Page 32 of Court of Aether and Shadows

I considered this for a moment, then nodded. It was a wise suggestion, one that spoke to why I valued Kaelon's counsel.

Having our own with loyal ties would be a reasonable concession to initiate.

Though, I was aware of that mutt that’s been following her like the dog he is.

"See to it," I commanded. "Choose those who can pass for human, who understand the delicate nature of their task. They are to watch and guard, nothing more. Any direct interaction must be approved by me personally."

"It will be done, my Lord," Kaelon said. I could already see his mind working, sorting through potential candidates for the mission.

"Good," I said, feeling some of the tension leave my shoulders. "Now leave me. I require solitude to contemplate our next moves."

Kaelon bowed once more before backing out of the throne room.

The massive doors swung shut behind him with a resounding boom, leaving me alone with my thoughts and desires.

I approached the generously large mirror that hung on one wall, its surface rippling like quicksilver. An ancient artifact, older than the Twilight Court itself, with the power to show truths hidden from even the most powerful Fae.

As I gazed into its depths, the reflection shifted. Suddenly, I was no longer looking at myself, but at her.

My songbird. My queen. My mate.

But not as she appeared in the human world.

No, this was her true form, the Fae queen she was destined to become.

Her hair was a cascade of starlight, shimmering between the deepest black and purest white. Her eyes were mismatched, one the blue of a summer sky, the other the crimson of fresh-spilled blood. Delicate pointed ears peeked through her locks, and her skin seemed to glow with an inner light.

She was breathtaking.

Terrible and beautiful and mine.

I reached out, my clawed hand stopping just short of touching the mirror's surface. "Soon, my love," I whispered, my voice thick with longing and promise. "Soon you will take your rightful place by my side. And all the realms will tremble before us."

As I gazed upon her image, memories of the ancient prophecy flooded my mind. The words of the Fae Elders, spoken millennia ago, echoed in my thoughts as if they had been uttered only yesterday:

From the realms of tainted, null, and aether,

A Queen shall rise, unlike any other.

Thrice-born, thrice-blessed, a triple threat,

In her, the power of all courts is met.

Chaos shall follow in her wake,

The old order, she will break.

But from destruction, unity will bloom,

A new age dawning, dispelling the gloom.

The history of our world, the delicate balance between the four great Fae Courts, had been shaped by this prophecy for countless generations.

Each court –Shadow, Light, Void, and Elemental– had interpreted the words to their own advantage, believing that they would be the ones to find and claim this prophesied Queen.

I closed my eyes, recalling the lessons taught to me in my youth about the formation of our world and the schism that led to the creation of the four courts.

In the beginning, there was only the primordial chaos, a swirling maelstrom of pure, unbridled magic. From this chaos emerged the first Fae, beings of immense power and beauty. They shaped the realms, creating lands of wonder and terror, of light and shadow, of emptiness and abundance.

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