Fire Haired Girls and Starlit Skies

Chapter three: Illusions

Distant voices. I can hear them before I can see them. There's a distinct fog in my peripheral vision, my head stuck staring in one direction. I can not turn around, can not look behind me. All colors are lucid, overly saturated.

The girl with red hair is forced to kneel, she looks familiar, but my blank mind can not recover any memories, nor emotions. The ground is concrete in the vast castle hall with looming wood archways. A deep echo resounds as a tall figure on a high, plat formed, thrown-esque seat stands, dismissing the limp haired guards that had brought in the girl with a wave of the hand. As the thick doors clunk close behind them, the man walks over to her, circling around, bird of prey ready to dive in for a catch at any swift movement. A yearning to reach out swipes into my chest, dipping before a protection field-like force pushes it away, dispelling all feeling from my stubbornly stagnant body. The red head is careful, keeps her head bowed, fuming eyes lowered, hair dangling loose over her eyes, her shoulders, costumed clothes mussed, hands tied behind her back.

"You know why you're here, yes?" His voice is strong and young, eyes hidden by a sweeping, velvet hooded cape. He pulls down the hood, chin held high, you can hear the confidence. He is not one to be denied of anything, nor used to being challenged, no matter what crumbles beneath his foot, cracks over his head. He will not let go. He will not come to a truce lest he get his way. His snarl is prepared for a fight.

"Why should I know?" Her voice is low and smoothe, barely a whisper through gritted teeth.

"Very funny." He sneers. She raises her chin to meet his eyes, unsure of what to say or do. A surprised quirk in his eyebrow, nick in his smile. "They didn't even have the guts to tell you...?" He trails off, slowly circling around to her other side as her hands, locked with silver chain behind her back, struggle to break free. He places his cold palm on the cuffs. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He threatens casually, voice light yet heavy. His pointed jaw glows in the candlelight, a joke dancing in his sharp blue eyes, a streak of light zipping down his wavy, waxen black hair, cut angularly, chiseled just above his ear, one buckle falling toward his groomed brow. Her gold hearted tendency to think the best of people, curiosity gets the bite of her.

"Who? Didn't tell me what?" She lowers her eyes again as if afraid to look up, to face his smile, knowing that she's playing into his game, light glinting off his teeth.

"Your mothers, of course- grandmother, heck, anyone in your godforsaken family..." He trails off, elegantly, easily strutting slowly to the spot where a gold frame holds a painting of his father. He runs a jagged finger along the edge, whispering to himself, just loud enough for Ariana to hear, for me to hear, but silent to any passerby or spy.

"Let me tell you a story." He paused for dramatic effect, turning slowly around to face the girl, eyes narrowed. "It began a long time ago, before your lifetime, when your grandmother was just a girl, growing up in our realm that my father and his father before his and gracefully ruled, a peaceful matrimony where everyone got what they deserved." He paused, examining his chipped, long nails, polished lightly. "Everyone was happy. If they weren't, there was a reason. It just happened that your grandmother's family had a reason indeed. They were a family of arousers, thinking they were better than everyone else. They thought they knew what was good for everyone. Your grandmother held a 'vision'. She wanted to rebel against our perfect kingdom, gathering from other well established realms, cities, all the bad apples, the restless ones. They didn't have a name. But one of them was called "Nova", who still lives to this day. She was the most daring, the most slick and secretive. Together, they planned to upheave us, to remake our society. Things, well, were very different back then, tall castles and prairies, vines and towering trees with blossoms and flowers and crystal clear lakes. There were no towering skyscrapers of dingy metal warehouses or electronics or pipes or automatic drones or chaos. It was peace. Until your grandmother and her bunch of hooligans went too far". His voice grew louder and louder in tone, punctuating words by sudden gestures, eyes wild, breath——-