The Zodiac Sisters (UNDER REEDIT)

Stone Cold

I never felt cold. Not even during the worst of winters. The fire inside me never went out; it was eternal. But when I saw the love of my life laying there, with blood pouring out of her neck. Staining her skin and wedding gown. I looked upon the ugly face of Jax. He seemed so proud. Happy in what he had just done.

That's when everything went silent. This heinous monster had taken everything from me. But I still had one thing left. My fire. So, I called upon the sun to give me everything. I channeled it all.

My hate

My fury

My rage

My revenge

My power

All of it into that one moment. His body became a blazing inferno. His voice louder than the roaring flames on his skin.

I didn't have the satisfaction of seeing him take his last breath. Lynn took me out of the room and locked the door. Once I regained my senses, I could hear everything. It was too much. The screaming cries from Lynn and Reilly as they held each other. The rippling wind of the oncoming storm. I held onto Allie even more. I didn't want to hear any of this. I didn't want this to be real.

Then came the worst sound of all. The thunder stopped and the sky cleared. It was all over. And that's when I felt it.

Cold.

The coldness of Allie's dead body in my arms. The dried blood on my hands only made it worse. The goosebumps on my skin were alien. The gentle breeze was like shards of ice eating away at my flesh. The sun was setting. I couldn't feel its warmth.

This was it.

I had lost my fire.

The flame within me was snuffed out.

Then the guards ran in, they carefully removed Allie from my arms and bowed deeply before me. I didn't stop them. I said nothing. "Your orders, your Majesty."

"Your Majesty." I almost forgot. With Amber dead, I was now Queen. I took a deep breath and held my head up. Trying in vain to remain in control. "Take them to the royal doctor and tell the blacksmith to- '' My sight became blurry and my body shut down. Before I could hit the ground, Lynn caught me.

When I woke up later that night, my little sisters were right beside me. Waiting for me to say something. I kept quiet and held them tighter. Lynn and Reilly were the only ones I had left. Amber and Allie were gone. My fire was gone. I couldn't conjure a flame from my hand. I couldn't even keep myself warm without various blankets. I grew numb to almost everything.

If something bad happens in the future, I do not want any of you to bottle up your emotions." As much as I wanted to follow my mother's last words of advice I couldn't. The village was ravaged by the tornado and they needed someone to look up to and give them hope. And of course, that was me.

I don't remember much of my coronation. But I do remember the weight of the crown on my head. It felt heavier than usual. Stella had to make a new coronation dress as my wedding gown was burnt and covered in blood and debris. When I gave my speech to the people, the words that came out of my mouth didn't feel like they were mine. It was a rehearsed and almost monotone speech to give the people back their smiles after the tragedy.

The only time I let my emotions run freely was during the funeral of Amber and Allie. My sisters were holding onto me tightly, even though they were in as much pain as I was. As the funeral procession kept on, a well dressed older looking woman bowed deeply before us. "Your majesty. My name is Madame Laverna. I am the headmistress of the Zodiac Reform School." She addressed herself.

"Kiara's here?" Reilly asked. Laverna shook her head. "The Princess Kiara could not come, I'm afraid. When I told her the horrible news, she was in such anguish. She's been crying herself to sleep these past days. I was sent to relay a message from her."

"What message?" I wondered.

"She regrets everything. All she's ever said and done to you and your sisters. She feels the utmost guilt for hurting the late Queen Amber and the late Lady Allie. She wants to be a good person. She swears to the Galaxy that she'll be better. And that she loves all of you from the bottom of her heart."

Kiara couldn't even come to the funeral. After hearing her apology, how could I be angry at her? It took me so much effort to get out of bed that day, knowing that Allie wasn't there beside me, but instead in a white marble coffin.

I had come to believe that the Crown Princesses of Zodious were cursed. Grandmother Jennifer lost three of her older sisters to a plague when she was ten. Amber lost her mother and Miranda at sixteen and I lost my mother and my wife. The day of my nineteenth birthday.

I remembered another thing Amber told us. Talk to one another as a family. When I was alone with Lynn, she was my crutch and my shoulder to cry on.

Reilly however, changed. She never spoke of the incident. While she seemed happy on the outside, I sometimes overheard her crying in her room at night. Fate forced us to put our sorrow away.

As Queen I was a different person. Stoic, stern and intimidating. While the servants and guards highly respected me, some were in fear of being removed from the castle or even exiled if they did the slightest thing wrong.

I barely recognized myself. Once September came, my appearance changed drastically. My golden tan skin became almost sickly pale. To keep me warm I could only wear my winter wardrobe. While styling my hair, Stella told me she found a few gray strands of once dark brain hair.

The paranoia and anxiety of knowing I was the only one responsible for protecting my little sisters, the people of Zodious and keeping the peace in the Galaxy kept me up at night. Especially since I couldn't use my fire. So, I did the next best thing.

I bared up every window of the palace. I hired the most prestigious security. I made sure the knights underwent rigorous training daily. Even the smallest entrance to the palace became heavily guarded. I kept up on every event on each planet. And I watched my little sisters like a hawk. I never let them be without one another. I made two guards watch over them when I could not. I made them share a bedroom in the north tower, right next to mine.

The people called me the human lioness. That only brought me more pain as it reminded me of my light. My love. My Allie. The woman who was stolen from me. After her funeral, I swore to the Galaxy nothing of mine will ever be stolen again. I will not do what is best for myself but for them. My sisters and the people.

Five months into my reign, the little gray hairs increased until three strands of my hair became bone white. Stella advised me that I should leave the palace and be alone with myself. If I went on like I was, I would suffocate under the heavy air of the palace and the weight of my crown. So I listened to her. I took my horse and rode off. I wanted this. I had to escape my grief.

And that is when and where I met him.