She stood next to him, near enough to be painfully aware of just how close they were. She wanted to reach out and touch his hand where it rested on the edge of the window, but she refrained as he moved away from her.

His raven chirped softly from his shoulder as he moved, his cloak whispering across the floor. Islande watched as he reached out and stroked one of the ravens sitting along the window, waiting patiently to be given their message.

They seemed calmer in his presence, their usual restless behavior calmed.

She looked down at the tightly wrapped scrolls she had in her hands, each addressed to a different Kingdom. These were Summons, messages of great importance. They were magically sealed so no one but the one they were addressed too could see the message within them.

A Summoning was not something to be taken lightly, when Kings and Queens came together it was to discuss highly important matters, matters that were more often than not concerned with war.

Now it was still holding true to this pattern, as these Summons were calling them to discuss the beginning of another war. Islande gently tied the scroll around the raven's leg, reaching out to touch its mind. She showed it a mental image of who she wanted the message delivered to and sent it on its way.

She did this for every Summons, watching as the ravens glided high on the warm winds to find the recipient of the message they carried, dark specks against the morning sky.

"Dark wings carry dark words," said Viseron gravely, the sun reflected in monochrome hues in his gaze.

"I never thought I would have to do this as Queen," Said Islande, "I wonder if I have made the right decision."

"I believe you have," said Viseron from beside her, "the Kingdoms need to form a plan to meet this threat, especially since things have changed."

Islande knew what he was referring too. They didn't have a Warrior this time, instead they had the Shadowhunter. A different power lay at their fingertips, one that could either win the war or cost them their world.

Islande knew that Viseron was a wildcard- they knew basically nothing of Shadow Magic, barely understood how it worked, what its limits were or the extent of its power.

This was going to be an experiment, and they would need to trust Viseron, their greatest ally against the rising darkness. Some she knew would take issue in trusting him, but they had no choice if they stood a chance against the Shadowalker.

At least she knew he was on their side, at least, for now. He had refused to help the Shadowalker, somewhere inside him he still cared. Viseron shifted on his feet, resting his hand on the window ledge.

Islande reached for it without thinking and he pulled away, giving her a silent look. It took her moment to realize what she had done, and she immediately felt guilty. The ring she wore, even the very fabric of the dress she had on, contained gold. It was a protection method against Shadow Creatures. She hadn't thought about the fact that it would burn his bare skin.

"Viseron, I-"

"It's fine,"

"I didn't realize-"

"It's fine."

Those two words had came out in a sharp growl that made her flinch. That tone was so unlike her Viseron. He would have never spoken to her that way.

He's not your Viseron, she reminded herself, not anymore.

Viseron turned, his raven flapping its wings in displeasure as he moved. She wanted to say she was sorry, wanted to reach out but she couldn't.

Instead she watched him leave, let the silence settle around her once more. He had been so close but seemed so far away, drifting in a different ocean. He had closed off his heart, his mind, his emotions.

"Islande?" Asked a familiar voice.

She looked up, smiling as Tyros emerged into the light.

"Is it done?" He said.

Islande nodded, turning back to the window.

"Nin Alor," said Tyros softly, "are you okay?"

She didn't answer right away, the smile that had been on her face vanishing.

"No," she said, "I'm not."

"Tell me." Said Tyros.

Islande took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"This, all of this, is because I was a coward." She said softly.

"I couldn't speak up. I couldn't just say something... Tyros I could have saved him. None of this would have happened, none of it. I wouldn't have hurt him if I had just spoken up. If I had fought for him he wouldn't be in the position he's in. I should have never listened to Evarian, I shouldn't have given into my fear."

"Fear is a powerful thing, Islande," said Tyros, coming to stand beside her,"it can lead us to do things we will later regret. And you were a young ruler, Evarian saw this and took advantage of it. You could not control that."

"I didn't listen to what you said, though. You tried to warn me, but I was so convinced by the others that I didn't listen to what you were saying. I was so afraid of going against them your words meant nothing. But none of that is an excuse for what I did."

"No," said Tyros, "it isn't. But you need to stop blaming this entirely on yourself," he said, "it is not completely your fault. Others took part in what happened that day."

"But it all came down to me," she said, walking towards the door, "I knew I should have spoken up, but I didn't, they voted to exile him because of what Evarian said, I played along partly because I was scared, partly because he had convinced me Viseron had done what he was accused of. I didn't fight for him when they came to take him.

"I watched as he was exiled. This all started with me, with my choice to believe what I was told by people who didn't know him like I did. People who wanted to get rid of him because of the potential threat he posed to their power. A threat I knew didn't exist."

"Islande-"

"You can't tell me this isn't my fault, that this isn't on my shoulders, because it is."

"Nin Alor..."

"I need to make this right," said Islande, "I need to try."

"Don't let this distract you from what lies ahead," Said Tyros, "you can make this right, but remember what we are here for."

She stopped in the doorway, taking a deep breath. She needed to find a way to make this easier before the war started. Needed to find a way to make this easier for her and for him. She knew it wasn't easy for him either, being in a place that held memories he would rather forget, fighting for people who didn't believe in him.

I will make this right. She silently promised as she descended the stairs

I promise.

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This chapter was a bit rough but I hoped you enjoyed!

~~Nightfury107