Desiderium

Elf

Third Person's POV

From the loss of one of her best soldier, the formidable ice Queen grieve for his death.

The whole room is filled with ice, whenever she touches everything freezes, just like her damned soul.

She runs her fingers against her throne absentmindedly and under her touch, there is a small layer of ice crawling to its arms and legs.

She is sitting on the floor and staring vacantly at the space, there is a melancholy of doom in her.

Rouche is like a brother to her and his death left a hollow space in her chest. How could she face Visenya after all of this? The kid knows nothing about what happened to her uncle.

The Queen blames herself for everything, if only she fought back none of this would happened.

It's been three days of lamenting over Rouche's death that there is a servant who dares to enter her ice sanctuary bringing a torch to check on her.

"My Queen, Lord Raphael is here." She can hear the servant's teeth clattering in cold.

She murmurs "No fire."

"My Queen?"

"NO FIRE!" she yelled, her very voice killed the fire in the torch and a scream of pain follows when the servant drops the empty torch on the freezing ground.

"You shouldn't yell at the poor guy like that, Ira." She knows that voice so well.

She didn't respond and move any single muscle from where she is sitting.

She can hear clearly that he is approaching her "Stay back. You'll get a frostbite."

But the archangel didn't listen to her and he pulls her into an embrace as he sat beside her. 

The Queen panicks and tries to squirm in his arms "Stay away, you'll freeze."

"You don't have to carry all these burden by yourself, you know that I am here. You can share it with me." He said, gently.

Still, Ira remained silent but she embraces him back, melting into his arms like the ice embracing the fire.

"Don't blame me for giving you a frostbite." She muttered.

"No worries. I won't blame you. Just let me hold you close like this." He said as he wraps his arms around her small frame delicately.

Ira leans her head on his shoulder and say nothing, but there is only silence between them.

One to three deaths are enough for her to feel numb, but she must be strong for Raziel.

This may be the beginning of the end.
---

Unknown's POV

"I don't understand why are you here? In which part of 'I don't want to see you anymore' is not clear to you?" Claudius hissed at my face while dragging me out of the palace.

I pulled away my arm from him "None of your business, knight. I am here for my sister and nothing else."

He scoffs "And do you think she will come to you with an open arms?"

I glare at him "And do you think I don't know the risks that I will be taking?" I step forward and look at him coldly "Listen here, I know that it is my head that is in the line, but when she heard the news that I have for her she might change her mind."

"And you think she will take you back?"

I shake my head "I don't ask for such luxury, I am here to help her. She might despise me forever but she cannot deny that I am the only one surviving relative that she have."

He smirks "There is Lady Erilys---"

"And miles away from her." I tilt my head to the side slightly "I sensed something from you, Claudius."

I don't know if it is me or he just gone paler than his normal skin color.

"What is it?" He asked, calmly.

I lean in and whisper at his ear "Your aura is darker than usual, bloody, tainted and ... " I pauses "Something else." I smirked when I feel that his body stiffened and pats his shoulder "Be careful. You might need that."

I turn my back from him and start to stride my way out of the palace's grounds.

Maybe this is not really the time to reveal such news when my sister is still grieving for the death of Rouche.

Retreat for today. Fight tomorrow.
----

"Any luck?" Ivris asked me when I arrived at the inn we are staying.

I shake my head and remove my cloak from my body "No good. Your aunt is still mourning and you know what will happened if I show up."

She murmurs "She will kill you right in the spot."

I nod "Correct. We must avoid that, for now let's play like an assassin to prevent the demons of harming her family."

She tilt her head to the side "Is this your way of repenting?"

I shrug "Who knows. I want to be a big brother to her and I am curious to meet my nephew in person."

"She won't let you come near him." She stated.

I look at her vacantly "If there's a will. There's a way."

She smirks at me before drinking her wine.

"There is one thing that bothers me."

She frowns "What?"

"Betrayal's stench is in the air within the palace's perimeters. It cannot be covered no matter what kind of hiding the traitor will do."

She didn't say anything, silence reign between us until she spoke.

"Sounds like a perfect storm, father."

I nod grimly "May fate be kind to them."
----

A/N: Epilogue's next yay *v*