A Court of Wind and Song

1: Escape

Acantha

As far as I was concerned, everyone in this territory was a waste of life.

Anil was a useless speck of land, and their soldiers were far more interested in playing in the waves than learning how to fight correctly. I had told Cylos nearly a million times that Astra should simply just absorb them, especially after all the territory we lost to the rebels during their advancement thirty years ago.

I'd whip the lazy fucks into shape real quick.

Or, I would have.

If she hadn't ruined everything.

I told Cylos we should kill her the day I brought her to the Golden Palace, over 500 years ago. We should have simply slit her throat and been done with it. She had been so weak then, helpless and petrified. It would have been easy.

But, no.

He didn't listen to me, and look how that worked out.

Now, he was dead and I had been stuck in this fucking shithole for over eleven years. A small cabin in the woods, where I had to shit in an outhouse and fetch my own water from the well. A job where I went to work all day, everyday, fishing.

I hate fish.

She probably knew that, the petty little bitch that she is.

I was not born for this life.

No, my mother had raised me to be a General. From the moment I was born to my coronation, I had one goal. I worked my ass off in the army, spent years of my life honing skills, practicing magic, working day in and day out. I came from a well off family, a military family- certainly not tradesmen. And perhaps my mother was an abusive witch, but she was certainly right about one thing...

I had been born to be a General.

All that hard work, all those hours, they paid off. I was glorious, promoted to run the largest territory in the whole damn country, leading my pegasi into battle, wiping out rebel trash. Next in line for the throne, so long as Cylos didn't take a wife.

A problem that was easily rectified once I got him in my bed.

It was a dangerous little game, but necessary if I was going to ensure he died without producing an heir. At least, an heir that was not my own as well anyways.

I didn't expect the feelings I had for him to grow.

I didn't say anything, not when I was positive he saw me as no more than an excellent general and a good time in bed. But still, the heart is a cruel wicked organ with no regard for rationale.

And then she came along.

With her stupid fucking star and ridiculous tattoos, and he was obsessed with her. In what way, I never truly understood. I thought it would be best if we just figured out where she came from, butchered her, took out her family, and then said goodbye to the rebels ever having any hope of the prophecy coming true. Easy, over, and done with.

But imagine what we could do if we could harness the power of the star, Acantha. Think of how we could become the very thing they've been hoping would save them.

It always had been his mind that drew me to him, wicked and cunning.

And so, I went along with it. He trained her, stole more and more of that magic everyday, ran experiments on it. And still, we could never figure out how to get all of it. It was as if it regenerated, never drained and stayed that way. Like a waterfall, never ending, only slowed or diverted.