(WARNING ⚠️ : MILD PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AND ABUSE MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. THANK YOU.)
Thirteen Years Ago : December : Day of the Winter Festival (Elina'sbirthday) : Fifteen bells (3 PM) in the afternoon
The clinking sounds of utensils were the only sounds to be heard in the dining hall. Everybody seemed lost in thought.
"King Darrell and his family will be here by seventeen bells (5 PM). We should welcome them in the throne room." King Trystan said breaking the silence. "Genevieve, will you inform the maids to get the- huh? I don't...oh right. Surprise."
Queen Genevieve glared at her husband. He smiled sheepishly and glanced at his daughter. Elina rolled her eyes.
"Should I pretend that I didn't hear any of that?" She giggled.
"That would be lovely. See, Genevieve, Elina knows nothing of our plans now. Isn't that right, pumpkin?" King Trystan winked at Elina. She grinned at him, displaying a mouthful full of strawberry. Some of the juice spilt from her lips.
"Elina! Where are your manners?" Queen Genevieve scolded. She reached for a napkin but suddenly gasped, clutching her stomach.
Prince Eric slowly chewed his meat. A conspicuous smile threatened to take over his face. Instead, he cleared his throat and feigned worry.
"Are you alright, dearie?" He said, biting his lip to stay in character.
King Trystan's spoon clattered on the table as Queen Genevieve shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Get the physician to the Queen's chambers. NOW." King Trystan ordered. He knelt before his wife, gently pushing her hair out of her face. "Vivi, look at me. Deep breaths. Is it time?" He asked her softly.
"N-No. It just hurts." Queen Genevieve managed to say in between quick, short breaths.
"Alright, hold onto me tight and don't let go." King Trystan told her. She nod her head without a second thought. He gently lifted her off the chair in one sweep. "Take Elina to her room."
"Is mother alright?" Elina asked her uncle, voice trembling.
Prince Eric, pat her head. He offered her his hand and she took it.
"Your parents are going to be just fine, sweetest, just fine."
Thirteen Years Ago : December : Day of the Winter Festival (Elina's birthday) : Seventeen bells (5PM)
"His Majesty, King Darrell Lockhart of Avrael and his elder son, Crown Prince Derek Lockhart of Avrael. The Royal family of Corona awaits your presence and welcomes you to their blessed abode." The announcer said.
King Darrell nod his head and offered to shake hands with High King Trystan. His son followed suit, even bending to place a kiss on the hands of the women in the room - Queen Genevieve and Crown Princess Elina.
"Where is the Queen? And your youngest. Was there a problem?" King Trystan enquired.
"Of a sort." King Darrell answered. "One of the carriages broke down with a wheel unhinged."
"Oh my! I hope nobody is hurt." Queen Genevieve said.
"None. Fortunately, my son Aiden used to quick thinking and used his magic to make the carriage hover without toppling over. That really saved us a lot of lives." King Darrell told them proudly.
The conversation continued and so did the time, with the absence of the two Royals stretching along. Princess Elina chewed on a piece of meat as she stared out the window. The weather was calm. Too silent for her liking - it stirred a bad feeling.
"Is your brother not joining us?" Queen Genevieve whispered to her husband. Her food remained mostly untouched. She didn't feel an appetite which was surprising, by the amount of food she had craved when she had been pregnant with Elina.
King Trystan sighed. "He is being a pain, to be honest. I decided not to force him to come.
Queen Genevieve thought of her conversation with the Prince. She had informed King Trystan a few important details but a part of her still hoped for the best.
"I wonder what is taking them so long." King Darrell seemed worried.
"The path along the river has been roughed up by the rain. They should be here soon." King Trystan consoled him. "So Derek, how do you like this place?"
The Prince who had been in a conversation with the Princess looked up at the mention of his name.
"It's warmer compared to Avrael. But that might be because of the number of waterfalls we have close to the palace." He answered.
Elina perked up. "There are waterfalls? I've never seen one in person. Is it loud?"
"Well, to be honest, I have never been to either. It's always been Aiden's thing. He visits them along with Mother." Derek admitted, a blush coating his cheeks. "But yes, they are very loud according to my brother. You can't hear them well from the palace but once you get closer to the cliff side, the sound is unmistakable."
"Say, why don't I take the little lady along with us, when we return. She can look around Avrael and return after a few days. It might do her some good to go on a trip." King Darrell suggested.
The High King and Queen shared an unsure look.
"I don't know, she's never been away from us. But we'll think about it." King Trystan said finally.
That seemed to excite the children. Prince Derek started telling Elina all the places she could visit, the type of food that you only find in Avrael and much more.
"They do make a good pair." King Darrell said. He cast an amused sideward glance at his friend and wasn't disappointed.
"My daughter isn't getting married until I'm alive." King Trystan huffed. "She will always be my little girl."
King Darrell and Queen Genevieve laughed. The latter hit her husband lightly on his shoulder.
"My father would be disappointed if he saw me now as well." She said.
"You married the Crown Prince of the High Kingdom! How is that not worthy enough?" King Trystan demanded incredulously. That led to another round of boisterous laughter.
"My parents and Uncle Eric have been talking about a betrothal between you and I. My uncle said it will be a good for both kingdoms if we did so." Elina blurted randomly. She chided herself in her head for doing so.
"That...is news." Prince Derek said. He pushed around a berry in his plate. The tips of his ears reddened. "What do you think?"
"I think we should marry for love." She replied without a second thought. "My parents did."
Derek nod his head. And then smiled cheekily. "Who knows, maybe you might be fall in love with me when we grow a bit older."
Elina rolled her eyes. "Tell me about your brother." She said instead. "I heard we are of the same age. Aiden, was it?"
Thirteen Years Ago : December : Day of the Winter Festival (Elina's birthday) : Half past nineteen bells (7:30PM)
The passage to the underground bunker was darker than usual. Cassandra Everleigh wiped her brow as she packed a small duffle bag which contained some clothes and food for her sister and her.
"Mel, have you taken your bunn-Mr.Whiskers?" She called once she was done.
She straightened up and looked around the dingy place that had been their home for the past two years. Gods, if she wasn't glad to be rid of this place. And it's horrid smell.
"We have to leave before the mean man comes remember. Melissa?" Cassandra's heart grew anxious. "Melissa? Melissa where are you?"
A small whimper froze Cassandra in her tracks. Her eyes grew wide with fear. She swiped a trembling hand over her neck and whispered a prayer to anybody who was willing to listen.
"Too bad the mean man is already here. Going somewhere, sweetheart?" Eric Dragna's lips twisted into a wicked grin. He pushed the little child forward roughly causing her fall and scrape her knee.
Melissa quickly ran to her sister and hid in her skirts. Cassandra sat down briefly to check for any other injury and enveloped the girl in a hug.
"It's okay. We'll get out of here soon, I promise. Shh...no crying." She coaxed her little sister.
"Did you complete your assignment? Atleast then it would make sense for you to leave." Eric said.
"I-I couldn't figure out what is missing. I t-tried everything I know. I'm sorry."
SLAP
The sound echoed through the bunker. Cassandra's head hit a nearby table and she felt blood trickle down the side of her head.
"Remember anything now? I'm sure you do." He said. Cassandra mumbled something under her breath. "SPEAK LOUDER."
She looked up and Eric was momentarily surprised at the defiance in her eyes.
"I said, GO TO HELL." She screamed. "Is that loud enough for you?"
SLAP
Cassandra spat out saliva mixed with her blood. She scoffed.
"Are you going to kill me too? That's the most you can do, you spineless fool." She spat. He grabbed her by the hair. The force made her wince.
"You could have been my Queen and yet you chose this path. Just like them." He growled in her face.
"I would rather welcome death than be anywhere close to vermin like you." She grunted.
He dropped her to the floor and moved back. He glanced around the room, eyes skimming through the armory he had in store.
"Since you want to be so noble, I'll let you die like one. And I will make your- fnck!"
"Melissa no! Run away child!" Cassandra yelled.
The chemicals made Eric's eyes water. The skin on his arm was completely burnt to reveal the flesh underneath. Eric made a grab for the little girl but she dodged out of the way. Her eyes glowed blue, the witchlights in the dark room made it look brighter than normal. Anything and everything that contained liquid, rose up in the air.
"Melissa!"
CRASH. BANG. CRASH.
"STUPID GIRL. SHUT OFF YOUR POWERS!" Eric yelled, sheltering himself under the table. The room was suffocating with the various gases and fumes from the chemicals.
Eric slowly crept out from his shelter and grabbed the nearest box of chemical weapons they had created. He dug through the box under he found what he needed. He emptied the vial into his mouth, face contorting at the taste.
For a second, everything felt fine. And then he screamed, clutching his hair. He fumbled and slipped over Cassandra's leg. He fell over, cursing as he did so. He grabbed her arm.
His eyes glowed red as his body took in Cassandra's magic. The girl in question screamed, clawing at his hands. Finally, she managed to kick him away but he had drained enough of her magic.
"Atleast the most important one was a success. I wonder how long this will last. Is this why everyone is obsessed with magic powers? I feel great!" He laughed. He looked around like a madman, grabbing random things off the tables and rummaging through the boxes.
"Cassy?" Melissa sobbed, shaking her sister.
"I'm h-here, baby girl. Hush, it's almost over. Wipe away your tears." She smiled, dragging herself up to lean on the wall. "You finally found your power. I'm so proud of you."
"Are you dying?" The child cried into her sister's shoulder. Cassandra's heart ached for her sister. No child her age should know what death meant, let alone go through so many.
"Who said so. I will just need some time to regain my strength. I'm not going anywhere. My little Mel and Mr. Whiskers will be all alone if I do." A tear streaked down her cheek. Her vision was getting hazy from the chemicals.
"Will you get better if I stay close and give you some of my energy?" Melissa asked, her wide doe like eyes blinking in hope. Cassandra shook her head.
"You will have to do a little more hardwork. I want you to follow the mean man upstairs and find help. You shouldn't let him catch you again. Can you do that for me?" She said softly. Melissa nod her head and wiped her runny nose on the sleeve of her torn dress. "Good girl. You make me so proud."
A sudden streak of light in between the hazy smoke, caught Cassandra's attention. Panic seeped in as her nose caught scent of the fire. She didn't have anything to give her sister. Or maybe it was a good thing. She didn't want her to remember how her family abandoned her by dying without protecting her.
BOOM
The bunker shuddered as the wall got blown out. The ceiling started to give in. Cassandra kissed her sister's forehead, forcing whatever energy she possessed into a protection spell.
BOOM
"Go. He must be leaving. Run. Do not look back! I love you, Mel. I'm sorry."
"I'll come back for you soon. Please wait for me!"
A sob rang out in the room.
"I'm so sorry."
BOOM
Melissa coughed as she climbed out through the stairs. It had been hard to keep up but she had somehow managed it. All the time she spent underground, she imagined the world above to be a better place but now that she wasn't sure.
Somebody shoved her aside, not noticing her small form. She coughed from the smoke.
"H-Help! My sister, s-she is down there. Help! P-Please!"
But there was nobody to listen to her in the chaos. The guards mistaked her for one of the servant's children and picked her up.
"You can't be out here, child. It's not safe." He told her as they ran.
"No s-stop! We have to go back for my sister. She's doing there all alone. Stop!" Melissa wiggled in his grip.
The guard placed her down in front of a door and gave her a light push towards it.
"Go in there, and hopefully find your mother and leave this place. I'm sorry about your sister but nobody back there will be alive with the fire eating up the place."
"What? No, please. Please!"
The guard didn't have the time to console her. He pushed her further into the room and went his way.
"Please...she promised we would get out of here together. I have nobody else left. Please."
Even admist the chaos, one little child's heartbroken sobs were suddenly louder than the entire place combined.
Thirteen Years Ago : December : Day of the Winter Festival (Elina's birthday) : Twenty bells (8PM)
Queen Genevieve shuffled through the hallway. Pain clutched her stomach in a vice grip. The words of the physician still rang clear through her ears.
'You've been ingesting a poison in small amounts and somehow a heavy dosage yesterday or today. It's effects are finally catching up with your body. I'm sorry but even I'm able to save you, I don't think the babies will survive. I'm truly sorry for your loss.' The physician looked sorrowful.
'W-What? I don't u-understand-Poison?' Queen Genevieve stammered. She felt her heart drop to the depths of oblivion. 'How...I-Is it curable?'
'I've never seen anything like that. Usually poisons act immediately or withing minutes. But this stays dormant for so long not affecting the person at all."
'Netta.' Queen Genevieve gasped. 'It's Netta.'
'Do you know about the poison, Your Majesty? If you can tell me more about it, maybe I can-"
'No. There's no antidote for it. Just, please don't tell Trystan about it right now. I'll tell him slowly tomorrow.'
'Your Majesty, we cannot lose hope. Chances are there that His Majesty might be affected by it as-'
BOOM
Queen Genevieve startled. 'What was that?'
The door flung open to reveal King Trystan. He rushed over immediately and wrapped her in a hug.
'Are you okay?'
The Queen nod her head. 'I'm fine but what was that noise?'
BOOM
'Stay here. I'll go check what is going on.'
'Be careful.' Queen Genevieve called after him. 'You should leave. Before whatever is happening out there gets too problematic. Thank you for all your help. Your pay will be sent over soon.'
The physician bowed and left the room in a hurry. Queen Genevieve breathed in deeply and gently climbed out of the bed.
'Netta.' She thought to herself. 'I haven't heard of it since I got married. They said the apothecary was suddenly closed down and the family that ran it disappeared. I feel fine for now. So it should be okay. I'll figure it out. I always do.' She lightly touched her stomach. 'Hang in there, my loves.'
BOOM
'What in the world...' She slowly walked to the window to look outside. 'Skies, what is going on! Oh no, Elina is all alone in her room.'
"Your Majesty! You shouldn't be out here, please, the palace is under attack. There are soldiers that don't belong to our army everywhere. They're emitting a strange dark energy and we still don't know the cause of the fire. It's very harmful for you to be out here right now."
It was the Commander-in-chief of the Royal Army, Sir Hawthorne.
"Elina, she's still in her room. I'm going to get her. My poor child's all alone and if my suspicions are right, she's in extreme danger. Commander, I need a favor from you. I want you to send a soldier to the forest beyond River Avalon and meet a Guardian there." Queen Genevieve said. She quickly removed a ring from her finger and gave it to him."Ask him to show this to her. She will know what to do. I've already discussed the rest of the plan with her."
"Of course, Your Majesty. But I will first accompany you to the Princess' chambers-" He started.
"No, there's no time. It's alright. I'll be fine. If His Majesty looks for me, inform him of my location. Thank you, Commander." She said.
She gripped the wall and made her way to Elina's room as quickly as it was possible for her. She opened the door with a small spell and found herself with a nosebleed. She produced a handkerchief from her skirt pockets and cleaned up the blood making sure to leave no trace behind.
"Elina, you need to get out of here!" Queen Genevieve said, rushing into the room.
Thirteen Years Ago : December : Day of the Winter Festival : Back in the palace after Elina left with Fin
"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" One of the stable guards enquired. Sweat covered his face.
"Yes, thank you. Did Elina leave?" Queen Genevieve asked. She closed her eyes momentarily as a dizzy spell caught her when she took a step forward. The poison was acting much faster than she thought.
"Just before the tower collapsed." The guard answered.
The Queen nod her head and turned to go back inside. She clutched the dagger King Trystan had given her, tightly in his palm. Her ears were filled with screams and the sound of the various parts of the palace collapsing.
'How did it escalate to this so fast?' She thought. 'Is the Crown that important to him that he had to betray his own family?'
"Genevieve? Thank the Gods!" King Trystan exclaimed. "Elina?"
"She's gone." She said. For the first time since it all began, Queen Genevieve felt hot tears prickle her eyes. King Trystan wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly.
"We'll see her soon. Once this is all over." He promised. "Come on, let's get you to safety. That bastard left once he got wind of what we were trying to do. I'm sure he'll be back so soon enough though. I've sent Sir Hawthorne to look for him."
"Trys, I have to tell you something. I was going to later, after the birthday celebrations were complete but-" She paused to cough. To both their horror, specks of blood coated her fingers.
"Genevieve?" King Trystan looked at her, eyes filled with fear. "Are you sick? Is that what you wanted to tell me?"
She slowly shook her head. King Trystan opened the doors of the throne room and looked inside. When he deemed it safe, he allowed the Queen to enter, shutting the door close behind them. He snapped his fingers and the candlesticks lit up.
"Do you remember that I used to work in an apothecary? For a Fae couple?" She asked, continuing when the King affirmed. "And I told you that they were working on a new kind of poison from a wildflower. They called it Netta."
"Please don't tell me..."
"I think Eric's been dosing me with it. I do not know for how long but the effects are finally starting to show. The physician said that we c-cannot save the babies, even if we manage to keep me alive."
King Trystan's back hit the wall. Outside the sound of another portion of the palace crumbling resonated in the air. He shut his eyes and swallowed the tears. He breathed in deeply, wanting to be strong for both of them.
"I'm sorry. I should have realized soon-"
"Are you okay?" King Trystan asked softly. She shook her head. "We'll get through this together. We always do. Stop blaming yourself."
Queen Genevieve sniffled. His thumb brushed over her knuckles soothingly. He brought it over to his lips and gently kissed it.
"Will you be okay if I leave you here with a few guards?" King Trystan asked.
"Yes, be safe." She said. She squeezed his hand lightly and sat down on the throne. It was the only place to sit in the room. The King was almost outside the door when she called his name.
"Trystan?" The King paused to look at her questioningly. "Come back to me."
Genevieve had no one else to call, her family, except for Trystan when she'd first met him. She never knew her parents. She didn't have a home. She always slept over at the places she worked. So when she met a boy with a face of an angel and felt an irreplaceable connection with him, she finally found her home. Someone to call family.
She didn't trust him at first. He was the Crown Prince of her Kingdom and she was a commoner street rat, scavenging a different place everyday to put food on her plate. But he never gave up. Not when she pushed him away, almost killed him by feeding him poisonous mushrooms she had accidentally grown with her earth elemental magic or told him she was pregnant with somebody's child.
Though he did choke on his food and almost pass out from the lack of oxygen. It was the day he saved her life from the goons that cornered her for money and pleasure and cried later when he broke his pinky, that she knew she had fallen in love somewhere along the way. They knew the path forward would be hard, but they made it through.
That is why Queen Genevieve felt anger towards Eric when it came to his sorry excuse of being considered weak just because he lacked powers. She knew how Trystan worked for his people and the kingdom tirelessly and with so many sacrifices. Now the final sacrifice were his own children. And probably her.
Queen Genevieve shut her eyes in pain as blood trickled down her legs. She breathed slowly and tried to heal herself. But everytime she tried to use her magic, she had a nosebleed and her body being completely drained of energy. She considered asking a guard to call for the physician or a maid and realised how selfish it sounded of her.
'Just a little more time. It's going to be okay.' She coaxed herself. The dagger still felt heavy in her palm.
Time slowly ticked by. Queen Genevieve had almost passed out from the sheer amount of pain her body was going through, when she felt it. The feeling of her breath being knocked out of her. She heard a heartbeat slowing down over her own. The feeling of her bonded dying.
Queen Genevieve gasped and stood from the throne. Her blood smeared fingers grasped the arm of the throne as she struggled to balance herself. Tears ran down her cheeks, making her vision blurry.
"No." She whispered to herself. "No, I can probably save him if I go now."
Her feet tripped on the steps that led to the ground from the stage the thrones were placed in. Her eyes widened in panic as she fell. A scream escaped her lips. Her hand cradled her stomach. A sob escaped her lips.
BANG
The door to the throne room flew right off the hinges. Queen Genevieve fumbled for the dagger that had left her hands when she fell but stopped short when she saw who it was. Around her, the glass on the windows shattered. Arrows tipped with fire flew in, striking curtains and clinking against the walls. Flames danced in the reflection on the Queen's honey-gold eyes.
Eric Dragna sauntered in dragging a body behind him. The blood soaked sword in his other hand scraped on the floor. The scratchy noise made Queen Genevieve cringe. Eric flung the body before him, kicking it to her.
"Thought you might want to say your goodbyes." He chuckled.
Genevieve dragged herself to her husband. Trystan lay still but she still heard a heartbeat. Still felt a flicker of the bond. She cradled his head on her lap. Tears streamed down her face and fell on his cheeks. His eyes slowly fluttered open.
"I'm here. I'm here." She whispered. "Shh...it's okay, I'll heal you. Don't talk. Save your energy. I'm here."
Genevieve's hands glowed with white magic. She held them over the various stab wounds on his body. She coughed, spitting out blood. It wasn't the only place she was bleeding from. She wiped her nose with her sleeve, grunting in pain as she tried to increase the intention of her magic. Trystan clasped her hands in his, cutting off her magic. She panted.
"You're hurt." He coughed. "Did you fall down? I've always told you that you were too clumsy for your own good."
"Let me heal you. Let go my hands, Trys. Please." She cried.
"I don't want to. I promised to always hold them." He replied, trying his best to stay awake.
"Trystan."
"It seems you weren't the only one being poisoned. Mine just kicked in at the wrong time." He chuckled darkly.
Genevieve managed to free one hand but she was too weak to keep herself conscious and heal himself at the same time. Still, she tried her best. Trystan coughed again, this time he vomited a small amount of blood.
"You might need a physician to look at that."
Genevieve's head snapped up at his voice.
"You!" She seethed. "How could you? After everything we've done for you. You should be ashamed of your existence."
"Well, I'm not. Now if you're done, I want to be done with both of you and get out of here. I have a kingdom to run. And it's getting too hot in here for my taste. Fire had always been the speciality of your family. Oh wait, you don't have one anymore. I heard they found your precious daughter too." Eric mocked.
"No." Genevieve whispered."You're lying."
"What good will that bring me?"
"Genevieve." Trystan placed a cold hand on her wet cheek. "You need to save yourself for our daughter. I'm sorry I failed both of you. I really tried to-"
A coughing fit told hold of him. Genevieve rubbed his chest and brushed away the hair that was stuck to his forehead.
"I'm sorry." He strained to press his lips on the mark in the underside of her wrist. "I'll always love you, you know that right?" Trystan smiled.
Tears shone in his eyes. His hand slipped from her cheek as his eyes fluttered close. His heartbeat lulled to a stop. For a moment, nothing made sense to her. She gripped his hand and called out his name. But she couldn't hear her own voice. Something deep inside of her cracked and shattered.
Genevieve wailed holding Trystan's body close to her chest. Sobs wracked through her body. She cradled both of them back and forth, occasionally trying to shake him awake.
"You promised." She sobbed. "You promised to come back to me. You promised."
An agonizing pain shuddered through her veins. Her breathing came out in gasps. Genevieve's hand enclosed around the dagger a few meters away from her. She carefully laid Trystan down and stood pain, stumbling and losing balance. Eric watched her in amusement.
"Are you going to stab me to death like I did your precious Trystan?" He laughed, throwing his head back. He leaned against the throne, watching her struggle to get to him. "The view is amazing from here."
Genevieve stopped at the foot of the steps. She gripped the dagger in front of her, the blade facing Eric. She closed her eyes and breathed in. When she opened them, they glowed so bright, Eric had to avert his gaze. Her lips moved as she recited in a strange language, Draconic - the ancient, holy language created by the first wielders of magic - the Draconians. The mother language of all magic spells and curses. A circle of magic formed above her head, spreading into three more layers. Eric lifted an eyebrow. He looked annoyed.
He stood up from the throne. Genevieve's chanting got faster. The magic circles glowed brighter, the light from the fire around them almost making it luminescent. When he was a step away from her, the dagger shot forward in a pathway of magic energy. It hit him right in the centre of his chest. The magic enclosed his body. When she spoke, he didn't understand a word she said, for it was in a language he wasn't familiar with.
"I curse you to suffer a death that is a thousand times more wicked and horrible than what you did to my family by my blood. By the power vested in me as the High Queen of Corona, I banish you from this land that will never look up to you as King, ever. This I seal with my life."
Eric screamed, clutching the dagger that refused to budge from its position. The magic circles reappeared over his head, a hum resonating in the air getting louder and louder by the second.
Queen Genevieve dragged herself to where King Trystan lay in a pool of his own blood. She sat back against a pillar, ignoring the flying scraps of burnt curtains. She hugged his body close to her and entwined their hands. She kissed his forehead and leaned her head on his. A tear streaked down her cheek as her heartbeat slowed down. She stared at the night sky through the window and smiled softly.
'We believe in you, my child. We believe in you.'
"What have you done to me, you witch!" Eric screamed at her. His hands were littered in cuts from trying to pull the dagger out of his body. Her smiled widened as she looked him in the eyes, breathing in one last time.
"My final duty as the Queen."
I am sorry if I made you depressed.
If anybody requires tissues, because I know I needed them while writing, I've got some right here... *holds out a box*
Also, wanted to let you guys know a few important, exciting things -
1. There are only six chapters left before the epilogue! So, we're almost at the end T~T
2. There will be bonus chapters. I'm thinking around three? I'm not sure yet, let's see how it goes! So don't remove book from your libraries immediately after the Epilogue because the bonus chapters - as far as I've planned them up till now - are super exciting and extremely adorable.
3. This is more of a request really. I see a lot of you just being silent readers. So I wanted to ask you to atleast take the time to vote for the chapter, if you're too shy to leave a comment. It would really help you spread a tiny burst of happiness my way and give me motivation to write. Though honestly, I don't bite, I swear! I looooove reading your comments. It makes my day brighter!
4. I've already mentioned this before. But I wanted to list it under here as well - Playlist. I'm making a Playlist for this book to spice things up. I would love it if you guys drop in suggestions!
5. I've been receiving some grammatical error comments and while I'm so grateful to you babies for making my editing life easier, I also wanted to drop a tiny reminder that none of the chapters have been edited and I can only do it once I mark this book complete. But seriously, thank you for helping me out.
6. Also, I just want to give a huge shout-out and comfy thank you bear hugs to everyone who's been actively reading this book and voting and commenting. You guys are honestly the absolute best! You make me so happy and you have my whole heart 😭❤
7. During these hard times, I hope this book helps you escape reality even if it's just for a little while and makes you laugh (hopefully not in this chapter though, I took great pains to get in the feels 😂)!
8. Finally, I've been thinking of changing the name of the High Kingdom (from Co-you-know-who to something else). I've tried explaining and ignoring, but the comments are finally getting to me cause now I feel awkward to type in the name in the story. So yeah, I'll be doing that while editing. If you have suggestions, feel free to drop it in here.
(UPDATE : What do you guys think of the name, 'Ilaria' and 'Zielle'? I've got these two shortlisted for now!)
9. I'm sorry this is so long, this literally became a tiny rant session lol! But! But, I hope this chapter made you hate our little Melissa, a little less, love Trystan and Genevieve, a little more and LOATHE Eric with every cell in your body, A WHOLE LOT MORE. If it did, my job here is done. (I promise I'm not biased with my characters, I just really hate that PEST even though he is my creation lmao)
10. Also this chapter? Completely unedited, sorry. I'm writing this at 3 AM in the morning and there's only so much I can do >¤~¤<
Thank you for reading 💖
Until next time! Stay safe and hydrated! I love you!
Dani 🌻
P.S. I'm a fun person you guys, so tap that follow button up there! Let's get to know each other (sorry if it sounds creepy, my inner introvert is trying to be social).
P.P.S. Don't drop the book or take it out of your library. Yes, I see you. Your mind wants to know the ending. Bye.
P.P.P.S. Last one I promise! Just wanted you to know that your existence makes me happy! I love you! Oops, have I mentioned that already? You can be completely sure that I do now 😌
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