The Crimson King

Chapter 20 | What Was Lost

My fans in this Chapter: Yay! Backstory! Finally we have the answers to our questions!

Me: Kekekeke. Look at you, so innocent and unsuspecting. It sure would be naïve of you to assume I have revealed ALL of my secrets. 

Regardless. I hope you enjoy this chapter <3 It was fun to finally flesh out the world of APK more! I wonder how many links you can find between the two, hidden in the History! 

Happy Reading,
Love Always,
Daisy x

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Chapter 20 | What Was Lost 

*

'And just like the moon
we must go through phases
of emptiness to feel
full again.'

- unknown

*

IRIS

In the East Wing of the Jade Palace, tucked into a cosy corner of the library, two lycans sat opposite each other with a seemingly insurmountable silence stretching between them. Outside, the overcast sky darkened further as heavy storm clouds rumbled in from the south. There was a rumble of thunder, far in the distance, but the windowpane remained dry – the true storm was yet to come.

Balthazar was the first to speak, and just as well, for Iris did not have words at the moment. A horrible feeling of dread was pooling uncomfortably in her gut. It was the type of feeling that only came with knowing she had made a horrible mistake.

"If you are to understand the tragedy of Aelin, you must first understand the history between the Houses."

"The Lycan Houses?" Iris asked sharply. She sucked in a breath and tried to calm her rising sense of foreboding. When she next spoke, her tone had lost some of its harshness. "Haven't you already taught me the history of the Houses?"

Balthazar drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as he looked at her through narrowed eyes. "To some extent, yes. You have received a full history on the Houses and their diplomatic relationships with each other. However, what I have taught you is merely surface etiquette. I'm talking about the history of lycanthropic origin, Iris. That goes back further, much further in fact, than anything you could have imagined. Far enough back that, when the first lycanthrope was placed upon the Earth, the Faeries were still very much the creatures with the most magical influence in our world."

"The Fae?" Iris breathed, "I thought they were extinct."

Balthazar frowned, "They are missing, true. After the Fae and Human war, they hid themselves completely. But Iris," the older lycan's voice became cautionary, "only the foolish believe that the Fae were truly extinguished from this world. Just because you cannot see something, does not mean that it isn't there."

For a moment, Balthazar paused to sip his coffee. His elegant fingers tapped a rhythm on the edge of the ceramic thoughtfully. "I will tell you of the facts," he said slowly, "but I think it is best for you to ask Prince Arlo for a personal recount of what happened to Aelin on that day. I believe he wanted to be the one to tell you. He has waited for a long time."

"Arlo was there too?" Iris asked in shock.

"Yes," Balthazar replied gravely, "he was young, at the time. Only twelve years old. But yes, he was there too." The older lycan sighed. "Keep in mind Princess, while what I am about to tell you is not hidden knowledge, the facts have changed and warped with time and retelling.