The uncontrollable power lurking beneath Princess Alethia's skin can either be the savior of the Four Kingdoms or its destruction.
Princess Alethia was raised on three principles: (1) Mercy is for the weak, (2) Emotions are an unwanted distraction...
A/N: And a baddie returns *heart eyes emoji*. Please vote, comment, and follow if ya love the chapter! (and even if you don't :P)
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Sephirah trailed to a stop at the sound of the gate closing. The Kantian man stopped running, his long black hair fluttering in the wind as he looked back, eyes widening slightly. Sephirah turned to see what had caught his attention. Her heart seemed to skip a beat as her breath hitched.
Aydin walked towards them, a grim expression on his face and eyes as vacant and empty as the Dreary Wastes. The spear he cherished now dragged on the ground, no regard to the rocks that skittered in its wake, chipping the metal arrowhead. His shoulders slumped, and his body seemed ready to drop at any moment.
But what had made her breath stop was the absence of the seer woman. Sephirah looked behind him, a crease of worry furrowing her brow. "Where is Sabrina?"
"She didn't make it," Aydin replied, eyes searching the castle grounds.
"What?" The Kantian man came to Sephirah's side, the girl still dangling in his arms. The man glanced down as the girl seized again. He shook his head, his jaw tightening. "Where is the infirmary?"
She dragged her eyes from Aydin's haggard and blood-splattered face, pointing to the building off to the side of the castle. The man took off at a jog in that direction, and she yelled after him, "We'll meet you in there!"
The man gave no inclination of hearing her, and she huffed out a breath at his apparent rudeness. When she returned her attention onto Aydin, she felt a pang in her chest, and a rush of empathy flow through her. He'd lost his father and his kingdom in a little over two hours. She couldn't even begin to understand what he was feeling.
However, it didn't justify what he had done.
"Aydin," Sephirah stepped closer to him and noticed his shoulders tighten at the movement. She paused, lips turning downward in disapproval. "What you did to Sabrina was—"
"She deserved it," Aydin snapped. Sephirah drew back at the harshness of his voice and the hatred in his cold hazel eyes. She had never seen him like this in all their years together. Aydin's eyes softened as if realizing the impact of his words, and he reached out, a hand hovering near hers until he let it drop. "She and her sister are the reason for all of this."
"She might have been the queen's sister, but she only wanted to help us," Sephirah said, backing up a step and crossing her arms. Nova flew down from the skies, her flight unsteady. She landed on Sephirah's shoulder pad, talons digging in deep to balance herself. Absently, Sephirah ran her fingers through Nova's warm feathers as she shook her head at Aydin.
"She didn't deserve that." Sephirah's voice came out with conviction, and Aydin flinched. She looked away from him, feeling a sense of unease.
All their lives, she had only known Aydin as the one who cared. The one who was willing to do anything for his kingdom and his people. But she had never known him to sentence someone to such a painful and unwarranted death. He wasn't one for unjust punishments. He wasn't the type of man who would cold-heartedly watch as someone died after they had done everything in their power to help him and his people.
