Esmeray (Queen of Darkness)

20

They expect me to know everything. To know what he's planning, and what he's coming to do. I don't know anything though. I don't know how big his army is, what army he's bringing, and when he's coming. I've been learning and studying whatever was taught to me since I was twelve years old, and of course I don't know any of this. No one prepared or told me about this. 

I am pointless. I'm nothing but a piece. A piece of a game. A piece of a larger story.

I haven't left this room. I haven't left this window, and neither has Adeena. She's been sitting at the dining room table, alone, while rubbing her shaking hands. I wonder what she is feeling. How this is affecting her. Does this make her feel like I feel? Is it better? Worse? Does she know things that I don't? As I stress over unanswered questions my headache throbs and I breathe in through my teeth as my hand reaches for my forehead. Skies, I want this to go away. I want the pain to go away.

Hearing a crash on the other side of the room, I spin around and see Adeena bent over the floor with bloody hands. Carefully I walk over to her and grab her by her arm to lift her back in her seat. Once she's seated, I bend down, ignoring the ache in my bones as I do, and start picking up the largest pieces of shattered glass. After it's all picked up I take Adeena's hands in my own, and wrap them up with a napkin to keep her blood from dripping onto the floor. Meeting her eyes I watch her turn pale and my heart sinks at the sight of her. My princess is in pain. She's being tormented and it's my fault. Sighing I sit in the chair next to her and unravel my winds. Scattering away from me I gasp as the pain comes full force as their protection leaves. Putting them around Adeena, I watch her shoulders relax and a wash of relief come over her face. One good deed out of a hundred bad.

Shuffling away from me she walks to the door and knocks a few times before exiting and leaving me alone. Holding my head in my hands, I watch my tears drip down my cheeks and onto the floor between my shoes.

What am I going to do?

How am I going to help them?

How am I going to protect them?

When I can't stand to watch my tears fall any longer, I stand up from my chair and pull up my sleeve to examine my brand. It feels like I got this so long ago, when really it was only a few months. That place may have broken me but it always aided me. It made me stronger, and gave me the tools I needed to live. To survive.

To survive.

That's how. That's how I'll help them. I'll teach them to survive.

Following the guard hot on his tail, I push through the pain coursing through my body and search aimlessly for Alexander or Damian. I need to talk to them, to at least one of them. Before we run out of time. Before I run out of time. When the guard stops in front of a small wooden door I mutter a thank you and stumble through it. On the other side, Damian, Alexander, and the king look up from whatever plans they were studying and train their eyes on me. Holding my gaze, Damian grins and I bite my lip to hold back my own.

"You have an idea." he says.

I nod, "Yes, but I don't know if it's possible."

Alexander pulls out a chair for me and I thank him as I sit and look at what plans they were studying. Maps of the castle and surrounding towns. Marked with red X's are what I assume to be spots they've chosen to set up defenses.

"What is it, Ariel?"

Pulling my arm up, I roll up my sleeve to show my mark from HE. "To beat an Aura you need to be trained and think like an Aura. This," I tap the burn, "gives me everything I need to teach you. To teach them."

Damian leans on his elbows across the table, "You want to train our troops like you were trained?" I nod, and he looks over at his father, "Dad?"

The king rubs his chin and looks directly at my eyes, "Do you believe this will help, Ariel."