The Elemental Luna Book 1 Sable's Rise : Dreame Edition

Vestuvious Questions Amethyst

QUICK NOTICE FOR THIS CHAPTER: Read this chapter with caution. There are brief mentions of intense violent abuse that may be triggering for some people. It's not intentional but is a needed element of the overall book.

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Vestuvious had quickly waved his hand over the journal and parchment paper to duplicate what he discovered before following his family upstairs, notes in hand... and pure confusion clear on his face. Vestuvious was so deep in thought that he failed to notice they were back in his and Laurel's chambers, the Library passage already closed, and Amethyst was waiting for him by the doors leading to their private dining area. Vestuvious ended up jumping when Amethyst spoke to him.

"I can see you have some questions. I'll do my best to answer them. What do you want, or rather need, me to answer first?" Amethyst asked Vestuvious. He thought for a moment and sat down in the chamber offices before responding.

"What was it that happened a week later? A week after what?"

"Erelene - Gunhilda had the vision about your dad's betrayal a week after your dad and uncle were born. I asked my sister about it and she said that there was next to nothing that could be done about it... we wouldn't be able to change it. So I took that information to your Grandparents and told them both the vision and what my sister said. Your father, Roland, was decreed Royal Prince Beta, while your Uncle Xerxes, was decreed Royal Prince Heir to the Throne. However, they were both given the same education.

Over time, your father tried to convince your grandparents to give him an equal chance to inherit the throne. But despite his education being the same as your uncle's, he was failing. He did excel in everything military-related, and he did alright with dealing with the people's problems... when it didn't involve family or property. In those cases, he was cruel... always wanting to separate families. Thankfully, your Grandfather never allowed him to pass his decisions onto the people. They were all written situational tests.

Your uncle was always fair, no matter the situation, and was always more than fair with family and property. Even choosing to help by pulling gold out of the Royal Treasury at the correct times when it was needed. Your Grandparents were so happy that after this was constant for a year, they made their announcement official. Xerxes was officially the Legal Heir to the throne not just by birthright, but also by Royal Decree. This made your father very, very bitter."

"What do you mean, Amethyst? What did he do?" Vestuvious asked with a lump in his throat from the emotions he was suppressing.

"Well, since your father held so much resentment and anger, he decided to consult an oracle. He knew that traditionally, both he and your uncle deserved an equal chance and that full tradition dictated that at eighteen, they should be required to compete in a level and equal competition to determine the heir to the Throne. He couldn't understand why this tradition was denied to him. He was furious. The oracle told him about the vision and then proceeded to tell him that if he produced an heir before your uncle, the throne would have to default to him after no less than 100 years unless Xerxes died. He was told who to choose as his mate and given three specific potions. One was to pass over his true mate, never to meet her. The second was for her to do the same thing. The third was to ensure that a boy-girl set of twins were conceived. Before he left the oracle, she told him to grab the girl and go to her if things went south." Vestuvious didn't know what to say.

"Why my mother? Why not his Fated Mate?"

"Because she was of Alpha blood from both sides of her family and officially the last of her pack since she was the only one out of the children that retained her pack in her title. She was the only one to survive a massive Rogue attack that technically wasn't Rogues because her parents hid her with the pack crest and insignia ring wrapped in her blanket, held firmly with magick... and used magick to completely conceal her from anyone intending harm. This happened when she was a baby. She was raised in the Royal Orphanage run by the Luna Queen in the Castle. Nobody at that time knew it, but your father set it all up. Just to ensure that she was in the castle. When your mother was old enough to go to school, your father insisted on being with her, no matter what."

"This sounds pretty creepy. How old was she?"

"Your father saw the oracle when he was ten. He snuck off from training during a hunting trip. Your mother was seven when this started officially."

"So she was already at the Castle orphanage. So, if she was seven, how did he arrange everything?"

"Through an unusual ability to use the Forbidden Magickal Arts without being taught. He used it to reach out to an old alli from the past. He explained who he was and what he wanted. They waited until her parents were preoccupied with giving birth in the pack hospital and attacked. Your father's allies slaughtered the whole pack while wearing scent disquisers that made them smell like rogues. After they slaughtered all the adults, they went back through without it, smelling like themselves and acting like they discovered the event during a pack run. A small select few actually did. The innocent pack members of the attacking pack were the only ones able to find and interact with the children, so they were in charge of getting them to safety... they were strictly instructed to take them to the castle.

So, as instructed, they gathered all the children and took them to the castle. That's the day Luna Queen made the Royal Orphanage a thing. She took care of them all herself. Especially the newborn that was barely a day old with the Alpha's leader symbols wrapped in the blanket. That's your mother. Your dad and uncle were three. Your uncle was distraught... mad even. Your father... he was quiet, collected, and strangely calm. It surprised your grandparents, but they couldn't think of anything that'd cause your dad's reaction, so they focused on the children. They both helped care for them, but your dad practically clung to your mother. Whenever he was asked why, he just told them he didn't know and was drawn to her.

"How's that possible? If he was ten when he saw the Oracle and got the information with the potions, how could he be drawn to her in the past?"

"The potion bound her to him since he was told her name by the Oracle when he took the potion to forfeit his true mate. So, because of this, it took effect in the past the moment she entered the castle." This in a sense, turned them into fated mates through forbidden magick. In turn, he also sent a message to his past self in a way that he knew his younger self couldn't dispute it at all... ensuring that his younger self would believe him."

"That's intense." Vestuvious whispered. After a few minutes, he asked his next question. "How did my mother take the potion?"

"Because the ten-year-old version of your dad already took the potion, he put the potion up in his secret compartment in his room with a spell cast on it that concealed it from everyone except for himself. The past effects of the potion worked to his benefit and caused them to be inseparable. He did everything to make her fall in love with him and succeeded. When she turned seven and your dad was ten, they shared their first kiss. Nothing intense, just a peck on the cheek. That's also when your dad started to give her the potion in the things he got her. Chocolates, juice, cakes, water, anything he could pour it into. As soon as she turned ten, he gave her the rest of the potion in a large glass of juice and a big bowl of soup that he ordered up to his bedroom for a private date. He told your grandparents he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend. Which in a sense, he did. But he asked her to be his Mate, not his girlfriend. He was happy. Your dad wasn't expecting to have any true feelings for her since he was only doing all this for the throne he believed should be his.

Your father waited until they had finished eating and your mother finished every last drop... and then asked her. When she accepted, he smiled. They agreed that they'd wait to make it official until she got her wolf. They wanted to place their mating mark

on each other immediately as soon as it was possible. Since your mother couldn't extend her canines, they had to wait. However, they had a very heated make-out session before he told everyone she accepted. They got their wolves at seventeen, slightly early for a Lycan... marked each other, and mated. That's when your father pulled out the fertility potion. He told her that he got it so they'd have unlimited energy to enjoy their special night together as Mates, which made her agree to take the potion. Your dad took a sip and your mom finished the bottle. That night was when you and your sister were conceived. Your father attacked your uncle eight months later to challenge him for the throne, your grandparents were in there with them.

Your father went into a raging blood lust, scaring your mother and grandmother. Your grandfather tried to calm him down first, then your grandmother, and finally your mother. He killed them one at a time and didn't stop until he felt the mate bond break with your mother. Even then, he only stopped to cut your sister out of your mother's womb. He looked at you briefly before grabbing your sister and running away from the Kingdom with you just laying there still inside your mother's womb as he tore away still in his blind rage about the throne." Vestuvious couldn't believe his ears. His father had knowingly abandoned him without hesitation and had even killed his Grandparents along with his Mother.

"Will I ever meet this monster of a father and my sister?" Vestuvious asked Amethyst, his blood boiling.

"Yes. Perhaps now you understand why your Uncle never talked about your father, except to tell you that he saved you from him." Amethyst responded carefully.

"I do." Vestuvious responded slowly. He looked up at Amethyst before continuing. "Do you think my father could be connected to Lucius and Argus?" Amethyst thought for a moment before answering.

"Now that you mention it, yeah... yes, it's possible. I don't know why I didn't make the connection before, though."

"Maybe it's because of some spell put in place by them. Are you sure you have no idea where they are? Where was the battlefield?" Vestuvious asked. Amethyst thought for a moment before she responded.

"Dead center of all the Kingdoms of old... so where the Kingdoms' Castles were standing before the war if new ones were built after."

"Okay, so what Kingdoms built new castles after the war?" Vestuvious asked.

"Our Kingdom was the only one to build a new castle. Others just expanded and repaired. After we were done with the new borders, we even marked all the borders with stone magick-fortified walls. Nothing can damage those walls completely. The magick keeps them strong and intact. Nothing non-magickal can damage those walls. As an extra precaution, I enlisted the help of a few Lycan packs, vampires, and Fae to patrol those borders continuously. They made their homes there. Later on, a few werewolves did as well." Amethyst paused and took a deep breath before she continued.

"The center of those border walls, more like border fences, is a large field. We had decided that was to be neutral territory... a sanctuary for those wanting to meet with one of the Kingdoms. That's the Ancient Battleground." Amethyst finished. Vestuvious thought quietly for a moment before speaking again.

"There's a solo vampire home there in the cave just on the outskirts of that field, also frequented by a Witch. Maybe that's the couple you meant."

"Maybe. I'll check it out later. something tells me that you have more questions. Go ahead." Amethyst stated. Vestuvious sat there for a minute before he responded.

"Is my sister able to be saved?" he asked quietly.

"I'm afraid not, Vestuvious. If Argus and Lucius are free now like I suspect then your sister will be with them. They're mates." He closed his eyes and continued.

"What do you know about the Oracle my father went to see?" Without hesitating, Amethyst answered.

"The Oracle was Argus and Lucius' personal Oracle and is in charge of only seeking out their threats and anything that could help them. She was also in charge of gathering Witches, so she recruited as much of her Coven as she could. Since she's the Head High Priestess of her Coven... she leads them all. Lucius gave her my sister's blood by cutting the palm on his left hand and letting it drip directly into her mouth, giving her a longer life that could be considered immortal. She's now about 400 years old as a low estimate. On a high estimate, she's about 600. She doesn't age very fast, so it's hard to determine her age without breaking any Celestial laws." Amethyst told him.

"So either you know or have ways to find out everything, but there are high laws that bind you from answering fully. What can happen?" Vestuvious asked irritated. Amethyst took a deep breath before letting it out and responding.

"In this case, it's a bit of both. However, most of what I do know can only be shared with Sable until the time is right. Over the years, I've been in your family a lot. One of my vessels in particular was physically remarkably close to my actual appearance. That only happens when a very significant event is taking place. I believe that will occur again with young Alpha Sable. She's my strongest vessel since the first time a remarkably close vessel occurred."

"When was that?" Vestuvious asked, not expecting an answer.

"When the thirteen-year war broke out between the werewolves and the Lycans because of the deceptive manipulation of an undetected shapeshifter around 150 years ago. Some of the marker walls were destroyed down to their foundation." he was silent for a while. Suddenly his stomach growled loudly and Amethyst chuckled ever so lightly.

"Let's go join the others. By the sounds of it, you're hungry, and honestly, I'd like to eat a bit before I return to Sable." Amethyst said guiding Vestuvious through the Karrah, Maxius, and Laurel holding Sable... an empty bottle on the table and gently patting Sable's back as she dozed on her chest.

"I didn't know you could eat like we can." Vestuvious stated in surprise as they reached the table and sat down.

"Yes. I just normally end up eating while in control of my vessels to keep them alive when they fall asleep. It's a rare pleasure when I get to enjoy food as myself." Amethyst said with a smile as she lightly filled her plate with garlic bread and pizza topped with pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, pineapple, and peppers. Everyone chatted happily while they ate. After some time into the early rise of the sun, Amethyst retreated to Sable while Karrah carried her to her main crib, Maxius took a before-bed shower, and Laurel and Vestuvious returned to their quarters. They all slept soundly until mid-morning.