A cold and unwelcomed hand touched my shoulder. I lashed upward, opening my eyes to Hona. His face shifted, hardening in its expression. He no longer appeared kind. He hardened like a stone. His gaze unwavering and heavy. The moment we shared in his Kaijan's room was gone.

"The queen has requested you," he gritted through his teeth. "Now." There was a hint of urgency in his voice.

I threw off the thin blanket and placed my feet on the cold ground. "Is everything okay?"

"I am not permitted to speak with you," he replied through gritted teeth. "Just giving orders." He turned, walked away, and up the stairs.

Before long, he was out of sight and away from me once more. I wasn't sure how long this was going to go on. I was getting sick of the back of forth in his tone, but I knew this must be Baria's hold on him. I don't know how she found out but she must have known we spoke to each other the other day.

I grumbled, fixing the dress I had slept in for days and nights. I was beginning to smell ripe and unwashed. I used my saliva to try and get some of the stench off, rubbing parts of my dress and skin with my hands, but it was hopeless. My skin still felt tacky under my fingers.

I looked to the crate hiding Qia and Tiroa. I wasn't sure just how long it had been since they got to bathe as well. At this point, the smells of the damp and molding cellar and us melded together. I wasn't sure which was which.

I headed up the stairs, thinking about the river. It was heavy on my mind, almost always a thought. I knew it had to have some kind of importance. The more I thought of it, the more it seemed like the current was calling me back. I feared it was death in disguise, trying to lure me back to Azali, but my past lingered with the river as well.

I knocked on her door, my stomach twisted and pulled. When she threw open the door, my anger spiked, itching to come out and manifest.

"It's about time," she growled, leaving the door. Baria donned a short white dress with ruffles at the top and bottom. The sleeves on the arms of the dress fell to the floor. It did not seem like something she would normally wear, though I had seen her wear one dress since my time here. She was not alone.

Jonga stood in the middle of the room with his hands respectively behind his back. He wasn't dressed in only trousers like he normally was, but wore a white blouse this time. It was odd not to see his dark chest. On his feet were boots. I thought him to be savage, but even a man like Jonga could clean up his appearance. His braided hair was thrown back, falling behind his shoulders. When our eyes met, his shoulders tensed, eyes hardening.

"Why is he here?" I hissed, not daring to step past the threshold. I didn't want to stand in a room with this monster. Not after all of the pain he caused me.

"I will not marry without him by my side. So you best learn to get along now." She turned around, showing the strings of the corset were loosened. "Tighten them," she ordered. I stayed my ground. Her voice shook with anger. "I do not have all day to waste!"

I walked past Jonga, footsteps louder than before. My heart pounded as I stood behind her and placed my hands on the strings. I pulled tight.

"Not so hard!" she spat, craning her neck to Jonga. "I want the front of the castle ready," she ordered. "Please make sure the flowers from the Hills of Gristle have arrived from Arawn's home."

He nodded, leaving the room. I was distracted by his motion, scared he would lash back and grab me. I pulled again harder than before. She lashed back, striking me. My cheek burned as I stared at her cold face.

"Not so hard!" she screeched again, pushing me away. "'I'll do it myself. I shouldn't have asked a servant to do something so simple."

My brows furrowed.

"Wipe that look off your face," she spat. "Go back to the cellar where you belong, Kaijan girl."

I wondered if Baria was purposely tormenting me, because when she looked at me after killing that Kaijan, I knew she was slowly killing me or planning to kill me because of my race.

I stormed out of the room and down the stairs, running into Hona. He was dressed in a black blouse with a gilded belt holding up his trousers. He had golden flecks under his warm brown eyes like stars. He stared at me for a moment. I didn't like seeing him this way, it was too much like Baria, too much like the kingdom she built. It just reminded me that the man I met in the tower was not real, and he was wearing a mask.

"You are crying," he said, his voice softening.

I felt my face, the warm tears were on my fingertips. I was. I was so blinded by anger and let my emotions arise without knowing. I let weakness show.

"What happened?" His tone changed again.

I shook my head and rushed past him but before I could get far, he grabbed my arm. "Mara," he whispered. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"Leave me be," I hissed. "Today proved there is no such thing as innocence. I will always be on a leash held by her hand. I will never leave Uadan and I will never know freedom again!" This time the words were true. I was not trying to push him away as some ploy but as a means of escape.

He grew silent. My anger flourished like a flower in bloom. "You have nothing to say because you know. You've always known," I hissed, thinking of what Rooke said. Hona was not to be trusted. Baria was not to be trusted and they were to join in a union. "Goodbye Hona, I hope you enjoy marrying that monster. You belong together, truly. I see you are becoming one too."

He let me go. Without a word of protest.

In front of the castle stood villagers of Udan. The gray stones were dressed with a crimson banner with a gold trim. Blue flowers were placed around the crowd leading to the landing near the front door. It was eccentric just like Baria was. The crowd dressed in the fashion Qia, Tiroa, and myself were dressed in. Black dresses, black clothes, simple and a tad tattered. I tried not to stare too long. Qia's gaze found me and she used her head to tell me to look toward the doors of the castle. I resented being present for the wedding but knew Baria already had an eye on me. It would be best not to make things worse by not attending.

I nodded, taking a deep breath. Music from the side of us came from a pan flute. I watched as the Udanians got lost to the music, swaying to the tune. The crowd shifted like a gentle breeze.

Hona appeared in front of the door with a stoic expression and his hands in front of him. It sickened me to see him wearing new clothes while his people were not. He stood to the right of the door and sighed. It was visible from my spot in the crowd. He did not act as if he was someone who wanted to marry. For a moment, I thought I saw the man in the tower again.

Moments later, the queen appeared in the doorway, wearing a white gown similar to the ones she did when it was not a celebration. She waved to the people of Udan, and I noticed no one waved back. She took her spot beside Hona, smiling. He stared at the ground, not willing to meet her gaze. Petals from the flowers flowed with the gust of wind from the left. They escaped off into the sky, and I wished I was one of them.

Baria turned to the crowd, a joyous smile on her face. "Today is one for history," she began, her voice loud. "One Udan will be remembered for many generations. I found Hona many years ago and I feel like in a way, it was destiny. A divine power placed us together and that power is, the Guardian." Her face fell. I wasn't certain if she had found the creature or not when she went searching for it.

She cleared her throat. "I am proud to make this man our king," she said, coughing hoarsely into her fist. Her cheeks turned scarlet while the rest of her flesh paled.

Everyone gasped, murmuring in confusion. I felt the waves of the crowd moving as they turned to talk to each other.

"I'm fine," she declared, clearing her throat. "Let us carry on. If I could have Captain Rooke come forward with the iron rings."

Rooke weaved through the crowd and stopped near Baria. He was holding a black box in his hand.

Baria coughed again, her face bleaching white. "I am... I am glad to...."

Her eyes rolled and Baria swayed, falling to the ground. Her body landed in a heap, her arm outreached. Her eyes were open, and blood trickled from her mouth in a torrent. She appeared dead. My blood ran cold as the crowd screamed, scrambling to escape from the horror. I stood in place, watching the scene as men and women pushed against me.

Hona acted, falling to his knees, and felt for her pulse on her neck. The box clattered from Rooke's hands and onto the ground, the rings spilling with the opened box. Everyone scrambled around the queen while others fled. I watched with Tiroa as Qia made their way to her side. We looked at each other and from her eyes, I knew destiny had a part to play in this union.