ELENA
I raced through the palace, bursting out of the hall and into the courtyard, making a break to the gates. I didn't know where I was going, yet it felt as though my body did. I didn't try to understand why my body went where it did, but I let it. I found myself running, darting through the barracks where I got a few gasps and looks of surprise, but they didn't matter. I stopped outside Nova and I's old room. I should have been winded. Usually after a run like that, I'd be gasping for air like i'd just ran a marathon, yet I barely felt an ache of exhaustion.
I reached for the door handle and pulled. The door didn't budge. I pulled again. Same result.
Locked...Shit.
I took a few steps back, readying myself to break the door down when a voice interrupted me.
"By the gods..."
I barely turned in time to see who it was before I was pulled into a hug so tight it felt like I was about to pop. A chaotic mess of purple hair flooded my vision, the scent of lilac filled my nostrils.
"Paulie?"
Pauline broke our hug and moved away, scanning my body. "I'm not...hallucinating am I?"
I gave her a smile and shook my head. "No...I'm here. You aren't hallucinating."
"How is this possible? I saw you die, I attended your funeral-"
"Hirovia...and her fucked up tricks."
A look of scorn found its way onto Paulie's face. "I never did trust that bitch."
Her eyes flicked toward the door, then back to me. "You look about ready to kick that door straight off it's hinges."
"I wanted to get in to my old room."
Pauline held her hands up. "Allow me."
Paulie took a few strides forward and bashed her boot against the door. The door caved in, wooden splinters flew everywhere. The handle fell and hung loosely by a single nail. Pauline took a step back, bowed and waved in "M'lady."
I smiled and stepped inside the room. It still held his scent, it lingered in the air. I moved over to the cupboard and opened it. Nova's clothes were still there.
"Is it true?" I asked Pauline. "Is he really gone?"
Silence.
I heard Pauline shift behind me, heard some of her bones click as her muscles shifted.
"Yeah. I'm sorry baby."
I reached into the cupboard and pulled out a shirt. The fabric was so familiar to my touch. Soft silk, smooth and delicate. I leaned down a took a deep breath in, taking in Nova's scent. It still had his scent. It was different than the rest of the room, being so close to the source, the fragrance was far more potent.
Memories flashed through my mind. The first day I met him as a child in the mess hall, sitting alone, not eating anything. The time we sat under the stars the day before he went to his first battle. Our first time playing together. Our first time actually talking once he began to open up a bit more. The first time we made love...
The first time I told him how I felt.
I remembered how he'd changed around me after that. His face flushing red after a tease or a compliment. How Nova would almost shrink if I gave him any sort of affection, as if he didn't know how to handle it.
I stood there for a few moments, taking in his scent. I'll admit I cried a little. All those memories...we were meant to make so many more.
I set the shirt back and shut the cupboard, then collapsed onto the bed.
I laughed to myself. So many memories sat on this bed alone. How Nova would sleep with his back to mine. That was until after we made love. He became far more comfortable, facing me, cuddling me to sleep.
I felt myself fall into a slump in the bedding, as though someone had lay there before me.
I raised an eyebrow and sniffed at the air. It was subtle. So subtle I barely noticed it at first, but once I did, the scent flared within my nostrils.
"Someone's been in here. Recently."
I sat up in bed and stared at Pauline. "Who took this room?"
She hesitated for a moment.
"Paulie, tell me. Who uses this room?"
Pauline took a breath before she spoke. "After you and Nova passed away, Eskarina was appointed the newest Commander."
My blood boiled at the sound of her name...
"Is it true? She killed Nova?"
Pauline didn't answer.
"ANSWER ME!"
"Yes! She...she executed him."
"You haven't done anything?!"
"What do you expect me to do?!"
I balled my fist in rage and rose to my feet.
I left the room, following the scent as Pauline trailed behind me.
"Where are you going?" She questioned.
"Wherever this stench leads me."
Pauline ran in front of me and gave me a shove back. "If you're looking to hurt Eskarina, forget it. I won't let you."
I stepped closer to Pauline. "You're saying you're going to try stop me Paulie?"
"Eskarina has gotten a whole lot more skilled since you last saw her."
"So what?! You think I can't take her on?"
"I know you can't."
I shoved Pauline aside and kept walking until I found myself outside the door to the bathhouse.
Again, Pauline rushed in front of me, blocking the door.
"Move."
"Don't you get it?! Hurting her isn't going to help anything!" She cried.
"I'm going to kill her! She deserves to die!"
"Killing her isn't going to bring Nova back!" Pauline bellowed.
The door behind Pauline creaked as it slowly creaked open.
"Pauline?"
Her voice sent pulses of rage through my body. I shoved Paulie aside and grabbed at Eskarina. Her eyes widened with surprise as I tackled her back into the bathhouse. We slipped on the wet floor and fell to the tiles with a thud. I landed on top, grabbing a fistful of her hair, I bashed her skull back against the floor.
She kicked out, landing a solid boot to my gut whilst grabbing my arm at the same time. She slammed her palm against my wrist and twisted, forcing my grip off her hair.
Pauline wasn't lying, she had gotten better.
Eskarina wriggled her way out of my grip and kicked me away, recoiling back as she steadied herself.
I rose to my feet, disregarding the wet tiles and lunged at her, ramming my elbow against her cheek. She stammered backward and I continued my assault, grabbing her towel and using it to pull her close before bashing my forehead against the bridge of her nose. I felt her nose break as she cried out. Eskarina pushed us back, shoving her whole body weight into me. We fell into the bath, submerged beneath the warm waters which now became blurry with Eskarina's blood. She fired off punches of her own, landing clean hits against my jaw and ribcage.
Mustering all my strength, I flung her off of me and mounted her, wrapping my hands round her neck before shoving her back beneath the waters. She struggled, kicked and fought, but I held her firmly beneath the bathwater.
She struggled and splashed, tugging and jabbing her fingers at my eyes. I threw my head back, staying out of her reach and tightened my grip round her neck.
Kill her...KILL HER.
She needed to die. She had to die.
Eskarina balled her fists and brought them down on my forearms then rose from the water and slammed her elbow into my jaw. I reeled back and fell off of her as she coughed and wheezed.
Letting out a yell, I lunged toward her, only to be caught and dragged back by Pauline. She threw me out of the bath, my clothes stuck to my body.
Eskarina leapt out of the bath and ran toward me, her towel only barely staying on her body.
Pauline stepped between us and flipped Eskarina over her hip, putting her down with a sick thud.
"Alright kittens, we had our fight! It's time to put the claws away."
"What the fuck...is going on?!" Eskarina demanded.
"You killed Nova!"
"You're supposed to be dead!"
"YOU KILLED HIM!"
"I HAD NO CHOICE!"
"HEY!" Pauline screamed. "Everyone. Shut the fuck up! We all loved Nova. Okay?! We all cared about him, but he's gone! Nova is dead!"
Pauline fell to her knees, her face buried in her hands. "He's gone..." She sobbed.
"It's her fault!"
"My fault?! The whole reason he died was because your fucked up father thought he committed treason! Which he did not! And he then forced me to kill him!"
"You lie!-"
"Will everyone just SHUT THE FUCK UP?!" Pauline screamed.
She let out a shrill cry and removed her face from her hands, which was red with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"He's dead...my little brother is gone...my baby is gone...your love is gone...your koala is gone..."
Paulie took a deep breath in and out again. "If you two fuckin idiots want to play the blame game like a bunch of fucking children, go ahead! But I swear if any of you kill each other, I will find a way for that sick bitch Hirovia to bring you back just so I can kick both of your asses."
Pauline stormed off, huffing with rage as she slammed the door shut behind her. Eskarina coughed up some water before she slumped back against the lockers, small droplets falling from the curls in her hair.
Silence gripped the air for a few moments.
"So," Eskarina began, "You want to tell me how it is I'm talking to a dead woman?"
"Oh no, I'm the one asking the questions here." I retorted.
Eskarina shook her head in dismay. "Whatever. Ask away, but you might not like my answers."
"Why'd you do it? Why'd you execute Nova?"
"Why don't you ask that fucked up father of yours?"
"What do you mean?"
"By Jonah, did undeath kill all the braincells you have? I said earlier your father had me execute Nova, if I didn't, he would've killed my family. I had no choice..."
Eskarina shook her head, shifting around uncomfortably before she settled down against the locker.
"After you died, Nova swore to find your killer. To make a long story short, we failed, and somewhere down the line your father branded him a traitor and charged him with treason, then forced me to execute him. If I didn't, he'd have my family killed."
I hung on every word Eskarina spoke. None of this made any sense. This all seemed to be some fucked up nightmare.
"We failed?"
Eskarina looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. "Yes?"
"You went with him?"
"Nova brought me with him. He needed someone to help him keep his head on his shoulders, and I was that person."
She sighed heavily, a soft whimper escaped her lips. "You want to know something funny? There was a time, I told myself, 'Nova can drop off the face of this earth and it wouldn't phase me.' Now, I miss the cold hearted bastard. He wasn't always cold around me. After a rough couple of months he warmed up. Smiled, even laughed. At times I could barely recognise that I was still talking to Nova."
"You spoke?"
"Every day. We trained every day. I thought it would help him take his mind off of your passing and help me grow stronger. Everyone won."
Eskarina chuckled. "He would sleep all day. I'd check on him and he'd be awake at two in the morning, stuck with his nose in some book, or he'd wake me up at ridiculous times to talk and I'd just wave him away and tell him to go back to bed. Then for the rest of the day he'd sleep. Sometimes he'd pass out mid-conversation. So I started calling him a Koala...because he'd sleep all the time. Asshole never stopped calling me 'Farm Girl' though, and overtime, the name just...stuck."
Eskarina lowered her head, twirling the fabric of her towel between her fingers. "I didn't want him to die...I didn't want to-"
She stopped. Eskarina bit her lip, her grip round the towel tightened and her voice grew shaky. "I get it. I understand why you blame me. I killed him. I won't deny that. I live with that guilt every single day. But I never had a choice. I didn't want to...your father forced me to-"
"I've heard enough." I interrupted.
Silence fell. For a few brief moments, all that could be heard was the soft, rhythmic sound of water droplets falling into the bathwater. Drip, drip, drip.
"Your father. He's the reason Nova's gone. If you're going to beat the shit out of someone, go kick his ass." Eskarina said.
Eskarina stood and opened the locker, letting her towel fall. She'd grown fit, but her body was still as thin as ever. She'd picked up a few small scars here and there. Small fights and rough patches, but she had yet to see real battle.
Standing up, I walked to the door and reached for the handle.
"Elena..."
I glanced at Eskarina over my shoulder. She pulled a shirt over her head which stuck to her soaked skin. "I'm sorry. For everything."
Something about Eskarina saying that gave me a level of respect for her that I didn't have before hand.
I gave only a nod in response. I opened the door and left, my thoughts racing as I walked back to the palace.
When I returned, the servants rushed to me, surrounding me instantly with measuring tape and clipboards.
"Mi'lady where were you?! We've been searching for nearly a full hour! We must take your measurements for your dress!"
"Dress?"
"Yes! For your ball tomorrow Madam! Did you forget already?! All nobility across the North shall be in attendance! The Emperor refuses to let his daughter strut about in nothing but her pyjamas to a ball! Come!" They said as they shoved me through the castle doors. "We must begin immediately.
A swift wave of dread flooded my body. "Oh gods no..."
Please don't tell me...
Please don't tell me I need to wear a corset