48

Finally, the train's velocity seemed to go lower, as Regan could see some buildings passing by. During the travelling she had fallen into a deep slumber. When she had woken up, she had no idea where they were. Artemis only told her that they were in her realm.

"So, do these people in your realm have spells and powers?" she asked her sister, who had stayed still and quiet.

"Most do, most don't. It depends," Artemis replied.

Regan nodded, her eyes flicking at Liv, who was sleeping.

They continued to ride in silence for a while, the train chugging along through the lush forest. After some time, Regan noticed a change in the scenery; the trees were becoming taller and more numerous, and the air felt colder.

"Another forest? We're on another planet but the surroundings aren't very different," Regan thought aloud, trying to make conversation. 

The trees grew even taller, their branches intertwining to form a dense canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight. The air grew colder still, and Regan wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, feeling the uncomfortable chills creeping in.

The train ride continued for several more hours before the train emerged from the forest and into a vast, snow-covered plain. The landscape was breathtaking; the snow sparkled in the faint sunlight, and distant mountains loomed in the horizon.

"Wow," Regan breathed, leaning forward to get a better look out of the window. "It's so beautiful here. And it's so damn cold. I'm very sensitive to the cold," she complained. "How do you live here, Artemis?"

Artemis shrugged, not taking her eyes off the scenery, "It's not a problem for me. But you, probably because you have a fiery aura, you lose heat quickly on coldness," she said, as if it was obvious, "but don't worry, Cornelia. We'll soon get off."

Something snapped in Regan's mind. Fire powers. Does Artemis have fire powers?

"Well, uh....I was going to ask you something," she whispered, not wanting to be heard from the front and behind passengers.

"What?" Artemis asked confused.

"Do you have that eternal ember thing as well as me?" she asked. The strange thing for her was that she didn't quite feel connected through magic with her.

Artemis's expression turned guarded, "That's not a thing to ask here. We should keep quiet," she advised.

Regan bit her inner cheek, trying to swallow her curiosity to ask just then.

Slowly, the train came to halt and it finally stopped. The loudspeaker instructed for them to get off. Artemis stood up first, while Regan, felt her legs wobble, having stayed sit for such a long time. 

She had some uncomfortable chills but stood, nevertheless. Liv followed them from behind and they kept the queue for the passengers to land on the land.

As soon as Regan reached the door, she landed on ice, and nearly slipped. Artemis held her back, followed by Liv.

"So, w-where a-are we g-going n-now?" Regan stuttered, her voice shaky from the shivers.

"We'll go that way," Artemis pointed at nowhere. The strong wind was bothering everyone, while a thick mist hanged around the place. Regan couldn't see anything but just a grey-white horizon, stretching far.

They continued to walk in the nothingness and Regan was really having trouble with the cold. Everything was covered by snow, she couldn't see a single tree or a single plant. Even the passengers had disappeared from their sight, everything was literally nothing and Regan couldn't help but wonder where this would lead.

And then, after some time, they began to see a bit clearer. Regan realized it wasn't even day, as the sky got darker. Maybe the white mist was the illusion of the snow.

They could see some lights, maybe city lights? 

"What are these lights?" Regan asked, her voice shaky.

"These are just lights from a city in the distance. We're not going there," Artemis said with a hint of annoyance," keep walking."

They continued on, with the cold wind biting into their cloaks, Regan gripping it tightly. After what felt like hours, they finally came upon a large, imposing structure. It towered above them, its walls made of ice and snow, reflecting the dim, flickering lights that seemed to be its only source of illumination. 

The entrance was a tall brick icy fence, guarded by two figures dressed in armor, their breath visible in the frigid air.

"Your highness," one of the guards called out, "welcome back," The other guard nodded in acknowledgement.

"Cornelia, this is where we live," Artemis said, gesturing to the icy fortress

As they entered, Regan felt an overwhelming sense of isolation washing over her. 

She felt as suffocating from the cold and finally decided to heat up herself with the fire she had. She hadn't been doing that before, thinking that she'd seem weak from the cold.

The fortress was a tower, a tall building with a blank interior. It was just as cold as the outside, with frosty winds and chills washing over her. It didn't feel like home, it didn't feel like a place to sleep. Right now, she didn't want to, but she couldn't help and admire Sirius's castle instead. Although dark and creepy, it still had warmth, life and fascination. Here, there was only coldness and dread. She felt like a lost girl in the void of nothingness and unknown.

"Come on, Cornelia," Artemis said to her. Liv followed behind.

Soon enough, they came to stop before a grand glassy door, adorned with glass panels of frost. The torches were casting cold lights on the walls. Artemis opened the door and it revealed a cold living room. Maybe just the colors were cold. It was nicely decorated, with white seats, tables, and expensive carpets. There was a fireplace in the center, burning brightly, but Regan could still feel the cold. 

"You may sit here, Cornelia," Artemis motioned to a comfortable-looking armchair.

"Who is she?" A raspy voice was heard, coming from the shadows of the room. A tall man, or an alien, stepped in, with hair that was as white as snow, and with a face that was paler and angrier than snow and ice combined. His ears were pointed and his irises were just white and dull. He was wearing royal suit in white and gold, adorned with jeweleries that seemed made of ice.

And he walked in slowly, his gaze was predatory as an evil smirk crossed his alien face.

Regan felt a knot form in her stomach, part from the cold, and part from the stranger staring at her.

"You took too damn long. What did you do with that demon?" he demanded as he noticed Artemis, like he hadn't seen her before. His voice angry and menacing.

Regan stood up from her seat, wondering who he was calling 'demon', and why was he speaking to Artemis, but not looking at her at all. He seemed to be one of these bastard leaders, only interested in power and control. His appearance was far from intimidating, and she couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to gain such a position. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves and not show any fear.

"I didn't do anything with Sirius," Artemis replied, her voice slightly shaky, "I only brought the girl. She's Cornelia and she'll stay here for a while. She's not from our world, so she doesn't know how our system works."

The man glared at Regan, his expression unreadable, "What's your business here?" he growled, his eyes raking over her body.

Regan felt a wave of unease and anger wash over her. "I didn't come here because I liked to," she retorted through gritted teeth, trying not to lash out.

"She'll stay only for a while," Artemis said to him, trying to ease the tension, "I'll send her to the guardians. Liv, go and show her to her room." Liv nodded and gestured for Regan to follow her upstairs. "It's not what you think," Artemis assured the white haired man, "she's no trouble."

As Regan followed Liv, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread settling in her stomach. The fortress was eerily quiet, the only sound was the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath their feet. The further they went, the colder it became.

Finally, they arrived at a small room, its walls adorned with frost and ice. The bed was nothing more than a stack of blankets. There was a white wardrobe and a small nightstand, with a lavished torch. A thin layer of snow covered the window.

Liv told her she'd bring her food and then, left her alone. A sense of fear accompanied with the coldness washed over her. She was alone, her sister wasn't there and she felt scared. She wanted to leave there as well. Maybe but maybe, his castle, Sirius's caste was better than this place. 

She sat on the bed, the cold seeping through her clothes. She never thought she'd like to stay in the place of her sworn enemy instead.

A knock was heard and it was Artemis who entered, "Yloria, sorry for leaving you alone. I had to deal with-"

"Who's that?" Regan interrupted.

Artemis took a deep breath and sat down, "He's my husband."

"You're married?" Regan's eyes widened, confused that she was married, but also confused of who she was married with. "He seemed so angered, like for what?"

Artemis sighed and looked away, her expression pained.

"It's...complicated," she began. "He was expecting me to return earlier. It's not all of his fault."

For some reason, Sirius's words ranged in Regan's mind. They struck her one by one, his words for royalties, kingdoms, princes, princesses, whatever he had said.

"Is your husband a prince?"

Artemis looked surprised by the question, as if she hadn't expected Regan to ask about it, "Yes, he's prince Viggo, the heir to the throne of the North. His father is the current king. That's why he has so much power and influence here," she paused, her expression distant, "he is a bit spoiled but...he was different when we first met. I think he changed when he became the heir. The pressure, the expectations...it all got to him."

Regan sighed. She didn't care a lot about her sister's marriage, not when there were so many other questions in her mind, "So can we finally talk freely here?"

"Not quite," Artemis replied, "That's not a safe place for you."

"What was the deal with Sirius?" Regan asked again, the question burning.

Artemis sat on the bed, her expression tight, "He didn't want you there anymore, Yloria. The deal was for me to take you to the guardians. They're....you know, sages who have dedicated their life to knowledge and welcome girls like you. And he made it clear that you shouldn't be here. If he finds out, then we're all in trouble," she paused for a moment, her own mind racing, "But I didn't have a choice, I swear. We didn't have any time and if I hadn't returned here, then Viggo would've gotten mad and he'd send his men to Sirius."

"Why would he do that?" Regan asked, feeling the knot of anxiety growing.

"Because they're enemies. They've been for too long."

"So the deal was just that? He just let me go without a catch?" Regan said, her voice filled with a strange mix of confusion and disappointment. She didn't know what she had expected, but she knew it wasn't that.

"The catch could've been the fact that he doesn't want you to cross him again. You know, thinking to fight him, or defying him. You have to forget about it, Yloria. I know he hurt our family, but it's all gone now. You can't have it back."

The words were like a harsh slap, "What? You think I'm going to accept that? That I could just forget?" Regan said incrediously.

"It's for the best of everyone," Artemis answered, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"That's for the worst," Regan shot back, "The best is his downfall! That's the best for us, for all good people who're suffering. He's a criminal, for crying out loud, Artemis! He ruined not just our lives but many other people's. How can you be so calm about it?" she managed to keep her voice low, but it was too difficult.

"His downfall is a dream," Artemis said, her tone clipped, "He's not just someone to plot against and overthrow, Yloria. The galaxy is in his dominion. The realms are enslaved by his generals. You think that's a joke?"

"The galaxy?" Regan repeated, her eyebrows furrowed. By what she knew, galaxies were so light years away from each other. What world was that, that people referred to them as if they were continents?

"Look, Yloria," Artemis began again, placing her hand over hers, "It's for your own good. If you defy him, or anyone of these men, you'll get in trouble. They're not ones who play jokes. They aren't even pleased when you do as they say, let alone when you don't."

"So what now? Am I just going to stay here? I don't want to stay here. I mean, I want to stay with you but not here. And I want to find our parents," Regan said, the hope of finding her parents not fading despite the situation she was in.

Artemis sighed heavily, her posture tired, "Yloria, there's nothing as 'our parents' or 'our kingdom'. Sirius destroyed them all and you can't bring it back."

Her words stung, but Regan knew she wasn't going to give up. And she knew there was more than left on the surface, "I don't think our parents are dead. I don't believe it. I think they're alive and I will find them," She said, her voice firm and determined, "And as for the kingdom, I don't care about it. I just want to want to make a difference, to make things right."

Artemis looked at her, and Regan could see the pain in her eyes, "I wish I could believe that."

Regan didn't know what to say. She couldn't help but feel like a bargaining chip. She wanted to go back on Earth, at least she had a home there. But Artemis couldn't come there, "I'm just a burden for you," she said with a sad voice.

"No, you're not. It's just....the circumstances we are, aren't good. We have dangers all around the corner. But if you stay here quietly, and hidden from Viggo's eyes , I'll find a way for you," she said lastly and stood up, leaving the room.

Regan frowned. She didn't like the way Artemis said 'hidden from Viggo's eyes'. What was he

even going to do to her? And she didn't want to stay here, in this cold room. She wasn't willing to submit and she wasn't willing to take anyone's orders.