Chapter Two

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"Do you have something to tell me, mama? Because what the hell was that?"

They were back in the house now, the cold bite of the night now finally settling on Calli's skin. She shivered violently, more so due to the encounter rather than the chill of the night. Everything had shifted right before her eyes, and she could not imagine being in the situation she was now in. Nothing could have prepared her for her entire life coming down all around her.

Her grandmother was uncharacteristically silent, choosing instead to cover her with a blanket as her mother began to brew some coffee for all of them. Whereas Calli was craving something stronger, she knew she needed to have her wits about her for whatever it is the matriarchs were about to reveal.

"Why did you stop me, mother? Now, he has seen her and he will never let her go!"

The emotions seemed to burst out of Ira, all of them channeled at her mother who stared squarely at her, revealing no kind of remorse. Elisen knew what she had done and knew that whatever outcome had come to pass, it was the best in the situation they had found themselves in. Anything else would have meant endangering the lives of her most precious girls and she would not have that. She refused to lose them.

"He already knew about her, Ira. I told you; we could not keep her hidden anymore and your attempt at the Void Spell could have been interpreted as a declaration of war against him. You would have been keeping him from his sole right- to look upon her on a full moon night as the Prophecy dictated. We cannot go against destiny and fate, Ira. I have told you this and you saw it yourself tonight."

It had been a tough lesson for Ira who had begun the magic spell only to have it disrupted by her mother easily. The woman was, after all, more powerful than her in that respect. Not many could rival Elisen Rowenys' magical abilities- including her. When she had seen her daughter walk out of her room, almost as if in a trance, she knew that the Beast King had made contact. Being so helpless, unable to stop her by calling out to her or holding her back from leaving the safety of their home had been harrowing.

Elisen had held Ira back despite her urgings otherwise, the two of them watching as Calli made her way out of their home, down the steps, and towards the edge of their backyard where the forest met with their land. There, she stopped and seemed to wait for him. And, like a spectral with the full moon shining down upon them- almost as if the moment had been rehearsed by the very Universe, the Beast King emerged and met her halfway.

Everything had aligned as it was supposed to and although it broke Elisen to know that soon, they would have to look upon the same scene- only this time, Calliope would not return- filled her with immense sadness. She did not want to lose her granddaughter, but she knew that this was the only way to protect her from whatever consequences could come from defying the natural law.

The two engaged in a heated stare-off, neither one of them willing to back down from their own ideals whilst Calliope watched, confusion coursing through her entire body. Her mind was muddled, fixated on the words he had spoken and the sure tone in which he had used. He seemed to be sure, almost, that her life was his and that nothing would be able to stop him from claiming her as his 'Queen'.

And it scared her to know that she did not feel as opposed to it as she should be...That she was not scared to become his in every single sense of the word...

"For fuck's sake, can you two stop arguing for ONE SECOND and explain to me- the victim in all of this by the way- what the hell is going on?!"

Her outburst seemed to pull the two women out of their angry bubble as they registered Calli's annoyed glare at the two of them. Rowenys blood ran through her veins and her anger was a reflection of this as she turned from one to the other, waiting for an explanation that both seemed reluctant to give. Calli knew it was bad and part of her wanted to run but then she knew that when the three days were over, he would be back, and she would not be able to escape him.

"Mama, you OWE me. Why was this man able to infiltrate my dreams and somehow bring me to him? And what does grandma mean by you tried to 'cast a void spell'? Why does this arrogant, cocky asshole think that I belong to him? Did you sell my soul to the devil or something? Or is this some sort of long-winded prank- because it is not funny anymore."

Ira released a small sigh as she poured the coffee into the cups before bringing them to the dining table where they had all convened in a late night-early morning impromptu meeting.

"Can you please tell us what he told you first? I promise that after that, we will tell you everything."

Calliope was hesitant, watching as the two most important people in her life stared aptly at her, waiting for some sort of response. It was clear that they were worried for her, worried about what she was about to say and what it would mean in the grand scheme of things.

Elisen and Ira knew that there was a reason that the Beast King had left without Calliope, as protocol dictated. The Full Moon would wane in three days' time- the time corridor in which the Beast King was prophesized would come to the Mortal Realm and claim his bride as his own. It was surprising that he had not left with her as they expected but he still had time...

And, true enough, Calliope confirmed all their fears and suspicions with her narration of everything that had happened with some details catching them completely off guard as they shared looks of knowing.

"Wait, so for how long have you been dreaming of this other world in which he found you? Be as accurate as possible, Calliope. This is incredibly important."

Ira stated, voicing Elisen's question and concern aptly. Calliope did not need to think of it too much for the instance was as clear as day to her now as it had been all those years ago- when she had discovered that she could disappear from the world she knew and into a fantasy realm within her dreams where none of her problems would follow. That all she needed to do was close her eyes and she would be there, in the comfort of a place she had come to call her home away from her real home.

"It started when I turned thirteen. I used to have vivid dreams way before then but I truly began to dream of this place when I entered my teen years. Though I have no idea why that is relevant so explain to me as you tell me everything that you've been keeping from me."

Calliope watched as the two shared a look before Elisen released a sigh and sipped her coffee silently with a nod towards Ira who looked truly shattered by the answer that her daughter had provided.

"So it really was inevitable. Destiny had already marked you from the moment you were born. You were meant to stay by his side, no matter what I would or could have done. It has been decided."

Ira stated cryptically, wiping a stray tear from her eye as she got up and turned away from them- instead facing the backyard where the clouds had gathered, and rain seemed to be threatening to fall. It was almost as if it sensed the looming sadness hanging over their home, adapting with their feelings.

"Mama..."

Calliope whispered, stunned by her reaction but her focus shifted to her grandmother who spoke up, granting her a reassuring smile as she took both her cold hands into her warm ones and squeezed. She reveled in the warmth, allowing that to center her as she listened to what her grandmother had to say- a truth she knew would shake the foundations of her life more than it already had.

"This, my sweet girl, is not a fantasy story as I would narrate to you when you were a child. This is real and is a record of the history of the Rowenys family."

"The world is vast and full of races and realms beyond what you know. And in each realm are races that also live within them. Six of these races that have been recognized by the vast majority include;- Werewolves, Vampires, Orcs, Witches, Elves, and Demons. We are descended from the Elves and we are from the Ikraseon Empire. This Realm is inhabited by various types of Elves who live in different Elemental Courts- from Wood Elves who live in the magical forests of Ikraseon and control the Earth and Nature Element to Sea Elves who live in the vast seas and control the Water Element. Flame and Dark Elves control the Fire and Darkness Elements and rule over the Nightlands in Underground cities whereas the Air and Light Elves rule the skies and control the Air and Light Element. Their cities float above in fantastical wonder, illuminating and protecting the entirety of Ikraseon. It is for this reason that they are known as High Elves and form the Royal Family of the Elven Realm. We are descended from them. The Rowenys family has ruled over Ikraseon for generations and we are sworn to protect the Courts with our magical abilities whilst ruling with absolute wisdom."

Elisen took a deep breath, allowing for the information to settle within her granddaughter who seemed stunned into silence. She expected a harsher, more raw reaction but the stories that she had told her as a child seemed to have eased the delivery of such grand, life-changing news. Taking a deep breath after sipping on her now lukewarm coffee, she proceeded into the more intricate part of their history, one that still tugged at her to her very soul.

"I know you're wondering why we are on Earth Realm with the mortals and not back home. Well, that is because years ago, there was a conspiracy to massacre the Elven Royal Family by the Aristocrats who ruled over the Dark Elves. A war ensued in which your great grandfather, my father, fought with great valor. The war was, however, lost and with many other elves from the high cities and other Courts, we had to flee to ensure we could fight another day. We sought solace and asylum here, in Earth realm, and the protection of the Witches who guard this place. We believers never gave up hope, though, and awaited the fruition of the Prophecy that had been declared centuries before. The fall of the Rowenys family had been foreseen by one of the Seer Witches. They declared that one day, our family would be ousted from the throne, but we would rise again in a later generation and only through the union of our bloodline with another- A powerful but cursed lineage that would foster the beginning of a new age and the unification of all the realms. For many years, I believed that I was part of the generation but after I had your mother and our rebellion was once again trounced, I knew that it was not me. Your mother did not want to be a part of that history either and with time, it was revealed that she was not the one as well. She tried to save you from that fate and the burden that would rest on your shoulders by falling in love with a human and having you but Destiny cannot be fooled and the stars aligned the day you were born."

"The cursed lineage that the women of our family were sworn to was none other than that of the Beast King himself, the King of Werewolves who rules over the Natus Kingdom, a realm that is inhabited by the Werewolves. Though, make no mistake, my little one, the depiction you have seen of werewolves in this world is nothing compared to the real thing. This is no fairy tale. I agree that some of them are creatures with true hearts whereas others are nothing but beasts, just like their King. Lucien Gray is not the quintessential werewolf like his brothers and sisters- he is an Immortal that was cursed after he committed a great sin against the Celestial who created his kind. Six of these Immortals exist in each of the Realms and he rules over Natus as the Beast King Immortal. He is not someone I wanted in your future. His ruthlessness is known in each and every single one of the realms and is unmatched, rivaled only by the Blood Immortal who so happens to be his comrade in a turn of events. It is too great a price to pay in order to reclaim our home."

Ira had taken over, resolve coating her words as she explained what was at stake. What it would mean to stand beside Lucien and become his Queen. He was not the hero of a fairy tale. No, he was the villain- a beast in the form of a handsome, breathtaking man. He would destroy her and leave nothing behind.

"Do not get me wrong. I love Ikraseon with all my heart and I want to help the people there who are suffering under the rule of the Dark Elves but not at the cost of my child. I refuse to give you to him as some sort of payment for his help in this war. Who knows the reason behind his motivations to take you from us. I refuse to take that chance and lose you in the process."

Chills traveled through Calli's body at the mere thought of such an outcome. To be at the mercy of an individual known as the Beast King, a ruthless Immortal who wishes to possess her all so he could help save a Kingdom she knew nothing about before him...It was all too much to process. Too great a burden.

"It is not our decision anymore, Ira. The Fates have decided, and we need to trust in our efforts to raise our little Calli into an incredibly strong and resilient woman in anticipation of this day. The only thing remaining is granting you the tools to protect yourself- your birthright and in the next three days that he has granted us, we will transform you and equip you with ways to navigate Natus and come out on top. Trust us, little one and I promise we will not fail you."

Seemingly, the decision had already been made and although Ira seemed ready to defy her mother and fight against her words, Calliope knew deep down that this was what had to be done. Part of her was eerily aware that no matter what they did, they could not stop him from taking her. She knew that rebelling against him would mean the death of more Elves- her own kind- and all because she wished to be selfish, to hold on to whatever 'mortality' and normalcy she still possessed, no matter how small.

The fate of an entire Empire rests on her shoulders....and the only thing she had to do to save them was marry a King. Her fate could be worse, right....?

Right?!....

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