Author's Note: Building this world has been so fun so far and I can't wait to share my ideas. First vote will be put up at the end of the next chapter and will guide the course of the story going forward. The poll will last for probably a month to give people time to vote and for me to write the chapter.
Pairings: Mariah May/Toni Storm, Toni Storm/? and others may appear throughout the story
Rating: Rated M for gore, graphic violence and any other mature themes if they are present.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for any OCs that I use and the story itself. All the other characters belong to themselves obviously and Impact Wrestling/WWE/whatever promotion. This story is complete fiction. AU (Alternate Universe)
Toni's POV
Despite my eyes being closed, I was able to hear some sort of chatter around me. Who's with me right now? The words were all a gibberish mess as I managed to finally open my eyes. Everything feels so heavy and my distorted vision was roughly able to make out the silhouette of three people. Two of them seemed practically on top of me and the other one was standing in the back. The longer I forced my eyes to stay open, no matter how heavy my eyes were feeling at the moment, the more the figures started to look like something other than blurs. I parted my lips and attempted to speak but nothing came out. My mouth… It's really dry and it's hard to breathe. Pain was coursing through my body and everywhere was hurting so bad. What happened? Why does my body feel like lead? I don't know if I can move. The blurred silhouettes were now starting to resemble actual people, and I was able to see three women. My eyes shifted and I noticed that one of these women was grabbing onto my arm. She was touching me. "Who are you people?! Unhand me.. Where am I?" I found my voice and shouted. What have these people done to me? "Who are you!"
"Hey…Please remain calm, you are wounded." The woman that spoke was probably the smallest out of the three. Her hair was two different shades of pink, her eyes were soft and brown. She smiled sweetly at me. She was a white, short-sleeved trench coat that wasn't zipped up all the way, it was zipped up until underneath her bosom. The shirt underneath looked to be something strapless as the pink cloth only covered her ample bust. A white coat, is she possibly a medic? I can't see what else she's wearing but there was something about that smile that was comforting.
"We are here to help you, please, calm down." The other woman that was sitting next to the medic, this one looked like some kind of amazonian woman. She looked way taller than the others. This is the one that had her hand grabbing my arm. The sound of her voice wasn't what I was expecting from her; it was actually soft. My eyes gazed upon her face for a little bit longer, those hazel eyes look empathetic and that scar tarnishes such a beautiful face. Her outfit doesn't scream that she's a doctor so perhaps this stranger is a soldier. A dark, green cloak covered a majority of her body, but the hood remained down. A massive leather strap went diagonally across her chest where a large bag rested against her hip.
"How in the bloody hell can I be calm whenever outside in a storm surrounded by three women that I don't know?" None of this is making any sense, I don't remember how I ended up here. Why aren't they telling me anything?! My chest tightened and a wave of nausea overcame me, everything feels like it's closing in on me. I feel like I'm going to get sick.
A hand pressed softly across my forearm, and I looked over to the unnamed pink-haired woman. Patiently she waited for me to notice her as she placed her hands around my back and helped me sit up. Doing so made the pain worse but at least I wasn't lying on the cold unforgiving gravel. "Okay.. slow down your breathing. Let's take this one step at a time. My name is Mina Shirakawa, I am a nurse, and I want to help you. You are hurt."
Mina's sweet and angelic voice managed to calm my worries even if it was for a second. I didn't say anything to the three as my eyes were carefully scanning my surroundings. Where am I? They've never answered that question of mine. Besides the forest in the distance, all I could see was grassland covered in flowers and the river going as far as the eyes could see. I focused on the water for a few seconds. Crystal clear water besides the water near me, it was tinted red. Why? I continued to follow the mysterious red substance coloring the water. Upon reaching the side of my dress, I noticed a dark red stain that looked like it was newer compared to the dirt stains. That's around the spot where some of the pain is. ..What..? That means.. I lifted both of my arms to see that my left hand was covered as well. One, two, three, four.. I-I'm missing a finger. "Oh my god, I'm bleeding. I'M BLEEDING! All of this blood is mine! Did you do this to me!"
I managed to smack away the arm of the brunette, but the rest of my body was struggling to move. There's no way I'm going to be able to move much in my condition. What happened to me? What caused my body to be in such a state? "No, we found you washed up on the riverbank. Like Mina said, we are here to help you." The raven-haired woman that was standing over the two like I was some sort of nuisance spoke. Her tone wasn't soft like the others, it was flat yet stern.
"Why should I believe you? You don't seem to be a doctor." There was slight venom in my voice, but this one was unmistakably the soldier. I didn't realize that I was matching her energy.
"My name is Deonna Purrazzo, I am a soldier of Mortadel. I reside in the village of Hazelgrave." She responded, this time, her tone had softened slightly.
"A soldier huh?" The nausea remained as I turned my attention away from Deonna and looked to the last one that never introduced herself. I'm still unsure if I should trust them. What if they were actually the ones that did this to me? I..I don't know. "What about you?"
"My name is Daisy Mero, I am the lead doctor in our village, Mina is my nurse. Like Deonna said, we are here to help you. You can start by telling us your name." The brunette answered my question. Daisy? Hm, I'm not sure I could have painted her out to have such a feminine and pretty name. She claims to be a doctor.
But I guess I should introduce myself as well, it's the right thing to do. "...My name? My name is.." I never finished the sentence for an introduction as my mind continued to form blanks. The three of them stared at me patiently waiting for my response. Come on, tell them your name, it's a simple task. …Wait, I can't. I don't know what my name is. I don't remember.. How is that possible? My bottom lip trembled as I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. Was it because of the pain or the frustration? I don't know anymore. "I..I.."
"Do you not remember your name?" Deonna questioned; her eyes completely softened from before.
"Memory lapse is a common side effect of poisoning, and we don't know what happened to her beforehand. Can you recall anything that happened recently?"
"I remember…" She's wanting me to remember something but all I remember was basically everything that's just happened. What's going on? It's like all the novels that have been written in my mind were set ablaze. Everything regarding me had disappeared. Who am I supposed to be? "N-No. I can't remember anything."
Mina scooted herself closer and used her finger to wipe away the tears on my cheeks. I looked at her as she gently grabbed both of my hands and placed them together. She then covered my hand with hers. "It's okay, sweetie. We will help you get better and remember everything, we will find a way."
Those brown eyes of hers look so genuine and compassionate, I really don't question her sweetness as some sort of act. She released my hands and continued to give me the biggest smiles. Her thumb wiped away more tears. "Oh my, you are such an angel." A big-breasted angel at that, I hadn't noticed that until just now. Why is that where my focus shifted too? I mean, she's petite so they definitely stand out. Focus, there are more important things to figure out besides the anatomy of Mina.
"Okay, the chit chat can happen later." It was Daisy that responded. "We need to get her back to the clinic so I can do a proper assessment. Mina, I'll need you to drive, I'll stay in the back with her."
"Got it!" With that, the pink-haired woman stood to her feet and started to skip her way from the riverbank and toward the front of the carriage. It was really cute to watch Shirakawa interact with the horses pulling their carriage. She smiled and pulled out some carrots from her jacket pockets and started feeding the horses.
"Deonna, can you go report what we.. witnessed to the elders? Queen Flair needs to be relayed this information with utmost urgency." The brunette spoke to the raven-haired soldier. What are they talking about? Are they talking about me? Why would the Queen need to be informed about me? Does she know who I am?
"Yeah yeah, don't get your panties in a bunch. I'll handle it. Will you be alright, just the three of you?"
"I don't need you babysitting me, Deonna, I can handle myself. We will be right behind you."
"Tch, suit yourself. Don't you cry for help if something goes wrong. I'll only rescue Mina and the innocent stranger." Wait, I thought they were friends. Why the hostility towards her?
"Love you too bitch." Huh? Are they friends or not? With that, I watched the soldier known as Deonna separate herself from the doctor and walk her way up the riverbank and toward a massive black horse. She hopped on the large stallion and proceeded to turn around and go down the dirt path. I guess that's the way to the town. She said it was named Hazelgrave. Am I from there? Would someone there recognize me? But wouldn't they recognize me, would they not? Who am I? "Now, I'm going to lift you up and carry you to the carriage. I'm not going to hurt you."
With very little effort, Daisy scooped me up into her arms bridal style and started a brisk walk to the back of the carriage. I was able to look at her surprisingly muscular arms as they came out from underneath the cloak. Covering her hands were metal gauntlets with the insignia of a bear and her bicep and forearms were bare. However I could notice some old scars, they look like old cut wounds from something sharp. Why would a doctor have wounds like that? "You don't look like a doctor; you tower over those two." I guess my intrusive thoughts prevailed and I spoke it aloud. How would I know what a doctor is supposed to look like? But my gut is telling me this, I'm not sure if this one is telling the truth.
Daisy tilted her head down to meet my gaze, her expression remained blank as she cautiously walked up the small assortment of steps to help us into the back of the carriage. "Don't judge a book by its cover. I chose this life for me." Her tone wasn't soft like before, perhaps I managed to strike a nerve. As gently as possible, the brunette placed me onto a mattress that was covered with a simple white sheet. "Now, I need to undress you from those rags so I can access those wounds and stop the bleeding."
"..." I wasn't sure how to respond to her statement. The truth of why I'm in such a dangerous state continues to escape me, how do I know that I can completely trust them? I'm alone and an easy target for bandits and anyone else to take advantage of me. Am I overthinking all of this? This is so frustrating! Why can't I remember anything? Daisy set down her bag and scooted herself closer to me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up, the brunette reached over to grab one of the straps to the dress and pull it down. "Can I really trust you, Daisy?"
Her finger remained hooked around the strap, but her action ceased, the doctor looked at me and gave a soft smile. "I understand that you are scared but if we really wanted to hurt you, Mina wouldn't have removed the poison from your body."
"I-I was poisoned?" Those were the only three words that I was able to say as I could feel my entire body trembling. What have I done to deserve such harsh treatment? Someone… Someone believes that I deserve to die. Why? What did I do? Am I some kind of bad person..?
"It appears to be the case; that's why you are having trouble remembering things." The doctor's gaze avoided mine. She started digging around in her bag, pulling out several items. The list included scissors, bandages, forceps, what looks like a needle and thread. I could feel my heart beginning to race more while watching her pull out more items. A bottle containing some kind of light green liquid, wipes and this weird case. Daisy opened the case and picked up a tiny vial. "See, this vial contains the poison that Mina removed. If we wanted to hurt you, why would we take it out?"
The brunette makes a good point, she puts the vial back into the case. All I have done is judge her based on appearances alone. That soldier, Deonna Purrazzo, if I recall her name correctly seemed more of a hard ass compared to her. People have every right to be sheltered and withdrawn about their emotions. "I-I'm sorry." I replied sincerely. Am I really going to be a fool and allow myself to die? I deserve to live.. I don't want to believe any of them are evil, but I can't help being scared. I know nothing.
"Don't be, you're scared, and you think I'm trying to take advantage of you. Please trust me, I want to stitch those wounds up and help you. Can I do that?" Doctor Mero gave me the prettiest smile as I stared into her eyes. She's being so patient with me. I'm still nervous but if I don't... I could die. With a slight nod of my head, Daisy grabbed one of the straps to my dress and pulled it down and repeated the action with the other. My heart is still loudly thumping inside me as she instructed me to lift up my arms. With gentle and careful maneuvering, the brunette had succeeded in removing the dress off of me. Now I'm sitting in my almost completely nude form for a stranger. Daisy's eyes studied my upper body for a moment, the gaze didn't seem predatory or perverted. She did a quick glance of my hips and legs before reaching over to grab a checked blanket. "Here is a blanket to cover up your lower half while I work on your top half. I'll have to do a thorough exam of your entire body once we are back in my office."
"Thank you."
"I'm just happy that we were able to find you first." How did I manage to end up in such a weird place? I can't help but try and force myself to remember something, anything! But everything is drawing a blank, Daisy said the poison was potentially the cause. "I'm going to try to numb the pain as much as I can but cleaning and stitching this, it's going to hurt." Am I only meant to be an empty husk now? A poor soul without a name or a purpose. What if I never remember? Maybe now, I'm a blank canvas and all I have to do is apply the first color and a picture will begin to appear.
No One's POV
During the ride back to Havelgrave, Doctor Mero cautiously started to wipe away the dried blood and clean the two wounds. Daisy cursed under her breath as Toni would wince and whimper out in pain. She wasn't blessed with any sort of healing magic like Mina, but Shirakawa has barely grasped her magic for it to be continuous. The brunette had to do everything the old-fashioned way. Daisy apologized profusely as she focused on the stab wound in the blonde's side. Thankfully whoever or whatever attacked her didn't hit any vital organs, that alone made the doctor suspect that the assailant wanted the poison to be the thing that ended her life. But how did the poison enter the body, that was the main question on the brunette's mind? Was the poison dipped onto the weapon, was it ingested or another method? With the side wound successfully stitched up, Daisy shifted her attention to the stump that remained.
'The same weapon didn't make all of these wounds; a sword definitely made the gash on her shoulder and chest. But the wound to the side was made with a smaller blade, most likely a pocketknife. These wounds probably didn't have any intention to be the killing blow. The blood loss would cause more blood to be pumped in an attempt to replace what's been lost. That alone would make the poison work faster.' The doctor carefully cleaned and wrapped the stump, she sighed, grabbing a fresh cloth and the cleaning mixture she made. There was only one more wound to stitch up and it was toward a more intimate area. Toni watched as the brunette grabbed the cloth and placed it at the top of her shoulder. Even though she should be accustomed to the sting of the cleaner, the blonde still winced in pain. Daisy slowly descended, looking to the blonde for permission to continue. Toni hesitantly nodded.
Out of hundreds of patients that Doctor Mero had treated the past few years. She never felt so nervous about touching someone's body. Perhaps it was because the stranger was so timid and scared about the entire ordeal. Daisy did her absolute best to remain professional and not gander at places that did not need to be looked at. What was it about this one? Things weren't adding up and perhaps it's the intrigue or it's simply the fact that Toni was gorgeous. There wasn't any denying it. The two didn't say a single word the entire time that Daisy had been patching up the blonde's wounds. It was pure silence, the only sounds being the carriage shifting, the horses trotting against the ground and the occasional singing from Mina.
Once they arrived back at Hazelgrave, the trip to the Blossomvale Clinic was only an extra two minutes. The carriage came to a complete stop and Daisy started placing everything back into her bag as Toni was starting to shiver. Neither one of them knew how long the blonde had been in the water and those rags she was found in didn't help either. The taller brunette completely removed her cloak and wrapped it around the blonde's nude torso. "Wrap your arms around me and I'll carry you inside. I'll make sure to get you a bed by the fire and some clothes." Daisy instructed, readjusting the cloak to make sure that it covered her entire nude torso.
"Thank you." Toni was moved by such a kind gesture as the blonde obliged and wrapped her arms around the doctor's neck. Daisy waited for her to be ready and made sure the blanket was wrapped around her snugly before picking her up. The blonde's entire opinion was starting to change about Doctor Mero, she felt bad for her original thoughts. In no way was this woman a brute, Daisy was really gentle with her. Her body was starting to heat back up, particularly around her face.
Over the next hour, the doctor was able to carefully examine the stranger for any other external injuries. The brunette managed to find some extra clothes for Toni after she finished the examination. Mina would occasionally join the pair in the room whenever Daisy had to do something that might make Toni uneasy. Having Shirakawa there helped both of the women in the room, however Mina would have to leave whenever a patient entered the clinic. There were only two medics in Hazelgrave as of right now and those two were here at the clinic. The nurse would handle the easy patients while Daisy would step in for more severe cases. Once the doctor was done, she made sure that Toni was able to get dressed on her own and left the room. The brunette sighed, taking off her gloves and disposing of them in the garbage. The brunette made her way into the waiting room and saw that only one person was here, but it wasn't a patient. "Daisy, have you finished evaluating her?"
Standing in front of her, still dawning her armor, was Deonna, who was curious about the stranger that they found. Daisy nodded her head. "Yes, I'm letting her rest right now. I gave her some antibiotics for the pain and to help flush out any poison if it remains in her body." Mero had absolute faith in Mina that she retrieved all of the unknown poison from their patient's body, but you could never be too safe.
Shirakawa's cheery smile turned to a small frown. "I will go see if she wants something to eat or drink. Poor thing, I'm glad that we were able to help her." All of them were relieved that they managed to save this woman in time. Mina's soft nature made her the perfect nurse, she was able to soothe and calm people whereas Daisy had difficulty doing so. Perhaps it really was that people were intimidated by her; Mero still was going to do whatever it took to help people. She made that promise long ago to herself.
The hazel eyes of the doctor followed the petite nurse as she walked her way over to the room of their unknown patient. Once the door was closed, Daisy turned back to her friend and started to speak. "One of the first I wanted to do was to make sure there weren't any signs of sexual assault which thankfully, doesn't look to be the case." It's one of her least favorite things to do but Daisy had to be certain. Those kinds of crimes tend to happen more frequently around this time of year whenever spring and summer starts. Their newest patient, both Daisy and Deonna could easily admit that she was gorgeous. Way too beautiful to be wearing such disgusting beggar clothing. "Upon carefully inspecting her body I noticed a small puncture wound on the back of her neck, the reddened skin gives me the idea that the poison was injected there. We have at least two different weapons used in the assault, the sword caused the gash on the shoulder down to the chest and I believe a pocket knife was used to stab her in the side and slice the finger off."
Deonna folded her arms across her chest, absorbing all the information given thus far. 'The poison had to be injected first so she wouldn't be able to fight back. Until we know what kind of substances were used to craft this toxin, this is all an educated guess.' The soldier had been thinking about this entire situation since she rushed ahead to inform the elders of the sighting. She knew that the mention of Vyrloro would be enough to turn some heads. Does the dragon have any connection with their Jane Doe? That seems too odd of a possibility. "Why specifically the ring finger?"
"Perhaps she had a birthmark or something there, there were a lot of things done that hinder us identifying her. Remember what you said about the clothes?"
"Those clothes were put on her after she sustained the wounds. Why go through such trouble of undressing her into rags? Her real clothes had to be telling of her identity." Neither one of them were sure how something like that would be enough alone to identify her.
"Precisely and I noticed that her ears were pierced, and she has no earrings in. Furthermore, I noticed that certain places on her wrists were paler in comparison. She might have had bracelets on."
"A robbery is a possibility now."
"But if that's the case, why inject her with poison?" Mero questioned; Deonna could only respond with a shrug of her shoulders. The brunette sighed, looking back down to her notes that she had scribbled down. "Her hair wasn't greasy or matted, her skin was soft and well taken care of. She isn't malnourished. This isn't a woman that wears rags like that. So, either she was robbed and is potentially someone with wealth or this is all to make it harder to identify her." The first choice seemed to be the more probable one, but Daisy didn't want to dismiss the second option either.
"The ring finger is still the confusing part, if there wasn't a birthmark or scar, perhaps she's married. Why not remove the ring?" The only thing that Purrazzo could think of is that they attempted to remove the ring from her finger, and it was stuck. So, their only solution was to forcibly sever the limb, the soldier wouldn't put it past bandits or even goblins to do such a thing. She's seen way worse.
"I don't know. But there's more..."
"What's that?"
"I believe that she had a child or miscarried in the past. There are signs of pregnancy and possibly childbirth." This news came as a shock to the raven-haired woman, who parted her mouth to speak but never said anything. Daisy continued her findings. "It's very common for the areola and the color of your nipples to darken after pregnancy and hers don't match her skin tone well. One thing that is a surefire sign is the linea nigra, it's a darker line that pregnant women get on their stomach. It's due to the increased hormones during pregnancy. Usually, the linea nigra disappears after childbirth but it's uncommon for it to be permanent. Her line is very faint, but I noticed it." It's not like the patient was able to reveal her medical history to any of them. The doctor was working with a completely blank slate and was forced to cover all bases.
"With that information, you are saying that she has a child possibly and that child could be missing or deceased right now. How recent do you think the pregnancy was?" Deonna shot a sympathetic glance at the closed door. A woman that doesn't even remember her name might potentially have an unknown child out there searching for a parent and that parent doesn't remember them. It's heartbreaking.
"Hard to say, some signs remain even decades later. I'm profiling our friend to be possibly in her mid to late twenties or early thirties at the most." That doesn't really give any answers besides the fact that she might be around their age. That child could still range from an infant to a teenager at this point.
"Tch, I hate whenever you are good at your job sometimes. I don't want to think that there might be a lost baby or child out there." The lack of doctors in Hazelgrave was due to the most recent war that Mortadel was subjected too. It was about six years ago whenever the army snatched as many soldiers and doctors as possible. Most of them were killed on the battlefield in Quven and to find anyone with healing magic is extremely rare. Daisy had to adapt quickly to the sudden change, but many lives have been saved due to her commitment to her craft. Everyone in Hazelgrave trusts her and Mina so there's no reason to not trust her deduction.
"I don't either. I haven't discussed that last part with her yet. I don't want to upset her." How exactly was this conversation supposed to come about? There was no way of talking to the patient without upsetting her whenever it came to this sensitive topic.
"I suppose that's understandable, let her rest, I'm heading out. Good work, I'll relay to the others to keep an eye out for any missing kids or infants." The two share a short embrace and the soldier departed the clinic with more questions than answers. That didn't matter at the moment, hopefully as Toni's memory begins to return said answers will come to light. Deonna walked down the cobblestone pathway back in the direction of her home and continued to ponder the events of today. Some cultures believe that dragons are a sign of good luck to come. White dragons in particular are said to bring purity and virtue, but Vyrloro is the exact opposite of that. The Champion of White has been known to clear armies on her own, the entire nation of Quven worships Vyrloro as a deity. What awoke her from her slumber? Why was she coming from Ashor? Deonna didn't know but the unease bubbling in her stomach was telling her that something bad was coming.
Emberfair, Montecarlac, on top the May-Storm Castle
A few days prior..Nighttime
Queen Mariah May picked up the side of her dress and cautiously started to climb up the final flight of stairs that were lead her to her destination. A knight had wrapped their knuckles upon her chamber doors and said that Queen Storm had requested her presence on the top of the castle. He didn't know the exact reasoning for the request either. The blonde stopped atop of the stairs to catch her breath. She cursed, wishing there was some sort of invention that made traversing floors easier. She hated stairs. Mariah opened the door and stepped out onto the roof, there with her back facing her was her wife. "Toni, my beloved, did you summon me?"
Toni's head was tilted upwards to stare at the cloudless sky and all of the stars shining brightly, helping to light up the area. The older of the two queens turned around and smiled widely. "Ah yes Mariah Darling, come join me." Toni extended her left hand out to her wife as Mariah walked closer, she continued to take in her wife's beauty. The white and black dress covers just one of her shoulders, leaves the other uncovered and flows down into a beautiful v-neck. It's a loose fit which allows some cleavage to show but not overdoing it. Her arms have been covered all the way down to her wrists. The sleeves broaden towards the bottom, allowing for her bangle bracelets to be visible. The dress' waist is broad, but it's a comfortable fit. A black bow has been wrapped around her and rests gently on her belly. Below the waist the dress widens and has a sundress style. The dress reaches all the way down, almost covering her ballerina flats and is the same length all around.
The taller woman finally made it over and grabbed onto Toni's hand. Storm leaned over and planted a small kiss on Mariah's lips. "It's been quite some time since we've been able to come out here. Do you remember, Mariah Darling?" The past three years have been busy for the pair of monarchs and not solely from the business and political standpoint. With some of the nation' surrounding them raising their hostilities and demands, the blonde women were scared that a war was on the horizon. Toni was more adamant about keeping things peaceful and trying to talk things out.
"I remember, Darling, the both of us used to come out here and gaze upon the stars." Mariah responded, holding onto her wife's hands, they both looked up to the stars.
"Yes, an escape from all the politics and a place where it can be solely the two of us." Before the couple were even married, they would sit over the edge of the castle and gaze up at the stars. It was always fun for them to find the constellations or even make their own. Mariah and Toni would talk hypothetically about how amazing it would be to soar through the skies like a bird or a dragon. "It's my favorite place."
"Anywhere I can be by your side is my favorite, my love."
Storm couldn't help but blush slightly at the comment even all these years later, Mariah could always get that kind of reaction out of her. She looked over into the distance, the sun managed to set some time ago, but the light of the moon allowed some things to be visible. "I agree. Everything that our eyes can see right now is ours, and I'm reminded everyday how fortunate I am to have such a beautiful queen by my side, Mariah dear."
"Darling, I'm the lucky one. Out of all the women in this world, you picked me and I'm not even of noble status." Mariah May hailed in the neighboring town of Chillstone, she was an average woman with nothing to offer the world. Yet somehow, she managed to catch the Queen's eyes.
"Nobility means nothing, my love, you are meant to be my soulmate, forever. Nothing is changing that."
Mariah's heart thumped in her chest as she kissed the shorter blonde on the lips in a loving manner. May pressed their foreheads together, staring into each other's eyes. "Never Toni, I can't imagine my life without you. You gave me love I've never experienced before and the two of us have a family together. Astrid was a blessing from the gods themselves."
Astrid was their daughter that blessed the couple and turned them into a true family. The couple tried for years but yet Mariah was never able to fall pregnant despite the attempts. The donors weren't faulty however Toni was the one that managed to become pregnant. That was three years ago, their baby girl was over two years old. "Our princess is going to grow up with the love of both of her mothers, Astrid was most certainly a gift from the gods."
"Do you recall what else we used to do while the two of us were amongst the stars?" Mariah asked, in response, Toni cocked her head to the side. "Come on sweetheart, dance with me." Storm let out a small giggle as the pair started to dance the night away in each other's arms. Without an audience watching them, they could be free from the shackles and treasure every moment with each other like it would be their last.
Present time..
Mariah stood at the very same rooftop where the two lovers were spending their free time together. Her eyes gazed to the sky as she stepped closer to the edge. In her hands were Toni's crown and the only piece of her wife's physical body that remained, the severed finger. The tears were pouring from her as tried to search for the constellations that they would always draw with their fingers. "Toni.. What am I supposed to do now that you're gone? You said nothing was ever going to change the fact that I'm your soulmate." She spoke out loud, but it wasn't much louder than a whisper. Mariah looked down to the ground below, the blonde released a sigh. A fall from this height would certainly... She took a step back and stepped safely from the edge. "Forgive me, my love, I simply cannot join you yet. I hope you understand. Astrid needs me and I'll avenge you. I'll make sure that they pay for separating our family. I promise."
Her eyes scanned around her again, she began to reminisce again about how the couple would dance without a care in the world. It was like she was watching her past self and her wife right at this moment. Mariah and Toni were always a bit unorthodox whenever they were alone with each other. Queen Mariah remembered the countless times that one of them fell over their own feet attempting a new dance move. If she had known the other night was the very last time, Mariah would have danced with her all night and never let Toni go. "Your Majesty, I've gathered the remaining council within the city and gathered as many soldiers as I could."
Her attention went to the opened door as a familiar man knelt down. "Very good, thank you Nigel."
"I've also sent someone to relay the tragic news to Madam Vee as you requested. I'm thankful that she had the young Princess in this dangerous and tragic time for us." With the threats of war constantly bubbling on the surface, the Queens thought their daughter would be safer away from the castle for the time being. Mariah's godmother, Madam Vee, lived in the outskirts of Chillstone and was the best person to care for Astrid. Her residence was close enough that the pair of lovers would make several trips out a week to see their angel.
"I'm thankful too. As much as I hate being apart from Princess Astrid, this is what is safest for my baby girl." In order to avenge Toni, there was a possibility that Mariah would fall if she waged this war. The Queen was fast to shake that negative thought from her head. She was going to live. She had too. "You have the evidence, correct?"
"Yes, your Majesty, I have placed them in the box next to the throne."
Mariah seemed pleased with the answer. "Glad to know that you still have uses, Nigel. Follow, I'm going to address the counsel now." With no further conversation between the counsel man and the monarch, the pair descended back down the stairs.
Over the few minutes that it took to arrive at the throne room, Mariah did her best to suppress the tears and the mixture of emotions. It was pointless, no matter how hard she tried; the blonde continued to cry. The Queen's porcelain face was ruined with the running of the smearing makeup and stained mascara and eyeliner that ran down her cheeks. Her dress was stained with the dried blood of her deceased wife and possibly of her fallen soldiers. The Queen's audience were chattering amongst themselves about what transpired and the possible causes. Others were mourning the fallen. The gossip immediately ceased whenever the large wooden doors of the throne room opened, Queen Mariah walked into the room. The audience bowed but her eyes never focused on them, her eyes stayed glued to the thrones. Nigel followed behind as some of the counsel was able to see her disheveled appearance. A lot of them were mentally questioning why Mariah was once again by her lonesome? Where was Queen Storm?
Mariah's footsteps slowed as she reached the pair of thrones, one would now be permanently vacant. She placed the crown and the finger on Toni's empty seat and turned back to face the audience. The blue greens of the monarch watched as the people rose back to their feet before speaking. "During the attack from the winged titan, many soldiers fought valiantly to protect the city of Emberfair and everyone standing in this very room. Due to the effort of our brave soldiers, many lives were saved but the ones that fell should be remembered fondly. I pray for the families for those that we lost today. I am forever grateful for those men and women and those that continue to serve and give their lives for me." She began, her tone softer than usual, instead of sitting upon her throne, Mariah placed a hand on the arm of Toni's throne.
With the exhale of a very shaky sigh, Mariah knew that this was going to be the hardest part to talk about. "Now I must address the tragedy that befell the Kingdom today as Queen Storm was a victim of that bastard dragon that attacked us." Getting through that first sentence was like a knife plunging into her chest. Her hand clutched her chest as she fought back a sob, but the tears continued regardless. She allowed the audience to digest the information bestowed upon them. Some gasped, some were silently mourning and others cried loudly. "My wife, someone who did everything she could to make this country a beautiful place to live, was unfairly taken from me. You lost a beloved queen, and I lost my everything, my soulmate, the woman I love. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Toni and I'm going to let that bitch get away with taking her away from me!"
"Nigel and I found damning evidence to show that this was a planned assassination, Wrecurian and Mortdelan armor were found in my chambers!" She snarled furiously, grabbing the helmet and gauntlet from the box and tossing them to the ground. The people in the front row were able to see the crests of the nations on the armor. No one wanted to believe it, the talks of negotiation were all a sham. "They are responsible for Queen Toni's death.. I'm going to make sure that they pay for their crimes. Nigel!"
"Yes, your Royal Highness, how may I be of service to you?"
"Make sure my armor is prepared, I'm going to Wrencuria. Prepare for war, my fellow soldiers, we are doing this for Queen Storm." There was nothing that was going to stop Queen Mariah May, they started this and she was going to walk the bloody path of revenge. All for her beloved, that she didn't know was still alive.