Trial of Serpent

All my life, I've asked myself why my mother hated me so deeply that, by the age of nine, she'd taken to calling me diamond, a word that felt more like an insult than a treasure. She always begged me to stay away from her, never once asking if I was doing well. After my father's passing, things grew colder. She grew even more distant, forbidding me from attending school while my brother could. Yet, through all this, I never believed she could wish me dead. I knew my mere presence annoyed her, yet I held onto the thought: At least she isn't begging me to die. Each time she hurt me; I reminded myself of this. But now, the one thing I held dear was crumbling before me.

I'd always sensed that the king knew more about me than he let on. Maybe he'd looked into my past before or after the marriage was arranged. It made me wonder why he would accept the High House's decision to marry someone as "useless" as me. And yet... he had. He'd even gone so far as to fight strangers to keep me safe. The question haunted me: Why would he care so much?

He pulls me closer as my body trembles, his warmth pressing against me like a silent promise. The tears slip from my eyes without permission, as if they'd been waiting to fall. His quiet whisper grazes my ear, a soft "Shh... everything will go well."

It's only then that I realize how violently I've been crying.

My chest tightens as a bitter thought sink deeper: What did I do to make her hate me this much?

"You know why she did it. And maybe, somewhere inside, you understand too... but your selfishness won't let you admit it." Araylia fires back, her gaze now shifting to mine, her lips curl up into a vicious smile. "Come with me" she says walking closer to us and I stiffen in caeruleus arms when he doesn't back away. "I promise I will help you convince mother to lift her judgment on you... you can't keep this up and I know it breaks her heart... she can't just admit to it."

"..." I think being speechless is another kind of emotion as the only thing I am capable of doing is grab his neck tightly not wanting to let go, he stares at me as though waiting for me to answer her. I turn to her and whisper. "I can't... I don't know you... I wish to stay with caeruleus" the stoic expression on caeruleus face is soon replace by a wide smile as soon as I end my phrase a perfect contrast to the three ladies staring at me with disgust

"My poor soul, what a corrupted mind you've cultivated," she whispers, her voice heavy with both sorrow and disdain. "But I wish you hadn't learned to make such inappropriate demands. Now, you leave me no choice." Before I can even piece together her meaning, the ground beneath us begins to tremble—like a living thing, shuddering in fear or rage. Another heartbeat passes, and the earth splits open. From the depths rises something immense and grotesque: a monstrous serpent, scales glinting in the dim light, its powerful body twisting with a nightmarish grace. But instead of a snake's tail, it stands upon thick, muscled lion's legs, each step rumbling with ancient fury. 

"Be this your first trial... a trial of serpent. Prove me wrong, Caeruleus!" Otelia's voice cuts through the air like a whip, sharp and merciless.

I feel Caeruleus's arms tighten around me as the ground trembles beneath the serpent's weight. My pulse pounds in my ears, drowning out everything except the heavy thud of his heartbeat against my back. The creature charges, its massive coils shifting like waves of obsidian, venom dripping from its fangs.

"Hold on," he whispers, his voice low and steady—an anchor in the chaos.

I press closer, my arms circling his neck instinctively, as if holding onto him is the only thing keeping me from shattering. He moves with fluid grace, like this isn't his first time carrying someone while facing down death. His sword flashes, slicing through the serpent's hide, but the beast hisses, enraged rather than wounded.

His body tenses beneath me, muscles coiled and ready for the next strike. Every time he shifts his weight to dodge or counter; I feel the ripple of effort through him. I know I should say something—thank him, warn him, anything—but my throat closes, leaving me mute.

The serpent rears back, scales gleaming under the faint light, and I catch my breath. It's too fast, too strong. Caeruleus adjusts his grip on me as if I weigh nothing, keeping me close even as the creature lunges again, its jaws stretched wide—

"Fall back!"

A booming voice echoes through the clearing.

Baram, Caeruleus's first in command, charges toward us, his war hammer already in motion. The hammer connects with a sickening crunch, shattering the serpent's jaw mid-strike. The creature screeches, its body thrashing wildly as it recoils in pain.

"About time," Caeruleus mutters under his breath, though I catch the flicker of relief in his voice. He shifts me carefully in his arms, as if I might break, his gaze flicking to my face for the briefest moment.

"Stay with me," he whispers, his breath brushing against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

I nod, barely able to respond, and in the next second, he hands me off—gently but swiftly—to the safety of Baram's side. Then, with a fluid step, he's back in the fight, sword gleaming, moving in tandem with Baram's hammer like they've done this a thousand times before. "Take her!" he commands Baram, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Without hesitation, he hands me off to Baram, who steadies me with a firm grip.

"This is my fight," Caeruleus declares, stepping forward, the determination in his eyes igniting like wildfire. The atmosphere shifts: he's no longer just defending—he's the predator, fierce and relentless.

The serpent recovers, hissing furiously, and I watch, heart in my throat, as he faces it alone. Baram moves to the side, ready to assist if needed, but I can see that Caeruleus wants this for himself. With each swing of his blade, he becomes a whirlwind of power and precision. The serpent strikes, but Caeruleus anticipates its movements, dodging with agility that belies his size. Every slash sends a wave of defiance coursing through me, even as my worry clings to my chest like a vise.

I want to shout, to urge him to be careful, but I know he needs to prove himself—both to Otelia and to himself. He's not just fighting for victory. With a final roar, the serpent lunges, but Caeruleus meets it head-on, fury and strength intertwined. His sword finds its mark, and in that instant, he becomes a blur of motion, a force of nature. determination blazing in his eyes as he plunges his sword deep into the serpent's heart.

The creature convulses, letting out a deafening scream before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

I gasp, breathless, my heart soaring with a mix of fear and pride. He did it. 

"For she is my wife and always will be—may the laws be damned, because I shall forever remain by her side," Caeruleus declares, his voice low yet thunderous, each word piercing the silence. He steps forward, one deliberate stride at a time, meeting the unwavering gazes of the three women, his eyes burning with unyielding defiance. He extends a hand, reaching toward me—a gesture so simple yet so profound. My heart skips as I sense his silent invitation to close the distance between us. Just as I move to accept, a sudden pull overwhelms me, and I feel myself drawn forward, like gravity bending to his will. Before I even realize it, I'm in his arms, his grip steady, grounding me as he holds me close.

"You know it's not right" Araylia barks clearly displease.

"I wonder on what sort of criteria people like you, differentiate right from wrong; she told you she is not going with you, why don't you cut it off or the gates will close, and your mother will really have a reason to come down here" Baram who has been a standby speaks, his tone lens with anything but animosity.

"And I wonder on what sort of audacity you took the courage to have a say in this matter" Araylia hisses now walking pass us to Baram but freezes mid-way. "You?... how?" 

"Hi to you too, it's never a pleasure to have to deal with things like you but..." he started but stop when a guard runs to him covered in blood. "Why are you here" He ask as soon as the guard nears.

"Captain" he breath clearly in pain but it sounds like what he is about to say is what increases the already physical suffering. "Lady Bluebell..." he starts but before he could finish Baram storm of to the same way the guard took. I look at caeruleus and he smiles.

"She will be fined; I am sure Baram will not let something happen to her" he reassures, giving Otelia and Anaudia a stare of complete boredom. Sometimes I do wonder what is in his mind and what just happened, not few weeks ago I was in a duchy that technically wasn't mine living a corpse like life until I heard the news of my marriage with the king and ever since I came here strange things has happen that I know will take a lot of time for someone like me to understand, but this feeling I have right now is what scares me the most. apart from my father no one has ever wanted to protect me this much before even my own brother that I sure love dearly had never even raise his voice for me always telling me mother has her own sort of reasons but this man right here... he fought for me.

"What is he doing with you?" Otelia is the one to ask still in shock, she gives us a suspicious stare and give a look at Anaudia. "Do you have anything to do with that" she yells but contrary to her Anaudia doesn't even bat an eye and keeps her face at us.

"You have this lifetime and if you can't, the fourth war shall be proclaimed, and may the winner be it." she says turning her gaze softly to mine. "I hope by next time; you will have a better memory of us"

"I wish I could tell you 'You have my word' but unfortunately, I am no such type of guy, I am suffering the same way everyone is, and I know the day you learn how to care for someone this deeply will you finally understand the depth of the pain I carried" 

"One of my greatest hopes," she says softly, "is to understand that strange feeling everyone carries in their heart—the one that drives them to those extreme acts they call love. I've always called it selfishness. But maybe you have to feel it yourself to truly judge." With that, she vanishes into thin air, leaving Otelia shouting her name as she, too, disappears.

Araylia's voice lingers in the silence. "You'll pay for what you did to my baby. May we meet again, sooner than you think." Her figure fades, and I hear a soft sigh of relief escape Caeruleus.

"All of this Chaos for nothing, they even ruin my well-done hairs that took so much time when being made" he complains still staring at the spot the three women where standing.

"If I ask you who they are... will you give me those strange answer and try to avoid answering?" I ask and he gives me a sheepish smile pulling me closer.

"They are the Cursed Girl's, guardians of the river that keeps the sky and cultivators at peace, I thought we started a conversation about them, but I guess we need to start from somewhere. They are often referred as balance, but I find it difficult to attribute them that name when I know them through chaos"