The parallel lives of two princesses living a millennium apart are bound together in the most unlikely of ways.
Princess Aebbé of Ardam, haunted by memories of a flash of lightning and burning flesh, returns to her home amidst a seemingly hopeless...
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Chapter 55 Part I: Caith - Gift
“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” - J. R. R. Tolkien
Caith's thoughts wandered to dark, long-forgotten places as he sculpted the piece from water and gold. He hadn't practiced the craft of moulding element to element in a very long time.
Damn Idunn and her prophecies!
He had been thinking of leaving even before the escapade with the princess, but since their return his resolution had grown rock solid.
"Your heart still needs to break."
Even though the meaning of the verb still needs to be clarified, the subject has been revealed, and he'd rather not stay here and allow Idunn's words to be fulfilled.
He added the last touch to the trinket in front of him: fragments of his memories - the newer precious ones and the darker past ones. Funny how he could identify the memories by the colours that whirled inside the glass-like core.
The berry blue ones, reliving them as he extracted them from his mind was the worst. He had repressed that pain for so long.
He focused on another one, barely a shade lighter. At the time he was completely livid as his sister dragged him from that cursed hell-hole, but as he took the memory out, he couldn't help but laugh at the comical fury on her face. Hell, he was completely and utterly pathetic. It was a wonder she didn't stab him or something more sinister sooner than that day.
Pushing the raw ingredients away, he took the bracelet in his hands. He finished it just in time. The king had commanded Caith to appear before him today. Knowing that he had to answer to someone for his actions, Caith thought that he'd rather answer to a pathetic human king than his own family.
A glint of gold caught his attention as he tenderly took the bracelet in his hands. The golden ones are the good ones - the ones from the past few months. Aebbé smiling at him a few nights ago before jumping from her window. He never thought she'd actually do it. Her concern as she studied the bruises on his neck after the fight with his brother. And his favourite: Aebbé frowning as he rescued her from that cell. Or more so,the light on her face as she joyously examined the sugar cubes he brought to have tea with her.
