Once Upon a Prophecy

26

I woke up to a quiet knock on my door. The sky was a dark, settling grey, looming with a storm. No people were outside, only a peddler with his small wagon of goods. My gaze turned back to the wood door as one more quick knock was made. I brushed myself off and approached the door.

On the outside, folded into a neat stake, was a dark blue hood. It shimmered with hints of silver and lavender. The cloak fell barely to the floor, leaving an opening for me to fight. The hood left room for any sized head, but drooped in the back, leaving it only to fit my head. The clasp at the front was a detailed silver, adorned with small jewels and leaving intricate vines that entwined symmetrical on both sides. As I threw it on, the cloak shimmered like the night. I pulled the hood over my head, moving my arms around. After a few minutes of admiring the amazing stitching, I decided to thank her for it.

I slowly walked down the stairwell, hearing murmuring from below.

"Thank you, sir. You are very kind." Idna's voice echoed. I heard a hint of saddness in her tone.

"Your welcome. I am glad to be of service to you." An old, husky voice commented. I walked down the stairs, not knowing what to expect. The man turned around, as did Idna. The man looked around the age of fifty. He wore an ivory shirt with a long jacket. His slacks fell to his calf, then were socks, and last were brown leather shoes with silver buckles. He wore inspector glasses, and had a long grey beard.

"Your highness," Idna began, but I held up my hand to stop her.

"Please, I don't mean to intrude. I will leave in a matter of time."

"You're fine. It's just- I mean-," Idna began to stutter, then fell into her palms. I rushed to her side, hoping to help her. Tears wetted her red cheeks as she lifted her face up once more.

"I am so sorry, I do not know how to help."

"No, no. It's fine. This is how Jack's story would go." She put on a fake smile.

"Jack's story?"

"Yes, miss. One of the most common ones." She grabbed her apron, blowing her nose with a loud snort. The man slowly walked out, bidding her goodbye. She nodded, looking down.

"Listen, I will go to the casle. I must. War is abroad. But, I need you to stay here. I want you to protect Jack with all your might. As his story is soon over, you can come to live in the castle."

"Oh no. That's too much to say yes too."

"Then you could work for a pay. I've seen your stitching, and it's amazing. You can be a tailor to the royal family." I genuinly smiled to keep her hopes up, even if I wasn't sure how this would work. She smiled, nodding.

"I need to go now." I added, slowly arising and going to the door. I looked back as I closed her door.

"Thank you." She mouthed, crying a little more. I shut the door, watching the outside. It was raining now, but not a small sprinkle, but a heavy pour. I slowly made my way up to the castle, keeping my hopes up for a bit of happiness.

***

Elissia slowly curled into a pile, slinking back into her cupboard. She light a candle with her finger, a simple trick for a beginner, then began to wave her hands, pulsing a rhythm into the flame, which began to dance on her palm. She pulled out her book, reading the next spell.

Animatos, She read in her mind. Turning animals into beings and beings into animals. She sighed. This was too easy for her. She couldn't handle this. She waved her hand over the flame, watching it slowly die down, until it was a soft and gentle flame. She grabbed the small mouse that ran behind her pillow.

"I won't hurt you, I promise. I'm just here to use you for an experiment." She smiled at the creature, lifting it onto her palm. An urging made her want to commit the spell, but then a battling side made her stop.

The creature must live.

It will. It will become human.

No, it does not belong human. It never did. It's life purpose was to be the animal it was, not the animal it could be. That settled her mind. She let her hand fall back down, letting he mouse scurry away.

"Stupid, stupid me!" She screamed, hitting her head with her hand. She flipped open the book, until she fell to the last page. It was a professional spell, meaning it took more time to make and more experience to make. Though Elissia didn't care. She had waited long enough fo her story to end, maybe this was it. She began to chant in a foreign language.

sürətli və davamlı

qaranlıq gəlib

hava vasitəsilə

Bu çalışır pulse

düşmək heç vaxt

sözümün qədər

düşmək baxın

om sonsuz ağac.

Instantly, a force pushed into her. She felt a new awakening burst into her. Then, she felt nothing happen. Her head felt woozy and nauseous, then fell to sleep, waking up to the screaming chef.

***

Elissia woke up, delighted in herself, for some odd reason. She stretched her arms, and standing midway up (since the ceiling happened to be low). There was silence when she awoke and opened her door open. It creaked open to reveal a small crevice. Everyone in the kitchen was crowded around a certain person, or man.

"Listen up!" His voice bellowed, vibrating her door. She slowly closed it, taking in a few breaths then ruffling her coat in order to hide the purple gown underneath, but barely able to notice it. This was her chance to be taken away from here, to live her happily ever after, her story was coming to an end. She slowly opened the door to a small crack, where she could see what was happening without her knowing she was there.

"The Majesty has claimed the kitchen under expection, in order to keep the royal family safe." He shouted. Elissia's grin faded into nothing but a frown.

"What happened to the Chef?" One maid asked.

"He is pronounced dead." He responded, leaving the peasants in fear and murmurs. The man turned around and walked out. Elissia malicious grin, she couldn't help herself. The chef treated her like she was nothing but a menace to their lives. She sighed, putting on a fake facade of innocence. Walking out, everyone in the room stared at her.

"What's going on?" She asked, trying to fend off their eyes. Everyone hesitated to respond.

"The Head Chef, may he rest in peace, was announced dead last night." A man in the back muttered. A maid nudged him to go on, as though everyone wanted him to be their communicator to her. "He was pronounced dead due to an attack of some sort. No one witnessed it, and there is no evidence." He let out a sigh of relief. Elissia held back a smile, then stopped.

She was turning into some cruel being she was never destined to be. She didn't want to do this. Feeling a cold chill down her back, she realized what she had to do.

After working that day, she laid down to rest, deciding to not study spells. She took off her cloak, and washed her face. She tied her hair back with a gold ribbon and crept out of her cupboard. She slid up the maid stairwell, leading her into the ballroom. Several people ignored her as she glided out. Her heart pounded, drumming its constant rhythm to her bones. Many people were in the ballroom that night for the third ball of the month. She crept out, practicing her magic. She switched her dress to a silver gown that was designed to flow as she spinned. It was etched with many diamonds, resembling stars in a way. She changed the sleeves to fall delicately on her shoulders. Her hair was decorated with small shards of rhinestones that were crushed to show out the night in her hair. Her dress was a soft silk that matched the gloves she had sewn. Then she was ready to go for her last night.