Waiting For A Bad Fate

1 : Complications

The Monastery was blessed the day that I was born, but as fate would have it the blessings would stop there. At least for me. I was the first Oracle born in a thousand years and though that meant I was a rare and precious existence that also meant that danger was at every corner. 

I was sheltered and trained in all formal arts before the age of 8, and had my first sermon the following year but it wasn't until I had my first prophecy that I realized how dangerous my existence could be. 

My first prophecy was not for the world, nor the country, or even the king. Unfortunately, it was for me, and nothing good was supposed to come of it.  I remember the look on my aunt and uncle's face as my eyes faded to the color of a full moon, and the words spilled from my mouth.

"A holy heart, to begin with, will only face fire in the end, and the place which no soul has ventured will be where it is sold and only there it may be condemned. Be wary of those who judge, those who smile, and those who hold onto you for more than just a while. Fate has already chosen its victor and the holy heart will be collateral."

No one ever truly understood it but my connection to the stars is different and after that day my life was lived differently.

I've lived my past 12 years in a small countryside estate behind the inn I use for my schemes and here in these barren walls, the prophecy could not touch me for not even the emperor could touch me unless I said so.

.....

"Cece! You're not actually going are you!" The petite female yanked at my sleeve using her heels to keep me from leaving out the back door of my small estate illuminated by the lights of the inn it hid behind.

I looked at her heart-shaped face and button nose ready to knock her out if needed and tucked a curly brown hair behind her long ears. She was quite the adorable thing, and very much my opposite with my high cheekbones and straight black hair. Standing next to her I looked like a grim reaper, and tonight I needed to be exactly that.

"They owe me and I will get what I'm due Madi." I talked as if I were merely retrieving a borrowed tool, but Madi was raised with me and I could tell the worry in her hazel eyes knew otherwise.  When we were children and first entered this territory I used to sneak off in the nights just so Madi wouldn't notice, and when she finally realized that the scars on my honey skin couldn't all be from falling out of the bed she cried. It almost broke my heart.

I looked down at my all-black robes, embroidered with silver birds - a gown imported from the country's eastern neighbor - realizing she probably forgets we are no longer kids, and though I appreciate and love her I could handle myself. Frankly, if I really wanted I could handle an army, but it's times like these that Madi's worries were refreshing.

"You turn 21 in a month, Cece, you can finally go back, and you're wasting your time for a bunch of fools!" She let her sanity speak for her and of course, she was the only one out of us both with any left.

I pulled her hand off the wide sleeve and began to walk away from the back gate of my estate. "Have a warm bath ready for me will you?" I clicked my tongue and winked before disappearing into the night.

May the stars guide me.

The mayor's estate consisted of 4 wings with corresponding courtyards and a front receiving room. For a mere county mayor to have such an expanse of the property was rare unless you were a greedy bastard who skimmed the top off the taxes you collected. 

I planned on ignoring all but one section of this estate and that was the wing in which the wonderful eldest daughter resided. Now you might be asking what is a woman chosen by the stars doing jumping over the walls of a government official? Well, let's just say that I was not like Oracles of the past.