Chapter Seven

I looked over. Nova was running around his lawn. His mother and father had luggage in their hands. "Mom! Dad! Play with me!" He shouted. "He's around six it looks like," I whispered. His mother and father only walked by him, shutting the gate behind them. "Stay here." His father said. "Okay.." He said back. The two then walked until they turned a corner, not allowing us to see them any more. Nova climbed the tree to pass time. Days went by in a blink of an eye, Nova deteriorating as time passed. He was laying in the yard, hungry and distraught. Tears formed in his eyes.

Then, an official from the town walked by and rushed over to him, calling medical support. Nova was placed in a hospital wing. Nurses judged him. Guards judged him. Doctors judge him. Soon after, he was put into an orphanage. At the orphanage, he was bullied and tortured by other kids. The kids locked him outside in freezing temperatures. They discarded him and treated him like trash. Soon, he ran away from them. No one ever looked for him.

The next door showed him sitting on a swing at a park. He had a gloomy expression to him. A kid with caucasian skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair. He wore play clothes. He came and sat next to him on the swings. We walked over and scanned over him. He looked pleasant from a glance. "Hi there!" He said. Nova didn't respond, he only looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "My name is Robin! I like your eyes!" He said playfully. Nova looked at him fully. "Really?" He asked. Robin nodded. "No lie!" He said. Nova smiled. "Wanna come over to my house to play?" He asked. Nova became saddened. "Sorry no, I'll get lost on my way back," he said.

"Oh.. Okay. Well we can play here!" He said standing on his feet. The two played with one another. Nova would wait for him to come back to the park to play everyday. When they were teens, Robin seemed to become more controlling over Nova. "Why do you sleep out here?" He asked. "I have nowhere to go," Nova replied. "Well, come to my house and get cleaned up. When we're old enough, we can get a house together!" Robin said. The atmosphere began to become foggy.

"Yeah! I'll hold you to it!" Nova said back. They grew up and Robin's parents bought him a house and paid bills until he could do that himself. Once Nova moved in, Robin became even more controlling. He was told when to eat, when to shower, etc. Nova didn't seem to care though, he allowed it. Then, Robin would begin to hurt Nova, small at first and gradually getting worse. All the way to the point of torture. He made Nova get a job at a bar downtown.

Another door entered when Nova came home from work once. A corpse was laid out on the ground, a woman. The woman had brown hair and blue eyes, pale skin drenched in red. She was tall and thin. This, he could recognize was his mother. The one who abandoned him. You could see the fear and shock drop him to his knees. The woman's eyes were cold and lifeless. They stare at him. "Jesus christ," Atlas said, covering his mouth. I turned to him. He was shaking. The feelings weren't too bad, but they were certainly there. "Should we take a break?" I asked. Atlas put his hand down and composed himself. "No." He said in an angry voice.

If the emotions take over, he could be lost. I turned back to look. Robin, now older, walked in. "I also have your father tied in the basement petite," He said. Nova was crying and sobbing. "Mom.." he muttered. "Stop that whining," Robin said. He took Nova by the arm and pulled him to the basement. We followed along. Walking down the basement stairs gave a feeling of dread as Nova cried silently.

An older version of his father was strapped to a chair. His eyes were hollowed out. Blood dripped from them. His jaw was wide open. He was slouched back in the chair, his hands tied and his legs bound. I could feel emotions begin to alter, I looked over at Atlas. He was fuming, but I could tell he was trying to calm himself. "Dad!" Nova shouted, falling to the floor. "Dad? What kind of father leaves his child?" Robin asked, crouching down. He grabbed Nova's chin, forcing him to look at him. "Don't call that man your father! Fathers cherish their children! They don't abandon them!" He shouted.

"If you ever call him that ever again, I will take your tongue and hang it," he said with a smile. He dropped Nova's face. He grabbed his upper arm and pulled him up the stairs. That is where the memory ended. Atlas was fuming, his emotions began to seep through my defenses because they were unexpected.

"Calm. Down." I said, pulling him to eye level. "If you don't, I swear to god I'll kick you out," I said. He was startled. He calmed a bit, enough to carry on. I walked past him. "If you allow your emotions to run free, his consciousness will find you a threat so stop," I said. He walked a bit after me. His emotions didn't seep out of him as bad. The next memories compiled of Nova being used to draw in people for Robin to murder. Nova tried to tell the authorities and the people themselves, but no one listened. One of the victims was different though.

It was the woman he described as his friend earlier. Brown, long, straight hair. Eyes sharp and green. She was beautiful. "That was his friend," I said to Atlas. "His friend?" He asked. I nodded. "Damn it.." He muttered. Robin stabbed her as she was talking to Nova after hours. Nova saw her die and the last breath left her lungs. The pain on her face and the fear.

After that, we were forced out of his memories. "Well, that was all of the pain," I said. "He said he should be dead, why?" Atlas asked. Nova's conscience appeared again. "I don't know," I said. He turned to Nova's conscience. "Why should you be dead?" he asked. His conscience turned and walked away. We followed along until we came across another memory. We entered and we were on a bridge. It was devoid of people. Nova stood at the edge of the bridge. A car crept behind him. Robin got out of his car. "What are you doing, Nova?" he asked. Nova turned around. Robin leaned against his car, the door open. "What do you think?" he asked. There was a moment of silence. "Do you even have the guts? I'll grab you before you can even lift your foot," Robin said. "What is he going to do?" Atlas asked. I knew what was going to happen. "Is that a threat or a promise?" Nova asked. ."What do you think?" He asked. Nova looked at the horizon. "It could be both, right?" Nova asked.

Robin darted towards Nova, but Nova jumped. Atlas ran over to the edge, next to Robin. He held his hand out, reaching for Nova. The memory paused here. I walked over to Atlas. Tears ran down his face. A look of anger. "There is nothing you could do. Besides," I began. "If he hadn't, you would have never met him," I said. "This must be why he's so untrusting," Atlas muttered, sitting up. "Probably," I shrugged. "You are not fazed?" He asked. "Oh I'm pissed, but I know I can't change the past," I replied. I wasn't lying, all of this was taking a toll, but I could handle things better. Titans are so emotional.

"Get up. Let's go," I said. He stood up, still angry. I grabbed him and pulled us out of Nova's mind. I put Atlas' consciousness back and returned to my mind. I opened my eyes, Nova was still out. Atlas walked out, silently. I took my hand away from Nova and turned to look at the girl. She had pulled her legs up in the chair, sitting upwards, resting her head on her knees. She was in a light sleep. I walked to the closet and pulled out a blanket, walking back over to her, and I placed the blanket over her. She'll probably wake up soon. I looked out the window, it was about nightfall. The sun was just beginning to set.

I turned and walked around, heading to the door. I opened it, looking back at the two. They should be fine… But that incubus… I turned back around and left, closing the door behind me.

Nova's POV

I woke up the next morning. The girl was gone. I sat up, looking out the window. I had a slight headache. I stood up and walked to the balcony. I wonder how he sees me now? He knows mostly everything now… I turned and got dressed. Today is to be our wedding, but Gromp hasn't even measured me yet… I sighed. This new life.. Is it really going to be like this? I thought of the king. He's nice, but no one wants to marry someone just like that right? Or am I the problem? I was walking down the halls. Then, I was picked up randomly and thrown over the shoulder. "W-what the-!" I was cut off.

"No time! Gotta work on the dress' length and size!" Gromp said, running to a room I hadn't been to before. He sat me down and began to measure me. "Let's see," He would say sometimes. "Alright," he muttered. He kept speaking to himself about sizes and lengths. About an hour passed. He got some cloth out and began to work on the dress. He used reds and blacks. "I thought dresses were supposed to be white," I said. "Nope, too easy to ruin," Gromp replied quickly. He made the dress quickly, given how little time he had. "Alright, you should go get ready, I'll have this fixed up in no time," he said. I walked out only to be swarmed by maids. "We need to get you washed up and pretty!" I heard one say as they dragged me away.

They threw me into the bath and left for a while. I could hear them getting things together. I washed myself off quickly, relaxing afterwards. I stayed there for a while, my bones relaxing. Soon, the maids came back and put me in pajamas as they fixed my hair. They pulled it back, but it would flop back to its original place. They began to get frustrated at it, almost cutting it off. I had to stop them and style it myself. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, leaving the strand. They put a bit of makeup on me and gave me a new patch. This patch had what looked like phoenix fire crossing a black horizon.

Then Gromp came in, totally winded. He carried a dress with him. He gave it to the maids and they hurriedly put it on me. "This dress is black, decorated with red and orange phoenix fire. It gives you a pop of color. The asymmetrical skirt allows for breathing with the phoenix fire revolving around it. Its spiraling upwards allows for the color to blossom. I kept the top black because the neckline, using an asymmetric sleeve over the right shoulder, allows more room to move. The phoenix face lies on the back of the dress. I thought the combinations would make it a beautiful dress for a wedding," Gromp said. He handed me some shoes, black. "These will match the dress as well. Platform heels are a trend right now," He said. The heels themselves weren't too high off the ground either. I looked at the mirror. The dress fit me nicely. The fire of the phoenix surrounded me. The black design of the dress certainly made it pop. "Also, here are some black tights as well, it should be cold outside," Gromp said. I put them on, then the shoes. I am taller now.

I thought I actually looked cute. "Now, off to the ceremony!" Gromp said, pushing me out. "T-thank you!" I yelled back to the maids as they smiled and waved. We made it to a room. The king was on the balcony, sitting in a large chair. He waved to the kingdom, cheers erupting. "Now entering, the new queen!" I heard an announcement. The king turned to look at me. He smiled, a little red on the ears. He reached out to me and I walked forward. It was silent for a second, making it a little awkward for me. I took the king's hand, then an eruption of applause echoed. I looked around. "Are we going to kiss up here?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled. His smile seemed a bit forced now. He looked at me with sadness in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He hugged me swiftly. "I'm sorry you went through that," he said. This made the pressure that was built up collapse. He sheltered me as tears ran down my face. "Don't cry, now is time for celebration. Let us celebrate the new life you have," he said. I smiled, wiping my tears. "Yeah," I said. He was caught off guard. "What?" I asked. He blushed. "Nothing.." he muttered shyly. I smiled bigger. "Aw? Embarrassed?" I asked. Then, something caught my eye. I looked about, trying to decipher what it was. I saw the girl she was talking to that incubus. I looked over at Gromp. "Hmm?" He asked. "That incubus, it's talking to the girl," I said. He looked over. "I'll take care of it," He said, stepping into the shadows, his eyes gleaming and vanishing.

That. Was cool… I looked at the shadow a bit longer, then looked away. Then, the guardrails began to melt and fall apart. I grabbed onto the king. They began to form a pathway to some seats with a crown laying at the top. He took my hand and lead me down as everyone went silent. He sat down while I stood. Bow… I heard Gromp say in my head. I bowed down. "Today, we are brought together to bestow Nova with the crown of Prosperity. This will make him queen of these lands and my mate… Nova, do you solemnly swear to uphold your responsibilities as queen?" The king asked. I looked up at him. "I-I do," I stammered. He smiled and put a finger under my chin. "Then, by the power given to me by our ancestors, I pronounce you as our queen," He said, placing the crown upon my head.

Then, a chair began to form. It sat itself next to the king. Take your seat… Gromp said. I stood up and walked over to the chair. I sat down, applause bursted around us again. "Now, we meet other leaders, lords, and Ladies," he said. I nodded. "I'm glad Gromp told me what to do," I sighed. He smiled. "Yes, I apologize for not telling you all of the proper procedures," The king said. "It's alright," I said. Then, people began to approach.

The first to approach was a beautiful woman. She was very tall, about two feet taller than me. She has a lean figure with a dress that fit her physique. The dress was a white gown that drug across the ground, but it wasn't dirty. It was decorated with very light blue sequins. She wore a very fluffy white coat that touched the ground as well. The coat's sleeves draped at her shoulders. It was tied around her chest with a white string that seemed to glow. She had fairy wings pulled together. Her wings were a glossy, magical white. They were drawn together, allowing white wolves to be at her side. There was about four of them that walked with her. She walked up gracefully. Her eyes were closed while her white hair moved fluently with her. She bowed low. "Hello, your majesty," She said. Her voice was soft and kind.

She looked up. She was very close. I could almost see each strand of her white eyelashes. She wore white eyeshadow to match her complexion. She was whiter than the snow it seemed. She opened her eyes, revealing crystal blue eyes. Her pupils were white and sharp. She was beautiful. She smiled at me warmly. "Lady Fayetta," The king said. She stood tall. "It is very nice to see your majesty," She said, keeping a warm smile. She's beautiful… She then looked over at me. She reached out her hand. "It is nice to meet you, I hope to keep in good relations," She said. "I- I as well," I said as I took her hand. We released and she went back to the party after bowing. "That was Lady Fayetta. She is the lady of the ice and snow fae," The king said. I nodded.

"I hope that we can dance together soon. After everyone introduces themselves, we should dance," the king said. I looked over at him. He was easy to read. I could tell he longed to be on the dance floor. "Maybe," I said. I still wasn't very comfortable with him yet. He smiled softly to himself.