Chapter Text
The Night That Changed Everything
Broken. Nesta felt broken. Her body, her mind… even her spirit.
Everybody hates you.
It’s not like she hadn’t known that, right? She was a bitch. She was unloveable. She was cursed, and horrible, and made wrong - twice now, ironically. You’d think a dunk in the cauldron could fix whatever was wrong with her brain but no, Nesta’s existence was wrong.
A waste of life.
What was the point? Why try anymore? Maybe she should throw herself down the stairs again and hope they finish her off for good this time.
Her fingers gripped the stone as she stared down the narrow steps, wondering how far she’d have to go for her life to be forfeit. A glint of silver distracted her, and she watched as the thin ring on her pinky pressed into her finger with the unnatural fae pressure of her grip on the stone, but didn’t hurt her. Huh, she had forgotten about the ring. She barely noticed it, as that woman said would happen.
When it all becomes too much. When you’re ready to leave. Spin the ring three times and say, ‘Help me.”
It was only the words of a singer in a seedy bar. But… her words rang in Nesta’s ears.
Well, it was worth a shot. And if it didn’t work, down the stairs she would go. She was too tired for anything else.
She squeezed her eyes shut and three times she spun the ring, “Help me.” A breeze passed over her, ruffling the hair that had fallen out of her braid.
A warm hand closed over her own, and instead of flinching away, Nesta looked up into the golden eyes of the woman who was too beautiful to be real, the lady of light from those many nights ago. The woman cupped her face tenderly and asked, “Are you ready to leave?”
Nesta nodded, dumbstruck.
The woman smiled and helped stand her up. Nesta prepared for the heart-dropping feeling of winnowing, but instead saw a circle of white with an unfamiliar land beyond the borders. Together, Lady Death and the Lady of Light walked through the portal into Nesta’s new life.