Chapter 3
Amelia buried her nails into her palms as she glared at the man before her. Her nails isn't quite long enough to wound but it was enough to keep her from lashing out rashly. It wasn't very ladylike to do react in such manner so she had to keep it in. Her eyes burned from tears that kept flowing without her command. The man standing in front of her leered. The man she used to know, the man she looked up to, was now nothing but a shell a monster decided to claim.
"What do you want from us?" she spat. Her gaze not leaving the man although her attention pleaded her to tend to her bruised arm. The man had dragged her into the throne room in front of her own people. The man elegantly walked around the room and eventually stood in front of the silver throne, observing it quietly. "What do you want from us?" she spoke again. The horse-like sand creatures neighed and pounded their hooves, threatening to attack her.
She could hear her people quivering in fear. She had to be strong. For them. For her people. They were looking up to her. With her brother and her uncle gone to hopefully get help, she was the one left in charge for her kingdom. She needs to be brave and to be collected if she wants to keep her kingdom under her family's protection. If only she was old enough to wield her powers, she could have helped with protecting. She could have kept her kingdom safe.
The man chuckled. "You can't give me what I want, little girl," he said.
Amelia furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips. Of course he was using her General's voice, a venomous version of her beloved General's voice. She took a deep breath. She wiped the tears off of her face, thanking to Moon that her eyes stopped crying.
"Who are you and what do you want from my kingdom?" she asked once more, this time with more animosity.
Her memories of her Uncle North flooded her mind, she had observed the way he would talk to foreign invaders. He would always be kind and cordial before anything else but this wasn't the time to be kind and cordial. She had no memories of what her guardians would do when faced with a more violent threat.
Her history lessons don't really talk about the way the leaders talked to each other before wars, and even if they did, she was probably too young to learn about such. Jack would probably know what to do. Or maybe Uncle North and General Pitch didn't really think that anybody would attack in such a way anymore, after all, who would dare attack the strongest kingdom in of Winter?
Shadows spread from beneath the man's feet, spreading everywhere, swirling around him. The darkness crept into the soldiers who stood before the people, their eyes glowing a golden hue. The General's body was swallowed by the shadows and from it emerged a spiritless version of General Pitch. His amber eyes glowed silver and gold-almost resembling an eclipse, his skin a lifeless gray, his armor swallowed and turned into a black shapeless robe made of shadows. The man bellowed a deep laugh.
"My dear, I am the Nightmare King!" he cackled as black sand danced around the castle, swirling and swirling. Amelia faltered but she stood her ground. She could feel her soul trembling but she kept it together.
The Nightmare King. The oldest enemy of the oldest kingdoms. She had read about the Nightmare King, of his power and of the wars he started. Of the destruction he caused and the lives taken due to the war. He must be stronger than ever now, the last sighting of him was ages ago. Amelia observed the way he moved and the way his power manifested. The sand is something new. New can be dangerous. Only the Lord of the Dream Realm uses sand in their magic.
Amelia glared at him. An icy sensation wrapping around her heart and making its way to her fingers. Is this her powers? Is it activating? It's too early for any actual signs of such though...
"Amelia," the Nightmare King called out. Amelia took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. He was smiling, kneeling down to her eye level. She wanted to hurl. "What do you want the most in this world?" She could hear the lies from the mere sound of his voice.
"Let my people go."
The Nightmare King's eyes softened as he stood up and ordered to the clearly possessed soldiers: "Well, you heard the princess! Let her people go."
North sighed as he processed the information Katherine had said. They returned to Katherine's home when Katherine explained what might have happened to her letters of warning. The room fell silent as the men realized the position they were in. Jackson looked outside of Katherine's home.
He couldn't blame her for sending only letters through pigeon carriers. She couldn't leave her village. Her people are innocent children and her village has been protected by her family for centuries. Her village was her main duty, her priority. She couldn't simply leave her people nor send them out to deliver the letters personally, putting their lives in danger. This was not their war to fight. There was a reason why Santoff Claussen never engaged with the other kingdoms, other than the fact that they are a simple village. They live by themselves, avoiding misunderstanding, complications, and hassle that come with partnerships.
"There has been many wars with the Nightmare King and the Fearlings long ago, and every time he attacked, the Seasons always manage to defeat him," Katherine said, her voice reminiscent.
"This time is different, Katherine." North stared at the dancing flames in the fireplace, "He was using sand magic."
"Sand magic?"
"Yeah, it was black and similar to what the Dream Realm uses in their magic," Jackson added.
"Sand magic is exclusively used by those from the Dream Realm-" Katherine shook her head, looking at Nightlight who shrugged, "No one was ever strong enough to wield such magic."
"Well, the Nightmare King is," North huffed, taking his coat from one of the sofas. "It was nice seeing you again, Katherine. Thank you for letting us into your home. I wish it was under better circumstances."
"No worries," Katherine hugged North tightly. "The other leaders would most likely arrive at the Core in two days."
Jackson followed North and donned his cloak. "It was nice meeting you, Katherine. Nightlight."
After the men had left, Nightlight looked at Katherine with a concerned look. He floated over to her and gave her a tight hug.
"I really wish I could, darling." Katherine hugged back. She looked over to the book atop of her fireplace, "But my stories cannot change the future of this one."
A little girl ran frantically across the golden hallways of the castle, her small wings flapping as she desperately tries to fly. She shook her head in defeat and halted in front of the painted door of the archive room. She entered and searched the room for Toothiana, the Queen of Punjam Hy Loo. She closed the door behind her with a noticeable 'thud!' and ran towards the Queen who was in the middle of a class with a few young women from the kingdom.
"Your Grace!" the child curtsied, panting as she continued, "The Northern lights have been lit!"
The Queen stiffened and turned to the little girl with widened eyes. The brightness in her purple eyes were replaced with fear and worry. She quickly dismissed the class and ran out of the room, flying into the setting sky. Her heart beat rapidly as if it was humming with the beat of her wings.
She flew to face the north where she saw the iridescent lights waving in the sky: dark blue, violet, teal, orange, yellow, dancing in harmony; reaching the ends of the Seasons. She put her hand over her chest to calm her dear heart, the Northern Lights of Burgess has not been lit for centuries, this had to be something big. The lights danced beautifully and complemented the warm lanterns and the golden architecture of her kingdom. How ironic that something so magnificent signified danger that befell on one of the kingdoms from Winter, the Kingdom of Burgess.
Toothiana fluttered back to her castle and told her warriors to fortify their defenses. She gathered a few servants and warriors, telling them to prepare for a journey to the Core. She looked out of the window to see the moon. It can hardly be seen as the sun was still in the sky but she prayed a little prayer to both Celestials, hoping that the monarchs of Burgess were safe.
She started packing a week's worth of clothing and essentials along with a couple of books on history, war, and strategy. As the ruler over the kingdom of memories, she especially knew the importance of looking back. You can never be over prepared for such a dire event even thought she's not quite sure what it was yet.
"Your Grace?" a little girl entered Toothiana's room.
"Baby Tooth," Toothiana smiled and knelt to meet the girl. "You were very brave today, thank you for telling me about the lights."
Baby Tooth smiled brightly, her heterochromatic eyes twinkling, "It's always an honor to serve." She looked down and her wings fluttered slightly behind her, "Will you return to us, My Queen?"
"Of course, sweetie. I'm sure whatever it is that's happening, we can fix it just like we did before."
Author's note: thank u for all the reviews ! see u hopefully the week after next !