Shadows are eternal (re-write)

Many years earlier (Astraea)

My brother had told me for years that I have a habit of picking up strays. I suppose that was true. I was surrounded by a group of friends all of whom at some point had been one of my so called strays. Despite that, I wouldn't give them up for anything.

For a long time it had just been me and my siblings. I loved them, of course I did, but I was lonely. That was until I met a pair that became my everything. Kaelan and Christa Verna, twins that had quickly become a very influential part of my life. Soon after I met Analise Critons and our little group was complete. We supported one another and loved one another. They became a part of my family and I loved them all dearly. Analise and Christa, my best friends. One with hair like blood and a fiery temper, the other with hair like the sun and a cunning mind. And then there was Kaelan, my mate. His hair was the complete opposite of his twin sister's. While Christa's was like the sun, Kaelan's was like the night. Pure black hair that mirrored my own. He was a subdued character but those that he loved, he loved fiercely. We were inseparable. Or so I thought...

When the four of us were together, we could become quite reckless. However one night that recklessness cost everything. We had been drinking and having fun together. We had just solidified my (reluctant) position as the queen of Asteri by crushing a few rebel groups led by unruly nobles. Little did we know that it was more than just a few unruly nobles in charge of those groups. We weren't drunk by any means, but that did not mean that our senses were at their peak. We hadn't noticed the familiar figure following us around, nor had we noticed his menacing presence. It wasn't until we arrived back at the home I shared with my siblings and mate that I noticed anything was wrong. The palace guards were strangely silent as we passed them, as was the rest of the palace. That had put us all slightly on edge but we had simply dismissed it as the time of night. As we stepped into the drawing room, fully intending to drink more before retiring to our beds, we all froze. Three of my siblings lay motionless on the floor. A pool of blood surrounded them. Before any of us could react the door had slammed shut behind us. We had tried to fight him but the alcohol had gone to our minds and our reflexes were slow. One by one we fell. First Christa then Analise and finally Kaelan. Agony had ripped through my chest as Kaelan hit the ground. The pain forced me to my knees as the attacker was finally revealed to me. The face of my eldest brother grinned above me as he said,
"If you had just given in little sister, none of this would have happened"

I had no time to respond before everything had faded to black.