Chains of Fate

Chapter Forty-Nine

A/N: Everyone, please forgive me for the horribly late update. School consumed me this past month. I meant to post this last Friday, but my WiFi has been out as well. :/ Thank you all for waiting so patiently!

Chapter Forty-Nine

The world took on a different meaning around me as I looked out from my bedroom window in Eremith's tower. Light from the midday sun illuminated the glass city, sparkling through every crevice and crack. Two days had passed since the unicorn healed Titus, and the memories of his wounds still haunted me.

Scartha and Misa rushed around me in the bedroom, oblivious to my emotional state as they prepared me for the upcoming ceremony. I couldn't help but smile. Even after a war that decimated Eremith's population, these two could still show some semblance of happiness.

I remembered the bodies of the Eremithian warriors in the Ashen Meadow. I would not forget their places in this world. Each and every one of them served a purpose. Fathers, brothers, sisters. Mothers.

I knew what it was like to lose my family. I knew what the citizens of Eremith were feeling now. The enormous bonfire that had raged in the city courtyard last night was proof of their sorrow. Their sobbing could be heard above the crackling flames created by Shula. Though the fire warmed their bodies, nothing would be able to fill the gaps within their hearts. The blackened remains of ash in the courtyard were all that remained from their vigil.

"This will look perfect on you, mi'lady," Misa said, drawing out a dress in white brocade with gold accents and long, flowing sleeves. It reminded me of the gowns Astera wore. I nodded, fine with whatever the nymphs wished. I slipped the dress on, and Misa went straight to lacing the bodice. She squeezed it tight, and I yelped.

"It needs to be posh and perfect for the ceremony," Misa clucked. "Not everyone gets a chance to look as good as you!"

I nodded, grinding my teeth at the thought of walking around in this dress. I looked at my hands, remembering the blood that had been on them only two days prior. And with that thought came Titus. Once the unicorn had left, we returned to Eremith. The look on Astera's face when she saw Titus broke my heart. Her beautiful features morphed into a joy that I had never seen before. When I told her what happened, she was stunned. Titus had been completely healed by the unicorn, the creature I once thought to be evil.

The definition of evil in this world was coated in malice and deceit. But when that unicorn thanked me, its gratitude was pure.

I didn't know what to think anymore. And it seemed that Astera didn't have an answer, either. Unicorns were ancient, mysterious, and dangerous beings. Only a few were left in existence today. Astera thought she'd heard a legend that those creatures had the power to grant wishes. But they rarely listened to anyone, much less humans.

I frowned, curling my finger around a stray lock of ashen blonde hair that Scartha was pinning up into a complicated braid. Astera told me that few unicorn wishes had been recorded in history. Nothing like healing a man from a deadly injury.

"It's all done," Misa said with a proud pat on my shoulder. "You look like a princess, Miss Harbinger."

I smiled. "Thank you," I told them honestly. Misa blushed, and Scartha dipped her head.

"The ceremony begins in thirty minutes in the main dining hall," Misa said as they exited the tower room. "Make sure to be there on time."

They left without another word, leaving me in a cavernous room and a luxurious dress. What could I do in this thing in thirty minutes? I could barely move because the bodice was so tight. I shrugged to myself and gently sat down on the chair at the vanity. My torso groaned in protest from the constriction, but I knew there was no use complaining about something I couldn't change.