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She tried to smile, but it was filled with sadness as she blinked away her tears.
“When mentions of a Vile Queen began to surface, I didn’t want to believe it was you. I wished to be naive…even if it made me a fool because I still cherished your memory. I cherished what we had many years ago. I didn’t care if we were different. That I’d delved into becoming a hybrid while you wished to remain a witch. Our powers, ranks, none of that ever mattered to me, Anastasia. All I cared about was you being happy.”
“Happy? That’s it…?”
“That’s it,” she repeated. “As long as you were happy, I’d love you forever. You deserved that, after all you’d been through with the Coven…but I guess I failed in projecting that. I got too caught up in claiming my birthright of the Phoenix Empire and building my own pack to see the signs. By the time I did, well…it was too late. So I stand here before many who service me and apologize to you, Anastasia Delianna Clementine.”
“Apo…logize?” She seemed so shocked.
“I’m sorry, Sia,” Mother whispered. “Forgive me for not being the best friend you needed.”
“Elphaba…” Her shoulders slumped as she truly realized the harm she’d caused not only to those she loved but to a magnitude of innocent people.
“What will you do, Queen Elphaba?” a bold Coven member declared as she rose up on unsteady feet and pointed to the Vile Queen.
“She deserves to be crucified!”
“Ya! She killed so many! Elder Etna is on fire and suffering!”
“She deserves a lifetime of suffering!”
The Coven witches continued to speak up to the point that I felt a tad annoyed by it.
“Enough!”I demanded and that shut them up real quick as my voice boomed with power.“The decision will be spoken between the Phoenix Family and the members of the High Council! Her fate is not any of your concern.”
“B-But—” one tried to argue, but now Dimitris stood closer to the cliff while his hand slipped into mine.
“Many of you here have to be judged for your undisclosed actions against Aurelia Delianna Clementine,” he reminded them as his eyes darkened and his Pureblood energy came rushing forward.“Unless every single one of you is innocent, you don’t have the right to throw a rock of judgment at another.”
They bowed their heads immediately, realizing they were all in trouble for their own contributions. It may have been smaller in extent, but it still caused harm to one who didn’t deserve such scrutiny.
“Guards, take Anastasia away,” Mother announced. “We will meet very shortly to discuss her punishments for the crimes she’s committed.”
Dimitris hooked an arm around me before we moved in a blur and were at the bottom of the cliff with the rest of the pack. The moment I was in the range of Aurelia, I let go of his hand only to debate if I could even approach her after everything.
Our friendship had been challenged throughout these last few months, and at one point, I failed to see how innocent she was.I’d failed her. That left me wondering if she still wanted this friendship.
If we could start over.
Her eyes met mine as she paused in talking to her pack who was quickly hugging and kissing her in relief that she was alive.
“If you don’t come over here and hug me, bitch, I swear we ain’t friends anymor—OOMPH!”
I didn’t let her finish, my speed clearly getting the best of her as I crashed into her, which had us crashing into the ground.
“Fucking hell! When did you get so bloody fast? What? Did Dimi make you into a damn vampire?!”
“Don’t call me Dimi,” Dimitris huffed, which made me snicker before I hugged her tightly.
“I’m sorry, Aurelia. So, so sorry!”
“Jeez. I knew what was happening, Silly. You were acting for most of the part. At least until I apparently shot your Papa Dearest.” She looked over to Roberto. “My bad. I mean, I still hate you for being an ass of a dad, but I guess there was a hidden purpose there.”
“That doesn’t even sound like an apology,” Roberto grumbled, to which Ruby’s father began to laugh joyously.
“Admit it. You’re still butt hurt you almost died! If it wasn’t for that Fae part of you matched with your daughter’s smart thinking, you would have been a bloody goner! Were you gonna leave our Elphaba to me alone? That would have been a crime of weakness!”
“Fuck off!” Roberto snarled, looking like he’d pounce on the massive man.
