Wicked Game

Five

"I don't believe in magic."

The young boy said.

The old man smiled.

"You will, when you see her."

~

"You can't catch me!" she squealed, giggling. "I'm faster than you!" The sunlight filtered through the canopy, surrounding her with a golden halo as she sprang through the forest. Her hair, as free and unbound as her spirit, flew behind her as she deftly leapt over a fallen tree, with Daniel in pursuit. He smiled as he beheld his princess at a distance. She was a wild child, though not unruly, and her intelligence and assertiveness at the tender age of eight left no doubt in his mind that she would grow to be the warrior of warriors, queen of queens.

"You're getting old!" she laughed, calling out behind her as she ran through the treeline and towards the river. "At least give me a challen―"

Her laugh died in her throat as she met the creature's eyes.

Bright scarlet eyes sat low within the creature's bony skull, as several rows of tendrils ran down the sides of each of its jaw lines, giving a glimpse of the terror hiding inside, and she was horrified to see the fire smouldering deep down its throat.

Athena met the drakon's eyes.

She could hear Daniel's voice, telling her to drop her gaze, to bow in submission, but it seemed distant, like he was speaking to her through glass. All that existed in that moment were those eyes, those terrible, beautiful scarlet eyes.

The creature bared its teeth as it spread its leathery wings.

Daniel screamed her name, a scream of anguish and pure terror as he hurtled towards the girl he had sworn to protect forever.

And froze in his place.

He couldn't move. His body was paralyzed, frozen in mid air. Every atom in his body screamed in resistance, at his inability to help her. Blind terror possessed him as he called out her name, and their eyes met.

The shock hit him, travelling down the fastest reaches of his body, as it dawned upon him that it was she who had frozen him in his place.

He called out her name again, this time softly. She held his gaze, her expression unreadable as the drakon swooped in for the kill.

Her expression shifted, and her eyes flickered, and for a moment he saw something ancient lurking in their depths. Every atom of air around him trembled.

The river erupted.

The wave came crashing down, a force of destruction, merciless, untamed, seeking only to destroy. Daniel was thrown back several feet, and as his head hit the ground, he heard the creature scream, a final scream of agony, followed by the sound of ripping flesh.

Then all was quiet. Too quiet.

She lay on the riverbank, stream rising from her wet clothes as she wept with her face in her hands. Daniel ran towards her form, even as she curled up in the foetal position. Lifting her head, he cradled it gently in his lap. She raised her head, and looked into his eyes. They trembled with vulnerability, and he wondered if he had imagined the power in them.

"Did I do that?" she spoke softly.

He didn't have to answer that, the expression in his eyes told her all she needed to know.

"How?" she whispered. "How, Daniel? What is happening to me?"

"Princess-" He closed his eyes, not knowing what to say to her, for he himself had no words. His hands shook slightly as he held her in his arms. No explanation could ever be reasonable enough to explain the raw, unparalleled magic he had just witnessed.

Athena grabbed his collar, making him look down at her again. Her eyes were pleading him to tell the truth.

"I don't know", he said, stroking her hair gently. "But I will teach you to control it."

___________________________________

Athena hated the court. Two people with a heart of iron and a resolve of steel could get more done than two hundred cowards. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders as she finally strode out, ready to make a beeline for the weapons room.

The king stood outside, and she bowed as she fell in step with him.

He smiled at her. "Looking to train?"

"It calms me down," she replied. "Shuts out the noise." Her father often told her it was ironic that she found herself most at peace while surrounded by weapons of war.

"Daniel trained you well." Lord Cadeyrn sighed. "I do apologize for sending him away."

She hesitated. "I don't know why this is taking so long, it's been six months." Her icy blue eyes met his, and she curled her lip. "When you sent him away, you did not even care to tell me."

The king chuckled. "You are never going to forgive me for that, are you? You were just a youngling back then, not of age. You would have begged to go with him."

Athena shrugged. "That would hardly have been unreasonable. You didn't involve me in the affairs of the court until my twentieth name day three months ago. You didn't tell me about the ravens. All I have done my entire life is train, that too, I do not know what for. I haven't been anywhere beyond these walls for twenty years."

"No," the king affirmed. "You have not." They had reached the weapons room. The king turned towards her. "I know you aren't a child anymore. I was planning to tell you about the ravens when Daniel returned. For, very soon, I will call upon you to perform a duty for this kingdom.

Athena stopped in her tracks, spinning her head towards him in surprise as she stared at him. "Do you really mean that? What do you mean?"

He smiled softly as he beheld her expression. "You'll know soon. Train well, child." She opened her mouth to reply, but he turned around and walked off.

She watched him walk away, her heart fluttering with anticipation.

After spending twenty years of her life inside the golden gates, she was impatient to leave. She felt claustrophobic, trapped within these walls, her mind begging to escape and explore the very world she had been training to face for thirteen years. Sighing, she pushed open the wooden doors and entered the weapons room.

The doors closed shut behind her, cutting off the chatter from the hallways. She welcomed the silence, closing her eyes to take a deep breath as her fingers wrapped around the hilt of her sword.

Warm breath fanned her neck as a low chuckle came from behind her.

Athena froze.

Faster than lightning, she spun around, her eyes flashing, as cold as the wind on a solitary winter night, as dangerous as a predator.

Their swords collided.

And seconds later, so did their gazes.

Her icy blue eyes met his green ones, and she let out a cry. Dropping her sword, Athena launched herself at him, barrelling into his chest as his arms came up around her. She inhaled deeply, drinking in his familiar scent, her lips shaping his name.

Daniel.