The Rejected Werewolf Princess by Didiadeyemi

CAMILLA'S POV

“What do you mean what are you doing here? You just killed a prisoner,” Ryker took a step towards him but I held out my hand to stop him.

The strange man looked confused and a little frightened and the closer I looked at him, the more I noticed little differences. Now, he stood a lot straighter and taller, he also didn’t have that glazed over look in his eyes. He seemed so demure and quiet, like the kind of man who wouldn't hurt a fly if given the chance. I slowly made my way over to him. Ryker tried to reach out to me to stop me but I slid out of his reach, I knew the stranger wasn't going to hurt me. “Let him go," said to the guards who shared a confused and worried expression. I couldn't completely blame them, if I were in their shoes, I would have thought of myself as insane too, but there wasn't much they could do except do as I had asked. They released the stranger and thankfully, he didn't move or try to run. “Would you like to take a seat?”

“I don't know where I am or how I got here,” he whispered. “You're the Queen, why are you here?”

“Take a seat and we can talk,” I gestured to the far corner of the room where there were some benches. They weren't typically used to sit down but I still led him over and sat next to him. I could feel everyone's eyes on me but the most intense were Ryker's. “What do you remember?” “I- I was taking a walk by the stream. I am a fisherman,” he explained. “I had my ear plugs in like we were instructed but then I saw a little girl, she looked like she had been hurt. There was blood on her hands and she was crying"

“Do you remember what the girl looked like?”

“She looked very average, she had dark hair and dark eyes. I can't remember much, I was more focused on trying to get her help. She looked sick."

I knew it was a far stretch and I could have been reaching considering there were thousands of people who matched that description but considering what happened after, it was only logical to assume that was the siren’s daughter.

I nodded slowly. “What happened after that?”

“I picked her up, I wanted to take her to the town physician. She was so cold to touch, I swear she felt like she had been dipped into ice. While I was trying to take her, she wouldn't let me, she kept screaming something but I couldn't hear her so I took out the ear plugs.”

He trailed off after that and I stared at him expectantly waiting for something else but nothing came. He just had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he had been transported to a different time. “I cannot remember anything else,” he whispered before turning to me with wide eyes. “Why can't I remember anything? Do you know how I got here?”

I tore my eyes away from him and glanced over at Ryker who had shut his eyes and ran his hands through his hair in what I assumed was frustration. He murmured something under his breath before cursing loudly. I could tell his reaction scared the stranger because he jumped and wrapped his hands even tighter around himself but almost immediately, he hissed. I glanced down and realized he had unintentionally grabbed the part of his skin that was burned with silver.

“How did I get this?” it was clear he was talking more to himself than to me and I knew in that moment that I needed to find a believable story to tell him or else everything was going to potentially fall apart.

Ryker was no help, he was dealing with his own panic and I knew it was only a matter of time before two and two was put together and the stranger realized that he had killed Ansel.

“You took the girl to the physician,” I lied. “You were waiting for her and you must have fallen asleep because when you got to the palace, you were sleep walking.”

His brows furrowed. “I have never sleep walked before.”

“It must be something new, have you been stressed lately? Has anything new happened in your life?”

“Well, I haven't been getting as much fish as I should have lately.”

He mumbled a few words under his breath and I felt bad for him because I was lying to him and ultimately making him believe something that wasn't true but it was to protect my family and I was going to lie my fucking ass off if I needed to.

“You sleep walked in here and none of us wanted to wake you, I hear it can be bad. You burned yourself and that was how you woke up. You are fine, you didn't hurt yourself or anyone but I will send you off to the physician to get you something for your burns. He will also give you a poultice for the sleep walking"

He rushed to his feet and bowed. “Thank you, your majesty. I am beyond grateful, you didn’t have to-" “Please, it is the least I could do,” I turned to the guards. “Take him to the physician and have his burns treated.”

The guard bowed although I could see the confusion on his face. He started to walk away when Ryker grabbed his upper arm. I couldn't hear what was discussed but his face slowly contorted to reveal fear. His eyes widened to the point of saucers and he swallowed deeply before nodding and rushing off. Once he was gone, it was just Ryker and I with Ansel's unmoving body. “What happens now?" I asked and for a full minute, he was speechless. “He was the only tie we had to the sirens.”

“He was useless anyway," Ryker shrugged. “I'll have someone get rid of the body. The guards won't say a thing either. We need to enforce the earplugs rule and we need to find a way for people to communicate without having to take them off”

“How do we explain to the people that they ened to wear earplugs every second of the day, even while sleeping”

“We have to tell them,” he whispered and I stilled. I was scared, not for them, but for him. If they found out what happened, they could turn on him. People didn’t think when scared, people always acted out. “It is the right thing to do."

“No, they don’t need to know."

“They do, they have to know what they have to deal with. They cannot keep going in blind. We don't have to tell them everything, but they need to know about the sirens.”

I thought about it for a second trying to figure out any other way out but I couldn't, there was quite literally nothing I could say to combat his words. He was right, I knew he was and I hated to admit it. I let out a resigned sigh and buried my face into my hands.

“Can we at least do it tomorrow?” I asked after a brief moment of silence. “I just don't want to talk to them right now.”

“Do you want to know the beauty of being a royal?” he mused coming to sit next to me. “You don't actually have to talk to them, you can send one of the elders to do it for you."

“Won't it be disrespectful considering it was our fault?"

“It was Ansel’ fault and he is dead. The dead don't tell tales, he cannot defend himself"

My brows rose in amusement and something akin to pride. I wasn't sure why I hadn't thought about it. “Do you think it will work?"

“There is only one way to find out.”

“No,” Caius said the moment I told him and I raised a brow in his direction. “You cannot ask this of us. It is cruel and I will not do it.”

“You seem to be under the impression that you have a choice,” I drawled as I leaned back into my chair. “I was not asking you, Caius, I was telling you. One of you five will make the announcement to the people. I am not blaming all of you, only Ansel, the people deserve to know."

“No, they don't,” another elder spoke and I turned to him with furrowed brows. “They are subject to you and not the other way around. All they have to do is obey the instructions given and anyone who doesn't will bear the consequences. You will not be blamed because you did your job. The rest is on them.”

I stared at them in shock and disgust. I could not believe that they would act like that and risk the lives of others simply because they didn't want to take accountability over something that people might or might not blame them for.

“Can you hear yourselves?” I asked sounding almost exasperated. “Let me make one thing clear, like you said, you are subject to me, just like everyone else here. You will get off your fucking asses and go out there to speak to the people. You will tell them what Ansel did and that there are sirens on our doorstep. I don't care how you spin the story to keep it out of your names but the people deserve to know and they need to know before the end of tonight." There was silence before a collective. “Yes, your majesty.”

“Have letters sent out. I don't want to risk people taking out their earplugs to listen to a speech,” I stood to my feet and walked over to the door leading out of the council room. I had one hand on the door knob when I turned to face them again.

“If any one of you ever says or suggests something like that again, I will banish you without another thought. I do not have space for selfish leaders on my council. If you want to rule, then you rule with the interest of the people in mind. If you cannot do that then you do not deserve to be there.”

I paused to make sure they heard me before adding.

“You all disgust me. I expected more from you,” I turned to Caius so he would know I was specifically referring to him. “All of you.”