𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐃, 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

𝟑𝟑.

THE SKY IS beginning to lighten, going from a starry black sky to a dark blue hue, though Isadoras bedroom IS still dark where she lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

She can't sleep after trying for a few long hours, that consisted of her rolling around her bed, trying to find a comfortable spot, reading a book and scrolling through social media. She had thought about going to one of her siblings rooms, but quickly remembered that they're probably severely jet-lagged and need their sleep.

Her next plan is to call one of the kings and have them talk to her until she grows tired, but she doesn't want to bother them if they're on a business trip type of thing.

All of her failed plans leave her staring up at the ceiling, hoping to grow tired.

Shes still in that same position as her room is filled with a grey light, her eyes have yet to grow heavy.

She sighs, frustrated, and plants her feet on the cold ground. She stands up and stretches her arms and legs, she makes her way through the grey lit room towards the bathroom.

She enters the bathroom and flips the light on, squeezing her eyes shut at the sudden harsh light. She rubs her eyes with her knuckle and takes a few seconds before opening them again.

She looks into the large mirror that is placed above the sink and cringes at the reflection staring back at her. Her blonde hair is frizzy and sticking up all over the place from her rolling all over the bed during the night, her face is puffy and flushed, and her pajamas are wrinkled and crooked.

She shakes her head at herself and laughs, grabbing her toothbrush and beginning to brush her teeth. After her teeth are clean and her breath is minty, she walks over towards the large shower and turns it on, testing the temperature. After trying to find the perfect temperature for a few minutes, she grows impatient and just steps into the large shower, relaxing once the steaming water hits her back.

She hopes that maybe the boiling water will make her at least a little bit drowsy, but that doesn't seem to work either.

She quickly works the various soaps and scrubs into her body and hair and rinses off, she turns the hot water off and steps out of the shower onto a soft rug, shes immediately hit by the chilly air that sends goosebumps up her body. She reaches out and pulls a fluffy white towel off of a rack, wrapping it around her figure.

Steam rolls off of her skin as she stepped out of the bathroom and into her chilled room, the cool temperature of her bedroom feels nice on her now hot skin. She walks over to the large closet that stands in the corner of her room, she pulls the door open and begins looking for something to wear.

She holds the towel close to her body as she scans through the clothes in her closet, she gives up on the whole sleep thing and just decides to sleep if she grows tired throughout the day, so now, shes getting ready just like any other day.

She grabs a grey, oversized sweater and some baggy jeans, she drops the towel and quickly throws the clothes on her body along with sliding some warm shoes onto her feet.

She doesn't bother checking her appearance in the mirror and closes the door to the closet. She runs her fingers through her tangled hair, making her way towards the door that leads out into the stone hallways.

She doesn't grab her phone that rests on the stand next to her bed, instead, she grabs the book that she was trying to fall asleep to, and pulls the door open, being met with the cold air that fills the hallway. She suddenly feels grateful that she chose to wear a sweater.

She steps out of her room, surprised that there isn't a guard or two waiting outside of her door like there normally would be. She lightly shrugs her shoulders and makes her way down the dimly lit corridor, not paying much mind to the absence of security.

The hallways feel lonely on the way to the garden, her shoes hitting the floor is the only sound on the small journey there. It feels strange for her to be walking alone and it scared her a little, which is very understandable, given that the last time she walked to the garden alone, she was nearly killed by a feral member of the guard.

So, she feels very relived stepping outside, the fresh air fills her lungs, the dewy smell of the trees and plants the surround her fills her nose, and the chirping of birds fill her ears.

She walks along the path that leads through the middle of multiple different types of flowers and different large, expensive statutes, the pebbles crunch under her shoes and her damp hair blows behind her, the cold morning air is refreshing.

She walks along the path until it leads to the large fountain, she sits on the stone bench and sighs in contentment. The garden is definitely one of her favorite places to be in the castle, the amount of time she spends out in them with the kings gives her many happy memories she can always go back to, along with the fresh and floral scent that always lingers in the air.

She watches the water gently flow from the fountain for a few seconds before picking the book up that rests in her lap, she flips to the page she left off on and begin reading, feeling twenty times happier than she felt only a couple of minutes ago.

—V—

THE SUN MOVED out from behind the clouds that kept it hidden away, causing it to shine right into Isadora's eyes.

She squints and groans, placing the book down and using her hand to shield her eyes.

She grumbles and stands up, reaching down to grab the book again. As her hand is about to reach the book, someone else grabs it.

She scrunches her eyebrows and looks over, expecting to see one of the guards she was comfortable with, but is very taken back.

There stands a man with black hair that stops at his shoulders, he has black eyes and chalky pale skin, he is tall, much more taller than Isadora. His pale lips hold a deceiving smile, and his dark eyes hold a kind of thirst. He looks very familiar to her and she doesn't know why.

He isn't a member of the guard, its obvious. His clothes are torn, wrinkly and dirty, something you never see on the guards that roam the castle, and no large V shaped necklace hangs from his neck.

So why does he look so familiar?

Then, it hits her like a ton of bricks. A pressure builds up in her chest and something snaps in her.

Hea the man in her dream from a few months ago, the man that crouched over her parents lifeless bodies. Hes real, but how? Before she dreamt of him, she'd never seen him before, or has she?

"You haven't changed a bit." He speaks. His voice sends chills all over their body and the pressure in her chest builds.

She opens her mouth to yell for help, but before she even can, the man is shaking his head and chuckling.

"You can yell for help, but no one will come. Your guard was too easy to take down." He laughs.

Isadora's eyes widen, "How?" She knows she should have tried to run or something, but something in her makes the question spill out.

"I have the power to paralyze multiple people at once, quite a fun gift." He pauses and looks her dead in the eye, "it's how I killed your parents."

***

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