by Olivia Hart
This moment was what I had dreamt of for years. A moment that I didn’t think possible. That warmth of his flowed into me, and it was like we had never been apart. Not even for a moment.
But then it was gone, and he pulled away. I couldn’t hold back the sobs. “Please don’t leave me again, Nicolai. Please.”
“I’ll never leave you again, Sera. But I can’t stay here.” He put his hand on my cheek and gave me a broken smile. “Come with me. Let me take you with me when I leave.”
I smiled at him. “I’ll go with you wherever you go, Nicolai. Even when the void takes us, let us never be apart. I said the words and I meant them.”
He stood up and pulled me to my feet. Then, he reached around me, and I felt the dagger that was still embedded in my head fall to the floor. I’d known pain. Everything before he’d come had been torture. Physical pain was barely perceptible anymore.
Then he pulled the blade from my chest and it fell to the floor as well. The wounds healed almost instantly, and he pulled me to him for a kiss. Every bit of pain fled as his lips touched mine again, and once again I remembered how perfect I had felt when I’d had his touch every day.
He took my hand and slowly walked to the portal, but then he stopped and let go of my hand. He turned to Rose, and I realized that I had almost killed my own daughter. And the baby inside her. I couldn’t believe what I’d done in my grief and pain. I stared at the ground, but I heard every word that was said.
“You’ve become a woman that I’d never have imagined, Rose. I’m so very proud of you, and as your husband is so fond of saying, the gift was worth the sacrifice.”
I glanced up and saw Nicolai and Rose look at me. “I hate that she became this woman, Rose. I hate all of the things that she did, but I hope that one day you’ll understand why she did them. I also hope that you never experience the pain that she went through. She is a wonderful woman. The love of my life.”
He paused and Rose said, “I can imagine how hard it would have been. I felt her pain. I felt her when you died for that split second before she became Seraphina. I can’t forgive her, but I do understand.”
He nodded and pulled Rose in for a hug. Then he stepped backward. For just a moment, everything stood still, and I looked at Rose, at my daughter. I saw the tears in her eyes, and then I couldn’t stop myself.
“I’m so sorry, Rose. I know that I’ve been a terrible mother, and there’s nothing I can say that will change the things I’ve done. I wish you and your husband a long and happy marriage.” I paused for a moment, and Nicolai glanced at me with a smile. He knew what I was going to say.
“I hope your daughter is just as wonderful as you have become.”
It was so hard not to begin sobbing. “Rest well, Mom,” she said. “One day, you and Dad may come back and meet your granddaughter.”
I nodded and smiled at her, really seeing her for the first time. She had become such a beautiful woman. A beautiful Queen. She was everything that a mother could hope for.
“I love you Dad,” she said to Nicolai.
He gave her that grin that he always wore and said, “I love you too, Rose. Don’t you dare let snarly pants over there ruin my granddaughter. Make sure you keep her smiling.”
Rose nodded. “I’ll try to be like you. You always knew how to be fun.”
Then Nicolai took my hand, and he led me across the floor to the portal. We both glanced back at Rose and then Nicolai said, “Are you ready to go exploring?”
“Exploring?” I asked.
He didn’t answer before he pulled me into the blackness.
Chapter 42
Andryn
Harpies dove into the ranks of the enemy soldiers, carrying them high into the air before dropping them to the buildings below with horrendous crashes. Ogres smashed entire groups of soldiers. In one section of the city, two ogres fought to take down a giant.
Everywhere, the screams of the dying rang even higher than the clash of metal on metal. Entire buildings were knocked over as the giants and ogres fought. Explosions sounded as fairies launched terrible magic at their foes.
We were winning, but I could barely look at what we’d done. Thousands upon thousands were dead or dying. We could barely help our own troops, and as we finally secured the base of the palace, I turned to hold back the waves of enemy troops that rushed us.
A crossbow bolt stuck out of my thigh, and it was hard to move. I could still hold a line, though. Holding my shield and sword, I prepared to defend the palace against the soldiers in gold plate.
They didn’t have cavalry, but they did have fairies. Rising above us on wings of orange, two fairies put out their hands, and beams of light sprayed down on us. Bolts from crossbows filled the air, but they crashed harmlessly against shields of pure magic.
The troops tried to get away, but those beams moved too quickly. Screams erupted as soon as the light touched a soldier. Men fell to the ground as their legs were cooked inside their armor. Pure chaos ensued as two fairies scattered two hundred men.
The enemy soldiers ran, but they were just as bloodied as we were, and they didn’t move as fast as they had at the beginning of the battle. More than a few of them had to stop mid-charge.
Then, a dark fairy came up behind them with wings of shadow. Fire erupted from both of his hands and caught the two light fairies in the back. They fell, their backs covered in burns. I watched them hit the ground with sickening cracks. The fairy flew away but not before the soldiers around me could cheer him on.
Our soldiers lined back up before the charging enemy reached us, and the wounded were dragged away in the hopes that we would be able to heal them after the battle was done. That was only if we survived this assault. The charge slowed and finally stopped as they realized that we could hold our position against them.
And then everything stopped. Everything. I tried to move, but my body was completely immobilized. Everything and everyone around me had stopped. Looking across the street, even a stone that was falling was stuck in mid-air. What was happening?
The world went absolutely silent. No sounds. Not even the rasping breath of the exhausted. That was when I realized that my chest had stopped moving. I wasn’t breathing.
And then the dragons flew into the city. Landing on the broken wreckage of buildings, they were the only things that seemed immune to the effects of this magic. Both dark and light dragons looked out at the carnage of what had once been the most beautiful city in the world.
The dark dragon who had spoken to Queen Rose roared, commanding the attention of everyone. Then he spoke. “The Queen of Light is dead. The war is over, and the Dark Queen rules the Immortal Realm.” His words were loud enough for an entire city to hear, and I desperately wished that I could cover my ears.
The female light dragon spoke next in just as loud of voice. “There is no longer a conflict between the realms. Cease your fighting. Cease your destruction. The battle is done, and it is time to heal the broken.”
I felt a pain in my thigh, and I turned my eyes down as the bolt slowly slid out of my thigh. As soon as it was out, my wounds healed instantly. My eyes opened wide, and I looked at my fellow soldiers. Cut cheeks and eyes were healed, and the only proof that they’d been there were long lines of caked blood.
Then I saw that the same thing was happening to the enemy soldiers. Arrows slid out of wounds. Arms grew back. Burns healed.
And then I began to breathe again. Fairy wings began to beat. But that stone didn’t move. The swirls of dust stayed still, just sitting in the air. “Find safety,” the dark dragon said. “And do not cause any more violence. The battle is done. The void has claimed far too many lives today.”
The clang of metal filled the otherwise silent city, and then I heard a boom followed by a scream. The dragons were going to make sure that their words were heeded. No more blood would be shed this day. I took a deep breath and sheathed my sword. I would clean the blood from the sheath and sword later. For now, I needed to do my best to
try to forget the number of people who still didn’t move.
The sound of swords being sheathed filled the air for a moment as nearly everyone came out of the adrenaline-filled battle mind state. People moved away from the still frozen stones and crossbow bolts. A fireball hung in the air, and the fairy that it been meant for slowly descended to the ground.
Then, all of it crashed. For just a second, it was as though the battle were still raging. Stones fell. Bolts clanged against buildings. Fireballs exploded.
It was done, but the dragons didn’t leave. Instead, they looked to the palace where a fairy with midnight wings stood. Wearing her traveling clothes, she didn’t look like a Queen, but there was no doubt that she was. Her shirt was charred, and blood ran across her brown tunic, but she stood with her head held high.
As she spoke, her words reverberated through the entire city just as the dragons’ voices had. A power that no fairy had ever had. “The war is done as the dragons have said. It is time for us to put our world back together. Not just this city, though.”
“We need to mend the ties that bind the light and dark. For too long, we have been enemies, and this is not the way that the world was meant to be. We are two sides to the same coin, meant to complement each other instead of war with each other.”
“From now on, we will work together to build a better world. A world where people can be who they are meant to be. A world where we cherish the differences between us rather than bicker like children because of them.”
“And that will start now. The citizens of the Dark Realm will help to heal this city. We will bring food and supplies to support that which was lost. Today was not a victory. It was a tragedy, and one we will never forget.”
“Rest now. The day is done, but tomorrow we will begin to rebuild.” Rose turned around and walked back into the palace. Still, the dragons didn’t move. They weren’t going to allow the fighting to resume.
“Let’s do what the Queen commands,” I said to the soldiers around me who still looked nervously at the soldiers in gold plate across the street. “Let’s get out of this armor and get some rest.”
One of the elves next to me said, “Are you sure they won’t try to attack us?”
I shook my head. “If they do, those dragons will stop them. There will be trouble eventually, but I doubt that anyone wants to keep fighting right this moment.”
Chapter 43
Amra
Three weeks ago
Prince Sebastian leaped into the portal with Rose over his shoulder. As he did, I felt fire burn through me. My body shook, and my legs gave out. The portal closed, and I looked up at Queen Seraphina. She was laughing like a crazy woman. I tried to get to my feet, but she slapped me across the face. I fell backward, and my head hit the stone wall of the hallway with a crack. Everything went black.
* * *
I woke up in my old bed, and everything hurt. I tried to move, but steel chains had been wrapped around me. I tried to squeeze out from under them, but they were so tight and every time I moved, I felt new skin start to burn.
I wanted to scream so badly. Everything hurt more than anything in my entire life. I knew I couldn’t though. Then Queen Seraphina would come in and hurt me more. I choked back the sobs and let the tears run without trying to stop them.
They’d left me here all alone. Prince Sebastian knew what Queen Seraphina would do. I’d seen him after she was done torturing him. I saw the burns and cuts all over his body, and I wasn’t strong like him. I wasn’t even able to do any real magic.
She was going to kill me, and she was going to do it slowly. She’d make me scream. She’d enjoy it. I knew what she was like. The tears began to fall even faster as I gave up hope.
Then I heard a voice that reminded me of Rose. Soft but strong. “You’re stronger than you think, little Princess. You are not a gnome, and you are not a fairy. You’re the only living Princess of Light. You were born to be strong enough to claim the Throne of Light. Do not give up.”
Strangely, I did feel stronger. That voice did something to me, and I felt my tears slow down. They didn’t stop, but I didn’t feel quite as hopeless anymore. I knew that I was going to die, but I remembered that Rose and Prince Sebastian had both been willing to die.
They always said, “Everyone dies. It’s whether we have lived that truly matters.” I had. I remembered what my life had been like before I’d met Rose. Now I had lots of friends. Asli and Sinivyn and John. Embrys. Rose and Prince Sebastian. My parents may have died, but I’d found a new family. A family of people that had shown me what happiness was.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. All I could do was try to remember them. The voice came to me again. “No, little Princess. Think about everyone else as well. You have found a family, but you have found more than that. You have found purpose. You were needed. You’re still needed.”
Another voice, one I knew. Queen Aurora. “The lines circling you are blurry, for you are a gnome, but none of them end. Nothing is certain, yet. Stay strong, Amra, Princess of Light and Heir to the Throne of Light.”
“I can’t claim the Throne of Light,” I whispered. “I’m not a fairy. I’m just… I’m just me. I can’t be a Queen.”
That first voice said, “I was not born to be a Queen either, but when the burden needed to be carried, I did what was needed.”
“But…” The door swung open, and I saw Queen Seraphina. She had blood on her dress, and her ice-blonde hair was messy. She didn’t look like the Queen Seraphina I remembered. She hadn’t cleaned herself up at all since she’d fought Rose and Prince Sebastian.
“Talking to yourself, dear?” she asked. “That’s the sign of a madwoman, and we wouldn’t want anyone to think that you were ugly and mad, would we?”
I didn’t say anything as she walked across the room. “I apologize for the steel chains. I don’t know how your powers work. I didn’t even know you had powers until last night, but I can’t let you go and help the Dark Queen.”
She smiled at me, but it quickly turned into a grimace as her hand went to her breast. Her fingers were trying desperately to scratch at a wound that wasn’t there. Then her face relaxed and she began smiling again as if nothing had happened.
“If you decided that you wanted to help me instead, I could let you out of those chains. All you’d need to do is open a portal to the Dark Tower, and then you could be free.”
I thought about what Aurora and the other voice had said. Stay strong. Remember everyone else.
“No. I won’t help you hurt Rose.”
She slipped on a pair of silk gloves as she shook her head. “I was afraid you were going to say that. It seems that the Dark Queen has made you forget who your Queen is. The punishment for disobeying your Queen is death. You know that, but I’ll let you go with just a little pain instead if you decide to help me.”
She reached her hand into a leather pouch that hung from the silk belt that wrapped around her. She put her hand over my face and rubbed her fingers together. Then my entire face began to burn like someone was pressing it to a fire. Iron dust.
I screamed and tried to wiggle out of the chains, but that only made things worse. A fleck of the iron had gotten into my eye, and I couldn’t do anything about it as it sizzled.
“All you have to do is help me get to the Dark Tower, Amra. Just one little portal, and you don’t have to hurt anymore.”
“No!” I screamed. “I won’t help you hurt Rose!”
“Then I hope you’re ready to spend the rest of your life in pain. You may heal, but you’re not as strong as a fairy. I wonder how many days of torture you can endure before you die.”
The pain was slowly getting better as I pushed the iron dust away from my skin. When the sizzling had stopped, and the pain was almost gone, I opened my eyes. Queen Seraphina was already gone.
* * *
I felt a hand on my shoulder while I slept, and I immediately began to squirm away from it. Then I heard the voice as my eyes snapped
open. The other voice. “You’ve done so well, Princess. I’m sorry I had to leave for a few days. I was needed elsewhere.”
“Who are you?” I whispered back. I still felt her hand, but there was no one there. Was she a ghost?
“Some call me the Dark One, but you can call me Risna. That’s what my sister calls me.”
“But who are you?”
“I was the first Dark Queen. Now, I am a whisper of the fairy who ruled. Here to guide the Queens until someone can rule as they were meant to.”
“Why are you here with me then?” I asked, doing my best not to be loud enough for anyone to hear.
“To help you understand why you matter. You are not like Rose. You aren’t like Catarina or Seraphina or any other Queen that has ever been, but you are something that the world needs right now.”
“You say that you’re not important, but you are more important than you could ever imagine. This happened last night while you slept.”
The room faded as though I were being transported into a dream. The walls became open air, and the bed became a stone-covered ground. People were everywhere, thousands upon thousands of them, and the sound of soft crying could be heard throughout.
At the front of the crowd, Rose and Prince Sebastian stood with all of my friends. Even Embrys was there. Behind them, a funeral pyre stood.
Asli and Rose took torches and lit the pyre. I still didn’t really understand what was happening, but when Rose started to talk, everything made sense. This was my funeral.
Rose went to stand with the rest of the people, and then Asli started to speak, and I felt tears fall down my cheeks. I didn’t know that I meant this much to them. I couldn’t have imagined that they cared like this. I was just me. Nobody important. I’d never seen a funeral this large. Not even when Aurora had died.
And then Embrys and Prince Sebastian stepped forward. Prince Sebastian translated Embrys’s words, and then he got to the very end of the speech. “Queen Rose may be the soul of the Dark Realm, but Amra was the heart. The Fae were trusted with the Immortal Realm not because they were smart or powerful. They were given the charge of the world because they loved, and Amra had more love in her than anyone I have ever known. So much that she taught a dragon what it was.”
