The Eternal Queen

Ringing. Ringing. Ringing.

Opening my eyes, I cough out blood, and grimace at the blurred sight. I cannot hear anything but ringing.

Everything hurts. Breathing as shallowly as possible, I try to put more strain on my torso.

I can barely feel my fingers and toes. And I feel immensely full. Not internally or externally.

But in a spiritual sense. Groaning, I push myself up, and the fog in my brain clears. Clairemont. Eaverslaina. King Maximus. Fallon.

Trembling, I stand in what can only be seen as ruins from what I can see all the way to the horizons.

Everything is in a flat state of rubble. Tears fall down my cheeks, and I stumble to the golden throne that has been obliterated.

Shoving the heavy debris with all my might, I come across a familiar shape.

A choked sob works its way up my throat, and I uncover his face. Fallon's face is ashy grey, his face frozen in a peaceful expression.

Wet drops fall onto his face, and I sob, showering his face with tears. I cry for all that have fallen. I cry for all that have sacrificed themselves.

I cry for all of those who were innocent. I cry for all of those who were unaware of the situation at hand.

I slam my hand down on the golden slabs and I cry out in anguish. No one could have prepared me for the aftermath. It hurts. Oh my goodness, it hurts.

Out of everyone, it is not I who deserved to live. Touching my forehead to his cold one, I press a light kiss onto to his lips, trying to breathe life into him. It doesn't work, and I stroke his cheek sadly.

Light footsteps pull my attention away from him. Looking behind my shoulder, I narrow my gaze onto Eaverslaina.

The fact that she is alive is not surprising. However, the fact that she is capable of standing is surprising.

With her mana level, she would be able to withstand a mana drainage spell of this capacity. But still, I have almost absorbed all of her mana.

Her dark hair is mussed, her eyes dull, almost corpse-like. She will die soon.

She stops a few feet away before bowing.

"The Eternal Queen."

My heart breaks when she calls me by my title. Sister Verlaine knew, and has concealed me from the world. She has taught me all I needed to know.

The Eternal Queen is born only once in a millennia.

They are known to bring prosperity to everything they touch and have an eternal long lasting effect on their lands.

They tend to have the ability to grow from any living being's mana, the power of absorption for the greater good. But all that I brought was death. I am not deserving of the title.

I brush a few blond strands off of Fallon's face, laying him flat on the ground with care. Turning around, I stand up straight meeting her gaze straight on.

"Is he worth the world to you?" she questions, the wind swirling around us.

Staying mute, she amends her question.

"Would you trade the world for him?"

I shake my head, the movement stiff.

"I would not. The rest of the world deserves to continue to live. I would not take away the chance for the unaffected to live their lives. Fallon is my heart. But he is not my world. However, without him, I have no heart living in the world."

She stares at me. "You have the power to absorb all mana in the world. Why have you been hiding your skill?"

I look out into the empty distance.

"I will only bring calamity into this world. I already have. I was never meant to be born. You know that. Keeping low was the simple decision to make. And a necessary one."

My mother was an offspring of Eaverslaina. However, she got corrupted by an unknown source. Witches during her time blamed it on dark magic, however deep in my bones, I know it goes deeper than that.

My mother was searching for something. And she never found it. I was never meant to be born, and yet I had survived the birthing two months early.

I do not remember much my childhood if anything nothing. But from stories I have heard, I know that many of my caretakers had tried to kill me off as a young child, but none succeeded. I was destined to bring calamity into the world it seems.

I bet Sister Verlaine is rolling in her grave in delight. She is the one who taught me how to live, and how to remember.

Maybe she is the one who saved me. I don't know. I don't remember much past her. But I am grateful, nonetheless. All she wanted me to be was happy. And I can't fulfill her final hope.

Eaverslaina starts to disintegrate, golden flakes being taken up by the soft lull of the wind. She reaches towards me, grabbing my hand.

"My fate is sealed, Ardele. I had seen it a millennia ago. I am destined to die. You are destined to reign. I have known it for a millennia. But yet, Maximus gave me a chance to fight back. To see if I can actually defy fate. But I cannot. I should have learned that. I am also not destined to live forever. It was foolish of me to attempt to find a way to extend my life. I should have learned that too. Now ask me, Ardele. Ask me if you are destined to rule with Fallon."

I wipe the tears gathering in the corner of my eyes. Straightening my back, I brokenly ask, "Am I destined to rule with Fallon?"

Her red lips tilt into a smile.

"Yes. Yes, you are. Now find your path. With him. I wish you all the best."

The golden flakes swirl around me, and the grip of her hand loosens on my own. The gold particles flitter through the land, giving life to all those around.

When an ancient creature finally pass on, they give way to new lives in miraculous ways. Grass sprouts from the ground, and flowers bloom. Trees flourish, the healthy green bright against the dreary grey sky.

I hear the sound of weak wheezing behind me, and I immediately spin around.

Fallon.

Sprinting over to him, I help him sit up. His beautiful grey eyes open to meet mine, and tears of joy run down my cheeks.

I have never cried so much in my life, and yet, I could not ask for anything less. If all this pain leads to him, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

His usual frown is so comforting, I cry harder. He brushes my tears away, his shallow breaths becoming stronger are giving me strength.

"Don't cry."

He touches his forehead to mine, and we stay that way for a while. Grief and guiltiness is eating away at me, and I can't stand it.

"Did... did we win?"

I nod slowly, letting out a painful breath. "We did."

The cost was immense. And in the end, looking back... was it worth it? At the cost of our fellow comrades? The cost of the innocents living in Clairemont? The cost of the aided troops of other kingdoms?

He strokes a gentle hand down my cheek.

"Thank you, Ardele. For your sacrifice. The weight of the many deaths are not on your shoulders. It is not your fault. For the people, who are still alive and breathing, they are alive because of you. That is more than enough. Thank you."

More tears fall down my cheeks, and his lips slowly meet mine.

"I love you," he murmurs against my lips.

Cradling his head in my hands, I pull back, threading my hands through his silky hair. I grin while sniffling. It feels so free, so right.

"I know. I love you more."

Slowly but sweetly, we are breathing life back into one another. And everything is right in the world.

We will continue to build off each other. Grow with one another. And when we continue to so, the world will do the same.

One day, there will come a time where there is peace. And we will all know that it has all come from a place of growth.