murky waters

Deathbelle didn’t know what she was doing now that she had returned to Ashen and she was no longer Empress. Having been dethroned was humiliating, but in the end she’d done it to herself and her daughter was ready to take control. Perhaps everything had worked out for the best. For the good of the Empire and all that. Now that she didn’t have the weight on her shoulders any longer she didn’t know what to do with herself.

The animosity she’d felt was too much, and staying in Ashen proper was not an option. She tried to keep herself from their reach, mostly so she didn’t make anyone uncomfortable. Being away from the shrine for so long was starting to wear on her and she debated a visit to the volcano. She hadn’t communed with Archon in so long, his missing presence was felt everyday and she wondered without fail how her life would be different if her husband was still alive.

She walked slowly over the soggy grass, lamenting the fact she no longer had anyone to clean her dainty paws. A sigh left her as she looked up to search for higher ground when her eyes fell on him. Magnus. Much like Hannibal he had seemed to disappear out of thin air, but here he was again. His pelt smelled of the Armada and she wondered when he had returned. Would she have still been Empress if she hadn’t been mourning his loss when Sirius had come to her…

Deathbelle didn’t have time for what if’s. All she had was the present moment to act how she wished. No longer tied to the empire or political etiquette the once Empress raced forward. She didn’t care that the muck clung to her paws and splashed up on her white fur, all she could see was that Magnus was alive. There were no words, only actions and she aimed to wrap her arms around his neck in a soft collision. He was alive.