-Karen-"Tell me about yourself, Karen," Conor said, scooting the chair closer to the bed. I gave him an edgy glance as he gave me an expectant look.What? "There's nothing to tell." I shot back flatly. "I'm a servant. End of story." I mean…"Nope! You have to do better than that," he retorted quickly. "Come on. Really! I'm curious about you. Tell me anything."I watched him for a moment, and he watched me with a smirk. What do I say? "Well… I, uh. I'm a Mage, and I have a flower garden," I said plainly. He nodded for me to continue. “That's it. Really." I don't know what he is looking for in this."There has to be more than that," he said, frowning at me. “Who is Karen? What's your favorite color? Do you have any hobbies? Do you have a favorite food? What is your family like?" he asked rapidly. Who is Karen?—She's a servant with a garden like I just told you.Being put on the spot like this made me feel uneasy. "Well, uh- My favorite color is purple. And I have the garden that I have
-Karen-I waited a few more minutes and got up slowly. I crossed the short distance from the bed to the small window and watched as the sun dipped behind the ocean, allowing darkness to cloak the sky. I could see Taurameras high above the town, and the stars started to dot the darkened heavens. I love the light of Taurameras at night. Its soft light is so beautiful! The city was eerily dark below the palace. It left me with a relatively empty feeling as I thought about the many people who must have died in the attacks. I shook my head as the sadness continued to eat at me.'I could just throw you to the soldiers. They would love to get a piece of you…' The words echoed in my head as my throat became tight with emotion. And that is precisely why I don't expect to have a happy ending. I could hear yelling down the hall but ignored it while I cried silently by the window. I wrapped my arms around myself as I stared out into the darkness. He is just like Lewis, but he was more than okay w
-Karen-The next day, I awoke to the smell of porridge entering the servant's room. Sleepily, I sat up and rubbed my face through a yawn. Conor and Bart were carrying things, and instinctively, I got up to help. "Oh no, Karen. Go lay back down," Bart said firmly while he set up a foldable table."Go," Conor said just as firmly to me."I'm a servant- I'm supposed to help." I retorted flatly. I tried to help take the tray from Conor, but he raised it high over my head. "It shouldn't matter if I'm sick or not-""It matters. Now, change into your dress while we step outside." Conor said in a commanding tone. I frowned at him while he set the tray down. Why does it matter?! "Go on. I want to make sure it fits you correctly."I rolled my eyes while he snickered under his breath. I'm going to hurt him. He is making me mad! Bossing me around and not letting me help- I trudged over to the night table as the door shut, leaving me alone. "Such a bossy bastard," I grumbled as I changed into the s
-Karen-"Your first task is to get well. In order to do that, you need to eat. Seriously, I have no problem having you tied up and force-fed," Conor said softly. “What do you want to eat? I know you don't like me here, so in order for me to go away, you're going to have to eat.""The Porridge is fine," I replied quickly, reaching for the bowl. He grabbed my hand and shook his head."It's too old. Pick something else," he said with a grin. "Are you in the mood for turkey and cucumber again?""But the." I tried to reach for the porridge as he lifted it out of my reach. "It's perfectly fine!" I snapped angrily.He chuckled at me. "You're pretty cute when you get angry." Conor stood up before I could do anything. He walked over to the door and whistled a different noise. I heard someone run down the hall to him. "Please go to the kitchen and bring me a plate of turkey, peeled cucumber, and some cheese. Also, a small glass of water." Conor turned around to face me, shutting the door behind
-Karen-Bart stopped me and made me sit on the bed. He and Conor took the dishes out while I was useless on the bed. They came back an hour later with a giant metal bucket. Before I could even ask, a towel was laid down, and the bucket was on top. Several servants added twenty pitchers of hot water to the bucket. A bath in this room? Another servant set a full pitcher on the table and several bottles down. This is unnecessary. I just need a rag and half a pitcher of cool water.Conor was handed three towels, and then the servants and Bart left the room. He turned back to me. "I'm not sure when you last had a bath, but I think you should have one. It might help you relax and unwind." He placed the towels on the table and walked over to me. "I'm going to leave you alone for a couple of hours so you can wash up, and then I'll return. I hope it makes you feel a bit better."He was almost to the door when I quickly stood up. "Prince Conor." He stopped and gave me a dirty look. "Thank you..
-Karen-When I woke up, Conor was gone, but a small stack of presents was sitting in the chair waiting for me. There was also a note: 'Morning. Bart should arrive soon. I will be away for part of the day addressing this issue. Remember, flowers don't weep; they bloom beautifully in the sunlight.' I felt my cheeks tinge at the note. Does he think… I'm a flower? There was a knock on the door. Before I could get up to answer it, the door opened. Two male servants were bringing in a piece of furniture. Bart followed them in with a tray of food. "Morning Karen. Are you feeling alright?" He asked gently. "Conor said you shivered almost all night… Is there anything I can do for you?"I took the tray from him and saw pancakes with blackberry preserves. My mouth watered as I inhaled the wonderful aroma. "What is that thing?" I asked him, pointing at the new piece of furniture."It's called an armoire. It will store your dresses and gowns so they don't get wrinkled." He explained as I dug into
-Karen-I walked back to the bed as he mirrored me. We sat down on the bed together and started chuckling out of nowhere. "Tell me more about yourself," he said softly in my ear."Like what? You know more about me in this short time than most people know about me in general," I mumbled, twirling my hair around my finger. I want to keep it that way, if possible.I felt him lean close to me and brush a lock of hair behind my ear, which set me on edge. "Do you like to read?" he whispered in my ear. I nodded, wondering why he would ask. “I have a book I think you might enjoy.""What is it about?" I asked him curiously. "Most servants can't read. I usually read for them.""It's a book of short stories. Most are fairy tales- Half-fish people want to be full people. A princess trying to beat her pre-destined fate. Children who are abandoned in the woods try to find their way home. There are several stories within the book.""Sounds interesting," I replied, watching Bart rejoin us. I got up q
-Karen-"Look at you, giving orders…" he replied through an exhale. “I don't feel well." I dipped the rag and wrung out half the water, making sure to cool off his scalp, too. “That feels good. Thank you." I didn't reply, but I smirked at him. He caught my hand as I went to sponge his face off. "I like that dress on you… Is that new?"I snickered as I switched the rag to my free hand. "Yes… My kind Master gave it to me even though I think he's too generous." I dipped the rag as he let go of my hand. I unbuttoned his shirt enough to start cooling him down more. I placed the cloth on his chest and fanned it with my hand.He gasped at the temperature change. "That feels good."Bart returned with two bottles of water and a small sprig of mint. I set one bottle on the table as they watched me crush the mint as best I could. I opened the bottle, stuffed it in the mint, and shook it for about five minutes. After it was mixed enough, I helped Conor drink it. He made a face at the taste that m
-Conor-“I have a terrible feeling about this Nathan. We need to go to her. As soon as possible.” Conor said pacing back and forth in front of all the Mages. “After she lost consciousness, Eldon came and took her away. All he said was that she was being summoned by a tree. That's when a portal was made for me to come back here.”Nathan's eyes got wide and he lost the coloring in his face. “The Tree summoned her?” A serious yet terrified look remained on his face. Alexander started screaming making everyone jump. A portal opened and everyone stood up while Joanne worked to calm him down. “Karen?” Conor asked feeling hopeful. Eldon walked through carrying her, but he was stoic. “She’s going to be okay, right?”Eldon gently placed her into his arms. He didn’t answer right away. “Not exactly.” The portal shut as all the Mages gathered around. “As you know, she won the war against your father with your help. However, she lost the fight.” He said quietly. “Senescence, has deemed that she i
“Soul Release.” I whispered quietly. I watched as the souls compressed into different color orbs and floated away on the breeze. Bombs started falling around me while breathing became harder. “Healing Serenity.” I’ve used a flurry of spells and I still have a small chunk of magic left. I can easily get two or three more Master spells… I think. I decided to change positions so I could get a better aim at the last large ship flying around. I still have those small ships too… I took a deep breath and sent a Blazing Hypernova up to the middle area of the small ships. They all exploded in a bright flash and the wreckage fell to the destroyed town. I looked around for the large ship, but a bullet ricocheted very close to where I stood. Suddenly, more soldiers appeared charging at me.“Frostfire Surge!” I shouted angrily. All the soldiers shouted in pain and collapsed dead around us in heaps. I pointed up at the sky as the ship tried to leave again. “Blazing Hypernova!” Due to the high level
-Karen-A blow to the back of the head put me on the ground faster than I ever thought possible. Blow after blow was delivered as I squirmed to get away, but Zachary pinned me under him and continued to land a barrage of punches. He yelled and screamed about what I had done to his family. I grabbed his ankle and let him have a taste of ‘Lightning Surge’. It bought me enough precious time to weakly get to my knees.“Recovery Salvo.” I shakily got to my feet and leaned against the wall, but he was no where to be seen. I looked around nervously, but nothing moved. I heard the bullets before I felt them. Hot metal burrowed its way into my right thigh followed by my abdomen, left arm and chest. I collapsed in heap trying to fight the massive amounts of pain I felt. “Healing Serenity!” I whispered under my breath. Damn, another healing spell… I whispered for a portal and fled to the shadows of a building across town. There were still so many ships in the air, and I was starting to feel the
-Karen-“We don’t have a choice anymore!” I snapped back frustratedly. “This is it, Conor- We fight or we die- I’m not about to let him claim victory. There is going to have to be a risk in order to win this fight. I plan on coming back, you know.”“But what if you don’t, Kay? What if Eldon doesn’t revive you?” Conor asked firmly. He cupped my face and stared me in the eyes. “What if you’re gone forever?” What if… Such a big 'what if' and its running through my mind too.I didn’t answer him right away. “I’m going to die someday. I’d rather die fighting for my family and the people I care about than to run and live in fear wondering if today will be the day. As long as I don’t exhaust my magic and turn into a demon, I should be fine.” I’ve used a small bit of my magic, but I still have more than plenty. As long as I can take them out in fifteen to twenty Master level attacks, it should be okay. Permitting this doesn’t drag out for very long.I could see he was very much not accepting o
-Karen-“Your sudden jerking movements re-opened a wound I repaired.” Bart explained as I lay still looking up at the ceiling of the empty crypt bed. “I stitched it closed but you can't be doing those type of movements yet.” I sighed feeling useless as another bomb shook the ground.“Let me put some salve on her stitches, doctor.” Valerie murmured rubbing in a sweet smelling cream. “This should help numb the stitches so they won't hurt if you do have to move.”“Thank you both.” I replied, slowly sitting up. “Those bombs have been falling for the last three days now. How much more punishment can the main floor of the Crypts take?” I asked Nathan, feeling uneasy about our situation.I could see that Nathan was very reluctant to answer. “It probably won't be much longer, honestly. We have to make some hard choices now. The only other place we can go is the Forest and that has its own set of challenges and hazards as you know.” He heaved a heavy sigh, rubbing his face from the growing pre
-Karen-At the snap of my fingers, my brother’s arms were torn from his body. Screams of agony echoed around me while the soldiers took aim at me. A soldier was yelling, but I paid him no mind. I heard the same soldier call my brother’s name, Marcus, telling him to hold on. I giggled softly enjoying this scary side of myself and met Marcus’s now terrified yet agonized gaze. “Marcus… I’m going to annihilate you and as I do, I will make sure that your soul quivers in unimaginable terror.” He some how lost more coloring in is face at my calm words“Ground Spears!” I shouted angrily punching up into the air. The soldiers that surrounded us were now high up on the points of the spears with blood gushing and dripping down the jagged rocks, more groans and moans of pain filling the air which was tainted with the scent of blood. “Soul Snatch!” I ripped the wispy soul out of the body, and he looked terrified. “Soul’s Doom!” Just like before, a white demon charged right at him and shredded his
-Karen-I woke up enveloped in warmth, but I was extremely sore. I really felt like I hit every tree branch coming down from that fall. So sweet- He changed my dress. The orchid under dress. I looked over to my right and saw Conor and Alexander cuddled up next to me both sleeping with their mouths open. Ha- My loves. “Conor!” I whispered softly. I tried to roll over and found out that was a mistake. Ah! I’m still busted up pretty badly… I grabbed his hand that was cupping my left cheek and gently squeezed it. Wake up!Without opening his eyes, “You’re the most recklessly insane person I know, Karen Anne Elizabeth. That was awe-inspiring, terrifying and thrilling all at once, but I don’t want to repeat that any time soon.” Conor said rubbing my cheek with his index finger. Mm. So warm… “We’ve only lost two ships in two separate incidents before but that was insane!” He opened an eye and leaned into me. “You have a lot of injuries still. You broke lots of bones. Bet you’re sore?”“Very!
-Karen-Conor groaned while rubbing his face and then looked up at me. He rubbed his eyes again. “Is that really you, Kay? You’re not an illusion, right?” He whispered sitting up quickly and grabbing my left hand pressing my palm to his lips. “You know I’m not upset with you- Don’t you?” I dropped my gaze feeling so much shame as I stood before him. “I-”“You may not be upset but I am.” I interrupted quietly. “I just see myself punching you and then charging at Joanne and then the nightmares I had. I may not be cursed anymore but the weight of my guilt is so heavy. I feel like I should just die and end everything once and for all. But that wouldn’t be fair to you or to Alex.” I closed the gap between us and hugged him tightly. “I love you Conor. I love you and I hate that I only hurt you… I feel like I do nothing but that.”He was silent but he held me tightly to him after he pulled me onto his lap. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to get this again.” Conor kissed my cheek and nuzzled my
-Karen-Sweet kisses on my lips woke me up though it took me several minutes to realize I was in bed next to Conor. As soon as I did, I tried to move away from him. “Ah ah ah!” He captured me quickly and pulled me back to him. No. Please don’t!I completely avoided his gazes and wouldn’t let him kiss me at all. “Karen- You won’t even look at me.” I could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Alexander cried all night after you left. Will you at least hug him?” I shook my head. “He says Mama now.” I don’t care. I can’t be here anymore! I only hurt you. I can’t continue to be a danger to you and everyone else here.I took advantage of the situation and pulled away from him. “Karen! Wait!” I left the tent as quickly as I could hearing him following me. “Please just listen to me!”All eyes were on me and it shot me right back to the memory of charging at Joanne. I dashed to the clearing and left the camp as fast as I could. I raced back to the Royal Crypt, crying the whole way. The guilt