Fates and Thrones

Woods

The next morning arrived with an unsettling swiftness. Sleep had been a rare companion lately, but the nightly tea seemed to have worked its magic. The bitter aftertaste still lingered on my tongue as I swallowed. Everything will have changed by this time next week. Ajita's voice pierced the morning calm, her words vibrating against my ear.

"Time to rise, Al. The packs are ready, and Jax has briefed me already. No time for arguments; let's move." My twin was standing above me, holding a plate of breakfast. "Our packs are with the horses, so we are just waiting on you sleeping beauty." A smirk graced her face.

I reached up, snatching the plate from her hands, and grinned at her. Mother always taught us that if we are scared to smile and push through it. We were stronger than almost anything, and we were better together. I looked at Ajita and pushed away the fear. We could do what the Goddess asked.

I scarfed down the eggs and bacon before setting the plate down on the nightstand and pushing the blankets off me. As my feet touched the cold floor, I winced and yanked my feet back up. Ajita shoved a bundle of clothes in my hands before she turned and walked out. "Be ready in five minutes, we need to leave before Mother wakes up."

I nodded before quickly changing into the winter gear that she gave me. The moment that I finished pulling my fur boots on, I heard the door creak. I was about to admonish my twin when my eyes met honey-brown eyes. My hand raised to my mouth; Kgosi was standing in my doorway.

"You thinkin' 'bout leaving on a camping trip, Princess?" His voice dripped with sugar and promises. "Without me?"

I shook my head slowly. 'No, this is fake. One of the tests.' I kept chanting in my head. I closed my eyes the moment I saw him raising his hand to strike me. A loud noise echoed in the room, and a choking sob followed.

"Princess, I thought I taught you better. You do as I say, and not anything different. Lord Ravenswood was just a test, amour. And you failed. Again." The voice slowly changed into a snarl. "Stupid, stupid worthless girl." The voice morphs into Mother's.

I opened my eyes to see the monster in front of me wearing my mother's skin. I wrapped my arms around myself and sobbed harder. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I will do better."

A gentle hand caught my elbow as I went to sit on the floor. "Nah, pulchra, do not let them win so early." A familiar voice dragged my eyes from my mother. "The past will haunt us all, but it will follow you the most. You are the most contritus of us all, and the woods will feast on it.

I stared at Jaxom before I wrapped my arms around him and let the sorrow take control. The tears flowed down my face staining his shirt, as he pulled me into his arms. "Shuush, pulchra puella, per hoc habebis. Tu plus quam trauma. Et ero in latere tuo usque ad extremum spiritum meum."

I listened to his sweet nothings as he lifted me and carried me to the horses. I hid my face in his shirt, still caught in the sea of despair. I heard Ajita calling to me, but I let Jaxom set me down by my horse gasping as he kneeled to help me mount. I threw a leg over the black steed before bowing my head in thanks.

Five hours into the trip, Jaxom and Ajita started bickering. At first, it was about small stuff and more questions than bickering. Now, they were arguing about if my twin could turn him into a toad or not. Forcing myself not to laugh at the two, I pressed my heels into the side of the beast beneath me. Urging it to the front of the two. The moment I passed, I turned to the right and whistled sharply.

"Enough, you two. You are scaring the wildlife away, and I thought this trip was supposed to be quiet and fast-paced. You guys have been lollygagging about and not putting your horses to work." I paused and glanced at my sister. "And do you not have tests that you should be trying to prepare for?"

"I do not know what will be asked of me, Al. What do you want me to do? Sit around and learn everything about this bident that I am supposed to be getting?" Her voice was wary. Her hands ran down the side of the horse's neck in a comforting manner. "We will face what is there when it is time, but right now, I would like to spend the trip learning about this village that we are visiting. But Jaxom wanted to talk about our powers rather than giving me a les-."

Her words were cut off by a loud and shrill scream followed by the wails of a child. I looked over at Jaxon to see his face white with fear. "Tiya-"

"Do not say that! It isn't real!"