(Throne of Glass Fanfiction) The Legends that Lives

Chapter 20: The Talk

"Your Highnesses?"

Cyrus turned her silver-haired head towards the opened doorway of the room she shared with Sylvia, the eight-year-old was currently dozing in her canopy bed, laying above the sheets and curled around herself. It was located in a circular tower, both sides mirroring the other, a dark wood canopy bed, a drawer, a closet, and curtained off tall windows.

She was currently reading while eating the leftover ballroom's treats, saved for the staff, except she charmed them into giving her some, so they lay in a bowl next to her sprawled form, a book open before her propped up face.

"Hm?" she hummed.

"Your parents request an audience with you," said the maid, her gaze blank.

The fourteen-year-old hopped up on her feet, rubbing the spots on her elbows that had been worn from the carpet's texture from propping her head moments before. "Where?" She asked, looking towards her younger sister.

"Their chambers," said the maid ", the young princess shall be fine."

"Okay," she said quietly, reaching for the last piece of chocolate-covered strawberry before she hustled out of the room.  Running a short distance down the hallway, they were only two rooms away, Aryna and Laurel between them. Her bare feet made no sound as she skidded to a pause before a large wooden door.

She knocked once and waited.

The door opened with her father's magic, the young princess stepped into the lavishly furnished room, a cicular bed in the center, a writing table, and the necessary storage space one would need for short visits. Her father was standing, hands behind his back, next to where her mother was sitting down on the bed.

"What is it?" Cyrus asked.

They didn't even scold her for words, simply gesturing for her to sit down next to her mother. The mattress sank as she lowered herself next to her mother, the queen. "Cyrus Ashryver Whitehorn Galthynius," her mother started, eyes looking into her soul.

"Am I in trouble?"

Rowan shook his head ", We never thought to have this conversation with you but-"

"Oh gods, it's the birds and bees talk, isn't it? Laurel already told me so this might be a bit awkward-"

"What? No," her father said, his nose pinched ", Your sister isn't going to be with us for a while."

Cyrus cocked her head, her Ashryver eyes narrowing ", What do you mean?"

"She took the sacrifice," her mother sidled in smoothly before the king could utter another word to hide the truth, or worse, telling her directly. 

"What?"

"We're...not going to see her in a while, droplet," Aelin whispered, using the old, abandoned nickname that her parents had picked up when they discovered that she harnessed water, the ability of her grandmother's. 

Cyrus went quiet.

Her voice dropped, a thought falling into place in her mind, something in her gut shifted. "When are you going to tell Sylvie?"

They went silent for a single heartbeat.

"When it is time for her to know," said her mother.

"You should tell her as soon as you can."

"She's still young, Cyrus," Rowan snapped.

"You lost your parents at eight," Cyrus challenged, looking straight at her mother ", You even slept in their blood, Sylvie has the right."

"That is enough," her father said harshly, pushing her out hastily, applying pressure but not violence.

"I love both all my siblings," Cyrus said, her eyes dark, her mind much more mature than it should for her age ", And you know that it'll only drive a rift between you and her if you won't tell her soon. You know who I'll stand with."

-

Sierra ran her hand along the length of Lumine's back, the wyvern laying down, her shimmering gray hide muted under the stars, visible in their stunning brilliance from where they sat on the princess's terrace balcony. She had dried her tears and dragged herself out of her bed before another onslaught could overcome her.

She hasn't even heard from Arvena.

"It's funny," she said in a soft whisper, Lumine's dark eyes opened slowly, the wyvern listening ", Just when things were getting better, it all fell apart."

The wyvern released a throaty sound, sounding almost like a cat's purr, nuzzling her giant head against her. Sierra tried to smile-and failed. So she continued ", I just want to go away until it's all over."

A blank look.

"I wanna go away," the princess murmured to herself ", Just until I find my place in this world again."

A huff from Lumine.

"Should we go, girl?" said the witch ", Just for a bit?"

"Are you speaking of running away?" Eyvin said from the doorway, leaning on the wooden frame, eyebrows raised even as the redness of his eyes was evident ", Don't forget me!"

"I would never."

"I wouldn't hope so since you were just talking of running away with your mount," said the prince, sitting cross-legged next to her. 

There was a moment of silence between them, a comfortable feeling, to have someone that didn't require anything to simply be there for comfort, to sit down and talk, or just lay next to one another in a healing environment.

"I wanna go too," Eyvin whispered.

"Then we will," Sierra said firmly, taking her brother's hand and squeezing it tightly ", We'll find ourselves again."

"Together," he added.

"Together," confirmed the princess.

-

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