The Rise

Backstory & Regrets

"Shall we discuss things from the beginning?" Flora said as she took a sip of tea. The last few months were focused on the war, so everyone had put aside the fact that the Supreme Queen who died was infact alive. "Alot of things have been happening, so we haven't been able to really speak about anything concerning myself and my daughter." Flora continued as she looked around the room at everyone. They were all curious. "The truth is exactly what Kaa had said that night. He wanted to get me far away from the Kingdom and his best ticket was the Wolf King, who had already presented himself. He already disgraced me so it made no sense in putting it out to the public, only war would ensue but I still would've been disgraced. After marrying him, I then planned the Supreme Reign carefully. Doing my duty of a Queen but not a wife."

Flora took another sip of her tea and looked into the reflection of the liquid in the cup, "Nox and I met when we had a small celebration for my birthday. He was nearby and decided to send the presents to me personally. It was then that I knew. However, we kept a distance. Of course that didn't stop us from longing for each other. The night that I returned from the Fae Kingdom and found out that Raci brought Ravana into the Palace, I was upset, who wouldn't be in that situation? I was forced away from my mate to marry a man I didn't love in order to prevent a war." Nox grabbed his mate's hand in his and she smiled. "There was a time when Nox came to visit the Kingdom on behalf of the Elder and we met. Multiple times. Nox didn't have a choice but to leave after the time of his visit was up and that night, Raci barged into my chambers drunk. Trying to take me by force."

She swallowed the lump in her throat while trying to finish the story. "It was the next day that I declared to have nothing to do with the King. Locking myself in my courtyard away from the country's affairs and away from the Raci as well. It was one night that I went to the library, I heard Diana talking to Ravana. We all know Diana, the previous Demon Queen. She set up Ravana to infiltrate the Kingdom and take it out of my hands because she thought that the Demons were more superior to the Fae and Wolves. Those two and Kaa planned everything from the start with it ending in my death." Flora was interrupted buy a sudden question from the leader of the Hidden Clan. "I'm sorry for cutting into your story but why didn't you leave at that time? If you claimed that you were going back to the Fae Kingdom, then King Raci would allow you to leave."

Flora shook her head. "I was heavily pregnant when I found this out. I could only stay to protect my daughter. If I attempted to leave, I would've been giving Ravana easier access to me and she would've killed my child as well." Flora looks at her daughter lovingly. "Unfortunately, she wasn't protected properly. I knew they wanted to get rid of me, but wanting my life even though I withdrew myself was something I hadn't quite thought about at the time. So it wasn't until I'd given birth to Neteria that I found out about the curse. Ravana casted a blood curse on me. Her blood, Diana's blood and Kaa's blood intertwined to create a slow inducing curse that would seep into my blood and bones. It was in their best interest to kill me." Kasian nodded.

"They must've thought that if you grew any more powerful than you already were in terms of popularity among the different Kingdoms, then the citizens would choose you as the one and only Queen. Abolishing the individual King and Queen system completely." Kasian added after hearing the story. Elder Haclin shook his head, if he had been more attentive then this whole mess wouldn't have happened. However, he wasn't expecting one of his sons to do this their neice. It was really distrubing and upsetting when he thought about it.

"Neteria absorbed the curse and it turned into poison for her. Drastically changing her features even after she was born. Her beautiful white hair and sparkling green eyes changed. She absorbed what ever she could which was most of it. It's true that my body died but not my soul. I won't bore you with the details but my body has been in the Angel Kingdom for a few hundred years, unable to wake up. Luckily I woke up just in time or I would've missed the birth of my grandchildren even though I missed centuries of Neteria's life." Flora smiled at Bia, who smiled back at her Mother.

"Don't be so quick to say such things. Although all people enforcing the curse are dead, I'm still being affected by it. Mother, you've died and been reborn so it won't affect you." Bia spoke up. "Weren't you reborn? I thought that form you were in was your process of rebirth?" Nox asked worriedly. "No, not completely. In the future there won't be any side effects but my body will forever stay with the features I have now. This cursed look." Everyone nod their heads in understanding. "With that cleared up. I'll leave the rest to you now." Bia and Erebus left the Hall in silence, as soon as they got far enough everyone broke out in conversation. "Does that mean that the Princess is dying?"

"It may seem that way but it's not entirely true. Neteria's words.. It'll be best to trust them." Nayeli's words made them quiet down but the silence didn't last long as an explosion was heard from the garden. "Don't tell me the children are fighting?" Nayeli ask as she stood. "Since we are done here, it'll be best to go and see what the noise is about." Outside the Great Hall, Opal and Opia looked at each. Bia looked back at the two, "Mistress..." Opia bowed and was about to say something but decided not to. Bia sighed and looked at Erebus, "Shall we go see what the fuss is about? The children are over there as well." Erebus nodded and the four of them walk towards the garden. "Jackson! Niro! Stop this!" Rekka said while flicking the dust from his wings, angrily. "Stop? She beat my mate within an inch of her life and I didn't get the chance to wring her neck the way I wanted to. Two hundred lashes and she's already healed?!" Niro was not at all pleased.

"Tread lightly! You've already made a big commotion out of this instead of going to Mistress directly!" Hazel said to them but then it dawned on her that they were doing this to get the Mistress's attention. "I lost my mind for a bit that's all." Reina said nonchalantly, as if it wasn't that big of a deal. Jackson, who usually respects Reina, couldn't help but to scoff and glare at her. "Lost your head? You feel no remorse for what you did. My mate's heart stopped! She died because of you! No apology , no pain! Taking the whip quietly because you knew it would be over soon! Now you want to say that you 'lost your mind for a bit?' Does that take away the pain she felt? The pain and agony I felt, feeling her take her last breath?! Does it?!!"

Reina rolled her eyes at how loud and noisy the two were being. "Stop over reacting. They are Phoenixes, they have rebirth. You two didn't feel any pain because you aren't mated to either of them. Maybe you should do it now that they're alive, instead of dragging your feet in a war and preparing to die needlessly. It's ridiculous." Niro chuckled and relaxed his tense body, this make him seem more frightening and mindless. The way he switched to such a relaxed form. Reina wasn't in the mood to fight so she wanted to stop it easily. "They understood my mind at that moment and aren't making a fuss, so why are you two? Are you their mouth pieces?" She said to them. "If it was such a big deal then they wouldn't have been quiet about this matter. Either way, Mistress has punished me already. There's nothing you can do." Reina smirked at the anger that their bodies held but they can't do anything to her.

"Does that mean I can do something about this situation then?" The smile on Reina's face dropped immediately after hearing that voice. She turned and dropped to her knees. "Greetings Mistress" Reina almost slapped herself in the mouth, she'd spoken too quickly. She indeed thought that the Mistress would let it go now that she'd been punished already so she'd been arrogant. Now there was no time to take back her words. From Bia's tone, she'd just poked the beast and might not live any longer.