The Poison Apple Princess

~*~Chapter 3~*~

~*~ 3 years ago ~*~

Age: 12

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There I was, twelve years old, sleeping soundly in my bed that morning; completely un-aware of the events to come that day. It all began with Miss Flamel waking me up at the crack of dawn.

Splash!

I robotically jolted up right; shock ran throughout my system as I looked at my bed. It was sopping wet, just like I was. Clenching my hands into fists, I slowly looked up, my eyes ablaze with anger and yearning for the perpetrator.

"Good morning, Princess." An old, withering voice said bitterly to me.

"You better have a damn good reason for doing this, you old hag." I retorted, un-aware of the sizzling noise the water on me was making while I heated up more and more from anger.

"I do." Miss Flamel said while placing the bucket she'd just used on me onto the floor. "This is specifically how the Queen ordered you to be woken up. Specifically." She concluded while narrowing her golden eyes into tiny slits until they looked like the edges of coins.

"It's the bloody crack of dawn!" I protested while sinking back into my wet sheets. I pulled the now squishy blanket over my face, trying to block these idiotic people back out and get back to sleep.

"Get up." She barked and I raised an eyebrow, though she couldn't see it.

"Excuse me?" I asked her with a warning in my tone, though my voice slightly muffled by the blanket.

"I said: Get. Up. We have to get you ready today for the Annual Ball." She said boldly.

"Annual Ball? I've never attended such a blasted thing." I stated while closing my eyes. I was never allowed to leave my tower unless The King and Queen allowed it. So I'd never been to any of the special dinners, meetings, and especially any of the balls. No one wanted to look at their shameful Princess.

"Your presence has been requested by the Queen. This year were having some . . . special guests."

"And whom might that be for Elda to want me there?"

"Christia's royals."

I immediately threw the covers off and sat up. "Christia's royals?" I said with a laugh. "Why in blazes would they want to come here? Aren't they too scared to even step foot in Magmus? "

Miss Flamel glared at me. "Ember. We are allies with Christia. Not enemies."

"Allies." I mused with another chuckle. "The only reason Christia is at "peace" with Magmus is because they're too scared we'll be the flame that brings their people to their knees. And the only reason we're letting them be allies with us is because we need to seem intimidating to Wisteria and Graphinite."

"That is enough! Insolent little girls like you shouldn't speak of things they don't understand." Miss Flamel hissed.

"Oh I understand. I understand, very well." I replied with a sly smile.

Before Miss Flamel could reply I heard a soft caw come from the corner of the room. I smiled. "Igniall, come here." I called out while beckoning to the little phoenix that was hiding in a corner. He flapped his wings hesitantly before gliding over to me and perching himself on my shoulder. Miss Flamel jumped back.

"Get that cursed thing out of here!" She screeched while swatting at Igniall. He cawed at her loudly and she jumped back.

I snorted. "Please, he's just as much of a child of Elda as I am. Just because he turned out to be an Extinguisher doesn't mean you shouldn't treat him like the royalty he is. Don't you remember he was supposed to be King?" Well, Igniall was younger than me, but the male always took the throne in Magmus. Igniall was an attempt to rid me of becoming Queen, but obviously Elda's plan failed because he turned out to be an Extinguisher.