8: Darken, The Fall of The Great Dragon

Chapter Eight: Yet another loss (Astraea)

I laid a damp cloth over Amie's eyes as she lay in a coma. Turning to Amethyst, I noticed the noise from outside the room had ceased. "It's become quiet out there," I observed.

She nodded, never being much of a talker. 

I walked to the window on the far wall and looked out. Mother glanced up at me; I could see her mouth moving, and I tried to discern what she was saying. "Alex is dead," I echoed, in unison with Mother.

"No," I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. "No, it can't be true." I looked at Amethyst, whose face had turned pale as well.

I stood to my feet and rushed to the door, moving the dresser from it and swinging the door open to see Robin standing there, blood covering him, tears in his eyes. 

"Do not tell me it is true." i let out a sob, "don't you dare tell me."

"My Star," she spoke softly. "i tired to heal him, but she kept her blades in him until it was too late."

"No," I shook my head, the world beginning to spin around me. I fell to my knees, hugging myself as I sobbed. My twin brother was gone, and among the four remaining siblings, three of us who once had twins were now alone.

I felt Robin lift me into his arms, and as I glanced at Amethyst, she appeared just as shattered as I was.

"Ill stay with Amie." she told me. "When she wakes i will tell her what happened."

"There is something else." Robin spoke softly. 

"Who?" i asked, knowing that another loved one was gone.

"Lilliana." he answered. "She has also been killed. Althaeon and your father have returned to the palace, but your mother took Alexander with her."

"he was the only one who could put himself in front of mother and still be fine." i said, my find full of so many emotions. "now what will we do?" 

"i do not know." he answered. "Althaeon has locked himself in his room and your father is dealing with the bodies."

"Oh no," I said, looking up at my husband. "Put me down." He complied. "You need to go tell Odessa; she will be heartbroken, and you know her best."

"What about you?" he asked, looking at me with concern. "Will you be okay?"

"Honestly?" I wiped the tears from my eyes. "No, I won't be. But I have my remaining family, while Odessa has only her children and you now."

He nodded and headed down the hall to Odessa's room while i headed to my brothers. 

I knocked on my brother's door. "Althie? It's me, Astraea." I tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Althie, please let me in," I pleaded, struggling to keep my voice steady and not break into a sob.

"He won't see anyone," Violet said as she came around the corner. "He only allows me to enter." she knocked on the door. "Althaeon, its me, let me in."

The door swung open. She looked back at me and nodded, indicating that I should enter rather then her.

"Thank you," I whispered to her.

I walked into my brothers room, closing the door behind me. there was no light in the room, not even the fireplace. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"I told Violet that I wanted no one else to enter," Althie said from his desk. "It's dark because I can see perfectly well without light, and this way, Mother can't use the flames to spy on me."

"Althie," I spoke softly, seated in the chair across from his, on the other side of the desk. "How are you holding up?"

"Your twin is dead because of me," he said coldly. "Alex, Aurora, Aaron, and Annabelle are all dead because of me. Lilliana, Carlisle, and some of our aunts and uncles as well. I am the reason our mother snapped; I did this to her."

"I do not think that is the case," I told him. "She would have chosen this path regardless of what happened before. The gods knew it, and I believe even mother knew it deep down."

"We have to kill her," he said, his voice quivering as he fought back tears. "Even if she regains her emotions, can any of us truly forgive her for her actions?"

"No, I don't believe we ever will," I responded. "Not even Father could forgive her this time." I stood up and walked over to my brother's side, then knelt down to meet his gaze. "This was nobody's fault; it couldn't have been prevented."

"How can we be sure?" He asked as tears escaped his violet eyes. 

"Because we know our mother," I answered. "The her from before—the loving, kind, wonderful mother we knew before she lost her emotions. If she could have stopped this, she would have."

"You're right," Althie nodded. "Father is all alone right now. I shouldn't have left him."

"I will go to him," I declared, rising once again. "You must cease this self-loathing; remember, you are not alone in this." Wiping away another tear of my own, I continued, "This time, I blame Alex. He promised he would return safely, yet he lied to me."

"Sounds just like him." Althie chuckled, wiping his own tears. 

I walked to the door and upon opening it, I spotted Violet. "He will be okay," I assured her, "it's just going to take some time, for all of us."

I walked back down the hall, heading to the throne room, running into Thorne curled up on the floor sobbing, with his two children comforting him. 

i knelt down to my uncle, placing my hand on his knee, only wishing i could ease his pain, even a little. my hand started to glow, he looked up at me. 

"What did you just do?" he asked, looking up at me. "I feel calmer, like I can handle this a little better now. I still feel broken from her loss, but I no longer wish to die with her."

"I don't know," I answered. "I only hoped to ease your pain."

"It worked," he sat up and looked at his son and daughter, who were also sobbing. "Please, help them too."

I placed my hand on each of them, wishing to ease their pain as I had their father's.

Leo looked up at me; he was close to my age. "Thank you, cousin." Catharine hugged her brother, she also seemed to feel better.

I rose to my feet and examined my hands, believing I had acquired another chosen power in addition to my ability to break fairy law.

I then walked into the open throne room, not expecting what i saw. the floor was a pool of blood, with two figures covered in blankets in the middle of the floor, father sobbing over them.

this amount of blood was surely from more then just those two. 

i walked oved to father and knelt beside him.

"I am so sorry, Astraea," Father sobbed. "I should never have left the palace. Perhaps if I had stayed, I could have protected you all better."

"its not your fault father." i assure him as i had my brother, i took his hand into my own, focusing on easing the pain. i would not fully take it from anyone, i was not my mother, but i would help ease it.

"What?" He wiped the tears from his eyes. "How did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"Can you put the feelings back?" he asked. "Just for a moment, try to make my emotions more intense."

I did as he requested, and his face contorted with mental anguish. Just as quickly i put in back in the state that i had him at before.

"You can." he smiled at me. "do you have to make contact with someone to do so?"

"I do." i answered, we always knew how to use our powers, just not what all they could do. "Do you think i could use them on....."

"No." father snaped at me. "you are not to go anywhere near her, not is you have to touch her to do so."

i nodded, knowing he was right. i would be dead before ever getting close to her.