The Darkness

“Please comprise a list of those who died in the battle along with their family address. Ill will also need a second list of those who are injured. Please put their condition next to their names so I can let their families know what their kin is dealing with,” She told a group of servants. She also prepared a mass burning for those of her kind who died. For those who were apart of the Upper Fae Kingdom- since both the light and dark were merged, they were known as the Upper Fae- she would have the bodies sent back to their families so they may choose the burial. The Upper Fae who were injured will be treated at the Hel infirmary free of charge.

The servants nodded and bowed out of the room to accomplish the tasks they were assigned. Serafina leaned back in her chair and wondered what she was going to do with her kingdom. Kai was the only person she trusted to rule Hel so that it would prosper. But Kai was dead and Hel was without an heir- and everyone in the kingdom knew that no matter who she chose they could never be Kai. The thought of another taking his title as prince of Hel felt wrong and it hurt Serafina’s heart but she also knew that it had to be done. No one would dare challenge Serafina because they knew what she was capable of. Serafina was kind and caring yet her duel with Kai’s father engraved a fear into her subjects like no other. They knew how murderous she was willing to be if the time arose.

She was at a loss and had no other option than to visit the Darkling sisters so they could provide insight that would steer her in the right direction. The Darkling sisters were triplet oracles, the last of their kind, who are like the Fates of Greek mythology. They aid the rulers of Hel in the request of complete solitude from the rest of Hel- seeing as they were immortal, they didn’t want their kind to go completely extinct. Only the ruler knows of them aside from the royal adviser as per their request. She set her pen down as well as taken of her glasses, rubbing her eyes as fatigue set in.

Though she had trapped herself in her room after Kai’s death she rarely had slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she was plagued with images of Kai’s body and him standing next to Zara and Zak and the three of them telling her that she was the cause of their deaths. And in the sickest way possible she agreed with them.

When she stood up her vision when black for a millisecond before coming back blurry and her ears were filled with ringing. She managed to focus her sight and like always she didn’t even bother to a doctor because she already knew what they would tell her. She hadn’t slept for days and had eaten 2 times in the span of a month. She kept reminding herself that she’s gone longer without food and passed it off. She believed that in times like this, managing her health was a lowly task compared to others.

She threw on her shoes and a winter coat, “If the Fae King looks for me tell him that I wish to not be bothered and nothing else, “She said as she threw her scarf over the shoulder. The guard nodded and opened the main door for her. She walked around the opening of the castle and over to the stables, mounting her favorite horse, Snow. Technology in Hel was complicated; they had cars but people rarely use them, not wanting to pollute the air, and preferred horses instead. She put her hood up and took the reins in her hand, guiding Snow in the direction of the road.

She pulled on the rein when she got to the outskirts of a nearby forest, she got down and set her hand on the tree to her left. There was a pulse of magic and she watched as a path formed in front of her, the grass changing colours and the some of the trees disappeared. Serafina let her hand fall from the bark and mounted Snow once more.

After a few minutes she pulled up in front of a house in the middle of the plane. Snow lifted his front legs up, causing Serafina to grip the reins tighter.

“Woah, down boy,” She said, feeling his terror, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” She looked around for anything that could have given her horse a fright yet found nothing. She ran her hand over Snow’s black mane and felt him relax, unmounting him when she felt that he was calm enough. She guided him into the stable next to the house and ran her hand over his mane once more to make sure he was truly okay. She then knocked on the door to the house and yelped when the door opened halfway through the first knock.

“We’ve been expecting you, your highness,” The three sisters said in unison. Serafina felt the hair on the back of her neck standing up as they spoke at the same time. Serafina gave the triplets a small smile and followed them as they led her into their house, sitting down in their living room.

“We are sorry for your loss, your highness. The prince was a wonderful man who was taken to early.” The youngest, Arieon said.

“Yes, he was.” agreed Serafina in a soft voice, “It is pleasure to see you again, Addison, Alison and Arieon. I do wish it was under better circumstances.”

“As do we. We have seen many rulers fall but none have really hurt us as the loss of your brother did.” The oldest, Addison said.

Serafina shook her head, no longer wanting to talk about the death of her brother, “I take it you already know as to why I am here?”

Arieon nodded and Alison came out of the kitchen, placing a gold bowl of water on the table. Serafina took off her brooch and used the needle to prick her index finger and handed it to the girls so that they could do the same. The three women grabbed Serafina’s hand and held it underneath theirs.

Serafina watched as their eyes turned white and pain shot up her arm, “What is the fate of Hel?”

“Hel will perish long before the event of the queen’s death.”

Serafina shook her head in confusion, “What do you mean before my death?”

“The queen will witness the fall of her kingdom,” Alison spoke.

“By whose hand shall Hel fall?” Serafina asked, her pulse quickening as the pain in her arm grew. She wished for Hel to continue after she is gone, to strive as she has seen in yet under a new ruler. If she could find out who the threat to her people was, she could stop it before it happened.

“The queen will bring about the end of Hel,” Serafina’s heart stopped at the triplets words. She heard a loud crash causing her to yank her hand out of the water. All four women turned towards the stables where the crash came from, a sense of dread filling them.

Serafina drew her dagger from her boot and held it out, defensively in front of her and the three women hid behind her as she walked out the door.

Snows head hung over the stabled door, blood pouring from his neck, and symbols of an old language were painted with his blood on the door.

She walked over and lifted his head to confirm her suspicions. Something had slit her horses throat.

“Who could have gotten passed the barriers?” Arieon asked.

“Not who, what.” Serafina said to the three girls, “I’m so sorry but it appears I have some other matters to attend to.”