Avernus || Book 1 ✔️

|| Avernus ||

Loud. That was the first thing that came to mind.

Harmonies and mesmerizing melodies thrummed from instruments I've never seen. The music was so loud, so present I felt like I could reach out and touch it.

We were in another room now, one significantly bigger than before.

It was wide and open, almost circular in shape. There were tables and chairs towards the back of the room where we were currently sitting. The tables were adorned with lovely centrepieces and name cards with black tints and roses. I fingered my own name card, tracing the elegant cursive font as I watched the guests chat amongst each other. I think I was more entranced by the sight of others than anything else.

Everyone was so beautiful here. Of course I've seen beautiful before but this was a different kind of captivating.

Daemons were regal.

They were dressed in beautiful silks and fabrics, ones that I could only dream of touching. The women held their heads high with enviable confidence and the men...

I was intimidated.

"Thank you all for coming."

Immediately, all chatter ceased and the room was captured in silence. It seemed like I wasn't the only one drawn to the man who had spoken. He was tall, his presence dark and his demeanour demanding.

He looked a bit older than middle aged and I would've guessed even younger but the slightest wrinkles on his forehead gave him away. He was sitting on a large red cushioned chair with a black wooden frame. The familiar letter Z was just barely visible on the back of the chair, although this one appeared to be framed in gold.

"Tonight, we celebrate the birthday of my son, Prince Ronan. My only son and my eldest child has grown up to be everything I hoped for. I expect him to be nothing less than extraordinary. Please, if you may."

The King stood up, and everyone else immediately followed suit. I rushed to mimic the crowd but accidentally bounced the large table, causing a few drinks to slosh violently in their cups. I blushed and pulled at my fingers when my jerky movements caught a few eyes.

Why were we standing?

However, I didn't have to ponder for long, as two new pairs of footsteps entered the room and walked onto the throne platform. Somehow, I failed to notice that on either side of the King's throne were two others. Those two were empty.

I stood on my tipi-toes and strained my neck forward to peak over the tall heads that stood in front of me. I could barely make out a large frame, similar to the King's, and wisps of blonde hair that again resembled his father's. I shifted to the left a bit and could just make out another person, although their build was more petite and feminine—the mother perhaps. It appeared that she also had dirty blonde strands, it must be something that runs in the family.

I almost sighed in relief when the royals sat on their thrones. My height wasn't that much of an issue back home, but here it seemed like everyone was at least over 6 feet tall. It was impossible to see anything when standing up, I felt like a child.

Once all of us were seated, the King resumed his speech.

"But tonight, we're not just here to celebrate my son's milestone. We've requested all of Avernus royalty to this dinner as well as a selection of the Fae to help my boy find his destined mate. He knows, and you know, that only with a mate will he be permitted to take his place at the throne."

"To kick off the event, we will have the fae perform for us. I've heard that watching a faerie dance is one of life's gifts in its purest forms. It's truly humbling to have them here today."