Chapter 54 - The Falling Of Two Queens
NesrinI was trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake. I was forced to witness everything. From watching Dela use her powers to kill being after being that crossed her. There was so much bloodshed. She had instilled so much fear and chaos in such a short amount of time, she was void of all emotions. She was a true monster, and her time in the Underworld had helped further her bloodthirst.I wanted to vomit, and though time didn't exist while being trapped in my own mind. I knew only a few hours had passed because we hadn't even made it to the Fae realm yet. I dreaded it, but I hoped that the wards my mother put in place would be enough to buy them time. I hoped that Drabek was still alive and able to arrive to aid my family in time.But all the hope have them having more time was shattered as a knock sounded from the other side of the door.
"It's time," A muffled voice soundeChapter 55 - ForgivenessNesrin Our kingdom wasn't the only place that felt the loss of our people—the loss of one of their leaders. The mothers mourned the fallen Queen too. The sky was grey when I woke from a night of restless sleep; the rain started as soon as my father stepped out onto the balcony of our palace, aplace where important matters were announced to the public.Our father addressed the Capital, releasing a final announcement confirming that our mother, the Queen of Gardenia, had died in battle. The whole realm felt the moment she passed, but he still needed to confirm it. The presence of her magic disappeared from our world. A loss that would be felt for generations to comeThe palace felt empty without our mother's presence. The whole thing still feels surreal. As if it had all just been one bad dream, and she was going to walk through the doors to our father's study any second. An
Chapter 56 - New BeginningsApolloThe ceremony was brutal. Hearing the families cry for their loved ones was heartbreaking. And watching Nesrin and her family say goodbye to Athena was even worse. The whole Kingdom came to say goodbye to the fallen. The bodies of the Fae who died were buried so they could return to the earth and be reborn. Their magic was then absorbed by the flowers and plant life that thrived in our realm, and their spirits returned to our Terra once again. The bodies of the werewolves and other beings were placed on pallets, and their bodies burned to release their spirits into the air so they could return to their creators.Once most of the families had been consoled by the royal family. It was their turn to say goodbye to Athena. I stood by Nesrin the whole time as she said her goodbyes to her mother. Then, one by one, everyone took their turn to have a moment with her.Silas and Erik held i
EpilogueNesrin*One Year Later*The last year had gone by faster than I thought it would. Adjusting to a life without my mother was hard. Experiencing things without her was harder. She had always been around to talk. Her presence, all-knowing looks, and words of wisdom were always calming.She had sacrificed her life to protect us and our people, and it was something that would never be forgotten. But on the hard days, the days where she should have been celebrating with us, like today. They were the days that hurt the most, making it a little harder to smile and put on a brave face. Grief was a weird thing; it always seemed to sneak up on you. But today, we would honour her instead of grieve her, as she would have wanted us to be happy. Likewise, she would have wanted me to be happy and worry-free.Today was a special day, one that she would have loved to see, one she probably had seen in a vision. Today was the day I stood in front of the council members. In front of our friends
Prologue I can still feel the shadows wrapped around me, the way they dug their claws into me. How cold and lost I felt in the darkness. I could still hear their whispers of temptation in my ears when it was quiet enough. A piece of me would always be missing, but it was something I would do again if I had to. My head was almost always quiet now; Ahmes hardly had enough energy to speak nowadays, but it was a price I had to pay to make sure the one I loved was safe. No one understood why I did it, mate, or not. The dark realms were forbidden, and only someone wholly insane or looking for death would willingly enter such an evil place. I looked up at Balor; he was the spitting image of our mother. His sapphire blue eyes burned into me as he waited for me to speak.
Chapter 1- Promises *Two days earlier* "She's coming, and when she rises, your entire family will burn in her inferno," I screamed as my body hung in the air. I couldn't move; I was frozen in place. Ahmes clawed to break free, but she was being suppressed within my mind by powerful magic. "When I break free, I will kill you. That's a promise." I snarled. The witch before me let out a manic laugh. His voice was low as he spoke. "When I'm done with you, you won't even remember your own name, mutt," I screamed as I felt the heat of his magic burning against my own. Then, suddenly, I couldn't scream anymore as I was plunged into cold waters. As I gasped for air, my lungs filled with water. Everything burned, and I was thrashing against the current that had pulled me under. I was drowni
Chapter 2 - Secrets "Nesrin, are you sure you still want to do this?" My mother asked as we finished the last of the preparations for my birthday celebration. I let out a yawn as I forced myself to sit up straighter. "Of course I do. With Balor finally back to talking terms with us and finding his mate, I want everyone to have the chance to get together." It wasn't entirely the reason I had to do this. We both knew that, but I could tell something else was bothering her. My mother bit her lower lip as she looked down at the papers in front of her. I could see there was something she wasn't telling me, something she wasn't sure she could. "What aren't you telling me?" I questioned. She would typically let her visions occur without a fuss, but if she saw something so horrible that it haunted her, she couldn't help but obsess over it, espe
Chapter 3 - Cursed "Is he here yet?" I asked Imelda for the fifth time. She rolled her emerald eyes, shaking her head, a smile on her face as she did the last of the buttons on my dress. She wore a white dress with intricate lace details on the bodice. It hugged every curve perfectly. She looked absolutely stunning and looked the exact opposite of me. If she was day, I was the night. The dress I wore was as black as the night sky. My dresses were altered not to reveal too much skin anymore. I couldn't stand the look on everyone's face when they looked at me, looked at my scars. The pity and grief in their eyes were already too much to handle as they stared at the scars on my face. The laced sleeves allowed for airflow, and the dress's bodice hugged my breasts perfectly. The skirt was light and flowy as it fanned out to brush the floor.
Chapter 4 -Truth I stood at the entrance of the dining hall. It seemed like everyone had moved out into the rest of the palace or called it a night.The music had died down, and the food was slowly being removed from the tables. It was always intriguing watching the behind-scenes of events. I used to sneak away all the time as a kid to watch the solstice celebrations be prepared. The magic it took to put everything together was always astonishing. I always wondered how they did such amazing work in such a short amount of time. I felt faint, so I leaned myself against the doorway. I knew I was already at the end of my energy limit for the day, but I knew what I had to do to clear the air between Balor and me. I had to let him know what I was feeling and what had happened to me. L