The Twins of Fire and Ice

Chapter Thirty-Four

Nix's legs swung idly as the council murmured to each other. They didn't seem to know what to do as they stared at the young Frost.

If she was completely honest, Nix was bored. They had already brought Jaydon in to talk, while she listened in, and didn't seem to find anything wrong with him protecting her. But the moment they saw Nix, the council wanted to charge her with assault and a bunch of other weird crappy nonsense.

The Headmaster had to step in before they charged her for no reason because, as he had told them, "Why punish the victim?" to which the council replied saying that the prince was the victim and it was the fault of the extraordinarily powerful female sitting calmly in front of them.

That made zero sense, which was what pretty much every other person involved was saying, save for the queen. She wanted vengeance.

Now, the king wanted a say, and the council was in the middle of talking and wondering if they should let him or if they should remove him.

Finally, when the council's argument seemed to be going on another loop, Nix interrupted. "Can I say something?"

Since the startled council members didn't say anything, Nix simply continued to talk. "I don't know why you want to convict me of something that isn't my fault so bad, but I have an alternative. You're foremost concern is the royal family, and that's justified, but I think the queen is twisting the story. So let me show you what really happened."

Everyone except for the Headmaster was confused, including the princess, who had insisted to seeing how this would progress. The lead councilman raised his hand. "How, exactly, can you show us something that happened in the past?"

Nix studied her nails as if without a care in the world as she responded. "I thought the all-powerful council would have known that I am a Touch Reader."

Exclamations and cries of shock were the immediate reaction, as well as the queen screeching to behead me for this unnatural power.

The king looked at me like he had never seen me before, and Ran looked startled but curious, as if wanting to know more and test how the power worked.

The council was in a panic, however, the leader of them looked downright smug as his gaze slid over Nix's body. "No, you can't show us. Since we have the power to rule anything we wish, we can-"

"No, you do not."

Heads turned toward the king, and the Frost in question tilted her head slightly as she studied the ruler of the kingdom.

His eyes narrowed at the council members, who looked furious. "You do not have the authority to rule anything you wish. Yesterday, I read up on the exact power that the council has, and I came to the pleasant realization that our ancestors integrated a council merely for advice or guidance, but they had no actual power. And would you like to know where I found those wonderful little facts?"

The head councilman looked pale, horrified, even. The king's lips curled up slowly into a cruel smile. "I found them in your room, in a safe inside a safe inside a safe. I wonder why you felt the need to protect those papers with so many layers?"

"Y-your M-majesty, I-I didn't-"

"Oh, I think you did. Get out. You are no longer part of the council, much less the head of it. Now, get out."

The leader that was just demoted shrunk back, hesitating, but bolted the moment he saw the king bristle and start to step forward.

As soon as the door closed again, the king seemed to deflate as he turned to Nix, his expression guilty. "I apologize, Rider, for how long you have been here. If you still wish to show me your memories, I would love to see them, but if not, it is understandable."

Nix blinked slowly as she studied the king. He didn't seem like a bad person; just someone who married the wrong woman and fathered the wrong child.

"I do not mind. I would prefer you come here, though, because I am tired and the added exertion might make me collapse," she said whilst taking tugging her white gloves off her hands..

The king swiftly approached and gently laid his hands on her own when she offered them, the connection immediate.

The Reader grit her teeth, blocking out the king's thoughts that would only distract her. For some reason, more information than usual flooded into her brain, and it was causing a mild headache.

She ignored it, however, and brought forth the memories that he wished to see.

Every moment was played out perfectly. The way she greeted the prince with surprise, curiosity, and respect. The way she asked him why he was there. The way he threw her on the bed and pinned her. The terror she felt when she couldn't access her abilities. The cruel, wicked gleam in his eyes as he began to take what he thought was his.

The way her emotions shifted from fear to fury, burning her from the inside out. The way, in her panic, she cried for help. The way Jaydon burst inside and the way the shadows overtook him. The way she stopped him from killing one of the heirs of the kingdom.

The memories began to pick up speed as Nix tried to shut it down. She knew the king could feel the slight panic she was feeling at her sudden lack of control, but the memories began to whirlwind, and outside of their minds, Nix screamed in pain at the emotions and memories she had tried to lock away.

Glimpses of pain and grief, her adoptive parents arguing with each other while Nix was in the middle, forced to choose because she was the only one who could. 

Flamma, trembling in the corner in fear as Nix fought with everything in her power against the ones who were trying to hurt them. The scars she acquired, the way that her childhood innocence faded the more she was hurt, emotionally and physically. But one memory stood in front of the rest as the tornado finally stilled.

A glowing picture of a woman with hair of fire and dazzling green eyes that seemed to glow with happiness as she laughed, sticking her tongue out at the man next to her, a man with pure white hair and electrifying blue eyes that actually were glowing with amusement and love as he looked at the woman next to him.

They were holding a baby each in their arms, one with a puff of red hair like her mother and the other with tuff of white hair like her father, both with bright blue eyes and grinning the way babies grinned.

Nix yanked her hands away from the king, dropping to her knees with a howl of grief and confusion, her normally controlled emotions spiking as the memory was uncovered, but not from her.

The memory came from the king in front of her.