Chapter 107

FELIX

“No.” My voice was flat. “Absolutely not. We are not sacrificing Mila to save my life.”

My mother and father exchanged a knowing glance.

“Let’s think this through before we make any harsh decisions,” my father said slowly. “There is a lot to consider here.”

I whirled on him. “There is nothing to consider! I am not killing my wife to break this curse. It’s out of the question.”

“Felix,” my mother said, her voice rising in pitch as she grew more desperate, “at least think about it. You could always remarry and continue the line. I know that you’ll never love anyone like Mila, but this could be the solution we’ve all been waiting for. Maybe being your Destined Bride means that Mila just needs to put your life above her own.”

“How dare you!” I yelled. My mother shrank back, but her face remained defiant. Her tears had dried.

“Felix, please,” she begged. “Look at this from our perspective. We’ve already lost one son. We cannot bear to lose another. This would devastate us, and now we have a way of making everything better!”

“But it wouldn’t be better.” I felt like a small child, backed into a corner by my parents teaming up. “My life is not worth living if Mila is not in it.”

“Things have changed, now, Felix,” my father said. His voice had grown more authoritative, kinglike, even. “It is no longer just you that you must think of. You were crowned King mere days ago. All of your choices affect the kingdom now. Fresonia is depending on you”

“I don’t care about the kingdom!” I was practically yelling, but I did not care. “Not if it means killing Mila! That is not a choice I am willing to make!”

“Lower your voice,” my mother hissed, her eyes darting over to the doorway. “We do not want word of this getting out before we come to a final decision.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “This is not a democracy, Mother.”

“Correct,” she said, straightening her spine. “This is a family.”

I looked at my parents’ faces, so tight with worry and exhaustion. I knew that their sentiments were coming from a place of concern, of grief. Never in their right minds would they have agreed to sacrifice Mila in order to save my life, but after Charles’ betrayal, they had not been in their right minds for weeks.

“A King has to make sacrifices sometimes,” my father stated. “It is not an easy thing to lead a country, Felix. It takes a man of great strength and character. That is why I always depended on you. This will not be the first or last time you are asked to make a personal offering for the good of the kingdom.”

“And would you have sacrificed Mother, if asked?” I demanded to know. “Would you have killed her just to save your own life?”

My father hesitated. “That is a difficult question to ask–”

“Because it was never asked of you,” I retorted. “This is uncharted territory for all of us, but this is a line in the sand that I simply will not cross.”

“What about you, Esmeralda?” my mother asked quietly, turning her head to the witch. “What are your thoughts on the matter?”

The witch had been silent for quite some time. I stared at her. She did not meet my eyes.

“I would not have brought it up had I not thought it was our only solution,” the witch admitted. “I’ll admit that I care deeply for the girl. She has proven to be a valuable asset to the royal family time and time again. But perhaps your mother is right. Perhaps Mila’s greatest mission is to save your life by offering hers up.”

The room was spinning around me. I could not tell if it was my anger or a new physical effect of the curse, but I felt dizzy. Off-balance. Out of sorts.

My world was falling apart around me.

“The royal family must be prepared to do what it takes to protect the kingdom,” my father said sternly.

“Mila is part of the royal family now!” I protested. I could literally feel my blood pressure rising.

“She is not, however, part of the Dragon Knight line,” Esmeralda said smoothly. “That must be taken into account when we have this discussion.”

The room fell silent at that. We all knew that to be true. It was Mila’s one weakness–she possessed no magic of her own, and therefore, was of little official use beyond her capacity for kindness.

I would not let her die.

“My decision is final,” I declared. “I will wear the emerald ring to ease my pain in my final weeks, but I will not, under any circumstance, allow Mila to be sacrificed.”

I stalked out of the room. Esmeralda and my mother interrupted into chatter as I walked away, but I blocked it out. I could not stand to hear the back-and-forth any longer. I needed time to think.

I had scarcely made it into the hallway when my father grabbed my arm. I turned to face him, still seething.

“I am sorry you are being asked to do this,” my father said softly. “Believe me when I say that I understand better than anyone how difficult it is to make choices as a King.”

I shook my head. “You reigned in a time of peace, Father. I am being asked to guide Fresonia out of a war, to ease their burdens during a time of great strife. You have no idea what is on my shoulders right now.”

My father’s face was sad. “Your mother and I just want to see our child live. You cannot blame us for that. I understand that our words may come off as a bit harsh, but we mean well, truly.”

“Do not ask me to do this,” I said calmly. “My answer will be no. Not ever.”

“You made a vow to protect Fresonia,” my father pointed out.

“I made a vow to protect my wife,” I snapped back. “I take both of those promises seriously, Father, but one has to come before the other.”

“If you die, we will not have a King,” my father said desperately.

I yanked my arm from his.

“Find your own damn King!” I shouted. “I’ve made my choice!”

As I stormed off towards my bedchamber, I wondered how I could possibly tell Mila about this turn of events.

There was no point in getting her hopes up about an impossible solution, even if my family was insisting it was a good idea. I could not allow myself to dwell on Esmeralda’s thoughtless suggestion, even as my parents clung to it. I would never sacrifice Mila, and that was final.

Even as the walls closed in around me and time raced for the finish line. The cure could not–could never be–Mila’s death. I would never allow it to happen.