Queen of Nothing

Chapter 1.

Book 1.

Once there were twins. So perfect so sweet until they learned to love and learned to hate.

Their human hearts so sweet and pure were being tainted by a foxes lure.

The younger was rough like steel and fire.

The oldest had less of that desire.

Two sides of one coin.

Always spinning in a fight for love and power.

But power is game with risks and always more to lose.

The ones you turn to in your plea of need, might leave you with another bruise.

Broken bonds don't always heal in time.

Revenge is best served like a planned crime.

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Jude packed her clothes into her bag in the changing room. The other girls were chatting around her about the training session and the boys who had impressed them most today. I ignored them. None of that chatter was worth my time. I put on my jacket and strapped on my bag as I left the changing rooms. Some of the boys were walking in the hallway chatting carelessly away. They didn't really notice me and I didn't bother with them. I didn't bother with a lot of things these days. It had been a month since my exile. The first week I had been a living shadow of myself. Until Vivi had told me about the possibility of getting revenge. It had been like clicking a switch. Something inside of me had stirred at that prospect. It gave me purpose. I had ever since been busy planning. I had taking up Judo and Fencing. To keep this burning fire in me under control and stay ready for whatever would come. Vivi had hoped that I would love it here and stay. But I couldn't find anything here in the human world that made me want to stay. I had this sick obsession with power. Once I had tasted it I had become addicted. And more than that, the betrayals haunted me most. I had nightmares about it. About being in Cardan's bed. Kissing him. Him making me his wife and then giving me up to the queen of the undersea for my crimes. Choking on salt water. Being haunted in the woods like an animal. The one that hurt most though was the variation I had about Taryn's betrayals. They were always different but that didn't make them hurt less.

I let the gym door fall closed behind me as a cold wind greeted me. In my time here, fall had started to turn into winter. I hated the cold. I put my hands in my pockets and started walking to Vivi's apartment. I refused to call it home. This was not my home. It hadn't been for years.I looked left and right before crossing the street when I suddenly felt this strong feeling of being watched. When I had reached the sidewalk I turned to look behind me. Cars rolled by and people walking on the sidewalks. Some talking on their phones. A woman nearby seemed to be having a heated discussion on the phone with someone that could be her husband. I looked around once more seeing no one of note than moved on. I had had this feeling more often recently and it unsettled me. Vivi told me it was all in my head. Me still feeling all the stress Faerie had put me through. But I wasn't so sure. I came to the crossroads. I could go left through the city main roads or I could go right through the park. The park was the longer way. And at seven in the evening almost empty. If someone followed me there I would know. I would also be faced with the fact that I would be on my own and someone could attack me. I debated for a minute but then decided if someone wanted to hurt me I would rather fight them in the park then lead them to Vivi and Oak. So the park it was.

I stomped my foot on the first park bench making it look like I was tying my boot. When in reality I took the small blade out of my boot and hid it in my sleeve. The park was quiet and dark. You could still hear the car noises but they were muted. The gravel crunched beneath my feet as I moved. My body was tense with adrenaline as my eyes kept searching the shadows for my stalker. However I reached the other end of the park without seeing or hearing anyone. I let out a sigh as I but the blade back in my boot and made the remaining way home. I felt no more eyes on me.

Oak was watching a cartoon on tv when I entered the living room and dropped my bag in a corner. "I'm home." Oak smiled as he got up off the couch. "Can we spar now?" There was a spark in his eyes. He had been getting better with his counters. Now he wanted to disarm me just once. Since I told him I would treat him to the movies when he did. Who would have thought that would be a great motivator. I hated these movies. Distractions for humans for their boring lives. The first time I had seen a movie with Fairy's in it we had to leave the movie without early, because I couldn't stop laughing at the way humans displayed them having good intentions. Everyone in that room had looked at me as if I was crazy. I probably was. "In a minute," I say to Oak as I look for my sister. "Where is Vivi?" Oak shrugs. "She went out again, you just missed her." I sigh. Vivi had been going out late at night more and more telling no one where she was going. But I had followed her once. She had been watching Heather's house from a distance. Heather still hadn't called or visited. And it was slowly breaking  my sister apart. In some way all of us ended up broken. Except for Taryn. Taryn seemed to be the only one who got what she wanted. I pushed those thoughts away as I went into the training room. Vivi's  apartment was big. It had a kitchen, a living room, three bedrooms and another room which had been Heathers art room before. All of her stuff was still there of course. We just moved it a bit to the side of the room so I could teach Oak sparring. Oak followed me into the room and picked up the wooden training swords. "Here." he says as he throws me mine. I catch it in one hand. "Okay, let's see if we are going to the movies tomorrow." 

After an hour of Oak trying and failing to disarm me I called it a night. I put a protesting Oak to bed. Then the next step in my daily routine. I looked in the fridge and took the last apple as I headed into my room and closed the door. My room liked like someone had tried and failed to find anything worth while to steal from me. My bed was unmade, there were papers and left mugs everywhere. Clothes lay scattered on the floor, the chair and the bed. I sat down at my desk moving some of my clothes to the floor to do so. My eyes scanned my notes. I had scribbled down everything about Elfhame, everyone person in it. Every player in the game of power. Every one that hat crossed me. Every one that had hurt me. And all the things I could use against them. However. The biggest hole in all my notes and plans was still how to get back to Fairy. I had writing down two ways to get Madoc to let my join him. However, ending up on his side of the playing field was never my intention. After all I had betrayed him for a reason. And somehow him seemed to be my only way back in. I picked up a pen and started to write down more ideas. Time seemed to fly then stop as I looked at my notes. All useless. Because I couldn't get back into Fairy. I let out a small growl as I tore the papers apart and scattered them on my floor. Along with all the others. I had been doing this for weeks now.  I got up and kicked my desk hard. Half of my stuff fell of and I saw the sparkle of something red. I looked at it and my breathing stopped. It felt like a punch in the gut to look at my ruby ring laying on my messy floor. My ring. The one Cardan had stolen from me, then giving me back as he married me. I choked an a laugh. Silent tears of frustration streamed down my face. I hated him. I hated him so much for doing this to me. I hated myself. For letting him in, for trusting him. I should have known better. I knew better. But I had wanted to trust someone. I had needed to trust someone. And I wanted it to be him. I felt sick at that thought. I dropped down on my bed. Done with this day and tomorrow too. I needed to find a way back into Fairy or I would go completely mad. I was nearing that edge faster and faster with every day lost here. I closed my eyes and left exhaustion pull me into sleep. That night I dreamed of him. His lips on mine. The way he tasted. I wanted him. More than anything. My body and soul wanted him. But my hurt and bruised mind only wanted him to hurt the way I did.