Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 478: The Fae Realm "Your Majesty." Queen Seraphira opened her eyes to find Zuru, the court healer, hovering over her.

She tried to move but couldn't. Panic nearly rose in her throat until the memories cflooding back.

One moment she had been in court, holding session, and the next, a strange, draining sensation had washed over her. And then, there was darkness.

She raised her hand only to find gnarled roots buried in her veins. Realization struck her that she was beneath the Tree of Life.

Said to be the last surviving tree touched directly by the Goddess herself when she once walked among her people, the Tree of Life was sacred. It had the power to heal most illnesses or injuries. No wonder Zuru had brought her here.

To the untrained eye, the Tree of Life resembled any other, but it shimmered faintly with divine energy, and right now, that senergy pulsed visibly through the queen's body, tracing the glowing roots where they had entered her skin.

Zuru gave a subtle nod, and the roots began to withdraw, one by one, from her veins. Seraphira gasped softly as a hint of pain pinched through her arm. But then, at last, she was free.

Zuru gently helped her sit up.

"You lost a tremendous amount of power, Your Majesty," he said calmly. "We had no choice but to bring you here to recuperate." Seraphira sat still for a moment, letting the pain ebb from her limbs and the last of the tree's energy settle inside her.

"How long have I been out?" she asked.

Zuru looked hesitant to respond. Then, she gently said, "It's been quite a while, Your Majesty. Two weeks at least." Her breath hitched.

The sacred grove where the Tree of Life grew was silent around them, save for the gentle rustle of the wind. Towering trees encircled the glade, but none compared to the Tree of Life itself. It's root were buried deeply into the sacred soil, its canopy humming with divine power. Only the royal bloodline was permitted here, and beyond the reach of ordinary Fae folks unless permitted.

As the strongest of the Free Fae, Seraphira's well-being had always been prioritized above any other.

A sound of rustling leaves drew their attention.

From between the trees emerged a tall female Fae, broad-shouldered and battle-scarred. Her long green hair shined like moss under sunlight, and her pointed ears peeked out from beneath silver-clasped braids. She knelt at once.

"Your Majesty," she said solemnly.

"Rhara," the queen acknowledged, her eyes narrowing. "Update me. Now." Rhara bowed her head. "After your collapse, your majesty, Baron has taken over matters of court." Seraphira blinked. "What?" She rose shakily to her feet, her voice laced with disbelief. "He should've felt it. We share a life force. If I was sick, he should have collapsed right alongside me." Her heart was pounding now. "Are you saying Baron was never ill?" Zuru stepped forward slowly, his expression grave. "If I may, Your Majesty, I took the liberty of reading your magic. What happened to you was no accident. Someone siphoned your power swiftly and violently. It wasn't a natural decline, it was theft." The words sank in like a blade between her ribs and she didn't need her to say more.

There was only one person who could get such easy access to her magic.

Seraphira's eyes darkened. Her voice dropped, seething with fury.

"Baron." Neither Zuru nor Rhara flinched.

They had long grown used to the war between Queen Seraphira and her consort, Baron. Their love - If there had ever been one - had rotted away years ago, buried beneath power plays, mistrust, and whispered threats. In one word, there was no love lost between those two. Only survival.

Seraphira turned to Rhara, her voice clipped. "Where is Zyrella? She should have been with you." The moment the words left her mouth, she noticed the change in Rhara's expression, and that alone was enough to make her stomach sink.

"What happened this time?" "Your Majesty..." Rhara hesitated, then straightened. "Zyrella has shifted her allegiance. She stands with Baron now." The blood drained from Seraphira's face. "No. No, no..." As if sensing what was coming, Zuru's mouth opened to stop her, but the queen vanished before the words could leave her tongue.

With a sudden burst of magic, Seraphira appeared in her bedchamber, her legs buckling beneath her. She cursed under her breath, catching herself against a wall. Moving with her magic had not been an issue for her until now. She hated this! Yet Queen Seraphira pushed forward, stumbling toward the tall mirror framed in obsidian. Her hands shook, but her voice remained firm as she stared into the glass.

"Lilarín, séla'choráe en darúh vaelesán." The summoning spell lingered in the air, the Fae words vibrating against the glass. But nothing happened. Lilarin did not respond even though she had been summoned.

She tried again, louder and harsher.

"Lilarín, séla'choráe en darúh vaelesán." Still, the mirror remained cold.

A bitter stillness crept into her chest as the the truth struck her.

Lilarin was gone.

Baron must have gotten his hands on her. Only Zyrella knew how to summon her and she had betrayed. Why? For a couple of coins or promises? Eyes still fixed on the mirror, Seraphira slowly closed them. And when she opened them again, her amethyst gaze burned like forged steel.

She turned and marched out of the room, throwing the doors open with a force that startled the guards posted outside. Their eyes widened, after all, the queen was supposed to be bedridden.

"Y-your majesty....!" But Seraphira didn't stop, striding ahead with purpose. She had been silent long enough.

Now, it was tto remind them exactly who the Queen of the Free Fae truly was.

The throne room of the Free Fae Court was a marvel carved of living crystal and enchanted stone, and high arched ceilings. Ancient tapestries bearing the sigil of the free clans hung proudly along the curved walls.

At the far end, two thrones stood atop a dais. One was carved from moonstone and wrapped in flowing ivy, its back high and graceful, unmistakably the Queen's. While the other, though smaller, wrought of obsidian with gold filigree, stood beside it. It was Consort Baron's.

Yet today, Baron sat not in his own throne. He sat on the Queens.

Draped in black robes trimmed with deep green, he looked every bit the noble consort : tall, broad-shouldered, with perfectly groomed dark hair and sharp cheekbones that could cut glass. He was the picture of calm arrogance as he reclined in Queen Seraphira's throne, one leg resting lazily over the other, fingers steepled in thought.

The court was tense today. Queen Seraphira had not been seen in two weeks and though it was said she was simply "recuperating," Baron had taken over her role and might as well have crowned himself, king.

Baron folded his hands, rings gleaming on each finger, and nodded toward the council.

"You may speak."

A scout stepped forward, armored lightly in leaf-woven bronze. "My Lord. We've spotted emissaries from the Summer and Autumn Courts E crossing our borders. They wore no crest. They ccloaked, and discreet, but we know what they were." The room murmured, unease crackling like a live wire.

Baron didn't even flinch. "And?" The scout blinked. "And, your grace, that's a violation. They've trespassed sacred land." "Perhaps," Baron replied coolly. "Or perhaps they were curious. The barrier is no more. We cannot hide behind ancient trees forever." Someone scoffed.

An elder with bark-lined skin and golden antlers, stepped forward.

m "Curious?" he snapped "Do you forget they once tried to purge us? That we only survived because the goddess herself shielded us? There was a reason we stayed separate." "And perhaps," Baron said, voice velvet-smooth, "that separation has bred nothing but stagnation. Our kind hides while the outside world grows. I intend to lead us into a new era." "By allowing trespass?" another voice chimed in.

"Their emissaries have no respect for our sanctums. Our rituals. They mock our ways!" "They see our power and fear it," another councilor added, "and fear breeds ambition. Who's to say infiltration isn't the first step?"

Baron stood. Slowly. Like a man tired of hearing children bicker. "I am not your queen," words he said letting the m words ring. But in her absence, I speak for this court. And I say we must evolve. There is no progress without risk." Then-Bang! The doors flew open with a force that echoed down the chamber.

A gasp ran through the officials as a bloodied figure collapsed into view, dragging herself forward with trembling arms. Long dark braids matted with dirt and blood, her armor damaged and her hands shaking.

Zyrella.

Baron's face twisted, not with concern, but displeasure. There was only one person that could do this.

As expected, another voice followed.

"So this is the new order?" Every eye turned and it was Queen Seraphira standing at the entrance.