Epilogue 2
Two years after the rise of Queen Ecithys
Water dripped from stalactites as the Princess of Landon walked into an underwater cave, hidden from everyone she didn’t allow to see.
“I told you it wouldn’t work,” a deep, sultry voice sounded from within.
Turning a corner, Princess Snow came face to face with her.
The walls within the cave hummed with dark magic. The air thick with the scent of salt and rotten plants. Not a single drop of blood that wouldn’t kill her. She made sure of that long ago.
Flickering blue flames lit the interior, casting eerie shadows as the sea witch, Ursula, lounged on a throne of coral and bones, her tentacles shifting lazily. “If they find out the truth, you understand you will be hunted?”
“They’d have to get in line.”
Snow wore a hooded cloak to obscure her identity as she approached with hesitant steps, her heartbeat echoing in her chest.
She didn’t fear the witch, but she remained cautious, as anyone with a lick of intelligence would.
“I know you don’t give a shit,” Snow said in a low voice. “But my mother’s wrath and jealousy are tearing apart the realms even when I’m not there.”
“You’re right,” she crooned. “I don’t give a shit.”
Snow inhaled deeply in frustration, keeping her vicious mouth silent.
Being raised by her mother taught her to eviscerate people verbally, but that meant nothing when she was desperate.
Prince Maximus was her only hope for freedom, and now, with that path closed, she could feel the noose tightening.
Ursula laughed as she took in the struggle on Snow’s face. “What will you do now, pretty little vampire?”
Snow closed her eyes, bracing herself as she did the one thing that made her insides scream, and dropped to her knees. “Please,”
“Good start,” Ursula interrupted, poking at the last button before Snow exploded.
“Could you make me less beautiful?”
Ursula’s smile slackened. She hadn’t expected that kind of request. Many others came to her for beauty, love, anything they desired.
“It will make me less of a target for my mother. I couldn’t care less about how I look.”
Ursula’s eyes widen before she bursts into laughter, the sound deep and mocking.
Snow focused on her breathing to soothe her rage. Ursula stood from her throne, and with a smirk, she circled the princess, her tentacles trailing across the damp cave floor.
“Changing someone’s appearance without an enchantment requires a lot of magic. Surely you understand what position that would put me in?”
Snow looked up, her gaze meeting Ursula’s.
“Triton has been hunting me for centuries now. And certain events must unfold before I can truly act without risk.”
A flicker of movement caught Snow’s eye. Behind Ursula’s throne was a large, glowing orb. The swirling mist within it shifted to reveal a vivid scene: a bustling street in an unfamiliar kingdom.
The princess stood, walking around Ursula to inspect.
Within the orb, there was a beautiful woman, walking beside a striking man. The man’s focus was on anything and everything except her.
Curiosity sparked within Snow as she looked at Ursula in question. She was looking at the orb with what Snow couldn’t tell was impatience or longing.
Ursula waved her hand dismissively. “That girl is a fool.” Her voice was rich with condescension. “Chasing a male she barely knows,” Ursula snorted. “Don’t concern yourself, girl. She’ll get what’s coming to her.”
Snow wasn’t concerning herself, but Ursula’s tone darkened.
“Unfortunately, I can’t help you until she does.”
The princess glances back at Ursula, a mix of frustration and resignation in her eyes.
The sea witch’s grin widens, eyes glinting with hidden knowledge.
Ursula turned back to her orb, clearly stalking the poor girl, and dismissing Snow entirely.
Snow sighed as she made her way back to the end of the cave, the one spot that she could teleport out of. Her shoulders sank as the weight of her uncertain future pressed down on her.
* * *
Though the throne room was nearly empty, Oliver could still feel a sentience staring him down, judging him as he knelt before the dais.
He kept his head low, unable to look his mother in the eyes unless she made him. That hadn’t changed since she had come back.
He was filled with so much shame, he resented her for the time he tried to end it all, and she stopped him. That was a year after Sin left, and Max had ignored him completely.
One could say it was his focus on keeping eyes on his mate, but he knew indifference when he felt it. He almost wished his older brother still hated him.
The sound of Gideon’s body folding in on itself has haunted Oliver’s dreams every night, but he refused to complain. After the horrors he spent alongside his father, keeping his attention away from Gideon, he welcomed the tortures.
“Oliver, for star’s sake, look at me,” his mother ordered, and he obeyed, unable to fake life and emotion in his expression any longer. Her face twisted in pain and fury before she continued. “It was the Princess Snow, Max’s former betrothed, that funded Ursula and Audrira’s betrayal.”
For the first time in—he couldn’t remember—surprise flickered within Oliver, but he said nothing.
“I’m sending you away to find her.”
Oliver blinked, understanding washing over him. She was getting rid of him, sending him on a journey that would likely take his life.
The queen sighed. “It has been years now, that you have sulked around this castle. Are you ready to move past it, to finally make up for everything you’ve done?”
His voice trembled, not used to using it much anymore. “You couldn’t imagine the things I’ve done.”
A bitter laugh escaped her. “Oh yes, I could, just as I can imagine the tortures he put you through when the feeling struck him.”
He didn’t say anything. He deserved every minute of it.
“You’re wasting away here, Oliver. I can forgive you, and I’m the furthest from a forgiving person. Surely you could learn to forgive yourself.”
He held her gaze, remaining silent since it wasn’t technically a question.
Her eyes glinted with rage as she whispered, “Answer me.”
“I cannot, and I will not. I have done nothing to earn anything remotely close to forgiveness.”
The queen bared her teeth in frustration. “Then find her. Find the princess, bring her here, and we’ll work together to make things right.”
Oliver nodded, waiting for his leave as he stared at the marble floor of the throne room.
“Pack your things,” she ordered, her voice thick with emotion. Disappointment, if he could’ve guessed. “You’ll leave in the morning.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
She looked him over with distaste. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
Oliver nodded, turning to leave. The only sound in the room was the echo of his footsteps.