Fate’s Throne

                By: Kenadi Weldon

               

     Fire Stone Sky

From the ashes of a phoenix, a dragon arose. 

               

          CHAPTER 1: THE NEW WORLD

       Willow was walking down the halls of Fair Light High School when she heard her name being called. She turned around to see her best friend Malachi running towards her. His curly hair bouncing as he ran. His tall lean body made it easy for him to get next to her in the next three seconds. 

     When he was finally next to her, they walked out the exit and towards the parking lot. She looked at him and said, “I think you accidentally hit Naomi in the face while you were running.” He just shrugged and said, “Oh well. I don’t like her anyways.” Willow looked at him with her mouth open. She glared at him with her emerald green and steel blue eyes. 

     Willows hair was up in a ponytail all day, and when she finally let it down, her blonde hair fell into a lion like mane. When it was down and straightened, it perfectly framed her beautiful tan face. She massaged her head trying to make it feel better from how tight she had made it. Her hair was one of her many features that made everyone fall for her. Willow was one of the girls that everyone liked and wanted. But she refused to get with any guy ever again. She had been in a short relationship with one before but it didn’t last long. There were of course other gorgeous girls. Many of them she would have loved to ask out if it weren’t for her being the shy, anxious person she was. She was just a pretty girl that wore shirts with book and tv show references. Nothing fancy. 

     The other girls would have killed for her looks which she tried so hard to cover up. She hated how she looked. Her insecurities always got the best of her. But luckily, Fair Light High School was one of those rare schools that didn’t have any cliques. There weren’t any classified groups like in the movies. Most of the cheerleaders and many stoners were friends. If Fair Light had cliques, she would be with the geeks because of her love of many books or preps because of her looks and Malachi would be a jock because of him playing football. 

     As her and Malachi walked to the student parking lot, she asked him “Why don’t you like Naomi?”

    “Well, she always tries to hit on me when I’m clearly not interested and she thinks shes better than everyone.” 

    She nodded her head approving those statements. No one flirted with a gay guy like Naomi did. Willow and Malachi had been friends since preschool and they never once fought. Except for which player they get to choose in video games but that was it. They trusted each other with their lives and never kept a secret from each other. 

        Once they got into Malachis truck, Willow plugged in her phone and played the playlist labeled ‘After school playlist’. The playlist consisted of Panic! At the Disco, Cage the Elephants, Marina, Halsey and more. 

        As Malachi drove, Willow rolled down the window and let the wind pour around her. She kicked her feet up and screamed the lyrics to all the songs. 

        Once they pulled into Malachi’s driveway, she hopped out and ran inside to greet Bug, Malachi’s German Shepherd. The ninety pound dog ran down the stairs barking and wagging his small nub aggressively. Once he got down the stairs, Bug jumped onto Willow making her step back a little. Malachi walked through the door and said in a stern voice, “Down Bug!” He barked at Malachi and jumped down. Willow said in a commanding voice, “Sit,” he sat, “Now roll over. Good boy!” Bug barked expecting to be given a treat. Once he realized there would be no treat, he let out a small whimper and ran to his bed. Willow laughed and said to Malachi, “I think he’s mad at me.” Malachi just replied with, “Eh, he’ll get over it. He loves you too much to stay mad.” 

        They went into the kitchen. She went straight to the fridge and grabbed a some soda. Malachi preheated the oven and told Willow that there is cookie dough in the fridge. She pulled it out and cut it open. Malachi tossed her a spoon which she used to take off a piece of dough and toss in her mouth. Malachi took it form her and started rolling the dough. She grabbed a pan and started to put the rolled up cookie dough onto the pan. Once they loaded it into the oven, they set a timer and went up to Malachi’s room to play Mario Kart. They sat on his bed fighting over who gets which character. In the end, he chose Princess Peach and she got Toad. The timer beeped in the middle of them playing the Royal Raceway level. 

        Malachi paused it while Willow got up to check the cookies. A few seconds later when she got to ground level, she saw that someone had opened the front door. Willow wondered for a second how she didn’t hear it open. She just dismissed it to be because of the volume the game was at but felt paranoid. She looked around to see if Bug was in his bed. Before she got to the living room, she heard barking in the kitchen. She picked up an umbrella and ran into the kitchen to find that Bug was barking at nothing. At least, it seemed to be. She looked around the kitchen but saw nothing. She quickly realized how useless an umbrella would be and grabbed a chefs knife and walked out into the living room. As she went through the archway, something grazed her shoulder. Her skin got goosebumps as she whipped around slashing the knife, but all she hit was open air. Something was definitely off. Willow tried to focus on the space in front of her but all she saw was a something shimmering floating in the air. She blinked and it went away. She shrugged it off and checked on the cookies, more alert than ever, her senses tingling. She set the knife down on the counter next to the oven and took the cookies out and rushed upstairs with them. Willow felt and heard something, or someone, following her while she was going up the stairs. When she got back to the room she told Malachi about what happened. He looked at her concernedly and said, “That’s odd. Did you see anybody? Please tell me you at least close the door while you were down there?” She just looked at him and said, “So, you’re not concerned about why it was open?” He said to her, “I probably didn’t close it all the way and the wind opened the door back up. Thats most likely what happened.” Willow picked up her cookie, dipped it in milk, and bit off a chunk. They were the perfect balance of crunchy around the outside and gooey on the inside but the deliciousness of the cookie didn’t shake away the feeling. Willow sat back down, picked up the remote and started to play the Royal Raceway level. She tried to shrug it off but there was definitely something, or someone, in the house. When they both finished Royal Raceway, which she lost because she kept looking at the door, they went downstairs to get some more cookies. As she walked to the kitchen, she saw another floating shimmering thing near the living room. This time she walked towards it to grab it but instead of her hand passing through it like she expected, she grabbed something solid. She gasped in surprise and blinked a few times trying to focus her eyes on the shimmering spot. After a few seconds her mind set on the image in front of her. A guy. She just stood there, staring at him. Malachi was in his kitchen so when she gasped in surprise, luckily he didn’t here her. Willow asked in a low, surprised, but also threatening, voice “Who the hell are you?” She didn’t scream, didn’t run to the kitchen and didn’t fight. She was too shocked to do anything except for study the stranger. The strange man in front of her was very handsome. He had dark brown eyes with short curly black hair and was very muscular. His skin was a light brown color. He looked hispanic. His jawline was as sharp as a knife. He was wearing a necklace with a strange pendant. It was a thin crescent moon with a dark blue diamond hanging from the top of the intricately designed crescent. The man wore a T-shirt the same color as the diamond with black pants made out of an odd material. There was a weapons belt around his waist that held a sword with a strangely shaped hilt, almost like a snake, and a few knives. Her muscles tensed at the sight, causing her to hold on tighter. After a few seconds, Bug ran out of the kitchen barking. She let go of the man and turned around to Bug trying to quiet him. Malachi came out of the kitchen right after Bug. Malachi looked at Bug and then to her and said, “What’s up with him?” He shrugged and before she could answer he continued with, “Doesn’t matter I grabbed some cookies while in the kitchen. Are you ready to finish Rainbow Road?” She was tense and wondered why Malachi couldn’t see him. Willow read too many books and watched too many shows to know not to ask when someone couldn’t see the person you saw so she didn’t ask but instead she just said, “You mean beat you?” Malachi laughed and ran up the stairs. She turned around to see if the man was still there. When she tried to find him, she didn’t see the strange man or the shimmering substance. She heard quiet whispers near the door and walked towards them. As she walked towards the whispers, they suddenly became quiet. Willow reached out again but her hand passed through nothing. Her heart pounded with fear. She became even more tense and quickly walked up the stairs. They sat back down on the bed and ate the rest of their cookies. Bug went into the room with them and jumped on the bed. He laid down staring at the door whining. Willow tried to forget about it and blame it on her psyche but that feeling of someone else being with her made her muscles twitch. 

        CHAPTER 2: THE RED WATERS

     When Willow got home, she told her mom about her day but didn’t made sure to leave out the part about the strange man. Willow told her mom about the door being opened and Bug randomly barking. While telling it, Willow saw her mom go tense and more alert. She nodded along with a smile Willow could tell was fake. After telling her mom, Willow went to her room and went on her computer. Her room was fairly large for one person. It had a high ceiling with what she called her little library. It was on a landing that her mom had specially designed. Her bed was up against a wall below the second floor. Directly under the landing was a small studying room with a desk and a computer. All of her school stuff was in the study room. Across the room was a dresser with a mirror. She also had her own bathroom. The room was painted a dark gray color. She had a tapestry with the image of a blooming flower behind her bed. The flower was a deep red while the background was gray. She had nightstand beside her bed. It held a cinnamon scented candle, a lamp, a phone charger, and a picture of her and her mom. There a few books stacked on it. The little library consisted of bean bag chairs, a hanging chair that swung, and a book shelf with all her favorite books. It consisted of a lot of Young Adult fantasy. She had them ordered from her oldest ones to her newest books. Willow loved it up there. Her mom had custom made neon signs that said her name when they lit up. She had Christmas lights hung up around the roof of the private library. The first thing she did was change out of her jeans and into some sweatpants. Willow tossed her school bag into the study room and sat on the bed with her computer. As soon as she sat down, she searched up ‘Invisible people’. The first link that came up was about ghosts. She felt like and idiot as she scrolled past all the links about ghosts, but she soon came upon one that mentioned a myth about invisible people that live in the shadows. It mentioned stuff like only certain people can see them, they are the protectors of the Earth, and that they originated in Ancient Greece. It is also said that they worship the Greek Gods. People that can see them have what they call ‘the ring’. The website said that it’s called the ring because people who can see the invisible figures have a golden ring around their pupils. As she read on, it said that people who are also shadow livers can see each other. After she finished the article, Willow went to the bathroom to check if she did have a golden ring around her pupil. When she checked, she didn’t see one. She thought to herself, if I don’t have a gold ring then why did I see him? She went back to her room and lay down in her bed. She was just happy to finally lay down and relax. As she was dozing off, she heard something  fall off of her dresser. She jumped out of bed and looked towards her dresser. There was a small pile of books on the floor now. But someone was standing next to it. The strange boy was now in her room. She walked towards him. He looked about 16, the same age as her. Again she asked him who he was. He walked towards her and said in a low, soft voice, “Um— My name is Liam. Me and my companion,” he continued as a girl suddenly appeared out of thin air, “believe that you are in danger.”  Willow laughed, shocked but relieved that he wasn’t a hallucination, and said, “Wow, okay. What type of danger and were you watching me this whole time?” Liam lowered his head and he started to stutter. She looked towards the girl and stared. She was the most beautiful girl Willow has ever seen. She had long beautiful, dirty blond hair with sea green eyes. Her skin was tan with a small paleness. She smelled of vanilla and sugar, almost as if she had been baking. Her face was slim and sharp. Below her left eye there was a small brown birthmark. A spray of freckles covered her nose. She wore a grey off the shoulder sweater with black pants that were cuffed. Willows cheeks started to redden as she smiled shyly. The girl said in a sweet voice, “Sorry about him, Princess. I’m Arithia. You are in danger of being murdered by the Prince’s of Orana. And yes he thought it was a good idea to watch over you.” Willow almost jumped a little at the word ‘murder’ but instead, she nodded and said, “Why would they want to kill me? And did you call me Princess?” Arithia looked at Liam and said, “Should I tell her or do you want to tell her?” Liam shook his head, signifying Arithia to tell her. Arithia sighed and said to her, “Your mother is the lost Queen of Orana” Willow looked at Arithia stunned. A Princess? She looked between the both of them and said, “What are you talking about? And how am I a Princess? You never explained.” This time, it was Liam who spoke. He said awkwardly, “There is kingdom called Orana, which is where we are from, and you are technically a Princess. And the people who want to hurt you are the heirs to the throne, the Prince’s. Queen Honna just recently passed away and the heirs are currently trying to kill each other for the throne. Your mother is the next Queen but she ran away from Orana when she was 17. Everyone in Orana knows about her and her story. She’s famous.” She looked at Liam with a confused face. The Prince’s are trying to kill her? How could her mom be a Queen? They had no history of royal blood. “Who are the heirs,” she said, trying not to burst out laughing, “and why the hell do they want to kill me?” Arithia said to her in a calm voice, “The heirs are your moms brothers and the reason they want to kill her is because she’s next in line. That’s honestly all I know.” Willow stared at her in shock. She sat back down on her bed still confused. Her mom had brothers? She had many questions. Arithia sat next to her. Arithia hand grazed hers. Goosebumps covered Willow’s body. She sat in silence for a few seconds then said to Arithia, “So, where is this kingdom you guys were talking about?” Arithia smiled and said, “How about we just take you there?” Willow looked at her and said, her cheeks turning red, “As long as you stay with me.” Arithia and Liam went out through the window to avoid contact with Willows mom. As Willow packed her red duffel bag, she thought about the girl. The way her body curved and the muscles that flexed every time she moved. She had worn a gray crop top with black leathery pants like Liams. Both of them had been wearing what looked like a weapons belt. Her mind kept wandering to Arithia though. She snapped out of it and then wondered if they were taking a car and then wondered how she was gonna get out of the house. She decided that she was gonna say she was going to Malachi’s house. Willow ran down the stairs to ask her mom, hoping her mom didn’t notice Willow talking to people upstairs. As she made her way down the steps, she heard a loud crash from her room. She ran back up to see what it was. She opened the door to see a picture of her and her mom on the floor with a broken frame. Her mom ran up after her asking if she was ok. Willow picked it up and set it back on the night stand making sure the two new strangers were far down the street. She turned around and said, “Yeah. It was just the picture frame.” Her mom said to her, “Well that’s odd. How could that have fallen?” Her mom shrugged it off. Willow said, “Oh well. Can I stay the night at Malachi’s?” Her mom shrugged and said, “I guess. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

     Arithia had waited for so long to actually get to talk to Willow. She was nervous the whole time they interacted. She remembered the first time she had seen her. Liam had gotten picked for this job. His twin sister Haven always hated when he left her alone to go on missions but she was quite interested in this one. Liam had told them both that he got to see the lost Princess and her daughter. Arithia had especially become interested at the thought of her daughter. He told them that the King and Queen had always known where she went but never wanted to force her to come back. So he was gifted with the special task of protecting them. Arithia had begged the Head of the Magidium, Harry, to put her on the task too. She begged and begged until he finally caved. That night Liam had taken her to see her. The first thing they did was go to her school, Fair Light High School. They watched as her friend Malachi took her home. The opened a passage and crossed through back to her house. They carefully crawled through the window making sure not to break anything. Her room was like something from her dreams. Liam and Arithia heard her walking up the stairs. They both hurriedly gone up the ladder that led to the landing above Willows bed. They watched as she came in and laid on her bed. It was an uneventful evening but she was glad she got to see Willow for the first time. Arithia only ever went on Friday nights and sometimes Saturday’s. She always looked forward to seeing Willow even if she couldn’t touch or talk to her. She loved watching the other girl as she laughed at videos on her computer, she had even watched Willow as she sat in the study room working on homework or studying for tests. Her eyebrows always furrowed together while working on a problem. Arithia’s favorite pose of Willows was when she was reading and you could tell by her eyes that she was not to be interrupted. Willow always bit her bottom lip when she was stressed or anxious. That was Arithia’s favorite thing about her. She always wanted to cuddle up next to Willow and read with her, but it could never happen. It was until this night she thought it was stupid to have hope in that ever happening. She had always had fantasy’s of what she would say to her but the she couldn’t think of many words to say at the time of their first interaction. Arithia couldn’t stop thinking of the look on Willows face when she saw Arithia. Her beautiful green and blue eyes widened at the sight of her as a small piece of hair fell in her face. Even as Arithia left out of the window she couldn’t stop thinking of her. She was so distracted that she accidentally knocked a picture frame off the wall as she left. Arithia swore under her breath and jumped to the side so she couldn’t be seen. Then she launched herself off the roof making sure to roll as she fell to the ground. Her and Liam sprinted down the block, steering clear from light. 

     When Willow cleaned up the glass and got out the door, they met back up a couple of blocks away, she asked Liam and Arithia how they were going to get there. Liam smirked and Arithia said, “Prepare yourself.” Arithia had on a gorgeous ring with a white diamond in the middle. All of a sudden, the diamond started to glow. A circle appeared out of nowhere. The girl raised two fingers and did a swift arch with them. The circle grew into what looked like a portal. Willow was shocked and amazed. She touched to see what would happen. It felt like water running over her fingers. It was cold like ice. She removed her hand and asked them, “What is this?” Liam explained that it was called a passage and that it was made with special rings that had a magic diamond in it . Arithia said, “Most people just keep it in their pockets but I keep it on because I don’t want to lose it. Plus it looks really good on me.” Willow gazed at the passage in awe. She had had dreams about going through one before many times. Every single time she went through, she ended up in a large room with gray walls. A tall man in a crown and a black cloak stood before her. The man was accompanied by two others. Both of them looked identical in their outfits. The tall man had a black staff with a glowing red ball placed on the top of it. The mans eyes were a cold grey. Willow shivered at the thought of meeting him. Even the thought of the man chilled her to the bone. Arithia touched Willow’s shoulder gently and said to Willow, “Are you okay? You look ghostly white.” Willow swallowed down a shiver and nodded her head yes. James looked at Arithia and said, “You ready?” Aritha said yes and looked at Willow who said, “I’m ready. But can I tell my friend something really quick?” Arithia and James looked at each other as if they were talking telepathically. Arithia sighed and said, “Okay, but make it quick.” Willow opened the messaging app and tapped on the rectangle that had Malachi’s contact picture. She laughed every time she saw it. It was of a dodo bird from Ice Age the movie. The emojis next to his name were a black heart and a bird. She saw the last text message that was sent and laughed out loud. It had been a throwback picture of Malachi in third grade. Willow sent a text to him that read ‘Hey, I told my mom that I’m coming to your house. If she asks, just say I’m there. Thanks! See you soon!’ She saw the text bubble appear and then disappear. She shrugged then looked at the time. It was almost midnight. She itched to go through the portal. She had never been more nervous. Before she went through, she grabbed Arithia’s shoulder and said, “What’s it like? Orana I mean.” Arithia turned around to face Willow and said with a soft smile, “It’s so beautiful. The castle is so wonderfully set. When the sun sets behind it, it makes the castle look like its made of fire. It’s gorgeous. And the long, rolling hills that go on for miles. My favorite place is the large patch of land that’s about an hour away from the city and all the houses. We have a little cottage there. Every time I go down there with someone, I have a picnic.” James sighed an annoyed sigh. They both turned toward him. His arms were crossed and he tapped his foot impatiently. Both the girls giggled a little and walked towards James. Arithia held out her hand for Willow and looked at her. Willow took it and said, “Ready?” Arithia nodded her head and said, “On three?” They both counted to three in unison and jumped into the passage. Willow tightened her grip on Arithia’s hand. She felt like she was going to throw up. 

     CHAPTER 3: THE SILVER CASTLE 

        Once the got through the passage, Willow fell into the grass. She was pale and felt out of breath she heaved a few times thinking she was going to throw up. Arithia helped her up and said, “You get used to it after a while.” The air smelled sweet like chocolate. Willow looked around and saw crystals of all colors giving light to the roads and sidewalks. She walked along the sidewalk following Arithia and James. She couldn’t focus on one thing. She saw tall pillars the size of skyscrapers made of bluish purplish crystal. She realized after a few minutes that only the buildings were that color and that none of the lights were. She asked Arithia what the buildings were. She told her that the buildings were known as the Guardians. Willow asked her why they’re called that. She said, “No one actually knows. There are rumors saying that the goddess Athena put them there to protect us from the outside world. One of the many gods threatened to wipe all of us out because we have the power to kill any god so Athena cast a spell and set these Everyone else outside of Orana can’t see it. We would never kill a higher being though. Except for two people long ago. Their names were Noella and Ryder. I can tell you about that later.” Willow sighed, breathless from her beautiful surroundings. Then realized that she said the goddess Athena. She ran up to Arithia and asked, “Wait, the goddess Athena? The one that is the goddess of wisdom and war? And why did they want to kill the gods?” Arithia looked at her and said, “I’ll tell you a shortened version of the story but the rest will have to wait.” She took a deep breath in and continued, “So, they were both lovers and Ryder always wanted to be a higher power. Like on a godly level. So he created a very powerful weapon called the Dramita. It is the most powerful weapon to ever exist. Rider and Noella both attempted to assassinate the King and Queen but they failed and the sword is now under the protection of the Guardian Angels.” Willow had so many questions. She didn’t want to annoy James and Arithia anymore so she just kept walking. She couldn’t help but wonder why a god would kill a whole nation. But, she forgot about it once she saw the beautiful castle on the horizon. It was a delicate white ivory color with a hint of metallic silver and a large gated entrance. There were many towers connecting to it. In the center of the palace, there was what looked like a giant room with gothic like architecture. Two flags were strung up a golden one with two swords and a crown in the middle and a second one that was black with angel wings spread out. Her curiosity got the best of her and blurted out, “What are the two flags for?” James looked at them and a tear rolled down his face. He said, “The black one is for the passing of our Queen. The other one is our national flag.” James wiped away the tear and kept walking. Willow thought it was better if she just kept walking and not ask anymore questions about the Queen. Instead, she asked where they were going. Arithia just laughed and said that they were going to the castle. Willow was curious about why they were going to the castle. Aren’t her moms siblings there? Aren’t they trying to kill her and her mom? Her anxiety suddenly overwhelmed her. Her mind was racing. She started breathing heavily and fell to her knees. Willow wanted to scream. So many ‘what if’s’ flew through her head. Hard tears started to fall. It was like a string in her chest was being pulled from both sides. The tension was stronger than ever. She faintly heard James and Arithia call out her name. She felt James’ calloused hands shaking her and calling her name. She heard Arithia faintly say, “James! Get off of her!” His hand were torn away from her. Arithia’s soft smooth hands held her and rocked her. She whispered into Willows ear, “It’s okay. I’m here, I’ll protect you. No one will hurt you.” Willow looked up at Arithia and smiled. Arithia asked Willow what the cause of the anxiety attack was. When Willow finally told her, Arithia hugged her. She told Willow that there’s nothing to be afraid of and that no one knows what she looks like. They only know that her mother bore a child. Willow relaxed a little but was still tense. She stood up finally and her and Arithia sat on a bench. James stood there awkwardly. Willow glared daggers at him. Willow leaned her head on Arithia’s shoulder. Arithia, in response, lay her head gently on Willows. Willow put in her earbuds and put on some music to calm herself. Arithia asked if she could listen, so she gave her the other ear bud and they both listened to ‘All the Good Girls Go to Hell’. Three songs later, Willow was tired and wanted to go to sleep. She stood up and asked the others how long the walk would be. James said, “It shouldn’t take long. About another hour or so.” Arithia added on and said, “But my house is about ten minutes from here. My mom would be fine with  having someone stay the night. You can sleep in my room.” Willow shot a weak smile in her direction and said, “Thank you. You are amazing.” They walked to her house and once they got inside, Arithia looked for her mom. James showed her around. The layout was pretty simple. Once you walked into the front door, the living room was right there. The hallway led to the kitchen. There were stairs leading up and one leading down. Arithia ran downstairs and said, “Follow me, my room is downstairs.” Willow awkwardly walked down the stairs after Arithia. James told her that he was going to the spare bedroom. Willow asked Arithia why he took the spare bedroom, she said, “I’m not allowed to have boys in my room and I’m worried about you having another anxiety attack. I want to be with you if you have another one.” When they got into her room, Willow was amazed by the size and the design. There was a large indentation in the wall where the bed lay. A small wooden ladder leading up to it. A dresser sat against the wall. A make up stand and mirror against the other. The closet was a long walk in closet. All the walls were baby blue with a cork board hanging up above of her bed and writing all over her mirror. Arithia hopped onto the bed and beckoned for Willow to join her. She jumped up next to Arithia and lay down. Willow was about to ask where the bathroom was when she realized that Arithia was asleep. Willow just lay there looking at her beautiful smile and flawless skin. She tried to sleep but couldn’t get her mind to focus on sleep. She could only think of her. Willow finally got up, found a plug and plugged her phone in. She went into the bathroom in Arithia’s room and changed out of her jacket and jeans and into pajama shorts and a silk shirt that said ‘don’t go bacon my heart’. Willow braided her hair back and went back into the room. She lay down and got comfortable under the blanket. When she looked at Arithia she noticed that she was awake. Arithia smiled and said, “I like your shirt.” Willow just closed her eyes and laughed a little bit. She was starting to regret wearing the shirt. Willow said, her heart beating viciously, “Thanks.” She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. She felt Arithia’s hand caress her face and move a piece of hair from her face. Willow smiled and opened her eyes. She saw Arithia gazing at her with a small smirk. Willow said still smiling, “What?” Arithia just whispered, “Nothing.” she continued with, “Is it okay if I cuddle you? I like to cuddle.” Willow nodded yes and closed her eyes. Arithia wrapped her arm around Willow. She lay there in the warmth of the other girl, smiling. Willow closed her eyes and gave a small sigh of relief knowing that she was going to be alright. She wanted to lay there forever. Many different thoughts went through her head. She thought about home and her mom and Malachi and this new world. But knowing the she was walking down the path with Arithia made it better. She was eager to see the castle in person and to see what her moms childhood home looked like. Willow wondered about her grandmothers funeral and what it would like. Would it be a giant celebration of life or a regular all black gathering? She looked out the sun roof and stared at the moon and stars. They had never shined so bright. It was a clear night with no clouds in sight. Willow wanted to dance in the moonlight and let the moon light soak into her skin. She wanted to touch the dark sky and fly through the night. She loved the night time. When the world was quiet and there was no one was awake. She loved sitting under the stars with no one interrupting the peaceful state she always goes into at night. Nights like this are the nights where she can’t sleep. She smiled at the moon and then at Arithia. She sighed pulled the covers up, and shifted her sleeping position. Arithia adjusted to Willow’s position. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. She couldn’t have been more comfortable. 

Willow stood in a field wearing a white dress with a necklace and ring with ruby’s. In the middle of the field stood a ton of people. Some of which she knew, some of which she didn’t. She saw Malachi in a suit standing next to Arithia and James and two other people. One had blonde hair with a long scar on his hand. The other was a girl with thick brown hair. She was tan with brown eyes. Malachi saw her and called for her. They all turned around. When the girl saw Willow, her piercing stare turned soft as she smiled. The other person saw Willow and waved. She ran towards them and tried to jump into Arithia’s arms. She fell right through her. Seconds later, her dress was stained red. She turned around to see what had happened but she saw nothing but flames and blood. She saw three men fighting to the death. She turned to run but instead tripped over a dead body. She looked at the face but couldn’t identify the body. She felt a hand slide around her body. The person said something muffled. She turned her head to see who it was, standing before her was...

     Willow woke before seeing who he was. The presence she had felt around him was dark and cold. As if he were made of ice. The only thing she remembered from him was his black and golden eyes. His pupils were all black and his eyes were shot through with gold. His eyes held something dark and mysterious. Her breathing started to get heavy and she felt vile creeping up her throat. Tears burned her eyes as she tried not to cry. She sat up and started to sniffle. The movements and sound made Arithia wake. She grumbled something in confusion and then looked at Willow. Willow’s heart was pounding. When she saw Arithias soft honey colored eyes on her, she started sobbing. Arithia didn’t hesitate. She gathered Willow in her arms and cradled her. Willow sat in Arithia’s warm arms, bawling. Willow felt Arithia’s lips touch her forehead. Willow’s eyes started to dry a little bit but her breathing was unsteady. Arithia leaned up against the headboard. Willow crawled up next to her and held her hand. Willow started to hum a song. Arithia rocked her back and forth and kissed her head until they both fell asleep. 

    Arithia had been sleeping so well before Willow woke her. She had dreamed of Willow in a beautiful flowing red dress with roses intertwined into her braided hair. They were in the Faerie Fields having a picnic. A couple of smaller Faeries had decided to braid her hair and add flowers into it. She was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. And red was definitely her color. The scarlet red and black eyeshadow and red lipstick stood out against her fair skin. Her blue and green eyes shimmering with delight.  But when she woke, the field was gone and so was the dress and faeries. Willow had accidentally woken her up. She had seen this multiple times before with her brother. She had had a nightmare. Arithia’s brother used to come to her room for her comfort. Even though he was older, that didn’t mean he didn’t need to be comforted. She had always let him tell her his dreams so she could prove to him that they weren’t real. She had held him they way she was now holding Willow. But they were to different people both of which she loved. Memories of her brother came rushing back. Tears burned her eyes but she bit them back, staying strong for Willow. She rocked her back and forth kissing her forehead until Willow finally closed her eyes, a small smile played on her lips. 

           

            

 

 CHAPTER 4: THE GOLDEN PHOENIX

      The next morning, they were still wrapped into each other. Willow was the first to wake up. Still a shaken from her dream, she looked over towards Arithia who was still sound asleep. Willow got out of bed to retrieve her phone. When she unplugged it, it made a soft but still loud ding. She looked over towards the bed to make sure she hadn’t woken Arithia up. Luckily, she only rolled over. She crawled back into the bed and back into her warm arms. When she opened her phone, she saw that she had a few texts from her mom and Malachi. She quickly glanced over them and could care less about the texts. But she answered anyways. Malachi said, Hey, your mom asked me if she should come pick you up later or if I should drop you off. The thing is, I don’t know where you are and I told her that I’ll drop you off. The next text was, Please tell me where you are. I know you told me to lie to her but I need to at least know where you are. She just texted back, I’ll tell you later. I’m gonna ask if I can “stay” another night. She sighed and went to her moms texts. They said, Are you awake? If so, tell me if you want me to pick you up or if you want Malachi to drop you off. The next one said, Never mind. Malachi will drop you off. She grumbled and texted back, Can I stay another night? She closed her eyes and sighed. She felt her phone buzz. Her mom replied with, I guess. She texted Malachi telling him that she’s going to stay another night. He responded with a thumbs up emoji. She set her phone down, sighed, then closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. 

Arithia woke up to the sun shining down on the both of them. She stroked Willows arm and whispered, “Good morning.” Willow sighed and said back to her, “Good morning beautiful.” Willow hopped off the ledge and walked into the bathroom to change out of her crumpled, black pajamas. She had worn a baggy t-shirt and llama pants to bed. Arithia smiled at Willow and the thought of her tired smile. She watched her blond hair bounce from side to side as she walked into the bathroom. She wanted to run her hands through Willows soft hair. She stood up and walked to the edge of the bed about to jump off the bed. Instead of looking cool and jumping off, she wasn’t paying attention to where her foot was going and fell off. She landed on her feet luckily but wobbled a little, her weight still making a big thump. Willow opened the door partially and yelled, “Are you okay?” Arithia responded with, “Yes... I may have fallen off of the bed.” Willow laughed. Arithia smiled at her laugh and started laughing with her. Their laughs went down to a snicker. Arithia assured Willow that she was okay. She quickly grabbed her clothes and went upstairs. Her mom was sitting at the table. The only thing that resembled Arithia was the skin and hair. Her eyes were a light hazel brown. Her mom looked tired. She had streaks of grey and wrinkles by her mouth. Arithia’s mom was wearing a silk robe with a grey, worn t-shirt underneath. She was holding a mug of what looked like hot tea. Arithia kissed her on the cheek and said, “Hey mom. Did Liam leave already?” Her mom nodded her head yes, with a tired look on her face. She went upstairs and grabbed a towel and a few rags so she could shower. She walked down a couple of steps and yelled, “Mom, if Willow comes up while I’m in the shower, tell her that I’m going make something for breakfast. Ask her what she wants.” Arithia walked into the bathroom ready to cleanse herself of the dirt and grime. She undressed and ran the water until it was hot. It felt amazing against her cold skin. She scrubbed her hair until it felt clean of dirt. For some reason, she felt as if she was covered in dirt. She scrubbed herself clean and stepped out of the shower, putting her ring and necklace back on first and then her clothes. She wore white ripped skinny jeans with a black and white plaid buttoned up shirt. She looked up and down then smiled. She was ready.

Willow changed into her red Marvel T-shirt, some paint covered jeans and black checkered Vans with red cherries on it. She came upstairs and sat down across from Arithia’s mom. She said, “Hi I’m Willow. Thank you for letting me stay the night.” The mom said, “Oh hi. I’m Alexandria but you can call me Alex.” She paused to take a sip of her tea, “You can stay her anytime. Arithia told me what happened last night and I didn’t want you to be by yourself.” At that second, Arithia came down the stairs. She looked at Willow and blushed a dark red and walked down into her room, fixing a piece of stray hair. While she was down there, her mom said, “You like her don’t you. I can tell by the way you look at her.” Willow looked at Alex with wide eyes. She replied with, “Okay maybe I do but that’s only because she’s super pretty and super caring and was worried about me. We don’t know anything about each other though.” Alex said responded with, “I can already tell that she likes you. She only blushes like that in front of someone she likes. I’ve only seen it one other time. Plus, that smile is only reserved for the ones she likes the most.”  Just then, Arithia came back up the stairs, phone in hand. Her hair was still wet and dripping. She asked Willow what she wanted for breakfast while putting on an apron. Willow could’ve eaten an elephant she was so hungry. But the first thing that came to her head was pancakes. Some pancakes with bacon and sausage. That sounded so good to her right now. She asked if they had anything for pancakes. To her surprise Alex said, “Yeah. We have some stuff in the cabinet. The bacon is in the fridge.” Willow went to the fridge and grabbed the bacon. Arithia pulled out the ingredients for pancake mix. As she was mixing all the ingredients, she asked where Dylan was. Alex said, “He left early. He didn’t want his mom to worry.” She shrugged her shoulders a little thankful that he left. When the bacon and grits were finished cooking, they all sat at the table and ate. She felt so at home with Arithia and her mom. Ten minutes later, Arithia said, “Hey Willow, there is a coffee shop near where we’re walking to, do you wanna stop by there and get something to eat for lunch?” Willow looked her in the eyes and said, “Sure, I’m fine with that.” Arithia got up and said, “Great! Let me go do my hair and we can get going.” When she left, Alex looked at her with wide eyes and mouthed ‘Oh, my goddess’ and said in a whisper, “She’s never actually asked anyone out. She must really like you.” Willow stood up and said in shocked voice, “Okay I’m going to go downstairs and put on some makeup. And then I will go on a date.” Her heart was so excited. She was screaming internally.  When she walked downstairs, she heard Arithia singing ‘All the Good Girls Go to Hell’. Willow smiled and started to sing with her. She grabbed her makeup bag and went into the bathroom with Arithia. They were both singing at the top of their lungs. Willow put on some eyeshadow, lipstick, powder and mascara while Arithia curled her hair. When they were both done, they walked upstairs together. Her mom was still sitting at the table smiling at them. They walked out of the house and down towards the towering castle. The further they went the bigger the houses were. They reached a little shopping area with restaurants, weapon shops, and clothing stores. She saw a little cafe with posters of pumpkin bread and coffee on it. Her and Arithia went inside and got coffee and banana nut bread. Willow got a caramel macchiato and Arithia got a caramel latte. They shared a piece of banana nut bread. The two girls went outside and sat together. When they sat down Arithia asked her about her school and what it’s like. Willow said, “I love my school. It’s hard but my best friend Malachi makes it much better. The teachers aren’t that bad but they’re not that good either. I like it though. All the boys like me and I don’t know why. Sadly none of the girls are into me.” She rambled on while Arithia listened. Soon enough Willow said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk about myself so much,” she could’ve gone on for hours, “What’s your school like?” Arithia said, “It’s very different compared to yours. We have seven periods instead of six. We have math, English, history and science. The three other classes are fighting, magic and weapons making.” Willow looked intrigued. Arithia said, “The school is technically an institute. The last three classes are a necessity for all ages but they get harder every year.” Willow asked why they were necessary. Arithia said, “The magic is for casting protection spells when a weapon is lost or breaks. You can learn a lot of spells that you can use for everyday stuff. Like fixing something you broke or something. You have to have the jewel on in order to do the spell though. You get to choose between a bracelet, a necklace, and a ring. Most choose rings because it doesn’t interfere that much. Like I said last night, most boys don’t wear it if it’s a ring. They might do a necklace or something but rings are easier to design and to fight in. You can also enchant the weapons with it. Either after it’s made or during. People mark their weapons with something unique that indicates something of theirs. Something personal or their family crest. The fighting is the hardest. There are so many different styles of fighting. It all depends on the weapon you’re fighting with. Or if you’re not fighting with one, it’s very different. But, either way it’s rough. You can break a lot of things. Anyways, you probably don’t want to hear about that.” They both finished their drinks and went on their way. Willow asked Arithia about the fighting and the magic and the weapons making and if she was going to learn it. Arithia said, “Well, since you are the heir, you are going to have to learn about that. Don’t worry about it right now”, she said with reassurance, “you will have your own teacher. The best of the best.” Willow turned to look at Arithia and said, “What if I don’t get it and what if I can’t fight. Oh no.” Arithia guided her to a bench and said, “These things come naturally to us, especially royalty. They are all amazing protectors and rulers. The Queen most times will hold little assembly’s for the oldest classes in school. She wants to see how well the school does with teaching kids to fight. The ones she thinks fight the best she will recruit after they graduate. They still have to go through certain tests to see if they are tough enough-mentally and physically- to be part of the Queens guard. They are called the Guardian Angels.”, she paused to take a breath then continued with, “The royal family can fight like no ones business but they like to be prepared in case of an event where they need the guards. If they don’t pass the test to become a Guardian Angel, they are still allowed to fight in the army. Dylan and I applied for the job that we both have currently last year. We’ve been friends since third grade. We both work at the Magidium. The Magidium is where some of the best fighters are. Students rarely get a job there. But since we’re still only students, we’re still learning to fight. The only way you can get in is if you have the highest score on your fighting exam, which is based on physical ability and most times the way you react in certain situations. The other thing you need is the ability to conjure things with no problem. Conjure a portal, create healing spells, casting enchantments and everything else necessary in battle. The stones come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. You don’t choose the stone though, it chooses you. You only get to choose how you want to wear it. When you choose your choice, you have to make it. Everyone has a different design. Mine is made to look like a snake. His is made to look like a crown.” Arithia held out her hand to show Willow. It’s silver body winding around her finger. It’s eye a smoky color jewel. The scales detailed beautifully. It’s silver tongue flickering out onto her knuckle. It was plain but it looked exquisite against her skin. Willow started thinking about her design and decided that she was going to do a lion or angel wings. Arithia went on to say, “One more thing I almost forgot,” she pulled out a necklace with a hazy gray diamond on it from her shirt, “This diamond contains a certain magic that is super cool. Just like the other one, you get to create your own design for it. It always has to be a necklace. That’s another reason most people do rings. But this necklace allows you to do only one thing though.” Willow looked at her with anticipation, wanting to know what it does. It was all so knew to her. Arithia continued with, “When you say a certain incantation, you turn into your spirit animal. My spirit animal is an elephant but I love snakes. My necklace turns into a head-dress when I turn. It’s kind of weird to see out in public. Everyone has a spirit animal. Big and small. I wonder what yours will be.” She looked at Arithia and said, “I hope I get something cute or cool. I’ve always loved panthers. I wonder if that’s my spirit animal.”  She stared down at the snake wrapping around the diamond on Arithia’s necklace. It matched her skin in an oddly beautiful way. Arithia smiled when she saw . Willow looked at her beautiful smile, staring at her beauty. She said, “We should probably get going.” Her eyes locking onto Arithia’s. Willow took Arithia’s hand and said, “Lead the way.” 

They both walked for about forty minutes, smiling and talking and laughing when Arithia said, “I just remembered! I need to grab something from my room in the Magidium. It’s the big building right over there.” She pointed to a building with a dome top. Willow just whispered, “Wow.” Arithia smiled at the sound of Willows voice. As they were walking towards it, there was a scanner in the entrance way. Arithia walked up to it and showed the scanner her wrist. The scanners green light flicked over the tattoo. The door opened automatically. Willow asked Arithia how she opened the door, Arithia flipped her wrist and showed her a small tattoo at least three inches in length and one inch in width. It was an odd but very beautiful design. It swirled every which way and looked almost like a tribal tattoo but if you looked close enough there was a phoenix with its wings spread wide in the middle of it. Willow looked at her with a small smile and said, “Unique design is also a key to get into the building?” Arithia nodded her head yes, excited to show Willow her room. She grabbed Willows hand, said, “Come on! I want to show you my room!” And they both ran across the hall to the rooms. Every door was the same except for the stickers and posters on them signifying who lives there. When they got to Arithia’s room, there were five stickers on her door. The stickers were the flag, her name, a phoenix sticker, picture of her mom and two other men. Her dad and her brother. The last was also a picture. It was her holding black and gold sword with a long curved hilt. Her name was inscribed on the hilt. She was wearing her necklace and ring. Her snake ring shined in the light. The necklace was beautiful against her skin. She wore her gold and red flame dress. It was short and collared. The bottom was a blackish color that looked like there were stars in it. It faded into a smokey grey towards the top. The back was shaped like a winding snake. She had it specially designed for that occasion. It was her favorite dress. That was the first time she had worn it. She had just turned 12 and it was her Dageron ceremony. The ceremony where you get your first custom weapon and the Zaforia mark. The Zaforia mark helps you see through mutrias. Mutrias are spells that help hide you from others outside of Orana. Arithia sighed, she remembered that day like it was yesterday. Her brother and dad were there in their black and white suits. Her mom was in her gold sequin dress. She remembered running to her dad and brother after the ceremony. Jumping on them with everything she had. 12 year old her laughing like crazy. Arithia could hear her dad saying how proud of her she was. Arithia missed them terribly. She shook her head and smiled, pushing the door open. Arithia loved having her own room she got to decorate it however she liked without having others judge her. She had a bunk bed on one side of the wall and the other a dresser and vanity desk. Under her bed was a desk with papers with writing on it and a mason jar full of pencils and pens. On the wall there were more pictures of her dad and brother. Some of them were of her and Liam. Fairy lights were entangled around the spaces in the bunk bed. Above her desk was her bed with its blue and white comforter. She had a book sitting on the corner of it. On the wall next to her bed, there was a pride flag. The opposite wall where the vanity mirror was was filled. Her dresser took up one quarter of the wall and her vanity desk was in the middle of the wall. A light was installed above it. Jewelry covered the vanity desk. There was rainbow glitter and makeup cluttered all over it. Books were stacked upon each other next to it. Arithia looked at the clutter that was her room. She skipped towards the closet and grabbed two hoodies. One was white and the other was black. The white one had fading roses on it. It had her name on the back. In cursive black lettering. The black one had a small middle finger in the corner and ‘fuck off’ in cursive under it. Arithia asked Willow which hoodie she wanted. Willow grabbed the black hoodie and put it on over her Marvel t-shirt. Arithia said, “It’s supposed to rain soon. I figured I’d run by here and show you the place and grab some jackets.” Arithia hopped a tiny bit, excited to show Willow the Magidium. She threw  on her jacket and then dragged willow out of her room, locking the door behind her. She knew exactly where to go. Grabbing Willows hand, she dragged her up two flights of stairs. The stairs led up to a dome that sat on top of the building. It was a greenhouse full of unique flowers only found in Orana and Idralia. Arithia’s favorite flowers were the red ones with the white stripes. The red turned to baby blue and the white turned into a glowing neon blue at night. They were called Sacraphelia. They come in all different colors. There were many beautiful and crazy flowers in the dome but those were the most beautiful. She strolled passed the Cinnadalion’s, those changed shape and color. It was in the shape of a human eye that was green with swirls of brown. Passing a few more plants, she turned around and saw Willows eyes wandering around at all the marvelous plants with a smile on her face. She stopped at a small bench next to the Sacraphelia’s. She sat next to the one with new blooms coming in. The new blooms always looked orange. Willow sat down next to her. She asked Arithia, “What are these? They’re super cool looking.” Arithia said, “They’re called Sacraphelia’s. They change color at night. The red turned to baby blue and the white changes to a beautiful neon blue.” Willow looked in awe at the flowers. Arithia told her that it’s her favorite spot to sit at at night. Willow asked why and Arithia said, “You can see the sunset through the glass panels. And as the sunsets, you can watch the Sacraphelia’s change color.  It’s an amazing sight. Maybe I can bring you here tonight.” Willow’s smile turned to a frown. She turned to Arithia and said, “I really don’t want to leave but we need to go to the castle.” Arithia sighed and walked her down the stairs and out of the building. They continued on their walk to the palace. Arithia saw the golden gates. She had only been inside the castle twice. Once for her Dageron ceremony and then another time for her father and brothers funeral. Her dad was a Guardian Angel and was very well respected. Her brother trained in the Magidium during his last three years of school. He was training to become a Guardian Angel like her father. She was there with her father and brother when they were killed. She blocked out that memory the best that she could. Her and Willow walked hand in hand to the gates. Arithia smiled as she approached the gates. Where the gates parted, there was a crown with swords crossing through it. There was a finger pricker on the gate. All you had to do was put a finger in it. It will prick your finger to draw blood and will identify who you are. Willow asked Arithia what it was, she said, “You put your finger in the thing and it takes your blood. It scans your blood to see if it’s in the system. So since you have royal blood in you, it will let you in.” 

Willow was nervous about the pricker. She didn’t have any idea about what would happen if it didn’t work and what would happen if it did. She clumsily set her finger on the pad. Willow expected a hard pinch but instead she felt nothing. She started wondering if it would work or not. She sighed, chewing her lip, hoping it would open. Suddenly, the gates creaked open, leading her to two towering doors both made of thick glass. The doors had a gold and black swirled design on the front. She was nervous and squeezed Arithia’s hand, pushing the door open. They walked into the castle. There were people rushing across the floor and up and down the stairwell. Willow walked up to someone in fancy business like clothing and said, “Do you know where I can find the King? I need to speak with him as soon as possible.” The women looked at her as if she recognized her. She then proceeded to gasp and whisper, “Princess Kiara” and then grabbed her hand and was almost running to the throne room. Arithia’s hand fell out of hers when the women started dragging her up the stairs. Willow saw her trying to run after her but two people grabbed her arms before she could run up to her. Willow couldn’t see what happened after that. She tried to see where they were going but it was all a blur. She started to panic. She felt sick and was ready to pass out. The woman and her both stopped after what seemed like forever. The women bowed and said, “My lord.” Willow was gasping for air, wide eyed. Her mind was all over the place. She sat on the ground and closed her eyes. She knew she was sitting in front of the King who was also her grandfather. She just couldn’t stand. She felt hot tears building up in her eyes. Her heart pounded. She felt a cold, gentle hand against her arm and a soft voice saying, “Are you okay, my child? Do you need anything?” Her mind focused on the voice and touch and she slowly looked up. There he was, her grandfather, the King. He had emerald eyes with silver grey hair. His face looked young but his eyes were old. He wore a silver crown that had bits of gold wound into it. The jewels in the crown were ruby’s and in the center there was an onyx with flecks of gold in it. She somehow felt the power of the onyx flow through her. She stared at it. The King stood there knowing what she felt. She looked away and blinked a few times. Her grandfather looked at her, smiled and the said, “You look just like your mother.” He sighed and then hugged her tightly. Willow said to him, “You must be my grandfather. My mom told me you and grandma had died before I was born. And she never told me about this place. I honestly don’t know anything about it and I don’t have a shapeshifter necklace or a ring. I just really want to know everything. Everything about our family and everything about this new world and... just... everything.” Her grandfathers smile brightened even more. He laughed a little, “Your very curious. Just like your mother.” His smile fell, “We were hoping for a day when she would come back. At least your here. I’m glad I get to know my grandchild. This might be an odd question but, what’s your name?” Willow smiled and hugged him tighter this time. She looked at him and said, “My name is Willow. I’m glad I came. Actually, I found a couple of people standing in my room watching me. They’re the ones that brought me here. Only one followed me around. They said that they were there because I’m in some sort of danger, is that true? I’m just scared I’m going to get hurt and my mom not knowing about it. She thinks I’m currently at my friends house.” The King stood up while helping Willow up. He said to her, “I was married into the family. I can’t keep the throne for forever. Since your mother is the heir, her brothers want to kill her for the throne. And since you are her kid, they might harm you too. I don’t know why they would want to hurt you but they might.” Willow sighed and said, “I’m just worried about mom.” Her grandfather sighed and said, “She’ll be fine. She’s stronger than all of them combined and her spirit animal is a lion. She’ll be fine.” He paused and said, “So, you want to get your shapeshifter diamond?” Willow nodded and said, “How does it work? Like, how does the process work?” Her grandfather chuckled a little and started walking. Willow followed after him. He led her through a hallway and to a door with a curved handle and two light fixtures on either side of it. He opened the door and walked through it. Willow didn’t know what to do. The King beckoned for her to follow. She walked through the door way into an opening. A table with what looked like fifty rocks. The King said, “Pick one.” She looked at all of them and picked one that was smooth on all sides. It was white with dark black dots. She gave the rock to the King and he looked at it with a small smile. He set it on a small clear spot on the table. There was a small hammer and chisel. He took the chisel and set it in a small crack that even she didn’t notice. The King tapped the chisel with the hammer three times before it popped open. Inside of it was a ruby. Willow stared in awe at the beauty of it. It shone bright. The King picked it up with careful hands and gave it too her. She held it like it was the greatest thing ever created. It wasn’t much smaller than the palm of her hand. She looked at her grandfather and said, “How do I put it into a necklace and a ring? I don’t know how to work metal. Can you teach me? I’m sorry if I’m being annoying. I’m just so curious.” He laughed and said, “Just like her. I can teach you. We can start tomorrow.” Willow jumped up, excited to make her own custom made ring and necklace. She already had already changed her ideas for the rings. Instead of a lion, she would do either a dragon. The dragon represents power, strength and mystery. She loved what it symbolizes. Her and her grandfather walked out of the room and down a hallway towards a hallway where there were multiple beautifully painted doors. He led her to a door that had gold and white painted on it. The door handle was smooth and silver. Her grandfather stopped and looked at it. The mournful look was on his face again. The twinkle in his eyes dimmed. He turned to her and said, “This used to be your mothers room. It has some clothes and shoes in them. They are getting washed, along with the bed sheets. It is clean and has been dusted. The room has never changed. We kept it the same ever since the day she left.” She touched the cold, slick handle and opened the door. Inside was a four poster bed with blue curtains surrounding the mattress. Two small lanterns hung on each side. There was a nightstand with books piled on it on the left side and a small shelf on the other side with ten books on it with a few spots were left empty. Willow assumed the spaces were reserved for the books on the nightstand. There was a small reading chair in the corner next to a large bookshelf. The lights were signs from restaurant. One formed the words ‘Davie’s Diner’ in colored lights. Another formed her moms name. ‘Kiara’s corner’ was sitting right above the chair in white lights. A street sign sat on the wall. She recognized the street. It was the sign from the street they lived on. It was faded so Willow could tell it was from when her mom was younger. She always wished for a small book corner like this. She trailed her fingers across the spines of the books on the bookshelf. Her finger stopped at one book. The books spine was a light blue with a gold design on it. The name on the spine said ‘The King’s Secret’. The spine of the book was worn from all the times of reading it. She could tell her mom took good care of it. Willow looked at the King and asked him if she could bring it home. He nodded his head yes. She picked it up and immediately glanced over the others. ‘The King’s Secret’ was the only one that was worn on the spine. Willow walked around the room. She looked through dressers, closets, nightstands, everywhere. In the closet there were a lot of high heels an flats. No wonder her mom hated wearing heels and flats. On the small shelf were boxes filled with pictures. She took the box down and held one. On it was her mother with a handsome, muscular man. His hair was shaggy and blond. He wore a gold crown with deep blue gems in it. The man was wearing a suit with medals and a sky blue sash that matched his eyes. He had an arm around her mom. Her mom wore a small smile with a long, flowing black dress. It was silky and fit her curves greatly. Willow never realized how beautiful her mom is. Her blonde hair was in two braids going into a regular braid behind her back. Orange flowers were gently tucked into the braid and was flipped over her right shoulder. She wore a black and silver tiara with fire orange diamonds along with a ring with the same gems. Willow turned the picture over. The back had a date with names and a quote written in cursive. It said ‘Prince William and Princess Kiarra. 1997’. The quote read ‘In times of darkness, you are my light.’ Willow recognized that quote almost immediately. Her mom had it tattooed on her wrist in that exact handwriting. Willow’s mom had told her that she was her light and even in her darkest times, she would think of Willow and her beautiful spirit. Willow remembered her response to that. She had said, “You are mine too, I haven’t had many dark moments but you have and will always guide me through every time.” Willow wanted that to be her first tattoo when she turned eighteen. Willow grabbed another. This one had her grandfather, a woman she assumed was her grandmother, her mom, and three little boys. Her mom and grandmother wore flowing dresses while the three little boys and her grandfather wore suits. Willow showed it to her grandfather. He smiled and said, “That’s your mom and your three uncles.” He said he’d and said with a weary smile, “That is—was your grandmother. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. I wasn’t the most attractive when I was younger but she chose me. I wasn’t royalty, I was just a lonely peasant. When her father died, she wasn’t betrothed to anyone and her mother had died at child birth. She had known me for a while but we were never anything serious. Her father didn’t approve of me because I was a peasant and that’s why we were never a thing. But when he died, she grieved and I was the only one there to comfort her. Your grandmother was 18 at the time. She had other sisters but they had been betrothed and she was the only one left. She let me live alongside her inside this castle for her comfort. Soon after that, our feelings deepened and our love was a secret. Then, she decided that we should marry. I had already been helping her with running the kingdom and she didn’t want to keep it a secret anymore so, we wed. We were both young. Soon after we wed, we had your mother. And then we had the twins, and then our last boy.”  He sighed and then looked at Willow, “But, I shouldn’t bore you with my stories.” She looked up at him and said, “That wasn’t boring. That was adorable. Maybe you could tell me more later?” Her grandfather grinned and said, “Yes my sweetheart, I can.” Willow smiled up at him and tucked the two photos into her jacket pocket. She searched the rest of the closet for more stuff but she came up empty handed. At that moment, a  thin woman walked into the room and said, “Sir, the girl down in the holding cell is asking for her.” She nodded toward Willow. 

Arithia’s wrist was bruised from how tight the handcuffs were. They had told her that she wasn’t allowed you leave until the King saw to her. She didn’t understand why the handcuffs were necessary. All she did was escort Willow into the castle. She didn’t have any weapons with her unless you counted her ring and necklace. She only used those in emergency’s. Arithia played games and tried not to fall asleep. She wasn’t going to sleep until she saw that Willow was safe. Arithia’s legs were pulled up onto the chair cold metal seat. Goosebumps covered her body. She put on her hoodie and curled into a little ball trying to warm herself. Arithia luckily had her phone and earbuds. She shoved one in and blasted her music. After almost five songs, someone walked in. It was a man with black and grey hair. One of his eyes was a milky color mixed with a velvet red. His other eye was a cold winter grey color that showed no mercy. Three long scars ran across his face and down his neck to his shoulder. It made Arithia’s skin crawl. The mans face was still and showed no emotion. She looked at him and said, “Why am I here? And can I see Willow?” The only thing that moved was his eyes. They moved up and down, scanning her body. She had never felt more uncomfortable. A few seconds later the door opened again. Another person entered. He looked a couple of years older than her. The person wore a black and silver uniform with the flags design on their breast. He had grey gloves on that matched the color of his uniform. Their hands were folded behind his back. The man smiled at Arithia and said, “Hi, my name is Cory. I’m one of the Kings private guards.  We just brought you here because we’re not sure why you came to the castle. There have been several attempts at assassinations towards the King already.  We are just being more cautious. We didn’t want to put his life on the line again.” He turned and looked at the other guard and nodded towards the door. The other guard turned around and walked cleanly out the door without another glance. “Sorry about him. He can be a bit intimidating,” Corey said, “Especially when he stands like that.” Arithia giggled a little. Corey smiled with her. His bright eyes gleamed with light. He sat down across from her and removed his gloves. His pale hands were scarred and calloused. Arithia looked at the scar that ran from the tip of his pinkie finger to his wrist. She looked at it, careful not to make it obvious. It looked fairly new. Without looking up Corey said, “I got this when I was your age. It still hurts me sometimes.” He looked up at her and said in a quiet whisper, “Worth it.” Arithia was dying to ask what happened but she didn’t want to be rude. He sighed and said, “You want to know don’t you.” She blushed and said quietly, “Yeah. Kind of.” Corey laughed and said, “That’s a story for another time.” His mouth curved to a soft, flirtatious smile. Arithia shot him a small smile back. Corey said, “So, tell me. Why are you here.” His voice was smooth but interrogative. His eyes had a slight twinkle. There was a softness in his voice that made her mind melt. Arithia said with a smile, “This may sound stupid and you might think that I’m crazy but my... friend is the Lost Queen’s daughter. Me and one of my other friends took her here because she had never heard of Orana and she wanted to see it for herself. So when we got here, we were going to come here right away but it was dark so we went to my house. And then we came here where she was taken to the King, her grandfather, and I was taken here.” Corey nodded his head. His silky dirty blonde hair fell gently across his forehead. He said to her, running his hand through his hair, “Well, thank you. That’s all I needed to know. And I believe you,” He said his smooth voice never breaking, “You said you wanted to see... Willow, was it? That’s the Lost Queens daughter?” His voice snapped out of the flirtatious state and went onto a more curious tone. Arithia pulled herself together and said hesitantly, “Yes. That’s my friend and the Lost Queens daughter. Can I see her?” Corey nodded his head and stood up to tell someone to go get her. Arithia paced around the room, eager to see Willow again. Corey walked back into the room and leaned against the wall. He said, “Someone’s on there way upstairs to get her. Are you okay?” She stopped and said, “I don’t know why I’m so anxious. We’ve seen and talked to each other multiple times. It’s not like any other time.” Corey smirked and crossed his arms. He laughed a little bit and said, “I know what’s happening.” His skin grew into a wide smile. Arithia looked at him and said, “What do you mean?” Arithia’s heart pounded. Corey discreetly pushes himself off the wall and walked towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder and said, “You, my friend, are in love.” Arithia blushed hard and said, “Makes sense. We did sleep in the same bed last night and she did call me beautiful. And we did go on a date. Kind of.” Corey smiled a small excited smile. He said, “I cannot wait to meet her. She sounds amazing and beautiful.” Arithia sighed and smiled, thinking about Willow. Corey stood and talked to her while they waited for Willow.

Willow followed the lady down the stairs and to the elevator. Her and the King got on together. He told the woman that she was free to go. They both rode down together. Willow started talking about Arithia, her heart pounding from excitement. She told him about her smile, her eyes, about how everything she does seems perfect. The King smiled at her and nodded along. She stopped when the elevator doors opened. Willow let her grandfather lead the way. A different woman saw the King and pointed towards a hallway. When she saw Willow, her eyes widened with shock. Willow felt uncomfortable under her unmoving gaze. As they both passed through the hallway, she heard whispers from all directions. She kept her head down and put her hood up. She wasn’t used to whispers being about her. They passed three doors before stopping at one. Willow’s grandfather typed in a code and opened the door. She peeked inside to see Arithia and the man she dreamt about standing together talking. The man pointed towards the doorway. Arithia turned, smiled then ran to Willow. They both hugged each other. Willow was the first to break away. Arithia grabbed Willow’s hand and pulled her towards Corey. Willow immediately recognized him from her dream. It was an odd familiarity. Corey waved a shy little wave at her. Willow smiled and hugged him without giving it a second thought. His hug seemed so familiar it was odd. A few seconds later she pulled apart realizing that Corey still didn’t know her. Her cheeks blushed red symbolizing her embarrassment. She hung her head and clasped her hands through her hoodie pockets. Arithia giggles a little causing Willow’s cheeks to burn even more. It spread to the tips of her ears. She smiled at Arithia’s laugh. Corey looked at her and said, “Um... hello?” Willow looked at him and said, “Let’s try this again.” Willow walked out and walked back in. She stood next to Arithia and said to Corey, “Hi. How are you? I’m Willow.” Corey smiled and said, “Hi there Willow. I’ve heard a lot about you.” He pointed in Arithia’s direction. This time Arithia blushed. Willow looked at Corey and said, “It’s nice to meet you.” All three of them sat at the cold, hard metal table and talked for almost elan hour before a random soldier walked in and said, “Corey, they need you up in the throne room.” Corey sighed a dramatic sigh and walked out waving bye to Willow. Willow waved back and smiled. Once he walked out, the King walked in. He looked at them both with a small smile on his face. He glanced at their hands and looked back at Willow. Willow and Arithia both looked at their hands, intertwined. They both quickly let go of each other, Willow blushing a deep red. The King said to both of them, “So. It’s almost five o’clock. Should we get to dinner? We are having a feast in your honor.” Willow turned pale and her breathing became shallow. Her grandfather looked at her in concern. After he realized what was happening, he clarified that the princes wouldn’t be their. Arithia helped calm her down after a few minutes. She breathed and said, “Let’s go. What are we having?” The King smiled and said, “It’s a surprise. Your mother’s favorite.” Arithia stood up out of her chair and said, “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get going.” 

They both walked hand in hand up the stairs towards the dining room. When they walked in they both got hit by the smell of delicious ham, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, all of her favorites as well as her mother’s. The King said to her, “Your mother used to help cook the ham. She loved to watch too. She loved to hunt for them. Kiarra would ride Nightfall around the woods, hunting for birds, deer, hogs, and squirrels. I don’t know why she hunted for squirrel. It was probably for practice with her Ameniva skills.” Willow’s face twisted into a confused look. The King saw her look and said quickly, “It’s the technical term for your spirit animal. Hers is a hawk. Most times you can tell what the spirit animal is gonna be based on certain features when they are born. For example, your mother had yellow-brown eyes like a hawk when she was born. Being that I have green eyes and your grandmother had blue eyes it was obvious that that was the Ameniva feature. My mother told me that I had a faded leopard print around my face.” He pointed to his hairline and down the side of his cheeks. He continued with, “Depending on your spirit animal you might not have a special feature when your born.” Before he could continue, Willow said, “When can I learn?” The king gave her a smile that looked like one a mischievous child wore and said, “Soon enough. I can teach you and, if she would like, your friend could join me in teaching you.” She smiled excitedly. Willow saw his eyes give off a wild look. “Since no one is around, I can show you my Ameniva form,” He said as the lookShe looked at him with the widest smile she had ever held and said, “Yes please.” He stood you, muttered the incantation, and 3 seconds later, there was a leopard padding around the dining room. It’s footsteps quiet. A throaty purr was coming from the beautiful leopard. A jeweled crown that matched his Ameniva form sat around its head with a moonstone gem in the middle. It gave a great roar and turned back into the King. She looked at him and said, “Why did your necklace transform into a crown? Doesn’t it usually stay as a necklace?” The King sighed and said tiredly, “Since I was crowned king, it became a crown. It depends on what rank of royalty you are. A Prince’s necklace turns into sort of plain band with their diamond in the middle. When your Uncle Emery turned into his Ameniva, a lion, his necklace became a golden band. His opal was in the center of it. The band was a neat design. The gen was held by the jaws of a lion. It was his special design. He wanted it to represent his Ameniva form. Your mother’s necklace turned into a beaded cover-up that covered her wings while flying. She said they weren’t heavy and that they were thin strings. They helped her gain muscle in her wings.” Arithia was about to say something when the door to the dining room opened. In came multiple silver trays. Their family seal was engraved in it. The silver trays contained, mashed potatoes, ham, crab, oysters, all of Willows favorite foods. It was an unusual combination of food but she was to hungry to care. She piled food on her plate only now realizing how hungry she was. Soon after they finished, they served dessert. It was vanilla ice cream, gooey cake, coconut cream pie, and fresh cinnamon rolls. It smelled like heaven. Her mind immediately said all of it but her stomach said pie and cinnamon rolls. Her two favorites. Willow stacked them onto her plate, while asking for a glass of milk. She grabbed a fork and dug in. 

                                     •.             •.            •. 

     After dinner, Willow showed Arithia her moms room. The sheets and pillow cases were back on the bed and pillows. The pillow cases had a white and gold design along with the blanket. The sheets were a plain snow white. Willow walked to the closet and opened it. There were multiple dresses and some T-shirts. She took out a faded grey T-shirt and put it on the neatly made bed then went to the dresser and found some black athletic shorts. She looked over at Arithia who was roaming around the room. A small sigh escaped Willows lips. Arithia looked up at the ceiling and said a small wow. Willow followed her gaze and saw the beautiful scene painted on the ceiling. There were tree tops and the sky and sun shining through it. There were birds floating through the air. It looked so beautiful that Willow couldn’t stop looking at it. She lay on the bed and gazed up at it. Arithia lay down next to her in the surprisingly comfortable bed. Arithia and Willow looked at each other and Arithia said, “Isn’t it beautiful. This whole place is magnificent but this room and this mural are the best part yet.” Willow smiled and rolled onto her side. She said, “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Arithia rolled onto her side a few seconds after Willow. She reached for Arithias hand and intertwined their fingers. Arithia let out a big yawn and scooter closer to Willow. She was so close that Willow could kiss her. She leaned in to give her a kiss but before she had the chance to, there was a knock on the door. The two girls jumped up off the bed and looked towards the door. In walked a girl about the same age as Willow. She had light brown almost yellow eyes that looked wolf like with short auburn hair that was shaved on one side. She wore a red flannel with a black leather jacket around her waist. Her pants were black and ripped. She looked very intimidating with her wolf like eyes and somewhat masculine features. As the girl descended towards Willow and Arithia, she looked around the room and said, “Wow, it’s very... vibrant.” She looked between the two girls and smirked. Willow asked, “Who are you?” The she responded with, “My name is Ash. I’m going to be your personal trainer,” Arithia opened her mouth to say something but got cut off, “And before you say anything, the King said we could co-train Willow. He thought it would be best to have two people instead of one.” Arithia said, “Okay, when do we start training her?” Ash looked at her phone and looked back at the two girls and said, “Let’s try sometime next week. I’m busy with other stuff at the moment.” Willow suddenly jumped up and said with wide eyes, “Oh no! Malachi!” She snatched up her phone from the nightstand and dialed his number. It 

                  CHAPTER 5: THE SCARLET CROWN