The Throne

Chapter 1

"This is my destiny now. I have climbed this mountain and now I will perish upon it." Amirah declared with a dramatic gesture. If only she knew how right she was.

"Give it a rest! We've only been hiking for half a day. Three more to go. At least." I laughed. She looked disheartened but only for a second before she returned to her usual cheerful persona.

"What exactly are we looking for again?" She asked. I thought about what to tell her. Whether the truth would be too much for her to take. I eventually decided to keep it vague.

"We'll know when we find it." I said.

As we continued scrambling up the steep snow-tipped mountain, I thought about Pandora. All alone in this twisted winter wonderland. I wondered if she was dead yet. If not, it was only a matter of time. I knew it was useless even wasting time looking for her if I didn't do what I'd been sent to.

We hiked for another few hours in companionable silence littered with lighthearted conversation. Amirah made more jokes than usual, desperately trying to keep morale up. That's how I knew she must sense that something dark was going on. Although, she didn't know the full extent of it until she saw the puddle of crimson in the distance. She froze. I had to grab onto her arm and guide her towards it. After all, that's why we climbed this mountain.

As we got closer, I saw the realisation that it was a human figure dawn on her. She paled and started backing away. I grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face me.

"We've come this far. We have to help her." I begged hoarsely.

When we were only a few feet away from the girl that was so close to death, I was sure she'd go any second, Amirah realised who it was.

Although her face was marred with scratches and scars and she looked so much more pained than the Pandora we knew so well. It was unmistakably her.

We stumbled towards her evanescent body. Her blood was slowly spreading into the snow surrounding her. Her breathing was shallow and hoarse, and she was as pale as the snow that wrapped around her shaking body like an icy blanket.

She was unable to talk but she gingerly lifted a scrap of material from her torso to reveal a gaping wound. Likely produced by a dagger or something of the sort. I looked back at the sound of retching. Amirah was doubled over, throwing up. She'd always been a bit squeamish.

I managed to bandage the wound with the limited supplies we had, but I knew it was probably too late to help. The amount of blood she'd lost was crazy. It seemed to be everywhere. I looked down at my hands which were coated in a thick layer of still warm blood. Thank god I wasnt as squeamish as Amirah.

I looked over at her. Her eyes were flickering shut although I could tell she was trying to fight it. Her copper hair had lost its usual shine and hung dully around her face. She had blood on the hem of her dress which was torn and tattered.

I carefully walked the few steps over to where she lay and placed my cloak over her like a blanket. She needed it more than me.

Then, I went to check on Pandora. She was lying in the same position she was in when I'd left her not too long ago. I sat next to her and she looked straight at me with an uncomfortable intensity. She started to open her mouth as if she was going to say something and it looked as if it were costing her a great deal to do so. Then, as if she'd given up, she closed her mouth and the life drained out of her eyes. I don't know how I knew she was dead. I just did. People get this look about them when they die. It's just completely and utterly blank. Not even a trace of emotion.