My Wonderful Second Life

Chapter 73- The Ladies of the Sun

Till the dark forest.

Where the hungry wolves live.

What will you do about your little bunny?

Will you let it be eaten by the wolves?

Or will you turn into the big bad wolf and turn the others into little piggies?

Devouring them instead.

The voice of her mother went on, laughing, and Amelia remembered her bunny. The only gift her mother gave her that could not be used to kill, torture, or inflict pain.

She loved it, but one day, it left its cage and hopped away into the dark forest, where she could not protect it. Her mother watched her cry, knowing it would be eaten away by the animals that lived there. Then she sang to her, a crooked lyric with a crooked voice, daring her.

Those wolves will dance on the little bunny's blood if you do nothing about it.

Now the same voice rang again and again in her mind.

"Taste it." it said.

"I promised Father I would not." She cried.

But the voice sang again and again about the little bunny. Always ending the same way, with the same old dare.

Until she caved in, when Lulu's golden eyes appeared on her head, full of tears and pain. She cave in and took the blood of her friend, a person she loved. A person she needed to protect the most, breaking her promise to her father.

And after a long time, she felt free. Of all the rules, all the shyness and fear.

Euphoria rushed through her blood.

Amelia's iris grew until her eyes were nothing but black pools even darkness went to die. Her veins jumped, her teeth sharpened, and her nails became cutting knives.

With a laugh coming from the deepest place of her soul, she finally transformed into the wolf. She raised herself and without restraint; she continued to laugh together with the voice and left.

To save her bunny and to dance in blood.

Like her mother.

The Bloody Dame.

***

Many people believed arrows go straight to their target. Lulu could never understand the beauty of the arrow, how it bent and twisted. How it mirrored life and its imperfect turns.

To be a good archer, one would have to listen, to see, to feel. Listen to the wind, feel its strength, and see the target. It required patience and precision, attributes Eloise had in bulk.

Since little, Eloise loved to watch people, and see what others did and said. She learned so much by being quiet and smiling. Her grandmother could know so much of someone's little movements, but many feared her. Or just tried to hide it.

Not from Eloise. She was sweet Eloise. Nice and kind. Like Lady Jennifer was. Although an attentive eye could see clearly the thorns blooming beneath those blue eyes and that beautiful smile. Her thorns Eloise could never replicate, because her kindness was real. Lady Jennifer's most of the time was not.

Unless it was for people she loved.

Eloise wondered about how two sisters, so close, could be so different while she took a shot at the straw target in front of her, hitting its centre without trouble. The targets at the Royal Academy were way too easy for her, and so her mind wandered.

She thought if she should have sent for Lulu, telling her neither prince, Sun or Moon, had been in there for the day. But that would not make much sense. Lulu wanted to catch Prince Francis, so saying he was away from the Royal Academy would not be helping. And giving her the hint that he may have gone to Princess Odette's palace, neither. The princess despised Lulu. There would be no peace if both were in proximity to each other. Not after what had happened at the royal court.