Queen of Darkness

Coming Home

Here's a pick of Alleria's training outfit took me forever to find what I wanted😜
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Alleria***
We traveled for about three hours before stopping at the edge of the forest. To say it was uncomfortable was an understatement. Kane's heavy armour had been pressing into my back the entire ride, and his snarky comments only fueled my disdain for him.

We stopped briefly to drink water and let the horses rest for a moment. All to soon, Kane gave the command to mount up. I rolled my eyes and trudged towards his horse. Kane came up behind me placing his hands on my hips. A little chill slithered down my spine as he lifted me onto his enormous mount. Kane quickly sat behind me pulling my body back against his. He kicked his horse into a canter, and the others followed suit. As we exited the forest, I gasped. There, on the other side of The Valley, was the capital city.

It's white walls glistened in the daylight, and the spires of the palace reached towards the heavens. It was a home fit for kings and queens, not someone like me. I balked at the thought of living amongst the richest people in the kingdom. I was riding into hell disguised as heaven. As if he could feel my fear, Kane's arm tightened around my waist, pulling me impossibly close. I could smell his scent as it drifted off of him. He smelled like burnt wood and cinnamon, a weird combination, but surprisingly pleasant. He bent his head and whispered in my ear.

"It's beautiful, but dangerous my little hunter"
I gulped as we reached the gates of the city. They towered above us magnificent pieces of wrought iron that spiraled and curled into vines and flowers. Like everything else in the city, they were beautiful, but if you looked closely you could see sharp spike hiding amongst the spirals. Suddenly, the gates opened before us and we rode into hell.

The city bustled with people each one more beautiful than the next. The streets were different from my home. They were paved and clean, and the air smelled of flowers and fresh bread. It was perfect, and I despised it. How dare these people live in such wealth while leaving the rest of us to rot on the outskirts of the kingdom. Children played in the streets instead of working fields. Women wore elegant dresses dripping with jewels and lace instead of tunics and breeches fit for hard labor. The men sauntered with confidence instead of shuffling from long days toiling in the sun. I wanted to shout and scream at them for their arrogance disdain. Kane tensed as if sending my anger. His grip on me grew even tighter, and I struggled to breathe.

The streets began to blur together each one just as beautiful and perfect as the next. Before I knew it, we reached the gates of the palace. These ones looked like they were made of pure gold. The sun danced across the gates shattering into millions of rainbows. Just like the ones before, these gates opened by themselves for us. Kane kicked his horse into a canter, swiftly entering through the gates.

I thought I was in heaven. Maybe I fell off the horse and died, and went to heaven. Wait never mind Kane's here, maybe I'm in hell instead.
"Stop gawking" Kane commanded snapping me out of my daydreaming.
"Why should I listen to you" I snapped, irritated that he was trying to boss me around already.
"You should listen to me because you look like an idiot with you mouth hanging open."
I quickly shut my mouth and endured the rest of the ride in silence.

Soon we reached what I assumed was the stables. Kane dismounted and helped me down.
"Alright boys" Kane shouted "you know what to do"
Soon, all the horses were put away and I watched the soldiers discard their armour. I stood around feeling awkward until Hannah came up next to me. She had already taken off her armour, and she was wearing a tight black tunic that showed her muscled midriff and dark leather pants with weapons strapped all around her. I did a double take. When the fuck did she get all those knives I wondered.
"Alleria come with me" she ordered turning and expecting me to follow her. I did hoping to get as far away from Kane as possible. As we walked, she gave me a tour. To the right of the stables, were the barracks. They were given to the lower battalions. I wrinkled my nose at the thought of living next to horses. Hannah caught my expression and laughed.