8: Darken, The Fall of The Great Dragon

Chapter twenty-two: punishment (Alexandria)

I gazed up at my loved ones, noticing a mix of anger and pain in their expressions.

"What should we do with her?" Thorne inquired, his grip gentle on Lilliana's hand, his demeanor less furious than before.

"The council will determine her fate," Alexander replied. "For now, Thorne, will you stay on the council?"

"I will," he replied, then turned to Odessa and back to my brother. "However, I will prepare Odessa to take over until her children come of age; it is their throne now."

"Anyone who is not part of the council, or within our circle," Alexander said, "we thank you for your assistance. You are welcome to stay here for now. Althaeon will return you to your homes once he has regained his full power. We are deeply sorry for the losses suffered here."

The strangers I did not recognize exited the room, leaving me with Alexander, James, Astraea, Throne, Lunar, Oberon, Carlisle, Althaeon, Alana, Amethyst, Lilliana, Odessa, and Violet.

Alexander turned to me and declared, "Alexandria Darken, you are hereby stripped of your title of Great Dragon and must face punishment for your crimes. You will be confined to your room until the council determines your fate." He then glanced at Astraea, "Ensure she feels the weight of her actions."

Astraea withdrew her hand, and a deluge of emotions overwhelmed me—pain and guilt foremost among them. My body trembled, and tears streamed down my face.

My children... I had caused the death of my babies... Aaron, Annabelle, Alex, Aurora, and Amelia-Celeste. They were all gone, all because of me. The agony of it all was unbearable. I had also caused the death of my brother's daughter, Vivienne.

I watched as my brother approached Alana, who was cradling their lost child. I couldn't hear them, but I saw my brother break down.

Then, turning to my husband, he looked at Althaeon and asked, "Do you think you can lead a group back to Ignisfatia to assess the damage there?"

"I can," he replied, then turned to Odessa, Violet, Astraea, and Oberon. "You four, come with me." He couldn't even meet my gaze as the five of them disappeared.

None could meet my gaze.

James was the first to approach me. He reached down and grabbed my forearm, glancing back at Alexander. "I will take her to her room," he declared. Alexander nodded, and James yanked me to my feet roughly, then dragged me from the throne room.

As we walked down the hall, James's grip tightened on my skin, but I harbored no resentment for it. When we reached my room, he shoved me inside and closed the door behind us. "Armor off, weapons here," he commanded, pointing to the floor in front of him before walking over to the couch in the sitting area and burying his head in his hands.

I remained silent, simply following his instructions. I meticulously removed the breastplate and each piece of armor, which clattered to the ground as I laid them aside. Dressed only in my bodysuit, I then summoned my bow—the only weapon I truly valued—and approached James, setting it gently in his lap. "Keep this safe for me; I won't be needing it any longer," I said.

"That's all you have to say to me?" He rose to his feet, gripping the bow, fury blazing in his eyes. "You killed four, maybe five of our children, Alexandria, and all you care about is a damn bow?"

"That's not what I..." I averted my gaze from my husband, unable to endure the look he was giving me. "Words cannot express how sorry I am for what I've done, how much it hurts." I gestured towards the bow in his hand. "I could take that right now and end my life, but I know I deserve to be punished; I can't just take the easy way out."

He remained silent, simply walking over to the armor and fitting the pieces into the breastplate. He slung the bow over his shoulder, picked up the armor, and left without uttering a word, locking the door behind him.

I collapsed to my knees, my life seemingly destroyed by the cursed powers I had accumulated. Although I foresaw what was approaching with my ability to predict the future, I warned no one; I did not comprehend the full scope of the impending doom, only that the powers would eventually dominate me. Because I confided in no one, I have lost the family that was dear to me.

I lay down on the stone floor, curled up into a ball, and simply sobbed, wrapping my wings around me tight for some type of comfort.