"My Lady," called Aemond, speeding up his pace upon seeing the two he'd been tasked with retrieving strolling almost mindlessly through the afternoon market. Once again, they were together, no doubt speaking of their shared curse, as was the norm when expectation wasn't unfairly placed upon them. "Lord," he added in greeting, "Queen Thyra asked I bring you both to the castle."
Viserra and Qimir could only share a glance of confusion. The last time they'd been taken to the castle was the year prior. Just hours before, King Matthias had told Guiseppe he was sending Viserra with Prince Lucian on a royal visit to the nearby kingdom. Guiseppe, to no one's surprise, hadn't taken it well.
"What is it the king is to tell my father?" asked Qimir, running a scarred hand through his short coal-colored hair. His dark eyes were alight with concern and sprinkled with curiosity. Was Lucian finally to ask his sweet cousin for her hand in marriage? Was the king finally to put his foot down and swing the axe of justice, an act many see as overdue?
"It is not the king, my lord," replied Aemond, his voice gentle as he held a hand out to escort Viserra back to the castle. "An envoy of five has arrived, sent by King Athelstan. They appear to be looking for you, Lady Viserra," he explained, uncertainty overshadowing him now. Even more so as Viserra became uncomfortable. Over the years since her parents' deaths, she had slowly declined from the attention others were all too happy to bestow on her. Instead, she'd come to fear it.
"I fail to see what value I would be the king of Northumbria," commented Viserra, her voice quiet, as she began nervously playing with her midnight braided hair. Anyone could see the fear sparkling in her sapphire eyes. For so long, she's wished for an escape, to be free of her uncle. However, she had not expected it to come in the former of travelers searching for her. Instead, it had only scared her further. A king no less, surely the punishment her uncle would cast upon her would be far worse than anything she'd thrust far endured. "I have no abilities as a Seer nor Sorceress. What use would a Dane king have of me?"
"They spoke of a prophecy," replied Aemond, once again observing the cousins share a confused glance. Neither knew any prophecy nor understood how said prophetic words were important to their predicament.
"A prophecy?" worded Qimir, recalling the religious ones to pop up; some were well known, stretching from one side of the country to another. Others were thought to be unintelligible drunken rambles, often forgotten with time.
"They did not elaborate more than that," admitted the knight of the kingdom, recalling Alyn escorting the five travelers to the Snow Residence. The warning is sent along, as the King had allowed his act to drop in favor of his more family-man side. "The king, however, trusts them, even if the Queen is concerned. They hope this will be what they have spent countless hours praying for," added Aemond as the trio arrived at the castle.
Almost immediately, Prince Lucian joined them, a broad grin upon his lips as he left his instructor. The trusted knight teaching him sword skills appeared more lenient than usual, as if he knew what others did not. Not long after, a lady in waiting led Viserra away; there was little doubt she'd be taken to the queen. It was no secret that Queen Thyra had a soft spot for her and treated her like a daughter.
"Our visitors should be arriving soon," worded Prince Lucian, his gaze lingering in the direction Viserra had gone, a small smile of affection painted upon his lips. Qimir chuckled, his grin growing, almost as if the young lord could read the prince's mind. "Both the travelers and your father," he continued, his voice growing harsh. His thoughts turned to the Lord, whom many saw as undeserving of his title.
"Who are these travelers?" asked Qimir; once again, his curiosity grew. Umbara was no stranger to travelers and magic folk looking for a new place to call home. But still, something seemed different this time. It was as if all could sense something wasn't quite what it seemed. Northumbria was a godly kingdom, yet no priest had traveled with the five; on top of that, none seemed familiar with the way of life despite appearing so normal.
"They said their names were Markus, Kane, Bray, Aleister, and Finn," replied Alyn, returning from his task. The travelers and an irate Lord Snow had returned with him, now in the king's company. Concern shone in his eyes now; something was off about the travelers; it wasn't just their unusually calm demeanor nor the way in which they spoke. "Your father requests your presence, my prince," added the loyal knight, his gentle smile not quite reaching his eyes. Instead, it was dampened by the concern overtaking his mind, even more so as he tried to understand what he'd seen.
"Is my mother here?" asked Qimir as Lucian left the peaceful courtyard with his sword master and Aemond. Alyn merely nodded; Lady Edith often jumped at the opportunity to escape her once happy homestead, a place that was now akin to a prison to her.
"Your sister also," breathed Alyn, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the plaguing thoughts. Allegra was not a woman anyone would be proud to call a wife. She was cruel and selfish at the best of times, often believing herself above others. It was not a usual sight to see her bragging about her family wealth and looking down upon those she saw below her. It was no secret that she believed in herself as the future queen—Lucian's queen, to be exact. "She is to be escorted to the Queen."
"I fear for Viserra," admitted Qimir after a long, heavy silence had fallen upon them. The garden had brought a sense of peace but had not relieved the growing uncertainty and fear. "My father will no doubt find something as a slight against him. He always does when Viserra receives attention and good fortune over Allegra," he voiced, recalling all the times his sweet younger cousin was blamed for things she was innocent of, so much so that Viserra didn't even bother fighting back anymore. Instead, she cowed away and hoped the end would come quickly.
"I doubt there is anything he can do now," Alyn replied as a heavy breath escaped his lips. He was tainted with fear as he finally accepted what he'd borne witness to at the Snow Residence. "The travelers are not what they seem, my lord," he continued as if he'd come lost in thought. How was he going to tell anyone what he had seen without them thinking he'd fallen into insanity?
"Who are they?" asked Qimir, needing to know more. Not even King Matthias, the most powerful man in Umbara, could strike Guiseppe with fear and stop him from continuing his despicable acts. But somehow, these five mysterious men could. They were but ordinary men, or so Qimir and likely everyone else assumed. What could they do that the ruling king could not? What power did they process where others would obey them?
"Forgive me, lord," began Alyn, digging deep within himself to find the courage to speak up, to word what he'd witnessed with at least one of the travelers. "I do not believe they are ordinary men like you and I. I do not believe they were sent by King Athelstan either," he voiced, closing his icy eyes and taking a moment to himself before continuing. "I believe they are the five the Dane sorceress spoke of. She said the five would come in search of their queen."
All knew of the Dane sorceress, Alexa. She belonged to no one but was protected by many. She was a shadow queen. Many swore by her prophecies, by the words of change she spoke. It wasn't uncommon for others to believe she was a mistress of the devil, a sorceress who could summon the long-banished demons.
"Demons?" questioned Qimir, suspecting the chaos such a revelation would cause. After all, many in Shadow-Stone were good, godly people who prided themselves on their faith. Demons walking around their city would be unthinkable to most. "That would surely cast my father's faith and everything else into doubt," he commented with little emotion. Like Viserra, he wished to escape from his father and elder sister.
Despite his many unanswered prayers and wishes to leave, none had ever been answered. Slowly, like Viserra, he'd given up hope. To the point now, all of it seemed like a joke to him. Although he found himself hoping once more Viserra would finally be granted her freedom, he could not help but think it would all come at a costly and end terribly. His father wouldn't let his favorite victim of torment go, nor would Allegra let him go without trying to keep what she saw as rightfully hers.
"If the sorceress is right …" began Alyn, leaving the rest of his sentence and train of thought unspoken. Instead, one of the travelers appeared, minding his business as he calmly admired the courtyard and the many plants growing with it. Aleister was his name. The one Alyn had seen began to change. He watched as the area around his right eye darkened until it turned black and his eye colorless. "Do you mean her harm?" bravely asked the knight of the realm, her voice strong despite the fear he felt shivering down his spine.
"No," answered Aleister, turning to the pair and bowing to both as if he recognized them as kings of old from another life. "We seek to protect her, to bring her home again," added the Demon so often called the devil, the one synonymous with being the nemesis of mankind.
"You are demons, are you not?" worded Alyn, finding himself with a burst of courage, his fear seemingly melting away as if it had never been there. Aleister could only nod, seeing no point in denying it, even more so when the man questioning him had seen him begin to change. He saw his facade slip when his anger got the better of him. "Why is Lady Viserra so important? Why do you act as if you know her?"
"Why is she important to you?" asked Aleister, repeating the question at the realm's knight. Once again, he was calm and collected, the questioning not phasing him. "I did know her in her previous life. She was a friend, family. When she was taken from us, our entire world and yours knew about it. Many of us hope when she, our queen, returns, the long-forgotten peace will be restored," he spoke, a shadow of a grin pulling at the corners of his lips as he remembered her from before. Her mortal name had been different, Fiadh, back then. However, the last name of Devitt remained, as if it were a way to identify all queens to come.
"We understand your fear after centuries of war between our kinds. We understand most, if not all, believe we'd come with the intention of causing harm. That's why we came as travelers with the intention of peace," began Aleister again when silence seemed to grow in power. "I recognize your prince desires and wishes her to be his wife and queen. He values her as much as we do and will continue to do long after she takes her rightful place. But she belongs with us, away from those who seek to hurt her."
Aleister didn't repeat Jeff's words or the Undertaker's mumbles. Although Viserra was their queen, she wouldn't be the wife of a king. Instead, she was destined to be the most potent version of Devitt, her final form. He didn't speak of those to rise from her power either. The four horseman the mortal would would one day associate with the impending apocalypse.
"You'd turn her into a monster?" came Edith Snow's tired voice. She looked exhausted, beaten down by years of torment and imprisonment. Despite her words, she clearly did not fear the man before her; instead, hope shone in her hazel eyes—hope for what could be.
"The transition will be her choice," simply worded Aleister in response. No demon could force their way on another. A former king had forbade it in an effort to restore peace long ago. "Only in times of threat can we turn another; even then, it can only be done by our king and inner circle," he added, recognizing there was more the mother of two wanted to say, more she wished for even.
"If you are to take my niece then I ask you take my son too," spoke Edith, tears glimmering in her hazel eyes now. She didn't look at her only son across the courtyard from her. "I ask you save my son from the life he's thrust far suffered through," she added, almost pleading for Qimir to be taken with them, doing as she felt was needed to ensure Viserra and Qimir could escape, be free from the torment unfairly cast upon them more often than not.
Aleister couldn't find it in his heart to deny Edith; instead, he simply nodded, understanding she was not abandoning her youngest child but simply trying to save him from an uncertain future, even if that meant journeying into the unknown. She was willing to sacrifice her own faith and sanity to see her child safe, a true act of love.
"I will not be the reason cousins akin to siblings are separated," spoke Finn, his Irish accent thick as be passed by. Following Aemond, King Matthias was at his side, seemingly surprised by the kindness which those considered evil were capable of. Despite religion branding them as monsters, the compassion they displayed was becoming of a godly man, someone who desired to help rather than be curse upon the masses.