ONYX

Chapter One

They didn’t know it, but it was for their safety.

“You know why I am afraid, Mother.” Alessandra responded, slumping in her seat. No matter how hard she tried, Elizabeth couldn’t hide the truth. She knew she killed Mary. It didn’t take her long to connect the dots. Alessandra loved a horse that was gifted to her by Elizabeth when she was fifteen, but it died shortly after she touched it. The same thing happened to all the dogs that Alessandra owned.

Hades prevented her from ever touching anything that breathed. It’d gotten so bad that Alessandra couldn’t sleep at night.

“I know, my precious one.” Elizabeth used her fingers to combed through the tangles of her soft curls. Once a soft blonde color and now a near white, Alessandra faced the changes that’d come with her curse. She looked like death with her pale skin and even paler hair. The vibrant blue hue of her eyes didn’t match the eye color of her parents, nor did the shade of her hair signify that she was the daughter of the two dark haired rulers in Evyon. 

Important people began to notice and there was question whether or not Alessandra was even a true heir of the King, but the nurse and midwives present during the birth were able to confirm.

Alessandra sighed and continued to look at herself in the small round mirror on her vanity. A wide variety of jewelry lied displayed before her along with hair accessories that could sparkle in the night, but Alessandra resisted the urge to throw every piece against the wall. She was fed up with playing dress up only to have people gawk at her like she was some freak. She was angry that for another year she had to attend an event where she had to play pretend like everyone didn’t already know that something was wrong with her.

She dreaded any social outings. They weren't enjoyable if you were a cursed child—marked by death. For years now she had to learn the hard way to keep to herself. She couldn’t partake in simple activities that involved other people for fear that they might die. She didn’t have any real friends apart from her mother.

Socializing was hard when she couldn't mingle without keeping a strong distance. Even the gloves she wore seemed to be questioned. It wasn't common to see a lady of royalty wear gloves all year round. She was talked about as a sickly woman. Which only fueled her anger further as her father tried to establish a marriage of peace between nations.

Those didn’t last long as the suitors fell under the impression that she had scaled skin. There were times her father demanded she remove her gloves but she always refused. In her eyes, it was better to sustain his anger as he has always had with her than to sentence him to death. 

"Everyone present tonight will know that you don’t like to be touched.” Elizabeth said reassuringly, though that did anything but comfort her daughter. The Queen began to loosely braid the tendrils of her daughter's hair while lacing one of the decorative ribbons through the weaved pattern. The black ribbon was going to match the dark dress she had made especially for this event.  

Alessandra scoffed, slapping her mother’s hands away as she stood furiously. "That’s the problem! I want to be touched!"

Her silk cream shaded skirt and lace-tightened corset that cupped her body swam through the air as she moved briskly around her room. It shaped her curves and it was supposed to be worn as an undergarment.

“Alessandra—“

"I want to talk to people. I wanted to play with the other kids in the garden. I want to hold another’s hand. I want to feel the warmth of a man’s hands against my skin. I want to be kissed and swooned the way every other woman can—like you still can!" 

"You will one day . . ." Elizabeth learned to be patient with this because she knew she’d have this discussion with Alessandra, but she couldn’t tell her about the deal just yet.