Daughter of the Night [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 6

... 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙏𝙃 𝙇𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙍 ...

The night was young and though most students were asleep in their beds, there was one who was only just returning from a day down at the village.

"Goodnight, my lady," Aloren said as he brought Y/N to the gates of Night Raven College. His hand lingered in hers for a moment and he slowly lifted it to his lips, placing a gentlemanly kiss on the back of her hand. Y/N could have sworn that she felt the heat of his skin even through the ebony silk of her glove.

"Goodnight, Aloren," Y/N replied. As he stood, she leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. She loved him. Not as he would like her to, but she loved him as she would a friend. Both knew that it would be as much as she was able to give him when her heart belonged to another, but it was enough. They would go through with the marriage and be content with each other.

"I'll see you soon," Aloren said, returning to his carriage. Y/N watched with a bittersweet ache in her heart as Aloren directed the driver back to the village. Aloren would be heading back to his manor for the next while to see to some wedding details with his mother and father. Y/N had been requested to attend by her mother, but her new place at Malleus' side had taken residence and she was allowed to remain at Night Raven College with the prince.

As the carriage disappeared, Y/N entered the school grounds, wincing as the iron gate let out a pained cry that shattered the silence of the night. She carefully shut the gate behind her and pulled her jacket closer to her form as she made her way back to the Hall of Mirrors. Soon she would be back in her warm bed, ready to face a new day of letters and marriage proposals for the prince. She sighed at the thought. She hardly had a day for herself anymore. What days she didn't spend as an advisor, she was spending with Aloren, per her mother's request.

Suddenly, there was a soft hoot that caused Y/N to freeze, and a small shadow passed overhead. Y/N glanced up and smiled when she saw a beautiful bird flying across the moon. She recognized it instantly as an owl, the symbol of her family's house. As the shadow of the owl crossed the moon, Y/N pictured her family's seal. An owl with wings outstretched, one over an arrow, the other over a thorn, all surrounded by a crescent moon. The symbol of unity between two ancient houses that had formed House Umbra long ago.

Y/N followed the owl as it fluttered over to a nearby tree, perching on one of the lower branches and turning to face the lady. Y/N came to a stop beneath the magnificent creature and smiled as she saw the silver light of the moon dancing on the pitch-black feathers. She had never seen an owl as elegant as this one. There had never been one like it in the royal owlery, or the roost that her family kept.

The two stared at each other for a long while, until Y/N felt a shiver run up her spine. The cold of autumn was starting to take advantage of her exposed skin and she shuddered.

"Good night," she said in a gentle voice, bowing to the owl. She rose and started to walk away, frowning when she realised just how strange she had been acting. It was an owl. She had encountered many owls during her life, her first encounter with one coming when she was merely three years old. Her father had taken her to the royal owlery and had helped her send a letter off to her cousin.

There was a sudden gust of wind on Y/N's neck, and the woman turned, nearly letting out a scream of fright when she realised that the owl she had been watching was now hovering behind her. It continued to stare at her with its piercing gaze, and it was only then that Y/N realised that, unlike the other owls that she had seen, this one seemed to hold the entirety of the night sky within its eyes. Stars dotted the indigo and violet irises, and tiny swirls of white created a galaxy within the orbs.