-Karen-He pursed his lips while we glared at each other. "No. I got these things for you." Conor answered, shaking his head at me. "You should put that back on so you don't get sick-""I hope I do get sick! You likely don't have our medicine, so if I do get sick and die, you're down a servant, and I won't have to deal with you!" I hissed. I pulled the blanket back over me as I felt a cold chill tear through me. I curled up under the blanket and slammed a pillow over my head."Bart. Help!" Conor cried in desperation. A minute later, the blankets were pulled away entirely. I grabbed my leg, trying to pull it back. "Put the nightgown back on, and I'll give you the blankets back," Conor commanded with a smug smirk.Really? Is that all you have to stand on? Without breaking eye contact with him, I pulled the pillow out of the case, carefully laid it over my hip, and lay back down. You could hear a pin drop from down in the dungeon.Bart laughed hysterically at the clever move while Conor
-Karen-Hours later, the door slammed open, and I could hear Conor panicking. "Bart! Bart!!" he yelled out the door. I slowly emerged from my hiding spot, completely exhausted from being up all night. Conor looked over at me and rushed me. "Are you okay?" he asked.How do I answer that? "They came back," I whispered as he hugged me. "It was just two of them, but they were looking for me." Bart ran into the room right then, out of breath."What happened?" He asked, panting. He shut the door and set his medical bag on the bed.Conor pulled me over to the bed and hugged me as I cried. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" He asked softly, rubbing my back."No," I answered in a shaky voice. I made the bed hastily and hid the armoire. They thought you took me to your apartments… So, you could have your way with me." I felt my exhaustion start to tighten around me."Did you happen to catch any names?" Conor whispered, hugging me tighter. He looked concerned, but I was trying to push his thought
-Karen-Morning came quickly while I struggled to wake up. Bart and Conor arrived for breakfast, and we ate bagels with cream cheese and fresh fruit. Conor seemed to be very happy today. After breakfast, he gave me a hairbrush set, and I didn't wait to brush my hair. He said it was a special surprise. And I do love it. It's so pretty! But I want this to be the last one. I'm starting to get the feeling I should just stop fighting him. I quickly brushed my violet tresses while he watched quietly from the chair on the right. Lizette would brush my hair when I had a lousy day… And she would sing so sweetly, too. "You know, I appreciate your presents, but they're completely unwarranted, as I've told you several times. I think you have done quite enough for me as it stands." I said as I braided my hair over my right shoulder.I heard him chuckle and sigh. "I would still completely disagree with you. I can't have a servant running around naked. Not when she is pretty sexy, and there are a bu
-Karen-After a few more minutes, "You two are ridiculous! You both always squabble over this…" Bart exclaimed, rolling his eyes at us as we looked at him simultaneously. "And the fact that you both have the same surprised look on your faces just adds to my argument! This is like the twentieth argument you both have had over this. Karen, just take the damn presents. If Conor wants to spend his allowances on you, let him. There's no point in trying to persuade him otherwise… He is as stubborn as you are. I will also add that you have lost each argument, so just thank him for the presents already."I felt my cheeks tinge with rage as Conor arrogantly flaunted his win in my face. You arrogant jerk! I rolled my eyes and threw my hands in the air, signifying my surrender. "Fine! Fine… I give up!"I turned to start unwrapping the large pile of presents when Conor grabbed my right hand and spun me around to face him. "Eat with me. You can unwrap them after."Geez. Guess I don't have a choice
-Karen-Bart sighed and chuckled under his breath. "I will mention your concerns to him again… But as long as I have known Conor, you would have a better chance of trying to stop this planet from spinning around its star than to attempt to sway his mind now." He said as he stood up and walked over to me. "Take a step back and give him an honest chance, Karen… I know you dislike him, but maybe you should try to see how good he is doing. Well, at least what he is trying to do…" Bart patted my shoulder. He looked at his wrist, "It's about three, so you will have plenty of time to think about all of this during your bath." He left the room, leaving me standing there, trying not to panic from my spiking anxiety.I looked down at my hands and then over to the pretty gown. But… What do I do? It would be stupid to kill the only nice person I have met… But he is the enemy! He has been fighting to get me well again… But he is lusting for me… I don't know what to do! I only had to wait a few min
-Karen-I zoned out as Bart gave me pointers on how to proceed with the dinner and opened the double doors myself. It looked the same. At least this room had not changed since I was last here. I heard Bart gasp in surprise as I moved into the small hall, and he followed me.Conor was sitting down, and our gazes met as I entered the room. He stood up immediately and walked over to us. He flashed a charming smile, took my left hand, and pressed his lips to my soft skin. Eh!! I felt my cheeks get hot at the gesture. He was wearing an outfit identical to Bart's. "My Lady," he murmured. His eyes grew darker by two shades while my heart pounded away. Lady? Far from it.Instinctively, I curtsied to him, saying, "Your Majesty." I felt incredibly nervous but fought bravely to keep my nerves in check. He is pretty handsome. Why must you be a prince? Why must you be an enemy? I don't know what will kill me first tonight—my nerves or my lack of etiquette…Conor led me over to the intimately set t
-Karen-I froze up entirely as panic crept through every inch of me. "It's fine, Lewis. I bet all that alcohol is finally hitting her… I told you not to drink it all at once," Conor said, standing up and chuckling softly while I sat there trying to maintain the glass-like facade. I wish that were the reason for my silence. There's not enough wine on this planet to calm my nerves from him."I must respectfully disagree, Your Majesty. You should receive a prompt and concise answer if you ask a question." Lewis stated harshly as I stared at the table, trying not to breathe. I think I'm going to die. I felt a heavy boot smash my right foot and managed not to show any pain despite the sharp tinges running up my leg. I need to breathe. I feel like I can't even do that right now."Well… Yes, that's true- But she's had a lot to drink tonight, too, Lewis." Conor rebutted, walking over to my left and offering his hand to me. Please, take me away from him!As I started to accept, Lewis said, "Yo
-Karen-The first blow came swiftly, followed by about thirty more that I could count. I stopped counting after that. I felt the sole of his boot dig into my back as I heard the sharp crack of the whip he always carried with him. The whip! A horrible, searing pain ran through my right shoulder. Block the pain! Block it all out! Numb yourself so it hurts less… Blow after blow, I did my best to block the pain out as he continued his brutal assault. He was venting incessantly about how I was nothing more than a dirty whore and that no one could ever love someone like me, and how I was so worthless it was hard to come up with reasons to keep me as part of the staff, among his many other pointless complaints.I felt my bones start to crack under the constant barrage of blows until I felt a rib on the right side pop. Instantly, I let out a yelp and began to struggle with my breathing. It was hard to see anything through the bloody mat of hair that was covering my forehead. While he took a s
-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