The shadowed queen, p.2
The Shadowed Queen, page 2
“Fuck.” He hisses into my ear, and the hot breath gives me a new shiver down my spine. I allow the shadows to fade, as we lock eyes he grins at me with that stupid smile of his.
I'm still gasping as he pulls out of me, sets me on my knees on the floor, and grips himself, sending hot streams of semen running down my chest. I stick my tongue out and he rests the tip of his cock on it. I let the rest of the salty substance run down my throat, looking up at him.
“Such a good girl for me. Look at those pretty starry eyes,” he says, grabbing my cheeks and pushing himself in my mouth, then pulling out and to the side to make a pop. He leans down to kiss me and helps me stand.
He stands to my side with his arms wrapped around me as I wash my hair. It's gotten too long in my opinion, but he insists I keep it, he likes to brush through it and braid it for me. I don’t argue, if it's one less thing I have to deal with so be it. He kisses my cheek and ear as I detangle my hair.
“I love you my shadow.”
“And I, you,” I reply leaning into his touch.
We finish in the shower and quickly get dressed. I have no idea how long we’ve been in there and I really hope we didn’t leave Tyron waiting for us. We rush down the hallway and into the dining room, just as Ivy and Moss enter from the other side. I feel relief flow through Oberon's side of the bond.
We sit in our assigned seats, Tyron at one head of the table, me at the other, with Oberon next to him on one side, and Ivy and Moss on the other side. Moss always sits closer to me, and Ivy closer to Tyron. We thank the servers as they put plate after plate on the table. They nod in response and scurry off into their own area to eat. The clinking of silverware against the porcelain plates provides a gentle ambiance to the room.
I lean forward with a smile and say, “So training went really well with Ivy and Moss, after Oberon took over of course.”
Tyron looks to Oberon, who offers a small smile and looks back to his plate. “He used to train the castle guards and new recruits into the army, I wouldn't expect anything less of him.”
“I forget sometimes that they only just recently acquired legs. they're not going to be as quick to learn things as I would be. But they've watched me train my whole life so they know the basics decently well.” I say and pat Moss’ hand. It had only been a few weeks since I learned I could change their shapes, they had asked me to make them human, and I did my best. They would be more like mortals in that they wouldn’t have powers, which is another reason why I'm insisting on their training. We’re departing soon to search for the Goddesses, and I can’t afford another loss.
Eleni told me that each of the four seasons has a Goddess to represent it. Autumn is death, Winter is water, Spring is life, and Summer is earth. She told me the frost that is spreading over the winter realm can only be stopped by the Goddess of Water. Oberon and I have decided to make the trip up there and meet with the Colossus of that realm.
The civil war that had started to sprout up here we quickly squashed. It was just a group of rebels from Starcoast trying to kill me before I could “start the apocalypse” but as Oberon and I discovered, it had been started before I was even born. Even if they were able to kill me, Mors won’t let me die, I'm cursed to finish this out whether I like it or not. I have to be the one to save the world somehow.
“Right, Annabelle?” Oberon says, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Sorry, what? I wasn't listening.”
“We’ll probably be heading out in a few days?” he repeats, a hint of concern in his eye.
“Yes. I've never been to the Winter Realm before so I won’t be able to just portal us in. But I can get us into the Realm of Spring and we can ride from there. I've already got most of our things in the shadow.” Oberon and I have been calling my realm Asphelia, a mix of Aspen and Ophelia. Eleni said it was my own kingdom to do with as I please, and I chose to try to honor them.
Tyron nods at this approvingly and goes back to his plate, the rest of us follow. Anxiety sits in my chest as I think about Aspen again. I had tried to bury the thoughts of everything that happened but I couldn’t get away from that. I hadn't seen Dot or Raine since, my owls in the Autumn Realm tell me that they aren't able to find Dot, she's been off on some mission somewhere. Raine just sits at home with his grandmother all day. I strongly believe they were soul-bonded. He's struggling to hold on. I wish I could reach out to him and tell him it'll be okay, but I can’t, and it won’t. His soulmate is dead. She died for me. She died in vain.
I make eye contact with Oberon across the table. He can sense the pain that I'm going through. I shake my head slightly and put the walls back up. He doesn’t need to go through this. I can feel him softly knocking at my mental walls and I glare at him over the table. He gives me a small smile and nods to me. I roll my eyes and let him in just a little, so he can tell me what he wants.
"It's okay to feel the way you feel, shadow. It's okay to let me in. I'm here with you, you don’t need to bear it alone."
"It is my pain to bear. I will not subject you to it." I reply, shaking my head.
"If you’re subjected to it, I want to be as well."
I nod to him and close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. I’ll tell him I’ll let him in for now, but I need to make more of an effort to keep these thoughts under control. It is my punishment for letting them die.
two
Oberon and I have lunch in Asphelia with Jane and the others. She still has no memories of her past life, and has settled into life here as the first human resident of the city I've been building up. I think about how much she's changed since I first found her. When she was lying on that bed, one foot in the underworld, I wasn't convinced I would be able to save her. Her aura was so pale it was almost non-existent. Then when she appeared behind us the day I gave Moss and Ivy their legs, I was genuinely surprised to see her up and walking around. Her aura is bright as ever and shining.
After everyone got settled in Asphelia, I decided I would take in anyone who asked. Growing up in the foster system was hard. I refuse to allow a child to be homeless. Jane chose to live in the cabin I made for her. She says it's cozy enough, and doesn’t want anything bigger. The rest of the birds asked to become human after they saw how happy Ivy and Moss were with their new bodies. They all live in a house next door to Jane. The three owls who came with us decided on their names, Fern Thorn, and Pine, leaning away from the flower theme Ophelia and I had originally started with.
“So you'll be leaving for the Winter Realm soon?” Heather asks me, fidgeting with her shirt.
“Yes, we need to talk to the Colossus there and see if she knows anything.”
“What is Winter's Colossus?” Calia pipes up from behind Heather.
“A snake,” I reply, grimacing. I don’t mind land snakes, but the idea of a massive ancient snake gives me chills.
“She's peaceful, right? She's not going to try to eat you?” She replies.
“No, I should be fine. I'm a Goddess too, Eleni said my power is equal to theirs, I would hope she will respect me and answer my questions.”
I'm putting so much hope into this. If she doesn’t cooperate I'm not sure what else we can do. She’s the one who would know where we could find the Goddess of Water. Oberon reaches over and squeezes my knee.
“As I travel through the lands, if I see anyone who needs help, I will be bringing them in here. Once I get to the winter realm I'm going to take in those who were afflicted by the frost. I don’t know what else to do for them.” I say with a sigh.
“Can you leave them a portal and one of us can hang out around outside of it and bring anyone in that needs help?” Jane asks.
“That’s definitely an idea, would you all be willing to work with that? I'm not really asking you to care for anyone, if we need that I can gather people.”
All at once everyone talks over each other all saying they want to help.
“I've been getting bored put me to work!” Orchid shouts.
“We would be more than happy to help you Anna,” Calia says.
“Are you all sure? I have no idea what's going to come in the next few months, you’re sure you want to help? I told you when I brought you here I was letting you retire.” I say looking at each one of the friends sitting around me.
“Yes, we want to help,” Fern says, the others all nod in agreement.
“Okay if you insist. So like I said, I’ll bring anyone in here who needs a place to be. There are a lot of people in the winter realm with no home to go back to, if they want a place to stay I’ll make sure there are plenty of houses here. You guys can figure out to yourselves how you want to go about having someone keep watch at the entrance. I’ll just make a portal somewhere and leave it open so people can come and go as they please.”
No one replies they just nod, listening intently.
“But enough about that. I came here to relax and not think about things for a while. I'm going to go for a swim does anyone want to join me?” I ask and stand up, stretching my legs. A few got up to follow me and we make our way out of the house and into the woods where I had created a pond.
The pool, nestled in a secluded grove, seems to possess an otherworldly quality. The waters appear as a liquid shadow, swirling with an enchanting allure. Without hesitation we shed our outer clothes and dive into the depths, immersing ourselves in the pool of shadows.
The cool embrace of the liquid darkness envelops me, wrapping me in a comforting sensation. As we all resurface laughter erupts, echoing through the grove. The others engage in friendly competitions, who can swim faster, hold their breath longer, jump, and create the biggest splash. Oberon follows behind me as I leisurely swim around.
“Are you really ready to go and do all this? Who knows when we’ll stop? We could be roaming around for months.” he says quietly.
“I think I'm excited about that actually. I feel cooped up, doted on, I just want to get things going.” I reply, locking elbows with him and creating a current in the water that moves us around.
“I can understand that. But I mean more... everything that’s happened the last few months. Have you processed things well enough to be able to move on and handle what’s to come? These plagues- Anna," he turns his head, locking eyes with me, "people will die.”
I consider this for a few minutes. I understand what he's saying. Will I be able to handle knowing that people are going to die while I figure out where the goddesses are? I will have to live with their deaths. I will have the weight of every death on my shoulders. I am the Goddess of Death, it's something I’ll have to be used to whether I like it or not.
“I just have to remind myself that their blood isn't on my hands.”
“Okay, I think that’s the last of it.” Oberon says in a huff, dropping the last box into the storage room. I watch as the others take the contents and start sorting them. Food rations, lots of extra clothes, and other varying supplies are all sorted carefully into the room. I walk out into the street, looking around the town I had created. The cold grey stone road on my bare feet gives me chills but I welcome it. I turned Asphelia from a couple of cabins in the woods, into a full-fledged city. With a castle and anything a person could want. This truly is my Kingdom. Crops can grow, seasons change, it rains, and snows, it has become its own world. I wonder if this is what Mors' underworld is like. If all along it was just a realm she created for wayward souls.
“When this is all done I want to make portals in all the realms, so if anyone needs a home all they have to do is find me,” I say to Oberon, reaching for his hand.
“That sounds wonderful my shadow,” he replies, holding me and nuzzling into my neck.
I say goodbye to my friends and go back to the Nyxfall castle with Oberon. We wander around the grounds for a while, ensuring that everything we need is set up. Tyron gathered four horses and a wagon for us to use for any kind of heavy lifting we would need to do, I told him we really didn’t need it, anything we needed I could make out of shadows but he insisted, since he couldn’t help me on this journey, he wants to feel like he assisted in some way. Oberon and I lead the horses into the portal to Asphelia and into a stable. I pat my horse on the nose.
“Silly that he forced us to take these guys with us,” I mutter, more to myself than anyone.
“Lord Tyron really cares, you know? You read those letters, his whole world was turned upside down when Lady Leanne was taken. It's been 23 years of torture for him. Now that he has you again, I think he feels like he's losing you all over again.” Oberon puts a warm hand on my shoulder.
“I’ll leave him a portal, he can visit me in Asphelia can’t he?”
“I don’t think so love. The banishment prevents him from leaving the Realm of Shadow. All High lords are cursed with that.” he says back. Would I be expected to take over when Tyron dies? Surely not. He thinks so highly of me, as a Goddess, I'm sure he will pass the title onto someone else. I sigh, pat the horse again, and turn to leave.
“Where would you like to go now?” he asks me.
“I think I need to see my sister.”
Oberon's hand is warm in mine as we walk through the portal to the forest outside of my old home. He looks around in wonder as the forest comes alive once more, as if to say, “welcome home, child.”
I walk him down the path that leads to the waterfall. As we approach the sacred spot, a gentle breeze whispers through the trees. The vibrant colors of nature envelop us, painting a backdrop of serenity against where the gravestone stands.
I take a moment to pause, absorbing the beauty surrounding us. The weight of grief that burdened me feels lighter now. With a tender smile I lead Oberon closer, guiding him to stand next to me, his hand warm in mine. As he takes in the sight before him, I can sense a mixture of emotions through the bond, reverence, empathy, and a profound understanding of the significance that this place holds for me. He’s seen my dreams, he knows what happened here.
He glances up to the top of the waterfall. In the presence of the falls' gentle cascade, I feel a renewed connection to the natural world. The soothing sound of the flowing water mingles with the whispers of the wind, creating a symphony of solace.
In this moment, I realize how far I've come in my journey of healing. The once shattered fragments of my heart are slowly mended, transforming into a resilient tapestry woven with the threads of my memories with my sister, and Aspen. I twist the ruby ring that I wear on my right hand, looking at it's twin resting on the gravestone.
“Do you know, I haven't celebrated a single birthday since then?” I say.
Oberon looks to me with pain in his eyes.
“Yes, it was a month or so ago, right? You and Ophelia were born during the summer solstice.”
“Yes.” I look up into the trees, starting to turn shades of orange and red. “It’s almost autumn now. That was months ago.”
“Is it something you wish you could celebrate again?”
I take a moment to consider this, unease churning in my stomach, “Honestly no. I don’t care how old I am, and it doesn’t feel like a holiday I should care for when half of me is gone. I am seven years older than my twin. I don’t want to think about that every year. She was my everything, and now she's just a memory. We will never be in the same room again.”
It's a harsh fact to admit, I am seven years older than her. I left half of me behind at the bottom of these falls, and there's nothing I can do to bring that back. As the years pass, I will have to face the fact that I will end up remembering her longer than I knew her. I sigh and place some flowers on the top of her grave. I look up into the ancient tree that shades the gravesite and see two of her owls sitting on a branch watching me. I give a small smile and nod to them. They nod back and keep their heads bowed.
"It's good to see you, Lady Annabelle." One says through our bond.
"It's good to see you as well little ones. How are things going here?"
"We are enjoying retirement!" He replies, hooting a laugh.
"That is all I ask of you, to enjoy your time here."
"We wish the same for you, eternal happiness, and good health."
Oberon looks at me with his eyebrows raised. I shrug in response and stand up, taking his hand and dragging him up with me. With a final farewell, I turn away from the gravestone.
“I love you and miss you Little Rabbit. I hope you’re enjoying your new life.”
Hand in hand Oberon and I walk away from the falls, carrying a new sense of hope, and a new appreciation for the journey we are about to go on together.
“Are you sure you have everything dear?” Tyron asks me. I look down at my fingers, I've started picking at the skin around the nail again, if my nails ever grew back I would be picking at those too. The sooner we get going the better, his doting on me is driving me insane.
“Yes, and anything we could need in the future I just need to portal over here and get it. Please stop worrying. I will be back to visit more often than you're imagining.” I reply, a little more curt than I intended. He winces but nods in response.
I look to see where Oberon is, just as he's walking around the corner with our bags. Ivy and Moss are already standing by the door waiting. I meet Oberon halfway and grab my bag from him and sling it over my shoulders.
“Okay let's go.” I say, turning to the others and mouthing, “quickly.”
“Good luck, keep me updated,” Tyron says offering a small wave.
“I’ll have the ravens give you regular updates, I left a portal in my library, if you need anything have them let me know,” I say back.
