War of the Fae

My Mother to the Rescue

I saw Ashton whiten. I looked at him sadly. Goodbye, Love, I mouthed to him.

No... He mouthed back. I love you.

I smiled at him sadly. I love you, too.

But my mind was elsewhere. I'm going to die. Why? What did I ever do to deserve this? Am I mentally prepared to die? I wonder how they're going to kill me. Do they burn me? Or chop my head off? Or poison me? When will I be executed? Will I be able to say goodbye to my mother and sister? I was completely unaware of my surroundings until a crash interrupted my thoughts.

Luckily I was standing away from the window when it exploded inward. I was not as surprised as I should have been when my mother dove into the room. She must have gotten the bubble message I had sent her from my room yesterday. I had explained my situation to her, trusting that she would know what to do. She always does.

Immediately recognizing the threat, the guards rushed to protect the king, calling for more guards. They attempted to quickly escort him from the room, but he held up his hand to stop them.

"Lady Catalina," he spoke, "What brings you here? And why the dramatic entry? It is unlike you. We have a perfectly good door convineiently located to your left."

Wait how does he know my mother?? Oh wait...she's on the Fairy Council and he's the phoenix king...of course they must have met.

"I have come for my daughter, King Edmund," my mother replied steadily.

"She has been sentenced to death. It is a little too late."

My mother didn't say anything. It always surprises me how well she can keep her composure. Although, I know her well enough to tell by her long silence that she is deep in thought.

"Would it be acceptable to take me in her place?" My mother asked. The king turned to the Judge, who nodded.

"Yes," the king answered. I heard a sigh of relief, and turned to find Ashton beside me. I was hurt. How could he be okay with my mother dying for no reason?

The one of the guards approached my mother and grabbed her arm, pulling her from the room. That's when the reality of the situation hit me.

"NO!" I cried. Without thinking, I sent a stream of water at the guard pulling my mother, causing him to let go and lose his balance.

"Don't, Felicia," my mother commanded, but I knew it was too late for this to be peacefully resolved.

Several guards shifted into bird form, readying fireballs, all pointed at me.

"Fire!" called the guard I had just attacked.

My mother sent a wave of water at them, putting out all their fireballs before they could be released. That's when chaos let loose. She tried to get to me, but there were too many guards. More and more filled the room. I fought through guard after guard until my mother and I were fighting side by side, surrounded by phoenixes who blocked our exit.

Fireballs came from every direction. We dodged and blocked, counterattacking when we could, but there were just too many of them, despite the fact that my mother is the best Water skilled fairy in the entire forest.

I joined hands with my mother and felt a surge of energy. Together, we are stronger than either of us could be individually.

Combining our powers, we blasted water I'm every direction, throwing the phoenixes against the walls. Taking the opportunity while they were all down, we made a break for the window.

I was almost out when a hand grabbed my foot, jerking me back and cutting my side against the broken glass on the windowsill. I was grabbed from behind, and an arm wrapped around my neck, choking me.

"Surrender, or its the end for this one," the guard who had caught me instructed my mother. She quietly obliged, returning to the room. Another guard siezed her, but the one holding me didn't loosen his grip.

He laughed, "This is the end of this one anyways."

I began to feel lightheaded. Silver blood oozed from my side where I was cut. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ashton send a fireball at the guard holding me. The guard saw too, because he shoved me in front of him and dove out of the way. I fell against the wall, knowing that the fireball would hit me but also knowing that I wouldn't be able to move away fast enough. Ashton must've realized that it was going to hit me, too, because at the last second, he shifted and redirected the ball away from me...

...

...

...

...and directly into my mother.