"You and Merlin need to practice on how you address Royalty."
"I promise you, your highness, I try, but it's never done me any good in the past."
"Its Prince Arthur..." He paused, likely realizing he didn't know my name. "And you are?"
"I'm but a co...
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THE FINAL HOUR Known Also As... {THE POISONED CHALICE :: Part Three}
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When I was a young girl, about ten years old, my favorite place was within the branches of this old Cyprus tree. I would climb up as far as I could and sway with the wooden limbs. I would watch the setting sun disappear behind the far off mountains until my parents came shouting about supper.
There was this one day in particular that I'll never forget. I had finally resigned to take Catina with me to see my tree, a place far too sacred to share with anyone. As we walked, my displeasure melted away, and was instead replaced with eagerness to show my sister the world I had discovered.
It wasn't long before we were racing up my ancient friend, determined to be the one who reached the top first. Catina flew ahead of me, already half way up the tree- jumping from one branch to another like she was flying more than she was climbing.
She couldn't have been more than three feet above me when she yelped. I looked up in time to see her foot slip from the branch she stood on. My heart leapt to my throat as I shouted her name as if it would stop her descent.
There were many days after that where I couldn't help but wonder, what would have happened if the Almighty hadn't put me right below my sister.
For if I had been a few branches to the left, or had climbed faster than her...
The moment she began to fall, my hand shot out to her. Who knows where that sort of strength came from in a ten year old, but blessings be to that which was inside of me. I grabbed onto her arm and her descent bought me to my knees. I barely ma banged to heaved her body across the branch I perched on.
It was a long time before Catina stirred up the courage to climb back down.
Back in the present, I finally understood what my sister had felt that day.
Complete and utter fear.
Not a single word escaped my lips; words couldn't express this kind of fear. There were no vines or ropes, no ledges or roof tiles to grab onto, no bazaar tent to break my fall. Only the bottomless pit beneath me.
"Elwynna!"
Something suddenly wrapped itself around my left arm. After a neck breaking stop, my body was slammed against the cavern wall.
A loud pop ran through me, followed by blinding, flaming pain in my shoulder. My arm grew numb, and tears pricked at my eyes as an anguished scream broke past my clenched teeth.
