FORTITUDINE (COMPLETED)

3) The Calm Before the Storm

I looked closely at myself in the mirror. I wore a dress of light blue taffeta and a lavender cloak softer than any other fabric. My hair was tied tightly in a braid down my head and woven into a bun held together with a blue satin ribbon. My shoes, although you could not see them, were made of glass with a sapphire heart on top of the foot.

Before I knew it I was in the Great Hall again and standing beside my brother who was wearing a dark blue shirt with black pants and a cloak of forest green laced with gold. His boots were made of fresh leather and went to his knees. Gold stitching formed the shape of a dragon breathing fire on the side of his boots. I shuddered.

Our father fave a long speech about what was going to happen and what we were to do. We were to sit in a chair while our physician gave us a potion that would combine my brother's and my mind to an imaginary but very real world where we will fight to the imaginary but very painful death.

For this, we were allowed to create and use three magic powers to defeat one another. We were not allowed to know what power the other had until they used that power.

We sat in the chairs facing each other and listened to our councils' last minute advice while we drank the potion.

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My eyelashes fluttered as I looked around. I was in a clearing of a forest by a lake half surrounded by giant snow-peaked mountains.

I took a step back and kicked something hard. I turned around and expected to see Thanatos standing over me ready to kill me but instead was a stone table with a small brush and some paint laying on the far left corner.

The table had an inscription on the side reading "Choose your powers wisely." I picked up the brush and started writing and drawing in the three sections on the table.

By the time I was done the sun had started to set over the mountains. 

Technically, you don't have to ask for a magical power. You can also ask for certain provisions such as a knife or a shield.

I looked over at my table and saw that the slab had been wiped clean of my work and replaced with the things I had asked for.

I rushed to the table and read the first section.

"A wise request. Chant these words and your request will appear and disappear on command.-Make the world not see, the structure that it has before thee, make it clear as glass, and with the power it has, will come and go as a thing of the past." I said the chant, walked over to the lake, and looked down for a reflection. There was none.

I sighed in relief and walked over to the table and started reading the other section.

"A wise, and yet, dangerous spell. But, your wish will be granted. Chant theses words and the spell will be complete.-I yearn to be free yet not alone, so bind our bodies bone by bone, and let this last until we both pass." I read in my mind for I did not want to say the spell until it was my last hope.

I read the next section of the table. "An interesting and unusual request but will not go unheard. Good luck Alexandra."

I stared wide eyed at the third section of the table as a big ball of brown yarn appeared before my eyes.

Yes, my third request was  a ball of brown yarn and yes, it does sound silly but yarn can be very resourceful.

I looked up at the moon rising over the thick, dark forest. I flinched at every sound I heard, terrified that it would be my once loving brother.

He was coming, I could feel it. We have this sixth sense, I guess you could call it. If one of us is in trouble usually the other can feel their fear and come running to the rescue-like the time I had fallen down a well and Thanatos had "heard" me calling for help in his mind.

But this time I don't want Thanatos coming to the "rescue". I want him as far away from me as he can be. I tried to calm my nerves because I knew that he could feel my fear pouring off of me in waves. 

Hey everybody! Well, just like the title says, the next chapter will have you on the edge of your seat!

I just had my first mani pedi today and it was awesome!  The funny lady who was working on the pedicures was Asian and was very perky.  She randomly asked my mom if I cooked and my mom said a little and the lady was like "Me too!"

Later she walked up to me and asked "Are you Asian? You look like you are Asian." I looked at her like she was crazy and and said "Yeah, I'm a quarter Korean." She nodded her head and said "See, I can tell who is Asian! You a quarter?  I knew you were Asian!" I almost died laughing and turned beat red.

Au revoir mes amis!