The Twelve Kingdoms

I'm In Here

/// Rapunzel

Wind Kingdom ///

The breeze whirled around, whispering words, bringing the scents of different cities with it. Anemone leaned over the railing of her window taking it all in. She'd never been out of this tower for as long as she could remember, but the things the wind can bring her makes it feel like she's been to many places.

The balcony elevator pinged, pulling her out of her trance. Mell was here. She turned to greet him and he gave her a small smile in return as he stepped into the room.

"How is everything going?" he asked, coming up closer.

"I've organized all the maps and the targets, sir," she replied, going over to her work table and shifting through the papers. "But Peter quit for real this time so we need another assassin."

She handed him a file, and he scanned through it with an approving smile. He then put it aside and turned to face her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, tucking a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Is there anything you need?"

She shook her head, swallowing around the lump in her throat. Every time he was this affectionate with her, she didn't know what to do. She wanted to stop his hand from slipping away from her hair.

"So does that mean you don't feel well or you don't need anything?" he asked with a chuckle as he walked to the west window.

"I-I don't need anything, sir," she said in a rush, feeling the heat growing on her cheeks.

"As you wish, princess." His voice was light and she was grateful his back was to her.

"Why do you always call me princess, sir?" she asked. "It's not even that funny anymore."

"It's not a joke, Anemone," he turned to her, his expression suddenly serious. It shot a pang of inexplicable dread through her. "I've never told you about your parents, have I? I guess now is as good a time as any."

Anemone sucked in a breath and held it there, almost apprehensive. She was scared of his next words because she never thought she'd hear them, and now she wasn't ready.

He took a step closer to her, and she could make out a thin line of gold hidden in the dark brown, almost black, of his irises. "Your father had a choice before you were born. Save his beloved wife or keep the child whom he haven't even seen yet." There was something in those eyes, something like pity. It made her feel sick. "Needless to say, he loved your mother very much, more than anything and anyone else in the whole kingdom."

"So I..." she blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision. "I have parents?"

It shouldn't have been a surprise, really. She already suspected that her parents abandoned her. Hearing it from Mell didn't soften the blow, though.

"The queen and king of the Wind Kingdom don't want you, Princess Anemone," he whispered and she gasped at their title. "They have a son, a year younger than you, and when he found out you're alive, he wasn't pleased either."

"Why are you telling me this?" She didn't let the tears fall. "I don't need to know."

Mell stepped away. Something akin to bitter amusement flashed through the twist of his lips.

"You have a soulmate, did you know that?"

Anemone stared at him in shock as a string of wind squirmed in her long hair.

"Did you also know that he sold your soul to me? He didn't even ask about you, he just wanted his kingdom and power back."

Anemone felt like grabbing Mell by the collar and screaming at him until she cried, but instead she just stood and stared at him, lost, all the vulnerability playing clearly on her face like a painting.

"That selfish greedy prince doesn't deserve someone like you anyway." He reached his hand out to gently cup her cheek. At his touch, a gust of wind swept through the room, rustling the papers and blowing her hair in different directions. "You deserve power." His gentle smile twisted a bit. "You deserve to be with me."

The wind around them quieted down to a breathless whisper. She stared up at him as if he was the only one who could save her. The only one who wouldn't abandon her.

"I can take it all away," he whispered, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I can take away the pain and the weakness. I can make you strong. Strong enough to crush all the ones that hurt you."

She nodded, no longer able to hold back the tears that spilled over her cheeks. He pulled her in, and she clutched at the fabric of his shirt, burying her face into his chest. One last moment of weakness that she would allow herself.

He stroked her hair, smoothing out the tangles. She could hear his heartbeat, but there was something wrong with it. It sounded warped somehow, muffled, like it was trying it's best to continue beating, in slow motion. She became so unsettled by it that she forgot that she was crying.

After a minute, Mell gently but firmly pushed her away by her shoulders. There was a tinge of annoyance somewhere deep in those irises, so quick that Anemone thought she imagined it.

"From now on, I'm putting you in charge of the whole project. The jobs, the assassins, the targets." He took out a leather bound notebook out of his cloak. "These are the outlines of our goals. I also found a new assassin to replace Peter. He stole Time powers, which is a true feat in itself, so he'll be very useful." Anemone took the notebook and started looking through it, quickly getting rid of the evidence of her tears and pretending she didn't just have an emotional breakdown. "He wouldn't need much training but you'll still need to keep an eye on him. I also installed a power restrainer in here for him but it doesn't work on you. You know the drill."

Anemone nodded, sniffling a little bit. "When is he coming?"

"He should be here tomorrow." He clipped a piece of her hair off with a dagger and put it away into a black box. He then took out another similar one and handed it to Anemone.

She stared at it and then looked up at him, unspoken question in her eyes.

"This is where it goes." Mell's smile sent a shudder down her spine. "Your soul."

When he was gone, Anemone sat on her chair for a long time, staring at the box. The decision itself was simple, and she'd already made it. The reason she hesitated was because if she gave up her soul, she would give up all her feelings, including the ones she had for Mell, even though he most likely didn't reciprocate them.

With a heavy sigh, she finally opened the box. The creeping cold feeling of nothingness slowly seeped into her bones.

It felt very new and a bit uncomfortable at first, but her mind was so much clearer and she was convinced she could torture and kill a person without batting an eye. It was a bit unsettling because the thought of it didn't scare her like she thought it would.

The next day, the elevator pinged and the doors opened to reveal a tall man with dark hair covering his eyes. She was ready for him.

"Hello, Nikolai, I'm Anemone, your new employer."

He took in her long violet dress and blonde hair weaved into a long braid that dragged on the floor. She was at least 15 centimeters shorter than him.

"When I signed up for this, I wasn't under the impression that I'd have to rescue a fragile teenage girl from a tower." His voice was low as the tip of his lip curled into a smirk.

She stared right at him, gaze unwavering. "Good. On that note, if you use that tone with me again, it's you who'll need rescuing." She held out a few papers to him. "Your first target. You have 48 hours, starting now."