A/N: I'm really REALLY sorry I killed Leo off, I hope u guys don't hate me too much.... (also for making you wait for this one for a month!)
Chapter Twenty-Five
Aglaia stroked Leo's face, a blank look on her face. She was kneeling by the fountain, Leo cradled on her lap. She felt numb inside. When she saw Leo lying dead on the ground, Aglaia refused to believe it. He couldn't truly be dead. But as she told herself this, she knew that it wasn't true.
The searing pain she felt at the acceptance of Leo's death soon turned into cold rage. Akakios. It was all his fault. He was the one who caused all of this. He was the one who cursed Leo, who cursed her, and now this.
She gathered Leo into her arms and flew towards the castle. It was a bit difficult, what with her small figure and his tall lanky one, but finally she was able to lay him down on a couch. Aglaia arranged Leo, who was slumped awkwardly on the couch.
Straightening her shoulders, Aglaia looked at Leo one last time. She knelt beside him and looked at his face, her gaze softening for the first time since she made her decision for revenge. She leaned over, her breath ruffling his fur and kissed him.
"I love you," Aglaia whispered. After a final glance, her features hardened again and she stood up and flew away, heading towards Akakios' castle.
She met the queen mother and Phaedrus, one of the fairy soldiers on her way and the queen mother, a good friend of her mother, hugged her tightly as Phaedrus stood by.
"I'm sorry." Selene was looking at Aglaia, trying to read her expression. But it never changed. Aglaia nodded curtly at her comment and started flying to one of the rooms.
"Wait!" Selene caught Aglaia's arm. "What are you doing?"
Aglaia tried to shake off Selene's hand on her arm. "I'm just going to have a little talk with the king." Her voice was surprisingly calm as she tried again to shake off Selene's hand.
"No." The single word was enough to make Aglaia stop struggling against Selene. Before Aglaia could lash out at the queen mother, Phaedrus stepped between them.
"I cannot let you do this Aglaia. If you kill Akakios, you would only stoop to his level."
"I don't care." Aglaia had a stony look on her face.
Phaedrus sighed. "You will be thrown in the dungeons." When Aglaia didn't move or say anything, Phaedrus looked at the queen mother questioningly. Selene closed her eyes and nodded.
"Sel—the queen mother and I are going to the castle to imprison Akakios." This caught Aglaia's attention and she looked at Phaedrus intently, trying to see if he was telling the truth.
"He deserves to die." Aglaia's voice was angry and bitter.
Then, "No, actually, he doesn't. Death is too kind a punishment for someone like him. He must suffer like I am suffering." Aglaia had clenched her hands and was nodding her head emphatically, trying to convince herself of it. Maybe once Akakios is taken away it would make her feel better.
Phaedrus threw a worried glance at Selene, afraid that she was hurt by Aglaia's words. The queen mother was looking at anything but them. He would remember to talk to her later.
"In any case, Aglaia, we do not want you to participate in this. You must get some rest. Your aunt is worried about you. Go to her." Phaedrus was trying to steer Aglaia away from the castle and towards her aunt's house.
"NO!" Aglaia pushed away from Phaedrus. A tear was making its way down her cheek. "Can't you see that this is the only thing I need? I need to see him. I need to see the bastard who killed Leo."
"I just need to see him. I won't do anything." Aglaia was whispering now. Phaedrus looked again at the queen mother. He didn't have to see her nod to know that she would allow Aglaia to come. Selene's face was a mixture of forgiveness and understanding.
They flew silently towards the main hall of the castle, an odd group. The queen mother, a fairy soldier, and a disheveled fairy.
When they reached the main hall, Akakios' personal servant Thais scuttled by, eyeing them nervously, eyes widening when his eyes landed on Aglaia. Before they could ask him where Akakios was, Thais flew hurriedly towards a door, disappearing behind it.
Selene shrugged at the space where Thais had been before he flew away. Phaedrus, on the other hand, looked grim and worried as he stared at the door that Thais used. He started walking towards the door Thais used, beckoning Selene and Aglaia to follow him.
"I don't trust him. He probably saw us and went to Akakios to tell him. Let's go." Phaedrus held open the door for Selene and Aglaia to slip inside.
Once inside, Aglaia looked around the room. It was bare except for a rectangular table in the middle. Akakios was sitting at the head of the table, Thais jumping nervously beside him.
"Mother, how nice of you to drop by this area of the castle to say hello." Akakios fixed his calm gaze at Aglaia, drumming his fingers lightly on the polished table.
He waved his hand in their general direction. "Why the entourage?"
Selene had pressed her lips together tightly and looked at Phaedrus to arrest her son. She was merely there to see that everything went as smoothly as possible.
Phaedrus stepped forward. "You are hereby dethroned from your position as king of this land. You will be stripped of your powers and exiled to the dungeons in Zanron island as is written in the Kanonas apo Neraida." As he spoke tiny swirls of wind blew around Akakios, enveloping him in their mist.
As the last few wisps of smoke dissipated, Akakios stepped forward and pointed a shaking finger at Phaedrus. "You have no proof!"
Phaedrus regarded the finger with indifference. "You have deliberately disregarded the Kanonas apo Neraida. It says in the book that a fairy cannot curse another being, fairy or otherwise unless they are viewed as a threat to the kingdom. You have cursed an innocent human being, who is, if I say so myself, harmless."
Akakios glared at Phaedrus. "He was a threat! I would've taken Aglaia as my wife and the mortal would've attacked the kingdom and endangered everyone."
"You also killed him."
Akakios shrugged and smiled. "Oh that. That was strictly for my entertainment."
Aglaia, who had been standing silently beside the queen mother, attacked Akakios, fingernails scratching his face and feet kicking his shin. "You worthless... vile... scum of the earth... don't deserve to live..."
Phaedrus stepped forward to disentangle Aglaia from Akakios, pulling her away from him, her arms flailing and legs kicking. "Aglaia." There was a warning tone to his voice. Still Aglaia squirmed and kicked, trying to get away from him and attack Akakios.
"Aglaia..."
Aglaia tried to wiggle away from his grasp.
"Aglaia!" After a few more seconds of struggling, Aglaia sighed and stopped squirming.
"If I let go, do you promise not to attack Akakios?" Aglaia sullenly nodded her head and Phaedrus loosened his grasp around her waist. Aglaia threw Akakios a nasty glare and walked back beside the queen mother.
Phaedrus nodded to two guards that stood by the doorway. They walked forward and muttered a few words, binding Akakios' hands together and gagging him effectively as well. Akakios glared at Phaedrus and, as his gaze swept over the three of them, gave Aglaia a satisfied look as he was dragged away.
Aglaia herself just stared at Akakios as he was led away, each second of looking at him reminding her of Leo's death.
"Aglaia..." Phaedrus held out a hand as he saw the blank expression on her face. Aglaia looked at the hand and then at Phaedrus, and left.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Aglaia stroked Leo's face, a blank look on her face. She was kneeling by the fountain, Leo cradled on her lap. She felt numb inside. When she saw Leo lying dead on the ground, Aglaia refused to believe it. He couldn't truly be dead. But as she told herself this, she knew that it wasn't true.
The searing pain she felt at the acceptance of Leo's death soon turned into cold rage. Akakios. It was all his fault. He was the one who caused all of this. He was the one who cursed Leo, who cursed her, and now this.
She gathered Leo into her arms and flew towards the castle. It was a bit difficult, what with her small figure and his tall lanky one, but finally she was able to lay him down on a couch. Aglaia arranged Leo, who was slumped awkwardly on the couch.
Straightening her shoulders, Aglaia looked at Leo one last time. She knelt beside him and looked at his face, her gaze softening for the first time since she made her decision for revenge. She leaned over, her breath ruffling his fur and kissed him.
"I love you," Aglaia whispered. After a final glance, her features hardened again and she stood up and flew away, heading towards Akakios' castle.
She met the queen mother and Phaedrus, one of the fairy soldiers on her way and the queen mother, a good friend of her mother, hugged her tightly as Phaedrus stood by.
"I'm sorry." Selene was looking at Aglaia, trying to read her expression. But it never changed. Aglaia nodded curtly at her comment and started flying to one of the rooms.
"Wait!" Selene caught Aglaia's arm. "What are you doing?"
Aglaia tried to shake off Selene's hand on her arm. "I'm just going to have a little talk with the king." Her voice was surprisingly calm as she tried again to shake off Selene's hand.
"No." The single word was enough to make Aglaia stop struggling against Selene. Before Aglaia could lash out at the queen mother, Phaedrus stepped between them.
"I cannot let you do this Aglaia. If you kill Akakios, you would only stoop to his level."
"I don't care." Aglaia had a stony look on her face.
Phaedrus sighed. "You will be thrown in the dungeons." When Aglaia didn't move or say anything, Phaedrus looked at the queen mother questioningly. Selene closed her eyes and nodded.
"Sel—the queen mother and I are going to the castle to imprison Akakios." This caught Aglaia's attention and she looked at Phaedrus intently, trying to see if he was telling the truth.
"He deserves to die." Aglaia's voice was angry and bitter.
Then, "No, actually, he doesn't. Death is too kind a punishment for someone like him. He must suffer like I am suffering." Aglaia had clenched her hands and was nodding her head emphatically, trying to convince herself of it. Maybe once Akakios is taken away it would make her feel better.
Phaedrus threw a worried glance at Selene, afraid that she was hurt by Aglaia's words. The queen mother was looking at anything but them. He would remember to talk to her later.
"In any case, Aglaia, we do not want you to participate in this. You must get some rest. Your aunt is worried about you. Go to her." Phaedrus was trying to steer Aglaia away from the castle and towards her aunt's house.
"NO!" Aglaia pushed away from Phaedrus. A tear was making its way down her cheek. "Can't you see that this is the only thing I need? I need to see him. I need to see the bastard who killed Leo."
"I just need to see him. I won't do anything." Aglaia was whispering now. Phaedrus looked again at the queen mother. He didn't have to see her nod to know that she would allow Aglaia to come. Selene's face was a mixture of forgiveness and understanding.
They flew silently towards the main hall of the castle, an odd group. The queen mother, a fairy soldier, and a disheveled fairy.
When they reached the main hall, Akakios' personal servant Thais scuttled by, eyeing them nervously, eyes widening when his eyes landed on Aglaia. Before they could ask him where Akakios was, Thais flew hurriedly towards a door, disappearing behind it.
Selene shrugged at the space where Thais had been before he flew away. Phaedrus, on the other hand, looked grim and worried as he stared at the door that Thais used. He started walking towards the door Thais used, beckoning Selene and Aglaia to follow him.
"I don't trust him. He probably saw us and went to Akakios to tell him. Let's go." Phaedrus held open the door for Selene and Aglaia to slip inside.
Once inside, Aglaia looked around the room. It was bare except for a rectangular table in the middle. Akakios was sitting at the head of the table, Thais jumping nervously beside him.
"Mother, how nice of you to drop by this area of the castle to say hello." Akakios fixed his calm gaze at Aglaia, drumming his fingers lightly on the polished table.
He waved his hand in their general direction. "Why the entourage?"
Selene had pressed her lips together tightly and looked at Phaedrus to arrest her son. She was merely there to see that everything went as smoothly as possible.
Phaedrus stepped forward. "You are hereby dethroned from your position as king of this land. You will be stripped of your powers and exiled to the dungeons in Zanron island as is written in the Kanonas apo Neraida." As he spoke tiny swirls of wind blew around Akakios, enveloping him in their mist.
As the last few wisps of smoke dissipated, Akakios stepped forward and pointed a shaking finger at Phaedrus. "You have no proof!"
Phaedrus regarded the finger with indifference. "You have deliberately disregarded the Kanonas apo Neraida. It says in the book that a fairy cannot curse another being, fairy or otherwise unless they are viewed as a threat to the kingdom. You have cursed an innocent human being, who is, if I say so myself, harmless."
Akakios glared at Phaedrus. "He was a threat! I would've taken Aglaia as my wife and the mortal would've attacked the kingdom and endangered everyone."
"You also killed him."
Akakios shrugged and smiled. "Oh that. That was strictly for my entertainment."
Aglaia, who had been standing silently beside the queen mother, attacked Akakios, fingernails scratching his face and feet kicking his shin. "You worthless... vile... scum of the earth... don't deserve to live..."
Phaedrus stepped forward to disentangle Aglaia from Akakios, pulling her away from him, her arms flailing and legs kicking. "Aglaia." There was a warning tone to his voice. Still Aglaia squirmed and kicked, trying to get away from him and attack Akakios.
"Aglaia..."
Aglaia tried to wiggle away from his grasp.
"Aglaia!" After a few more seconds of struggling, Aglaia sighed and stopped squirming.
"If I let go, do you promise not to attack Akakios?" Aglaia sullenly nodded her head and Phaedrus loosened his grasp around her waist. Aglaia threw Akakios a nasty glare and walked back beside the queen mother.
Phaedrus nodded to two guards that stood by the doorway. They walked forward and muttered a few words, binding Akakios' hands together and gagging him effectively as well. Akakios glared at Phaedrus and, as his gaze swept over the three of them, gave Aglaia a satisfied look as he was dragged away.
Aglaia herself just stared at Akakios as he was led away, each second of looking at him reminding her of Leo's death.
"Aglaia..." Phaedrus held out a hand as he saw the blank expression on her face. Aglaia looked at the hand and then at Phaedrus, and left.