Alcina was a slave, if she was even that. To the world she was nothing, and thus the world meant nothing to her. She worked every day for her master, until the day the war ended. That was when the rulers took pity on the people like her and forbid s...
I was pulled to a stop, swing my head around to look at Sheila in her black dress. She truly did have beautiful eyes. I tilted my head to the side. "Yes?" I didn't move to pull my hand out of hers. As much as I feel betrayed by her, I couldn't let myself ruin this friendship. Maybe it was my irrational loyalty speaking for me.
"I've met your brother." My eyes widened to the size of dish plates. My brother. I hadn't thought of him much since slavery. But he must be an Alpha now that our father. Or well, his father, is now dead. I felt a pool of sadness form in my stomach. I missed them, both my parents and my brother.
"How?" I said doubting her. How did a shadow wolf, someone feared by ALL werewolves, meet my brother of all people.
"It was by chance." She let go of my hand and I let it fall to my side. "I was on my way to Maeve's kingdom during the Mortal War. I ran into a very young Alpha. His name was Olfelious, but he just went by Olfe," she grasped her hands together. "His father had died years before. I didn't ask about the mother." She furrowed, "or if he had any siblings."
"What pack was he from?" That's the only way to know for a fact that we are talking about the same person. Its been years since the last time I was my brother. My frown deeper, to think that he would be looking for me, what a joke. I almost scoffed.
"Willow Walkers. He was from the Willow Walkers pack," she recalled breathlessly.
"Is he still alive?" I heard that the werewolves took a major hit in population during the Mortal War. She frowned and my stomach plummeted.
"I don't know." She looked at her hands. I sighed, there was no need to ask more questions.
"Thank you," Sheila looked up at me and I looked up at the beautiful moon. "I guess I'll have to go see for myself if he's alright or not, won't I." I looked at Sheila with a soft smile. I truly hoped he was okay because we were raised as siblings.
Not till a few days ago, he was my sibling and I wouldn't have doubted it, until... I shook my head. "Anyways," I bowed my head respectfully to Sheila, "thank you for this information. I wish you a good nights rest"
I turned to leave again but Sheila called out my name once more. "Alcina, wait!" She didn't grab my hand this time.
"I just want to say I'm sorry," she frowned and I just shook my head. Plastering a smile onto my face.
"For what?" Then I turned and headed deeper into the garden. It was a beautiful garden, clearly well cared for. It's odd to see the dragon kingdom so full of flowers when they are known for the deadly work in wars.
"She is a good queen," Dai said behind us. I looked back at him, a real soft smile on my lips.
"I know," then I put my hands behind mine and looked up at the sky. "How could I proudly stand next to her, after all she had done." I will embarrass the werewolf race if I don't get my shit together.
"You are going to be a good queen too," Ozul put a hand on my shoulder. "You are just new." He smiled down at me. I nodded my head.
"Well, you guys have been avoiding it for this long." I turned with a smug look on my face. "So," I splayed a hand, "where did you guys run off too?"
"To meet your father," Dai said with a chuckle. "We had to feed him information on what his precious daughter was getting herself into." I knew that Dai was speaking in half-truths. I didn't push it.
"My father is dead." I huffed, my heart pinging in sadness as I remember a sword being stabbed through his heart.
I heard Ozul sigh, "you want to be a good queen?" He crossed his arms and leaned forward, dwarfing me. I was ready to sock the ghost. I withheld and nodded. "Then start making allies."
My eyes widen. It didn't really occur to me that I needed to make allies. Up until now, I didn't care who liked me or not. I was my number one fan, and that's all I needed. I raised a hand to my hair. "I hate this queen shit." I didn't sign up for this.
"I feel bad for you," Dai said rounding to the front of us. I raised a single brow. Why in the world was he pitying me? The ghost who stayed in one place for how many years? He had it a lot worse. "You have so much baggage, that it takes you so much time to get to the next stage in your life."
I frowned, "I don't have a lot of baggage."
Dai chuckled and rested a cold hand on my shoulder. "Alcina," he said calmly. "You have an absurd amount of baggage. I'm not telling you to let it all go," he trailed off trying to find something to say. "But you are letting your past define you." He grabbed my other shoulder so I was looking into his eyes. "You are not a slave."
I narrowed my eyes, "I'm not a slave." I hissed out in confirmation, it was a wound that was still healing. Then the thought of my master allying with Queen Maeve and the werewolf king send shivers down my spine. I needed allies. I needed them now.
"You are a slave." I watched Dai's eyes narrow to match mine. "You still have the mindset of a slave. You don't need to escape anything. Now is the time to accept the role you have been placed in. Stop fighting it."
I wanted to bite out that I wasn't fighting it. But I just sighed. "Alright," I said sadly, maybe I was being a slave to myself. Then I looked up at him. "Can you help me?" Then I looked to Ozul who had a proud look on his face. "Can you both help me?"
They nodded as one. "Of course we will help you." Dai said, "that's our job, to protect the Key Holder."
I looked to Ozul who just nodded his head again, his arms crossed. "I have a few friends who would be happy to help." His voice was old and strong. He didn't look a day over thirty, but Dai and I knew he had been around longer than many kingdoms.
"First, we need to find another key." His smile widened as he looked over to Dai.
"What key do we need to find?" I asked, noticing how Dai let go of my shoulders to face Ozul.
"The key to the Spirit Realm."
— 2/8 NYOOOOOM
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