"You broke my heart
But I still love you
With all the pieces"
~Unknown
❉
Have you ever felt like so annoyed and frustrated at something that you would just scream in exasperation and just give up and lay there? Or when you want to strangle a person so bad but you can't because of your situation?
This is me with my situation right now. Apparently, Rory thought it would be fun to wrap the end of the lights around my ankle and then proceeded to fly around me. Now, I'm tangled immobile in small sparkly lights huffing and puffing on the ground.
"You look like an ornament!" Rory cackled a few feet away. I gritted my teeth and did my best to turn my head around to glare at him. Once I'm out, he will be dead meat.
"Galore!" I screeched, hoping the old man could hear me. He had walked off somewhere, claiming he had to meet up with someone to discuss arrangements. My screeching only fueled Rory's laughter to the point barely any sound was coming out. "Shut up you twat!"
"What's going on here?" Galore asked as he walked up to us holding a bunch of small boxes.
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at his flushed face. "Where were you?"
He shot me a look. "Stop being so nosy and be quiet." He moved to turn away and in a state of panic I cried out.
"Wait wait! Can you get me out?" Seeing him scan my predicament he pursed his lips in thought. "Please?" I gave him the puppy eyes.
With a sigh, he walked over and started untangling the strings of lights. It took a few minutes but once I was finally out, I breathed a sigh of relief and flapped my wings. A few fluffy tufts of feathers floated softly toward the ground. He's so dead.
"Rory! Get you skinny ass back here!" I roared, taking off into the sky. My mind came up with different ways of payback and I grinned at the image of him bound, hanging upside down from a tree. Where did he go?
I landed near the waterfall and sighed, taking in and letting out a deep breath. The water, unlike the one from the human world, was light. Too light. It was nearly translucent. However, it glowed a light green. I peered at it in curiosity.
"You should be careful." A frigid voice sounded from behind me, making me almost slip. "You could fall in and trust me, it'll be painful." No shit. Falling head first into a pool of water would be splendid.
I got up and looked at the woman behind me. She wasn't older than me by a lot, probably just by a few years. A light pink dress fading into white hugged her body and hair of molten gold danced across her shoulders. She watched me with stunning green eyes that pierced me with a narrowed gaze. She did not seem friendly. At all.
As I looked up at her, however, her unfriendly expression transformed to one of shock and hatred. "You," She hissed out and I raised an eyebrow.
"Me?" I blinked at pointed at myself. She stalked over to me, eyes roaming over my face and body.
"You shouldn't be here. You died. I saw you. I-" She stuttered and ran a hand down her face. I'm sorry did she just say I'm dead?
I cleared my throat. "I am very much alive thank you very much." I probably should've kept my mouth shut because she turned on me in a flash. Her expression twisted and she wrapped a hand around my throat, applying pressure.
"How are you still alive Mira?" She used her other hand and grabbed my wrist in a vise like grip, squeezing and inspecting my arm.
"I'm not Mira," I whispered and gasped as her grip tightened. "I-I'm a maid here." She stared at me with dark eyes, gouging my face for a lie. I was losing oxygen fast and from her unrelenting grip on her arm, I could feel a bruise starting to form. I kicked up my feet, desperate to get her off but she dodged out of the way, hand still clutching my throat.
Suddenly, her face broke out into a sinister smile. She pushed me back, and I coughed, cupping my throat. "We'll see." She pulled out a glove and put it on. From what I could see, there were some weird symbols carved into the leather.
The woman scooped a handful of water from the waterfall. It sizzled loudly as smoke rose from the amount on her hand. She inched toward me, slowly blowing on the water. "Do you know what this is?"
Still winded from her sudden assault, I shook my head. I inched away from her advancing form, slinking forward like a wild cat stalking its prey. And just like the prey, I was clueless of what's going on. Judging from her reaction when she saw me, her and this Mira definitely hated each other, hell, hatred can't describe it.
"This is the Waterfall of Everlife. It's water, though looks pretty normal, is very powerful." She cast me a smile that chilled me to the bones. "Once it touches the skin of someone who harbors forbidden feelings, it would burn." Her smile twisted into a sneer and she crouched down in front of me. "Tell me, are you the Prince's maid?"
My eyes stayed on water in her hand and I gulped. Who was she even to have the audacity to threaten the Prince's maid? How did she even know? Frustration and anger built up in me. Whoever this Mira was, my life is being threatened on her behalf. "I told you. I'm not Mira," I said through gritted teeth.
What followed was a painful sensation of something eating away at the skin of my bare arms. I cried out and looked down to see the water burning away at my skin, leaving my arm raw and bloodied. My arm shook and I cradled it against my chest. However what was weird was the sight of my burns glowing a soft blue. The pain grew and a few tears slipped down my face. I did not have a high pain tolerance and I hated showing weakness in front of this bitch.
"No, it can't be true," Her soft whisper brought my gaze up to her. She was staring at my arm in horror and disbelief. "I should've known..." She trailed off and laughed a high pitched laugh that made my ears ring. I winced as she stepped closer. She crouched down against and gripped my hair, pulling my face close.
"Tell me, Mira, did you come back for him? After he broke your little heart you still came back? You're more foolish than I thought." She pushed my head to the ground and I gritted my teeth as pain exploded from my temple. I groaned.
"You're crazy," I muttered. She paused.
"What did you say?"
I scrambled a few feet away and lifted my throbbing head to glare at her. "I said you're fucking crazy, you psycho!" She released a sound weirdly resembling a growl and launched herself at me.
A large arm grabbed her wrist and pulled back. I watched as Vulcrian glared angrily at the woman, his jaw clenching. "What do you think you're doing?" His voice was loud, not even the crashing waves below could drown it out.
The woman let out a cynical laugh and jabbed a manicured finger at my huddled form a few feet away. "Is this why you've been avoiding me for the past month?! Because the bitch is back?!" Her voice grew a few octaves higher and I resisted the urge to cover my ears.
"She's not her." Vulcrian said through gritted teeth which earned a laugh from her. She tore her wrist out of his hands and marched over to me, pulling me up on my feet. I stumbled.
Snatching my arm and pulling it out so it laid exposed, she pointed at it. "Tell me this proves otherwise. Tell me her arm did not glow blue." She shot a disgusted look at my burn marks and let out another laugh. "All this time she still can't let you go."
The cool air did not help with the burns. The cold nipped at my raw flesh and I bit my lip and glanced at Vulcrian who was watching me with an expression full of hope and heartbreak. Please get this psycho lady away from me.
Thankfully, he read my expression and turned his gaze back towards her, putting a blank mask back on. "Behave yourself Princess Lyra. You are on neutral land, it is forbidden to hurt a Winged from another kingdom here. You should know what happened when you do."
My eyes widened when he called her Princess. I was in deep shit. But why was I even in deep shit, I didn't even do anything wrong goddamnit. I didn't say anything however, considering she still had a strong grip on me.
Princess Lyra's expression darkened. "I am you betrothed." I frowned a little at her revelation. Vulcrian was betrothed? To her out of all people? I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the news.
Vulcrian's eyes flashed as he narrowed them. "Betrothed or not, you are still required to follow the rules here. Let my maid go and I won't report you to the King."
"You're still defending -"
"I am merely abiding my the laws, Princess. You are welcome to stay here and await punishment and I assure you that it won't be pretty." Vulcrian tilted his head and stared head on into her eyes. They engaged in a staring battle, neither relenting. It was starting to get a little awkward until finally Princess Bitch looked away.
With one last glare cast my way, she flew away. Warm hands caressed my arm made me look up into dark eyes. Vulcrian looked down at my arm and his blank expression broke. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." He helped me up and without a word of warning, he scooped me into his arms. Being in his arms, now knowing that he's betrothed, made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
***
We were back at the castle a few hours later. Vulcrian had carried me the whole way back and I couldn't stop thinking whether what the Princess said was true. That the water burned whoever had forbidden feelings. Did I have feelings for the Prince? I watched him as he bandaged my arm after putting some cream on it.
He was nice and very handsome, just like those Princes I've read about in the books back in the human world. He was caring and a good person, though a little closed off from others, it wasn't hard to decipher his person as a Prince. He greeted everyone he walked by in the halls and respected the servants despite them being lower than him in status.
I blinked and shook my head. I might have a teeny crush but it was just that. A crush. Hopefully it will fade and the target on my back would go along with it. I didn't want to cross paths with the Princess again. Who knows what she would do the next time she sees me again.
"Are you cold?" His voice brought me out of my thoughts and I shook my head with a smile.
"I'm good. Thank you." He nodded and leaned back with a sigh. His eyebrows furrowed as he pinched his nose.
I watched him carefully, wondering whether I should ask him the question that was plaguing my mind ever since I got here. "Who's Mira?" I blurted out as he blinked open his eyes.
He looked away and frowned. The broken expression on his face wasn't hard to miss. I regretted asking him so bluntly and opened my mouth but he beat me to it. "She was someone important to me."
"Was?" I asked softly. I probably shouldn't pry but when people keep calling me some dead person's name, I think I should know at least why.
Vulcrian closed his eyes, face scrunching up in pain as he tilted his head toward the ceiling. "She died. She died a long time ago." His voice came out as a whisper.
"Do you...do you know why people keep calling me her name?"
This time he looked at me closely with his amber eyes. He was hesitant to answer but I waited patiently. I wouldn't push him if he didn't want to tell me. "She...s-she looked exactly like you."
That was no surprise. I figured out that much. I bit my lip and asked him hesitantly, "How did she die?"
His eyes flashed and he stood up abruptly, catching me by surprise at the sudden action. "Get some rest." With that he walked quickly out of the room, slamming the door in the process.
I looked down at the bandages on my arm and traced a finger along the edges. Settling back into the bed, I stared up at the ceiling, a thousand questions running through my mind. Sleep didn't come to me that night as the day's events replayed themselves in my head.