MISTRESS OF NATURE

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

A DAY BEFORE THE YTHER'S SEIGE

THE FIRST THING Gatria saw, the moment she entered the throne room of Citadel of Krahika— the central temple in the middle of Yther Kingdom were the queens resides together— was Sollel and Aenwyn kneeling in front of a strict looking Astrid who was tightly gripping a whip made out of wind.

"You two...! How many times do I have to tell you to behave...?!" Astrid slammed her wind whip on the floor tiles and the sound made Sollel and Aenwyn winced as if it hit them.

Who would blame the two? The sound Astrid's whip made was razor-sharp that it put pressure in the air. 

Gatria sighed at what she was seeing and decided to stay at the door to the throne room to continued watching even though she knew how things would unfold. She actually just didn't want to participate. Astrid was enough to discipline the two most disastrous queens of Yther.

Sollel, the Mistress of Flame and also known as the queen of destruction, and Aenwyn, the Mistress of the High Seas, who's considered an eccentric queen because of her out of this world antics were both looking down at the floor and shaking in fear because Astrid slammed her wind whip again and it hit the floor in front of the two.

Gatria knew Astrid meant to do it, to warn Sollel and Aenwyn, and she smiled at that. Astrid had always been strict to others and to herself as well. And it was not like this was the first time Gatria witnessed such scene. She had witnessed this a hundred times already— that's how stubborn Sollel and Aenwyn were.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to cause ruckus inside and outside Yther?!" Astrid was still fuming mad and from time to time, her wind whip would slam on the floor causing Sollel and Aenwyn to flinch in fear. "Are you two  deaf that you couldn't hear my warning...?! Do you want to be punished again by kneeling for a year?! Is that what you two like?! Answer me!"

Mustering her courage, Sollel did answer Astrid. "But we're not even doing anything, Astrid. We were just playing—"

"You made a volcano erupt!" Astrid shouted to Sollel before her eyes went to Aenwyn. "And a tsunami nearly devoured the archipelagos! Is that what you called playing?! We are here to protect Azitera's inhabitants! We are blessed by the deities and it is our job to take good care of Azitera, not destroy it!"

Mustering her courage as well, Aenwyn answered. "But like Sollel said, we were just having a friendly match—"

"Sollel nearly burned a forest, If It was not protected by Gatria, it would have been burned already! And you, Aenwyn, made a lake out of nowhere, destroying the settlements nearby! If not for the guards evacuating everyone in time, what do you two think would've happened, huh?! I told you to behave and not use your destructive abilities, but you never listened! This is the reason why those Descendant of Sappher fools waged war against us. You two are part of their reason!"

Sollel and Aenwyn immediately fell silent. They knew when to fight and gave up and in front of Aenwyn, they always chose to give up.

"Astrid, if you continue shouting, you'll stress yourself out. As if those two would understand your predicament." Gatria's calm and gentle voice filled the throne room, it seemed like she could no longer watch in silence.

The three queens turned their heads towards Gatria who just spoke and it was Sollel who got up with a wide smile on her lips to receive Gatria with loving arms— but Astrid's angry voice was heard.

"Who told you you can stand up, Sollel?!"

Astrid's voice boomed in every corner of the throne room, and almost immediately, Sollel fell on her knees as if afraid and kneeled.