A/N: I KNOW THIS CHAPTER TOOK FOREVER TO GET UP I'M SORRY D; I had lost all motivation to do anything once uni had started again. I had started this chapter ages ago but never got around to finishing it until now. This chapter isn't all fun and rainbows but I promise it does get better soon! Won't leave you waiting too long but I will have more notes at the end, Enjoy :D
Brittany woke up in a start, cold sweat encasing her body and sheer terror pulsing through her veins. Her heart beat accelerated dramatically and she wasn't quite sure why. Her gut told her that there was something terribly wrong.
She sat up and glanced at her surroundings to try to assure herself that everything was fine but to her horror Alvin was not by her side, and standing right across from her was a bastet. She tried to scream, move, run- do anything! But her body stayed frozen and whenever she opened her mouth, no words came out.
Surprisingly enough the bastet didn't move or do anything. The terrifying beast didn't look so terrifying in that moment, somehow reminding her of a sad kitten wanting to be pet. Hesitating she slowly lifted up a shaky hand and waited.
A few seconds passed before it came closer and bent it's head down, allowing Brittany to pet it. She wasn't quite sure what had pushed her to do so. A rush of adrenaline? Possibly, but who would've thought that she would do such a bold move? Her sisters wouldn't approve of her actions. Alvin certainly wouldn't. ALVIN! Where was he?!
Brittany quickly retracted her hand and stood up. She looked around frantically and was about to call out for him but stopped immediately when the bastet growled a low warning.
She paused as she regarded the tiger like beast. "Is there something wrong?" she whispered into the air in hopes that maybe this strange animal would be able to answer her question.
Instead of speaking formally it looked to the left and growled dangerously before stepping up to her and craning up his neck, giving her a perfect view of the glittering gem in the centre of his chest.
Brittany tilted her head, not quite comprehending what the bastet was trying to tell her. Weren't these beasts supposed to be hostile? Why was this one acting so calmly around her?
She could tell that it clearly wanted to tell her something and she knew that Alvin would come looking for her any second now so she wasn't quite sure what she should do.
The bastet whined a little and craned his neck a little higher, making the gem gleam brilliantly. She looked at the beast's face as he tried to direct her to the gem. Maybe there was a message in it? It could possibly be like a crystal ball, she might be able to see something important.
Gently she reached her hand up towards the gem. Ever so slowly inching further and further towards the gem that was now glowing a brilliant green mixed with an alluring, deep purple swirl.
"BRITTANY!" She heard someone shout her name in the distance. It sounded like Alvin. She was about to retract her hand and yell back but the bastet growled and quickly puffed its chest out so that her hand met the gem.
The instant her hand touched the gem she began to see white. Her surroundings quickly leaving her as she felt her body give up on her. Instead of feeling the impact of her body hitting the ground she felt herself fall onto something soft and warm.
"BRITTANY!" The voice was even louder. Probably close enough that Alvin could probably see her. However she wasn't sure what happened next because consciousness fully left her body and when she woke up next she was in an entirely different place.
Brittany's whole body felt beyond exhausted, as if she had just been drained of all her power. Blearily she forced herself up from the cold satin sheets that she was laying on. Wait satin? Where exactly was she?
She groaned as she forced herself out of the grand bed in the center on the room. She looked around at the plain bedroom, noting the very minimal decor of varying shades of blue.
Rubbing at her eyes Brittany walked up to a plain wall that seemed to be the only eye catching part of the room, that is if you weren't amazed by the extravagant bed, chandelier and two carefully crafted bedside tables.
The large wall looked empty at first glance, but if you came closer it was very obvious that it wasn't so plain. It was a huge mural of a beautiful woman's face. Although she certainly looked beautiful, her features were very defined and stoic. Her eyes lacking of any emotion.
Brittany hesitantly reached up a hand and placed it on the wall but quickly jumped back at the shocking revelation. The wall was ice cold.
She turned back and looked at the decor once again, noticing how similar they all looked to the wall. To test her theory she walked up to the bed and placed her hand on one of its pillars only to gasp in shock.
This whole chamber was made out of ice.
She shivered as the cold crept up on her, but not to the point where she was freezing.
"Where am I?" Brittany whispered to herself, feeling more confused by the second.
She surveyed the area once again and then noticed an outline of two large doors, barely noticeable with the way they blended into the wall. She walked over to the large frames and pushed carefully.
The structures were exceptionally heavy and she used what minimal strength she had to push harder until there was enough space for her to slip out.
Brittany leaned against the doors once she had stepped out. Her head was spinning and her vision was beginning to blur. Taking a few deep breaths in she looked around at the outside.
She groaned at her sheer luck. More doors.
She was in the middle of a large corridor that extended beyond what her eyes could see, each side of the walls perfectly lined with finely crafted doors. The doors were each engraved with an array of designs but she noticed that in the middle of the doors they all held different symbols.
Now if she was able to figure out what those symbols meant then she'd have an easier time trying to get out. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. When she opened them she felt something inside her pull her to a certain direction.
Not questioning the impulsive decision she let her feet guide her through the barren corridors and then down multiple stairwells. She noticed that the lower she got the hotter the temperatures started getting.
Stepping down the final steps she finally reached a large black door. The walls below were of the same colour and seemed to be made out of obsidian? She couldn't quite comprehend how that was possible or why this room was located so far from the rest of this strange place.
Shaking away the eerie feeling creeping up on her, she pushed the doors open and was surprised to see a large space, consisting of multiple rooms. The place although nice seemed rather trashed, with scratches and ash on the walls as well as burnt furniture pieces and litter sprinkled around the place.
Brittany walked in further but instantly jumped once she had reached the bedroom. There was a tall woman standing there. A long blue sparkling blue cape was draped across her shoulders, with an equally beautiful blue dress that could be seen underneath the sheer cape.
The woman had skin as pale as snow, which contrasted beautifully with her deep, dark brown hair which was currently curled in an updo. Brittany couldn't see the woman's face as she had her back turned to her, but she seemed to be observing something on the bedside table.
"H-hello?" She hated herself for stuttering and showcasing her nerves but she had to know where she was, who this woman is and why this place made her heart sink to the pit of her stomach in dread.
The woman slowly put down what seemed to be a picture frame and smirked as she slightly turned her head to the side. "I knew you'd come down here soon."
The woman's voice was strong, authoritative and chilling to the bone. She had a creeping suspicion that she wasn't going to like what was going to come.
"What do you mean by that? Where am I? Please… I just want answers." Her voice cracked at the ending, making her self hatred grow even stronger.
"You've been having visions haven't you? I think you already know where you are. Why you're here. Don't you Brittany?" The woman turned her head back to the front as she picked up something else from the bedside table.
Brittany's head snapped up as she stared at the woman in shock. How did this strange woman know her name and about her visions? And what did she mean by she already knew? She felt so confused and her head was beginning to pound, as her stomach knotted up in pain.
The woman briefly glanced back at Brittany and smiled widely. "Don't question it or think too hard of it. Just let it happen."
Her head spun at the woman's words. She closed her eyes tight shut and fell to her knees as a searing pain overcame her. Suddenly the dreams of an icy castle and a woman on a throne giving her orders to kill Brittany came back to her. But this time they weren't from her own perspective. This time she could clearly see the person in which these memories were coming from, and it was none other than Alvin.
She gasped and inhaled deeply as the pain vanished and she was able to see again. She was breathing fast and fighting the tears that were threatening to come out of eyes.
The woman was now standing right in front of Brittany. She could see her icy heels standing right in front of her, however she didn't dare look up. She felt her tears trickle down her face and land on the floor in front of her. She couldn't quite comprehend what this meant exactly. She had a sinking suspicion that she knew, but she just couldn't help denying the truth.
The woman put a hand on Brittany's shoulder and then put a pile of papers in front of her. "These might help shed some light." and with that the woman stepped away and left the room and Brittany to herself.
Brittany grasped the papers tightly in her hand and yet she couldn't bring herself to read the pages that looked as if they had been ripped out from a book. Her tears continued to fall and she curled into herself as she gasped for breath.
After a couple of minutes she finally sat herself up and wiped angrily at her face. She leaned back on the bed from where she was sitting on the floor and took a shaky breath in. She knew what these papers were. Where they belonged.
Her finger trailed on the spine of the ripped pages. She always wondered what information these contained, but over time she learnt to forget about them and focus on the blossoming relationship between Alvin and herself. She was foolish for doing so.
Bringing the papers up onto her knees she began to read the story of Alvin Seville. Her dreams, or visions as the woman had called them had already shed some light on the first few years of Alvin's life. Most of what Alvin had told her just yesterday was fairly accurate too.
Her immense relief at the accuracy of his words soon turned to empathy, dread, and then pure hatred and anger. The words spoke of his exile and how he had turned to the Winter Queen, one of the most beautiful, yet wicked enchantresses in the magical realm. The woman was intrigued by his powers and trained him to work in her army. He was ordered to do many laborious tasks, and was sent out to kill many people and raid towns as her personal hitman.
As his recent assignment, he was given the case of Brittany. The queen despised angel hybrids as they held a substantial amount of power, and could possibly bend the laws and rules of the magical realm because of their strength. She knew that Alvin wanted to acquire more strength and because she had conditioned him to remain loyal to her she had agreed that he could take Brittany's powers once the virus had set into her body.
Brittany let the papers drop to the floor as she read the last few words. She let her face rest on her knees as she wrapped her arms around them. She felt beyond betrayed. She had opened up to him... learnt to love him. Yet here she was, completely heartbroken and feeling like the biggest fool ever. She should've never followed him. Simon and Theodore were her biggest hopes at surviving and still she had ditched them and gone with Alvin. Albeit it was for their own safety but she still could have insisted she stay with them instead.
She sat there, letting her tears spill from her eyes for the longest time. What was she to do now? Brittany glanced down at her body and glared at the purple hues that were shining from within her veins. The virus had almost taken up all of her body now, she could feel the dark energy pulsing inside of her. She sighed, feeling hopeless for the first time since the start of her journey.
She wanted nothing more than to go home, at least there she could go to her parents' tombstones and lay beside them as she awaited her fate. Then people would find her body and she would be remembered because Brittany Miller was somebody in the human realm. She was nobody in the magical realm. No one here would miss her if she were gone.
Gathering herself she got up and walked towards the exit of the room. She glanced back one last time and stared at the lonely place. She couldn't help but feel bad for Alvin even amidst her heartbreak. Turning she pushed open the door and went up the countless stairs.
Strangely enough there was an exit right when she reached the top. She could've sworn there wasn't one there before… Maybe the doors changed places? Brittany glanced around at the corridor she had just walked through and sure enough the doors had once again changed. Not thinking too much of it she pushed through the exit and left the castle.
Once outside Brittany was met with a chilling breeze. She shivered as she quickly made her way through the large expanse of land surrounding the ice castle. Once she made it to a far distance she looked back and felt a sense of deja vu overcome her.
This was the exact spot Alvin had stood in one of her dreams. She felt her eyes water at the thought of him and angrily swiped at her eyes.
"DAMN YOU SEVILLE!" She screamed into the forest as more tears began to fall down her face. Ugh, why was her body betraying her like this? She didn't care. She shouldn't care. Alvin didn't truly care about her, so why should she care about him?
Trusting her instincts she took to her right and began walking for what seemed like the longest time. It wasn't till hours later till she began to feel dizzy and felt as though there was something terribly wrong.
Her body started shaking and she was losing sight of where she was going and that's when it hit her. The most searing pain she had yet to experience began to spread through out her body. Brittany struggled to fight through it but her body instantly gave out after she used what little of her powers she felt inside her to help her control the pain.
A/N: Poor Brittany :c What do you think the backstory behind Alvin is? Do you think his motives towards Brittany were pure or is he really as evil as it says in the book? Please let me know what you think is going to happen! Also a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed and messaged me, it did give me motivation to at least attempt writing so I very much appreciate it! And a big thanks to everyone who has stuck around :)
Manny: Thank you for your lovely review! So glad you're enjoying this story, makes me happy to know people love reading my work ^^ As for your email, it didn't show up ;o
loo: Ahhh, thank you so much! Hope this chapter makes up for the long wait!