Beneath Shadows and Secrets

♔ 𝔈𝔭𝔦𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔢 ♔

♔ 𝔑𝔦𝔯𝔞 ♔

He blinks me into focus, his breaths heavy as life returns to him.

My sigh is one of relief, and I drag my body over his, watching realisation set on his features.

I do not know what happened, can barely begin to fathom, but I do not care to right now.

All I need to know is that my power saved him, brought him back from the dead.

That makes me invincible.

It makes him invincible too.

It makes us -

"Nira?"

"Stop." I bring my hand to his cheek. It is still tainted with the mottled black veins, but I do not worry that they will hurt him. Not if if it that same power which just brought him back. "Can you get up?"

He barely nods, pushing himself upright with a heave of exertion. The stain of blood still sits at the corner of his mouth, and I dust my thumb over it. "Nira?"

"What?"

"Is it you?" His eyes track mine. Not with fear. Cautiousness.

I frown. "Obviously." He seems sceptical, but then he accepts my answer, eyes falling to the corpse of Zaire that remains laid on the floor. No one has moved it yet. "I won."

"You have." His jaw tenses. "That makes you Queen of Vrodora."

I peel away from him, not quite expecting the words to come from my mouth. "I promised you that throne."

His eyes seem to spark with life. It rushes me with emotion I did not think I had for him. How devastated I would have been if I had never been captured by them ever again. "I cannot rule from it without you." He breathes, letting is eyes run across the crowds. I do too. The onlookers stand with abject horror, so still I would think they were not breathing. "Together." He whispers to me.

I smile, the thrill of success ribboning down my spine. "Bow. To your Queen and Consort." I do not need to commodity of a throne to make my statement. Do not even have to rise to my feet. All in the room fall to the ground, bowing as deeply as they can.

I doubt with respect. It is far more likely to be fear.

They remain in those positions as I look back at Calix, his forehead leaning into mine. "You won. You got your revenge."

I bring my hand to his chest, to the torn fabric and stain of blood that is still wet. To the absence of the wound that should have killed him. My brother. My blood. Sent by my father to kill me. To claim this throne as his own.

I may not have been a threat to them before, but I am far more than a threat to the both of them now. The prophecies foretold destruction, and I will bring it. They deserve it, perhaps more than anyone that has already paid their dues.

"No. This was only the beginning."