The Great Truth

1.

Set 13 years after the prologue

The Duke Of Hayworth has a handful of sons. When I say a handful, I mean nine because the Duke's thumb got cut off when he was fighting the Hell Witch. No one believed him when he said that but we had to nod our heads through dinner, because one time someone didn't?

Dead.

I walked though the library, scrolls after scrolls of papyrus and paper bunched in stacks. I hated reading, but the Duke made us learn every single book on here. One time someone asked the Duke, "Sir. What is the purpose of-"

Dead.

Poor guy didn't even finish his sentence. That's what I tell everytime someone lines up on the huge iron gates to enter as his apperentice. No one listens, but, well it's not my head getting hung up on the kitchen shelf is it?

"Master Julian?" 

I turned around to see Lizzie walking past the undone shelves and open windows as I dropped down the ledge and brushed my hair away from my eyes. The Duke always says, "Your eyes are your only salvation. Ladies like blue eyes." and then he chuckled away beer foaming at his mouth and me trying not to kill him there and then. I tried to once. He was too drunk too remember, and my mouth was too swollen for me to tell. 

"Yes?" I tied the thin string around the scroll, as the ancient letters swam in my mind, re arranging themselves to form combinations and arrays of spells. 

"The Duke is calling for you."

I walked past her but then leaned back and whispered into her ear, "Thank you Lizzie."

She shivered, blush pink spreading past her cheeks to the very top of her ear, as she stuttered curtseying. I cackled as she tottled away. Was it weird of me to make women blush, me being a woman myself?

Maybe. 

Definitely.

But it was a sort of sick sadism?satisfaction? Moments of pleasure are hard to find inside a castle strangled by ghosts undead. Figuratively and Literally.

"At it again Jules? Don't you get tired?"

I whipped my head around ready to accost that dam-

"Alex! When did you come here? I thought you died in the war!"

I looked at six feet Alexander, towering over me as he bent down and looked me in the eye, "You don't look very happy for someone who's big brother just got back."

I scoffed, "We'll finally get to duel now that you're not dead. Learn who's the best. I'm the number one here now that you're not here to hinder me."

"It is nice seeing you Judy." he ran his hand over my hair, untangling the mangled strands, as my breath hitched. "You're not suppose-." I paused. "Don't say that in here." 

Alex was the only one who knew my secret. No. He was the only one to find my secret. My identity. It was a cold night that day, starless and inky, my legs were sore from the sword practice, my arms were heavy as lead. In the middle of the night, blood started flowing between my legs. The rest, well, was incredibly embarrassing. He walked me to his mother in the Annex, and that was the only time I had seen Alex of Hayworth, genius mage, knight and heir uncomposed. And blushing. And embarrassed. 

He leaned closer and cupped my face in his arms as I tried to wriggle out. His muscles tensed as they hugged me closer to his chest, "You don't have to pretend anymore." I looked away and ducked under, but he caught me.

"No. Look at me Judy." His black hair fell past his ear. "I won the war. I can protect you. You don't have to suffer here. You can live as a lady. Cormfortably." I looked away, "Please."

"The Duke's calling me. I'll have to hurry." He loosened his grip as his eyes trailed over me, "You look good Jude."

I wanted him. I wanted the life he could give me. As a lady. I could wear all the dresses I could ever want, ribbons and satin and pearls. I could grow my hair past my ankles and have the maids brush each and every strand of golden locks and make them thread with the finest bonnets. But I couldn't. Because every second I wasted was another lifetime for Artioche's fallen diginity.

"Don't think you can weasel your way out of the duel. Did you get me anything from the battlefield?"

He laughed, slowly, as his green eyes morphed into identical blue ones, "I picked up some spells for you. I'll teach you after." He ruffled my hair as he walked past me, to the door and I realized that I was late. The Duke was going to kill me. Hopefully not literally. 

Damn Alex and his stupid ideas that kept throwing me into mortal peril. I had no time to run past the corridoors so I summoned my magic to take me to his office. Generally, magic should not be used without spells as a guidance because it can be fatal for the both the magical and the physical core. Those frail mages had no idea what witches could do.

I closed my eyes, and pulled out a whip of my magenta core pulsing steadily under my heartbeat, picturing the Duke's huge polished wooden door, I asked the magic,

"Take me there."

The world swirled around me as the abyss sucked me into it's cradle. Pure magic spun around me like cotton whirled around a spindle, it touched me and embraced me, heat passed through me then a wave of cold, freezing, chilling. 

Before it decided to swirl me around like candy floss, and decided I didn't taste good so puked me out on the floor, as I struggled to keep my breakfast in. The Great Bell rang once. It felt like ages of seconds had passed since I last stood at the library but it would probably have been a minute or two at most. I brushed invisible dust off my shoulder and made myself look moderately presentable before I opened the door.

"You're late Julian."

"I was late thinking about what I could get you as a welcoming present, sir."

He chuckled, dry, unamused. Uh-oh. Pick up lines usually worked on him. Did he realize I was using the same tricks to woo him as I use to woo maidens? 

"I heard Alexander has returned from the war." I was still bowing a ninety degrees, and though my back had suffered more serious injuries, I really didn't want to spend my afternoon bowing to that old man. That hellfire oldie wasn't even telling me to rise. 

"He has met you then?"

"You'd be correct in assuming that, but I was quite rude to him, now that I rethink upon my conversation."

"Hmm?" he quirked his bushy eyebrows as if anticipating something amusing, "Why is that?"

"I was too busy thinking about your lordship, sir." I said my eyes facing downward, unraveling the fish patterns sewn on the blood-red carpet.

He laughed. Finally. Before he threw a dagger at me, a platinum, one coated with deadly poison. 

"Even the dagger thrown by your lordship is majestic, sir. I wonder how majestic the sight of your lordship's face would be under the radiant afternoon sun, sir?"

"You may rise."

I rose almost immediately, my stomach gurgling a little. I was about to puke. Shit.

"I have called you to discuss an important matter with our guest, the prince."

I narrowed his eyes at him, because the only people here was the old duke and me. 

"He's arriving."

"Ah"

At that moment, the door latched open and the Duke stood up.

"Julian, meet his Highness the-"

I puked at his feet.

xxxxxxxxxx

is it obvious that it's the first time im writing something like this?

anyways 

bye,

Astra

dont cringe too hard, or the cringefairy will make your face into a gargoyle.