Scarlet's Awakening

Eireen's train of thought was interrupted when Aqua suddenly spoke.

"I almost forgot to ask..." she paused, looking straight into Eigeel's eyes before continuing, "Eigeel, tell us... how long exactly have you been bound to the Queen?"

Eigeel who was sitting comfortably on a chair on the far side of the room was surprised by the sudden question. However the surprise in his face disappear and was replaced by a calm and expressionless mask.

Talon was the only one who seemed to know about the contract between Eigeel and Scarlet. The remaining members of the S.O. already realized that so they quietly waited for Eigeel's response to Silver's question.

"Truth be told," before Eigeel took a deep breath, a slight change of emotions in his eyes appeared. His eyes were distant remembering an old memory. "...I've been bound to queen before the foundation of the empire was established."

Everyone inside the room was shocked, especially Eireen. She couldn't believe she didn't know about the bond and the fact that her elder brother had kept the truth from her for a very long time.

While Eireen continued to feel cheated by her elder brother, Silver, on the other hand crossed her arms in front of her c.h.e.s.t, her frown reflected her disappointment towards Eigeel.

"Did you intentionally hide the truth from all of us all these years?" she asked. Just like Eireen, she also couldn't believe that she was kept in the dark about it all either.

Eigeel regretfully sighed. "I do apologize if I didn't tell any of you about this. It was the decision of the queen after the contract was established between us. Talon unintentionally found out about it when he heard the queen and I talking about breaking the bond before the great war broke out."

Everyone inside the room became silent as they considered everything Eigeel had said. It was undeniable that they felt betrayed. They also feel envious of Eigeel since he's got something that they were yearning for- and that is to get closer to the queen and become her slave.

They once tried to convince her to enter a master-servant contract with them but she refused without batting an eyelash. She doesn't want to bind them by a soul contract with her because of a single reason. And that is if she dies, they'll obviously die with her as well. And she didn't want that to happen them. The silence continued to stretch as the people inside the leisure room contemplated on their own personal feelings individually...

***

"Can you still remember the promise you made me before we escaped from the other dimension?" Jasper's sudden question made Scarlet halt in her steps.

The two of them were currently having a little stroll at the palace gardens after she became his personal tour guide, exploring the palace until he got bored and decided to go the gardens to look at the flowers.

"Uhh. Yes, of course I can still remember the promise I made you when we were stuck in the other dimension" Scarlet stared at Jasper and asked. "Why? Are you going to make your wish right now? Here in the garden?

"Yes. Why? Is there something wrong with making ." Jasper turned his cute little face to her. "I want to make my wish right here, right now."

"Really?" Scarlet smiled, squatting down so that their eyes could meet at the same height. "Very well." she took Jasper little hands and held it gently inside her palms. "What is your wish?"

Jasper didn't bat his eyelash and answered her.

"I wish that you form a contract with me."

Scarlet's eyes blinked. She was surprised by Jasper's peculiar request! She wasn't expecting that from a child actually. She thought he was going to wish for unicorns of something but he didn't.

Scarlet was still surprised inside and was unsure of what she heard so she asked him again.

"A contract? Are you sure?"

Scarlet's still thinking that maybe she misheard him and that he actually asked for unicorns- but she wasn't hallucinating and she didn't misheard him.

"Yes. I'm sure. I want us to perform a magical contract."

Scarlet was speechless and Jasper knew that she was surprised just looking at the dumbfounded expression on her face so he spoke, "I know you still can't use your powers... but you don't have to worry about anything. The contract we're going form is actuslly quite easy. It doesn't need us to perform complicated spells for it to work. I just need you to repeat my words all the way until the vow is complete and that's that."

Scarlet frowned,. "You sound like I already agreed to form a contract with you. I also have a say in this you know."

An arrogant smirk formed on Jasper's little pink lips when he heard her say that. "It's my wish," his childish voice said, removing his hand in her palms and crossing it in front of his c.h.e.s.t. "...and you don't have a choice but to perform it with me since you gave me your word."

Scarlet gaped. What the...

This brat!

Scarlet didn't know he was actually this cunning- and smart! Now, she's trapped in this becaus of him and she obviously doesn't have a choice but to comply to his request.

Scarlet let out a deep sigh. I give up. She's not that smart and she sees that she has no way out in this situation anyway so why not do what he wants her to do and call it quits between them.

Yep! Now that sounds like a plan.

"Ready?" Jasper asked.

Scarlet responded with a small nod. "Oh! Right, the contract."

Jasper stared into her eyes, searching if she's having second thoughts or not. When he saw her dark eyes calm without ripples, he knew that she had made her decision, he smiled.

"Relax and close your eyes." he instructed and Scarlet slowly closed her eyes. "Listen closely to my voice and don't peek."

Scarlet laughed softly, she suddenly remembered the their time together stuck in the Other Dimension. Jasper's eyes zeroed into Scarlet's face, staring at every corner of her beautiful porcelain face.

She's really

beautiful... especially when she laughs, he thought but stopped. He realised he was getting distracted so he cleared his throat. "Now, repeat what I say... I, state your full name..."

"I, Scarlet Myonestes Rose.."

Jasper stated his.

"I, Jasper Neseth Saisthione Idris..."

"Pfft! That's a very long full name." Scarlet couldn't hold her laughter so she laughed destroying Jaspers solemn mood.

Jasper rolled his eyes and glared at her. "Stop laughing."

Scarlet saw that Jasper was getting angry, she didn't want to make him angry so she bit her lip and cleared her throat.

"Sorry..."

"Close your eyes again and concentrate."

"Yes..."

"Don't open your eyes and recite the words again."

Scarlet nodded and repeated the starting lines. Afterwards Jasper did the same and repeated his lines.

"...come here freely in front of the goddess Mellias..." he continued.

"... come here freely in front of the goddess Mellias..." Scarlet imitated.

"To tie these knots,"

"To tie these knots..."

"

To symbolize our connection to one another,

That represents our trust,

And our combined strength..."

Scarlet repeated everything that Jasper said, "

To symbolize our connection to one another,

That represents our trust, And our combined strength..."

Scarlet felt her body gradually growing hot as she felt her magic forming into something similar to a thick rope. The glowing rope made from Scarlet's magical energy had a bluish color while Jasper's was purplish in color.

"To symbolize our connection to one another," Jasper continued...

"That represents our trust,

And our combined strength..." when he said those words a weird thing suddenly coiled itself around Scarlet's wrist making her flinch.

It was the rope made from Jasper's energy and it felt hot on Scarlet's skin. She wanted to open her eyes and see what it was about to do to her hand but was stopped when she felt Jaspers little hands clenching hers, urging her to repeat his words and concentrate.

Scarlet took a deep breath and repeated the words without missing a single one and she felt her magic in a form of a rope wrapped itself like it did on her wrist.

"We cannot possess each other

for we belong to ourselves

But when we both will it,

we give each other that which is ours to give."

"We cannot command each other

for we are free people

but we shall serve each other

in those ways we require."

Scarlet can feel magic flowing to her through the thread which she believes is from Jasper and when she repeated his words, her magic also flowed out of her body through the thread to him.

The Jasper's magic circulated inside her body and her magic circulated in his body the same way. This process repeated itself again and again until...

"We pledge... to think only of the bond between us, and if we lose sight of it for a moment,

the bond will appear to remind us that we were once divided,

Now we are one and united. This is our vow for eternity.

The vow of equals. May the goddess bless our union."

When those last words were spoken by both of them, Scarlet felt an unimaginable pain tearing and mending her body apart.

"Ahh!" Scarlet screamed, she almost let go of Jasper's hands because the pain. The pain was unbearable, but Jasper's little hands held unto hers, encouraging her to endure the pain with him.

When the pain finally subsided the rope connect them both shattered into pieces. Scarlet was exhausted throughout the whole process so she couldn't open her eyes. She felt her body fall to the ground, but strong, sturdy arms caught her fall.

Right there and then she heard a cold masculine voice saying,

"Finally, we're married, Scarlet."

When Scarlet heard those words, something behind her neck became hot. It was the sleeping dragon tattooed on her nape and it was glowing a crimson light that disappeared as fast as it appeared. After the light disappeared, the complexion of her skin returned to its former snow white colour and the tattoo was gone like it wasn't there on the first place.