The Princess of Terrasen

Ch.20

Even from hundreds of meters away, Aiyra could see the red Kingsflame, a fiery carpet of flowers upon the rolling green and white mountains of Terrasen.

It wasn't as beautiful as they had said it was, or as beautiful as it had seemed the first time she had been back.

It just seemed like a pretty painting.

Unreal.

The minute her foot hit Terrasen's soil, something sparked through her.

It was warm and sparked in her veins. Her ice smoothed over it, but the feeling still didn't entirely disappear. Taking note of the direction the castle was in, she set off through the tall trees, silently enough that the birds didn't stop tweeting. Sebastian would've laughed, cracking some stupid joke about sneaking through her own kingdom. She had barely gotten a few steps in when the birds stopped twittering for a second. She sniffed the air testily, scenting metal. She slowed down. If whoever it was could catch her, she supposed she wouldn't really fight too hard. If they wanted to kill her, they were welcome to. She could at least be with Sebastian again. She wouldn't to make it too difficult though. She sat down, right there, and waited for them to catch up. It was that man. From Deanna's palace, who had sworn he would get out. Dimly, she wondered how he had done it. His eyes were dull, and burning with fury.

"I told you I'd get out." he snarled.

She cocked her head.

"And you did. Congratulations."

"I'm going to kill you."

"Do you see me stopping you?"

He looked taken back for a second, but then recovered himself. Aiyra stood up, ready to let him plunge that beautiful blade straight into her chest.

"No. Stay on the ground."

Aiyra snapped her teeth at him.

"I am letting you kill me, but I will not die kneeling."

Right there, in the forest of Oakwald, her mother's Kingsflame burning under her feet, the man approached, sword held firmly in his grasp.

Aiyra didn't care anymore. She couldn't breathe. Didn't want to. So she didn't struggle. Her heart sang. She could finally be with her mate again. She hoped so. She would tear down worlds if they came between them. But she was so, so tired that she leaned into the blade's caress as he went behind her, and placed it on her throat.

Her journey began with a blade. And it would end with one. It was fitting, in a beautiful way.

A thing that birthed a monster should be the thing to end it.

She felt it cut skin as she leaned into it's cold kiss.

The clearing exploded in fire and ice and teeth and wings.

Aiyra tried to lean further into the blade, before whoever came could save her. But a guttural voice, feral with wrath roared;

"Give me back my daughter."

Rowan Galathynius snarled as he stepped into the clearing. A ghost leopard growled from somewhere on Aiyra's left. Aedion Ashryver hefted the Sword or Orynth,

"I'd suggest you listen to the King."

The words were teasing, playful, but the pure wrath with which they looked at the man was terrifying. It made her remember.