Rising from the Ashes
Chapter 37

Former King Zathrian Everett Stavros had stepped up to the throne after his father was killed in the war between realms. He had been known as the dark prince before his reign and yet it was he who had ended a war that lasted a century before him. Two days after his coronation he had traveled to the fairy realm and signed a peace treaty. Before this the fairies and werewolves were always killing each other for one thing or the other. A year after he signed the treaty the fairy queen had accidentally introduced him to an elemental by the name of Eileen. Eileen had turned out to be his mate and she had left the fairy realm to rule over the werewolf kingdom.

This started the rule of King Zathrian and Queen Eileen. Together they made history. Together, they made peace. The werewolf kingdom had thrived under them. They made allies out of enemies and unknowing to them, they made enemies out of allies who did not like the sudden change. The blades in Zathrian’s collection are full of history, full of a past. Each is a symbol of something. It is the first thing King Zathrian had shown her when they stepped foot in the little shop he had created. It is dark and hot. It is full of fire and melted metal. There are swords on the wall, each different, and each unique. The king grabs a sword that is practically transparent and hands it to her. It is so light it feels as if it could be a feather. It is different from the usual sword. The usual sword is heavy. The usual sword makes a sound as it moves through the air. This one is so silent it feels as if it hardly exists at all. Elenora cannot figure out how this sword exists. What is it made of? How is it possible? The sword is insanely sharp. King Zathrian showcased this when he held an iron sword and told her to cut through it. It was as if the iron sword was made out of paper. It should be impossible and yet Elenora had stared at the pieces of the sword for ten minutes before she dared to question. “A gift from the fairy queen. She had given it to me at my mating ceremony. It is a symbol of peace.” Zathrian Stavros tells her and he leads King Stavros and her to the back of his shop. It is all leather and wood, lit by torches.

Elenora watches the fire as it dances before Zathrian pulls her away from her thoughts “If I would have known you were coming by, I would have prepared something for you to eat. You should write next time Maverick.” Zathrian Stavros tells him but he still pulls out a bar stool for her and starts to pull different ingredients from the fridge. It is almost surreal, watching the former king pull food out of a fridge to cook himself.

“It was a last minute decision. Muriel had found out where you were from Ardon I believe and she mentioned wanting to stop by while we were in the village.”

“I am honored you wanted to meet me Muriel.” Zathrian bows his head to her. Elenora cannot figure out how she had earned such respect from a king as great as him nor can she find the words to respond. Zathrian Stavros had her stunned from the moment she stepped into the shop just to be given a history lesson on the swords in his collection. “Eileen and I wanted to stop by to meet you but Eileen suggested it would be best to let you find us on your own. It must be challenging, adjusting to the life you have found here. Rogue to future Luna to Princess? I couldn’t imagine!” Zathrian shakes his head, eyes widened as he thinks about the adjustments she had made in her life only recently. He throws three steaks on the counter and begins to season them.

“It has been surreal.” Elenora finds her voice “She talks! I was worried for a moment.” Zathrian jokes

Elenora cannot help but flush. King Stavros is looking at her as if she’s an entirely different person. Admittedly, Elenroa can understand why. She had been hostile towards King Stavros since the very moment she met him and the moment she stepped in this shop she had acted like a shy kid. What does one say to the man who had been an idol growing up? Elenora was forced to study King Zathrian and his accomplishments from the time she had turned six. “I apologize. You are not what I had been expecting.” Elenora does not know what she expected if she is being honest with herself.

“What had you been expecting?” King Zathrian holds up a finger before she can respond and starts to hammer the steaks. It gives Elenora a chance to come up with an answer.

“I was not expecting you to treat me as if you have known me all my life. The moment I stepped in the door you brought up the peace treaty between the fairies and werewolves before showing me your collection of swords. Now you are cooking a meal for the three of us.” Elenora shrugs “It is odd I suppose. I thought you might have questions for me.”

Zathrian glances at King Stavros who merely turns away before sighing and throwing one of the steaks in the pan “I do have questions Muriel. You were just a babe the last time I saw you. I had thought you would experience no pain, no trial, and I had hoped you would live a long, happy, naive life. You were stolen from your crib not a week after I held you in my arms for the first time. Now you are sitting in front of me with more scars than I can count and I hear you have a daughter.” He throws a mix of vegetables in a pan as he talks, his eyes focused solely on the food “I have so many questions we could be here all night but you do not know me just as I do not know you. Today, all I can do is cook you some nice food while planning out a very long, very painful death to those who dared to touch my granddaughter. I have shown you my collection and I have told you what I can do Muriel. I can be the dark prince or I can be the King of peace.”

The questions hang in the air, unspoken. The promise weighs heavy on her. The promise to avenge. The promise that she will never have to fight again if Zathrian has it his way. It silences them up until the point the former king places the food before them. “I have missed your steak father.” King Stavros admits as he cuts through it.

Elenora has no patience when it comes to being proper and frankly it is far too good a steak for proper eating. She uses her fork to stab through the steak and brings it to her mouth before ripping a piece off. King Zathrian laughs “I think Vanya might be on to something with those etiquette classes. I do wish I was there to see the ladies react to Muriel.”

“I am still trying to win my daughter’s favor. I am not forcing Muriel into etiquette classes.” King Stavros shakes his head.

Elenora scoffs and shovels the well seasoned vegetables in her mouth next. She swallows and turns to Zathrian “He barely got me to attend training for my fire abilities. The only reason I agreed was so I could gain his favor. I wanted something.” King Zathrian laughs again.

“I suppose we are werewolves. We all have our more wild sides. You more than others I would assume.” King Zathrian had hit the nail on the head with that one. Not even Elenora can control Marcella who had become more than bloodthirsty over the years. She is wild and vicious though she is soft for the Bloodmoon pack. Vermont had poisoned the kindness out of her wolf long ago, “I have to ask if you plan to visit Eileen as well?” Elenora finds herself nodding before she can stop herself. What would she even say to the formal Queen? With Zathrian she could talk about his rule, his accomplishments, and his hobby.

What does she know of the queen other than the fact she is an Elemental and she had left her home to serve the werewolves? “You and Mom will have plenty to talk about.” King Stavros reassures. He must have seen her concern. He seems awfully good at reading her “You will find you have more in common than you might think. She would be most interested in your time as a rogue. I assume there are some perks?”

“Some.” Elenora admits. There is a reason she finds herself longing for that lifestyle again. She is free from politics, from mannerisms, and from societal behavior. She is free to be wild. It is simply about surviving and there is freedom in that. “But there are some terrible parts as well.”

“Ah yes.” Zathrian nods and his eyes move to King Stavros for less than a second. “I imagine the last few decades have been very hard on the rogues.” King Stavros flushes and to Elenora’s own disbelief she finds herself defending the king.

“Everybody makes mistakes out of anger. So long as they work to improve, it is the past.” And King Stavros has been working to improve. Elenora had heard a whisper of that in the village while they walked.

The silence that falls on them lasts until they are all done eating. It is thoughtful and new. Zathrian breaks it first “You have the gift?”

King Stavros answers before she can correct him and call it a curse “She has an Element. Fire.” There is pride in the king’s voice. Zathrian is merely confused as he tilts his head at her before holding out his hand. Elenora holds his hand feeling entirely awkward and watches the former king’s eyes widen

“She has both.” Zathrian states. Elenora does not deny it nor does she tell him that it feels more like a curse than a gift. Her first instinct is to ask Zathrian how to stop the curse but it is rumored that Zathrian is ‘gifted’ in the same way. It seems King Stavros had gotten his ability to read people from Zathrian because he sees right through her. “I understand how it can feel like a curse Elenora but it is important for you to accept it just as you would your wolf.” Elenora is silent. How can she explain to him that she has barely accepted her wolf until just recently. Even now it is a bitter acceptance. She had only just begun to hear her wolf in her head. The forced shifts had only made it worse.

“I get the feeling she hasn’t even done that.” King Stavros states and the worry is written all over his face. It is a worry Zathrian seems to share as they both look at her, hoping she might deny it. Elenora doesn’t. She focuses on finding a drink instead. She finds the alcohol after opening two cabinets and she grabs the entire bottle for herself. “You haven’t…?” Zathrian trails off

“Haven’t…?” Elenora dares to question and she pours herself a full glass before swallowing it all down at once. It is bitter and disgusting but Elenora pours herself another “I hated werewolves growing up. I thought they were monsters because I was raised to believe I was human and then tortured for that alone. I shifted just before I turned rogue and then with my denial forced shifts were frequent. My wolf was bloodthirsty and violent so I hated her more for it.” It is the only explanation they need and it is enough to understand why she hated Marcella for so long. “I always thought ‘the gift’ was a human thing. Nobody else in the pack seemed to be suffocating under the emotions of those next to them and I told nobody of my ability. That was before I heard the rumors about you.” Elenora admits just before she swallows back another glass. It needs to be said. This way they can understand. This way she will not hear them as they tell her she needs to accept it. Accept her wolf. Accept the curse. They need to understand why it is not so easy and maybe she needs to tell somebody other than Mia to believe it was not all just some very bad nightmare and sometimes it feels as if it were just a bad nightmare. “Imagine getting tortured and being able to feel the emotions of those doing the torturing.”

King Zathrian stands and pulls her into a hug without hesitation. He hands King Stavros the alcohol behind her back and leans down to whisper “I do not need to understand Muriel.” Elenora’s first thought is that he does not want to understand because understanding is too painful to think about. The second thought is that he understands because he has been through it himself. “When will it stop being a curse?” Elenora finds herself questioning.

“Around the time you stop hating it and instead choose to see the beauty of such a gift. I stopped fighting mine and when I stopped fighting it, the curse stopped fighting me. It becomes a hum. I can always feel the emotions of those around me except now those emotions do not become me. They float around me and simply exist.” It sounds almost impossible but the king pulls away with a smile “Except around family and my mate.” He shrugs “Then it is almost like it doesn’t exist at all.”

The rest of the time spent with the former king is a lot less heavy. It is lighthearted and by the end of it Elenora had been leaning against King Stavros with heavy eyes and a light smile. The shop feels a little bit like home and Elenora finds herself longing to go back the moment she steps away. The walk down the cobblestone path is quiet and peaceful. The village is dark and everybody is already retired to their homes. Occasionally Elenora spots something from the celebration. The flower petals they had thrown around still lay on the path and there are banners still hung between buildings about her return. When they return to the castle the warriors at the wall greet them with wide smiles and happiness in their eyes. Elenora suspects her lack of hostility towards the king is a welcome surprise to them and her leaning on him in her tired state is more than they could have dreamed of.

Elenora spots the warrior that had offered her a word of wisdom after the king had locked her away in a tower and points to him. The warrior raises his eyebrows at her and looks to the king as if hoping he could explain why she is pointing him out, “That is the other warrior.” Elenora tells King Stavros who tilts his head at the warrior and smiles

“You couldn’t want for a better one. Warrior Hans is an exceptional fighter though if you want a warrior who knows how to keep his opinion to himself he will not be the one for you.” King Stavros jokes “He has never failed to call me out when he thought I was in the wrong.” Warrior Hans smiles as the King tells her this.

“Precisely why I want him as part of my guard.” Elenora nods at Warrior Hans as they pass him. The curse whispers to her. His pride. His happiness. His elation. It does not seem so hard to accept it at this moment and so Elenora becomes it instead. When they step into the castle it is the Queen that greets them. King Stavros is quick to place the flower crown he had made on her head and he kisses her. It is short and sweet but enough for the queen to flush a bright red.

Princess Lydia pops up next and squeals at the sight of them “I am so happy you two aren’t killing each other. Mostly you Muriel.” With that Lydia practically jumps on her to hug her. It squashes the flower crown made for Lydia who quickly fixes it with her element. “You went to see Grandpa? How is he? Well I hope. Did he cook? Did you save me some?”

“Elenora ate it too fast to think about saving any.” King Stavros responds to Princess Lydia who deflates for all of two seconds before rushing out a goodnight and pulling her towards Prince Ardon.

“That’s alright. I will have to visit him tomorrow. You have a letter from Nakoa. It arrived while you were away. Ardon was tempted to read it if only to make sure Nakoa kept things appropriate. I tied him up with vines before he could reach it.” Elenora cannot help but laugh at the image in her head.

“I thank you for your great service.” It is likely that Lydia would have found some other reason to tie the prince up with vines if he hadn’t given her that one. Elenora also suspects the princess is wearing different clothes than she was this morning because of a certain water incident. It seems they cannot go a day without using their elements on each other.

“Always happy to help.” The princess smiles sweetly. They end up going to Elenora’s room where Prince Ardon sits cutting a box of vines up. There is a pile of veins sitting at his feet and Elenora watches more grow back as he cuts.

“Would that be my letter Ardon?” Elenora holds out her hand. He gives it to her after a moment’s hesitation before standing and moving behind her just as the veins start to turn into one big flower.

“Ardon.” Elenora’s voice holds a warning “Brother or not I will burn you to a crisp if you do not give me some space to read my letter alone in peace. Nakoa is most likely just telling me Charlotte made it safe and sound.”

For an extra precaution Elenora creates a circle of fire that does not burn the floor but will burn anybody that tries to walk through it. It keeps Ardon out and Princess Lydia who pouts but does not fight her on it. “Tell me if he does not remain respectful at least.” Prince Ardon pleads.

It is flattering but Elenora finds herself scoffing at the thought “Nakoa and disrespect do not go together. It is me insisting on corrupting him.” Elenora flushes the moment the words leave her. She cannot help but think about the night they shared just before Charlotte had been taken. If it is him corrupting her, she does not much mind being corrupted. In fact, she can only dream of him corrupting her every night for the rest of their lives.

“What’s with that face?” Prince Ardon narrows his eyes “No. No. No. I have seen that look before. Multiple times. Usually after… No! Gross. I am going to kill that-”

“Don’t be such a hypocrite, Ardon. They are mates. They can do whatever it is they please. Especially when you have done it with just about every whore in the kingdom.” Princess Lydia rolls her eyes before smiling at her “Open the letter. Tell me how Charlotte is. Tell me the appropriate bits.” By the look in Princess Lydia’s eyes. Elenora suspects she wants to know the inappropriate bits when Ardon is not here to ruin the fun. Elenora grins and then rips open the letter, the worry gnawing at her.

This letter will either tell her Charlotte had never arrived or it will tell her she is safe.

I know you must be worried and so I will start by writing Charlotte is here and safe. She is eating right now and talking up the Kingdom to Mia who cannot wait to visit herself.

Now that you can relax I will tell you how much I miss you. Bloodmoon is not the same without you and I’ve no idea how I have lasted so long without you. I am already thinking about all the ways I can welcome you back and earn your forgiveness. I want to tell you how but I am almost certain Ardon is planning all the ways to get this letter. I imagine he has gotten just as protective of you as he has been of Lydia since she was a girl gaining the attention of all the boys. Though I cannot blame him, please tell Ardon to mind his own business and remind him that you are my mate.

Mia is doing okay as well. Whenever she is not working, she is distracting my Beta from his duties. You will be happy to know they are getting along well. I suspect the only reason they haven’t done the ceremonies is because they are waiting for you. Am I making you want to come home yet? I hope I am. Have I told you you are the light of my world yet? You are. You are my light, my peace, my home, you are everything I didn’t know how to dream up.

I want to write novels about you so you will live somewhere for eternity.

Have I told you I love you? I do.

Come back to me.

Yours, Nakoa

How does one act normally after reading a letter like that? Seriously. How? Elenora is certain she has forgotten how to speak. Elenora cannot do much of anything but heat up head to toe. She has never longed for anybody as much as she longs for Nakoa who at this moment she wants to hit for making her miss him this much. How is she supposed to think about anything else? With a wave of her hand Elenora removes the circle of fire and tucks the letter into the pocket of her dress. “I think I would like to spend the rest of the night alone.” Elenora manages to tell the two of them.

“Is something the matter? Is Charlotte okay?”

“Charlotte is safe.” Elenora manages to say, her face still very hot “I just want to gather my thoughts and try to miss him a little bit less than I do.” Princess Lydia smiles and hugs her.

“I am glad he makes you so happy.” She whispers before pushing Ardon out of the room. Elenora tries reading it again and tries to figure out how to write back.

The letter will most likely arrive just before she does but she needs to respond. She needs to tell him something in response and so instead of sleeping she writes just about a dozen different responses, each seeming more horrifying than the last. Mia would know how to write the perfect thing but Mia is not right here and so her trash can fills up with the letters she had trashed until she burns them and fills up another trash can and then another.

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