Chapter 16: Shadowy Revealings

The first snowflake. A little patterned crystal petal of frozen air trickled from the grey sky, landing elegantly on the cold moss. Winter had arrived all too soon.

The queen felt a ripple of anxiety sliver down her spine as if her body could sense time running out, for after winter would come spring which meant she was expected to wed...

Another crumpled letter lay forsaken on her desk before her icy hands. Her jaw was tight and her wings tense. She did not like the contents of the letter. Valleric, as always, watched Riona intently.

"What bothers you so, if I dare ask?"

Riona did not look at him. "Some people die without funerals," she stated seemingly out of the blue. The lord was taken aback as he wondered aloud, "Why do you say this?"

Her head tilted towards him, her gaze a mixture of anger, fear, and sorrow. "They do not die physically, Vally, and so they still roam the earth, forgotten by others but not by the ground beneath their feet. They did not die when they had to, so they still search for death."

Valleric frowned with concern. He strolled towards the woman, laying a hand on her forehead. "Are you all right? You are uttering senseless babble," he said. Riona sighed, leaning towards the gentleman's touch, eyes closing. Her mind was a nest of all sorts, though luckily she found comfort in him.

She muttered, "Can I ask you to make a promise?"

"Of course," answered Vally, reaching his other hand to stroke her hair, still frowning with worry. She swallowed, nervous about his reaction. "Valleric, do you promise to cut off my wings when I order you to do so?"

He paused.

The queen turned her eyes towards the lord. Once her focus met his stricken gaze, Vally opened his mouth with utter displeasure. "How could you request such an unthinkable act of me?" he cried out.

Riona stood, fully turning towards him. Immediately her palms grasped his arms in an attempt to calm him. His chest heaved. "Riona!" he shouted, wide eyes searching hers, "Have you lost your sweet mind?"

Her arms quivered as her hands tightened on him. "Breathe, Vally," she said quietly, "I will explain."

He did not calm down. On the contrary, he pushed her against the desk, earning a shriek from her, his palms latching onto her face, forcing her to stare straight into his bewildered eyes. He was struck by fear. She had triggered a reaction she never would have expected.

"Stop hiding secrets!" he demanded, "Who is bothering you? I will protect you, Riona, just tell me from who." His voice rang in desperation, echoing a genuine longing to help her. For the first time, she saw tears in a man's eyes. Not just any man, but one she loved— and it pained her heart.

"Vance...

He is the one who lurks in my nightmares. He is the one who threatens to return. He is the one who lusts revenge," she sniffled, "I fear he wants to take my wings as I have taken his. That is why I would rather you take them and look after them."

Tears slid from both their eyes. Vally wasted no time enveloping her in his warmth. His arms tightened around her folded wings. His face nestled between her hair and neck as he whispered with sincere affection, "No harm will come to you as long as I am by your side."

Riona's tiny hands looped around his shoulders, her face pressing to his frame. "Then promise you will never leave me," she asked, suppressing a sob.

"I promise."

He gently released her to pull the chair closer. He lowered himself before her, holding her hands in his. "Now tell me," he started, "What has he done so far?"

An uneven breath left her chest, as she tried to relax, sitting on the desk. "He moves in silence, careful to never give away his whereabouts. He kills a citizen of a village when the moon is at its darkest, leaving them in the center of a town for all to discover in the morning. He slits their throats, as it is something I would do, and tears off their wings, laying them next to the body. Occasionally he sends a letter to remind me of how I've wronged him and how I have made a mistake. I find pettiness unlike him, but I guess anger drives an individual to great extents..."

She breathed, "I am not stupid. I know my brother has smuggled poison all those years. His links still thrive without him. I suspect Vance knew of some, using them against me by gathering intel, because he is in exile." She rolled her eyes. "Borders do not matter to him. He can cross them even without wings."

Vally frowned. "Why had you not killed him when you had the chance?"

Riona's lip quivered for a bit before she answered shamefully, "I couldn't see myself killing a friend. Just as I couldn't see myself killing Drystan... Because blood or not, he was still my twin, my brother, and only family."

Valleric's jaw gritted. "I... I don't think I could have killed my best friend either... But we have to do the unthinkable to do good." Riona nodded, finding herself regretting her decision a few years prior. She nodded to herself, internally debating. "You are right," she said, "I will not make the mistake of allowing his life to slip past the edge of my sword again."

The Lord nodded rather calmly, as if in thought. "The blade of my sword will be kept just as sharp in case you find yourself in doubt," he reassured, bringing their foreheads to rest against each other. "I will do anything to keep you from danger, may it be dragons or earthworms or even your own nightmares. Just tell me, ask me, and I shall wipe them away. Somehow with some magic and strength. Just ask me."

Riona smiled, tear-brimmed with wet lashes, her fingertips tracing his face. She agreed, "Then, please, stay by my side as my shadow knight."