Golden Prophecy

V I

"You made the wrong choice," he said, his voice dark. "You made the wrong choice when you picked us. And now, your entire clan will pay for the decision of a child."

Andorra reached after him, even as Noah walked away. He was laughing. He was laughing and he put his hands in his pockets and winked at her as he walked away, further and further from where she kneeled, fighting the urge to lay down.

She ripped the dagger from her chest, screaming at the raw pain, letting herself feel something before she slumped to the cobblestone, letting herself bleed out long and slow.

When Andorra awoke from the nightmare, she was laying in bed in a similar position; slumped face down on her mattress. She scrambled to sit up, her hands immediately feeling her chest, looking for the hole that was supposed to be there, but there was nothing there but flat, smooth skin.

A nightmare, she told herself, nothing but a nightmare. But it had felt so real. Too real. And Noah's words to her had felt more real than anything else.

When she got ready for breakfast in the bathroom, she washed the remnants of the nightmare away in the sink. She washed her face, her teeth, and brushed her hair. She fought to ignore the real pain she felt in chest, a phantom injury that never happened.

Except, it had happened. She had been stabbed in the chest, although it had been metaphorically. But, Noah had still done that to her. He had broken her heart, stabbed her where it hurt, and would have gotten away with it if Andorra hadn't happened to overhear his father.

The thought plagued her mind all the way to breakfast. She had walked with Coralia, who was rightfully concerned, but there was nothing Andorra could do to stop the feeling of death on her lips. She had died on those stones. And Noah had killed her.

"You look like death. No offense," Hans said to her when she sat down. He was eyeing her like he was concerned. Andorra didn't have the energy to figure out if it was genuine or not.

"Didn't sleep well probably," Bort said, chewing on a fingernail. "That happens to me too, sometimes. I get homesick and can't sleep." A sheepish piece of truth, and Andorra smiled at Bort to let him know she felt similarly. She was homesick. He just didn't need to know that wasn't what kept her up at night.

"Alright, leave Andorra alone. Let's talk about weekend plans."

That seemed to shift the attention. Bort and Hans both swivelled in their seats towards Coralia, excitement dancing in their features. "Let's go skiing!" Hans suggested, his grin a little too wolfish. Bort elbowed him in the ribs. "No, let's go to the city!"

Coralia rolled her eyes, but it was playful. "Alright Andorra, you get to pick. City or skiing?"

"I've never been skiing before, so city it is."

Hans gave her a withering look, but Bort's smile made up for it. Like a child on Christmas, he clapped his hands and grinned, looking at Hans like perhaps he won the lottery. Andorra made the mental note that Bort was easy to please, while Hans was harder to figure out.

Food appeared in front of them, just as magical as before. It was a steaming plate of eggs and meat, though Andorra couldn't tell what type of meat it was. She took her first bite, nearly moaning at the taste alone. It had no reason being that delicious.

"I think we should take you skiing so you can learn," Hans argued, but a swift thud and he shut up, grumbling into his plate of eggs. Andorra could bet that Coralia had kicked him under the table to get him to shut up.

"No skiing, no mountains, no heights. And certainly no Winter Court." Coralia's words were final. Before Andorra could dwell on the last part, Coralia was shifting her gaze to Andorra with rapt excitement. "The city is gorgeous this time of year. Oh, and the market will be held on Saturday! Ooh we can go shopping! I know a dress maker in the city-"