A court of Night and Fire

this one might emotionally destroy you - but don't worry ;)

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Hope you enjoy this chapter - I might release a second later on because y'all have been so supportive! Enjoy reading!!

Asterin POV

I know Maeve is watching us, someway or another, so we had to be very careful. The plan we had formed relied on the valg queen's ignorance. Plus a lot of luck and a little acting. It also required us to not only behave right, but think right. Ash looked rather dazed, as if unable to believe what we had just done. All we needed was to find Nyx somehow. 

The door was flung open, and there, dressed in a long, flowing lilac gown, stood Maeve. She smirked at the sight of the two of us huddled together. Two valg princes entered the room and grabbed Ash by either shoulder, wrenching him to his feet. He struggled against their grip but they held him tight. I screamed his name, leaping to my feet, but some invisible power of Maeve's held me back. I screamed for him as he was dragged out the room, pushing against the shield despite the evident knowledge that it would do me no good.

Maeve walked towards the door but stopped and turned to me "don't worry little girl, you'll see him soon enough" she purred, smiling. The moment the door shut behind her, the shield dropped. Whatever drug I had been given was still in effect, meaning that I was unable to use my powers. I ran for the door as soon as I was free and pounded against it, screaming my mate's name over and over. Tears ran down my cheeks as I punched the door over and over, the door and my hands becoming coated in my blood. 

My throat was raw from screaming for him, my head was spinning as blood dripped down one side from where I'd hit it against the door hard. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt, not physical pain but something deeper. I kept hitting at the door, screaming for him until I passed out. 

I woke up to my name being called. Ash was kneeling over me. He blinked three times at me. are you okay? I blinked back once. Yes. My mother had explained her code with Fenrys, and a while back when we were recovering from our encounter with Bryaxis, we had made our own, adding onto my mothers for fun. Ash lifted me to my feet. That was when I noticed we were not alone. Maeve was stood by the door watching the whole encounter, oblivious to the silent messages once again.

Ash looked to Maeve, as if for confirmation and Maeve nodded, smirking. That put me on edge. Maeve left the room and Ash followed, walking next to me. What the hell was going on? Why was Ash following Maeve like a servant? Something was very wrong. He led me into what appeared to be a large throne room. The throne at the far end was sat upon a dais made of the same black, repulsive stone as the walls, ceiling and floor.

Maeve perched herself on the throne as Ash walked me into the room and up to the throne, stopping in front of Maeve and bowing. My jaw dropped. "Ash..." I whispered. Ash's gaze remained fixed on the floor, still bowing towards Maeve. I tried to get to him but that invisible power of Maeve's held me still "What have you done to him?" I yelled at her. She laughed. "rise" she ordered and Ash did so. She fixed that penetrating gaze on me "he now serves me and me alone"  she drawls, smirking.

"no..." I whisper "no, no, no" I repeat, struggling against the power again. "Ash!" I screamed at him. Ash turned to me, a cruel smirk playing on his lips as he started prowling towards me. A tear slipped down my cheek "this isn't you Ash" I whisper, looking away, "this isn't the real you. this isn't my mate" He laughs "sorry, darling, but this is the real me and I serve only my queen" he says, placing two fingers under my chin and turning my head to face him.

"what would you like me to do with her, your highness" he says, turning to face Maeve, still clutching my chin. Maeve smiled like a wild animal "well, as much as I'd love to relive the moments I shared with her mother, I doubt it will have the same effect. I think I might play with her for a bit" she says, and Ash grins. "Just kill me now and get it over with" I spat out, glaring at Maeve, tears still falling down my cheeks. Maeve lets out a loud laugh, sliding off her throne and stalking towards me "Now why would I do that when you're so much more useful alive?" She says, running a finger down my cheek, Ash still holding me still so I could not pull away. "plus, it's far more entertaining this way" she adds, smirking at Ash. 

"whilst my beautiful new blood-sworn warrior will get his chance with you later on, I want my own fun first" she says, producing a gleaming black dagger and running a slender finger down the blade. She moved so fast I didn't realise what had happened until I felt the pain shooting through my shoulder. She pulled the dagger out, my blood glinting on the blade and dripping onto the floor. Pain ripped through me and gasped and gritted my teeth. "this is as much of a message to you as it is to your bitch of a mother" she begins, watching me. 

The wound in my shoulder is not too deep as to kill, but enough to make one hell of a mess. Maeve lashes out again and a searing pain to my ribs joins the one at my shoulder. "Your mother ruined everything. She took away everything I worked so hard to build." she continues, running a finger through my blood soaking the dagger. "she killed my family and my people. So now I shall do the same to her" she says, her eyes darkening. "you are very powerful, powerful enough to destroy worlds in fact. And yet you waste that gift." she purrs, running a finger through the wound in my shoulder, striking out again to my stomach. I fell to my knees, the blood loss making my vision spin and cloud over, my muscles shaking and my body screaming.

"I will not, however. Whilst hurting you like this is rather enjoyable, I know hurting your mate will hurt you more" she drawls. I growl at her and she laughs. Throughout this whole thing Ash has been silently watching, smirking at me still and practically grinning at the sight of me in pain. "so whilst I could force you into the blood oath in the same way I forced him, I prefer it this way. I threatened you enough that he was willing to pledge himself to me" she continues, sounding amused and stabbing me just below my ribs "but I want you to feel the guilt of destroying your own kingdom, of destroying your own family."

She pulls the blade protruding from my chest downwards and I double over at the shear agony of it. A pair of strong hands I recognise all too well pull my shoulders backwards to allow Maeve to continue pushing the blade downwards. My vision goes black at the edges and my muscles practically give out. I can barely think, kneeling in a pool of my own blood. "I was going to let your mate do this, but I'm enjoying this far too much" she says, eyes gleaming as she twist the blade. There's now a deep gash down one side of me from my ribcage to my hip.

She pulls out the dagger and moves it to my neck "you're almost gone, and there's no point continuing when you can't feel it" she says, ghosting the dagger over my neck "but unlike your mother, I want to create scars. I want you to remember this." is all I hear before she slits my throat.