Beautiful castles bigger than anything I had ever seen. Trees taller than small mountains lined its pathway to the front entrances.
The top leaves were so high that they disappeared in the milky clouds. "Welcome to Saudade."
The air was rich and filled with a pecan smell that reminded me of when I was younger, me and my sister would sit around for hours cracking open the tricky delightful treats.
The sky was all different pastel colors swirled together mixing perfectly. Everything looked familiar, like a long distant memory stuck in a cage stuck somewhere in my brain, which was a crazy thought considering I had never been outside of Ouizwell.
Jade looked unimpressed but Clementine was just as awe-struck as I was gapping like a dead fish at the riches in front of us.
Everything was so neatly trimmed and polished that the three of us stood out like sore thumbs. Our ratty hair stuck out in every way, our dresses tore at the ends and the rest ruined with dirt and mug. Clementine looked the worse for wear though, her lips chapped from exertion whereas Jade still carried herself with such grace that I wondered if anything would shake her up.
"Not impressed, Princess?" Our capture smirks at Jade. "Figures you would be just as stuck up as your mother."
Jade's steps faltered but only for a second before she lifted her head and continued to follow behind the horses.
The place was deserted despite its upkeep there wasn't the first gardener in sight. "Where is everyone?" Clementine voiced my thought right before I could.
"Hiding." He says with no further explanation.
"From whom?" Jade asked.
"Me." Once again, no explanation was given we were just left to make what we will of that information.
Who was he to have everyone in this gigantic city hide from him?
"Where are you taking us?" It was my voice that got him to turn around and look at us once more.
"To see the queen and king. They owe me."
Why was he so secretive? We were in his lands now it wasn't like we could vanish back to his enemy territory and rat all of his deepest confessions.
When we reached the steps of the castle, I'm not even sure if the word castle came close to what I would use to describe the magnitude of this building, we are untied from the horses and his men lead them away. Leaving just the four of us.
"I'm scared," Clementine admits to me and Jade. It was obvious as she was trembling worse than a newborn fawn.
"It's going to be okay." It was an empty promise. There was no way for me to promise her that, no way for me to insure any of our safety.
With no prolonged entrance he slung the double massive doors open revealing a throne room.
All of the windows were made of stained glass, and stories were imprinted on them but I didn't have any time to read into them because sitting in front of us were two massive thrones holding a king and a queen.
Their golden blonde hair was identical, blue eyes mystical and something screamed to me that I knew them but there was no possible way, because I would have remembered their glossy attire and their elegant demeanor that put Jades to shame.
"I expect a payment, now rather than later." Our cunning capture smiles cheekily at the royals.
"They look rather beat up, Killian." The woman spoke the man's name and it felt rejuvenating knowing it after so many nights of travel.
"I had to make sure they didn't suspect anything in case that damned commander came after them." He sneered at the mention of Haldis and I wondered how the two knew each other.
The queen stood and walked down the two steps that separated us from them.
Her posture was perfect and she walked as if she owned the entire world and for all I knew she probably did.
Clementine bit her lip so hard I knew it would bleed. Jade held firm on her position showing no fear but the queen wasn't looking at either of them.
She was looking at me. Her eyebrows pulled up in a pinch.
"After five hundred years, welcome home Evangeline." She reached out and touched my forehead.
With that simple touch, an ancient vision came to life in my chest so strong it knocked the air from me. A vision of two life's that I wasn't aware belong to me before I was born into this body.
The King stood in front of the wall and killed every last one of them. Saving the city and scaring the rest of the beast back into their hiding. The Iluna pair hasn't been seen since that last battle. No one knows for sure what happened to them.
"M- Mom?"