KING OF MY HEART, acotar

I

   The crunching of leaves under her feet made her huff as she moved. She maneuvered the familiar road as she neared the shimmering border that was near the tree line.

    Zelda broke out of the trees finally, coming to stand directly in front of the shield that had stood there over the centuries.

   If a passerby would stumble upon her, which wouldn't happen because of the precautions taken, they would think her a lunatic standing in front of a sprawling empty land in the middle of nowhere.

    No one would see the figure that stepped out of the shadows from the other side of the wards.

   "Any thing to report?" The shadow-like voice filled the silence of the place.

   Straight to business as always.

   Normally, amusement would fill Zelda's face as she teased the shadowsinger for a few seconds before launching into what she gathered. But today, her face was grim as she had to be the bearer of the news.

   Azriel straightened as his shadows came to a halt, seemingly noticing the difference in her today.

   "I have news from the Winter Court."

    Azriel clenched his jaw and Zelda knew he was glad that Mor wasn't here with him this time - as she sometimes accompanied him to meet Zelda - due to the close relationship between Mor and her friend, Viviane who presided in Winter.

    "Some of the Winter Court, along with a few of Summer and Day, made a small rebellion against her. In retaliation, she-" Zelda choked down on the words slightly. "slaughtered two dozen younglings from Winter."

   The shadowsinger's sharp intake of breath and the slight widening of his eyes were the only indication at the horror filled news she reported.

   And as if this news wasn't bad enough, "Several resources also reported that a daemati was sighted during the slaughter, destroying their minds."

   His eyes snapped to her at once, coldness icing the hazel color. "A daemati? Is he-"

    Zelda bit the inside of her cheeks. "It's unclear whether or not it's him, but from what I'm gathering I'm leaning towards no."

   The tension in Azriel's shoulders loosened a bit, and Zelda found herself continuing in an attempt to comfort the male.

    "I'm thinking that she did this on purpose, she knew the news would be murky about who did what. And what's a better way at completely instilling her full control over the High Lords than-"

   "Than instilling a seed of doubt to make them distrust each other, which would result in hatred spreading amongst them." Azriel realized.

    Zelda shrugged. "A bunch of extremely angry High Lords trapped in one place isn't good for her, so let them set their sights on someone other than her, someone who is supposed to be one of them." Someone like the most powerful High Lord in the world. "She's taking them apart from the inside out with her mind games."

    Azriel nodded absentmindedly, his gaze strayed to the sides as it became glazed over, like he was thinking of something. Recalling memories of someone who he hadn't seen in decades.

    Zelda felt a pang of longing at the bustling city that lay sprawling behind Azriel, she hadn't stepped a foot in it for over five decades.

    It felt like a cruel joke as she and the shadowsinger stood in front of each other like mirrors, separated by the invisible wards. A group of close friends who desperately wanted to go out of the city to help their friend, their leader but where bound to the city's wards, and a dreamer unable to go into the city knowing if she did, she wouldn't be able to step out of the wards again.

    Zelda wanted nothing more than to return back to her home, to cross the threshold and be greeted by the citizens of the City of Dreams, but her High Lord was out there, alone and trapped. She had vowed to not step a foot into the city before her High Lord did.

    Azriel's eyes was drawn to her again, as though as he read her mind he spoke quietly, "You could come back, you know. I will find something for you to do here."

    Zelda gave him a look, she recognized the concern in his eyes, she knew he wanted her to consider coming behind the border where she would be safer than outside. With the end of the 49th year approaching, with it the deadline of the curse that bitch put on the High Lord of Spring, Mor and Azriel were worrying that her position outside of the city's borders was too dangerous for her.

    Although the latter's worrying wasn't as bad as the former, as Mor had taken to nag her everytime they saw each other.

   "I'm more useful out here." She stated, ending the discussion before it began.

    Azriel nodded, knowing the silent vow she had taken four decades ago, he opened his mouth to conclude their meeting before his head snapped behind her, alarm in his eyes.

    When his eyes connected with hers, she shook her head slowly. It might have been the exasperated expression on her face, but Azriel understood in a second and relaxed when he realized that the intruder behind her wasn't as much of a threat he thought.

    A smile of amusement threatened to lift Azriel's mouth, becoming harder to hold when Zelda glowered at him.

    "Don't." Zelda snarled lowly. "I don't know how you have the patience with those things."

    Said thing was stumbling behind her, still in the heart of the forest if the sound of twigs breaking and low curses were any indication.

    He huffed with mirth. "As long as they have potential, then you have to help them hone it, even if the start is- rough."

    As if he meant it a loud 'FUCK' echoed, a flurry of birds launched into the sky, terrified.

    Zelda winced. "Well, I'm going to go deal with that for now. See you soon."

    With a nod and a quiet goodbye, Azriel vanished from her sight, as if he was never there. His shadowsinger abilities never failed to leave her in awe.

    The ward shimmered one more time before it disappeared entirely, the illusion of the empty space replacing it as footsteps stumbled behind her.

    Zelda sighed and spun, facing the gangly male that had been shadowing her today.

    Max was breathing heavily, his hands resting on both knees as his body threatened to give out. He swiped his brown hair from his face as he straightened and gave Zelda a bright smile.

    "See, I told you I could find you if we where separated." He recalled the words he said to her this morning, which prompted her to challenge him.

    She would drop him in the middle of somewhere he doesn't know, and if he was able to find and trail her, she would take back what she said last week, which consisted of something about him being a moron.

    Zelda held in her smirk as Max looked victorious.

    "At first, I didn't actually know where I was going, but then I follow the sound of-" He droned on and on as she waited for him to realize." Then, I heard you footsteps, which let me tell you were pretty loud for someone who everybody claims is the quietest spy after- wait a minute."

    A look of horror and slight embarrassment mixed with dramatic betrayal filled his face as Zelda started making her way back.

    "YOU LET ME PURPOSELY HEAR YOU! I- I thought . . . " he trailed off.

    "I was perfectly content with leaving you to your own devices until I saw you were nearing an edge near a waterfall where you would, quite literally, fall to your death."

    "Oh. That makes more sense than me being able to trail you." He concluded as he walked beside her.

    "Yes, it does."

    "Hey, what were you doing back there anyway?"

"Waiting for you to find me." Zelda half-lied, leaving Velaris hidden far behind her.