The grief of Anne

[Rennart 60]

Anne had spent her entire life in pursuit of her own desires. Through sin and indulgence, she had walked a path of shadows, one that ultimately led her to bow before Iblees. In time, she became the thrall of a demon, Malkael, and served as his instrument. She infiltrated the Empire she despised, and whenever her master summoned her, she donned her helm and fought by his side without hesitation.

Yet, in the very heart of that Empire she loathed, Anne found companionship. She even discovered love, an impossible love, for her beloved was a man of justice and light. From this union, children were born. Slowly, doubt began to stir within her heart… but hatred always rekindled her resolve, driving her ever deeper along the road to damnation.

Her first eye she lost after daring to call her master weak, this demon she served, yet never truly trusted.

The truth of her crimes, her infernal allegiances, and her dealings with the Inferi came to light when she attempted to murder the man who had betrayed her dearest friend. Her life collapsed as the world finally saw her for what she truly was. 

While fleeing the Empire, a mysterious figure approached her, speaking of the errors of her ways before vanishing into the mist. From that day on, voices began to stir in her mind, mocking her with every past sin.

Her second eye was taken when she was finally captured. The last thing she saw was the face of the man she loved before the pommel of a sword struck her down. Infection spread quickly, and with no proper care, her eyes were lost to infection.

The memories that followed were fragmented, fleeting. She only recalled riding through a raging blizzard, her hand mangled, her eye oozing pus, until she collapsed, her fingers brushing the familiar frost of a looming fortress: the Frost Witch Castle, where she sought her final refuge.

Her mentor and a few friends tried to heal her, but the rot had set in too deeply. All she could do was withdraw into the frozen halls of the castle, consumed by shame and grief.

When consciousness returned, the corridors were silent, abandoned. She remained in her bed, haunted by visions of her lover, who in her mind had forsaken her, not even attempting to save her, as well as by thoughts of her former “friends”, who had cast her aside without remorse. Even her dearest friend, for whom she had attempted to murder a men (leading to her nature being revealed to the world) had betrayed her by revealing her name, breaking her even further.

The idea she would never get to see hers kids ever again was settling in her mind, consuming her slowly. And so, the voices returned. At first mere whispers, they soon swelled into a deafening chorus.

"You are a failure. Too weak to keep your own children."

Anne could bear it no longer. She left her chamber, her hands tracing the icy walls as she navigated the maze-like corridors.

"They all turned their backs on you, traitor. Your children are better off without you."

Blindly, she searched for door handles, memorising each texture beneath her fingers…the weave of carpets, the grain of wood. At last, she came upon a door colder than all the rest.

"Follow the frozen wind… climb… and leap."

Shattered and lost, she began her ascent. Her numb fingers clung to frostbitten stone as the wind howled like a beast in her ears. She scaled frozen ladders, crossed rickety planks suspended over the void, ever climbing, ever higher.

At last, she reached the summit, where the wind cut like a blade. Before her yawned a gaping hole in the wall, inviting her to take that final step into the abyss.

"Abandon hope. Relinquish all. God, Aenguls, Demons, none will have you. Jump."

She rose to her feet, clutching her tattered rags, and stepped forward. But then, in a cruel flash, the faces of her two young children appeared in her mind, far too young to even remember her.

"Jump… jump!....JUMP!"

Her fists clenched until her nails bit into her palms. Suddenly, she fell to her knees and screamed into the storm, pouring out all her fury and all the love that still burned within her broken heart:

"No! My children! Perhaps I do not deserve life… but I wish to be there for them! Leave me be, cursed voices!"

Curling into herself, she wept bitterly, whispering through trembling lips:

"I beg of you… I want only to see my children grow… I will do… anything…"

And so she remained there, alone, blind, starving and frozen, murmuring her desperate plea to the empty heavens at the very edge of the world.

 

 

Edited July 26, 2025 by Rennart