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They slowly opened their eyes. For a brief moment, there was peaceful silence. Then, they were hit with a shockwave of information, memories, feelings…
For a moment, all they could do was stand there, trying to somehow process it, find grip, find ground under their feet.
They were a human person.
They had been gone for years.
They had done things that they wanted to shut out of their mind.
……
Their hands were bound, tied behind their back. They were Nova, former witch of Stars and Night. They were not allowed to forget that, they thought, eyes tired and devoid of light.
They shut their eyes, summoning courage, then walked towards the doors to the throne room, staff opening them, wolves watching their every move.
Their footsteps slowly tapped on the icy floor in the silence. They kept their head down as they walked, a miserable attempt at showing respect, and out of shame and fear. They came to a halt amidst the halved circle of princess thrones, looking up slowly to stare right at the king and queen on their thrones away before them. The gardener was at their side.
Their heart was in their throat.
‘Nova,’ the king’s voice sounded through the throne room. They didn’t look him in the eyes.
‘You have attacked the Great Realm, destructively, is that correct?’
Their throat felt stuck. With effort, they managed to answer.
‘Yes.’
William hesitated ever so slightly, eyes moving over to Juno.
The queen took over. ‘You have kept my husband, the king, as well as our daughter Yara as your hostages, is that correct?’
A moment passed before they answered.
They felt Yara glaring at them, and they still did not dare look up at the royal couple.
‘Yes.’
Juno cast her green-eyed gaze back to William. Nova had confessed to all their wrongdoings. She would leave the sentencing to her love, he had been Nova’s victim after all.
Nova lifted their head, looking him in the eyes. Shame, embarrassment and guilt were crushing, but they had to accept their sentence with dignity. It was the only thing they could do.
The king looked at them with a closed, stern expression.
‘For your crimes to the kingdom, to my daughter, and to me, you shall have to do unpaid work in service of the kingdom, repairing the damage that you’ve done. You are to stay away from me and my daughter, unless either of us willingly seeks you out ourselves.’ He took a breath. ‘But you were not the mastermind behind the schemes, nor fully in your right mind. Therefore, you are allowed to stay in the Great Realm, and will be granted freedom after having paid your service to the kingdom.’
Nova accepted their fate in silence.
They turned around, and were escorted out of the throne room. Tears fell down their face as the doors closed, allowing themselves to sob with only the guards, staff, and two fellow former witches as witness, letting themselves slide down the icy walls to become small, hunched over on the ground outside the room.
They would do their best on repairing the kingdoms, even if it wouldn’t be enough.