbing her lips with the back of her hand.

"Sorry." I knew it was the right thing to say.

Shesmiled softly, and I knew all was forgiven. "It's alright, you've been through so much. Oh, I have so much to show you, Hadeon!" She continued on and on, but I didn't hear it. I just clutched her hand in mine, unwilling to let go. I finally had something of my own.