Sybil (Completed)

Flesh and Blood

The child is cloaked in a navy velvet shirt, his onyx locks of hair falling just below his ears, and those hazel eyes staring right back at me as he walks by in the hallway made of white stone. A hint of mischief in his eyes coaxes me to follow the child no older than seven, his footsteps light upon the marble floor as he leads me down a hallway filled with grand paintings of wars both bloody and victorious. Wolfs are painted upon the canvases which are framed in golden frames of great detail, men and beast portrayed with detail as they tear one another apart. Looking around the rest of the hallway, I spot an endless hallway from where I came from, paintings lining the walls, and before me lies the opening to a grand hall where, in the center, lies steps leading to a throne placed before a tall window as moonlight floods into the room. 

The boy rushes into the hall, racing towards the throne as he takes a seat upon the chair, surveying all which the throne overlooks from the view. Banners are hung from the tall ceiling of navy and silver colors, the ceiling painted with dark colors depicting a night sky as the clouds are where a woman cloaked in a white gown holds the moon in her hands. I glance towards the child, seeing him playfully running his fingers along the armrests as I begin to walk towards him, as if caught in some sort of glance. 

"Do I know you?" I ask the child, walking up the steps of the throne as I try and recall how I got here. "I am sorry, but I am not sure how I got here or who you are," I confess, kneeling down to the boy's height as he crosses his legs and stares back at me. 

"River, there you are!" A familiar voice calls out, pulling my attention away from the child as I look over my shoulder to spot Zion standing at the entrance of the hall with his hands clasped behind his back. Wearing royal robes of navy velvet which trails behind him with white fur along the trim and a royal crest pinned to the material of his shirt, I know I am seeing Zion before he renounced the throne and gave into a darker magic. "What are you doing here?" 

"I-I do not know-"

"I wasn't tired," River replies, hopping off the throne as he walks over to Zion. Zion cannot see me, as if I am invisible to him. River looks back to me briefly before joining his hand in his father's as Zion leads him down another hallway. 

I follow the two of them, wondering if I am in a dream as we pass by balconies of the palace which overlooks a lake which boarders the palace. Zion leads his son into a circular room with chairs forming around a center stage as the royal crest is placed in marble in the floor. A second floor of the room is a viewing gallery, the door to the room thick as I wonder what this place is. As I take another step forward, my foot feels wet. Looking down, a pool of blood lies under my foot, causing me to gasp and stumble backwards as I see the woman lying in the ground where the blood flows from. 

A bullet hole is placed right between her eyes, her hazel eyes lifeless as she stares up at the ceiling, the white wedding gown she wears tainted with blood as her crown rolls away and to the small feet of River. I stare back at my lifeless body, unable to speak as I stare at my dead body. Zion picks up my royal crown, handing it to River as River looks over to me. "She was one hell of a woman, your mother," Zion comments, placing a hand on River's shoulder. "She endured so much pain and came out strong until the very end." 

One hell of a woman...those words sound so familiar, but not to describe me. 

"Lillian could never have compared to her." 

Lillian Rice, I remember her name, the true mate of Zion who was also the mate of Nixon Maxwell. She made her choice and Nixon made his as did Zion. It was a love triangle of blood and horror which haunted Zion. 

"We both lost our mates, your mother and I." 

Sebastian and Lillian. We both had mates, both taken from us.