Long Lost Queen

Chapter 6

     The next night, Alec approached the door to Kat's bedroom. Tomorrow was her parabatai ceremony with Isabelle, and he wanted to talk to her, see how she was doing. The night before his ceremony with Jace, he was so nervous he made himself sick. He didn't want Kat to do that too.
He knocked on her door and waited. When she opened it, he was speechless. Kat was wearing loose sweatpants with loose cropped t shirt falling off her shoulders. Her hair was up in a messy bun, with stray hairs around her face. Her purple eyes met his brown ones, and she smiled. She looked absolutely adorable.
"Come on in Alexander," she said with an exaggerated bow," welcome to my humble bedroom." Alec had been in her room before and he loved it. The walls were a light blue, decorated with photos of her and all of her friends in the institute. Their were strings of fairy lights along the ceiling. Her bed was a little larger than a twin, with curtains surrounding it. Her nightstand was scattered with notebooks, pencils, and pens. Her guitars leaned against the wall, and her keyboard was next to them. She had a bookcase full of novels and grimoires. Her room was cozy, and pretty, much like her.
Kat walked through the door leading to the balcony that extended from her bedroom. He followed her. They stood next to each other in comfortable silence, staring out at the woods and pond behind the institute. Simon and Isabelle were sitting by the pond, talking.
"Looks like Simon had the same idea you did. Go talk to my best friend to see if she's ok before her parabatai ceremony tomorrow." Kat looked at Alec and laughed. "Very sweet Alexander."
"Yeah, well, before my ceremony I was sick with nerves. And Jace fainted with the thought of coming face to face with the goddess," Alec spoke.
"True, that part is very nerve wracking. But I'm ready," Kat replied. She looked up, watching a white owl fly through the trees.
Alec turned to her and said, "Kat, when you first got here, you told me that someday when we were close, you would tell me about your past. I know you've told the girls and Magnus. Besides them, I'm the closest to you. I know everything about you, except your past. Can you tell me now?" He looked at her, nervous.
"I suppose I might as well Alec. You do mean so much to me..."Kat walked over to the swing she had set up on her balcony. Alec followed and sat next to her.
"Well," she began," you know how it begins. I was born 150 years ago, in the city of Meeren, to the Royal Targaryen family. When I was 17, the Lannisters broke into the pyramid, killing my families guards, and murdered my parents and my sister. My brother, Viserys, managed to escape. I never saw him again. He could be alive or dead, I don't know."
"I fled Erilea, traveling to the United States. There, as you know, I met Magnus. I lived with him for a few years, until he convinced me to return to Erilea, and you know what happens next. I was trapped in the tomb for many many years. It was cold and dark. I would see things, talk to myself. Without any blood or food, my body began to wither away. After a few years I could barely move. I was skin and bone. I accepted I was going to die there. Then Dr. Wes Whitmore's servants showed up."
Kat adjusted her legs and sighed, then continued.
"I believed Wes was my savior, that he was going to save me. He did in a way, but sometimes I feel I would have rather died in the tomb than suffer like I did at his hands. His two little servants, Enzo and Christine, took me back to his little mansion in the woods. When I met him, he seemed kind, like he cared about me. He nursed me back to health, gave me a room, somewhere to stay. I trusted him. After about a year of being treated kindly, the torture started."
"Torture!?" Alec exclaimed, looking at her.
"Yes. Torture," she said with a sad smile," he was insane. He took me down to his lab, which was full of horrific devices. The iron maiden was his favorite...he also enjoyed shoving me in pools of vervain. Have you heard of the brazen bull Alec?" She asked.
"No." He replied quietly, reaching over to take her hand. He squeezed it kindly, and she smiled at him.
"The brazen bull is a hollow bull made of brass, placed over a fire. Wes would shove me in it and light the fire, cooking me from the outside in. I died many times at his hands, but I always came back. Casters only die permanently from beheading or white oak stakes. It's a blessing and a curse..."
"For years I stayed with Wes, incapable of escape. Christine, one of his servants, was forced to create a field around the house, preventing me from leaving. She was a powerful witch. Enzo was a vampire. The two tried to help me. They would give me blood to keep my strength up, or try to ease the torture and experiments by Wes. Enzo fell in love with me..."
"Eventually Wes decided he had had enough of me. So almost 15 years since I arrived, he let me leave. I wanted Enzo and Christine to come with me, but Wes wouldn't let them. I was desperate to get away from him so I ran."
"I tried to survive on my own for about 5 years, running from place to place. Then, a pack of Black Swans found me. They knew who I was and threatened to take me to the Lannisters. I would do anything to not be put in their grip, so I agreed to whatever their terms were. Turns out, they wanted to weaken me with vervain constantly, and use me as their personal sex slave. They kept me for a couple years, until I got so fed up with it, I, uh, ripped out their hearts. I then continued to run from place to place, trying to stay hidden. Then I met you, and here I am." When she finished her story, she stood and walked towards the railing. Simon and Isabelle were still at the pond, but they weren't just talking anymore.
"Alexander, look. They finally accepted their feelings." Alec walked up and looked down to see his sister kissing the vampire.
"How sweet," he said stiffly. He knew Isabelle had liked Simon, but he was her big brother, so of course he was going to feel a little protective.
"Relax," Kat said laughing, lightly hitting him on the arm.
Alec was shocked to hear about Kat's past. He had no idea she'd been through so much. He didn't want to push her but he had one more question.
"Why did Wes torture you so much Kat?" He asked.
"I don't know. He never told me." She replied quietly.
"Kat I'm so sorry. I wish I could take all that pain away. You don't deserve it." Alec reached up to move some loose hairs out of her face. He stroked his hand down her cheek, then pulled her close. His heart was slamming in his chest, his skin tingling with her being so close. He suddenly had a strong desire to kiss her, to make me moan his name, to make her feel better.
Kat could hear Alec's heart race, and sense his desire. She didn't know why he could be attracted to her, but he didn't want him to rush into something he would regret. She wanted to warn him.
"Alec," she stared, pulling back to look in his eyes," before falling in love with me, you must know about the constant meltdowns, and the nights of endless tears. You must know about my damaged heart and broken soul. Be aware the I barely sleep at night, and sometimes I talk in my sleep. You must know about my need for your love, as well as my constant fear of losing you. And know about my terrible fear of spiders and how sometimes I eat too fast for my own good. But once you fall in love with that part of me, you can fall in love with my tender smile and warm embrace. You can fall in love with the way I will warm your hands in mine, and tickle your feet with my toes. You can fall in love with the way I'll make you soup when you're sick, and how I'll kiss you when you get hurt. Fall in love with the way I laugh and the soft spoken words of encouragement I'll give to you. You can either fall in love with me as a whole, or not at all."
"Oh Katerina..." Alec whispered to her. He pulled her in and kissed her forehead. "I'm already falling in love with all of you," he spoke quietly. He kissed her head once more, and turned to walk from her room.