Roughly 300 Years Ago

The jail cell clanged and creaked open, banging against the stone wall. Calixte jolted awake, his eyes squinting through the darkness, then blinded him by the sudden burst of light.

King Osmond stood at the jail cell entrance with a lit torch in his hand that cast an orange glow on his golden mask, one of the sides of his face swallowed in shadow.

"I suppose you are wondering where you are, Barbel," the king purred as he placed the burning torch in a holder on the wall.

Calixte looked around. "This was not the cell I was in before I fell asleep."

"Well done, Barbel," King Osmond made a solitary clap. "We had you moved to somewhere secret, where very few people know of its existence. For we are going to send you someplace special."

Retreating to the wall, Calixte's shackles clanked and rubbed against his wrists and ankles. "Where is Violette? What happened to-" He hesitated, tears uncontrollably streaming down his face once again. "What happened to the child?"

"Do you not remember?" The king's voice remained ever flat and stoic, but there was an almost twisted sense of pleasure seeping through his words.

"Of course, I remember..." Calixte sniffed as he wrapped his arms around his legs. With the spell Violette had cast on him, he could recall any memory with her. The image of the newborn held underneath the water and Violette's screams whilst he was dragged away replayed in Calixte's mind. But somewhere inside of him that was not so far gone into despair held onto the foolish hope that perhaps the baby survived. "Where is Violette?"

"I think you should be more concerned with what will happen to you than my queen."

"What have you done to her?"

King Osmond sighed. "Queen Violette has come to terms with your fate, to your death and has moved on. She will no longer be distracted away from her royal duties, which is to bear my children, not yours."

Calixte cowered as the king stepped closer, towering over him.

"You know, I never quite understood why people without magic choose to procreate," King Osmond continued. "Why would you bring more of you into this world? Honestly, I think we should all just wait for all of you to die out so that all the remains are those with magic. Just like in the wild, the weak die and the strong survive. The only reason any of you still live is because we require servants." The king laughed for a moment, then stopped abruptly, crouched down and grabbed Calixte's hair by the scalp. "But you were disobedient and thought you could climb the ladder up to where you do not belong. Even having a non-mage concubine in court could disrupt everything." He let go of Calixte, causing him to almost collapse from the force. "So, I have to get rid of you."

"You're going to kill me?" Calixte mumbled, having almost come to terms with that fate for the days he had been imprisoned. "Am I to be executed?"

"Yes, you will be." King Osmond straightened up. "But I have something far more special than some beheading."

With a clap of his hands, King Osmond summoned two guards that hauled Calixte up to his feet.

Without food and water for a few days, Calixte's body had grown weak and tired, barely able to walk on his own, so the guards dragged him by the arms to a new chamber. It was small and dark, the walls and floor barely indistinguishable. The two guards unlocked the shackles around Calixte's wrists and ankles but then tied a rope around one of his legs which was attached to a large boulder.

A circular translucent light of milky-white grew, a state in between liquid and gas it swirled on the floor.

"What is that?" Calixte asked, his throat hoarse, almost unable to speak through the fear.

"It is a portal to the Eternal Abyss," explained King Osmond.

"I- I thought that place was just a story," Calixte stuttered.

"Oh, it is very real," the king cackled. "And it is where you will die, Barbel, in total darkness."

Only a second later, Calixte found himself falling. All he could see at first was a bright light, but it was quickly consumed by darkness. It seemed like he was falling for eternity in an endless void until his body smashed against what felt like water, cold and shivering water. And then he sank. No matter how hard he flailed his arms and legs, he continued to fall down into the watery depths, the rock tied to his leg taking him down.

He gasped for breath, spluttering and choking as water gushed into his mouth. His chest caved in, his lungs screeching for air. Calixte struggled, the last of his oxygen gone, his body numbing from the cold water. Everything around him was darkness, nothing to see but the endless void, the Eternal Abyss, just as the stories told.

This is where I will die, he thought.

But it seemed like minutes- no, hours passed, and he was still drowning.

Why was he still alive?

Calixte tried to untie the rock attached to his leg, but his arms were so tired now, too exhausted to move, let alone untie something. Even as he powered through the exhaustion, his fingers were too weak, and the rope too tightly wound around his leg.

Giving up, Calixte returned back to floating, waiting for his death, wanting the eternal pain to end, when his hand brushed against his suit pocket. There was something inside of it. He slowly reached in and caught hold of the silver rattle. He still had it on him. His fingers traced the violet flowers and vines engraved into the rattle and wished he could hear its chime once more.

But he could. He replayed the memory of when Violette showed it to him, but then his mind returned to the memory of the newborn face down in the water tub.

No, no, don't show that memory.

Focus on the good.

Instead, Calixte put his attention to just a fraction of a moment when he walked through those doors and saw Violette holding the newborn baby, not wanting to see what happened after again.

That was it.

Focus on the good.

Surrounded by darkness and in the everlasting state of drowning, Calixte closed his eyes and thought of Violette: how they first met, their duets together, their walks in the countryside, their talks by the fireplace, everything. He played everything back, and it felt like he was in those moments instead of drowning alone in the darkness.

The pain and reality seemed to slip away, and all that was left was Violette, eternally.

Day: 1827

Calixte paused in his piano playing, flinching as he heard someone drop a bucket of water in the distance. Even to this day, after all this time, he could still feel his body numb and limp, weightless and enveloped in water, and filling his lungs.

He attempted to continue his musings, and prep for his future lessons, but his mind kept on returning to those years of drowning and-

"Hey," said a voice.

The amphibian managed to break free from those unravelling thoughts and turned to see Rin by the side of the piano, holding a small purple book.

"Yes, Miss Rin," Calixte cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "How may I be of assistance?"

The young woman's nose scrunched up briefly before she handed him the book. "I found this in the Land of the Lost."

"Oh, thank you," said Calixte accepting the book. "What is it about..." He paused as he read the cover, seeing the numerous violets scattered across in full bloom.

"It's a collection of Queen Violette's poems," explained Rin. "I managed to find a copy."

"She... she published?"

"Well, no, a lot of them were found later by historians and made into a collection. But she wrote a lot of them; some seem to be about you, I think." Rin shrugged. "Just... just thought you would want to read them."

Calixte caressed the cover, hesitant to open it. Violette had struggled to finish any poems, writing only a few lines for each piece, and any she did manage to finish, she would edit and draft intensely, refusing to show even Calixte her work until she was satisfied, which she never was. And now, in his hands, were those poems that Violette worked so hard on, that she poured her heart into. "Thank you," Calixte finally managed to mumble out.

Rin gave an awkward nod before leaving Calixte alone with the book.

After a final moment of hesitation, he opened the book, seeing an about page, information Corinna had already told him about, such as her advocation for non-magical people's rights and her immense magical power; then it went into speculation, discussing theories on some of the poems' topics, all of the theorists believing that the love poems were about Violette's secret lover and not her husband, King Osmond.

Then, Calixte turned to the next page and saw all of the titles of the poems, one catching his eye immediately.

Finding the page, Calixte read the first stanza in a hushed breath:

This feeling everyone else seems to know

I always hoped one day, I would understand

But lately, this unknown ache inside continues to grow

And I knew what it was when you took my hand

It was the poem that Violette used to confess her feelings to Calixte, how oblivious he was when he had heard it. Rereading it, how could he not have realised? That Violette used the same rhythm and rhyming scheme as the song he sang, why did he think it was not purposeful to incorporate his song?

Calixte played a few notes of the song he had played at the anniversary party and sang the first line of Violette's poem as the lyrics in a delicate and hushed whisper.

Violette had always wanted to compose a song with him. Perhaps it was not too late. He now had a whole collection of lyrics to work with.

Roughly 300 Years Ago

Violette's arms wrapped around her belly, where for nine months life had been growing inside, but now... now it was empty and the life that had been growing...

The door to her bedroom flung open, and she bolted up as King Osmund strode in.

"Your lover is dead," he snarled. "I won't make the same mistake and allow you another one."

Slowly, Violette's hand reached for underneath her pillow, feeling the cold metal of a blade. If she could not use her magic whilst this unbreakable choker was around her neck, perhaps there was another way to freedom.

"Next time, your child will be mine, is that understood?"

Violette did not respond.

"Is that understood!" Osmond barked.

"You killed Calixte and my child!" screamed Violette, her grip on the blade's hilt tightening. "I have nothing left! I will not-"

"Do not forget your duty to your country! Your homeland is only just thriving and recovering now because of my efforts. And you were supposed to repay me with heirs!"

Violette hesitated, the blade still hidden underneath the pillow.

"Besides, your infant is not dead," said Osmond. "It still lives."

"What?"

A servant was called in and carefully handed King Osmond something bundled in a warm blanket, then left.

After a moment of consideration, Violette let go of the dagger underneath the pillow and sat up properly. "Is that..."

"It seems the protection spell did more than just ensure its birth," said the King, holding the squirming baby awkwardly. "It also saved the child from drowning."

Violette clutched her chest, gasping for breath as tears filled her eyes.

"But do not be so foolish, though," snarled the king. "The spell has worn off. If you dare betray me again, do not think I won't hesitate." He approached the bed and lay the baby on the mattress, and Violette sniffed as she saw it truly was her baby.

She scooped him up in her arms, cradling him close to her chest.

"The bastard will be raised outside of the castle," explained the king. "Consider me sparring his life as an incentive to keep your end of the marriage arrangement. The next children you have will be mine, no nonmagical bastards, understood?"

"Yes, I understand," said Violette softly, all of her anger and sadness slipping away as she gazed down at her son, smiling as she noticed his fair blonde hair, the same colour as Calixte's hair.

Day: 1831

How boring, Alfreda thought as she stretched out her arms, her spiked tail swishing back and forth in agitation at her idleness. If she had known that guard duty was this tedious and dull, then she would not have volunteered. She supposed she should be relieved that the village was rarely attacked; the only days she saw any action were blood moons, and even then, that was boring as Calixte would easily put any intruders to sleep, or Oscar in his silly mushroom form would spread energy sapping spores, rendering them useless. And then there was Betty, who was called when absolutely necessary who could suck anyone into a separate dimension and take them far away from the village.

Alfreda felt more like a glorified security camera than a security guard, just walking around the perimeter and calling out whenever she saw something suspicious or worthy of note. Usually, Calixte would be on shift with her, but he had an extreme panic attack earlier in the day relating to an incident where the tub in the bathhouse had broke because Sumit had turned into an octopus too large during the blood moon. So, Alfreda was left without anyone to talk to during her guarding.

After a few minutes of further patrolling and standing around, another guard on duty appeared, currently walking around the whole village. What was his name? Bam? Alfreda was surprised she remembered, but he was someone that occasionally brought up drama, someone who added something interesting to the day. Sometimes on shift, Alfreda would chat with him as the man loved to complain about others, a reliable source for gossip for Alfreda.

He gave a lethargic nod as he walked past Alfreda's post and continued walking.

"Wait," she said. "I'm feeling restless. Fancy swapping early?"

Bam shrugged. "Don't care either way." He stood by Alfreda's assigned guard post, and the fire demon continued Bam's route, making circuits around the village. The change of pace and scenery was definitely a good idea, as Alfreda no longer felt so tired.

But when she came across the next post, she saw Lili standing there.

Alfreda would have wanted to play it nonchalantly; however, her feet stopped themselves, and she awkwardly stood there, staring at Lili, her loyal bodyguard in the past but now technically her boss.

Lili straightened herself, no longer leaning against the gate.

There was a moment of silence between them.

"Anything to report?" Lili asked finally.

"No," said Alfreda quickly, attempting to command her feet to move, but they remained stubbornly still.

How long had it been since they both talked to each other properly? Recently, at most, Lili would give out orders in regard to guard duties, but that was addressed to the entire group and not Alfreda individually. There was one time they accidentally bumped into each other too, and they apologised...

Was it always going to be like this?

Should it be?

There were still things that Alfreda had wanted to say but was perhaps too much of a coward or too prideful.

"How is..." Alfreda began slowly. "How are you and Miss Warren faring?"

Lili's eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to break us up like with Oscar and Sumit?"

"What?" Alfreda frowned. She had heard they split, but how was that her fault?

"You told Oscar that his feelings for Sumit were fake."

"I did not!" snapped Alfreda, confused. "I told him he seemed happier than those horrible relationships he's been in the past."

Lili looked at her as if she was determining whether Alfreda was telling the truth or not.

The fire demon's tail flicked to the side. If she was going to be accused of something whenever she attempted to make friendly chitchat, then perhaps she shouldn't bother at all.

Just as Alfreda considered leaving and continuing her patrol around the village, Corinna walked over, smiling as she wrapped her arms around Lili's waist and kissed her on the cheek; then, she finally noticed Alfreda and waved.

"Miss Warren," Alfreda said in greeting.

It seemed that Corinna had stayed up late finishing a project and was finally going to bed, wishing Lili a good night beforehand.

Alfreda was unsure if she found it sweet or sickening, glad that she saw Lili have a smile on her face, but repulsed still by the affectionate gesture.

Knowing that it was time to leave and give up on the conversation with Lili, the fire demon was about to return to her patrolling when she caught a glimpse of something in the distance; a figure heading towards the village in the darkness.

"What is it?" asked Lili, noticing Alfreda's caution. She squinted, attempting to see in the darkness but could not see as far as the fire demon.

"It's..." Alfreda's breath caught in her throat, the veins of fire on her neck pulsing as she struggled to calm herself. "It's one of the exiles. One of the ones who had lost his memories..."

Kipling: the man that had tried to talk to her but then found out that she was responsible for his amnesia.

He was back.