The Awakening

Keira- A Wrong Turn

The days passed by way to fast, and each day Keira had to remind herself of who she truly was.

She was a rebel.

--------------------

I knew this session was going to be difficult, because Mistress Pulchra had warned me that it could be taxing. When I entered the training room, two of my instructors were there. One tall and blonde, the other dark skinned and muscled.

"Apprentice Keira. You have been learning how to use weapons of all kinds, plus using your own body. But none of that is important if you do not have the mental capacity to, say, complete your missions," said the blonde woman.

I gulped. This was the lesson I had been dreading for years.

"What we mean is that if you can't mentally kill someone, you have no place among us," the other one said.

"I understand."

"Good. Now let's begin."

-------------------------

Keira bolted up in bed, her heart racing. Tomorrow morning was the wedding. Her wedding. She didn't know whether to be excited or terrified. She lay awake in bed for a few hours until servants knocked on her door.

She was dressed in the gown and a veil that trailed at least ten feet behind her. The servants dusted her face with makeup, and they fitted shoes that glowed as brightly as the dress. All too soon, the Queen knocked on the bedroom door.

"You are so breathtaking, my dear," she said, smiling. "The wedding is in the castle square, inside the gate. We have invited everyone from the palace and even some high-ranking families from Malum! They are all here to see you! Isn't that wonderful!"

If she was trying to make Keira excited, it wasn't working. She was mostly nervous.

"Yes, I can hardly wait."

"Good! Come with me, my dear. I will take you to your father."

They met Keira's father at the grand entrance to the castle. The Queen explained that everyone was already outside, waiting for her.

"All you have to do is smile and wave, and be your gorgeous self! Good luck!" The doors opened, and the Queen walked through, waving to the crowd before the doors closed again.

"You are going to be wonderful. I am so very proud of you," her father said, wiping tears from his eyes. "Ah, it is our turn now!"

The huge doors opened without a sound, and large crowds on either side of the aisle stood. As her father led her along the rose-dusted path, Keira noticed that not everyone was smiling. In fact, half the crowd was scowling at her, mostly girls her age.

"May I present, Lady Clarissa Filia, the bride." An old man was standing under a curved golden archway, and in front of him stood Luke, as dashing as ever.

Keira's father bowed to the King and Queen, who were standing off to one side, then to Luke, before he placed her hand in the Prince's.

"You may be seated," the old man said. The enormous crowd all sat in unison.

"We are gathered here today to witness not only the marriage of this young couple, but a joining of families that we shall always remember. Today, the Kingdom of Breteri will gain a kind, loyal, and true Princess, one we will never forget."

Keira shifted.

"Prince Luke Regas, do you take Lady Clarissa Filia to be your wife, and promise to stay by her side forever and always?"

Luke hesitated. "I do."

"Lady Clarissa Filia, do you take Prince Luke Regas to be your husband, and promise to stay by his side forever and always?"

"I... I..."

Lady Clarissa Filia. Is that who she was now? Is that the same girl who had been living in this palace like a spoiled child? Yes, that was that girl. But she was someone else. And she would no longer pretend to be something other. One name rang through her mind.

Keira Regina.

"I'm sorry, Oliver," she whispered.

"My lady, I'm afraid you will have to speak up," the old man chuckled.

"I don't." Keira wrenched her hands from Luke's light hold, and grabbed a nearby guards dagger.

But instead of holding it out in front of the King's neck, she held it over her own heart.

"I will not take part in this evil monarchy! I will not stand by and watch as you step on thousands of innocents because they don't have money! I will not let my life go to waste sitting here, atop a throne, while your King lies and hates and kills for no reason!" Keira yelled.

The crowd gasped. People were running around, trying to shut off the cameras that had been streaming live to every screen in Breteri.

"I will not take part in this, and you will not let me go, so I will do it myself!" She looked into the eyes of one of the cameras. "Fight back! Be stronger than I ever was! Avenge me, Oliver."

And she drove the dagger into her heart.