34 || Bitter Frost
Death was said to numb over time. It was a bitter frost that melted in the morning sun.
Eventually, grief would thaw and the pain that came with it would dissipate, but how long would that take?
It had been over ten years since Ilyana had last felt Viviana in her arms, since she had seen her smile, and yet a thick ice was still lodged around her heart.
The princess knelt beside her sister's grave and placed a fresh bouquet of flowers on top of the dirt where her favourite possessions had been buried long ago.
Each one had been grown on royal soil and carefully tended to by the gardeners — a mixture of violet asters, threads of lavender, and various purple alliums peering beneath the wrapped paper.
This was the most she could do for her. Ilyana's hopes for another funeral drifted further and further away with the curse claiming more lives, and everyone thought Viviana was a killer — a ruthless assassin. The more people who told her that, the more she questioned her own beliefs.
Morana The Cursed had killed a near hundred people. Ilyana had seen the records first-hand. The majority of them had been royal guards or soldiers in the Wyrith army. They had to be right, her twin had changed after what happened that night.
Viviana had said there wasn't an assassin before she passed, but what did that mean? Who else could have killed her family?
As Ilyana picked a flower from the bouquet, she felt a presence sit beside her.
Captain Clove shuffled to get comfortable, resting an arm on a raised knee.
The shaved half of her hair was getting long, scarlet spikes brushing against the back of her ear, and the other side had stray strands fluttering in the breeze.
She motioned her gloved hand toward the flowers, signalling to pass her one.
Ilyana did so, passing her the one she had already claimed and retrieving another for herself.
"Vivi always was a little shit." She twirled the petals with a quiet laugh.
"If you're going to be rude, you can leave," Ilyana grated. It was bad enough that the guard had to follow her everywhere — a constant reminder of what she had done. The remarks were salt rubbed into the open wound.
Clove only leaned back on the grass, her eyes lidded with distant memories. "She would chase me around these trees, pretending to be a monster that was hunting me down. Then, I would climb up one to escape her and she would just follow me." She shook her head.
"She was always full of so much energy." Tears wetted the princess's eyes.
The captain scoffed. "All that energy and she still couldn't beat me in the races we had. Climbing, running, jumping. I can still hear her demands for a rematch."
"And then she would complain to me that you were cheating. Clove is making up her own rules." A whisper of a smile tugged at her lips.
The guard held her flower high above her head and let it go, letting the wind carry it down to the shore where her body had been sent out into the Molten Sea.
If a proper funeral couldn't be held for Viviana, so the Gods could guide her soul to the next life, this was the next best thing.
"I hope, wherever she is now, that she finally gets to win something. "
Ilyana did the same, holding out her allium so the gentle zephyr could hold it tight and take it away.
For the twin she lost and the person she used to be.
"I hope that she's at peace now." Having to let go of her sister again was a blinding pain.
Instead of melting, the frost of grief only grew, freezing over more.
"So, about earlier," Clove began, watching the princess with a defensive edge.
"There was something there, I swear it. It was this strange creature made of shadows that passed through General Genevere.
Moments later, she died to the Necromancer's Curse.
" The image hadn't left her mind since the figure had appeared, since the general had died in her arms. Ilyana had no idea what it could be.
Death haunted every corner of her life and there was no escaping it now.
"And I believe you. Mostly. Either you really need some sleep, or the curse is getting stronger and something needs to be done now." Clove's armour rattled as she clenched her fist. "There has to be a way to stop it."
Another flower drifted through the wind, yet this one danced between them as its captor set it free from behind them. Though, it wasn't one that Ilyana had brought to Viviana's grave. This one was a deep, garnet rose prickled with thorns.
"I'm sorry for your loss." The new voice made the princess jump.
"Thank you, King Matthian," she greeted with a sigh.
The captain stood once more with her hand on her sword, resuming her position as Ilyana's personal guard. If it weren't for the restrained grip that turned her knuckles ivory, she would have assumed she was about to run him through with her blade just like she did with Viviana.
"Is this your sister?" he questioned with a singular arch in his brow.
"My twin, Viviana," she answered with a nod. The princess couldn't help but run scenarios through her mind. Why was he here? What did he need? After his display with Arc in the High Table room, was he annoyed that there wasn't a meeting in the morning like he had demanded?
King Matthian took Clove's place next to her and stretched out his legs, brushing out his silk cloak behind him.
Up close, the difference between his eyes was much more stark.
The rich brown in his left was soothing and riddled with flecks of orange.
Yet, the red was menacing and every bit calculating.
All that was missing from his commanding presence was a crown atop his head.
"Your father spoke about her earlier today while he was planning something with a guard. Though, he used a different name for her."
He knew. He knew that Morana and Viviana were the same person. King Matthian had gathered all the information he could and placed the pieces together by himself.
"What do you want?" Ilyana's voice was much harsher than she intended it to be.
"I'm on your side here, Princess," he chuckled. "We can work together. After all, I'm not the only person secrets are being kept from."
"And what are these secrets you speak of?" Clove's shadow loomed over the king. One more step and he would be tackled to the ground.
"King Mortas doesn't want you involved with his plans anymore, for starters.
That's why he sent you elsewhere after the speech this morning.
" Matthian's finger looped around the chainmail under his shirt, rubbing the shimmering links against each other.
"He's planning on hosting a ball in the next few days, something to reassure the lords and ladies of the island that everything is okay. "
Ilyana picked up another flower from her sister's grave to occupy her mind. "A strategic decision on his part." It was just a ball and a big event would be difficult to hide. Her father wouldn't keep that a secret from her, it would be impossible.
"Ah, but I managed to get a look at the invites while I was snooping around. Someone was on there that you and your guard might be interested in. I've overheard you speak about him. How it's his fault that your sister suffered."
"Who is on the list?" The princess's shoulders tensed, a foreboding dread settling in her chest. She knew who it was.
"Silas Axelas. Getting an invite to him will be tricky, but Mortas wants to do this how they used to." Matthian bunched his fingers to produce quotation marks around his words.
Her father was inviting the man they sought to arrest, the man responsible for more than half of the crime on the island, to a ball. Instead of dragging him to justice with chains and trials, he was summoning him for food and finery.
"I- Why would he do that?"
"Don't shoot the messenger." He held his hands up in defence. "I just thought you should know."
"Why? Because you want something in return?" Clove snapped behind him.
"As a matter of fact, I do. I want to join you and I need your healing expertise. If we're to be wed in the future, we need to form a unified front. That's better to achieve sooner rather than later," he explained, running a finger across his chin.
"And my healing magic?" Ilyana swallowed thickly. This was bad. King Matthian needed her help and she didn't have the magic necessary to do so. Her hand gripped the crystal on her necklace, hoping it would help it hear her pleas to wake up.
"The gift you've received from the Gods is remarkable. I've been through several trusted healers and none have power quite like yours. I need you to heal something for me."
The princess had never sensed any injury on him and, even though her magic was dormant, she still couldn't see any on him now. "What do you need?"
King Matthian smiled, like he had achieved a victory greater than any of their comprehension. "I need you to heal a Dragon's egg."