1 Year Later
Many things had changed over the previous year, both for those of the mortal realm and demon alike. In Shadow-Stone, Edith had taken up the position of head of the royal household; her job seemed simple enough: she was to train all ladies in waiting who served the Queen and welcome all visitors to the castle, the friendly face, so to speak. On the other hand, the disgraced lord, Giuseppe Snow, hadn't faired well. He found it difficult to find work after being officially demoted by the king and no longer held power or titles in Umbara. So much so it had been rumored he had gone on travels outside the sleepy kingdom in the hopes of finding work and another place where he could assert his dominance.
Allegra Snow had done little in the year but complained about the life she had been dealt since her father had been demoted and her brother and cousin left with the travelers. Jealousy and failure so often plagued her now, as did the vicious traits she inherited from her father. Her new mindset was simple enough: if she couldn't have something, then no one could. If she wanted something, she would have it; if not, then she'd destroy it. The same mindset applies to Prince Lucian. Her desire to marry him and be his one true queen had not faded but grew, so much so that she was a constant thorn of interference and trouble. Allegra wasn't out of the ordinary to threaten and push around those she saw as opponents to what she wanted.
Nor was it unusual for the entitled woman to use her estranged mother as a weapon to assert power over ladies of different ranks. However, Edith would swiftly shut down the attempts before disappearing once more. Despite Allegra's best attempts, however, Lucian found someone he believed would be as beloved as Viserra Devitt had always been. Her maternal cousin, no less, Esperanza Delavega. Like Viserra, Esperanza was an unequaled beauty, with coal-colored hair and eyes just as dark and a bright smile that was cautious; one couldn't help but need to smile upon seeing her. But most importantly for Lucian, she had a heart of gold and a desire to help the people of Umbara thrive no matter their titles or place within the kingdom.
In the demonic realm, many things had changed, and many had been met with surprise. The day after Qimir and Viserra's arrival, Finn gathered all demons and went to the throne room to make an announcement of their arrival. Many had rejoiced to hear of the Queen's return, although some found it odd that the Queen was not present at the meeting. However, it was quickly assumed she was in transition, which the Fire Priestess quickly dismissed when she came upon her just days after the announcement. Viserra had been in the company of Dean Ambrose, the demon of Rage who had been vicious with everyone before, and Dexter. Both of whom seemed in brighter spirits while with her, as if she had reminded them of the humanity they'd forgotten upon transitioning.
However, Nikki Bella, the fire priestess, was the first to notice Viserra was still mortal. Her aura glowed so brightly that those who could see would have been blinded. Yet, despite her fragile standing, the Queen never showed any fear of either demon. Instead, she was friendly with both as if they were long-time friends she had been reunited with after many years apart. In the case of Dexter, that was probably true; he was in Devitt's inner circle during her last reign, a close friend and protector.
Just hours after, The Ice Priestess, Brie Bella, had come upon Qimir, wondering the many caverns in confusion, as if he was lost or had no memory of where he was. Instantly, Brie knew he was new to the rank of demons, which was proved further by Bray and his brother Bo chasing after the dark-haired man. Brie was initially concerned but soon remembered Finn explaining they had brought two back from the mortal realm, to which the ice priestess quickly summarized the newborn demon as Qimir, the cousin of the Queen.
A month after the Queen's arrival, the coronation took place; Finn had taken the time to arrange it himself, ensuring it was absolutely perfect. However, where many had expected a royal wedding to follow, none took place. No reason was given, but many became curious upon noticing Viserra remained mortal even after her coronation. No arrangements were made for when the transition did take place either. Instead, the king and queen built a friendship built on honesty and mutual respect. There was love between them but not the romantic kind many expected; instead, it was the love between friends and, eventually, that of siblings.
"Care to accompany me to the wedding?" asked Finn, recalling when King Matthias Iseult had called upon him mere months before to invite him to the royal wedding and make the kindly worded request of Viserra attending. The mortal king had stated it would mean a lot to both the bride and groom. As was tradition, Finn wore black robes with delicate red detailing sown into the overcoat; like always, he wore no crown to signal his rank as king, nor did he intend to do so. Instead, he was content with just being another man attending a royal wedding.
"Of course, my king," replied Viserra in a lighthearted tone; a smile soon appeared across her lips as she turned from the mirror she'd previously been facing. Satisfied now, she was sure the blue roses woven through her braided hair were neat and in the right place. For a moment, Finn stopped, the words he'd been about to say forgotten upon seeing how beautiful his queen truly was. She wore a dark blue, almost black gown decorated with beaded detailing, especially around the shoulders, with sapphire jewels set in several places. The necklace she wore was the one Finn had given her for her birthday not long beforehand. It was made up of several silver chains and beads of the same color, and several sapphires of different sizes had been set into it. "Finn," called Viserra, a concerned tone ringing through her voice as the same emotion lit up her eyes.
"Sorry," he spoke, shaking his head to rid himself of the cobwebs and will himself back to reality. "Just distracted by the beauty of my queen," he laughed, watching as Viserra shook her head in response and rolled her eyes as if she'd heard those words uttered many times over since arriving in the underworld. "Come, I'm sure many will be thrilled to see you," called Finn as he held his right arm out to her, intending to lead her to the throne room, if only so they could make the short journey to Umbara. "We'll be expected in the royal gardens."
"I see all the arrangements have been made," commented Viserra, looping her arm with Finn's as if they were going on a simple walk through the underworld, something they'd done many times over the previous year. Their way of getting to know each other without the peering eyes of those who desired to know everything. "Tell me, what was it Jeff saw the other day?" asked the Queen, knowing all too well Jeff had seen something, details from previous visions seemingly repeating; there was little doubt the visions were a warning of something that was on the cusp of occurring.
"He keeps seeing seven stone," whispered Finn, as if his words were a closely guarded secret. In truth, they were, but only because of what those glowing crystal stones would one day become. It is a powerful weapon that could potentially destroy far worse than anything that had come before it. "He hears the words of an enchantment, the same one the Black Prince once used to create the Zodiac several millennia ago."
"If my memory serves me right, that requires the blood of three specific individuals," said Viserra, displaying she had researched many things and took her role as Queen seriously. Finn could only hum; however, the question remained: the blood of whom would be used. Despite his desire for it not to be true, Finn knew Viserra's blood was vital to the ritual in question; she was the only mundane to travel to the Underworld and remain mortal, and her blood would be what bound the magic to the stones in question; however, that would come at a heavy cost and one he personally was unwilling to pay, as he was sure many demons would be just as so.
"Let's not worry about that for now," voiced Finn, wishing for nothing more than to forget the impending threat of such a destructive power being birthed. Instead, he wished to focus on happier things, such as seeing his queen truly smile again. "We have a wedding to attend and love to celebrate," added the king as the pair turned into the throne room, only to find the inner circle of Balor gathered near the twin thrones that had since been updated.
"Something tells me such concerns won't be so easily forgotten," said Viserra as she looked at Finn. A deep sigh escaped the king as he quickly gathered something had happened since he had left the group of men less than an hour prior. Among those gathered was Jeff Hardy, the powerful seer who had since drifted into the Queen's service. Kane, Aleister, Bray, Damian, and The Undertaker were muttering between themselves, almost arguing, when they noticed the royal pair. Their heated words were quickly hushed, and fake smiles were put in place to hide their obvious disagreement.
"Snow has returned to Shadow-Stone," uttered Kane, his voice loud and filled with anger. Giuseppe Snow was not someone demons were a fan of, where hope had once been his part in the journey and had come to its end, and frustration only grew upon his reappearance. Despite the hope of many that he would not be a threat this time, things falling into place were suggesting otherwise. "He's not alone; he has a circle of sellswords and an enchantress with him. They've taken up residency in Snow's old family home," announced the demon of fire; anger burned his mismatched eyes visible through the mask of terror he wore.
"What is it he desires this time?" asked Viserra, being the first of the pair to push down the fear beginning to bubble. She knew her uncle well enough to know he was not there to simply give his fortune wishes to the bride and groom, even less so when his precious daughter was not the bride in question. There was little doubt in Viserra's mind that Giuseppe planned to do everything he could to ensure Prince Lucian abandoned his chosen bride in favor of the now lowly Allegra. However, even she couldn't deny there was likely another reason for his unannounced and unwelcome return. Revenge was the most likely reason to bring his own twisted version of justice to those he blamed for losing power and plans being forgotten.
"We are unsure," spoke The Undertake, cursing his abilities as seer and the truth he was determined to ignore. "Best not to worry about it, My Queen; enjoy the wedding; we here will focus on solving it and update you both if anything important is discovered," he added, tipping his leather-bound hat to both in the hopes of ushering them to Umbara just a little quicker. Yet, despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop the guilt and regret that glimmered in his eyes. Nor could he stamp out the feeling he was betraying the royal pair.
Finn, however, quickly sensed that something was amiss. He could feel the Undertaker's guilt and regret overwhelming him. Without hesitation, Finn opened the familiar, shimmering red portal to Umbara and sent Viserra through, promising to join her in time for the anticipated wedding. The moment the portal closed, the king's focus shifted to his inner circle, filled with questions that flooded his mind—some too jumbled to comprehend, but all requiring his attention.
"What aren't you saying?" asked Finn, his voice as loud as his thoughts and just as demanding; at the same time, his eyes glowed the familiar yellow, as if the true form of Balor was taking control rather than the once mortal man his host had been. "I sense the guilt and regret radiating from all of you, so enlighten me on what I don't know," he added as fury began to radiate from him, so much so he hadn't noticed Jeff behind him begin to move, moving to stand before the king as if he was the shield between Balor and the king's inner circle.
"We only delayed the inevitable," worded Aleister, sadness ringing through his quiet voice. However, he'd spent months hoping to save Viserra from the fate many had seen coming; he knew now that it was impossible; like many moments of tragedy and hope, her fate appeared to be a fixed point. No matter what anyone did, it would happen one way or another. "All the clues point to Snow succeeding in creating a Mundane weapon against us," he added, expecting a volatile reaction from both Finn and Balor; after all, the queen's life always hung in the balance.
"You can not stop it; none of us can," came Kane's booming voice once more. "She will be sacrificed as part of the ritual; only one question remains," he added so coldly it could make the dead shiver. Finn's eyes soon widened as if what he'd just done occurred to him. By sending Viserra ahead, he'd essentially just delivered her to Giuseppe on a silver platter; even worse, Viserra was unknowingly walking into the jaws of doom.
"There is no question, Viserra will rise again as the truest form of Devitt," replied Jeff, answering the burning question that remained: if Viserra would truly leave them so soon or if she would become a demon as expected. "Tread carefully; she will not be forgiving as the queens to have come before have been; she will not forget those who betrayed her," added the seer, keeping the true power of the queen to come forth to himself and the secret of how this version would be created. If Viserra embraced her life as a demon, no one would be more powerful, even despite the curse she was set to bear.
A/N - Wishing everyone a very happy holidays and new year x