The Fall of Kingdoms

35- defy.

Sloane POV

"Aunty-"

"No you don't understand, you don't know what it was like feeling scared and alone. Everyone who impacted your life leaving all at once but having to take care of an amazing little girl. You were the only thing that kept me going, I can't-I won't." She says brushing my tears.

"I have to, you know I have to. It's just me, if I have to choose between me and you..and the people of Morelia I'm going to choose you and them." I say sniffling.

"Maybe that's why you're a better Queen than I am because I'd choose you, and I wish you would too." She said before stroking my face and leaving.

"Fuck!" I yell throwing a stack of books on the ground.

I fall to my knees as I continue to sob uncontrollably until I felt a pair of hands wrap around me.

"I don't wanna die." I say. "I don't wanna die."

"Shh you won't okay. I promise, you won't." The voice said.

I couldn't handle it and continued to sob until it all went black.

.

Cerise.

Hello?

Cerise.

Who is this?

Cerise, calm yourself. There is another way to access the Aether realm.

The books said-

Hush child! Every single processed document has been against. They don't want us to exist, they never have. You are not the first and you won't be the last but you must let go in order to reach me.

Dad?

Yes, calm yourself Cerise. Find me, I know you can.

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Xamira POV

"So what are we going to do now?" Coco asks.

"We're going to go through with her plan. I know she's going to make it, but for now we have to keep her safe until she does and we can't keep her safe if we're dead." I say.

"Alright, we'll continue with training and the few of us will take turns watching her." Addi says.

"Alright."

"It's already been a day, what if-" Morgan starts.

"Don't even finish that, we know she can't die forever and she'd never leave us." Varona says.

I could see Coco struggling to contain herself. She probably knows what Dusk is feeling right now.

"Coco." I say but she ignores me and walks to the door. "Falconia." I say following her.

I grab her arm and she turns to me.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"It's happening again, I failed him Mira." She says sobbing. "I failed her."

I hold her face and make her look at me.

"Yer didn't fail anyone or anything. They are still here, don't yer ever forget that okay? Don't burden yerself." I say pulling her into a hug.

She breaks the embrace and I look at her.

"I'm going to check on Dusk." She says kissing my cheek before leaving.

I sigh before heading back to the war room. There was an uneasy tension in the air.

"Guys we got this alright. Sloane came up with an amazing plan, now she just needs us to execute it. We need to do this for her, for us and for everyone." Maude had said.

I gave her an appraising smile as everyone but my old mates left.

"What do you think will happen?" Vhaerun says.

"I'm not sure, I've never slipped into something like this. I mean I hardly know anything about the Aether and Nether realms, and the books we got from the Elders aren't all that helpful." Addy says.

"Then someone has to protect her." Cordelia says.

"I will." Addy and I both say in unison.

"I haven't seen her in years, you had her!" She says coming up to me, anger in her eyes.

"She came to me Adisia! I love her like she's my own kin." I say. "I didn't force her to come to me, hell I told her to come back." I finish.

"It doesn't matter, you're not going to steal anymore time-"

"Is that what yer think of me?"

"-she goes to you instead of me, you watched her grow, last time I saw her she was 15! She was a child and now she wants to die? No." She says. "And let's not forget who actually has the ability to protect her when the hells break loose." She says before leaving.

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