[1294] King Of Shadow and Demons - Prolouge

Any advice or suggestions on how to make this chapter better would be much appreciated!

**Prologue**  

The End began with a glass of water held firmly in Queen Mahimas pale, smooth hands. It was still cool, still fresh from the freezing mountain tops it melted off from, dripping all the way down to a pool. This pool of water was the only one in the entire kingdom that didn’t freeze over from the harsh winters. The gods gifted it to the Faeries of the north, right before The Empire split . It was the sole reason majik remained alive to this day.
But of course the prince of Gantrik, the land that eradicated all remnants of majik from within its borders, would have no idea of the power a single glass of water could hold.
He stood below The Queen, engulfed in her shadow. His chin was slightly tilted down, perhaps because he knew how foolish his request sounded. To use the few nymphs with majik she had and cure the drought that plagued Gantrik was utterly preposterous.
Mahima will never give that kingdom a single thing after they slayed and tormented her people. No one had the power to force her hand to do so.
The servant came with the glass immediately after the prince finished his begging. The servant took a sip first, proving it wasn’t poisoned, before wiping where he had placed his lips and handing it to the prince. He drank it without a second thought, just as planned.
Prince Sebastains eyes rolled to the back of his head before promptly collapsing. Mahima watched carefully, silenting praying to her creator that the intel was right.
Everything was going to be hers. Everything deserved to be hers.
The prince's eyes flung open. He scrambled up to his feet, confusion riskily displayed on his face.
¨I am sorry your highness, I must have fallen. ”He stammered. The white shirt he was wearing wrinkled from the fall, his disheveled hair fell in front of his dark eyes. Black, delicate wings sprouted from his back. Mahimas spies were right, his mother wasn’t Queen Anastasya, but a shadow faerie. She wished she knew the mothers name, the rare majik she possessed would certainly be useful for the Knighthood.
“You’re okay” Mahima came back to her senses, “You drank the water from our source, it's understandable to be confused.” She couldn’t wait for Estvan to die. The heir to his throne would only be young and impressionable for so long. With a little guidance, Sebastain could hand her everything she wanted on a silver platter.Mahima was surprised Estvan was risking so much in sending him to her knowing the gallons of blood on his hands. Perhaps because he knew Sebastain was the only emissary she wouldn’t dare kill.
“I-” Sebastian scratched his head, “I don’t understand.”
“You didn’t just fall.” Mahima laughed, “You're a faerie.” She couldn’t help but smile. Whatever spy alerted her of the prince's arrival would be getting a handsome bonus.
¨What are you talking about I-”
¨Your wings¨ She pointed a finger at them.
Horror contorted his face as he turned to look behind him. Black, thick wings loomed over his head. Their edges were sharp, and color deep. Interesting. Faeries of the purest blood typically had such rich wings, not muts.
¨What did you do me?¨ Sebastian's voice raised, ¨Are you trying to start a war! My father will kill you for this!¨
¨You should be more worried whether or not he will kill you, not me.¨ Mahima scoffed,¨ I wouldn't be surprised if your whole family wants you dead.¨ Anastasya certainly knew Sebastain was not her child. The maniac would never have stopped trying to figure out exactly who Sebastian's mother is, and what it meant for Sebastain to claim the throne. She wouldn’t stand to have a faerie for a king. Her husband, on the other hand, was perplexing. Surely Anastasya would have told him the truth about their son? Not that it mattered, regardless the Crown Prince's family stood in the way of his crown.
¨I’m not human.” Sebastian whispered.
¨ You are a faerie. Half faerie in fact, on your mother's side.¨
¨My mother, the queen, she is human¨ ¨Your blood isn't fully royal, your father didn't even know the woman he almost made his mistress was a faerie¨ Mahima half lied. She was sure Sebastain was aware that his parents' marriage was loveless, but would he believe his father really had an affair with a woman he knew nothing about?
¨That can't be true, why would my father name me his next heir if that was the case? If I am a bastard then no citizen of Gatrick would want me to be their king.¨ He argued.
¨The wings on your back say otherwise¨ Mahina brought the conversation back away from the specifics of the prince's situation, knowing it would only lead to her spilling more lies. ¨I didn’t reveal this to you in order to create chaos. Your blood works in favor of the both of us.”
¨How is that?¨ Sebastain shifted his feet anxiously
¨I will use majik to end your drought, but only if you become king¨
¨I will, once my father's reign is over.¨
¨Queen Anastasya doesn´t want some bastard on the throne, and I suspect she may know what you really are. If you want the throne you need to seize it. Now.¨
¨But that means-¨
¨Yes, you must kill your father¨ Mahina curled the hairs framing her face around her finger. ¨ Majik itself is not a bad thing, yet he has caused the suffering of many just for having it. All I want is to save my people, even the ones that reside in your kingdom that have had their majik taken away.¨ According to Mahimas information the prince had never spoken out against majik like the rest of his family. Perhaps a small part of him always knew what he was. Even if King Estvan woke up with wings on his back he wouldn’t exile himself to uphold his own laws, but still, Mahimas heart raced in her chest. If Sebastain refused to accept who he was, then her whole plan would fail before getting started.
¨The elves?” Sebastain surprised Mahima, following her every word. Elves had never been treated well in Grantik, even though their majik ability died out with the gods. Legally, no ruler of Gantrik dared to exile them, but they were pushed to the outskirts of the kingdom all the same.
¨And the few nymphs that are still left in Gantrik.¨ Mahina smiled, ¨Your father's death will save your entire kingdom. It's not much of a price if you think about it. There's two other things that need to happen as well. You need to free the immortals that have been locked up in your kingdom for the past century.¨
¨Huh?¨
¨They are the only creatures of majik that truly can't be killed. We need them returned, I won't have enough power to end the drought without them. Find them, and free them.¨ Mahima was leaving a few important details out, but there was time later to go over them. The immortals held great majik, and once they were released that majik would seep back into the people. Although if Sebastain ever found out their true power, he would never agree to free them in the first place.
¨How am I supposed to do that?” Sebastain asked, his face paling.
¨Most of that is for you to figure out. To start there's this girl you need to find¨ Mahima continued.
¨A girl?¨
¨She may be the most powerful being alive¨
¨And who might that be?¨ The prince raised his eyebrows.
¨Lebetha Naeve¨