21. HESPER

TWENTY-ONE

HESPER

The sun began to set, the sky darkening as a storm brewed deep within the clouds. Morel and I were waiting, watching Agaric's palace as it glistened in the warm light of the fading sun. Our horses huffed as they waited patiently for our command, their nostrils flaring with adrenaline. I glanced at my husband, black and white paint hiding his skin, creating the image of a skull, his amber eyes piercing from beneath the thick layer. He wore the armor of Grisset, dark black leathers with a hand stitched silver moth on his chest, and his pitch-black crown of thorns atop his head. The menacing armor only enhanced Morel's dangerous beauty. He was intoxicating. I was dressed similarly, the skin of my chest exposed as my moonstone wedding ring lay looped through a silver chain close to my heart. I had the same war paint smeared across my own face, a matching death skull. My hair was braided back, a precaution I always took in battle, as my own onyx crown rested securely on my head.

"Once the sun dissolves into the night and fades from view, we strike." I nodded, agreeing with my king. Our forces filled the land behind us, reaching as far back as the eye could see. A sea of blackness.

"Be like the sky and remain true; an unchanging symphony of the stars." I chanted our kingdom's words, watching the sun as it dropped beneath the trees, the last bit of light gone.

Drums played in the distance as Agaric's army marched onto the land outside his palace walls, the same place we had battled him before. His white horse rushed from the palace gates, galloping to the front line of his men, his hair blazing in the growing night. I snarled, disgusted by his existence.

"That's my girl." Morel retrieved his sword, his horse rising, screaming in readiness. It was time. "A symphony of stars!" He kicked his horse, the beast galloping towards Agaric's forces. My hand clutched the hilt of my sword, raising it high as I screamed, signaling our men.

"Grisset!" the thousands of men shouted in unison, shadowing me as I raced after Morel, quickly gaining on him.

The earth shook at the might of our army, Agaric's men frantically bracing for impact as the distance between us shrank. Morel glanced over his shoulder at me, catching my eyes. "Wolfsbane! Shadow me!"

I smiled. "With pleasure!"

Our horses neighed as they leaped over the front line of Agaric's army, slamming into a row of screaming men as our horses' hooves crushed them, the sound of breaking bones exciting me. Together, we sliced at the army as our forces collided, shadows and darkness swarming through Dryade's ranks. Unlike the last battle, we had come prepared. Our men knew our story, angered by the betrayal of Agaric and fueled with revenge. They loved their king and queen and were willing to die for us, more so now than ever.

My stallion pranced in a circle, searching the fighting armies for any sign of the bastard. I made the mistake of not observing my surroundings as a Dryade soldier ran his sword across the front of my horse, the beast screaming in pain as he kicked, knocking me from his back.

"Hesper!" Morel's voice called to me amongst the chaos as I quickly stumbled to my feet, my sword buried in the growing pile of bodies. I frantically scanned the battlefield, searching for Morel, when his stallion leaped over me, landing not far ahead.

"Give me your hand!" he screamed, racing towards me. I reached out, grabbing his arm as he pulled me onto the horse. He wrapped an arm around my waist, squeezing me tightly as he kissed my cheek. "Rookie mistake, wolfsbane," he teased me. I flashed my canines at him.

"I need a sword." Morel pulled at the reins, bringing us closer to a pile of fallen soldiers.

"There." He pointed, and I nodded, knowing exactly what to do. He yelled to the beast, kicking its side as our speed increased. I reached my hand out, gripping the pommel of a sword that stuck out from a corpse, yanking it as we flew past.

"Perfect." I grinned, admiring the blood.

"Hesper!" he yelled, pulling my attention back to the war. "Ahead!" I turned to see Agaric, fighting on the ground, next to his fallen white horse that lay dead aside him.

"Get me close!"

"Wolfsbane," Morel's voice softened, his fear obvious to me.

I grabbed his face, my hands smearing the black and white paint along his chin as he glanced to Agaric, his eyes bouncing back and forth. "Listen to me, my love. I am your shadow. I shall never leave you, not even in death." I raised my hand, showing him the fresh cut. "We do not fear death." Morel stared at my hand, roughly kissing my palm.

"Until the heavens fall onto the earth." I smiled, nodding.

"Until the heavens fall onto the earth."

Morel kicked his horse, commanding it to race faster in the direction of Agaric. I positioned myself, sword in hand as we approached the prince. I launched from the horse, my body hitting the ground as I rolled to my feet. Morel fought Agaric's surrounding men, giving me the chance I needed.

My hand tightened around the hilt of the sword, my crown somehow still perched atop my head. Agaric swung, his eyes meeting mine, those green irises filled with terror. I smiled a deadly grin, my body steadily rising. My legs began to move, my speed quickening as I raced towards him, raising my sword high.

The two blades clashed into one another, the loud metal clanking leaving a faint ringing in my ears. We stood close, our faces inches from one another as our swords remained crossed, our strength pushing against one another. The sickening smell of citrus filled my nostrils as they flared with emotion, my teeth clenched as my arms screamed in agony, pushing against his strength.

"Hesper," Agaric hissed my name. "Tell me," he pushed, my feet dragging in the dirt, "did you miss me?" My brows furrowed as I twirled, his body slamming into the dirt.

Agaric glared at me. "I find it hard to miss something I never wanted." He quickly snatched his sword, rising to feet as he swung at me, our blades connecting once more. We danced, our weapons hitting again and again. We pushed from one another, breathing in the hot air as he pointed to me with his sword.

"It was only a matter of time before you crawled back to your master." He spat on the ground, noticing the glimmer of emotion I revealed to him. I charged him once more, screaming as my blade missed. He kicked me to the ground, laughing as I crawled to my feet. "You think you're something special, Hesper?" He began to tease me, playing with my emotions as he circled me. "You are a mere pawn. You may feel special and loved, but the truth is no one wants you. The only person who could ever love you is a sickly outcast with no place in this world. You are no queen." He knocked my crown from my head with his sword, watching as it rolled through the dirt. "You are a whore."

Tears burned my eyes as I screamed, turning, my sword clasped between my hands as I swung at him. Morel dodged my strike, his blade aiming low as it sliced my thigh. I screamed, dropping to my knee, my hands pushing against the wound as blood poured between my fingers.

Agaric kicked my weapon away, cautiously watching me. Tears rolled down my cheeks, smearing the thick crackled paint along my skin. "When will you learn?" He slowly stepped towards me, the moon shining behind him. "Darkness will never win."

A large shadow engulfed the moonlight as I grinned, Agaric confused by my expression. "Dear prince," I laughed, "you are no match for a king."

Morel's stallion screamed as it landed behind Agaric, its skull shoving him aside as he hit the ground with a loud thud. Morel jumped from his horse, tossing his crown and sword aside as he rushed to me. "Wolfsbane," he called, falling to his knees. "Are you alright, my love?" I nodded, lifting my hands as blood slowly seeped down my leg.

"Just a little cut. Nothing I can't handle," I wheezed with a smile. Morel ripped his sleeve from his shirt, wrapping the torn fabric around my leg as he tied it, squeezing tight. "Thank you, my love." He kissed me, helping me to my feet. Morel faced me, his back turned from his brother. I watched as Agaric charged us, the world slowing in motion as if time had almost stopped entirely. I watched helplessly as his arm raised steadily, a dagger firm in his grasp, his eyes burning into Morel's back. My eyes widened, scanning to meet my husband's, as he struggled to understand my face. "I love you," I mouthed before pushing him away. Time crashed around us, resuming normalcy as Agaric's dagger pierced my body, the sharp metal scraping my collarbone followed by an immediate burning sensation. The sounds of war surrounding where I stood, Agaric's hand gripping the handle, his eyes stunned by my sacrifice.

"Hesper!" Morel screamed, tackling his brother to the ground. I watched as he straddled Agaric, swinging his fists as he beat his brother, slamming his knuckles into his face, blood flying in the air spraying his face. I could hear Agaric's nose as it broke, shattering beneath Morel's anger and power. My chest burned, my skin feeling as though it was on fire. I glanced at the wound, noticing the faintest hint of fluorescence.

Agaric laughed, blood staining his teeth. "Do you not fear for your queen, little brother?" Morel froze before he grabbed Agaric's collar, yanking him up as he screamed at him. "What do you mean?" Agaric's eyes stumbled to me as I clutched the wound, and Morel's gaze followed, watching as I frantically grabbed at the small flask attached to my belt.

"Morel," I cried, "Morel, it burns!" He dropped Agaric and rushed to me, ripping the small flask and pouring water onto my wound as I screamed in agony, falling to the ground. I stared into those amber irises, knowing what would happen, despite his desperate attempts to save me.

Agaric groaned as he stood, his face pulverized. He spat a tooth from his mouth, laughing to himself. "I have won, baby brother!" He stretched his arms high, shouting to the heavens. "Dryade has defeated Grisset!" Morel growled, focusing on me. Agaric's arm fell as he groaned, placing his hands on his hips. "Do you not understand, Morel? Your queen is marked for death, and so are you. You see, the dagger I used, the one there," he pointed next to me, the bloody dagger laying at my side. "You see it was soaked in the fluorescence of death caps. We both know just how poisonous those little fungi are." Morel's nostrils flared, fire burning behind his eyes. "You can try all you want, but there is no cure. I am afraid you must watch your queen die," he grinned, "again."

Morel grabbed a handful of dirt, turning as he threw it into his brother's eyes. Agaric screamed, stepping back as he tried to wipe the dirt away. Morel grabbed his crown, swinging the black, thorny metal, the sharp edges piercing into Agaric's skin. He ripped the crown back, blood spraying as he hit his brother again and again, knocking him to the ground, tearing him apart. "It's time you joined our father in hell!"

I peeled my eyes away, staring into the wound. I began to wipe away the burning poison, rubbing it across my thin armor. My fingers dug deep, my screams breaking through my teeth as I continued to claw any trace of the poison from my flesh, desperate to save myself.

Morel glanced back at me, distracted by my pain. "Morel!" He turned, Agaric's boot slamming into his face, his body falling back.

Agaric, his face and armor matching the color of his red hair, groaned, panting as he stood. "Gods, you are persistent!" Morel tried to get up, but Agaric kicked him once more. "I applaud your efforts, little brother, but the only one going to hell is you." He stepped on Morel's arm, pushing as his weight grew, Morel groaning, as his arm could only take so much. "And when you arrive, your bride in hand, may our mother greet you both with open arms." Morel's forearm cracked as he screamed in pain, his arm broken. His good arm grabbed the broken one as he tried to roll away, his brother kicking him in the back.

The pain of my wound lessened as I strained, gripping the dagger.

Agaric picked up his sword, swinging as he sliced Morel's back. "You know, I have a confession for you." He swung a second time, creating an X on his brother's back. "A sickness did not kill our mother."

I grabbed a handful of the contents from my pocket, holding them firm in my hand as I slid the dagger across it, my hand burning in the fire. Morel's eyes looked up at me in understanding as Agaric remained fixated on destroying his brother. Symphony of stars.

"In fact, it was her own sick obsession with you and her little mushrooms that killed her. Well," Morel stared up at his brother, realizing what he was saying, "technically I killed her. You probably already knew this, being her favorite, but it wasn't until that day when I added the glowing mushrooms to her food that I realized how deadly they really were. I merely intended to poison her, giving her a long, drawn out death, but, alas, her fate was written differently."

"You murdered our mother?" Morel's voice was filled with pain. "Why?" He wheezed.

"Why? Because with her gone, there was no one stopping me from ridding myself of you! If anyone were to be blamed for her death, it would be you, Morel. You were her favorite. You did this." Morel wobbled to his knees. "Oh, come now, brother. Stop with the heroics. There is no chance you will defeat me. Your bride—" He stopped, realizing I was no longer helpless on the ground. Agaric turned to face me as I chucked the dagger to Morel. He quickly caught the hilt and slammed the dagger deep into Agaric's stomach.

The prince dropped his sword, his eyes wide with fear as he fell back, pulling the blade from his abdomen. Blood mixed with a glowing blue fluorescence pooled around the wound. "No," he cried. "H-h-ow—"

Morel stood, glancing at me as my hand opened, a cluster of death caps in my palm, their blue glow dripping from my skin like blood. I smiled at him, turning to face Agaric as his face turned red, his body jolting in agony. "It seems that by poisoning Hesper over time, her body built up an immunity to the poison." Morel grabbed Agaric's sword as stepped closer, darkness showering his face. "And now, big brother, your kingdom shall fall."

"Please," Agaric cried. "Brother."

"I am not your brother." Morel raised his arm, screaming as he pierced the blade straight through Agaric's open mouth, silencing him for good. "I am the king of darkness."

Morel immediately rushed to my side, grabbing my hand as he wiped the mushrooms from my palm, cleaning their glow from my skin. "Are you alright, my love?" He gripped my face with his good hand, examining me. His fingers tracing my wound as I winced.

"I am fine, my king," I chuckled. He calmed, his arm pulling me close. "You did it, Morel."

He smiled, blood and paint smeared across his face. " We did it, wolfsbane." Morel pulled me against him, kissing me fiercely as the sounds of battle played around us, the moon shining brightly in the night sky. He pressed his forehead against mine, brushing my face as we laughed.

"Let's return home, my king." I glanced up at Morel as he nodded. He lifted his head and released a high pitch whistle, calling to Orion, who happened to be approaching.

"My king?" He approached, weathered from the war, spying Agaric's slain body.

Morel glanced around at the palace of his childhood. "Burn it." Orion nodded, calling to our men as they began to ignite the land of Dryade.

Morel called his stallion, carefully mounting it as I climbed up behind him, wrapping my arms around his. We stepped a few feet forward and stopped at Agaric's body, staring down at his empty green eyes, clashing against the blood red of his face. I spat on his corpse, and Morel smiled at my action. "What did I tell you about that attitude?" He kicked the horse as it shrieked, galloping from the battle. We watched our forces gather the remaining Dryade soldiers, cutting them down with no mercy, cheering at our victory.

"I guess you'll have to remind me," I teased, resting my head against his back. Morel laughed, leading us back towards the mountains, the night sky fully alive above us. "A symphony of stars."

"A symphony of stars. Let us return to the shadows, my queen of darkness."