A gentle breeze rustled in the wind. The stomping and crunching of dry fall leaves below her feet seemed so loud.
Out there.
Lonely.
She brushed a leaf out of her long, silvery braid and took a deep breath in.
Smells, wondrous smells floated into her nose, swirled themselves into her mind, popping with familiar yet unimaginable scents.
Like an old friend with amnesia.
Pumpkin, spices, dry leaves, dirt, maple syrup, jasmine..
Her heavy boots clicked against the brick-paved pathway.
Slowly, she made her way up the dark, brick-woven road. Tall, looming oak trees stood proud surrounding the pathway, their leaves golden and red, tinted at the ends with a bright orange or even brown. Falling to the ground, rustling about, the leaves flew around the forest. Sunlight kissed the ground ever so gently, freckling itself through the the dense leaves of the huge forest, seeming to fall perfectly wherever she might have needed light. Gas lanterns were woven into the long, thick branches that hung overhead of the pathway.
Slowly, the loud clicks slowly ended as she approached the small cottage.
Her brown scarf, matching her leather brown boots, flung itself at the air after it had aggressively flung it around, the cool breeze also sweeping her braid off her shoulder. She swallowed.
"Come dressed nicely, darling." She had said.
She reached into the small pocket of her gray sweater she wore, and pulled out a round skeleton key with a huge pair of wings attached to the button-like top of the oil-black key. She turned the key over, examining it. Her eyes briefly scanned over the key, landing on the vivid purple engravings on the wings. Her eyes narrowed. She took a deep breath, holding it as she flipped the key over twice in her hand. Images. Pictures of Aaron and Helios floated in front of her as the air gathered around her, lifting her up and swirling, she clutched the key in her hand as she tried to tear away the images, but his words continued to stain her ears and his face her eyes.
He looked at her with a look of... despair, sadness, defeat? She could never tell which. His eyes sunk into his face as he looked her straight in her then light green irises and barely whispered,--
Her thoughts were cut short as she stumbled, almost tripping over her own foot, but regaining her balance before she fell. She had landed in the icy dome. The winds had calmed and she felt queazy. The thought of being here even once more again made her stomach roil. She bowed her head and squeezed the key until her knuckles grew white.
Her presence was felt as she appeared in the archway of the entrance of the throne room. A room she had spent most of her life in.
Crying. Taking commands. Pushed around like some rag doll.
"Kiss the ground before me, Neve. Respect your mother."
Neve closed her eyes.
"No, mother."
She whispered, as her voice quivered ever so slightly.
"I'm no longer your child. I belong to the Hunts, now. And there's nothing you can do to make me return."
Her mother laughed,
"Why, yes, you get that stubbornness from me, you know." Her voice was cracking with laughter.
Rage bubbled up within Neve as she clutched the key tighter in her palm.
Her now violet eyes squinted as she slowly raised her head and looked her mother directly in hers.
Cold, icy blue.
The corners of them tugged with amusement.
Her thin lips pressed together, her face kept young from the Frost.
"No. I am nothing like you, mother."
Her mother laughed, with that same crackling, awful laugh.
"Ah, yet you keep crawling back to me.." She smiled.
"I'm not here for you, mother." Neve said, raising her voice to a yell.
"I never was," She continued, squeezing the key as hard as she could, now. "And now, no one else has to."
She raised the key and showed it to her mother.
Her mothers eyes grew sharp, scared.
"Oh, my-.. My dear Neve.. This isn't what you want, come, we can finally rule together, l-like you always wanted.." Her voice was filled with mocked kindness.
Neve clicked her tongue.
"What you've always wanted, Mother."
She dropped the key on the floor.
---
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