Defying Destiny

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓎

⤜✵⤛

I crouched at the end of the alley way, peering around the bend, waiting for Lullaby to make her move. I placed my hands on the cold ground beneath me, leaning forwards, preparing myself to sprint forward when the time came.

My body was excited, almost too excited. My heart raced in anticipation, and electric sparks danced from my fingertips. I had no intention to harm, but it seemed the lightning flowing through my blood had been kept hidden for too long. The energy built up inside of me was eager, craving to unleash the lightning I could harness.

A sudden boom caused my senses to become more alert, and I readied myself. Seeing the guards all look up towards the sky in one collected movement, their swords now drawn from their sheaths as they stared up into the darkening clouds. I crouched still, not daring to move for fear of being seen.

"It's her," I heard one guard speak, anger in his tone. "She's going to destroy the kingdom, I knew this was going to happen," he snarled, running forward, the others following as another bolt of lightning flew from the sky and hit the ground.

Once all of the guards had vanished, I snuck forwards, looking around before continuing, making sure I wasn't being watched or chased. Scurrying up the stairs, I looked around once more before yanking on the large wooden door, opening it only slightly due to the heaviness, before slipping in.

I hurried inside the grand palace, trying to locate the dungeons as quickly as I could, memorizing each turn I took to make sure I could get out as soon as possible when the time came. I was sure I'd be discovered eventually, so I figured I may as well try to map the palace out in my mind.

I soon came upon twin conjoined staircases that led up toward a second floor. Velvet carpet adorned the steps, glittering a royal shade of blue as speckles of gold shimmered in the carpeting. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, dripping with diamonds that glittered with light that filtered in through the windows close by.

A deep navy and gold rug sat beneath my feet, creating a smooth circle in the foyer area that was decorated with the royal emblem along with many other stitched masterpieces. There were hallways to the left and right of me, as well as straight ahead, and I bit my lip. Which way led to the dungeons?

Making a quick decision, I turned down the right hallway, jogging past rows of rooms, none of which looked like a dungeon at all. Coming to a dead end, I cursed, turning on my heel, sprinting back down towards the other end, a burning feeling coming from my wound as I hurried forwards.

Entering the left hallway, I noticed rows upon rows of portraits, and huffed, walking past countless Kings and Queens from the past, along with dozens of windows providing a clear view of the gardens. About to give up and head down yet another hallway, I noticed a large door that two guards stood by. Frowning, I moved forward cautiously.

Seeing me, the guards narrowed their gaze, gripping their swords with more force, almost as if they were provoked by me just being here, thoug I couldn't blame them. This wasn't my home, and I was clearly not royalty; therefore, I was most likely a threat.

"Hello," I grinned, waving my hand at the two politely, causing heir stony faced expressions to turn to frowns.

"Who are you," one guard boomed loud enough for the whole kingdom to hear, his voice firm and unwavering.

"Me?" I pointed to myself, pretending to be confused, before grinning. Play dumb, yes, that was what I was going to do. "I'm Aria," I introduced myself. "And who are you two? Y'know, besides being guards," I asked, cocking my head to the side, locks of hair falling over my shoulder. "Is it hard to be a guard?" I inquired, raising a brow. "With all of that fighting stuff, it must be terribly tiring," I spoke, doing my best to make small talk.

"What is your cause for being in the palace?" the other guard spoke up, sounding annoyed, although the other looked slightly amused with my rambling.

"Oh, I need to get to the dungeons," I spoke with a sincere smile.

At my words, the second guard frowned even more, if that was possible. He looked me over, moving even closer to the door.

"Do you know where the dungeons are?" I asked, gently, itching the back of my neck, faking nervousness. "I don't really know my way around this palace. See, I was just here to collect the Prince of Crostia. King Herald sent me," I fibbed as best I could, hoping that I looked genuine enough to fool the two.

"Here," the second guard stood forwards. "How about we show you to the dungeons?" He asked, reaching for my arm, but I stepped to the side gracefully as he stumbled forward.

"I'm afraid the King said he'd prefer if I went down alone, thank you," I nodded, starting forward. The first guard stopped me before I reached the door, his gaze firm. He reached for my arm, but I spun to the side before he could touch me, making a run for the door as he stumbled in the opposite direction.

Yanking on the metal, I gritted my teeth, realizing there were a bunch of clasps on the door that prevented it from opening. As I tried to undo them, one of the guards grabbed my waist and I let out a yell, the metal on his armor pressing against the wound beneath my ribs. I reflexively shoved my elbow into his chest, and he flew back, taking me with him, refusing to let me go.

As we hit the ground, my weight pinned the man to the floor. He made no effort to keep me down, and I plucked his arms off me swiftly, standing up quickly after. The second guard hurdled toward me not a moment later, his sword pointed in my direction, and I leaped to the side at the last second, catching him off-guard.

Before he could recover, I raised my hand, allowing the air currents around me to lift the second guard up and send him towards the ceiling. As I threw my hands down, the man hit the floor, hard, his metal clashing against the ground.

Heading towards the door, I was stopped as the first guard—who had resurfaced and arisen from the ground rather quickly—wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled me back. Squirming, I stomped at the floor, trying to hit the man's foot.

Stars soon dotted my gaze, and I found my mind getting hazy due to the lack of oxygen reaching my brain. Unable to breath, I soon began to suffocate. Finally kicking something hard, the guard hissed, loosening his grip for a second, which was all I needed.

I slammed my elbow into the man's ribs, and he howled, letting go of me. Swinging around, I sent a punch at his face, and he recoiled once more, a sickening crunch erupting from his nose.

Summoning electricity, I tapped the guard's forehead, and he went unconscious, collapsing to the ground. I watched him lay there for a minute before I ran for the door, undoing the rest of the clasps. Opening the door slightly, I was able to slip through to the damp, dark dungeon of the palace.

Down one hallway were rows of doors, and I inched past them, making sure my steps were near silent. I cringed, tensing at the sound of screams that came from a room down the hallway. A moment of silence followed in suit, but was soon replaced by more screaming. Curious, I started down the hallway, crouching as I moved swiftly towards the source of the noise.

The walls here were far different than the ones upstairs. These were more dull and cracked, whereas the ones above were adorned with velvet and jewels. No one would ever assume the two different rooms could be in the same building.

Locating the source of the cries of pain, I placed my ear to the door and listened as shouting erupted, accompanied by more screaming. Reaching for the door handle, I gently pressed down, testing to see if it were locked. Seeing it was not, I slowly pushed the door open a crack and peered in.

My eyes bulged at the sight in front of me, and I instantly felt sick as the guard made another cut on the person who faced me, blood covering one of his swollen eyes. I could see no farther than his chest, but I assumed the rest of his body was bound just as his wrists and torso were.

Clenching my teeth, I balled my hands into fists and felt a sudden anger burn inside of me. I was determined to get the victim away from this hellhole

For it was Velut, strapped to a chair with fresh, dark cuts spewing blood, his one eye hazy, the other swollen shut as he watched the guard continue to yell at him. He was in grave trouble. But I was going to make sure he would suffer no longer.

I was going to free him.

I was going to get him out.