ASTRA protected the seelie realm , but more importantly , its queen . she helped in casting the ancient spell , and once there was nothing left to do and she knew her friends had found safety , she went to make sure her family was safe . she’s called her children , and intends to return to singapore to collect her children and get her affairs in order .
ETIENNE DELABARRE stayed neutral . he assumed that matthew and aisa both would be fine , and he held no loyalty to the seelie realm or to the rebellion , so he just focused on keeping himself alive .
MALACHI protected the seelie realm . while her family fled and saved themselves , mala abandoned them to try to help wherever she could , as well as with the spell . when the chaos subsided and the realm settled in new york , mal searched for her family . she discovered that the only damage to their seelie realm home was to her space in it , and it was just as likely that the damage came from her mother as it was that it had come from the destruction coming from outside the house . once she was recovered enough , she started looking for a new home .
VASILKAERA protected the realm . over the past year she has fallen in love with the wander wood and the realm as a whole , and she did anything in her power to save it . once things settled , she made sure vitalaeryss and julian were safe , as well as those she’s come to care for .
ZAIRA stayed neutral . she remained by cosimo’s side with his family . the only thing that mattered to her was the safety of cosimo , the children , violet , and francesca .
ZULA protected the realm , but remained with their family . while the demon prince did help where they could , they focused on their family , on ensuring tahno’s safety , and that of saya and her immediate family as well .
BRIANNA VALOIS partially protected the seelie realm, taming any flame that she came across, though her attention has been diverted by the fact that she was trying to get to cosimo’s residence to retrieve her daughter. it was a mission that failed until the archangel himself reunited them, which means that the night has been one of the most stressful experiences in her entire life.
COSIMO DE’ MEDICI stayed neutral. he did not aid the rebellion, but he did not get too caught up in the chaos either. the archangel focused on his children - including amelia, that he promised to protect - and his family. he also encouraged violet to follow him to safety, assuring her that her brother would be smart and strong enough to make it out alive. the medici residence has been saved.
JULIAN RHODES was not aware of the fact that he aided the rebellion by leading certain conversations about orbing while he was surrounded by the wrong people. any involvement has been completely unintentional, but he deeply regrets providing people with knowledge that weakened the defenses of the seelie realm even further. when the realm started to burn, he retrieved nocturna from his mansion before he tried to locate friends and family.
LEOPOLD WAYNE protected the seelie realm right by queen auraline’s side and helped casting the ancient spell, until there was nothing more that they could do. he took his wife to safety after they relocated the realm in central park and has been tending to her needs, having faith that his loved ones would make it out alive.
❛ if i’m not ready, snakes will consume me whole. if i’m not steady, maybe they’ll take control. ❜
~ ❖ ~
genevieve’s stomach churned.
the first strike had come abruptly and, naturally, the vampire found her way to the flames like a moth. the sight that unfolded before her was everything she dreamed it might be. it was V I O L E N T, and there was a brutality in the way they struck down those who stood against them that even she could admire. flames licked at the trees she had, on many occasions, been tempted to see alight. embers flickered across the sky as the forest ignited. as the roar of the flames grew and vicious orange climbed into the sky, the screams began. a cacophony of sounds that took her back to where she was made. waistcoats had given way to thin tunics, bourgeoisie replaced by disgruntled supernaturals, but the essence was the same. la chute d'une autre règne.
it was beautiful. and genevieve felt sick to her stomach.
her fangs pressed sharp against her tongue, venom p o o l e d in her mouth; a taunting reminder of what she should be doing. the sharp fragrance of iron permeated the air and her stomach roiled. the genevieve of then would not have hesitated, fresh from her transformation and bloodthirsty. a year ago her path would have been set, her desire to escape the realm would have rendered any second thoughts idiotic. it’s still idiotic, she reasoned – – but so was all of the turmoil that she had been experiencing as of late.
she was a solitary creature, ruthless yet fair, dolling out her justice indiscriminately. to care for others was a liability, a fatal flaw in the pursuit of self-preservation. how had she managed to evade it for nearly three centuries just to go soft in the span of a year? it was a cruel twist of fate, and yet, as the thought crossed her mind she found herself unable to take a step towards the guards.
a p r o m i s e. for all the rage that had made its home in her chest, coiled tight and poisoning all it touched, she could not betray their trust. her word was her bond and now it called upon her to act.
quietly, with a newly renewed sense of purpose, genevieve fell in amongst the rebellion. she moved swiftly amongst the chaos, marching towards the guards as they fought hopelessly against the onslaught. and then, and while their focus was turned, she did what she had always done best. teeth found flesh, brown eyes turned crimson, and soon the warmth that filled her mouth overwhelmed her.
one body fell, and then another and another until nearly a third of the rebels had been disposed of. the first time she had ever chosen a side and it was to defend her captors.
