It had been a week since the white haired stranger left, and, to be completely honest, Emma had forgotten all about him. She was too busy looking after and entire race and making sure they wouldn't go extinct. She was sitting on her throne, bored out of her mind when, suddenly, the doors flung open and some guards marched in with a shifter

"Her majesty, the Empress!" One of them announced

"Please, Ray, you're my older cousin, you don't have to be so formal" Emma scoffed

"Alright, alright" he said

she got up and walked towards the shifter bound in chains and gently held it's chin and lifted it's head

"A pretty little specimen, this one..." Emma whispered, inspecting it's features. Why is it so familiar? As she turned it's face, she noticed a tattoo under the left ear. It was of a nightingale "hmm.. Bring it to the prisons for interrogation. its of Nightingale descent" she sighed before she turned away and walked back to her throne as the guards dragged the shifter to the cells

🌺

Emma made her way to the prisons, her heels clicking with every step. She approached the dark cell which held the shifter and threw in a loaf of bread, which it grabbed

"Ugh, dear Goddess, are there any lanterns? Its darker than the deepest pits of hell in here" Emma sighed

"Yes, your Hi- I mean, Emma" Ray grabbed a lantern and lit it before handing it to his younger cousin. Emma took the lantern in her hands and shone it on the shifter on the ground. He was wearing a beat up tank top tee paired with shorts which made it easier to run with his animal like legs

"What on earth is it wearing?" She asked, hinting to the fact it is literally winter

"Are you not wearing a silk dress?" Ray put his hand on his hip

"The empire's citizens are warmed by the Goddess's blessing, the shifters are not" Emma crossed her arms as she turned to another guard "Ezekiel. Be a dear and go get a blanket so it doesn't freeze to death. We still need Intel"

"Roger that, your Majesty" the boy nodded, leaving to get what was required. Turning back to the shifter, she knelt down and glared at it. The young woman reached through the bars and touched it's pale face like it was a delicate flower

"I've never seen a live shifter this close before..." She whispered, tracing her fingers across the tattoo below it's ear "let alone a Nightingale"

"What about during executions?" It suddenly asked, taking her by surprise

"It speaks our tongue?" Emma turned to her older cousin, who nodded

"Answer the question" it growled

"... I don't attend the executions" she answered "nor do I desire collecting the trophies"

"Trophies?" It murmured

"It has been a tradition in my bloodline for centuries, to kill a shifter and collect it's animalistic parts" she whispered "its a very barbaric tradition my ancestors started... But I want no part in it. The Goddess would not want me to"

"But you still partake in that glory... Don't you?" The shifter muttered

"I..." The young woman began "... Wh- Why am I telling you this? I have no obligation to you!" Emma growled as she stood up and looked down at the shifter, who was still on the ground

"Struck a nerve, have I?" It asked smugly, making her turn and walk away angrily "guards! Lock up for the night! Its near midnight" she scoffed, going back up to the main palace and up to her room. She slammed the door and groaned, walking up to the fireplace and traced her finger across the Nightingale wings strung up above the hearth

"I did what I could..." Emma growled, glaring at the white feathers "then.. Why do I feel like it isn't enough..!?" She hatefully stared at the wings and had a sudden thought. She didn't see any wings on the Nightingale shifter. Why didn't it have any wings?

{*-_+_-*}

Emma awoke in her empty bed, like every single day since her mother passed, soon she got up and walked up to a painting in the lonely room. She kissed the tip of her index and middle finger and touched it to the painting, which was of an older woman, who looked almost identical to Emma, albeit with a little longer hair

"I yearn for you with each passing day, Mother..." She sighed, choking back any tears. The young woman walked away and got ready and immediately rushed to the prisons

"Y- your Majesty..!" Gilda exclaimed "you must eat today!"

"I haven't any time, Gilda!" Emma groaned, still walking away. She descended the stairs to the prisons and walked up to the shifter's cell

"Oh, its her Highness" the shifter mocked. Suddenly, Emma grabbed it by the jaw, a little more harshly this time, and turned it around, inspecting it's back

"It really is you.." Emma murmured

🌸

"MOTHER!!" Emma screamed, rushing up to the gingerette woman on the ground "MOTHER!! WAKE UP!!" She sobbed as she held her mother close

"You made me experience the pain of losing a mother" the shifter, who had slaughtered her mother, scowled "now you will too" it whispered as Emma unsheathed her sword

"YOU BASTARD!" Emma charged at it in rage. Their weapons clashed, Emma slowly driving the shifter into the woods, but the fight didn't end. At some point, the shifter had managed to stab her shoulder, but she didn't care, she was too focused on getting revenge. She managed to get the shifter on it's side before she drove her blade down upon it... But she didn't kill it. Instead, she chopped off it's wings "a nightingale, are you? Good... You'll make a fine example to your kind" she huffed, picking up the pair of bloodied wings and returned to the main battlefield, where the fight was still going on. The young woman brought out her horn and blew it, making a loud sound which got everyone's attention "THE EMPRESS HAS FALLEN!!... BUT SO HAS A NIGHTINGALE!!" she announced, brandishing the pair of freshly severed wings. She saw the expressions of the shifters change to horror as one, who appeared to be their general, commanded a retreat. The humans in the crowd started cheering as the shifters started running into the woods

"I shall have my revenge on you pests..." Emma murmured