The Worst Fairytale

Chapter 10 - Betrayal

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"The fire within me burns my soul. Watching you marry another is killing me. But you have my word, I won't shed a tear."

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Present Day

"MUMMA!!" Jiya cries out, her voice tinged with terror as though she has encountered something otherworldly. Rue, hearing her daughter's call, dashes towards the bedroom, leaving elements scattered across the floor. She almost stubs her toe on the wall just outside the kitchen.

"Jiya!" Rue shouts, filled with panic.

"Mumma! Mumma!"

"Taimat!" Rue finally invokes her dragon form and transforms. Although no longer in fairyland, her magic remains potent in the human world.

Once you are bound to your dragon soul, separation is impossible. You merge, living in a symbiotic relationship that benefits both. Only in death does your dragon form return to its origin. However, for Rue, Taimat is more than just a linked spirit; as the mother of all dragons, she possesses powers far beyond mere association with a human.

Taimat can manifest physically outside her human form. But now, for their daughter, Rue and Taimat must unite to face whatever is coming.

Shrouded in flames, Rue, now Taimat, storms into Jiya's room. There, they confront Baon and two towering fae soldiers. It's immediately clear that they have one goal.

With a ferocious roar, Taimat declares, "In your dreams."

She blasts fire at Baon and the faes, attempting to scorch them, but they are protected by Aurelia's blue flame of protection.

"You cannot stop us now. We will take her," they assert.

With a derisive laugh, Taimat retorts, "Let me show you who is the queen here." She summons a primeval fire, a blaze from an age when the whole land burned. Invoking the fire deity, Taimat unleashes such an ancient and mighty flame that no shield could possibly hold against it.

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Narrator's POV- To the time when Rue was in Fae land.

"Love, wake up," Eryndor whispered, stirring Rue from her slumber. They were entwined, the intimacy of their embrace their only covering. Rue turned to gaze into Eryndor's eyes, finding them filled with a tender light.

"Yes, love," she murmured, feeling the gentle caress of his hand on her cheek, marveling at the soulful connection they shared.

Outside, the moon still hung in the sky, its silvery light mingling with the sounds of a nearby stream, casting a fairytale glow over Rue's thoughts.

"Tell me about your grandparents; perhaps I can assist you," Eryndor suggested to Rue, his desire to help evident. He could not bear the sadness in her eyes.

Rue recounted the entire story, from the day her grandmother disappeared without a trace to the mysterious vanishing of her grandfather in the dark mist. However, she withheld the secret of her dragon form. Though she had feelings for Eryndor, there was still much she felt uncertain about.

Finding her grandparents and leaving this place remained her foremost goal.

Hearing her story, a single tear escaped Eryndor's eyes. He was moved by the profound tale of a man who had ventured into the unknown in search of his love, unlike his great-great-grandfather who had wreaked havoc and cast a shadow of darkness over his kingdom. He embraced Rue tightly, hoping to alleviate her suffering.

Pulling her away from his embrace Rue asked, "I heard your kind despises humans," recalling the frosty reception from his subjects.

"That's true. We have a troubled history with humans," Eryndor admitted while playing with her fingers, sensing the conversation was leading to a difficult revelation.

"Do you share those feelings?" Rue pressed, seeking clarity.

A day earlier, Eryndor would have affirmed those sentiments. "Had you asked me yesterday, I would have condemned you without a second thought," he confessed, his tone stark.

Rue recoiled from him, chilled by the implications of his words and what might have happened had she arrived earlier in this mystical land to his palace.

His response shocked her, turning away as tears pooled in her eyes, a stark reminder of the deep-seated prejudices that still lingered.

"Please look at me. Don't despise me," Eryndor pleaded. "I once harbored hatred for your kind, but the Moon Goddess has chosen you as my mate."

Rue rose to her feet and began to walk away. "And if I hadn't been the chosen one? You would have had me burned, wouldn't you?" Her voice cracked with betrayal. Tears streamed down her face as she expressed her exhaustion with the deceit surrounding her.

"Tell me!" she demanded loudly.

Eryndor felt a deep shame wash over him. What Rue had said was undeniably true; he would have indeed ordered his dragons to execute her.

"I've experienced beautiful moments with you, but I know you'll never truly accept me," Rue said, her gaze intense, searching his eyes for any sign of change in his resolve.

Eryndor remained silent, understanding that nothing he could say would alter her perception of him.

"Are you not to be married to Aurelia?" she asked, startling him with her knowledge.

"How did you know that?" Eryndor was visibly taken aback. He hadn't mentioned his impending marriage to her.

∏∞"Man! It doesn't matter what kind they are." – Narrator  ∞∏

"Then go ahead and marry her, but be ready for the consequences that will follow for your kingdom," Rue said, her eyes blazing with anger. She felt the sting of betrayal from the Fae King whom she had hoped might aid her. But instead, he chose silence over answers.

"I will find my grandparents soon," Rue declared, turning to leave him. Her thoughts lingered on their moments together as she walked away.

After a few steps, she glanced back. Eryndor stood by the stream, looking utterly helpless despite his royal stature, clutching a white lily in his hands.

"And tell your beloved that she cannot tame me," Rue called out sharply, her words slicing through the air.

Eryndor snapped to attention. "What did you just say?" The revelation hit him like a bolt of lightning. Aurelia had tried to tame her? That was impossible. He had expressly forbidden the abhorrent practice of swapping human infants to shield them from ancient curses.

A profound realization dawned on him. The sacrifices they had been making for ages weren't their own firstborns but human children. Rage coursed through him.

Though he longed to chase after Rue, to hold her and dispel the image of the villain circumstances had painted him as, he remained rooted. Turning away, he walked back towards his palace, his heart heavy with a mix of gratitude and sorrow. He thanked the Moon Goddess for the chance to meet his soulmate and for revealing the true nature of the Dragon Queen's machinations.

<a/n>

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