"First she lost him, then she lost her mind."
♚✭♛
A few millennials ago, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that sprang forth in the primordial void of Ginnungagap, unifying the eight realms named Asgard, Álfheimr, Niðavellir, Jötunheimr/, Vanaheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim and Hel.
It is said that after a person meets his death in their world, they pass through the others realms before they finally attain their peace. While many might believe that Hel is everything ends, for Aadya Solace it is where everything began.
Among the nine realms, Niflhelm and Hel are the most powerful cold, dark and misty world. When these two realms unified with marriage, it became the ruler of all eight realms. And anyone that challenged their authority, was turned to nothing.
Niflhelm is the home to the people of both realms and Hel. . . That has always been Aadya's.
The moment she stepped into the entrance of Niflhelm, Aadya was welcomed with a ginormous door that reached up to the golden sky. Aadya took a breath as she walked upto the center as she placed her palm in the middle. A glow surrounded her palm for a moment before the door opened and let her in.
While Niflhelm has always been a peaceful and serene kingdom, what Aadya saw in front of her shouldn't have surprised her. But considering the day and what was about to take place, she was sure there was a glamour in position.
Aadya crouched down, with closed eyes, to the land as she placed her palms on the sandy-floor. The rush of magic cracked through the land and travelled up her palm as it reached to her eyes. And when Aadya opened her eyes, her grey hues shined blue as she saw through the heavy glamour.
Everything was on fire.
She could see people running towards the castle, which was on the top of the mountain. Their hands held spears and swords as they charged with a battle cry to the castle, with children and young ones getting trampled by the crowd.
After a millennia of not being inside Niflhelm, this was not how she foresaw it going. As fear entered her, she panicked and quickly winnowed to the middle of the castle's court room. She was not prepared for what she saw.
Her eyes first for the throne were the King and Queen smiling at her. It was not warm or welcoming, it was filled with something so sinister, that she had take a step back in fright. Aadya followed where their eyes turned, and her knees threatened to buckle beneath her.
Her brother, chained to a pillar, his face was drenched in blood so was his clothes. The left side of his body was mangled and twisted, as it lay limp attached to his side. As if sensing her presence, his blue eyes met her grey ones, and he gave her a smile which came out as a grimace.
"Hello, Sister."
Having seen enough, Aadya tried to march forward, but she fell down to her knees, before she could take a step. She looked down, to see a trident pierced, clean through her stomach. Her turned widened when she recognised who trident belonged to. Her sisters.
Aadya turned back to see, Zoya and Zivia, merged together as one, the advantage of being twins. Smiling down on her, there eyes filled with hatred.
A malicious laugh echoed through the room. Aadya turned to see the King and Queen ascend from the throne and then made there way to her kneeling figure. While the King kept standing, the Queen bend in front of her, carefull not to let her feet touch Aadya's blood that was pooling beneath. The Queen raised a finger as she traced around Aadya's face, her fingers coming to a stop at Aadya's jaw.
"Welcome home, Daughter."
♚✭♛
The Queen was not surprised when Aadya spit in her face, a blood scattered across her face. The Queen only laughed at Aadya's hateful words. "You're no mother of mine."
The King stepped next to his wife, as he looked down on Aadya. "Where are your manners, daughter? I would have thought being condemned to spending your life in the prison, you would have learnt not disrespect your elders." He tsked.
Aadya tried to get up to kill him, but a pair of arms, her sister's arms, pushed her down. The King and Queen smiled down on Aadya, at her weak and pitiful state. Aadya circled her hands around the handle of the trident and pulled it out with a painful scream. The ground shook, matching her fury.
The King and Queen had walked to where her brother lay on the floor, hanging from the chains. And pulled him up to his feet, with a harsh tug. Aadya's heart broke at the pained sound that left his mouth, but couldn't stand up, because of her slow healing, due to her sister's magic.
"We have been waiting for you to return so that we could this, in front of you." The Queen began, as she unleashed a sword from the King's belt. Before Aadya could contemplate what was happening, the sword was in his heart.
A strangled cry escaped her lips as she saw her brother fall down, without a sound. The magic wrapping around her vanished which allowed Aadya to breathe properly. Aadya crawled to her brother as tears fell out freely. She lifted his head and placed it on her lap, as she tried to heal the wound in his heart. When that didn't work, she let out a cry of frustration as she forget the others in the room.
Aadya placed her palms on her brother, as she began pushing her magic, her life-source, into him. When Malik saw what his sister was trying to do, through blured eyes, he pushed her hands away, with the little strength he had. Aadya opened her eyes to see what her brother was trying to say, through his blue one. His eyes were not pained or had an inkling of fear of death. He looked relived. At peace.
Aadya's forehead fell on his, as she understood what he wanted. He wanted to die. He wanted peace. So she would abide to his wish. She knew what a millennia of pain can do to someone. If her brother wanted out, she would let him go in peace.
So she cried.
She cried for her brother, and for everything that he has been through without her, or for her. She cried for her sisters, knowing how they have been corrupted by her parents in her absence and in the end she cried for herself. A child was what she was, when her parents abandoned her to Hel, the prison. A child who had to grow up soon, for her brother and sisters. A child who was forced to carry a burned that she didn't want. A child who was absolutely broken by her parents at the age of 2.
The beating of her brother's heart under her palm came to a rest. She pressed her lips to his forehead as she layed him down gently. Aadya lifted her head to see her parents, and her sister with mirroring smiles on their faces as they watched Aadya breakdown. Aadya stood up and faced them with a cold face, that she didn't have to force this time.
Maybe the King and Queen- her parents- didn't think this through. They didn't know that her brother was the only thing that was helping her control the magic- the beast it had become- inside of her. Now that he was gone, she didn't have anyone to stop her, from unleashing it. Aadya always knew her magic should not be contained, if done it will either destroy herself or anything around her. But she supressed her magic for almost 50 years in Prythain, she didn't want to anymore.
The cry that tore through her, was filled with despair, anger, frustration, hatred and grief. And they saying, of the wise men came true in front of the people inside the throne room of Niflhelm.
Bad things happen, when angry people grieve.
With a gutteral scream, Aadya allowed her magic to be free. It flared as the ground shook, and the castle went up in flames. The roof above them collapsed, and the furious yells or the pleading of her parents didn't reach her conscience, as she surrendered to the beast inside of her.
Aadya fell to her knees as she closed her eyes. She was tired of fighting. For everyone and for herself.
So for now, she will rest as, her magic avenges her.
♚✭♛
It has been two weeks since Aadya woke up. The golden-haired girl looming over was not one to fret over anything, but when the ink on someone's hand starts producing music, Briana was concerned. Briana moved away from the bed, where Aadya lay and started pacing in the room. Before she could call for someone, she heard the rustling of sheets, as Aadya's eyes fluttered open.
Before Aadya could thinking about what happened, a petite body was upon her, crushing her in a hug. Frightened, Aadya pulled away quickly to scan the girl's face. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight bun, as ruby pins adorned her hair. Her brown eyes was familiar, but Aadya couldn't place the name to the young girl.
When Briana noticed Aadya's confusion, she re-introduced herself to Aadya, "I'm Briana. . ." She hesitantly began. "The girl who you saved, from being executed and you were punished for it." Briana finished, hoping recollect Aadya's memories of the past.
The recognition flashed in Aadya's face, as she offered the girl a small smile, as she got out of the bed. Her eyes scanned the chamber she was, the vague remainder of her childhood days that she spent here, swam in the back of her mind. Aadya then turned to Briana who was watching her carefully with concern, for what Aadya couldn't remember.
"Where is your mom?"
When Briana saw Aadya was calm enough, she gave her a bright smile, "She is on her way. She is just speaking with the council, as to what will happen now that, Malik is gone and your crowned as the Queen."
Aadya snapped her head from where she was examining her room to the golden-haired girl, who clasped her hand over her mouth, as her eyes widened at what she just said. Aadya turned to the wall-sized mirror placed at the corner of the room and took a step back in astonishment and fear at what she saw.
The crown glistened at the light emitted from the fireplace in the room. With diamonds embedded on the crown was shining bright, but faded in comparison to the stars that was on top of every spiked sequence weaved around the entire crown. Her traitorous mind suddenly flashed Rhysand's face before she realised one big detail. This was not the same crown that her mother wore when she ascended as the Queen.
Brian seeing the question in Aadya's face answered it out loud, "This is the original crown not the one your parents wore. The ancestral crown changes into what the true heirs fate is. You and your brother were the true heirs. That's why your Mother and Father wanted you both dead."
Her brother. . .
The memory of him laying dead on her lap flashed as her eyes filled with tears. Her hands gripped the pillar for support as her knees gave out. She couldn't breathe. The room felt like it was closing in on her.
"Hello, sister."
Aadya clasped her hands over her ears, as she kept hearing her brother's voice. His childish laugh echoed in her ears, a beautiful woeful ballad was what it sounded like.
"You are never gonna catch me, Aadya."
"Stop!" Aadya yelled over his voice. She wasn't supposed to be alive. How did she not perish with her magic? She couldn't feel her magic inside of her. She was supposed to die along with her brother. That was her plan. How did they stop her magic? More importantly Who did?
The door opened as the blonde haired, middle aged woman came running inside upon hearing Aadya's cries. Melisende saw Aadya as she gasped for air. The crown stared glowing, like it was fighting against Aadya's yells. She made her way to the crying girl on the ground, ignoring her daughter's worries.
She crouched down to Aadya and gently pulled her hands from her ears, making Aadya left her year stained face to see Melisende's calm face. "You," Aadya breathed, "you should have let me die." Aadya's words were sharp, but her voice wavered.
Melisende wiped Aadya's face, before she embraced her, as Aadya slowly wrapped her hands around the woman. She slowly patted Aadya's hair down, in a soothing manner. "I just lost a kid. I wasn't going to let an another one destroy herself." Her voice was a sorrowful whisper. Aadya pulled away from Melisende and got to her feet.
"What happened to my magic?" Aadya's voice had become cold, void.
Melisende and Brian noticed the change in her manner as they both stood on their guard, as the middle aged woman answered her, "Your magic. . ." She hesitantly began. "After being supressed for 50 years, went deranged for an outlet. So when you finally let it out, it started to destroy everything in its path."
"So how did you stop it?"
Melisende's eyes went to the crown on Aadya's head, "The ancestral crown, was always used as a catalyst for control for the new King and Queen. It's was the only way I could think of before your magic became to unstoppable."
Aadya turned to back to the mirror and saw the crown didn't glow bright as it did before. Her eyes drifted down the mirror to see what she wearing was not something she used to wear. The Black gown fit her like a glove. The dress began from her shoulders as its ends scraped the floor. The Black wing like gap on her chest was like a whole, depicting the hole where her heart resided. She pushed the thoughts away as she turned back towards the oldest in the room.
"When do I get my magic back?"
Silence.
"After you ascend the throne as the Queen of Hel."
♚✭♛
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Just a small epilogue for events after the first book for Aadya.
A Court of Mist and Fury. . . On the way😉💝