Rewriting Lightlark (That's It, Very Self-Explanatory)

Chapter 1: To Love and To Lose

Grimshaw's castle always had the lights on. Not a single corridor of the great stone fortress was without a lantern. It had taken Isla Crown forever to fall asleep and the sunlight streaming through the open windows woke her up after what felt like only minutes. She couldn't even pull the comforter over her head to avoid the light — the fabric was translucent. Quietly, she sat up and stretched, trying not to disturb the sleeping body next to her.

Her brown bare feet took light steps across the floor, making flowers spring up through the grout between the stone tiles. The cold floor made her shudder. Isla paused and looked down before turning to see the flower trail behind her. She groaned internally — she knew she had kicked her socks off in the middle of the night. Instead of going back for the socks, she continued to the ensuite bathroom. The flowers could be dealt with later. Her bladder couldn't.

The toilet, thankfully, made no noise as she flushed it. She figured she might as well brush her teeth while she was in the bathroom. Isla cleaned herself up quickly, wanting to get back to the warmth of the comforter. The small daisies continued springing up behind her as she left the bathroom. An undignified scream left her mouth when two hands reached for her. Isla turned to see nothing in the shadow of the bathroom door.

"Get out of there, Grimshaw, before you kill yourself."

She held her hand out, waiting for something in the shadows to grab it. Grim's white hand reached for her and he allowed himself to be pulled out of the shadows. Isla rolled her eyes as she led her boyfriend away from his own death. He was always doing that, ignoring his curse. All the realms of Lightlark were cursed. The people were forced to suffer all at the hands of the Grand Queen Aurora — a woman who relished in irony and cruel punishments.

But Grim never seemed to take it as seriously as he should have. He was a Nightshade and didn't care that being in the dark for too long would literally kill him. He kept pushing the boundaries and lengths of time he could stay in the shadows, worrying Isla that one day he wouldn't come back from them. Grim looked down at her, playing with the material of her silk nightgown.

"You know, it's a good thing you are only half-Wildling," he said with a mischievous smile. "I couldn't handle my Hearteater being taller than me. It would severely bruise my ego, you know."

Isla scoffed and gently pushed him. "Oh, please. Your ego disappeared the moment you met me."

"Do you really think you have that much control over me?"

Isla blinked. Her mouth contorted into odd shapes as she tried to stop herself from laughing. A pansy began to bloom behind Grim's right ear, touching the bottom of his ink black hair. He could bluff all he wanted but magic never lied. Love was a magic the people of Lightlark still didn't quite understand.

They supposed it was because Lark Crown, their founder, nurtured the Heart of Lightlark. The Heart was a flower and the source of their magic. When Lark died, the Heart's original form did too. The people thought it was because the plant was forever indebted to Lark's love for it.

That was the only explanation they had for why falling in love with someone meant you were able to wield their powers. With Aurora's curses, the wielding ability wasn't as strong as it used to be. But it still appeared now and then, usually when the person in love was focused solely on their lover.

Isla picked the flower from behind his ear. "Grim, I want breakfast."

He kissed her cheek and walked to his bedroom door. "I'm going to have to pick all these flowers out of the floor, you know."

"Sorry."

Isla clambered onto his side of the bed while Grim opened the door just enough to stick his head out of. She was only supposed to be on Night Isle when she held meetings with their king, not when she was sleeping in his bed. Grimshaw loved and trusted his people but he also knew how strong fear could be.