33✨.

Irene's POV.

My head was throbbing and my ear drum banged, I was confused and surprised at the same time, it was cold and dark, and the trees with no branches blew fear and anxiety toward me, I was scared. Dark thick clouds hovered over me and I was beginning to get angry, I mostly wondered why Darius would bring me to such a place, and then I realized that I was the one who asked for answers but this is definitely not looking like a suitable place to get answers but then again, Hadrian needs help, not for me but for his people.

The whole feeling got worse when a very familiar voice crept behind me. I felt cold and I was shaking. I didn't want to turn but my curiosity was killing me already. I turned my face to meet a familiar face and I was shocked at what my eyes fell upon, it was the woman in my dreams, the woman with the same eyes Hadrian has.

"You?" I say in surprise. She takes a few steps toward me and then the most beautiful smile I have ever seen lit up her face.

"I have been waiting".

I was surprised.

"What are you doing here?" I ask already knowing that she must know me.

"You need answers and I have them for you" she mutters as the wind blew her hair over her oval-shaped face.

"Is this a joke? I do need answers but not standing in a cold deserted place like this, where in the seven kingdoms am I in?" I shudder as the cold got to me.

She smiled" I forgot, Irene, welcome to the underworld".

I raised a brow, the underworld is a place for the dead, why would I be in the underworld?

" Wait what, what am I doing in the underworld, am I dead?" I inquire.

The woman giggled and her nose complimented her whole look, she was radiant even in the darkness. Her glowing skin complimented her thin but round silhouette.

"You are not dead Irene, Darius sent you here so you could get answers but..." She trailed and entered a boat just at the bank of the river opposite us "...you are here to learn something different" she continued further and stretched her hand, gesturing for me to come in.

I revoked my movements as I stood curiously.

"Who are you?" I ask "you appear in my nightmares and don't say a word but help, surely you won't do the same now that we are conversing".

"Scarlett is my name, daughter of Athena, granddaughter of Bree, and mother of Hadrian," She tells me

Her last statement caught me and I shrugged.

"Hadrian's mother, the one who left him".

"That was what my son told you but that's not the truth, I would never leave Hadrian..." She sighs"... I have so much explaining to do but if you don't come with me, the more questions pile up and the more time is running out for Hadrian and the entire city".

I heaved a sigh and walked into the boat.

We moved silently for some while, Scarlett is the last person on my mind I thought Darius would send me to but what if she knows where he is, I mean she's a ghost or something.

"Not a ghost," she says and I look at her puzzled.

"It's a gift, my grandmother possessed it" she smiles.

I gave her a smirk and the silence continued, I tried not to think of anything so that she won't hear me again.

"My mother would take me to the rivers every Sunday..." She turned towards me "...she says that's where the gods are closer to," we both say the same thing, and this time I faced her directly.

"How did you?" I got curious.

"Your mother was my very good friend Irene," she tells me and a tear escaped my eye.

"You know my mother?"

"Very well".

"Can you tell me what you know about her?" I cry.

"I can, but first I want to show you everything, all that happened between me, your mother, Isolde my sister, and Triton"

I nod my head as she smiled brightly and the boat came to a halt.

"Why'd we stop?" I ask.

"Look there, that's where we will see all" She points to a wall.

I look behind me and there I saw all. A young lady, about my age with long black hair and sea rover blue eyes, harnessed the grass with her small hands and blissful presence, it was Scarlett, the young Scarlett. She carried her basket after her dutiful work at the fields and skipped her way out, she arrived at a small village of only women.

"Why are there only women?" I ask her.

"Witches, we were banished from the seven kingdoms all because of our powers and difference, so we made a home for ourselves, where rules are just one, no immortal must relate with a mortal," she tells me and I turn back to the wall.

"Mama, I'm back," Scarlett says as she entered the little cottage, it was one of the biggest houses there and looked like they were important.

"Mama's out for a meeting with the other high witches" Isolde says to her sister as she took the basket from her.

"Oh"

"How was the day work at the field?"

"We bless the gods, and you, why are you so back early from hunting?"

"Isolde loved hunting so much, there wasn't a day she would miss out and come back early but that day..." Scarlett trailed.

"Oh yes!" Isolde pulled her sister and sat her down in the dining room"guess what"

"Oh come on Isolde, you know I hate this"

"Just guess, please"

"Okay okay, you met an old friend"

"No something like that"

"Uh! C'mon" Scarlett groaned.

"Okay fine, I have been seeing a man" Isolde finally spills.

"Men and mortals are forbidden for witches to see, let alone speak with, their eyes couldn't see our village, the stories told us that it was for our protection," Scarlett says.

Scarlett gasped.

"You what?!" She yells and Isolde quickly rushed to hold her mouth.

"Shhhh, someone could hear you," she says and lets go of her sister slowly.

"How could you not expect me to yell, you went outside of our coverage" Scarlett scolds.

"I disguised, I changed my eye color"

"And how many times have you been seeing this man?"

Isolde turns her face sheepishly.

"Isolde, I'm talking to you"

"I don't know okay? I can't count".

"Oh wow," Scarlett breathes and takes a seat.

"Has he seen who you are?" Scarlett asks.

"Yes"

"How could you be so reckless?"

"I really like him," Isolde says face down.

Scarlett sighs" okay, who is he?"

"Triton, King of Deira"

"What? Oh my, what does he look like?" Scarlett smiles.

"Very handsome, I told him about you and he says he'll love to meet you," Isolde says.

The Unexpected change baffled me and I chuckled.

"Are you serious?" Scarlett squeals.

"Of course. Look, Scar I don't want Mama to find out".

" It's okay, no one will, as long as we play safe. I just can't believe my little sister is in love with a king."

The two laugh and joke together.

"Are you sure that's Isolde?" I implore.

"Hmm, funny how she changed right? I loved her so much, we did everything together though we had different likes, and our power grew from stage to stage, all together. People envied us until the next week after that when I met Triton, Isolde went cold after that day" Scarlett pointed to the wall.

"Scarlett, walk faster, he must be waiting" Isolde calls out to her sister.

"How about you slow down?" Scarlett cries.

Isolde arrives at the bank of a river and hurriedly jumps on the man figure, Triton who stood there waiting.

"Hey my love," Triton says and hugs her tightly.

"You look ravishing" Isolde straightened his collar as Scarlett clears her throat.

"Oh right, Triton I want you to meet..." She trailed as she pulled Scarlett closer "...my older sister, heir to my mother's crown, Scarlett, Scarlett, the love of my life, Triton" Isolde introduced.

Triton took her hands in his and kissed them lightly "My lady".

"I fell in love immediately and ever since that moment I fought that feeling because of Isolde up until the end of that day but not after I met your mother, look"

Scarlett sat at the very end of the river where she gave her sister and Triton space. She breathed the air and her ears tingled as footsteps approach her. She got up immediately and turned. It was my mother, she looked no different, her vulcanized black her was packed in a low bun as she carried a pot on her head.

"Oh! I'm sorry if I startled you" she apologizes.

"It's okay, go ahead," Scarlett said and sat down again.

My mother bent to push water into her pot as she raised a brow staring at Scarlett.

"You can stop staring" Scarlett faced her again.

"You have very beautiful eyes" My mother complimented and carried her pot to leave.

"Wait, what's your name?"

"Aurora"

"You are married?" Scarlett asked " I see the ornament around your neck"

"Oh yes, I am, what's your name?"

"Scarlett"

"Very rare name, I'm guessing you're not from nearby"

"No, I'm not, why do you come here for water, is there no water in your village?"

"My kingdom is scarce on water now and I come here every day to pull out water, my villagers won't think of walking a distance but I like the walk" she confesses.

"Where is your kingdom?"

"Deira"

"Wow, such a distance"

"I know, it's getting late, I hope I do see you some other time" my mother smiled as she lifted the pot to her head"

"We will, bye Aurora"

"Bye," she smiled and left.

"She was so kind and I felt something special about her, maybe it was you," Scarlett says.

"Hmm, what happened later when you and Isolde got home?" I ask.

"I couldn't tell her" she pointed to the wall again.

"Today was amazing sister" Isolde danced her way in.

"Yeah"

"Are you okay Scar?"

"Yeah of course"

"Okay, I'll go prepare dinner"

Silence crept in as Isolde left the hut leaving Scarlett to her wild thoughts.

Hiiiii❤❤❤
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I've missed all of you🥺.

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