9 | ACT I, SCENE IX

P R E V I O U S L Y

There was a hissing in my ears, as I felt my eardrums explode and the world faded to black with the sound of a sword being drawn.

RYVENNDEL MANSION, BELLHAVEN, STEFFITH.

AMPHITRITE

"AH," CLOTHO OBSERVED, PULLING DOWN the string from the ceiling and peering closely at it. Her sisters, Lachesis and Atropos, joined her, pulling the spool up to examine it in the light.

The three Fates cackled and screeched like the old hags they were, happily sitting amidst the spools and spools of colored threads.

The Fates, or the Moirai, were descendants of Aurea, the Mother Earth.

She was married to Uranus, the Father Sky. They were the first two immortals, the first god and goddess ever to come into existence from a great Void.

They had had six children - Cosmo, Titania, Emerick, Justaline, Zadicus and Pandora. Uranus became aware of a prophecy that his children would kill them and take his throne. So to prevent it from occurring, he plotted to kill them.

Aurea, his wife, got so unhappy that she decided to end his life. She fashioned a sickle made of a metal called Bloodstone and got her children involved in her plan to kill Uranus. Her middle born son, Cosmo, was the only one who decided to go ahead with it. That night, when Uranus came to her bed, Cosmo attacked him with the sickle, severely injuring him.

The skies shifted, for Uranus was father of the skies. The six planets fell out of their orbits, and would have fallen on land had Aurea, the mother earth, not stopped them. She used an enormous amount of power to fling them back into space, and it left her weak and drained of power. Uranus discovered her betrayal and killed her first. Enraged, Cosmo finally killed him.

Leaving both Uranus and Aurea dead.

When Aurea's body was cremated after her death, the smoke rose from her pyre and condensed into three shapes.

Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, the Moirai. The Fates.

They weaved and spun, allotted and cut the threads of life - for both, mortal and immortal. The mortals and humans had threads and strings that ran all around the walls of the chamber and into the tapestries. Yet for the gods, they floated around the ceiling, a distinctive existence different from the mortals.

Nearly all the gods' threads trailed happily to the floor, unhooked and free of the looms. Those gods did not need the Fates' aid to find their other half now, for their lives were mapped out, their destinies fixed. Only a very few of them still dangled or were hiked to the looms.

Clotho had this certain thread in her hands, and she examined it critically. It was one of the finest quality, as was the other in her sister's hand.

"So this," she told me, "do you know who does this thread belong to?" the hag cackled again, withered lips pulling up. I narrowed my eyes and looked at the thread.

Shimmering gold, perfect and soft and sparkling, fluid like molten silk and brighter than fire, the golden thread gleamed prettily in her hand.

"That's my sister's," I replied confidently, proud and glad that she had such a beautiful thread.

Mine was pure silver, and Eric's was light blue. As we were married, our threads were braided together. I watched the entwined braid floating around a corner of the Fates' room. They lived in the Calchester Citadel too, with all the elder gods - Cosmo and his six children.

"Right," Lachesis replied gleefully, and pulled out a thread trailing about, turning to show it to me. "Do you know whose is this?"

I gasped.

It was a dark blue, chilling and frozen in a vivid hue, like a shard of midnight lightning. At several lengths, it streaked with pitch black, and the two shades mingled in an enticing combination, whirling around like hurricanes. It glittered like stars. It was glorious.

"That, my dear girl, belongs to Tristan Valmont," Atropos smiled too happily, wringing her hands like a child, and my jaw dropped further.

"It's - it's so... so beautiful..." I whispered, and they laughed.

"Perhaps you should see this, then," Clotho gestured. Her fingers moved quickly, intertwining my sister's golden and Tristan's blue thread, a sudden pattern in all three minds as they began to weave the two together.

"Lords," I prayed, when the fingers stopped moving and the finished tapestry glared at me beckoning, "...how is this possible?"

For what I saw, was not a mess. What I saw, was perfect.

The two had been woven together, in the most powerful and beautiful pattern possible, held tighter than tight, wrapped around each strand. The knots in all the places had been pulled taut, and the stitches were more intricate than anything I had ever seen in my existence.

Dark blue contrasted stunningly with bright gold.

It was power, power and beauty at its finest.

"It's not possible... how is it possible? They are enemies. We are enemies!"

"Ah, that they are," Clotho chuckled like an old man, "but there is a... thin line between love and hatred."

"See these knots here?" Atropos questioned, "they will give each other grief, yes. A lot of it."

"They will test and pull each other in directions they never thought were possible," Lachesis added with a smug laugh.

"They will hurt each other, and they will heal," Clotho concluded, and now her voice lowered, hushed, and I strained to catch her words, "because they are meant to be together. They will complete each other, and they will love each other. Because the Fates never lie, get it? The Fates never lie."

• • • • •

"Ah," Eros exclaimed happily, "perfect. This is perfect, Cosmo. Ah, the things they both are going to do..."

"I know," the King shrugged, carefree, yet it was hard to miss the smile in his moss green eyes as he turned the carefully braided gold and blue thread in his fingers. I was still unable to take my eyes off the beauty.

Eros was the mischievous god of love, a notorious minion of the Fates, and my father in law.

Yes, Eros LeVane was Eric's father.

He was companion to his sister, Fayette, the goddess of beauty, love and lust. She was married to Deimos Everly. Alaric, Drusilla and Aeneas were Fayette's children.

Just like his son, Eros had the same golden hair, which was curled into tight coils around his angelic, cherubic face. He preferred to clothe himself in light, loose robes, carrying his famed bow and quiver of arrows with him. It was he who lit the flame of love in the hearts of the gods and men.

And right now, he was very busily swooning over his next project.

My sister and her soon to be husband.

"Hmm, should prove to be a bit of a challenge, no?" Titania was inquiring, curiously examining the gold and blue tapestry.

"I love a good challenge!" Eros beamed, "as I love you!"

An awkward silence descended as Cosmo turned his eyes from his wife to the beet purple Eros, an apprehensive look on his face. I let loose a stray giggle. Well, Titania and him - who would have guessed?

"Err... you know - I was just... ah, these two are going to be marvelous!" he quickly clapped his hands together, golden curls gleaming.

"I could have your tongue out for saying that," Cosmo said quietly, face solemn, "just so you know."

"Ah, come on, he just happens to be a bit... enthusiastic," Titania waved distractedly.

"Yeah? Of course I'm enthusiastic!" Eros brandished his bow, blowing flying kisses to any lady who caught his eye.

Six of the ladies collided into pillars while grinning back haplessly at him.

I let out a snort as the Queen tinkled merrily.

Well, charming man.

"Well, then, I trust you'll do your job?" Cosmo coolly asked the god of love, who was busy flirting with a blonde haired attendant.

"Ah, of course - of course," Eros grinned smugly between kisses as the lady locked him in a passionate embrace. "Ah, darling, excellent," he muttered, grabbing her by the waist as she shoved her tongue down his throat. Sweating and smiling, the god of love looked aside, suddenly, conscious of all the attention.

"Don't you worry about them," he reassured us. "Trust me. When I'm done, Edwina Tremayne and Tristan Valmont won't even know what hit them."

With that, he sauntered off, lover in his arms.

"Well, we must be going. It's going to be a long day today. Amphitrite, do go about waking Edwina up. The wedding is in six hours," Cosmo announced. "And the coronation is tonight as well."

"I was just going there, your Grace. She hasn't come down since two days," I confessed sheepishly.

"Go, then, child. She wouldn't want to be late for her own wedding," Titania said, linking her arm with Cosmo's. They both walked out of the hall, as I stood there for a moment, watching the sunrise spill over the marble.

Today.

The most important day in Edwina's life.

Her wedding and her coronation.

I was still worried. What had she been doing cooped up in her room since the last two days? No one had seen her since the night they'd fixed the wedding. I didn't disturb her, as I thought she'd be busy. Now it was early morning, the day of her wedding, and I wondered what she'd be doing!

The dawn breeze was fresh in the hall. My heels echoed across the floor of the throne room as I crossed it to staircase on the other side to my elder sister's room.

Court had been postponed, and hundreds of people were busy working, decorating it from floor to painted ceiling. The last time there was a coronation had been Cosmo and Titania's - and then, there were barely any of them around. For most, this would be a new experience. And a wedding on the same day? An added bonus for the onlookers.

Bundles and bundles of orchids and roses being hauled across the hall, lilies and carnations spilled over the crenelations. At the front, chairs were slowly being arranged, wound with ribbons of red, blue and gold satin. Carpets were being rolled out. I heard Olinda Rotavelle's voice among the hubbub. She was Emerick's eldest daughter, and goddess of revelry and festivities.

I softly knocked on Edwina's door. The only other sound in the silence was that of the birds cooing in the distance. It was around five in the morning and the wedding was at midday.

There was no sound from within.

"Edwina?" I asked softly. She was an early riser, usually up at the crack of dawn.

There was a clink of glass on wood and a hoarse rasp of something moving across the floor.

"Door's open," she hoarsely called from inside.

Her voice sounded... not very good. It hardly sounded like her. She had a sweet voice, this one sounded more like a rasp. A sudden fear got hold of me as I tried to make out what was going on. Well, only one way to find out.

I slowly pushed open the door to her room. The cup of coffee fell from my hands and stained the floor.

She was fast asleep!

• • • • •

AHA. So here I am with another cliffhanger ending :) do I regret it? No. Would I do it again? Probably 😂😂