1 Century Later
Years passed quickly since Allegra had accepted Ash Cloud Castle and immortality. Yet despite getting what she'd initially desired, she found herself wanting more. Among the things she now wanted was power and to be unlinked from her brother, Qimir. She wanted a new castle, too, not one burdened by constant volcanic eruptions and blanketed in clouds so thick that no daylight could break through. However, despite making demands to have an audience with either the king or queen, she'd always been denied, as had her demand of being turned into a proper demon and joining the demonic ranks in a high position, not the queenship she thought she deserved but a high position nonetheless and one that came with undeniable power.
What bothered Allegra more than her undesirable castle and lack of power, however, was not being in the know. Despite wishing to know the goings-on of the Demonic Realm, despite acting as if she knew every little thing that happened there to those she claimed as her servants, in reality, she knew nothing outside of knowing that no new demon had joined the ranks for almost half a century. The only change that occurred during that time was her brother Qimir; he'd finally overcome his trials and regained his humanity. However, that hadn't dulled his hatred of her and their father.
"I didn't give you permission to step foot in my castle," growled Allegra, upon noticing a portal of icy blue sparks open at the end of one of the abandoned cold stone halls; from it stepped Dexter, Dean, and Viserra, all three dressed as the mortals they'd once been all be it their clothes updated to match the latest trends of the world they'd stepped into.
"Your permission is not required," voiced Viserra, her voice nonchalant; her resentment hadn't faded over the century; if anything, it had grown. Allegra rolled her eyes, hatred burning behind them as she recalled the previous times her cousin, the queen, had visited the mortal realm. First, for the funeral of King Matthias Iseult, she stayed for Lucian's coronation before returning to the demonic realm; her second visit had been for the funeral of Edith; that time, Qimir had accompanied her, and it was rumored Edith had a funeral fit for a queen, although Allegra had not attended herself she had heard the whispers of it.
The last time Viserra had personally visited the mortal realm was at the request of King Lucian himself; his final wish before death was to see her one last time. Despite the Umbrian king being on his deathbed, he still found humor in how he'd grown old and frail, while his beloved Viserra remained untouched by time, as had the legend of the Umbrian lost princess.
"Why do you come this time?" Allegra harshly questioned, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "I have heard of no reason for you to visit; nothing has happened that would require your attention," she added as if she were the appointed governor of the mortal realm. When no answer was given to her in the minutes that followed, she raised an eyebrow expectantly.
"What business brings us here is none of your concern," replied Dean, his icy eyes locked on Allegra as if he was determining whether she was still classified as an enemy or if she was worthy of his pity now. "Just know three of us come, but four of us will leave," he added cryptically. Instantly, Dexter shook his head upon Allegra, getting excited, no doubt remembering the words Finn had spoken to her shortly after she'd settled in at the castle.
"Only one horseman has come," spoke Viserra, her voice cold and void of all emotion and humanity. "We are here to retrieve the second," she added, at least being satisfied the long-standing rumor of Allegra being one of the horsemen would finally be dismantled once and for all. Just like when Dean rose to power, many in the demonic realm made predictions on which this horseman would be: The Prince, The Family Curse, or The Warrior Of Old. Even those apart of the Balor's circle had made their guess. However, none with foresight had neither confirmed nor denied any of the predictions. All Jeff had said was that Viserra would be responsible for the creation of two of the horsemen: this one and another.
"He promised I would be turned," grumbled Allegra, frustrated she'd have to wait even longer for the likely thinly veiled promise to come true. "How much longer must I wait?" she questioned, wanting nothing more than to gain demonic power and finally be free of what bound her to Qimir. Be free from the immortality she'd once desired, but now she believed it was a curse of its own.
"I said I'd grant your demonic turn after all four horsemen have come," came the voice of the demon king from the flickering flames of the smoldering fire. "Only the damned will know when that is," he continued. Finn's voice served as enough of a distraction; Viserra, Dexter, and Dean were able to leave with little hassle. As per the queen's instruction, Dean and Dexter would visit the village of Comet's Grove to keep watch over the Orton family, if only so they could get an idea of which son would be reborn as the next horseman.
Meanwhile, Viserra would pay a visit to the nearby village of Ravenwood, specifically to teach the overbearing Lord Aaron Helmsley a lesson regarding his habit of claiming he had the power to call upon and use her as a weapon against his enemies. Despite Viserra denying Allegra's involvement in the conflict between the noble and wealthy Orton family and the slowly rising Helmsley, she knew her cousin had carefully pulled the strings, no doubt hoping to course enough chaos; she'd somehow either gain a little more power or she'd mess with the order the damned had in place.
"All I ask is to be turned; how difficult is it to grant a simple request?" asked Allegra, her attention firmly on the smoldering fire burning in the stone fireplace of her chambers. Although the fire was intended to warm the cold rooms, it did little but give an illusion of life an ordinary mundane would desire, of what she had once wished for.
"How difficult is it for you to be patient?" retorted Finn just as quickly; this time, his voice didn't echo from the flames but from a forgotten corner of the room. Allegra promptly turned to the corner Finn had appeared from, his expression unreadable. However, that didn't stop her from finding the oddity of his appearance, nor the way he seemed to hide. As if he didn't want anyone to know he was there. "Like it or not, the horsemen take priority," he added, not wording his desire and hope that this horseman would be the prince.
Although he didn't wish to see the Iseult line fall, he also knew the villages were too close to Umbara for it to be a coincidence. Perhaps the demon to rise was somehow related to the ancient bloodline, or maybe it was, as Bray said, and this horseman was simply a precurse to what was to come, a testament to the power Viserra truly had. After all, no one had called Viserra home. Instead, she'd visited the mortal realm once more simply because Jeff, Bray, and Alexa had indicated she needed to be there.
"Why must they take priority? I am the queen's cousin; surely I am more important than three men that mean nothing?" spat Allegra as if she were a child demanding attention. However, her immediate response had little effect on Finn, who simply shook his head. Recognizing the truth, Allegra either didn't realize it or ignored it because it didn't align with her desires.
"Knowledge of your blood ties to Viserra went to the grave with Lucian," replied Finn, his words nonchalant and impossible to ignore. "The same with Qimir," added the demonic king, at least revealing few who lived now even realized Viserra, Qimir, and Allegra were tied by blood. The information being forgotten had given two of them freedom but would be but another curse to the third. "As for you being more important than the Horsemen's Rise, the damned say otherwise."
"What do you get out of their rise anyway? All scriptures state they will be loyal to Viserra," interrogated Allegra, brushing her braided blonde locks over her shoulder. A grin spread across her painted lips mere seconds later, upon noticing her sudden question had struck something within the king, as if she realized she wasn't the only one who desired something; the king did too. "You know we could help each other?" she said as if she was quickly putting together a new plan to gain power.
"There's nothing you can do to help me," replied Finn, hearing the voice of Balor echo within his head, his demon warning him not to betray his queen, even more so when the cost was far higher than either would admit. "I only desire three things; all will come in time and when the damned deem I am worthy enough to have them," admitted the king; although he didn't state what he wanted, he did display his trust in the kings of old, the ones who decided the fate and destiny of all demons to rise and fall.
"How do you know I can't help?" quizzed Allegra, clearly trying to get answers to her bugging questions to exploit what she had deemed a weakness. Finn, however, wandered over to the arched window toward the villages of Comet's Borough and Ravenwood. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he began to wonder what would happen to the villages. Would they be lost to time, as Eprea had, or would they transform, as Bebbanburg had, over the previous century? "It's plain to see we both wish the Horsemen would rise quicker," she added with a silky tone to her voice as if trying to seduce the king or prove she was far more valuable than previously thought. "You know my reasoning, but I wonder what yours are. I wonder what you desire that must wait."
"The destruction of the seven," whispered Finn, his voice so quiet and filled with regret that Allegra had nearly missed his gently spoken words. "And love," he added, although he knew it wasn't just the love he desired but also the one meant for Viserra. He wished she would welcome love as the gift it was when it came rather than fear the strings that would be attached to it. Fear what she'd lose. "I desire the cursed weapon your father created to be destroyed and forgotten; I wish that my queen find the love and happiness she deserves and that I finally find my wife."
"My father created no weapon," argued Allegra, showing her lack of knowledge again while also giving Finn the reassurance he'd been needing. If Allegra didn't know of the stone, then he and his inner circle had succeeded with their plan. The Seven, like the Black Zodiac, had been erased from history and become nothing but a barely whispered rumor. "Viserra's sacrifice was to banish you and your demons from the mortal realm for good and ensure she would never be the true queen of either realm. She was my biggest rival, the hurdle always standing in the way of getting what I wanted. She still is."
"Then your father failed," Finn harshly responded, his back turned to Allegra so she wouldn't see the proud grin that appeared across his lips. "Viserra is the true demon queen, and we demons are still able to come and go from the mortal realm as we please," he added, finding the irony amusing. Giuseppe Snow had only realized it at the end: Viserra was always meant to be queen; his hatred had cemented her immortality in history, turning her into the queen who would always be remembered rather than one that could easily be forgotten in the woes of history and time.
"Maybe he did, but that doesn't mean a follow of his legacy won't succeed one day," replied Allegra, her voice harsh now, filled with all the hatred, resentment, and frustration she had carefully hidden over the last century or so. Her grin grew when Finn turned to face her, concern alight in his pale eyes as if a forgotten question had finally been answered. "If not me, then someone else. You may have won the battle against my father, but you didn't eliminate all those who followed him; you didn't tie off all the loose ends," she added, as if believing Finn was stupid and those of the demonic realm were oblivious to what she's spent time and care trying to cultivate.
"They're not a threat for now," replied Finn, "And you're not one either; if you were, you'd be dead already," he added with such calmness it unnerved Allegra. "I granted you immortality; you seem to forget that I can just as easily take it away," enlightened the king, "I'm well aware your father's legacy will strike again when it does; a centuries-long war will follow," he added, sharing the knowledge Allegra had been in the dark about for so long, the demons knew Giuseppe's legacy wasn't gone, even if the man himself had been rightfully executed. "For your sake, daughter of snow, hope you are not a part of the reason that war comes; I doubt the kings of old or the damned will be forgiving."
"What if I am a part of his legacy? Either way, I'll get what I want," confidently worded Allegra as if she was working those around her to speed it up. "If you won't grant what I want, then perhaps it is time the demonic realm had a new king," she spoke as if she had the unspoken power to change what was. Finn could only laugh at her words, a deep rumble of laughter that instantly twisted Allegra's pride and happiness into anger and further frustration.
"What makes you think you'll be around to see a new king rise?" simply but effortlessly questioned Finn, his words spoken so casually one wouldn't think anything was threatening about them. Immediately, Allegra's face fell as if his words had broken the imaginary world of power she'd built around herself. "Here is a little tidbit you missed. After me, another Balor will rise again as someone else; he always does. Viserra, however, is the final form of Devitt; when she falls, no queen will follow her. The old ways die with her; the new will rise from the legacy she leaves behind."
"I have immortality, and if I get my desire to become a demon, I will be there to see her fall; I will be there to see your replacement rise too; I'll help them if I must," spat Allegra with hatred now, anger bubbled further when Finn rolled his eyes at her comment. Her threats seemed to have no effect on him.
"Do you think me a fool?" asked Finn, his eyes darkening as the silky words left his lips; the clouds outside seemed to grow darker, too, as if warning of an oncoming storm. "I'm well aware of who you are, Allegra Snow; despite your beliefs, everything comes at a price; your immortality and eventually demonic nature will be no exception. Remember this: a demon can choose to end their own immortal life. Whether demon or technically mortal, you only live as long as Qimir does," he warned, shining a harsh light on what Allegra had neglected for years; her power depended on the survival of her brother; Qimir held the power she wanted; she would always be dependent on him for survival even when she despised him as much as he hated her.
"The fourth will fall by his own sword," came the ominous voice of Alexa through the flames. Instantly, Finn looked to the fire, curiosity shimmering in his eyes; he replayed the words traded between himself and Allegra, trying to decipher what either had said to trigger the Dane seer to utter her warning. What had caused the kings of old to show her the event yet to be written?
"What do you see, Alexa?" gently asked Finn as if he could see the smaller woman through the flames. Allegra slowly stepped closer to the fireplace, her movements weary and quiet as if to hide her intentions and protect herself.
"Once forgotten, weapons will come to light again, forcing the hand of two kings. One demands the sacrifice of fourteen, the other a life to end a curse. The city of shadow and stone will rise again when the immortal loves come forth. What five were once denied will finally be given when two ancient weapons are finally destroyed." muttered Alexa between bouts of silence and crazed laughter. Her words did little to settle the growing feelings of dread.
"A queen will rise again and with her, her most loyal followers," Finn mindlessly spoke, as if he had heard Alexa's words before or they had triggered a forgotten memory of a past life. For the longest time, Finn had believed the queen rising again was the last form of Devitt; after all, those who had previously been loyal to her in past lifetimes had regained their lost power, and chief among them was Dexter. Now, however, Finn questioned if that was the case or if the queen rising again was meant to be someone else. A mortal queen, perhaps, a reincarnation of a past queen that coincided with the return of her most loyal followers.