𝒞𝐻𝒜𝒫𝒯𝐸𝑅 𝐸𝐼𝒢𝐻𝒯𝐸𝐸𝒩 | 𝒴𝒪𝒰 𝒮𝐻𝒪𝒰𝐿𝒟 𝒮𝐸𝐸 𝑀𝐸 𝐼𝒩 𝒜 𝒞𝑅𝒪𝒲𝒩
"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭." -𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘦
𝓦EDNESDAY 𝓓ECEMBER 𝓣WENTY - 𝓣HIRD
Today.
Today is the day.
I think I am going to be sick.
Wednesday. Two days before Christmas. This is a day that I never believed would have me puking in a toilet. My nerves were through the roof. I do not know how to even formulate a coherent sentence right now.
December twenty-third. A day I dreaded. A day I should have been excited for. The day that I will officially be known to the Kingdom of Astalilia as Princess Alexandra Katerina Fitzgerald.
No more being a faceless Astalilian in the village. No more being Alex Fitz. Never in my life did I ever think that I would be using my full name again. Let alone having the title of princess slapped in front of it. I went to great lengths in order to forget that I was a Fitzgerald. Now I am expected to embrace it.
I changed myself into Alex Fitz in order to run from my last name all my life, but I never thought embracing my last name would be something that I do. My mom enjoyed hiding the truth about who she was, so I assumed hiding myself from the truth was a good idea also.
I stood on a bride's veil stool and looked at myself in the mirror. Is this me? I know it is me, but it does not feel like me. Maybe it does. I do not know. Apparently, this is who I should have been.
I looked at myself wearing the most beautiful dress Kat has ever made in her entire life. She designed this dress to compliment my love for the color green and my affinity for nature. The straps of the ball gown looked like tree branches growing on my shoulders. It covered my feet, so that I could take off my high heels immediately. It had black lace on some sections in order to create a shadow effect. The dress also had pockets.
"Anything new on Jackal?" Kat asked. She popped up behind me and she looked stunning. Actually, stunning was not in the ballpark of how beautiful she looked. "Nathan said that the guards found nothing in the latest hideout that they found," she said.
My silence resonated with Kat. Before I could answer, someone knocked on the door. Kat and I were standing in the bedroom that Ezra had given to me. I allowed the person to come in and instead of one person being there - three people stood in the doorway. Ezra, Dominick, and Elizabeth entered my room. All of them had somewhat matching attire that included the color purple, Astalilia's national color. I guess I did not receive the family memo. However, I probably would not have complied with the memo.
Elizabeth held a giant box with a silk cloth covering it.
"You both look very beautiful," Dominick said.
Kat gently smiled. She took Dominick's complaint as a subtle hint to leave the room, due to dysfunctional Fitzgerald family time that was about to happen.
"I'll let you all speak privately," she whispered.
Ezra shook his head. Kat wasted no time in planting her feet back firmly on the ground. She was terrified of how serious Ezra acted all the time.
"Katherine, please stay for this. I think as Alexandra's best friend, you should be here for this," he said. Elizabeth elegantly pulled the silk cloth off the box. I do not know how someone can pull a cloth elegantly, but Elizabeth made it look effortless. The box was clear, and it held a tiara mounted on the inside. "Tonight, you assume as heir to the throne. Looking like a princess on the outside means nothing. Conquering the role of royalty on the inside is what matters," he explained.
His speech seemed tedious and unnecessary. For the last two weeks, the man basically called me a failure and unworthy of ruling over a nation, but I guess I can let that be in the past.
"We all believe that you have exceeded expectations in your training," Dominick added.
"This is the Fitzgerald family tiara worn by all first heir princesses. To mark your transition from secret to apparent, we would like to give this to you to wear tonight," Ezra said.
Kat quickly grabbed my hand. I squeezed her fingers tightly due to my nerves. Elizabeth opened the box with a key. A key! Seriously? Anyways, Ezra removed the tiara from the box and walked up to me. I gently bowed my head and he placed it into position. It fits like a glove.
I looked over at Kat. She gently patted the tears away from her eyes. She did not want to ruin her freshly done makeup. The girl was seriously emotional over this. However, I decided to stand tall and firm.
"Thank you," I whispered. I turned my focus to Dominick next. "Thank you for believing in me. Even when I didn't believe in myself ... or in who you were," I said. Lastly, I turned and faced Elizabeth. Our eyes met and neither of us broke eye contact. "Thank you for trusting me to be the next predecessor to your legacy as the Queen," I said.
♕
The moment has arrived.
I am not going to lie, eating three cheeseburgers before the Winter Ball may not have been the best idea. I felt like I was going to vomit. Thankfully, my dress was still able to zip up with ease.
I wanted nothing more than to go for a ride on Apollo or do archery with Nathan.
Maybe I should run. Should I do that? How far could I get? Not far. Especially in heels.
No! No. No. I am not running away. I am taking my place in the royal family. I am not abandoning them all.
I will not make the same choices that my mother did.
Everybody in the entire Kingdom was standing on the grounds of the palace underneath the giant heated tents that were arranged. Everybody was going to see me as the Long Lost Princess and the urban legend was no longer going to be a legend anymore. It was going to be real. I was going to be standing in front of them all tonight.
Ezra, Dominick, and Elizabeth went to make sure that my royal entrance was going to be absolutely perfect. Rehearing my royal entrance for the past few days was going to pay off. Hopefully. None of them wanted anything to go wrong. I assumed that people only rehearsed walking for two things - graduation and marriage. I am wrong.
Gabe, Henry, and Seraphina were already at the ball. I convinced Ezra to allow Gabe and Henry to be at the Winter Ball and not work. They were being thought of as guests and as my friends. Not employees.
Nathan, Kat, and I were hiding in the cold outdoors.
"Stop being nervous," Nathan whispered. He pulled me in for a hug and my body was literally shaking. "I hope you're just cold and this isn't all nerves," he joked.
"I wonder what my mom would say about all this," I whispered. I kept my face buried in Nathan's chest.
Nathan gently pushed me off him. I assume he is going to try and give me some sentimental speech about how my mom was with me in spirit. Tonight, and every night. However, all he did was hold my hand in front of his body.
Was he going to say anything?
"I was going to give you this back for your birthday, but I think now is a special time. Close your eyes," Nathan said. I calmly shut my eyes and felt his fingertips moving along my hands. "Open," he whispered. "I know your mom isn't really here, but I hope this can be the next best thing."
Holy shit.
It is back!
He found it.
I fanned my eyes in order to not ruin my makeup. Kat would kill me, or the tears would possibly freeze inside of my eyeballs.
"I never thought I would see this again," I whispered. I cannot believe this. I looked at my wrist and saw my mom's bracelet. The bracelet was in perfect condition, as if I had never lost it. "Where did you find this?" I asked.
"I searched the area where we were horseback riding, and I also looked in the stables. I found it a few days ago," Nathan said.
"Thank you," I sobbed. I turned and looked at Kat who was shivering and attempting to hold back her own tears. Nathan gave me the greatest present one could give me, and Kat was the hopeless romantic type. She loved seeing this. "I lov-," I hesitated. I pulled Kat into our hug. "I love you guys. The two of you never gave up or doubted me. Plus, Nathan I'm glad you didn't treat me like a royal brat when we first met."
I wanted them both to hug me tightly. It was beyond freezing out there.
Something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. A light. A shimmering outline of light appeared in the darkness through the trees.
"What's wrong?" Kat asked.
"Nothing. I thought I saw something," I said.
I quickly used my ability to cause the trees to grow larger from the branches. It covered whatever light was shining. The light dulled out from the growing branches. Pitch black darkness remained.
The three of us snuck inside the tent. Nathan and Kat went in the crowd in order to watch my entrance with the rest of our friends.
Ezra, Elizabeth, and Dominick were waiting for their cue to start making their grand entrance. They waited at the top of the small balcony that was built by the employees.
The heralding trumpets started going off and that meant that it was finally time.
Dominick held my hand as he waited for one of the guards to introduce him.
This is really happening.
Dominick was the first to be introduced by one of the guards.
Oh my God.
Ezra and Elizabeth were introduced together as usual. The kingdom all bowed down to their rulers. The King and Queen.
Holy shit.
My stomach churned. My heart raced.
Holy shit, I cannot breathe.
However, instead of having a guard speak into the microphone, he handed it over to Ezra.
"It is my privilege and my honor to introduce my true first heir to the throne. My daughter, Alexandra. Everyone please welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra Katerina Fitzgerald of Astalilia," Ezra said.
I blew out an extremely large deep breath. It escaped my lips fast enough that by the time I was done, my feet were moving. Only a few steps in order to reach the balcony; I gripped onto the edge of the balcony. Nobody was looking at me. Thank God. Everyone was either bowing or in a very formal curtsey. When they lifted themselves up, I happily waved to everyone in the kingdom.
My nerves were escaping from my body like sweat out of my pores. However, I still felt like I needed to puke. I needed everyone to stop looking at me. I needed to get off this man-made balcony.
I looked down to see Kat with her arms around the young girls from the village. The six of them looked beautiful in their dresses and they all looked so happy to see that they had been talking with the Long Lost Princess for weeks without even knowing it. Actually, most people in the audience looked shocked. I had made my presence somewhat known in the village within the last few weeks, because I wanted to learn about the people of Astalilia.
Hopefully none of them bring up my time in the village. Ezra and Elizabeth are not meant to know about any of that. Obviously. It is their biggest rule. The two of them would be furious with me. They would be even more furious with my friends for allowing me into the village. They would probably fire Henry and Gabe. They might even strip the royal status away from Nathan and Seraphina. I do not know what they could do as King and Queen.
After a long and overwhelming moment of being a part of the Fitzgerald family, everyone went back to enjoying the Winter Ball. Thankfully, the moment was finally fucking over. I needed to get off this balcony.
I walked down the stairs of the balcony, gripping Dominick's elbow. I might have been digging my nails into his skin, but I did not want to fall. He walked me over to Nathan and handed me away like a father would do on my wedding day.
Before he walked away, I grabbed Dominick by his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. Dominick hesitated at first, but when I squeezed tighter, he gently embraced our hug. He only used one arm though, which I assume is his version of a half hug. He left Nathan and I alone before going across the party to be with his parents.
"Where's Kat?" I asked.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders. He refused to pay attention. "She was just here, but she might have gone with some of the younger girls to the bathroom," he assumed. He took my hands in his and pulled me in for a kiss. "Can I just say that you look incredible tonight. Plus, I'm the luckiest guy in Astalilia, because I get to have the most beautiful girl in the kingdom by my side."
"You definitely may say all that," I giggled. I pulled Nathan in to kiss me again.
It felt good being able to kiss him in public without wearing a mask on.
The six girls from the village cautiously approached Nathan and I.
Six? They were all right here. Where is Kat?
"I can't believe that you're the princess. You've changed our lives in so many ways. It's an honor to officially meet you Princess Alexandra," a girl said.
All six of the girls did a curtsy.
"I'm still just Alex," I said. "Also, you girls look beautiful tonight. As beautiful as a rainbow."
Without warning, all the girls engulfed me in the largest hug. So many sets of arms wrapped around my body at the same time.
I hugged them all back, because they were all holding onto me so tightly.
"It was you," a girl whispered. She was wearing a pastel purple or lavender colored dress. She was the first girl to ever speak to me when I first helped them in the village. Her confidence level, among the others, is the most heightened.
"As beautiful as a rainbow. That was left on the note with these dresses. Thank you, Princess," she whispered.
"Please don't thank me. My best friend designed all the dresses. Once I find her, you can all thank her yourselves," I said.
My uneasiness was slowly beginning to rise.
Katherine Harding has been waiting for this moment since the day we stepped foot in Astalilia. There is no way in hell that she would miss the Winter Ball for any reason.
"What's on your mind?" Nathan asked.
"Kat," I said. "She has been looking forward to this night since we got here. I'm getting worried that she isn't here right now," I explained.
My body was shaking, and I kept looking around the area for Kat. I could not shake the feeling that something was not right. Aunt Mona always taught me to go with my first instinct and my first instinct right now: Something is really wrong!
Nathan planted his hands on my shoulders in order to calm me down. His fingers slid up and down my arms trying to comfort me and calm me down. However, nothing was going to calm my nerves today.
"I'll see if Henry, Gabe, and Seraphina know where she is. You go check her room and in the dressing room. Maybe she forgot something in the palace," Nathan said.
I nodded. He gently pecked my lips, and I mimicked his calm breathing. In through my nose and out through my mouth.
I walked throughout the ball to try and find Kat and to also make my way towards the exit.
The difficulty with walking towards the exit is the fact that every single person was stopping me in my tracks. They would bow to my presence, or they would all speak to me about being the princess. It took me a few minutes, but I finally came to the conclusion that she was no longer underneath the heated tents. Being under the tents meant that she was safe and sound.
Eventually, I made it out of the heated tents.
Thankfully. The jittery sensation of fear was counteracting the freezing harsh winter that has started in Astalilia. Knowing I needed to hurry, the high heels I was wearing came off my feet and I threw them to the side and left them in the snow. I sprinted towards the entrance of the palace. Guards were posted everywhere in order to keep civilians from going inside the palace; however, I have a set of keys. Plus, I am the princess. All of the guards know that I have my own temporary bedroom in the palace.
The jitters refused to subside, because my bare feet were pushing into the snow. I know that I could not sprint towards the palace in high heels, so I made the decision that frostbite is a better outcome than twisted and snapped ankles.
Tunnel vision set in.
Everything went black.
There is a thing about tunnels - they can get real dark real fast. Real fast turned into supersonic speed, because everything in my light of sight - the palace - went pitch black for a few seconds. I assumed that it was because of the frostbite on my feet and the freezing cold jagged air going into my lungs.
A few seconds later, the light came back.
However, I was no longer outside.
A sudden rush of hot air made the goosebumps on my bare skin fade away.
Whatever object took away my vision, my guess was a bag, was harshly pulled off my head. If Kat were here, she would be pissed about the way my hair got ruined.
My eyes darted around the room. My eyes landed on Kat.
"Kat!" I shouted. I attempted to move closer to her, but my arms and legs were shackled to the floor, and I could not move. "Are you okay?" I asked. Not waiting for a response, I kept talking to her. "I'm gonna get us out of here!" I exclaimed.
I placed my palms against the floor and attempted to grow the roots from the trees in order to crack the floor. Nothing was working. My abilities were not working. I felt human again.
I started pounding my fists against the floor - a strange blue powder was dusting the floor as I struggled to kickstart my abilities. The pounding was in order to try and kickstart my abilities in any way possible. Nathan always told me that anger makes our abilities go haywire. I needed the strength of an entire forest right now. Kat needs me!
"Please stop ruining my lovely floor," a male voice whispered. I looked around for the source of the voice, but I could not see anyone other than Kat. I looked closer at the floor and the walls and noticed the burn marks. We were in the abandoned cottage on the grounds of the palace. "Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra Katerina Fitzgerald of Astalilia, it is an absolute pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I have been looking for you just as hard as you have been looking for me," he said.
The burn marks.
Black lightning.
Jackal.
He is standing in front of my face. Right here. I grunted as I curled my hands into fists to try and free myself from the shackles. I want to kill this man!
"I will kill you," I scolded.
"Don't bother struggling in those shackles my dear. They are coated in a thick layer of blue crystal powder. It temporarily disables Astalilian abilities when in contact with the skin. It also stings a little bit," he smirked.
"Let her go! She is not a born Astalilian," I pleaded.
"Oh no my dears, the two of you came to this country at the same time. That means I want both of you to be here and hear this story-," he said. However, he was cut off mid-sentence.
"What story?" Kat whimpered.
I reached my hands over and placed them on top of Kat's.
I attempted to restrict the movement of my wrists, because this blue crystal powder did more than sting. It was burning my skin!
"Jackal's story," he maniacally whispered. "However, it's a story that will have to wait. I have a small errand to run. Make yourselves comfortable and help yourselves to some more blue crystal powder if you'd like."
Jackal used his black lighting to teleport himself out of the cottage. Kat and I both yanked on the shackles to try and rip them out of the walls. The powder continued to burn my skin.
"Ow! Fuck! Fuck, this really hurts!" I shouted.
"I'm so sorry. There's no way out of these. They're too strong," Kat sobbed.
"Don't worry ... we're gonna get out of this," I prayed.
I needed to speak with certainty at every moment.
If Kat felt like I was unsure or scared, then she would become more scared. It is my job as her best friend to keep her safe at all times. Plus, it is my fault that we are in this situation. I convinced Kat to come to Astalilia, I became obsessed with finding Jackal, and I took it upon myself to prepare myself to kill him when I finally found him.
The two of us gave up on trying to escape on our own.
Thankfully, the maniac has yet to return. Light bulb. Epiphany! Holy shit, a genius idea came to me after we accepted that we might die in here. "My walkie talkie!" I shouted. Katherine Harding has thought of everything when it comes to designing dresses the way that I like them. She made hidden pockets in between the layers of fabric of my dress and made them into pockets. "Hopefully Dominick sends the cavalry," I whispered. I pushed the top button of the walkie talkie two times and then I hit the bottom button once.
Our secret distress code.
Another flash of lightning came, and the man walked in from behind us instead of through the door.
He wasted no time in beginning his story.
"Love is the biggest emotion that one can ever feel. It consumes the body, mind, and soul; hate equally consumes the same amount, but it originates from the same strong emotions that come from love. Revenge is fueled by the power of love and hate," he explained.
This story was going to accomplish nothing. I do not need a bedtime story right now; I needed a way out of these shackles in order to drive a sword through this man's chest.
"Loving people don't torture and kidnap others," Kat whimpered.
I gently wrapped my arms around her, because she needed to stop sobbing and put her brave face on. Plus, I did not want Jackal speaking directly to her. Ever.
He said nothing to her. Thank God.
Kat should not talk right now.
"I had a wife who adored me, and I would do anything in this lifetime and the next to make her happy. We had a son who's smile could light up a room, his name - Serpens, it's Latin for serpent. He loved riding his bike around the village and feeding the animals every morning. Our lives were normal. We were happy. When my son was seventeen, he told us that he wanted to join the Astalilian army, because he wanted to make a difference and protect people. My wife and I were against the idea, but Serpens had his mind set on giving back to his kingdom. The war took place among two of the kingdoms, after the treaty had been broken for the first time. Eventually, Astalilia was the claimed winner of the war, yet again, making them the ruling kingdom. His bravery was commendable and praised. Serpens lost his life defending the country that gave him a wonderful childhood. The precious Fitzgerald family wanted to commemorate the lives that were lost, and Serpens name was not even mentioned on that list! My son was killed in battle, and no one even cared to remember him!"
Kat remained snuggled into my arms. Our arms and legs were shackled, but she was terrified sobbing, so I kept her as close to me as possible.
Jackal stopped talking. Thank Christ.
He told the story from his point of view, so I do not know why he claimed to be telling us ... Jackal's story. He is Jackal. We all know that he is Jackal.
"If you want revenge, let me out of these shackles. I'll fight you to the death," I stated.
The paint became more severe, because I kept trying to free myself from the shackles. However, the pain started becoming excruciating once he put more powder on the shackles.
"I don't think you'll want to do that," Jackal whispered.
Jackal shot lightning from the tips of his fingers. He did this all-in-one fluid motions, but I did not know why. His lightning was pure black and sent a chill down my spine. I watched as the lightning went across the room and its blackness felt like pure evil.
He pulled his arms towards himself, like a mine pulling an invisible rope. However, the rope was visible, and it was his black lightning.
It was now clear. Everything made sense.
Why he teleported himself to another room in the cottage. Why he put a fresh coat of blue crystal powder on the shackles. Why he stopped his story once I told him we could fight. Why he did not let me speak once he told me 'I don't think you'll want to do that.'
It all made perfect sense.
"Nathan!" I shouted.
Nathan was shackled to a chair, and he could not move. The same blue crystal powder was dusting the ground as Jackal pulled Nathan closer to Kat and I.
He is unconscious!
My screaming was doing nothing to wake him, but I did not stop screaming. I refused to stop making noise. Jackal must have shot him with a strong lightning bolt in order to subdue Nathan.
I attempted to jump up from the ground, but I could not get higher than kneeling.
"My darling Princess ... you're not going to do anything, because if you do - your lovely best friend and boyfriend are going to die," Jackal said. His voice sounded gruffer than before. I think he wanted to seem more serious.
Mission accomplished.
"Touch them and I will kill you!" I shouted. I yanked at the shackles again.
Kat grabbed my hands and kept me from pulling the chains again.
"With the powder it's no use," Kat whispered.
Before I could say or do anything useful, Nathan started groaning in pain. He rapidly blinked his eyes and looked around the room. He looked so disoriented. He groaned from the pain of the lightning bolts and the blue crystal powder.
"What's going on?" He whispered.
"Nat- Nathan don't move!" I shouted.