Chapter Three: Return to Darkness

 

 

 

Squeezing his eyes tightly together, Arthas attempted to strangle the memories from behind his eyes. No. He was not going to let the flood of them drown him in their overwhelming currents, making his rage boil back up to break his calm surface. He would not let them win. Never again would they win. He would not be so easily tricked a second time. The Withering Palace filled his veins with dark magic, making him even more impatient for vengeance.

“The Queen has summoned you, my Lord.” The Captain of the Guard bowed before him, disturbing his thoughts. Arthas could see him tremble as a sheen of sweat hung on his skin, dotting his clothes with rancid wet patches. This made the Ancient Faerie King smirk. He was used to others cowering at his feet. Even the Unseelie Queen’s guards shuddered at his presence. Pure evil reeked from his pores and made the temperature drop a slew of degrees in his vicinity. No one was brave enough to look him in the eye. Not even the current Unseelie Queen, Aveta.

“I will be there, when I please.” He waved the guard away, noticing the slight relief the man displayed as he scampered away. Punishment for disturbing the Ancient was not unheard of, even on a messenger of the Queen.

Arthas rubbed his temples in frustration, his unruly, dark hair framed his face and his dark eyelashes hooded his eyes well. The castle was suffocating him. It was overrun with filthy sluagh and other unworldly beings. His army was not pristine as he’d like, now controlled by that wench of a queen who had incompetently controlled his throne in his absence. Returning here had surprised her to say the least. There was a satisfaction in watching her pallor grow even sicklier at the sight of him when he’d waltz into her midst not a month before. No one had seen or heard from him in centuries. Not since the other three Seelie Ancient rulers had cursed and chained him in a sarcophagus for all of time. He had not agreed to their terms of ruling the land of Faerie. They were foolish in thinking their plan to subdue him would work forever. He had been foolish to underestimate them too. Not a mistake he would ever repeat.

Arthas was the only Unseelie Ancient of the four Ancients of Faerie. It didn’t mean he was the only ruler in Faerie considered to be evil and malicious. His Seelie counterparts were not always on the right side of the light. Faeries were tricky. Arthas thrived on this treachery, but his dark power was more obvious than their treacheries and tricks. For now, his vengeance on the other three Ancients would have to wait. Fortunately none of them knew of his return yet. He’d assumed a cloak once he’d left the enchanted forest of his imprisonment to hide his presence from the other three. He would take them by surprise, and he couldn’t wait to enjoy their shock when they discovered that he was free and unbound, wreaking havoc on the balance of the Land of Faerie.

A noise brought his attention back to the doorway. The guard had returned and was on his knees with head bowed once more. He trembled even more pronounced this time and his short, ragged breathing betrayed his rush to run right back here from wherever he had come from. Arthas smirked, amused at the guard’s fear, smelling it in the air and taking a slight pleasure from it.

“My Lord, I apologize for this subsequent interruption. Queen Aveta must see you now, it is of the utmost urgency, she…she said…” His voice was snuffed as Arthas grabbed him by the throat, slamming him into a wall with a sickening thud.

“I will see your Queen, as you call that pathetic woman, momentarily. But remember, I’m the King of this court, the only ruler fit to have sovereignty here. Your ‘Queen’ is nothing but a pawn in my game.” He let go of the guard, watching him drop on his feet, gasping for air.

Arthas turned down the hall, his eyes glowed a dark blood red when he was angered. His temper was short, and Aveta was pushing it. He would have to make certain that she knew her place and he looked forward to reminding her of the insolence she dared to play on him. Blinking away the crimson color swirling in his eyes as his power ripped through him, they slowly resumed their natural amber tone. He pulled his magic back into himself, tightly curling it within to use at a later time.

Aveta was lucky he hadn’t slaughtered her and her faithful guards on sight when he had returned to his kingdom. Besides, she was his great granddaughter−one of his descendants−and she would be of some use soon, but not before he made it clear that her demands would not be answered. No matter what she thought she could do, he would do the demanding around here from now on.