𝟏 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋 - 𝙎𝙄𝙍𝙄𝙐𝙎 𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘾𝙆

↠Where Can We Go? - 043*

"We repeat, we don't repair."

— W H E R E  C A N  W E  G O ? —

LIFE AFTER DEATH feels like being set on fire and then being left to lay in the ashes of what was once you. A part that wasted away right in front of you, of everyone. It's breathing in smoke as the others get pure oxygen. Sage Marie Mary-Windsor has been left to lay in the ashes of what once was. Starting at the age of 15, death was her only constant, and now it is her only friend.

Through all the rough turns in her life, the sharp edges, she was expected to rebuild herself. But at that time, she had the support she needed to do just that.

Now they are all gone.

———

"Where were you?" Lily Evan's asked her best friend after she had walked into their group-shared dorm, Alice Fortescue in the bathroom taking a shower. Sage walked over to her trunk and pulled out a nightgown, exhaustion from the day she had. "I had to meet with Professor Dumbledore quickly, regarding my N.E.W.T.S and such. . . Since it's for magical careers and I obviously won't be getting one." Lily seemed satisfied with Sage's answer.

The young Queen pulled their braids out and let her hair fall down her back, and then slowly moved to untie the top layer of her dress. Lily stared at her back, Sage was looking thinner and thinner every day. The redhead felt guilty for not noticing it sooner; in fact, it was James who had pointed it out to her. Her arms, her wrists, her collarbone were protruding more. And yet only James had noticed. The two had theorized that it was stress paired with the amount of work Sage was constantly doing to excel in her classes, not to mention the restless nights she had with her adopted son over their break.

"Sage, are you okay?" Their silence was broken when Sage went to go stand up but quickly planted herself back on the bed, grasping the headboard.

Sage turned to face her and gave a tight smile, "Yes, just lightheaded, give me a moment." Sage tried to stand again.

Her world went fuzzy, bright lights clouded her vision before it was stolen from her, ripped from sight without any mercy. The fuzzy turned into a void, all sound and feeling being devoured by it as she fell straight to the ground.

"Sage! Sage, wake up! Alice!"

———

A healer from St. Mungo's talked to the Hogwarts Medi-Witch in hushed whispers as they stared down at a chart. Jasper was holding his sleeping sister's hand as he sat there with Eden. There was a fight moments before, Sirius Black and the royal family fighting for him to stay with his unconscious fiancée as they tried to figure out what caused her to faint in her dorm room with Lily Evans.

Lily and a magically dried Alice carried Sage from their dorms to the infirmary, where Poppy Pomfrey stared in horror at the sight of the reigning queen of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the commonwealth limp in her friends' arms.

Dumbledore was rushed into the infirmary, as well as McGonagall, and when the three of them together couldn't stabilize her from whatever condition she was in, a highly trained professional from the hospital was called.

"Why aren't they telling us anything?" Eden whispered to her older brother as she was curled into his side. The 12-year-old looked terrified as they stared at their sister, sleeping and pale. But Jasper was keeping an assuring face for her, even though he was just as scared as Eden.

"I'm not sure if they even know yet. . . But they seem much calmer than earlier, so it must not be anything too dramatic."

Eden nodded and started playing with her fingers, desperately needing something else to focus on.

And it was like that for hours.

Eden and Jasper had fallen asleep in the chairs by Sage's bed, leaning on each other for comfort; And sadly, they had missed their sister's come to. It was soft, an awakening that felt like a breath of spring. Even after being unconscious for nearly 6 hours, the young queen woke up feeling even more exhausted than before she slipped into darkness.

When it felt like life had faintly been restored to her bones, the birds had begun chirping, and the sky was starting to dazzle its' onlookers with its' Scottish gaze.

Sage's eyes were constantly moving, trying to gather the sight of her siblings, her bed, the room she was in, and the curtains shielding her from the rest of the infirmary. She tried to move her body but it felt as if bricks were piled on top of her, weighing her down in tons. Her throat was too dry for her to call out to anyone as well. Sage was bound to the sense of sight, the only thing she could do was stare.

And it stayed like that for at least another thirty minutes. The sky had stabilized to the color blue, and the sun was on the horizon. Jasper had opened his eyes, and inhaled softly, alerting his older sister of his wake up. Her head had turned over to look at him, his blond hair a mess and blue eyes dull. Jasper appeared beyond stressed out, causing guilt to sink into Sage's skin intensely.

"Sage? Oh, Merlin! Stay right here!" Jasper shot up, his quick movement causing Eden to wake up quickly. The Prince rushed out of the concealed area and straight to the medics and teachers waiting for the Queen's wake up.

Eden moved to sit on the edge of the bed and grabbed her sister's hand. Sage gathered as much strength she could to force a smile.

Dumbledore was the first to enter, behind him was Jasper, then Poppy, McGonagall, and a man in a Healers uniform. A new rush of anxiety pushed through her as they entered, specifically relating to the man she had never seen before.

Jasper took the other side of Sage and her other hand as well. They all were anticipating what was about to be said.

"Can you get her a glass of water, for now, Minerva? We can get her a cup of tea for her voice soon."

McGonagall nodded and quickly left the space. Dumbledore took a place at the foot of Sage's bed and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Miss Mary, this is Huntley Vixen, we had to call him in from Saint Mongo's late last night to help us assist your condition. After we had all managed to stabilize your condition, he ran some blood tests. . . It might be better for him to explain the rest."

Dumbledore stepped out of the way, allowing the Healer to take his place, and McGonagall returned with a large glass for Sage.

Jasper helped her sip from it slowly as Huntley started speaking.

"Your Majesty." He nodded to her in respect of her title. "When I was first called on the scene it was extremely evident that your condition was the result of a curse. I tried very hard to find it with simple magic, as it's rare for a curse of this magnitude to be hidden. . . It was a while before I figured out why I was failing to find it simply."

"I was informed of your mother's condition before her untimely passing, and while I was confused because she was Muggle, she was the daughter of a squib, which meant magic still flowed in her blood to be able to pass it to you. So, I ran a very serious test, and unfortunately, I cannot give you good news."

"Your Majesty, you and your mother are the receivers of a blood curse placed on your line from an ancestor. It's more commonly known as a Blood Malediction. That's why Muggle doctors failed to find your mother's illness, it was a magical one. There are things we can do to slow down the process of the illness, but I believe the reason it surfaced so young in you is that you are magically intuned, unlike your mother. . . I'm so sorry."