One-Shots // Book Compilation

• Gansey x Blue •

TITLE: The Queen & Her King
WORDS: 2,389
COMPLETED: 8/8/21
UNIVERSE: The Raven Cycle // Maggie Stiefvater

  Blue Sargent couldn't breathe. She flailed her arms and legs, desperately attempting to breach the lake's surface; the monster still had a tight hold on her ankle. She wasn't rising. She was sinking. Technically, she was being pulled down. And quickly. The intense pressure was beginning to go to her head, meanwhile she tried so hard not to waste her breath.

  She hadn't meant for this to happen. Her and the boys were out following a ley line and they happened to come across a murky lake. Blue could've sworn she saw something move, but Ronan pointed out that it was probably a fish. How wrong he had been. How foolish Blue had been to believe him. Now, she was being dragged to the bottom of the lake by her ankle. And who knew what the boys were doing about this; probably nothing reasonable.

  The creature had sharp claws, which were shredding Blue's ankles; blood was clouding the muddy water that they were submerged in. Slime and scales covered the creatures dark body, meanwhile its eyes glowed a shocking yellow. Blue had no recollection of this creature, wondering if they'd ever been spotted by humans before.

  It didn't take much time before she was hurtled up into a cave, colliding with a rock surface. Instantly, she was coughing up water and desperately inhaling the air that filled the hidden cavern. She was also fairly convinced she might pass out from lack of oxygen. But she fought off those feelings, looking up at the creature, which was observing her from the water that led back into the lake.

  Now that Blue had a better look at the creature, she understood some new facts about it. Long algae-like hair tumbled over the creatures shoulders; meanwhile the yellow eyes held snake-like qualities. The creature also appeared to have feminine body qualities. She tilted her head, observing Blue carefully.

"What... Are you...?" The strange creature demanded as Blue arched a curious eyebrow. She wasn't quite sure how to answer that question.

"I'm a human. My name is Blue," Blue replied as the female nodded.

"Hello, Blue. My name is Ki'vara. I'm a naiad. If you want me to be more specific, I'm a limnade," Ki'vara explained as Blue slowly nodded, the naiad tilting her head to inspect the colorful assortment of hair clips tucked in Blue's hair.

"What are those?" Ki'vara asked, her yellow eyes open wide with curiosity. Blue removed one of the barrettes, which happened to be hot pink. She held it out to the naiad, who looked at it cautiously. Blue weakly smiled before using it to clip back some of the naiad's hair. Ki'vara seemed pleased with this.

"Thank you, Blue. But when I asked what you were... I meant... Why can we feel you? Even from the bottom of this lake?" Ki'vara questioned; this clarification only confused Blue more.

"Feel me? What do you mean?" Blue questioned, but as soon as she asked she had an idea.

"Wait... Because I'm an amplifier?" Blue questioned as Ki'vara's eyes widened and she quickly nodded.

"Yes! My people can feel your strength, Blue. They sent me to find you. When our queen left, she told us we would find our next leader when we felt that. When we felt you, Blue. You're our new queen!" Ki'vara determined as Blue blinked, uncertain what to do with all that information.

"You want... You want me to be your queen?" Blue asked, wanting to make sure that she'd properly understood the female naiad. Ki'vara nodded, a grin spread over her lips, displaying her sharp fang-like teeth. An uneasy feeling settled over Blue.

"I'm truly flattered, but I can't. I have a family and friends and I can't just leave them behind," Blue explained as the naiad tilted her head, looking as if she was attempting to understand. Hesitantly, she nodded.