Entangled With Them-The Brother Kings' Hated Mate

The world would end, as it began, in fire.

This was probably one of the most terrifying lines Princess Eliane Renee Valys had ever read in a book in all her twenty-two years of living. However, no one had told her that the real world would be much more terrifying, blood-curdling, and panic-inducing than anything she'd learned from written words. But it was, and it was unfolding right before her eyes.

Her day had started like any normal day in the tower where she lived. She woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and the gentle breeze carrying the scent of fresh flowers blooming in a nearby meadow. She hummed a tune as she did her morning ablutions and chores, a permanent smile on her face ever since she received an official decree from the palace that her father, King Thraine, had ordered her to return home. For the first time in twenty-two years, her father finally remembered her existence and would be taking her home, just in time for her twenty-third birthday. She couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift.

However, as evening rolled in, the sound of battle cries filled the air, and smoke billowed in every direction she turned. Her nanny, Rita, panicked, suggesting they escape, as it seemed the kingdom was under attack. But Eliane remained frozen. Where would she go? Besides, wasn't her father capable of managing something as small as this? This wasn't the first time the kingdom had been under a coup, and they always emerged victorious. This shouldn't be any different.

But she was dead wrong. This ambush was unlike anything she'd seen, at least from what she could see from the tiny view the small window in her tower offered. By midnight, everywhere she looked was covered in flames, the destruction swift and her Nanny could no longer stay calm.

"Let's run away from here, My princess. Things don't look good at all. We can't allow ourselves to be caught!" Her Nanny had screamed, frantic as she packed their things, the room in her small tower in disarray.

Eliane had broken out of her daze then, helping her Nanny pack the little possessions they had, slipping out of the tower and heading straight to the woods. Eliane had no idea where they were going, but her Nanny seemed to know the way, and if there was anyone she trusted other than her bunny pet, it was her Nanny.

Never been one to engage in any physical activity, it didn't take long for her to grow winded. "Please, let's stop! I can't run any further than this!" Eliane rushed out, stumbling over her own footing, her breathing coming out in ragged gasps.

Nanny Rita looked back, frustration etched in her features. "We've barely gotten anywhere, My princess! We have to keep going. Now is not the time for us to be stalling. The kingdom is under attack!" She cried out in alarm.

"Should we be doing this? Why can't we stay back in the tower? I'm sure father would send soldiers to protect us." Elaine breathed out, gasping for breath.

Nanny Rita gritted her teeth in fury, an indescribable expression crossing her face as she glared down at the spent princess. "Your father doesn't care about anyone other than himself!" She seethed. "If you want to live, you better start listening to me!" She screeched and Eliane flinched, taken aback by her Nanny's outburst.

Why was she so angry?... And so frightened? What was going on? She was going to ask when Nanny Rita froze, her eyes darting around in panic. Then she paled. "They're here..." She whispered in horror, her knees trembling, threatening to give way beneath her.

Eliane furrowed her brows. Who's coming?

"Quick! Get to your feet!" Nanny Rita screamed, pulling Eliane up with her and running through the woods, back to the tower where they had just escaped.

Every question Eliane dared to ask remained stuck in her throat as they wove through the dense forest, ignoring the howls and barks behind them. No matter how fast they ran, whoever was pursuing them seemed to be so much faster, footsteps becoming closer.

Something whizzed past them, landing on a tree ahead, and Eliane realized to her horror that it was an arrow. That gave her the needed adrenaline surge. Her legs picked up speed, and before she knew it, she was running faster than her Nanny, determined to make it back to the tower.

Several other arrows whipped past, their sharp tips slicing through the air with deadly precision, and soon after, her Nanny let out a shriek of pain, falling to the ground with a thud.

Elaine stopped dead in her tracks, her feet rooted to the spot. Then, she sprang into action, running back to her Nanny with a desperate urgency. "Rita!" She cried out, her voice shaking with fear and anguish, seeing she had been hit in her stomach with an arrow.

The arrow's shaft protruded obscenely from her Nanny's abdomen, and dark liquid had begun to stain the surrounding area, a crimson pool spreading rapidly across the dry earth.

A thin sheen of sweat already coated her Nanny's forehead, and her eyes had taken on a glazed, far-off quality.

"Don't worry about me. Keep going, Elaine. You cannot allow yourself to be caught!" Rita warned in a halting voice, each word an effort, her breathing shallow and labored.

Her life was already draining away, and Eliane could see the spark of vitality fading from her Nanny's eyes.

Eliane trembled, scared to touch the bleeding wound. "I can't leave you like this! I'll carry you!" Elaine rushed out, trying to carry Rita, but the latter was just too heavy for her to pull along. "I said... Go!" Nanny Rita choked out before slumping, almost hitting the ground, blood dripping from her mouth.

Just then, their attackers arrived, and Eliane whimpered, scrambling backward with an unresponsive Nanny Rita. Two pairs of gleaming gold-colored eyes sized her up, filled with rage and fury. Almost immediately after, they were surrounded by armored men, all carrying different weapons of choice.

"We're at the outskirts of the kingdom. Is she the one we're looking for?" One asked in a cold, detached voice, his voice low and measured.

"Yes, your majesty. This is the hidden daughter of King Thraine." An armored man responded.

Eliane trembled vigorously, meeting the men's glare with one of her own, holding her Nanny's body as a sort of shield. She didn't understand why this was happening. How they could kill and not be horrified by what they did.

"What's your name?" The other one asked, his voice sharper than the one who spoke before, but still filled with an equal measure of hatred and coldness. Eliane wanted to clamp her mouth shut, but something in their voice forced her to obey.

"My name is Eliane Renee Valys." Eliane responded, her voice shaky, terror twisting her insides.

"Well... We've never seen her before. So she's definitely hidden. Okay, kill her and let's get this over with." He ordered in a dismissive manner. Something in her curled and died, and her eyes widened at the words.

"What!? How can you say that on the first few seconds of meeting me! Have you got no heart! I don't even know what I did!!" She cried out in a panic as a soldier matched up to her, unsheathing his sword, the blade glinting in the light.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Eliane let out a shriek and curled into herself as if she could somehow deflect the blow coming from the blade. She waited, and waited, except it didn't come. After a moment of tense silence, she cracked her eyes open to gaze at the scene before her. The men before her had continued to watch her, while the soldier next to her remained poised with the sword in the air. The atmosphere instantly shifted as their eyes gleamed with a sinister idea.

"You know what? You're right. We just met you. Killing you instantly would be a death too easy. And none of your family deserves an easy death. Not after what you all did."

The first one with the detached voice spoke, taking a step toward her so he could see her face clearly. A startled gasp escaped her lips at his appearance. A deep scar marred one side of his face, running into his neck and disappearing into his cloak, making his dominating presence all the more terrifying.

Elaine's heart skipped multiple beats. Why did those words sound like a start to something truly horrible? Eliane opened her mouth to speak, but no words would make it past her lips.

"So... we'll take you as our captive. You'll be our trophy, a reminder of the success of tonight. You'll pay for every atrocity your father has committed, every sin, every transgression until there is nothing left. And then, we'll end you in public, so everyone can see what becomes of the family of King Thraine." He promised with a haunting, depraved smile.

A freezing chill settled in Eliane's body, cold sweat breaking out on her skin.

She should have just let them kill her.