The Last Unicorn Warrior

XXVII

I sit on my bed as Hazel brushes her messy hair with her fingers. I look out the small narrow window and see only snow. The sun hasn't appeared this whole winter. I look back at Hazel. I can tell she feels uncomfortable with being here. She ran away from here for a reason. "I know you don't like it here," I tell her. She stops brushing her hair. "You don't have to stay here if you don't want to." She doesn't look at me. "I know you never wanted to return here. It's the reason why you and Hades cloaked yourselves from them."

"Yes, I don't like being back in the place that I ran from, but I choose to stay here for you." She looks at me. Her usually sharp eyes are soft and caring. "I wouldn't leave you here all by yourself." She stands up and walks towards me. Her loose-fitting brown dress flows behind her as she walks. She dislikes heels, so she wears flats. She sits down on the edge of my bed and smiles at me. "For you, I will try to get into the council's good graces."

"But I don't feel comfortable with you being in a place you hate," I say.

"I'm fine, plus Hades and I have a meeting with the Firm to be reaccepted." She tells me. "Hopefully, we do not get punished severely." She muttered that last part, but I managed to catch it. I move closer to her.

"What do you mean by punished?" I question her. She sighs and pats my hand.

"Remember when I told you that running away is a treasonable act." I nod, remembering her words. "The only way of getting out of their grasps is if you are allowed out. Hades and I were not allowed out. So, in that meeting, we will try to be forgiven and stay here alongside you." She holds my hand.

"At what time is this meeting?" I ask.

"It is at noon." She shortly says. "I prohibit you from going. You are still new to the Firm's way of life. So this meeting will be hard for you to understand." I furrow my eyebrows together.

"No, I will stand alongside you both. We are now family, and I will not allow you guys to be ripped away from me." I tell her. She squeezes my hand softly.

"All right then, I will tell Hades the news. I doubt that he will be happy." She says. "But, I will make him agree." She gets up and opens the large white door. She pauses, "Oh, and one last thing. For the meeting, everyone attending has to wear their animal ceremonial clothing. I will help arrange everything for you and Ulla." She informs me.

"Okay, thank you," I say. She nods and closes the door behind her as she exits. I sit here feeling rather lonely. Ulla is still in another room recovering. I can feel her annoyance towards the physicians. She constantly complains to me. She says she is fine, but they don't want to risk it. I chuckle at the thought of Ulla, giving the physicians a hard time.

"Ursula, you are not going to that meeting." I hear Hades' voice shout from the hallway. The door opens, revealing an overly concerned Hades. I watch him as he walks towards my bed. He paces back and forth, telling me why I cannot go. I tune him out since I already made up my mind. His eyes are filled with concern. I am starting to understand Ulla's annoyance.

"Hades," I start. He continues to speak, not hearing me. "Hades!" I shout. He stops and looks at me. "I understand you are concerned about me, but I need you to stop being so concerned. I am perfectly fine." I politely tell him. "And for that meeting, I'm going no matter what you say." I get out of the bed and slip into my slippers.

"Ursula-" I stop him.

"Hades...I love you, but I need you to stop." I say. "Hazel told me already about how I won't understand. I believe with my attendance, I will learn, and don't forget that this meeting also concerns me."

"I just don't want you to be overworked." He says. I walk to him and look up at his eyes.

"I'll be fine, so stop worrying," I reassure him. He hugs me.

"I will never stop worrying about you, kiddo." He tells me. I hug him back.

"I'll learn to live with that," I tell him. I hear fake coughs come from behind Hades.

"Sorry to interrupt such a lovely moment, but I need this little one to change for the meeting." I hear Hazel's voice say. I let Hades go and look at her. She's carrying a bag, and a bronze dress is hanging from her arm. Hades walks over to her. He whispers something in her ear that makes her glare at him. "If the council doesn't kill you...I will." She threatens. He grins at her threats.

"I love you too." He kisses her head and walks away. She watches him walk away with the deadly glare. She then looks at me, and her whole expression changes. Her eyes look at me with excitement.

"By the way, I used Ulla as a rack to hold clothing." She informs me. She walks deeper into the room, revealing Ulla. I see a pile of fabrics lying on her back. Harper flies into the room, holding something in her sharp claws. I close the door for privacy.

"What are all these things?" I ask Hazel.

"These things are your ceremonial clothing," Hazel states as she takes the pile of fabrics off of Ulla. She lays them on the bed. "And you have to wear a lot of bling to showcase the fact that you are of the mystical rank. I, on the other hand, get to wear a tight-fitting dress." She sounded disgusted by how she described her dress. "I like to be free, not restricted." I look at the bronze-colored dress that is on the bed. The skirt has tiny creases, and the bodice has lots of beaded details.

"This dress is absolutely beautiful." I softly say, admiring it.

"Well, let's stop admiring that dress and get you dressed in yours." She goes to grab my dress. I take my nightgown off, and the icy air nips my exposed skin. Hazel drops the skirt of the dress to the floor. I step into the puddle of white fabric and watch as she lifts it to my waist. She ties it tightly to keep it in place. The skirt is thick and somewhat full. The lace gives it a romantic feel, but the tiny beads give it its beauty. In the light, it shines slightly like snowflakes.

I slip into the corset bodice of the dress, thin pieces of lace act as sleeves. I could still move around freely in this dress, but it was heavy. Hazel gently moves my hair aside and places a necklace on me. I feel a soft fabric with coldness form chains and beads. It sits snuggly on my neck. "Shouldn't you get dressed?" I ask her. She shakes her head.

"I change very quickly, but you need to look perfect for the council. Many will snap your head off if you wear something wrong." She tells me as she sits me down on the stool. She grabs my white brush and softly brushes my tangles out. I look at her as she does my hair. Her sharp eyes are focused on my hair, that she does not notice me looking. Ulla carries these white heels towards me. She places them down, and I slip my feet into them.

I notice the dress doesn't hide the scar near my heart. "Don't worry about that scar." I hear Hazel say. "It's a permanent reminder to everyone and yourself that you are a survivor." She grabs this headpiece and places it on my head. Multiple chains drape across my forehead with pearls hanging. In the middle of my forehead is a fake unicorn horn. Pearls cover the base of the horn. Hazel does my eye makeup, and nothing else. It is just white glitter on my eyelids. She runs her fingers through my wavy hair. "I'm done." I look at myself firmly in the mirror.

"I look like a different person," I say. My eyes have not changed, but my face has. I don't look sad anymore. I feel like nothing is tying me to my past.

"That's because you are a different person." I hear Hazel say. I turn to look at her, and I see her in the bronze dress. I am amazed by how beautiful she looks and how fast she changed. The empire style of the dress flatters her. I've never seen her in a tightly fitted bodice. "What? I look weird, don't I?" She asks me. "I hate this dress."

"No, you look lovely. I am just in awe, for I've never seen you in anything, but bohemian style dresses." I tell her. I stand up to allow her to do her hair. She pins her brown hair up and places a bronze twisted wired headpiece. An amber hangs from the middle of the headpiece. She puts on brown heels and stands up. She already did her eye make up in different bronze colors. I can hear her mumble words under her breath with every step she takes. She slips a bronze ring on her index finger that looks like a claw.

"Here, Ulla has to wear this also." She hands me a white twisted necklace with a pearl in the middle. I tie it around Ulla's neck. I see Hazel grab a bronze necklace with a dangling amber in the middle, and tie it around Harper's neck. I braid a small section of Ulla's mane and stick a white dahlia in it. Hazel wears a glove that allows Harper to sit on her hand. "Time to face our fates." Hazel smiles, but her eyes are not smiling.