Chapter 1
The sky was bleeding, a deep dark red that stained her world. The monotony was only broken by a few furiously blinking stars. It seemed to her as if the stars were angry. Furious with the cruel hand fates had dealt her. She smiled wryly. How very thoughtful of them.
Blue as ink, her indigo hair whipped around in the chilly breeze that was perennial in the ice lands of her realm, annoying her as she tried to constantly ward them away from her eyes. Eyes glinting green, none like her realm had ever seen shone with a mixture of pain and fear. She didn't know what she felt more though. Maybe these two emotions paled in comparison to betrayal. But what betrayal? When did they ever love her enough to not betray her? She should have known this. Should have seen it coming.Should have been prepared for this.
But she had drowned herself in a bliss called Eric. She had let her senses dim and made herself deaf, dumb and blind. And this betrayal was no one else's fault but her own.
She stared at the sky for a long while and then tried to sit, unsure of the frigid ice. It had been too long since she had been this unladylike. It seemed like a different lifetime when she had played in these barren ice lands to her heart's content. She remembered learning how to walk on her own two feet on this slippery ice. She remembered making orbs with her tiny palms while the barren ice lands howled with unrelenting winds. She remembered growing up, each moment of it here. Strange how this didn't feel like home anymore.
She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. No, this wasn't the time. She couldn't become weak right now. For her life depended on it. For one more life depended on it.
Clouds were gathering in the red skies and much to her relief, she saw no living being as far as her eyes could see. Her resolve weakened and she let the tears fall for once, streaking her pale skin and burning with a pain that could equal no other. Her husband was no more. And even worse, she had reinforced the belief everyone had in her.
She brought death wherever she went.
It wasn't true. Not consciously. She never wanted death. Death just followed her around mercilessly and refused to give up on her.
As if the mere thought brought weakness in her, she felt her veins throbbing. The little floating orbs around her started to glow, demanding the energy of souls to thrive on. She hadn't realized she needed energy. She had never needed it so frequently before. Maybe it was the seed growing inside her that was draining her so thoroughly.
Inspite of everything, she still thought of it fondly. After all, she loved it. For it was a part of him and he could never resent any part of him. She had loved him with all her might. With complete abandon and she would do the same for his kid.
She had placed him above everything else, taken a risk unlike any other for him. But she also knew why. Knew why she had been so vulnerable to Eric's adavnces. It was because she was desperate. Desperate for hope and starved for affection. Deep in her heart, she had been in the most despairing state of affairs imaginable. So when Eric came into her life, unwillingly she clung to his love.
Sighing, she lifted a slender finger, drawing in the cold air, an all too familiar gesture. It was a command to the orbs, to spread out. The glowing little things flew away the second she made the sign, searching for any life form in the distance.
She straightened out imaginary wrinkles in her white gown, her indigo hair falling in stark contrast against the white. She smiled, feeling the silk fabric of her gown neatly spread on the ice. It was an attire for a queen.
Curse.
Being the queen of this land was an even bigger curse than the one she had been born with.
But then, he had made her queen. And how could she have ever refused him?
"Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" a voice imbued with warmth and kindness; kindness she had never encountered previously, caught her off guard as she was carving wood. These were the rare times when she got out of her cave and tried to soak in as much of the red sun as possible.
The winters made sure there weren't enough people around to mingle with or be scorned by. She enjoyed the loneliness, or so she told herself.
Never in her entire life had someone asked her something so normal.
Who she was? Yeah they asked her that all the time. Even whispered 'witch' behind her back.
Why were her eyes green? She didn't know why. Maybe her mother had them. Or her father. She never knew who her parents were, so how could she answer that?
Why did she have blue hair? Same form, different question. But again without an answer.
Never before had anyone inquired about something so frivolous.
So the man caught her attention. As such his eyes were screaming for it.
"You have wandered into Iscyrian highlands, Sir. I can only wish you have your warm clothing with you, or you'll freeze to an early death." She told him plainly.
The man's blue eyes twinkled, and she had to fight the urge to drown in the azure pools. She slammed herself for even thinking such a wretched thought.
"Why do you think an early death? How do you know I deserve to live longer than what the cold allows me to?" He asked.
This man was deranged. He seemed to be mocking her or maybe he knew who she was and was using her as a source of amusement. Either way she needed to put an end to this.
"Have a pleasant ride, Sir." She answered, not wanting to exchange anymore useless pleasantries with the man. She collected the wood she was working on, placed her knife in its leather holder, and made her way away from the man.
"Will you do me the honour of marrying me?" He asked, and she stood frozen, paler than her pale skin could allow. She couldn't believe her ears. Was he for real? Was all this for real?
She turned around, with what she assumed was the fiercest glare she could muster. She called upon her orbs for protection, something she hated doing to these people, but they never seemed to understand the severity of her powers.
"You have no idea who I am. How dare you meddle with me?" Her orbs were waiting in command, and she was dying to let them free on him.
"I know who you are, Alyssa. I just never expected you to be so alluring." He told her, and with that, he turned his horse around, kicked it, and left her.
"Alyssa, how are you today?"
She was trying to start a small fire with the twigs that she could find, and suddenly, there he was.
How was it that he kept finding her day after day after day?
She sighed, this had to stop. She had tried ignoring him. Giving him the silent treatment, hoping against hope he would move on. But to no avail. She called on her orbs with a steely resolve. This time, she'd make sure he never returned to seek her out.
"Won't you ever ask my name?"
Before she could command her orbs, he had uttered those words with such utter forlornness and frustration, her breath caught in her chest. She looked in his direction, to find those hypnotizing blue eyes staring at her with unmasked adoration.
It sent a chill down her spine. Adoration was so foreign to her; she felt it was the end of the world.
"You are an unstable man, Sir." She uttered, rubbing one twig on the other, "I have no interest in knowing the name of a madman."
"You'd think the Iscyrians would have my mental health checked before handing me the realm, right? Idiots." He laughed, and all she could do was gasp. She struggled to believe him. Maybe he was a lunatic afterall. And she was about to dismiss him as ridiculous but then stopped. For the first time since he had started visiting her she saw him drop the hood that covered his ears and there in stark sight was the evidence of his noble birth. Platinum blonde hair and sharp pointed ears that tilted outwards. A pureblood elf. And therefore surely of noble birth. But it was the circlet surrounding his head that put all doubts to rest. The circlet with the crest of Iscyria.
"Your majesty!" Those were the only words her that escaped her throat before the enormity of what would have happened had she used her orbs on him settled on her like a heavy blanket., She stood up, straightening her hair and fixing her torn, white robe. Now that she knew she was in the presence of royalty and the king of the whole realm, it would be extremely crude if she did not even make an effort to look somewhat presentable.
"It is Eric for you, Alyssa." He responded to her in the honeyed tone he always used, "If I had known using my identity would have such an effect on you, I would have done it sooner."
"So, will you marry me now?" He asked her next, to which she could only answer in negative.
"I am an abomination, your majesty. And this is not a conquest that I'd like the Iscyrian ruler to partake. Please leave." She was shivering now, her heart fluttering from the determination in his voice.
Every sun after that, Eric continued coming to her. She tried. She tried with all her might to escape the warmth he was offering. She was afraid. Afraid that she would grow dependant on the warmth, and the cold would start feeling foreign to her.
So many moons passed, and no matter where she went, he just knew how to find her.
When she thought she couldn't take it anymore, he still asked her.
"Your majesty, you do know who I am... Don't you think it would be a disaster asking for my hand?" she finally said one morn, gathering all the courage at her disposal. She spent the whole of past few moons laying awake at night steeling herself for what is to come. The time of deliberation was over.
"I believe all beings were sent by the Old Gods and that they gave everyone equal opportunity to love and live. Including you, my dear." He said with utter conviction, "And I would be the happiest being in this realm if you said yes. So please, stop this torture already."
She smiled the smile that made her eyes shine with delight. She knew this would be dangerous. She knew the whole kingdom would retaliate. She knew they would never accept an enchantress... no, a witch for a queen. But she didn't have the heart to deny him anymore. She didn't have the strength to push him away. She didn't want to deny herself the love, the respect and the reverence anymore. Little by little, moon by moon, he had completely hypnotized her heart, and she was tired of the loneliness. Every day she feared what would happen if he didn't come to see her anymore. Every day she waited for him to show up and chase away the shadows. She had unwillingly started craving his warmth.
"The witch stole our King."
"She must have put him under a spell."
"What does the King even see in her? She has witch eyes."
"She is going to rain havoc on the realm."
"Iscyria will suffer."
"Iscyria will perish."
She twirled ever so lightly, her chamber lightening up with her smile. Her heart tinged a little, some sadness never leaving her. What she wouldn't give to have some sort of family, friend, just anybody with her right now to share her nerves, her happiness. Her wedding dress was weaved in gold and was embedded with the brightest of rubies available in the kingdom. She sparkled, her pale skin a mismatch with her golden dress. Eric had told her it was the greatest of Iscyrian traditions, for the crowning queen's dress to be weaved out of the finest gold threads in realm. She didn't pay much heed to the gold. It was the thought of Eric's love, his acceptance that made her fill with giddiness, and not any amount of gold. Still, the stark contrast of her skin and gold wasn't enough for her to step back.
Her green eyes were more emerald, and the rubies just highlighted the fact that they weren't made to rule sentient beings. Yet she didn't pay any heed.
She walked down the altar with a bouquet of lilac flowers, the only thing that reminded her of the place she grew up in. The flowers were stiff, their stems hardened by snow, and a thorn or two pricked Alyssa's hand. She didn't even feel it.
As soon as her eyes fell upon his, the azure pools drew her in, inviting her into his world. She had never felt more loved than in that instant. All her life, she had been starved for affection, starved for any contact whatsoever. And here was a man, handing her his heart on a silver platter. She gulped, she felt unsure all of a sudden. What if this was a dream?
What if this was a cruel, cruel nightmare?
She blinked back her insecurities. No, Eric loved her. He had since the moment he met her.
"You may now kiss the bride."
He had kissed her with such fervour; she felt the ground give away beneath her. She felt like her life was worth living. She felt the need to love him back. She felt for the first time in her life, that she could be defined by something other than the curse. That she could be his wife. And lastly, she felt that she could be the queen the man wanted her to be.
"You are the most beautiful woman to ever exist, Alyssa." He whispered into her ear as he careful settled the circlet into her blue hair. The circlet had intricate strands of gold woven with rubies that resembled the bright sun of Iscyria, and she couldn't help but think that her hair were a misfit for it. Maybe if she had blonde hair like the rest of them, it'd have looked beautiful on her head. Her insecurities never seemed to leave her heart, and she realized he knew this. His eyes were warm pools as he eased her into this role he had bestowed upon her. A few hair strands fell into her face, which he lovingly tucked behind her ear, "And you will make a beautiful queen."
She woke up, her hands curled around her carcanet. The orbs should have returned by now. She could feel them sucking life-source from whatever being they could find, but they were taking up too much time. She needed soul-energy now. Her body was fragile, and she didn't know where to start her search. It was already unbearable that she was this downtrodden. Just as she was drowning in her own thoughts, she felt a soft glow gently caress her cheek. One of them had returned.
She carefully took the orb in her hand, and let it do its work. Slowly, her senses grew stronger. Her eyes shone with strength, and some of her confidence returned. One by one, all of them returned, in turn making her powerful. She never really knew when or how she started making these orbs, or how they were so complacent to her and yet so deadly to others. They never sucked her energy, and their only purpose it seemed, was to serve her. No wonder she had been deemed a witch by so many. The orbs were her true mates. But no one ever really taught her how to make them. Just when she needed them, they always materialized. She only ever needed to wish.
She stood up, resolute. She had a long journey to cover. She had to find the being responsible for her husband's murder. She had to find the bastard that made her life an even more abominable hell than it already was. And after it all was done, she could finally prove it to everyone that she was not a curse. That she was not a witch. That she was as pure as someone with her abilities could be.
She had been weaving her hair into a braid. Eric always loved her hair open, but she knew more than half the kingdom didn't like the ungodly shine her hair possessed. She weaved the lilac flowers into her hair, and her orbs glowed around her emitting light. She never really needed the light; it was just nice to have them around her. She hummed a tune she knew was Eric's favourite, and couldn't wait for him to finish his court and come to her.
It was getting difficult for him, she knew. But she was determined. She would prove to his people that she was worthy of being a queen. She would prove that she could bring prosperity to the land as well. Her child brought promises, promises of a brighter future and Eric had been giddy with joy ever since she had told him the news.
But then the nightmarish encounter began.
"Alyssaaa... Alyssa!!" He fumbled into her room, his steps weak and his voice hoarse.
She had almost died seeing him in such pain. She had run to him, and he had collapsed in her lap writhing in agony.
"Alyssa..."He whispered her name as he struggled to breathe, blood gurgling out of his mouth and his eyes boring into hers. And finally the breath left him and he was still. His eyes gazing into the never ending void, unseeing and unknowing.
She had cried his name. She had screamed it over and over again, yet he hadn't woken up.
That was how his knights had found her, his body cold, and her orbs glowing with pain.
Too bad they could never tell the emotion the orbs possessed, for they immediately declared her the murderess.
She gazed at the red skies once more, praying to whichever Old Gods that still existed. She needed to find the one who killed her husband.
She heard the wolves howling in the distance; their cacophonous racket breaking the silence of the night and she knew she had to move. Move before they caught up with her.
(A/N: Hello there all you wonderful people on wattpad.This is my first time here and needless to say I am extremely nervous with this story and I would love your feedback on this. Please do give reviews! If you loved this story even a little, please tell me. Vote or whatever the wattpad gods like you do, please do! I am sorry if I sound weird but this really is my first time. Please take care of me! Namaste!)