Villain

8.To many Surprises

I stare at the Prince in utter dismay,a million questions filling my head. When did he get it? How long has he had it? What does he intend to do with it? "You are relieved from your previous order,"he states clearly , and like shackles being unlocked, I feel lighter. I let out a low sigh of relief now that I dont feel compelled to shed his blood. "Its an interesting power,"he states calmly. I nod. I never understood why the Queen bound my powers. SHe could have taken them. I never used them,but the way she did made me want it back. If I can think it, I can do it. My magic is deadly and more powerful than that of the man before me.

I cant help but stare. Is he going to use it to defeat the Queen? Hes already so powerful, and now he has the key to become unstoppable. "Its yours Marcella," he says gently, sliding the box over to me. I stare in dismay. This must be a joke. A trick. A test of some sort. When he notices my hesitation, he frowns. "Don't make me order you to do it," he says with a threatening tone. Its been so long. The magic could be ...dangerous. Uncontrollable. "You wont be able to take all back. I will ensure some is left so that if things turn ugly, I can stop it," his words somehow calm my thoughts. "It wont come to that though. I will help you control it," he says reassuringly.

"Why," I ask. Why is he helping me? Why is he being so kind? "Open the Box," he says gently. With trembling fingers, I slowly open the box. Purple mist rolls out slowly, dropping to the floor and swirling around me. The Prince closes the box, stopping all from escaping as promised. the rest swirls around me, higher and closer, until it finally disappears. i breath heavily, my hands tingling . I can practically taste the magic around me...in me. "Thank you," I say.

The Prince slides the box away. "You can have that when you feel comfortable enough," he speaks. It's so unlike the man I've known this whole time. For the first time, after opening the box, I look Prince Lucien in the eye. My body freezes . I stare at the Gold circles around his eyes that I failed to notice before. They match mine. My heart races as I realize what he is to me, his behavior making sense. "You," I can barely say it. He nods. "I knew when I first came to the Kingdom of Light," he says, coming closer to me. "I thought its impossible," I tell him. He nods. "Rare. Not impossible." A perfect match. The color of our magic circles are a perfect match. We are a perfect match.

"I couldn't see yours after that first time. Dawn had the closest since hers were silver, and with everyone assuming you didn't have them, we were wed," his voice is bitter. My heart pounds as I take his words in, knowing the Queen must have cast a spell to hide the rings in my eyes, knowing that without my magic I couldn't see anyone else's. Everybody has a circle of color around their iris. The closest colors are the best match in terms of a life partner. The closer the match in color, the stronger the child's powers would be. The Queen knew. Its why she knew I would be able to get close enough to kill him. My mind and emotions are a turmoil. Of course the Queen would do this.

"I...you're married," I state, forcing my voice to stay firm. "Are you seriously going to let her control you even after you have been freed," he asks, sounding disappointed. "I want no part in this game you two have been playing," I spit at him angrily, his table shaking. He looks at me in alarm. I force myself to stay calm. I learnt that emotions affect my powers. i was 5 years old. The Queen bound my magic to that box when i was 8. "Don't you understand Cel," he says quietly. "The box with your powers? Sending you to kill your perfect match? This isn't about me. Its about you," he says.

"I'm not that important to the Queen," I tell him. She just hates that I am the Kings child ,not that I can tell Lucien that. Nobody can know I have royal blood. Not even him. "Aren't you? She took your powers. Controlled your actions. Turned you into a killer. Gave you a mission that would make your best friend hate you and make you murder your perfect half," hes almost screaming. I hear the frustration, and with the way he stated the chain of events it does make it seem like the Queen is actively trying to make my life difficult. "I did nothing to her," I tell him. "Apart from being born," he mumbles. I stare at him in shock. "How," I cant help but ask.

"I have my ways Marcella. Not everyone in the Kingdom of Light are as good as they seem and I know everything that goes on in that castle," he says, his voice low. My heart is racing in my chest. Does that mean he knows how I was locked in the dungeons for weeks for no reason at all? How I was starved so that I would not be as beautiful as Dawn? How I was beaten and whipped to teach me to endure pain? Does he know how I cried and cut my wrists the first time the Queen forced me to take a life? I stare at him, deciding I don't want to know if he does.

I sigh. "She took everything away from you Cel," he says using the nickname dawn gave me. Dawn. "Dawn likes you," I say. He groans in dismay. "I know she likes me, but not in the way you think Marcella. I am the Prince of darkness. I can tell how corrupted a person is just by looking at them," he states. I didn't know he could do that. "Like you Marcella. You think you are hopeless, yet from all the people in the Kingdom of Light , you were the one with the most light within you," he says.

"And your little Princess is not as good as you think. You can blame me and my Kingdom all you like. But she is not as innocent as she looks. She is as dark and twisted as her mother, maybe even worse because she has everyone believing the opposite," he is clearly angry at my opinion of her. "She likes my power, and she doesn't care for you, not the way you care for her," he states. I frown at him. He has to be lying. But when has he ever lied to me? He gave me my freedom. As my perfect match , he cannot physically lie to me even if its his power. "I ...I want to believe you..."I trail off.

He sighs, running his hand through his hair. "Watch her carefully Marcella, and remember events prior to my Kingdom," he says. I start thinking about her tantrums at the castle, she always apologized and they were rare but it was so similar to her behavior now. I stare at him, wide eyed. "This is a lot to take in," I tell him honestly. "I have never lied to you, have I ,"he asks. "Does it matter if I want to try. You are married, they want a war, everything is such a mess," I tell him. 'I know, but I just...When things calm down and we sort out this mess...will you be willing to try," he asks.

He sounds so unsure of himself. Its uncharacteristic, yet at the same time so him. I've seen glimpses of this softer side and now I finally understand why. i finally realize why I was so hesitant to kill him despite being presented with opportunities. I know why he helped me. He stole that box for me. He agreed to bring me here to protect me from the Queen. "You're looking at it in the wrong light. You tend to do that with most things," his words come rushing back and I realize what he had meant. "How long have we had it wrong," I ask.

Puzzled, he tilts his head. I had not answered his question. "What do you mean," he asks. "The Kingdom of Light and Darkness. How long has our view of them been wrong," I ask him. He smirks at me. "I believe you haven't answered me yet," he says smugly. "Yes, I will obviously give us a chance," I roll my eyes. I should have known. I argue with him. I'm comfortable enough to be myself around him. The Prince pulls out a few books." I know you love to read so consider this your answer," he tells me. I stare at the pile of thick books on his table. He cant be serious.

Prince Lucien laughs at my expression. "There is no wrong view, it depends how you look at the Kingdoms. We focus on weaponry and war fare. They ended up being corrupt and power hungry," he says. Hearing him makes me question everything. I often questioned the way of life in our Kingdom, a part of me confused yet relieved by his words. Another part of me is simply horrified at what it all could mean. "This is a lot bigger than I realized isn't it," I ask softly. Prince Lucien nods solemnly. "This is a war that is centuries old, and believe it or not Marcella, I think you are the key to stopping it," he says. "Me? What on earth would make you think that," I ask him.

Just then, the King of Light appears in the study, looking around with terrified eyes. "I assume the shifter was polite," Prince Lucien says. The King nods, his figure trembling. "Marcella," he stutters from the look that Prince Lucien is giving him. "I think it is time I finally tell you the truth," The King says. I look between the two men , horribly confused. "About what," I ask. The King sighs. "Your Mother."