Rose's Ruin

Chapter Two

Maps littered the floor of his bedroom, all but hiding the ornate rug that he sat cross-legged on.

Head in his hands, Pan ran through every possible scenario that didn't end in bloodshed. Recent reports had said that Allegora was preparing an army. That didn't worry Pan, though. They wouldn't be able to kill the Denthlirians, no matter what magic they possessed. It was the boldness that confused him. Surely they didn't want Queen Viren to see their numbers and weapons?

They must have some sort of information that would even the battlefield in their favor. Just the thought of all the bloodshed turned his stomach. Was peace truly so hard?

His eyes rested on a portrait of his darling Maera, the gifted artist having perfectly captured her infectious grin. Anger simmered deep within him, eating away at the sorrow. Allegora was a cruel, selfish nation set on total power. He would not let them destroy his family.

"Pan."

He looked up to his beautiful wife. She stood quietly in the doorway, her shimmering purple tunic accentuating her short but muscular body. Her black hair shone in the light, having recently been washed and oiled. Now it draped down to her knees, wavy and absolutely stunning, complimenting her equally dark skin.

"Yes, my beloved Alae?" He strode over, wrapping her in his embrace. She smelled of lavender and wood smoke, the familiarity of it clearing and calming his mind.

Alae smiled, her eyes troubled. "The queen has requested your presence. From what I've been able to pull from people's minds, it seems she wants to complete the Ceremony."

The Ceremony.

Fear stilled Pan's heart, panic clawing its way up his throat. Surely Alae must have read wrong. The queen would not demand so much of him. Queen Viren knew he was loyal.

Pan cleared his throat and smiled, trying to appear reassuring. "So soon? Well, that's fine. It will be over and done with soon enough." His voice gave out on the last word, barely a breath, much less a whisper.

Alae nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She knew what the ceremony meant. What it meant for them. "We can't tell Maera. This would break her heart. How much do you think she will try and control?" Fear flashed in her eyes, mirroring his own.

"I do not know, my love. But I promise I will reason with her. Perhaps this can be avoided," he said with as much optimism as he could muster, but she knew better.

He would lose himself when she took his shadow.

***

"My Queen." Pan dropped a knee, head bowed. He tried vainly to regulate his breathing, but all he could think about was Alae and Maera never seeing him again. How much of his shadow would she take?

"Ah, General. I'm glad you could make it." Looking up, he saw her rise from her elaborate iron throne.

She was deadly beautiful, all sharp angles and a mouth so red it was like she had bathed her lips in blood. There was something ethereal about the way she carried herself--like she wasn't quite meant for the mortal realm. Her eyes swept over him, the rosy glint to them dancing merrily.

"I am always at your service, My Queen." He rose, pushing every emotion as far down as he dared. "What is it you wished to discuss with me?"

Viren commanded the woman who seemed to have been talking with her to leave the room. She then turned back to him, her eyes sorrowful. "We used to be friends, you know. You, son of my father's advisor. And I, the heir to the throne. That was, what? A hundred years ago?" Her voice cracked slightly. "I rather miss that."

Seeing her crying brought back memories Pan would rather forget. Memories of being the best of friends and promising to rule a kingdom together. But then Viren had changed, and Pan had found that there were loves beyond that of friends. The love he now had with Alae and Maera. It was funny how you could think something didn't bother you anymore until you were forced to confront it.

"Please, do not cry, Your Majesty." Something in his heart wrenched at the sight of her pain. How many nights had he sat by her side, singing songs to try and banish the nightmares she was plagued with?

She wiped her eyes hastily and gave a weak smile. "I won't. But before I do what I have to do, let's just pretend we're children again. Before life showed us that it can be cruel." She sat back down in her throne and patted his own seat to the right of hers.

He hesitated, torn by duty and the aching pain that had never quite left since Viren had abandoned him. She was his queen and he was her general and advisor. Anything more they might have been had died years ago. Yet, he found himself walking towards and sitting down beside her. "How have you been sleeping?"

The question slipped off his tongue as easily as it had a century before. Viren's father had been a monster to her, though he had been a good king to the people of Denthlire. It got to a point where Viren would beg him to kill either her or her father, because they could not both live. Those had never been good nights.

The genuine smile on her face brought one to his own. "It's been so long since someone truly asked that. I have not. This war, well, I'm so overwhelmed. What if I'm not good enough? What if I cannot save my people? Pan, I will lose myself if I lose them." Gone was the poised, confident queen. Here in front of him was the girl who he used to share secrets and sword fights with. The girl who he had teleported to Evanscene to see their sparkling ocean. The girl who had stolen pastries from the kitchen for them, because no one was going to reprimand the princess.

"Viren," he said gently, putting a hand on hers. "I have known you for all the one-hundred and sixty-seven years of my life. You are fierce, courageous, and want only what's best for your kingdom. As your general, as your advisor, and," he hesitated, "as your friend, I believe in you. But," he continued. "I truly do not think war is the answer. It will cause so much unnecessary death and destruction."

The warmth in her eyes flickered out, and an ominous chill went down Pan's spine. "I cannot agree." She rose quickly, the moment shattered. "The woman who I was just talking to brought foreboding news. It appears that Allegora has breached our borders and already destroyed many of our outlying villages. And my people died."

"What do you mean?" Pan demanded, forgetting etiquette as he got up to face her. "That's not possible!"

"Unfortunately, it is. It appears the dwarves of Moorehaven have allied with Allegora. Apparently, someone knew of our weakness and figured out how to exploit it." Eyes cold, she removed a necklace from her pocket. "They're controlling our most powerful children with this. And why children? Because we'll be less likely to kill them."

Pan's blood ran cold as he snatched the necklace from her. The chain, the pulsing stone... it was the exact same one that Maera had received. "No," he whispered. "My daughter has one of these! I have to take it from her."

Viren's eyes were pitying as she reached deep into his chest, pulling out a soft, shimmery black thing.

His shadow.

"I'm so sorry," she said, blinking back tears. "But I need my general, not some crazed father. You're right, I can protect my kingdom. Thank you."

With his shadow in her grasp, he could do nothing. He could say nothing. He could only think, and that was torture.