As the song begins for the final time, the two lovers, intertwine their hands and their hearts. "They dance so gracefully and with purpose ... they move as one ... they are destined to be together ... they are our only hope ... they are our last chance." The masquerade is coming to a close, but even so, the guests are chatting and dancing and will continue to do so throughout the night. As for our love birds, well they dance in each other's arms and savor this fickle moment of everlasting bliss. For lurking in the shadows, is a phantom of their past.
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"Oh my ..." says Nightingale as he looks upon the most magnificent structure he has ever seen.
Top of a hill overlooking the coastal city, lies a castle of silver and stone. With Persian glass for the windows, and chiseled stone for the roofs. Not to mention the solid onyx statue of a beautiful woman in a praying position. To what or who she is praying to, no one knows.
After a few minutes of Nightingale staring at the huge building, he is reminded as to why he is here in the first place. Because his "mother" kidnapped him and brought him across the sea to a small town just to hide him away. His only question was why ... why was he taken, was he someone of importance, or of danger? He thought on it more until he was brought back to reality by the snapping of fingers and the conversing of loud and hurried voices.
With a more bulky and deeper voice saying, "I need to have an audience with the Queen this instance!"
Another more mellow and formal voice responding with, "Her majesty is not accepting visitors at the moment, not even her most trusted advisors are allowed to speak with her."
"But why? You must know, being one of her most trusted servants afterall."
"Well ... as long as you keep this between you and me."
"Why of course"
"I have heard rumors that she is using divination magic again, and just a few days ago she had called for the royal doctor, Lady Elaine, and a deacon of the 10 heavens."
"But why would she need those three?"
"Who knows"
"Well ... on to more pressing matters it seems"
"Indeed, my good sir"
Just as those words left his lips of formality and obligation, the pair of large wooden doors blocking their only hope, opened up with a loud thud. A blinding light similar to that of the god of entrancement, shined through the doors and spilled onto the dark hallways of the palace. Walking through this, almost holy light, was none other than her majesty. As all eyes set upon her and her gown of white silk, black satton, and gold lace; with each person giving their own deep bow or kneel with their head lowered.
All but one, and while this figure may not be present at the venue. They are out there, somewhere, for her majesty is not the only one capable of using divination magic. Nevertheless, back to the matter at hand, for you do not want to miss what happens next.
Her majesty, fully out of the darkness and shadows of the halls of the palace, now into the glorious light of the sun. Any person there, human or otherwise, would declare for decades to come. That this moment was the first time, since the young heir's kidnapping, that the queen was physically outside the castle walls.
Even though her majesty had not been to the world outside of her castle for many years, her eyes adjusted to the bright, almost overwhelming light of the sun. As her gaze traverses across these faces, both new and old, familiar and unique, her eyes lock upon a hauntingly familiar silhouette. One of someone she saw, she knew, she loved many years ago. By an unknown force, the head of who she was fixated on, lifted itself up, and their eyes met. A set of eyes, longing for more than what they could ever dream, wanting to experience all that life had to offer, yet just as much love and care were seen, so was the pain and the suffering. These eyes, were currently locked onto the eyes of another. Someone with as much pain and suffering, yet had even more love and care, even though these attributes were faded and aged over time. They were still ever present, and just as the colorful tinted sky meets the aged old earth at the edge of the horizon. These two eyes met, and a clash of emotions, thoughts, memories, even denial was shown through this simple interaction.
With all the will power she could gather, she closed her eyes and whispered with a shaky breath and tears in her eyes, "Gods of the Ten Heavens ... do not let my eyes deceive me. Let me know, once and for all, is the young man who bows before me, the son who I lost all those years ago?"
A few moments of silence pass, then the leafs rustle and the birds chirp and start fly towards the clouds. For a blinding white light shoots down from the heavens, it's force as powerful as the greatest army, with it's impact as soft as a feather. This beam of light envelopes her majesty, and as the other watch in surprise or fear, they all perceive this as the gods granting her a divine right. Because, since her majesty is a descendant of the initial conqueror of Apathia, the gods should favor her. Nevertheless, this is not the true case, for her majesty prayed to the gods for an answer, and the gods shall deliver. Which is why her majesty, now fully engulfed by this beam of light, is finally cognizant of the whereabouts of her son. A moment passes, and the light dissipates, the birds return, the leafs stand still, and new knowledge has been obtained.
Her majesty looks into Nightingale's eyes and says, "My son, the gods have answered my prayers, welcome home."