The Varyan Princess

Valencia

It was brutal and horrific. Valencia curled into a ball and sobbed into her arms. She had no idea how this had happened.

"Princess..." Sorceress Leota sighed.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed as the furniture around her were slammed against the walls from a force field. Sorceress Leota kept her distance. "What's happening to me?" She cried.

The king barged into the classroom and pushed himself towards his distressed daughter. "What's going on here?" He yelled. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know, your majesty," Sorceress Leota stuttered. "I was teaching princess Valencia and the next thing I knew, I was pushed against the wall as if there was a force field attacked me!"

The king's eyes widened and he rushed himself to his daughter's aid and Valencia twitched at the touch of her father's hand. "Shhh," He said, "It's going to be okay, princess."

"No, father, I am infected, I'm rotten." She sobbed.

"No," The king disagreed. He lifted her chin and stared into her eyes with a smile, "You are gifted."

King Auriville looked back at the Sorceress, "Leota, fetch me Commander Farwaters and Diviner Orlynna." With that, Sorceress Leota nodded and ran out of the class. "It's going to be okay, my princess. Everything is alright." He whispered into his sobbing daughter.

It had only taken the two mages ten minutes to storm into the room with worry written on their faces but only Diviner Orlynna rushed to Valencia and checked the princess' eyes and her pulse. "She is agitated and very critical. She's primed." The diviner flicked the vein on the back of her hand to see it radiating a golden glow. She stood up and looked at the king with concern. "be careful, your majesty, she is not in control of her own magic. If she is agitated or angered even the slightest, this room can collapse onto us." She warned.

"Is there a way to fix this?" The king asked.

"The queen," the diviner began, "has she mastered Botanical Influence?"

"Yes, she has," The king answered promptly.

"Okay, well, you'll need demonbone, nightlace and moonglass. Queen Lyra will know what to do."

"Demonbone? Moonglass?" Sorceress interjected, "Why do we need such materials?" she complained.

"For heaven's sake! We don't have much time!" Diviner Orlynna shouts as she grabbed the princess and wrapped Valenica's arms around hers.

"You heard her!" King Auriville demands and with that, the sorceress ran out of the room. "Farwaters, make sure there are no servants in our paths, no one, I mean no one can see or even breathe in the same room as the princess." He commanded. The commander nodded and quickly ran out of the room with the king's orders in his mind.

The next few minutes were blurry for the princess, her head began to pulsate and the only thing she felt was cold and prickly. She was then brought and laid onto the alchemy table in the laboratory. Despite the fact that she was surrounded by many mages she felt terrified and alone. Then, she saw her mother, although everything was blurry in Valencia's eyes, she could tell it was her from her long, brown hair to her beautiful emerald eyes. she smiled at the sight of her mother.

"Mom..." Valencia croaked.

"It's going to be alright, my princess," it was muffled but the princess could hear the soothing voice of her mother. The queen wiped the tears off her face and moved her white hair off her olive complexion.

"What's happening to me?" She cried. Then an agonizing pain coursed through her sending elixir bottles and the many mages surrounding her against the hard walls. Luckily, Valencia had been strapped to the table and the queen held on to her only daughter tightly. "Mom!" she yelled once more.

Queen Lyra smiled at her daughter whispering, "It's going to be alright," but Valencia saw through her as the queen's eyes read worry in them.

"Lyra, it's now or never," The king ordered, Queen Lyra nodded but her hand couldn't stop trembling. she backed away from the alchemy table and held her hands out, palm facing Valencia's chest.

"Oi ouranoí evlogoún tin kóri mou kai dínoun ti dýnamí tis" She chanted. The queen ripped Valencia's shirt and placed a moonglass azalea on the princess's chest, "Parakaló nikíste aftón ton daímona." Valencia screamed in anguish as the azalea sunk into her chest, burning the princess.

"Mom!" she screamed once more. She had never felt pain as much as she did at that very moment. The queen couldn't stop the tears from falling from her face but she knew she had to continue as the ritual could not be interrupted.

"Light the candles," Queen Lyra commanded, Sorceress Leota and Diviner Orlynna did what the queen commanded. "Step away from the nightlace circle and bring me the demonbone," and the mages did as told. "Valencia, this is going to hurt a lot, but you have to stay conscious. Do not let your essence overtake your soul. Stay awake, stay alive."

"Mommy!" Valencia screamed once more. She was more than terrified. She had no idea what was happening to her, all she knew is that there was something within her that was dangerous and it didn't matter if she died in that table, she just hoped that her mom was safe.

"It's going to be okay, my princess," her mother smiled. The queen knew what was to come and had accepted it. She knew the danger of doing such advanced botany and she knew she was not powerful enough to contain such magic but it was the only way to keep her daughter alive. "Párte ti zoí mou ant 'aftoú" she crushed the demonbone in her palm and smeared it on her forehead. "High heavens and low, grant me thy mercy. Spare the life of another. Giveth me the strength and the power. Praise the heavens and its glory! Give us, beloved spirit, your power!"

The princess screamed once more as a dark cloud ripped out her chest. "Mom!" She yelled as the dark cloud began to consume her mother. The queen collapsed to the ground but persevered on.

"Oh, blessed be the High Heavens and banish this dark cloud from Elysia and be delivered into Tartarus where it shall not harm another mage!" She shouts in agony.

"Queen Lyra! What are you doing?" Diviner Orlynna shouts.

"Leave me be, Diviner Orlynna!" The queen shouts and pushed the diviner away with her winds. "Let this be the last soul lest the daemon looms over Elysia! Párte me antí tis!" Queen Lyra screeched in agony as the dark cloud lifted the wind caster off of its feet.

"Mom!" Valencia yelled and it was the last thing she yelled before her sight became too blurry and the last thing she heard was the muffled agony of her mother.