The Cyclops’s had hands around both of her arms. Neither of them allowed escape.
The witch had a castle made of ice between the three hills. And it was colder on the inside than on the outside. The blue glow sickened her.
She did hate this place. After everything it had caused, how could it be looked upon in beauty? Though it couldn’t be seen with the plain eye, these walls were coated in blood. This castle was raised in it.
The doors to the throne room opened. There was no groan, no creak. Just a loud, ear-piercing scraping sound as they dragged on the ground. They only opened enough for her and her guards to enter and they closed behind them. The throne itself was designed to instill fear. There were so many steps going up and the seat had spikes of ice sticking out in all different directions.
On the throne sat Seraphina. At times called The Dark Mage, or The White Queen. Though, her true name was Seraphina Frostbane.
She had eyes like sharpened emeralds. Her hair was like snow in color. And while she was beautiful, she was dangerous.
“Aria,” she spoke. “My sister.”
The words didn’t make her feel anything. They were just words. Sisters. It was laughable. Seraphina had lived many lives, the number was too many to count. And Aria was on her first. So, in all truth, she was younger. In all truths, she had more kindness in her pinky finger than Seraphina had in her whole body.
“Seraphina,” Aria replied coldly. There was no love in her tone.
“That’s no way to treat family, dear,” the mage told her. “You’re not still mad about your precious parents, are you?”
“He was your father too!” Aria snapped breaking free of the guard’s hold on her. “She was your stepmother and she treated you with nothing but kindness.”
Seraphina let out a sigh and rose from her throne. Her snow-colored gown gliding on the ground. “Don’t blame me for them abandoning you.” she descended from the staircase. “Now, you’ve betrayed me, sister.”
Aria scoffed. “I’ve done as you asked. All the otherworlders are yours, I’ve left them all to you.”
“Then why were you with the rat and the badger?”
“They’re old friends.” Aria snapped. “Why do you care anyway?”
“Gha’roud!” Seraphina called as her feet hit the bottom of the staircase. The hyena came from around the corner.
“Yes, your majesty?”
“Did you or did you not say that Gloommaw was killed by Aria?” the Queen inquired, looking at the hyena for an answer. Aria glared at the beast.
By the heavens, she hated him. Him and all his kind.
“Yes, his entrails hit the ice of Saffron’s Ravine,” he answered. “And from there, I’m not quite sure what she did. The last I saw, she was aiming an arrow at them.”
“Why did you kill the hyena, Aria?” Seraphina questioned. She made direct eye contact with her sister, who held nothing but animosity toward her.
“I like to make them work for it,” the girl answered, sending glares to the hyena. “They’re vile beasts. And I like to watch the hunt.”
“And you have the audacity to say that you have more humanity than me?” The mage spoke questioningly. “Let me tell you what I know; I know that you killed Gloommaw, I also know that this is the first time that you’ve ever interfered with my rule. I know that you were with the badger who is now escaping my hunters with the otherworlders.” Seraphina eyed her up. “You may be my sister, but you are a traitor and a liar. And for that, you must be punished.”
“Punish me all you like, I still don’t know where they are.” Aria stated.
“Have her bound and taken to the cells.”
And bound she was. She was dragged off to the dungeons and thrown into a cell. It was colder in the cells than in the other parts of the castle.
She had the entire castle memorized. Every hallway, every room. But escape wasn’t possible. If she escaped then Seraphina would have the entire realm searched high and low, and there’d be no way for the others to get to Omdrus.
She still couldn’t believe that he was real. Or alive.
He was a direct threat to Seraphina. She would’ve killed him if she had the opportunity. Just like she’d killed nearly all the Earthborns.
She would’ve killed Aria too. But she didn’t see Aria as a threat. Aria was her sister. She was sweet little Aria. Seraphina wouldn’t kill Aria because she sees Aria as the only worthy heir, the only person she can really trust.
Aria was a skilled warrior, but she’d never been a trusting ally of Seraphina. She’d always proven that she couldn’t be what Seraphina wanted her to be.
Aria herself was named Frostbane at one point. Then she was aptly named Deathweaver. And finally Stormrider.
Deathweaver was a name given to people who killed many people. It was a name given to Aria when she was still fairly young. When she still blindly believed that what her sister had said and done was all true and pure.
Stormrider was a name given to people who’d survived the worst. People whose lives were among the most trouble. Stormrider was a name for a survivor. It came from an old phrase. Ride the storm. Aria was given the name by Finn’s parents when they took her in. Back when they knew next to nothing about her when she was nothing but a girl.
But then, they discovered the truth of it. They didn’t love her any less, or treat her any differently. But Finn always felt she was the favorite. That a girl who shared blood with pure evil was loved more than he was.
Being the blood of Seraphina Frostbane was more trouble than it was worth. She was a proven warrior. But the badger was wrong. Her past proved that. Her past and her blood.
She was not the only one. She knew that some of the Earthborns went into hiding, and surely they would rise to the occasion for Omdrus and his army.
There had to be another one who would be the Earthborn to unite with the otherworlders. Aria knew she wasn’t that Earthborn. If she was then Omdrus was not the being that she thought he was.
This prophecy was to create a saint.
And Aria was far from that. Too far to even lie about it.
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