Ascension Among Lies

Chapter One

Nydia's P.O.V.

|| FIVE YEARS AGO ||

There is a certain warmth that is present every winter, amidst the cold temperatures. It radiates from those who love and nurture as easily as they walk. Truthfully speaking, these sparks of warmth were always there during every season, but I looked forward to each coming winter the most. Hoping time would fly by a little quicker so I could engulf myself in the pure thick blanket of snow. Unfortunately, that feeling of adrenaline and excitement soon disappeared this winter.

Everything was numb. My body was incapable of moving at all. My eyes fixated on the frame. I saw the scatter of white roses placed around it and candles lit from underneath. The scent of pure vanilla filling the lifeless walls.

Her favorite.

I cautiously step closer to the frame and go on my knees. The picture was bright and clear, but in a matter of seconds it became foggy.

Tears started welling up in my eyes and they slid carefully down my cheeks....I tried. I wanted to show that I wasn't weak, but I couldn't. My mind was completely tangled and incredulous as to how this all happened. I was in her embrace, excited for her, but she lost the battle which hadn't even begun.

I felt the presence of someone lowering beside me. I turned to see my mother, her eyes all swelled up. I started shaking my head vigorously.

"Mother, Idalia is going to take me outside right? She wouldn't dare to leave me before she saw the snowfall," I say, my voice shaking, holding some form of hope that this wasn't the reality I was about to face. She stays silent. Our eyes meet and I have never felt so stupid in my life. She's dead.

I look at mother and father, then back at the picture of my beautiful sister, gone.

Is there any point in living anymore?

My father comes down beside me, both of us staring at her picture.

"Idalia's coronation would have been soon . How tragic was it that before she could become queen, she passed. You're soon, my daughter." I turn to father, confusion written on my face.

"We need someone to inherit the throne as your sister is not with us anymore." "Father I can't. You know I can't act upon such a task. Only such people like Idalia that have the qualities of a good queen can. Everyone in Asterin knows I'm incapable of running the kingdom."

"There's no exception, we are up against Thornia and Delphia. We can't show them our weaknesses."

"You have to fight Nydia. Fight for what you believe in. You can't be relying on other people. At least do this for Idalia. She knows what you're capable of. We all do, you just need to find it within yourself."  My mother states while cupping my cheeks in her hands.

I felt huge responsibility weigh upon me.

I am to be the next queen. 

I touch my sister's picture frame one last time, feeling the cold glass on the tips of my fingers. "I'll fulfill your wish, just wait for me until the next snowfall," I say with a weakened smile.

||PRESENT DAY ELYSIAN||

The palace library holds a special place in my heart. There's a certain presence that makes me feel reassured, that I'm never alone. Maybe it was my sister. The thought of her brings a smile to my face. The once young, foolish, and innocent girl I knew five years back would have wept for her lost soul. That girl has changed. I know what my duty is, and I have to face it head on.