Chapter 46 - Relief
ApolloI let out a shaky breath; Nesrin gave my hand a tight squeeze reassuring me that I wasn't alone. I stared up at the little log house that I used to call my home. The wooden porch now more weathered than it once was. The gardens and flowers were just as vibrant and lively as I remembered.The last time I had been here was when I brought home Illaria's body. I had no idea how this was going to go. My sister was so sure that they would be happy to see me, welcome me home with open arms, but I couldn't see how."You won't know unless you knock on the door, Apollo. Despite everything, they will always love you," Nesrin said as if knowing my thoughts."But what if they don't? What if I knock on the door, and they shut it in my face?" I looked down at her then. She gave me a soft smile. One made my nerves steady and my heart slow."Then, at least we can say you tried. What is a life worth livingChapter 47 - The final truthNesrin *Six months ago*"The time is coming. Darkness will rise once again.""Rise,""Rise," I jolted awake, covered in sweat. My heart was racing against my chest. Apollo was passed out beside me, his hand resting on my swollen belly. I looked out the window of my bedroom. The moon was glowing brightly against the night sky as it glowed against the snow-covered ground. I would have the twins any day now, and the closer I got to their arrival, the worst the nightmares and whispers in the dark got. My body felt so cold lately, and the scars on my body ached even more as their presence grew stronger. It felt as though the shadows had somehow sunk their claws into me. I needed to get out of the palace, get out of here for a little while. I needed to feel the cold air against my skin.I slowly moved Apollo's hand and slid out of our bed. The exhaustion was a constant w
Chapter 48 - LoopholeNesrin *Present day*I looked at my brother, waiting for him to blow up. I could feel the presence of the shadows heavy around me. They were watching, listening to see what would happen. Which only meant it was a matter of time before Dela came for me. Or maybe she would take it slow, let me worry myself into exhaustion before summoning me to the Underworld to free her."Fuck me," Balor muttered, rubbing his hands down his face. He started to laugh, shaking his head. I straighten in my chair, Apollo placing a hand on my hand. "We are so fucked," He laughed as he stood up from his chair, leaning on the table, his eyes burning into mine. He stopped laughing, his face becoming serious once again."How long?" Balor's voice came out way too calm for my liking. "I ...I'm," He slammed his hand down on the table, making me jump. "How fucking long, Nes," He shouted."W
Chapter 49 - InsanityLir I was going to rip the King's throat out when I got a chance. Not that he even deserved the fucking title. My father fucked up when he hooked up with some dumb bitch he met in his meetings with the Dark Queens council. They created that abomination, and he had somehow slithered his way to the top after his mother managed to kill my father and make it look like some fucked up accident. But you reap what you sow, and she was his karma wrapped up in perfect curves, a pound of makeup and blonde hair that was as fake as her personality. And now, I would be the one who took back what she and my father stole from me long ago.The fact that I was stuck down here to be punished for betraying the crown was a joke in itself. He said I was too good to be killed, the best Commander they had. Despite who I was and how I got to this point. The bastard would keep me here starved for a few months in hopes I would learn my
Chapter 50 - OblivionNesrinI couldn't sleep; not knowing when I would be summoned to the Underworld kept my mind anxious. The ache my scars seemed to be giving me lately made it impossible to get comfortable either way.I heard a loud yell followed by a female scream echoing down the hall from Balor's room. I jumped from my bed and raced to the door. "Stay with the girls," I said as I heard Apollo follow after me. I ran out into the hallway before he could answer. I rushed towards Balor's door; vines and a strong ward encased the door, making it impossible for me to get past it. I banged on the door as hard as I could. "Balor, Reyna," I shouted as I banged my fist against the door harder."Balor," Reyna's voice pleaded. My heart hammered against my chest. Was this it? Did Dela want Balor here so she could kill off my family one by one? Balor rambled on through th
Chapter 51 - RetributionDela"I'd say it's a pleasure to see you, Dela. But we both know that would be a lie. So I'll say this instead," Balthazar muttered. His face was void of all emotion as he stared at me. He was trying to intimidate, make me cower before him. Balthazar hoped that the years of torture had made me weak and easy to manipulate.But I knew better. He knew that once I got out of here, the only way he could defeat me was to kill the Queen of all realms. Something he would never do. Not when it could cost him the affections of his precious little trophy wife.At first, I wanted nothing more than to destroy Athena for trapping me in the pits of the Underworld. But thanks to her little deal, I was now tied to her life. What she thought to be an eternity of misery for me was now about to be the reason why I reclaimed my rightful place in the Kingdom of Gardenia. "Surrender now, and I will reduc
Chapter 52 - Unexpected HelpApolloI felt the spell snap when Nesrin's presence disappeared from our realm. A strange feeling settled over me. Fear and anger were just a couple of the emotions I was feeling. Nesrin always risked everything to protect the people she cared about. Now it would be my turn to risk it all to save her.I left Audra with the girls and raced out to the dining hall. Everyone stopped talking, turning their attention towards me—confused expressions on their faces. "She's gone," I said, my heart pounding against my chest. Balor was the first to stand. "Who's gone, Apollo?" Damon asked, his brows pinched together. "Nesrin, Dela took her," I answered. A tense silence settled over the table. Balor slammed his hand against the table, making everyone jump. "Fucking, hell. I swear to the mothers that I will be the one who teaches that bitch a lesson,"
Chapter 53 - WarApolloThe whole field seemed to pause. Everyone looked over at one another. Erik looked at me with a questioning look on his face. Unease filled the air. I swallowed hard, unsure whether this was real or some mind game Dela had started. With her being able to project herself out of the Underworld undetected all those years. We were practically blind when it came to knowing her powers' true strength. Drabek took a tentative step towards us; the guards around us raised their swords in a warning. "You're alive," I said in disbelief. We had gone two years without knowing whether they had survived or not—two years of not knowing whether we needed to mourn them."Well, I wouldn't say these two were ever really alive," Drabek teased, jerking his head towards Lir and Kier, who grunted in response. "I'm guessing these are friends of yours," Balthazar said. "I wouldn't ever be
Chapter 54 - The Falling Of Two QueensNesrin I 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 sounde
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
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
Chapter 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 54 - The Falling Of Two QueensNesrin I 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 sounde
Chapter 53 - WarApolloThe whole field seemed to pause. Everyone looked over at one another. Erik looked at me with a questioning look on his face. Unease filled the air. I swallowed hard, unsure whether this was real or some mind game Dela had started. With her being able to project herself out of the Underworld undetected all those years. We were practically blind when it came to knowing her powers' true strength. Drabek took a tentative step towards us; the guards around us raised their swords in a warning. "You're alive," I said in disbelief. We had gone two years without knowing whether they had survived or not—two years of not knowing whether we needed to mourn them."Well, I wouldn't say these two were ever really alive," Drabek teased, jerking his head towards Lir and Kier, who grunted in response. "I'm guessing these are friends of yours," Balthazar said. "I wouldn't ever be
Chapter 52 - Unexpected HelpApolloI felt the spell snap when Nesrin's presence disappeared from our realm. A strange feeling settled over me. Fear and anger were just a couple of the emotions I was feeling. Nesrin always risked everything to protect the people she cared about. Now it would be my turn to risk it all to save her.I left Audra with the girls and raced out to the dining hall. Everyone stopped talking, turning their attention towards me—confused expressions on their faces. "She's gone," I said, my heart pounding against my chest. Balor was the first to stand. "Who's gone, Apollo?" Damon asked, his brows pinched together. "Nesrin, Dela took her," I answered. A tense silence settled over the table. Balor slammed his hand against the table, making everyone jump. "Fucking, hell. I swear to the mothers that I will be the one who teaches that bitch a lesson,"
Chapter 51 - RetributionDela"I'd say it's a pleasure to see you, Dela. But we both know that would be a lie. So I'll say this instead," Balthazar muttered. His face was void of all emotion as he stared at me. He was trying to intimidate, make me cower before him. Balthazar hoped that the years of torture had made me weak and easy to manipulate.But I knew better. He knew that once I got out of here, the only way he could defeat me was to kill the Queen of all realms. Something he would never do. Not when it could cost him the affections of his precious little trophy wife.At first, I wanted nothing more than to destroy Athena for trapping me in the pits of the Underworld. But thanks to her little deal, I was now tied to her life. What she thought to be an eternity of misery for me was now about to be the reason why I reclaimed my rightful place in the Kingdom of Gardenia. "Surrender now, and I will reduc
Chapter 50 - OblivionNesrinI couldn't sleep; not knowing when I would be summoned to the Underworld kept my mind anxious. The ache my scars seemed to be giving me lately made it impossible to get comfortable either way.I heard a loud yell followed by a female scream echoing down the hall from Balor's room. I jumped from my bed and raced to the door. "Stay with the girls," I said as I heard Apollo follow after me. I ran out into the hallway before he could answer. I rushed towards Balor's door; vines and a strong ward encased the door, making it impossible for me to get past it. I banged on the door as hard as I could. "Balor, Reyna," I shouted as I banged my fist against the door harder."Balor," Reyna's voice pleaded. My heart hammered against my chest. Was this it? Did Dela want Balor here so she could kill off my family one by one? Balor rambled on through th
Chapter 49 - InsanityLir I was going to rip the King's throat out when I got a chance. Not that he even deserved the fucking title. My father fucked up when he hooked up with some dumb bitch he met in his meetings with the Dark Queens council. They created that abomination, and he had somehow slithered his way to the top after his mother managed to kill my father and make it look like some fucked up accident. But you reap what you sow, and she was his karma wrapped up in perfect curves, a pound of makeup and blonde hair that was as fake as her personality. And now, I would be the one who took back what she and my father stole from me long ago.The fact that I was stuck down here to be punished for betraying the crown was a joke in itself. He said I was too good to be killed, the best Commander they had. Despite who I was and how I got to this point. The bastard would keep me here starved for a few months in hopes I would learn my