𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞.

2.

Their pale eyes glared down at the kingdom below the window of their balcony. The sun shining down on the strands of their pale hair, making it seem like they were glowing. Despite seeming so angelic and ethereal, their brows were furrowed together.

Their jaw clenched as they gripped the railing of the balcony, emotions they had bottled up years ago returning all in one moment. The moment that it was announced that there would be a ball celebrating the kingdom's independence.

Everything had gone so well.

They had worked so hard to create this kingdom, a kingdom that was practically nothing back then. They had betrayed Dawn, they got their revenge. They brought that pathetic little kingdom into ruin. They revelled in what they created. They manipulated, used their words to create a kingdom that fought against everything that was Dawn. The king of the Rise was a greedy man, cunning yet so naively foolish. They only had to whisper a couple of empty promises into the king's ear and war had broken out.

They worked for that, they succeeded.
Three hundred years ago, the day they betrayed that kingdom. As if they meant nothing and most of them did mean absolutely nothing. They had a simple plan, move on after destroying the lives of thousands of people but there was one thing that went wrong, her. The only complication in their plan.

Melisandre.

The name left a bitter taste in their mouth yet they couldn't stop saying it. The name was like a prayer that left their lips, the name invoked such emotion in them that they couldn't bear hearing their own consciousness whisper the name.

Melisandre. Melisandre. Melisandre. Melisandre.
Melisandre. Melisandre. Melisandre. Melisandre.
Melisandre. Melisandre. Melisandre. Melisandre.
Melisandre. Melisandre. Melisandre. Melisandre.

Sage's jaw clenched, their mind swirling with thoughts that even the most evil would shy away from. They were livid with anger, frustration, pain. Emotions they bottled up and sealed away three hundred years ago on that fateful day.

That day those blue eyes, that they swore to drown themself in, dulled.

The blue eyes that were usually filled with so much light, darkened. The blue eyes they found themself staring into for hours. The blue eyes that they gladly drowned in. The blue eyes that made them feel... so, so much.

The blue eyes that went dull the moment she fell to the ground. Blood stained their hands. Blood. Everything they touched was covered in blood, no matter how much they tried, the blood on their hands remained stained.

They stepped inside their room, shutting the glass doors that led onto the balcony behind them as they lowered the curtains of their room.

Sage was a calm person, they knew how to control their emotions, they knew how to calm down.

But suddenly, something snapped.

They weren't calm, the memories flooded back to them. Memories they wished would disappear from their mind, their mind that constantly replayed those moments even when they pleaded with their mind to stop. They couldn't handle it, guilt, anger, and hate overwhelmed them in an instant.

Their hand gripped the vase on the nightstand next to their bed as they slammed it into the wall. The sound of glass breaking echoing loudly throughout the quiet, dark room. Their chest heaved as their jaw clenched and their fists balled tightly. Pink flowers scattered onto the floor with water staining the carpets.

Pink.

Pink fucking flowers.

Blue and pink, colours they hated, that they loathed. The pain that those colours brought them was overwhelming. Memories, memories replayed in their mind constantly.

Pink hair. Blue eyes.

They loved, they adored, they devoted themself to.

“Throwing another tantrum?” A voice echoed from behind him throughout the dark room. Their body tensed as their jaw clenched tightly, feeling a surge of annoyance rush through them.

“What do you want, Cypress?” Sage hissed, their brows furrowed together. Emotions that they never let themself show towards anyone, emotions that got many people killed before, emotions that reminded them of the king of Dawn.

The said woman raised a brow, a smirk decorating her lips as she leaned against the edge of the desk. Her arms folded over her chest, her eyes glazing over the pink flowers scattered across the carpet along with shards of glass. Another tantrum, as she liked to call it. “Dunno, just thought I'd stop by and see how well you're doing!”

Their hands balled tightly into fists as they glared at the woman, their pale eyes piercing into her pale red eyes. The look on her face made them want to scream, yell.

“I’m doing fine, completely fine.”

“Uh huh.” Cypress hummed, her brows raised as she stared down at the pink flowers. “The state of your room says otherwise.” She said, shrugging as I ran a hand through the white strands of her hair. A smirk stretched across her lips. “Don't you have anything better to do? Like being the king’s little lap dog?”

The pale red eyed woman laughed, her corners of her eyes never really creasing. The smile on her lips eerily perfect, like a painting. Like someone had painted a smile onto her lips. “The king has other women to bother,” the woman shrugged, “Besides, I had a couple of contracts to fulfil.”

Sage scoffed, rolling their eyes as they rested their hands on their hips. Their brows remained furrowed together. “The ball.” They simply mumbled.

The woman stared at him, a knowing smirk decorating her lips. “Yes, and?”

“You were the one who convinced the king to invite Dawn.” The accusation was more of a statement, their voice firm and low as they glared holes at her. “Guilty as charged.”

Cypress chuckled, holding her calloused hands up in mock surrender. Her pale red eyes locked on their pale ones.

“I cannot fucking bel—”

“Apologies, my lord. But the king requests the presence of his two councillors urgently.” A maid interrupted the words of Sage. Her eyes closed as she stood at the door, bowing her head with her hands clasped in front of her. Without another word, she turned around on her heel and rushed down the hallway.

Sage and Cypress exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with a mix of emotions that even they couldn't place their finger on.

The pale red eyed woman was the first to leave the room, without taunting or teasing the pale haired, who followed soon after.