Written in the Stars

Chapter Six

Izabela had shown up on on the castle doors as a scared looking 13 year old. She left them a vengeful immortal with hate in her heart. She would get what she could out of these people that over time would know her as family.

Izabela had been a beautiful young girl and as she blossomed into womanhood she became breathtaking. Her looks only seemed to enhance day after day, week after week, as she sunk more fully into the royal family's companionship. Especially the companionship of their eldest daughter, Celeste. Celeste was a year younger than Izabela, but the age gap did not seem so vast. As a young princess, Celeste had been trained in the ways of war and leadership for she was the rightful heir to the throne. Not her brothers or sister. And it reflected in the way she treated others and the scars that graced her body after each hard won battle.

As both girls grew up, they fell in love. With each other and with the world around them. Well Celeste, fell in love with the world around her, Izabela just fell deeper and deeper in love with Celeste. She became infatuated with her. The others around them began to worry, they saw what Celeste didn't. They also saw a path to the throne blocked by Izabela. At least her parents did.

They would often be found sunning in the gardens or the meadows surrounding the castle, not a guard in sight. It was as if Celeste had become brainwashed by her love for Izabela. She did not see the dangers that those around her did. She did not see the assassin in the woods, looking for any excuse to rob the country of its heir to the throne or the courtier trying to slip poison into one of her brothers cups as she seduced him into weakening the royal line. None of that mattered to Celeste when she was Izabela. She was meant to be the country's first line of defence both on the front line and in the royal home, but instead she needed to have her own defence. From her heart and eventually from Izabela.

What had been a sweet love slowly turned toxic. Izabela realised the control she had over the young princess and began using it to get he way with the servants and courtiers, but also with other members of the royal family. Leading to her sparking a relationship with Celeste's closest brother, both in age and familiarity. The two had been inseparable until Izabela had arrived at the castle.

This was not the betrayal that upset Celeste the most. That was something much worse.

In her 18th year Izabela vanished for a few days with no note. Of course they imagined that she had decided to go home to her parents after not having seen them in years and so they did not think more of it. Until she came back late one night, smelling of blood and death. No one knew of her return for a few days, all that alerted them to something occurring was the pungent smell coming from her quarters, but none dared go inside. She managed to keep the screams muffled and the curtains closed. If the occasional maid passed through then no one knew and if her body was later found floating in the pond, lifeless and drained of any blood then no questions were asked. All was kept from the King and Queen. No one dared upset the girl they had come to think of as usurper.

The day she emerged from her room she was a changed woman. She was somehow more radiant and practically glowed as the firelight bounced off her cream skin. She made two visits that evening. The first was to see Celeste. The second, more disastrous, was to Celeste's brother, Orion.

They were caught in the act by a curious Celeste and her world came crashing down. She saw her two most favourite people in the world betraying her in the worst way possible. That was the evening that set Celeste on the path she had been unable to escape ever since.

Izabela heard Celeste run from the cracked door she had been peering through, and swiftly left to follow her. She refused to leave her side until she was forgiven. Trying to prove her loyalty to Celeste and that her brother had meant nothing to her. Of course those were anything but the correct words to use to explain away the relationship and Celeste ordered her guards to have the girl removed from her chambers until further notice.