Wake of Darkness [1]

Chapter Eleven

♕ Descendit ♕

She had seen her falling. Her eyes had opened in horror as she'd realized what had happened. Sybilla had stared at Aubrette and wondered if her actions had been a mistake, but just as the thought that she might not make it, Aubrette had disappeared from her sight.

Sybilla was not sure what the next move was, but she did not have time to sit and stare into the abyss. She walked into Aubrette's closet and changed her clothes into the slightly fancier version of hers. And then had waited, sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to get her head to stop spinning.

As the hours passed, Sybilla noticed how everything around her changed. She felt the softness of heat warming up her cold skin quicker than she'd ever wanted. It was not that she liked the cold, even when it was all she'd ever gotten to know. But the feeling of the heat in her skin reminded her far too much of her old life, of the life she'd seen and desire. And she did not often liked to dwell on the past.

There were only three knocks on her door that night and Sybilla had known what they meant long before she'd heard them. So she'd placed the small crown with a silver moon at its center over her already braided her, and willingly made her way down the throne room.

It had not been the same place she'd seen a few minutes ago. She did not fail to notice the tears on the banners. The look on the king's face as he'd seen the thorns around the throne. Sybilla grinned as he saw him standing in front of it. At least he would not get to sit on that sit for a while. At least they had that.

She'd seen all of them with their perfect golden clothes, seen the way they all tried to hide their shock as she walked down the stairs, her white hair falling over her shoulders. Maybe the king had despised the moon realm forever, but he'd fought his entire life for those who wore the mark of the sun, and Sybilla for him was both.

Her smile grew wider.

☾

The moon was brighter tonight, or maybe it was just her holding onto whatever piece and scrap of hope she had left. The words of the king still rang deep in her ears. The look of disdain in his eyes as he'd yelled at his guards to give him an explanation.

The prince and his guard leaving soon after, as they realized Sybilla did not know anything of the queen's whereabouts, nor was she interested in finding out.

The memory of that night still lingered in her mind every time she closed her eyes.

The days were spent in treacherous silence that burned into her ears. The nights were nothing more than yelling, and overwhelming heat that almost evaporated the silver on the walls.

But Sybilla reminded herself that there were worse places to be. Worse places she'd seen and endured. And she'd do the same once again. Back then she had been only a child with nothing to fight for but the desire to see the sun shining beside the moon over again. Now she had something to fight for. She had people to protect. If the king thought he'd be able to break her he was sadly mistaken.

Sybilla walked out of the balcony and opened the door. Like clockwork two guards rushed beside her, trailing her steps towards the throne room where the king waited for her day after day, asking her the same stupid set of questions. Fire burning through his eyes.

It kind of felt like pure irony, that until two days ago she'd thought the moon blessed eyes were disturbing. Now she felt like she was watching into the eyes of the devil himself.

"Princess" The king said, as she heard her step into the throne room. The tittle sent a shiver down Sybilla's spine. "Always a pleasure to see you" he said and waited for her to stand in front of him. His hands caressing the edge of the thorns melted into the back of the throne.