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As he stared at his twin brother, Elias was overcome with conflicting emotions. They had been born as two halves of the same whole, inseparable from the moment they took their first breath. But as he looked into Ezra's eyes, he saw that something had changed. The bright green that had once shone so brilliantly now held a darkness that made Elias uneasy.
Despite this, he could not bring himself to harm his own flesh and blood. They had grown up together, shared everything, and he couldn't bear the thought of turning his sword against his twin. But as much as it pained him, Elias knew that he had to put his family's safety first. They were his only concern, and he would do whatever it took to protect them, even if it meant fighting against his own brother.
Lowering his sword, his eyes pleaded with him. “Please.”
“No. All of this should have been mine. Father made the wrong choice.” Ezra spat at him, getting up to his feet. Ezra was not going to back down.
“By your actions, I believe he made the best choice for our realm.”
Another roar erupted from Ezra as he launched himself at Elias. The king didn’t see the dagger in Ezra’s hand as he moved, before it plunged into his chest. Eyes wide, shock on his face as Ezra pulls him closer, the blade burying itself deeper in his chest.
“I know the secret,brother.” Ezra whispered in his ear twisting the blade, a final killing blow. The blood oozed from the wound. “You cannot protect her forever, hide her away but I will find her. She will come to me. The land has been cursed; the entire realm will be mine.”
A wet laugh- turned cough escapes from the King’s lips, blood spilling from the corner, “All of this trouble, and you still haven’t won Ezra. What have you gained from this...” Mockingly, “Lord of the Dark Fae?”
Ezra scoffs before pulling the knife and stepping away. Watching the king fumble for the throne clutching at his chest, his sword lay forgotten beside him. He watched his brother die before him, the light leaving his eyes as he slumped down. A regiment of Fae knights in black armor rushed in through the doors.
“Find her.” Ezra barked.
ChapterOne
SERRA
Rothnia, 1810
I’ve lived in this village for most of my life, and for the most part that’s fine by me. But in late fall when the sky fills with birds migrating to the continent in the south for the winter- traveling thousands of miles to get there- I get homesick for places I’ve never been. Places like in my dreams.
Enchanted forests, forbidden lakes, lush green gardens surrounding a large stone castle ravaged over time by war. A world of fairies, Fae, goblins and immortals. A world occupied far beyond the confines of Rothnia and the Mortal Lands. A realm that only existed in my dreams. A realm so unrealistic that my mind reprimanded me each morning for the falseness that it was. However, as I watched the birds fly home, I cannot help but wonder if I was meant for greater things.
As if I could grow my own pair of wings and fly away with them.
We had made it through another winter and spring was almost in full bloom. The migratory birds make their voices known by the songs in the trees. The burrow animals coming out from hibernation, the world was waking up again. A familiar sound and smell. The wet earth is full of life and ever-changing. The trees in bloom and the harmony of existence carries on.
With the changing of the season came the changes of the Lands. In a few short weeks, the Lands would be alive again with mundane daily life. As mortals, we were merely inhabitants. Insignificant to the life around us, to the binding of time. It came and went, never stopping. No matter how you tried.
But winter slows everything down, being so close to the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, it causes trade routes to close. The snow off the mountain caps often caused avalanches in the pass and the winter winds on the water sent more to their watery grave every year.
With Spring, Sailors could set out safely for work again, men and women would come together in the village square to sell a wide variety of things. Pastries, jewelry, even stones and gems from far off places. The children ran the streets, laughing and singing, reciting old nursery rhymes, and kites raised in the spring breeze. The merchants made port and the pass opened up again to trade.
Rothnia wasn’t large, but it was a port city- technically. One of many for those who stopped after crossing the Adrid Seas. I wish all of it was so appealing to me. The joy and happiness Spring brought. The preparations for the Spring Festival.
But not this year.
This year was different.
A calm breeze had picked up around me, lifting the shawl around my shoulders. The chilled air sent a shudder down my spine. My dark hair was braided back to keep it out of my face, a few tendrils falling loose, left blowing gently as the breeze caressed my face. The linen fabric of my skirts moved softly, the hems covered in crusted dirt and mud. I didn’t own much, but I was cared for.
Or at least I had been.
I didn’t have a lot to my name.
Just this plot of land outside the village and the cottage next to the garden. The building was small- constructed of rock and limestone mortar. A thatched roof kept the rain out. The interior was warm, made up of a single open room with a large fireplace and table. A couple chairs, a few cabinets to make up a kitchenette and a small bedroom at the back with a loft above. It wasn’t large by today’s standards, but it was home.
My home.
While it was tucked up off the main road, it was still nestled a few feet from the forest edge at the base of a smaller mountain. The stream running along the edge of the property wound its way along before disappearing into the Ebony Woods.
The black barked trees and the white leaves kept many from entering its depths, but as a little girl I often played next to it- my imagination traveled rapidly and wild. I never quite wandered in though, even as it called to me. It beckoned me to step just one foot inside.
