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She wore a black sports bra with a matching black shirt, and her body was cloaked with sweat just like mine was.
I took her in from head to toe, my eyes lingering on her bare legs because of the scars that were visibly present along their lengthy structure, just like her back.
I must have completely zoned out for she had to repeat what she’d previously stated.
“Are you that surprised by how my skin looks without glamor?”
Blinking out of my daze, I lifted my eyes to meet her once more, and she moved the smoothie bottle from my cheek and waved it in my line of view.
“This is heavy.”
“Oh." I stated the comment before relieving her of the weight by accepting it. “Thanks.”
“Arthur made it,” she announced before sitting down next to me as if this was a normal occurrence. “Whether it’ll taste good or kill us is beyond me.”
Despite the comment, she didn’t hesitate to unscrew the cap of her green smoothie and begin to drink the contents while staring forward.
I didn’t know why I was so glued to staring at her, but I managed to pull myself out of it and focus on trying out this smoothie Arthur had apparently made.
“Thanks,” I began as I started to unscrew the cap. “You guys were asleep when I left.”
“True,” she began before taking another sip of her drink. “I woke up a bit after and Arthur was already in the kitchen making these smoothies. He said you went out and figured you’d be hungry since you haven’t really eaten anything,” she explained. “Whisky doesn’t count as food.”
“Sadly,” I mumbled, but I appreciated their concern. “You didn’t have to come over here to give it to me.”
“I needed air,” she confessed. “I dislike being inside for too long.”
My eye returned to her plentiful scars before I tugged my gaze away to look at the horizon.
“Makes you feel trapped?” I quietly commented.
“Like a bird trapped in a gilded cage,” she whispered. “That’s what I was for a long time. It’s what I agreed upon for the sake of my kingdoms. I can’t complain much. Being a prisoner of fate is better than being rejected because of your gender.”
How true her words were.
“I guess it’s about time I know what’s going on with Aurelia, huh?”
Actually saying her name left an odd bitterness in my mouth, and I guessed my soured expression only confirmed my discomfort with it all for Aura stated, “You don’t need to mention her name if you’re not comfortable doing so. You’re not forced to act like everything is okay, like stating her name doesn’t bring you agony after your immense loss. I’d never judge you, even if she’s my sister. Your emotions are as valid as your traumatic experiences.”
“I appreciate it,” I muttered and sighed. “How bad is the verdict?”
“Faerie has finished their investigation and determined Aurelia is not only the prime culprit of treason, but they’ve decided to label her as the Vile Queen herself.”
It took me far too long to react to those words as if the whole thing was struggling to process because of how utterly prosperous it sounded.
“You’re not actually serious,” I finally answered as I slowly glanced over to meet Aura’s serious expression. She looked almost identical to Aurelia, only her eyes were now golden with various hues of orange and red which I assumed signified her frustration.
“I’ve requested to hear the verdict from Queen Elphaba herself, and she indeed confirmed the report was true,” Aura stressed.
“That’s impossible.”
No way in hell were they going to pin all of this on Aurelia. I hated her right now, and I’d yet to determine if that hate would be permanent, but this was seriously some fabricated bullshit.
“There’s no way they can pin her for being the Vile Queen. That sinister woman has been around for a long time. We were probably babies or at least between three and six before she showed up and began causing mayhem in the shifter community with the only connection being her magic usage. Plus, the Coven can vouch that they raised Aurelia themselves after your parents perished. Why the hell would they be fine with such bullshit?”
“That’s the thing,” Aura began and took a long sip of her smoothie. “Not only did the Coven accept the decision, but they also encouraged public execution for her apparent act of treason that has brought disgrace to them and the magic community.”
“Now that’s fucking bullshit,” I hissed.
