Allegra shivered, not from the cold but from the fear that had been her constant companion since being dragged to the demonic realm. She'd come across many while wandering about the endless corridors carved into the never-ending cave the realm appeared to be. Some appeared as normal people, frozen in time; others were more akin to rabid animals. At first, Allegra had believed she could get away with her normal behavior, judging some while attempting to wrap others around her little finger. However, she was meant with a harsh lesson upon casting loudly worded judgment on Nikki Bella, the fire priestess. Her twin Brie, the ice priestess, hadn't held back with her own judgment.
In Allegra's mind, things had gone downhill from there. She always felt watched and soon realized that not everything was what it seemed. Members of the Wyatt Family always seemed to send a shiver down her spine, none more so than Alexa, who often grinned playfully. One of those who had been relatively normal to her had caused her more panic, even by accident. The Seer, Jeff Hardy. He'd helped Allegra upon her tripping and falling; only when she gripped onto him in fear she'd run away screaming the instant she realized his torso was nothing but bone.
"What's going to happen to me," squeaked Allegra from the shadows between the twin iron thrones. One of those she'd deemed ordinary paced the room silently. One she'd seen the year prior, she remembered him being one of the travelers who'd taken her brother and cousin. One of them had proclaimed that her cousin would be queen no matter what her father did. "What happened to my father?"
"Whatever the queen decides," replied Aleister, his voice the usual tone, calm and even, despite being in the presence of something he'd deemed a curse to humanity and demonic kind alike. "I doubt you'll be here longer than you need to be," he worded quietly, sensing neither Viserra nor Qimir could handle an eternity stuck with the selfish woman; he doubted any demon could handle the curse Allegra truly was. Without another word, the demon, so often called the Devil, cast a pale blue powder into the flames closest to Allegra, allowing her to see what had become of her father, to see he couldn't save her, let alone himself.
"He survived the massacre?" spoke Allegra with surprise, lacing her quiet voice. She thought he'd been mercilessly slaughtered alongside the rest of his followers, the nameless men set to be a dark and likely forgotten part of Umbaran history. Her heart soon sank upon hearing King Matthias' words, proclaiming her father a disgrace and a criminal before sentencing him to death via hanging. "Send me back," ordered Allegra, her voice loud and commanding as tears shimmered in her eyes, even more so to see no one protested her father's execution, not even her mother had, nor anyone who once called Giuseppe friend.
"There's nothing you can do to stop fate from taking its course," Finn said in a stern, loud voice to ensure he was heard over Allegra's yelling. "Giuseppe's part is finally over," he added, noticing Jeff in the corner opposite Allegra. He had the same expression Undertaker had mere hours ago, and Alexa had the day before. "Sadly, his legacy will continue to haunt and devastate others."
"And I'll be around to see it," grinned Allegra, victorious, her fear momentarily forgotten, at least until she noticed the figure of her brother staring at her as if she were a piece of meat. The way his eyes shone without emotion and his mouth watered as he looked at her forced a horrified shiver to rattle down her spine. Even more so when she questioned what had happened to him, he wasn't as weak as he had been before, nor was he voiceless now. She barely recognized him as human now, let alone the object she loved to torment. Instead, he was animal-like; his words, if he spoke, were akin to growls, and he'd hissed at her on several occasions.
"WITCH!" yelled Qimir before launching at Allegra. Lucky for her, Kane had appeared and blocked his path just moments before he could reach her. "SHE'S A CURSE ON US ALL, A PLAGUE; SHE DOESN'T BELONG HERE, YOU CAN'T GIVE HER POWER, SHE'LL RUIN US ALL," he yelled, so loudly his words ricocheted off walls, trapping those occupying the throne room in a bubble with his words.
Allegra cowered away behind the Queen's iron throne, again shaking with fear. The brother she knew wouldn't have dared speak those words in her vicinity before, let alone yell them so loudly even the dead could hear. Tears shone in her hazel eyes of judgment now; he was right; she didn't belong in the demonic realm. Now she saw no place for her in Umbara either, so many saw her as Qimir did, an entitled brat who destroyed what she couldn't have. Now she was paying the price of it; if she were to return to the mortal realm, she'd have no one waiting for her, no place to call home now Prince Lucian and his bride Esperanza burnt the old Snow homestead to the ground, she had no friends either, no family to turn to.
"Turn me," demanded Allegra once she crawled from her hiding place. Her voice was quiet, void of all emotions. She had nothing waiting for her now, no hope of getting what she wanted in Umbara or anywhere else in the mortal realm. Her mind told her that if she was to turn, at least she would still have her brother and cousin, and she could still hold onto them. She'd have the power to if she was lucky, although she dared not hope that far.
For a moment, the demons in her presence appeared to be taken aback by her demand as if expecting her to do the opposite. Finn and Aleister glanced at each other before their attention turned to Jeff, who seemed just as stunned. Even Kane was bewildered by the turn of events. Qimir, however, had fallen silent, although a wicked grin appeared across his dry lips, as if he wanted nothing more than to see his curse of a sister suffer, if only so she would know what it felt like.
"It's not for us to decide," voiced Damian from the Queen's Arch; his words cut through the silence and tension building in the throne room, although even he would admit Allegra's demand had surprised him too, considering her hatred for the demonic kind. "Your fate lies with the Queen; until then, you remain here as you are," he added, seeing the resentment paint on Allegra's features; despite her newfound desire to become a demon, she still questioned who the queen was after all she knew what her father needed Viserra for, knew he had succeeded, knew Viserra wouldn't have survived it.
"Then I want to talk to your queen," confidently replied Allegra, holding her chin up high. Eventually, she'd get what she wanted; she always did. "I shall plead my case to the queen and the king if I must," she added, displaying how oblivious she truly was, something that was soon brought to her attention by Aleister's huff of laughter, laughter that didn't stop even when Allegra glared at him.
"The king is right here," voiced Aleister, gesturing over to Finn, standing at his side. Realization soon dawned on Allegra; she could not fool him with sweetness and innocence; he'd been in Umbara before, seeing her as she was. Yet still, Allegra looked over Finn carefully; he didn't look like a king; he wore no crown upon his head nor acted like one. She'd find it tough to believe he was a demon had she not known any better, something she would have said for others she'd encountered. Most seem so ordinary as if there was nothing special about them.
"Viserra is the said Queen," spoke Finn as if the answer was obvious; a chuckle escaped his lips as confusion wrote itself on Allegra's features. "Fate can be a bitch, as you are learning. The kings of old chose her, the last form of Devitt and the most powerful," he added, recalling her vicious temper, a side effect of the suffering she was destined to face throughout her reign. A temper he was sure he'd be on the receiving end for the next century or so, a fate he believed he deserved considering he'd broken his promise to her, a promise he'd been foolish enough to make despite knowing he'd never be able to keep to it.
"I can be your queen," called Allegra, stepping from the shadows of the twin iron thrones for the first time. "I can be your wife," she added, ignoring the silent expressions and the cold, deadly glare Qimir was throwing at her. Allegra's confidence only grew when she turned her attention to the Queen's Throne, how the ironwork was so beautifully done; it was far better than the wooden ones of Umbara.
"You are not the one meant to be mine," replied Finn, his voice harsh despite his words ringing with truth. Again, confusion wrote over Allegra's features, something all within the throne room picked up on, even Qimir did. "Your mundane traditions don't apply here. Viserra is my queen but not my wife," he explained, although he didn't word how that could be. He saw no reason to, considering none knew what Viserra would choose to do with Allegra. Perhaps she'd show mercy and grant Allegra's demand, or Viserra would choose another fate for Allegra, no doubt one that was deserved. "Know this: if Viserra grants your request by some miracle, you will not get special treatment; you will start at the bottom like everyone else."
"Like me," spoke Qimir, a wicked grin upon his lips again, this time over the thoughts of his entitled sister working to get what she wanted; that alone would be worth an eternity of being stuck with her. "Only a few are granted a high rank upon turning. The last was Dean besides Viserra," he added, recalling the path he was personally on was anything but easy. To regain the loss of humanity, the lower-level demons had to face their past, the torment and bitterness, the trauma they were so determined to hide from. "A member of the Queen's Guard with Dexter, if I recall."
"What was so special about him?" asked Allegra, her voice echoing with resentment and anger. Silently, she wondered what made someone more important than others and what determined who got what role.
"I saw him coming; the forsaken chose him," smoothly replied Jeff; although he refused to explain anything more than that, he saw no reason why the foul woman should be privy to things not even the king knew. Why should anyone know what was to come with the horseman? "There are others to come, a family curse, a prince, and the warrior of old," he added, although he refused to speak further or indicate when the last three horsemen would rise or who they would be.