Transcendance

5

I woke up to the door opening. It was Alaric/Not Brendan from the party. He held a knife in his hand. I had bolted up, a gun in my hands.

"Brendan. Is it really you?" I asked him.

"I don't know who I am." He says. "But I've been ordered to kill you."

"Leandrus sent you, didn't he?" I asked him, refusing to lower my weapon. "He wants to finish what Amadeus started."

Alaric drops the knife. "I don't want to. You're the one from my dreams." I lower my gun to the ground, staring at him. I'm glad I hadn't unlocked it.

He walks to me. "I don't remember you but..I want you." He pulls me into a kiss. I kiss back, hungering for something I wasn't even sure of. I grab at his jacket's buttons and he grabs at the top of my dress. Oh well.

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I woke up the next morning wrapped up in sheets and dressed in the shift they had given me with the dress. I wondered if it had been a dream. My dress was the ground and Kyra was sprawled out in her shift. I grabbed my stuff and headed off to the shower.

As I removed my shift and threw it in the clothes hamper, I noticed all the hickies on my chest and a few bite marks on my chest. It wasn't a dream. My face flushed as I remembered the encounter. He must have left before I woke up.

I took a shower and tried my hardest to make the hickeys vanish. I managed to heal them but they looked bruised now. I headed back to the room to change my clothing. Kyra was getting changed.

"Morning, sleepyhead." She spoke.

"Good morning." I said to her as I pulled my long sleeve shirt on.

"You okay? You ran out of the ball last night." She asked me.

"I'm fine. I think I might have spiraled a bit." I sighed. I had banged not Brendan but that didn't need to be shared with everyone.

"Okay. Brett's kind of cute, isn't he?" Kyra finished putting on her chest piece.

"I guess he is." I shrugged as I finished putting on my holster and my guns. It was mine and Brendan's gun. I filled up the ammunition pouches and took a deep breath. I finished getting dressed.

We walked out into the hall to see Jackson and Heather ready.

"They want us in the stables," Jackson said. We started to walk towards the servant quarter and then we went outside to the stables. There was a carriage carrying Leira and a few others behind her with what looked like gifts and what not.

There were various guards in fancy light armor. Brett waved us over.

"We'll be the ones protecting Leira in her journey." I saw Rhyana and Rhys as well.

"Brett, Rhyana and Rhys, you are front. Erika and Kyra with Leira. Jackson and Heather on the sides with the others." We nodded and got in position.

"Hello." Leira says in a soft tone.

"Hello, your Majesty. Are you excited?" I ask her. She looks like she's about to cry.

"Not really. I wish I had another choice." She says.

"I'm sorry I asked you that. I should know better." I sighed.

"Why are your parents marrying you off?" Kyra!

"The Singers are saying that the forest is dying. That we are losing our powers." Leira spoke. We passed by a huge amount of dead trees and grass.

"Why is that?" Kyra asked.

"The other Kings say it's because we are not a united front anymore. Some think Leandrus is doing something to the forest. Something evil." Leira sighs. "My marriage could save the realm, maybe. I can't even do basic magic anymore. See?"

She casts a light spell and it creates a small ball of energy.

"Wow, that's strange. I couldn't even do it Thursday." The princess looks surprised. "How did that happen?"

"Really?" I asked her. "That's strange. Maybe you're getting better."

"Maybe. Or something made it come back." She sighed. I lean against the carriage wall.

"Well, this King Leandrus, what has he done?" Maybe she can help me figure out why he wants me dead.

"He is pure evil, Erika." Aww she remembered my name."He has a look of evil to him."

"I could feel it off of him." Kyra sighed. "It was a bit scary. And I've seen evil."

"He practices dark arts. There's many rumors that he has lived since the dawn of the Fae. They say he eats his enemies' flesh to keep himself young. That his daughter is a poisoner and necromancer." Leira looked worried. "That man with him....I've never seen him until a year ago."

"Exactly, when?" I ask her.

"I can't remember exactly but it was after the vampire realm lost their Queen and....Oh, it must of been you guys." She looks at me, sadly.

"My boyfriend died during the event. I never saw his body and neither did his family. That man looks like him. And sounds like him." Kyra raised a brow at me.

"You think Leandrus did something to him?" She asked me.

"When I was fighting Amadeus, the vampire that caused the blast, he told me Leandrus wanted me gone ....but I couldn't understand why. I didn't even know him." I sighed. "What if he did something?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, he's a monster." Leira spoke.

"Why didn't you say anything, Erika?" Kyra crossed her arms.

"I thought...I didn't think it was important. Maybe I should be sent home." I sighed.

"Too late for that. We'll have to keep an eye on both of you." Kyra says.

"I know." I sighed. "But what if Leandrus did something to Brendan?" I think back to that horrific dream of the burnt man. Oh no.

"Huitzilopochtli........" I whisper. Maybe he was trying to show me what happened. Tears run down my eyes. I must seem like a mad woman to Kyra and Leira. Maybe I am going crazy.