Baby Packmen

The Man Under The Stairs

Hey y'all, I am your Water Princess, and I am back!!

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In what country would a young princess be allowed to travel alone with just one guard? Yeah, not many, right? She wasn't allowed to, but she did. She ran away and did all she could to cover her tracks. She was too dangerous, too vital to be allowed that kind of freedom. The type of freedom that let her run off unnoticed. With a standard security detail, she would never be alone much less able to run off. But she never really had a "standard security detail."

The man under the stairs is a mage and a general of Olivia's home country. The man's named is Barnett and not only is he very powerful, but he is danger embodied.

Barnett has convinced the king and queen that he is kind, caring and the perfect husband for their eldest daughter, Olivia. He is not as powerful as Olivia, but if he can marry her, he would become unstoppable. Like Olivia, he was skilled in magic. But his skill wasn't as broad as Olivia. Most people can do one maybe two kinds of magic, such as healing or moving/creating fire, making potions, or magical weapons or clothes. Olivia can do roughly anything if she studies. Roughly meaning water based things as well as most other types. She can't do different kinds of elemental magic. Barnett can't do any kind of elemental magic or any magic on his own. What he can do is a particular type of soul eating. If he becomes close to someone, he can absorb their strength. Mental, physical, spiritual, and in this world, magical. But when he absorbs it, he consumes it. He takes it from the person. Webster defines to take as

"to get into one's hands or one's possession, power, or control such as:

a: to seize or capture physically

b: to get possession of by killing or capturing

c: to move against and remove from play

d: to acquire by eminent domain."

When Barnett takes it, it's gone from the person he took it from. He "gets possession [of the engery] by killing or capturing'" the energy itself. The problem is when he takes it, this energy, this strength , this power, does NOT stay with him. It dies. Energy dies when it is away from the person it belongs too. The person that the energy is taken from, depending on how much energy is taken and the age of the person, may die, or the person may slowly, very slowly regain the energy if at all

Because of how his magic works, he has become a master manipulator. He can sell ice to an Eskimo. He can charm the pants off of anyone. Well, anyone other than Olivia.

Olivia detests Barnett. When speaking to friends, she calls him Vomit. He is cruel to animals and his soldiers. She fears him because if she marries him, he will be able to use her for her magic. Olivia always wanted to marry for love, not for duty. She watched to many Disney movies growing up.

But back to the story, when it was discovered, she was missing the King and Queen sent Barnett after her. He stalked and spied on her and came up with a plan. He would cause a problem, a huge problem, one so big she couldn't possibly fix it on her own. But, he would make her believe she created it. That way, she would be coming home in a panic and beg for help. But Barnett made a mistake. He forgot something important. He forgot who Olivia was. He forgot the reason that he needed to set up this elaborate plan in the first place.

What did he forget? That Olivia is as stubborn as a mule. At one point when he was trying to court her, Olivia ran away and locked herself in a bear cage. Not just with any bear, but a mama bear's cage. She refused to come out even after she had been backhanded into the wall by the bear (remember that she is a magical princess). It took her own mother, the queen, coming to the zoo to order her to leave and come home.

He forgot that Olivia would rather die than admit she needed help. She can lead and delegate, but if she thinks it is personally her problem, then she feels like she has to deal with it herself. To bring anyone else in would be seen as weak. Olivia can't EVER show weakness She would rather die.

So when Barnett found Olivia, he hatched a plan. A plan to scare her into coming home and right into his arms. He waited till late at night when Olivia was watching a video and studying her spell book. He timed it so the boys in the video would be all together and the... well not victims but, the unwilling and unknowing participants of his plan. He took some power from a portal diviner and master alterationist as well as illusions from a thief. He used the portal magic to create a window between Olivia's hotel room and the house where the boys where vacationing. Then he went around the vacation house, changing some of the boys into infants/toddlers using the illusions to mask himself and make his movements silent.

All the while, Olivia watched in horror as these people that she looked up to turned to little kids. As she watched herself change these people into little kids. When the window into the other house closed, she screamed. She screamed and cried and broke down. She had never "lost control" of her power like that ever. She couldn't believe that she had done that. She didn't even think she knew the spells for that kind of magic. After about 15 minutes she put what she called her "stone face," on. She slammed all her emotions, fear, anger, and anxiety back behind a stone wall. She stood up straight and walked out to Sophia. With her eyes hard and mouth tight, she told her bodyguard and best friend to pack. They were leaving. They were leaving now.

Barnett set up a base under the stairs to keep an eye on the boys and he assumed, Olivia.

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I am so sorry. I know it's been 2 years. I haven't been in the best place. I have had some issues. I will address them in the next chapter which will be an authors note. I plan on being very honest and open with y'all and I'll add some trigger warnings. Y'all can totally skip it, but I think y'all kinda deserve something that resembles an explanation.

Any hate will be deleted and blocked. I am not putting up with anything more than what I am dealing with now.