Queen Nalani faceclaim: Àstrid Bergès -
Frisbey
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ROLANTH, Home of Queen Nalani

It is December 24th, the Queens' birthday and four months till Beltane.

The beautiful elemental city of Rolanth is crowded with all of the usual merchants trying to earn a living at the market, along with all of the giftless pickpockets, robbing them carefully with precise maneuverers but it is easy for them today, as the merchants are distracted and careless with the constant stream of new people arriving and emptying their deep pockets.

They are all here for Queen Nalani's birthday celebration, and to see an enthralling display of the famous Fire Queen's power.

Queen Arwen's dark shadow display isn't appealing to many, though Cierra Raduron surprisingly lets a few travellers come in to Umbra to witness the shadow queen's alleged strength. It is the only time foreigners are allowed to set a foot in Umbra.

Only certain people are let past the borders, the shadow guards are known to be brutal and thorough in their searching and evaluations. No one who possess any sort of threat is allowed near Cierra's precious Queen Arwen. And every traveller has to be rich, so that the Radurons may benefit from the experience. It is the only effort Umbra has made to rejoin the island in any way but they are still foreign to most and so is their gift.

And of course only poisoners are allowed at Queen Carina's birthday celebration, the Gave Noir, the poisoner's feast. Where the Arrons can put their pampered spoilt queen on show for all the rich bloodthirsty snakes in Prynn, all eager to restore the poisoner dynasty of the White Handed Queen Arsinoe's era.

So most of the island comes to Rolanth, the city of limestone white and marble. Most of Wolf Spring will be here, as the naturalists hate both the shadows and the poisoners. And the war gifted from Bastian will come too which isn't surprising as Vivianne Westwood is on Pele Murtra's Black Council and the few remaining oracles from Sunpool. No one likes the poisoners because they're treacherous snakes and no one likes the shadows because their secretive and unpredictable.

So everyone is here, crowding Rolanth and welcome to witness Queen Nalani in her element. She is without a doubt the most popular queen. A queen of the people. They call her. A queen of presence. Fireborn.

Even though it's winter, Rolanth still tries to keep fire and light around, in honour of Queen Nalani - they desperately try to keep the darkness at bay.

On a nearby tree branch, that is completely bare of its leaves from the harsh winter, a black raven sits and crows to its lost mate.

In amongst the waves of both the giftless and elemental inhabitants of Rolanth, the war gifted from both Bastian and Indrid Down, naturalists from Wolf Spring with even the few rare poisoners from Prynn and a couple of rare oracles from Sunpool, a young huntress stands among them, undetected and unnoticed, which was her intention in the first place.

The young huntress raises her head slightly and beneath the hood of her cloak, her striking black shark eyes are clearly visible to anyone paying attention but no one is paying attention to one young woman that has her head covered with the hood of her simple black cloak, with a few black braids resting on her plain black shirt and her comfortable black trousers. Even when she is hiding in plain sight, Queen Nalani, still wears all black.The colour of queens.

Sometimes it is horrible to wear all black in the scorching heat but this is winter and the colours almost turn her into a shadow, lurking and invisible to the outside world. Though in winter she is thankful for the colour as it retains some heat from the sun which keeps the cold at arms length, most days anyway.

Nalani walks at a faster pace as she moves past the crowds, nearing the dead woods, stripped bare from winters cold clutches, and she feels eyes watching her.

Slowly, she turns her head slightly to face a young raven, who is still crowing for its lost mate. But winter claimed this lonely bird's mate, just as the Nalani and her sisters claimed winter as their birth month when they were born.

Slowly, the bustling noise of the town grows to a dull muffle that can be easily blocked out and then omits completely into blissful silence.

Unsatisfied with the silence after a while, Nalani listens to her surroundings. She hears the crunches of fallen dead leaves and small twigs breaking under her winter boots. She hears the wind rustling the brown, yellow, orange and red leaves on the forest floor, which Nalani causes to grow stronger as she pushes her gift to make the wind swirl the leaves around in a beautiful spiral, carrying the leaves upwards into the light blue sky. It is a sight beautiful enough to be painted but unfortunately that is not one of the Fire Queen's gifts.

Soon she carries on, letting the leaves fall from the air, no one and nothing to save them as they come floating down to meet their fate. But it is a peaceful fate on the soft soil ground unlike the fate that she could be in store for soon.

But she doesn't want to think about that now so she blocks the negative thoughts out and continues to voyage further through the mahogany forest, satisfied from a time just listening to the crunch of leaves under her boots but she listens out for something more.

She finally hears it. The sound of the rushing waters of Starfall Lake. For such a grand name the lake isn't awfully impressive or unique compared to other lakes. Some might expect fallen stars to wonder down into the calm waves and make the lake glitter like a thousand diamonds. But that is a dream and the reality is far worse.

Though it is not a horrible lake, it is just a normal lake like all other lakes on Fennbirn. But it is nothing compared to the wild and untameable sea. A sea she is never allowed to swim in or enjoy its serene turquoise waters in the summer.

Nonetheless she smiles to herself, content in normality for now, as she washes her face in the mirror of waters and whispers quietly to herself out of habit and a small amount of nervousness for her upcoming display,

As she washes her face once last time and turns she is met with a pair of soft lips. At first Nalani is startled at this but as she responds and kisses back, she smiles as she knows his familiar pair of lips well.

Eventually they both pull away for air, and she stares into a pair of warm light brown eyes.

Finn.

A relatively handsome giftless resident of Rolanth, with a small drop of the poisoner gift. He has dark sandy brown hair, largish ears but pleasant facial features. He isn't incredibly handsome but he would be worth a blush or a giggle at least from any mainland girl or some island girls, including her on certain days. But he is just a boy really, though they are the same age Nalani feels older. Perhaps it's a female thing or perhaps it is because she's a queen.

He studies her for a moment in awe and Nalani suddenly feels uncomfortable, he studies her like she is a fascinating object. She studies him like he's an accessory she can disregard at any moment. Somehow it works between them though.

"Beautiful," he mutters while shaking his head in disbelief, while playing with one loose strand of her night black hair. "Even now after weeks of us lying together, I'm still in awe at the beauty of a queen with the striking black eyes and the hair."

Nalani gives him a small smile and says, "You will find my sisters attractive if you have such an affinity for a queen's black eyes and hair."

Finn laughs, it is a deep low sound, and Nalani tries to laugh with him but still manages to scowl at his predictable reaction to her own foolish comment.

They both sit on the calm shore with their toes dipped in the sparkling cool water, refreshing them both slightly.

"Finn, I want to talk to you later about something important," Nalani whispers anxiously, her confidence already oozing out of her and disappearing. She starts talking again, "We need to ..."

Finn quickly cuts her off with his lips and so their kisses begin again and much like all of the other seemingly innocent encounters, one kiss leads to something more scandalous.

As they lay there on the grass wrapped in each other's cloaks, Nalani feels a sense of guilt and emptiness as she has done since their encounters had first started weeks ago.

Nalani does not love him, she knows that much. She likes him to a degree but they are nothing more than lovers, except there is no love between them even when they do lay together.

They don't talk much ever really, not about anything important. And this hunger between them satisfies her for now but she wants more. Something truly emotional and truly passionate. Finn is neither of those things. She honestly prefers it when he doesn't talk, for when he does it usually manages to irritate her in some way.

Even though Nalani used to have many friends her own age growing up with the Westwoods, she has always had a  slight hole in her heart ever since they separated her, Carina and Arwen when they were only six.

Arwen, calm, noble, stoic Arwen, who was always the peacemaker between her hot temper and Carina's cunning plots. Nalani was the one who was the first to hit and the last to give in, for she is stubborn to a fault and Carina was the one, even as a child, who didn't go for you directly but craftily still managed to hurt you, but despite this she was often known as the sweetest one and was the first to comfort her sisters if something was wrong. Arwen hates conflict of any kind which is ironic when she has the shadow gift, one of the rarest and most dangerous gifts that Fennbirn has ever seen.

Nalani can't help but miss her sisters slightly, or at least she misses the idea of them. Her blood.

She thinks that maybe that is the reason she has no real feeling towards her companion. She uses him to ease the burdens of being a queen and the loneliness that comes with it because no one understands what it truly is to be a Fennbirn Queen and he uses her to feel powerful by laying with a queen blessed by the Goddess.

So it's harder for her to feel guilty now because every time they lie together they use each other to ease the other's pains and thirsts for something they know they can never have. And despite the warmth of their bodies pressed together every time they meet for a release she has never felt colder inside.

Finn starts stroking her back slowly, it should be sensual but Nalani regards it as a subtle gesture of his possession, he strokes her as he would his own personal pet and she does not like it one bit.

"All the suitors will fall at your feet Nalani and you know it," he pauses smirking at her, "with your powers of lightning and flame and your astounding beauty they will be climbing over each other just to kiss your feet."

Again, Nalani tries to force a smile but she cannot quite manage it when she knows that they, like Finn, will want to use her for their own gains. But she'll stomach his foolish flattery for now. She doesn't care for it, not from him.

"But then again, I don't feel joy at the idea of any dirty mainland boy touching my Nalani," he purrs while trying to sound alluring but Nalani finds it disturbing and she moves away from him quickly, her eyes starting to blaze with fiery anger.

"I am not yours," she says slowly gritting her teeth, "You have spent too much time on the mainland, you forget the way of the island. Men do not rule here."

Finn furrows his eyebrows in confusion and then in desperation when Nalani dresses quickly and starts to leave. Scowling, he grabs her and forces her back down to the floor. He puts all of his weight on her, keeping her pinned down. She hates it, she hates him trapping her. She'll melt his very bones if he keeps at it.

Growling in fury, Nalani gathers a violently strong gust of wind and as it hits Finn, he goes flying back and hits a tree with a fair amount of force. Nalani smirks in satisfaction as she sees him scrambling about on the floor.

Dazed, he gets up, blood rolling down his temple from a small cut on his forehead. Scowling at him once again she goes to leave and he makes the foolish mistake of trying to grab her again to reason with her. Nalani lets out a growl more suited to a wolf and she turns around and burns him with her ferocious glare and genuine fear flashes in the boy's eyes.

"Touch me again and you will cease to have hands, I'll burn them off if I have too," she spits venomously, still raging as she her hands bawl into fists,"you are a fool Finn Denton, a mainlander fool. You need to leave. Now."

Finn lets out a pitiful whimper at that, backing away with fear written all over his expression and Nalani rolls her eyes at it. Pathetic. He's truly pathetic if he thinks for one moment she will be sympathetic to him. It's his last card to play, so of course he will try it.

"Forgive me Lani," Finn begs, trying to redeem himself quickly, "we work so well together."

"No we do not and you do not get to call me that anymore," Nalani snaps and then cocks her head to the side like a wolf as she regards the whimpering boy begging at her feet, at her complete mercy. Now Finn remembers who holds the power of Fennbirn. It is certainly not men.

Some sick part of her likes the power she holds over him, the whisper of fear in his eyes that she put there and it makes a little malicious smirk make its way onto her face as she speaks softly to him again,

"This arrangement has only ever been for my pleasure, nothing more, your mistake was thinking that you even had a semblance of power over me," she says with a shake of her head, "I am a queen, I am power and you are nothing but a snivelling foolish boy."

Finn's face truly drops at that as he contemplates her words, then his victim facade fades as he scowls at the flood like a petulant boy being scolded for a wrongdoing. It almost makes Nalani laugh. He may be eighteen years of age but he is certainly not a man. Not yet.

With one last sigh, Nalani turns her back on him before she starts to run slowly back towards the Westwood House. As she runs, the anger slowly decreases and she breathes a sigh of relief to finally be rid of him and the secrets that came with him. Somehow her body does not tire from the running, instead her body almost cries in relief as well. Then she lets her thoughts absorb into a dull mute of nothingness as she pays attention to the nature surrounding her and the darkening sky above her, soon to welcome the night's cold embrace.

———

Nalani eventually reaches the Westwood House out of breath from running and immediately goes to find her best friend, Hestia Westwood, but instead runs into High Priestess Corra. She bows in uncertainty at Corra's sudden and rare appearance, for she favours Arwen above the rest and rarely visits anywhere else. Though rumour has it, she is barely permitted into Umbra's borders anyway, so Corra barely even sees the shadow queen.

Nalani looks closely at the priestess, she is utterly jealous of Corra's beauty, for she has the most beautiful shade of dark brown hair that is usually in simple braids and she has amazing dark blue eyes which is a striking combination with her dark skin.

Nalani notes Corra's facial expression and she knows that something bad has happened. Her brow creases in worry,

"What is it?' She asks frantically, her black eyes flashing dangerously. Something bad has happened, she feels that instantly as a horrible sense of dread settles on her.

Corra bows her head slightly in mock apology and replies to Nalani in a suspiciously calm way, "Queen Nalani, I have come to inform you that your lover, Finn Denton, has been executed by my priestesses."

Nalani has to blink a few times to absorb it properly, as Corra said it so matter of fact and casually that she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. But eventually she doesn't do either and her face is a blank sheet of no emotion.

Corra notes Nalani's lack of emotion at this information and feels it safe to continue, "Priestess Mab has reported to me that on many occasions you would slip off and head to Starfall Lake and that she couldn't imagine why a Queen such as yourself should feel the need to visit the lake on numerous occasions," she pauses for breath while Nalani bows her head guiltily, "Then we had you followed today and a few of my most loyal priestesses didn't witness much but we can assume since most your clothes were discarded and you wore only a cloak wrapped up with that weak boy,"

Corra starts to circle her like a predator circling its prey, "The little worm of a boy's actions were made even worse when spies reported that he tried to grab you but of course you handled it like the elemental queen you are. After your departure, we cut off his head and arms right while he kneeled like the mainlander dog he was," she says still completely, unnervingly calm.

Nalani cries out at that, she should've known better than to think that she could've had anyone for comfort without the bloodthirsty temple intervening. It is not forbidden for boys to lie with queens but of course they were waiting for a reason to destroy it.

He may have been an annoying twit at times but she didn't wish him true harm. Now Finn is dead, dead because of her. It tears her open inside and leaves her completely bare and vulnerable as the guilt engulfs her in a gentle embrace.

~ Flashback ~

Angrily, the young poisoner boy puts on his breeches as he dresses hastily.

The sting of rejection from Nalani is still fresh and it's a wound to his pride more than anything. He is a poisoner, a grown man. He is entitled to what he wants.

Or maybe he isn't, or perhaps he has made a terrible mistake. He wasn't truly thinking about the consequences of his actions.

Finn sighs, scavenging around on the surrounding grass to find the rest of his clothes that he quickly been discarded when he and Nalani had been tearing their clothes of as they made love.

It is too confusing. Too sudden.

But he shouldn't have grabbed her like that, like she was his property. He feels guilty at that for she is a queen and is another creature entirely to him. He often forgets what she is and how much power she truly has.

And he didn't mean to hurt Nalani. But it was as if he could not control himself as he lashed out, his poisoner temper showing as he tried to control her. It is even worse when he has only been back on the island for a year, he often forgets the ways of Fennbirn are different to the mainland where men are superior.

But he should've been smarter. Nalani is as beautiful and untameable as the sea. She is the Goddess in her living form. Made from fire and blood but bound to the wind and sea. She is a storm and he should've seen the storm coming before he walked straight into it. He was foolish and he knows this. He thought he could survive the hurricane that is Nalani, but he couldn't.

Finn doesn't love her, he knows that much but he can also admit that he does care for her in his own strange way, even if he was using her.

Sighing again, he forgets about Nalani for a while as he sits for five minutes, staring out at the clear transparent waters of Starfall Lake. He may not be an elemental but he can still appreciate the beauty of Rolanth. It is more beautiful than Prynn, the poisoner's city.

Most of his family is dead because most of the Dentons were killed by mad Queen Elsabet's Queensguard at her command. Only a few Dentons were left in existence as his ancestors had been travelling beyond the island when the massacre of their house happened. So only the few Dentons that had been travelling were left and they had children who had children and eventually Finn was born generations later to Sasha Denton and her husband Joseph. His parents who had long since left him alone in this world. He has a few cousins but none who care that much about him particularly.

He left Prynn when his parents died of the same illness and travelled to the mainland for a while when he was younger. He grew used to the ways of the mainland. But he eventually came back to Fennbirn, as the island always pulls him back no matter how far he travels. Instead of returning to Prynn he ventured to Rolanth in search of a better life. It hasn't really worked out for him yet.

Finn carefully touches his temple to find that his small wounds have already clotted and the blood has dried. Nalani had every right to throw him back into the tree like that, he deserves these small scars. Perhaps they will even make him look more manly, unfortunately the men in his family were never blessed with particularly muscly builds. Not like the war gifted women from Bastian City, who wear their scars and weapons like fine clothes and jewels.

After five silent solitary minutes have passed he sighs once more, full of regret and then goes back to searching for his clothes, eventually finding his loose white shirt.

Quickly he puts it on, still lost deep in his own thoughts. Perhaps that's why he doesn't see them. Doesn't spy them emerging from the trees, seemingly innocent in their white robes but with long ancient knives at their sides which promised death.

He only notices when they are already upon him, like a ravenous pack of wolves that have finally caught a young deer. This young deer's eyes widen in shock and then in fear.

But it is too late for escaping, too late to run away from the beckoning claws of death which caressed him, not engulfing him yet but leaving its mark, a promise of what is to come. He turns his head, just in time to glimpse a flash of dark hair and the emotionless yet beautiful face of High Priestess Corra who is flanked by a number of armed priestesses.

He assumes that she is the executioner here and stumbles backward, not expecting that his true executioner lies somewhere behind. Then he feels a strong yet delicate hand grip his shoulders and spins around to face it.

He lets out a genuine cry of terror, a scream of the utmost fear but it is suddenly cut off to a dreadful silence just as Priestess Mab's blade passes through his neck, cutting seamlessly through tissue, sinew and bone before finally severing his head from his body completely in one clean stroke.

Nobody hears his short scream and nobody cares.

His head lands with a surprisingly quiet thump in amongst the water reeds near the lake, his brown eyes glassy and unblinking and his mouth in a permanent expression of terror.

A waterfall of blood flows down from the stump, staining his perfectly white shirt a horrific shade of crimson and then it trickles down staining his brown breeches.

The cold priestess does not blink once as drops his body, discarding it as if it were as worthless as a piece of dirt. She twirls her silver blade around, the horrific stain of blood shining in the light.

Quietly Corra murmurs a few commands to Priestess Mab and Priestess Maeve. Both are in her inner circle and are as treacherous as snakes. Mab is the Head Priestess in Rolanth and Maeve is the Head Priestess in Umbra.

The two priestesses nod at Corra's commands and set off to gather wood with a handful of other lower priestesses.

They will make a grand fire tonight and burn the boy's remains; it will be as if Finn Denton, a relatively plain poisoner, never existed. No one will remember his name, even Queen Nalani will forget in time as all queens forget those who leave her.

He will burn here and he will be forgotten. He will be claimed by the Goddess, he is their offering to her.

It is lucky he has no close family for they would ask questions which would be an inconvenience for Corra and the temple.

But Head Priestess Leanne of Prynn inquired a few days ago when the priestesses learned of the relationship and informed Corra that Finn Denton's parents had died. Tragic.

High Priestess Corra only sighs as she looks on the horrific scene in front of her before turning back around, ready to begin her journey to the Westwood Manor and confess to a headstrong elemental queen.

~ End of Flashback ~

"How could you?" Nalani screams in fury, falling to her knees from complete shock as Corra confesses to her, "you had no right!"

Corra crouches and tilts Nalani's face up so she can look her in the eye and she has the audacity to smirk at the grieving girl which only angers Nalani further. One day she swears she will boil Corra's very blood and melt her very bones, then the High Priestess will rue the day she crossed Nalani.

"I had every right," the High Priestess hisses, "He was a near gift-less poisoner not to mention he was simply a commoner from Prynn, he spent most of his worthless life on the mainland and he tried to harm one of the Goddess' queens which was an insult to the island itself and besides, you should be happy," she says smiling maliciously, "we sacrificed him for the Goddess; his death was the most grandest thing that little commoner could've hoped for in his dirty little life and his blood will feed the island much like yours or your sisters will once two of you are dead."

Corra then roughly pulls Nalani to her feet and wipes her tears away whispering, "you're lucky I didn't make you kill him yourself, that would teach you a lesson."

The look Nalani gives the High Priestess unnerves her slightly but Corra shakes it off giving Nalani a stern look of authority in return.

"Now child get dressed for your display," she commands, asserting her authority as High Priestess.

Nalani barely hears her, all she can concentrate of the anger that is brewing within her. So angry that she can feel a storm coming and it rattles her to her bones.

Heat starts to rise off of her in reaction to her feelings and her touch burns Corra slightly, who quickly leaves after seeing her distress and anger.

Nalani sinks to her knees once again and screams. Outside a storm gathers quickly at her will and the house begins shaking in response to the strong gusts winds, which hit the house relentlessly and unmercifully.

She screams and screams again. All the candles in the room flare up to the ceiling, soon becoming uncontrollable as The Fire Queen rages.

She keeps screaming until her throat is raw, until all the Westwoods and her maid Kali have gathered around her. Lightning strikes the house, making everyone stumble back. The electricity sends tingles down everyone's skin. Rain starts to pour from the clouds and pound on the roof of the house relentlessly. The wind continues to howls like a pack of wolves and joins in the fight to rip this house apart brick by brick.

Nalani only shuts her eyes. The only thing she can think about is her anger, her rage. Nothing else matters. Someone is dead because of her. She didn't mean for it to happen. But it cannot be undone.

She hears her guardian, Vivianne, shouting at her brother Mathias and a few visiting Westwood cousins to extinguish the candle flames which have now caught onto the crimson curtains, burning them into cinders before Mathias and the cousins can do anything.

The fire spreads further and the various Westwoods are not strong enough to battle against Nalani, especially when their affinities are mainly earth. Vivianne is lucky they all chose this week to visit because of Nalani's birthday otherwise she and her daughter would have to deal with everything themselves.

Vivianne deals with the immediate problem, using her affinity of air to contain the flames and her other affinity of water to douse them. To Vivianne's relief the flames stop but the storm still rages outside. No one can do anything about that.

Nalani feels someone's arms around her, Hestia, she suspects. Her best friend and foster sister is whispering soothing things but Nalani pays no attention.

Soon the rage and the storm consumes her energy and the darkness engulfs her as she falls to the floor, stone cold on the inside and outside.

Deep in down in a void of sleep Nalani feels hands shaking her, demons shouting her name. Nalani. Nalani. Nalani!

Her eyes dart open as she sees her maid Kali shaking her gently. She can't see her properly but Nalani knows it's her, she recognises her gentle voice. It's blurry until her vision suddenly focuses and she can see Kali's face properly.

"Nalani," She whispers again, to properly gain my attention, "it's time."

Time for what Nalani wonders. Then she remembers - she remembers everything.

Finn. High Priestess Corra. The storm. Her birthday celebration.

She sighs and sits up in her bed, looking out to her window. The sky is just darkening but soon it will be night.

Sighing once more, Nalani rises from her bed, still dressed in her casual hunting clothes from before. She wishes she could keep wearing this loose black shirt and trousers. But she can't. Not to her birthday celebration. Or rather the exhibition, where every eye in Rolanth would be on her.

She cannot decide how to feel about the death of her lover but she knows that she must not think of him again if she wants to perform well in the Quickening, a display of of each queen's power during Beltane at Innisfuil Valley and she must not think of him again if she wants to charm the suitors when the Disembarking begins and survive her Ascension Year to the throne, where she will slay her two sisters.

So she changes and reluctantly lets Kali dress her in a horrendously tight corset complete with a horribly exquisite black gown and then lets Kali braid her hair into a complicated style and she has jewellery put on her, all onyx black of course and then they travel to Rolanth temple.

She eventually goes in to the temple with Kali whispering, "good luck Lani," in her ear quietly but it gives her no comfort. Nothing does.

She walks past Queen Elo, the fire breather's mural, and tries to find strength. Queen Elo was like her. An elemental queen whose true power was the art of flame. They are both Fireborn. The mural depicts Elo's glory and victory during her long reign. Strong queens have long reigns; with weak queens the Goddess sends the triplets early to end her reign early. Nalani will not let herself be a weak queen. She will rule for the long years that Queen Halia did, longer even.

The fire breather queen killed an entire fleet of enemy ships centuries ago when Fennbirn was at war. But there haven't been many serious wars recently. A small one over a disagreement with Valostra, a mainland country that the island trades with, in Queen Halia's reign but her birth mother is a war queen and of course she won the war and swiftly dealt with any traitors.Though she shouldn't refer to Queen Halia as mother, everyone always says the Goddess is her only mother. But the Goddess has been a cruel parent indeed.

Taking a deep breath Nalani tears her eyes away from Elo's mural and keeps moving, to the altar which overlooks the ocean and is near Shannon's Blackway. Another previous elemental queen.

It is technically dangerous but it is out in the open to worship, close to the elements, particularly air and water. Though torches of fire burn nearby and earth is evident with the plants that grow at her feet. This edge is where an elemental queen should be.

Everyone in the vast crowds down below on the shore, cheer as they see Queen Nalani and then they grow quiet immediately as she stands on the altar of the Goddess and calls on the first bolt of lightning to strike, the power of the electricity and heat, coursing through her body. She is tired and shaky as soon as she begins, for her energy is drained from earlier, but she gives everything she has and everything she is to her gift. She keeps pushing it further and further even though her strength has long been spent.

The display goes on for a while, with Nalani growing more exhausted by the second as she is emotionally drained but the people call for more and she showcases every element but mainly swirls of beautiful orange, red and blue fire and bolts of powerful lightning and as the last drop of power oozes from her and she lights up the sky one last time, she feels euphoric as she falls from exhaustion down below into the undulating waves of the stormy black sea.

Nalani swears that she can almost feel the Goddess smiling as she crashes into the water, sinking, feeling death's cold grip, come to finally take her away, to the blissfully silent abyss.