The Dying Rose

Chapter Three

That night felt like the worst. Corla kept tossing and turning in her bed, feeling the bones beneath her skin harden and thicken, getting ready for the big transformation the full moon will bring the day after the next night. Her breath was ragid and she felt like her blood was getting clogged in every inch of her skin. She felt like her lips were numb, but they weren't. Her eyes began to dart every direction they could and her nose could smell things from the other side of the castle. She growled deeply, as if she were summoning her servant. The old bag had to come if she knew what was good for her. And sure enough, three knocks were planted on the wooden door from the other side.

"Come in," Corla grumbled under her voice, shifting very little in her bed just to get comfortable, but nothing felt good. Her ribs were pressing against her flesh and she felt like she could rip apart from the sharp edges she could feel inside of her skin.

The servant did as she was told, as always. Her eyes were once big like a doe's, but now they were wrinkled and old. Her lips were almost always curled up, but in a kind and tired way at the same time. Corla studied her face for a moment, trying to picture what she could have looked like when she was Corla's age, but couldn't. Corla finally let out a sigh and pushed herself up weakly. "What do you need, dear?" The servant asked, tilting her head ever so slightly to the right. Corla watched her, squinting her eyes just barely just to focus more on her.

"Can I have some tea?" Corla said through her clenched teeth and set jaw. She slowly cracked her knuckles on her fists one by one as she watched the servant nod and walk out of the room to do what she was told. "No sugar," Corla added before the door shut all the way. When the door stopped moving, Corla let out all of the air she kept in her lungs while her servant was there.

The day after that night would be the moment her plan would take place. It would be the day of the night where her powers would be fully charged and functional. A sinister grin curled over her lips and she felt her canines a little shaper than they were a day ago. They were never this sharp, she thought, but she wasn't concerned. In fact, she was the opposite.

In a rush, she stood from her bed and glared at the mirror planted on the wall near the door. Her hair was even more of a mess. Strands were sticking up in every direction, moving around to wherever the sun went. Corla had given up trying to tame what it had become years ago. She only dealt with it for the first few days after each full moon, but then it would get too out of hand for her to even brush through it. Corla bared her teeth, showing her fangs to herself. The pointed edges of them made her grin, which made the tips stab into her lower lip, and though two drops of blood slowly formed to where the points touched, she could care less. She looked down to her hands and saw her claws, just as sharp as her fangs. She felt tempted to grin again but held back the urge when her servant knocked three times on the door once more.

"Come in," Corla's voice demanded into the air. She clenched her jaw again, waiting for the old woman to show herself once more. Corla moved her eyes to look at the woman, who had a tray with a chipped tea cup and a tea pot. "You got me a chipped cup," Corla said, annoyed with what the servant brought for her. When the servant just looked down to the tea, Corla just shook her head and sat herself down on her bed. "Fine. Just pour me some tea."

The servant did as she was told once more. Corla watched the woman's movements, judging the shakiness of her arm as she rose the pot and poured a string of tea into the chipped cup. The old bag was getting too old to keep her job. Even her eyes were getting soft and delicate, though they were once as ruthless as Corla wished she was now. When the woman looked back up to her, handing her the cup, Corla took it quickly and drunk it down. "More," she demanded, handing back the cup toward the woman who nodded and accepted the demand.

After three more cups, Corla was just getting annoyed with the woman's company. Her presence made her feel like she needed to act different. The servant made Corla feel as though she needed to act like a princess, with a perfect posture and the best attitude anyone could ask for. Corla never gave the woman that satisfaction, though. Not when everything in her life was already in ruins and she was walking on shards of glass. Corla shook her head, snapping her thoughts away before she glared at the woman.

"Get out of my sight." The words were like knives, and even thought Corla had said those words, she had to hide her shock from how they came out.

"Yes, My Lady." And then the servant was gone, just like the tea pot and the chipped tea cup that kept getting re filled.

Then the memories came in like a soaring blade cutting through air, making a slice noise as it tore through the atmosphere. Corla jumped back and pressed her back on her bed frame. She quickly shut her eyes, feeling as if they were burning as her head hit against the frame. "No," she whispered, seeing images of her parents. "No!" she tried to scream but nothing came out but another whisper. Then the images came to life in her mind.

"What should we do tonight, my dear?" Corla's father asked, holding her in his arms. Her mother was beside him, looking down at her and back away as if she were trying to keep a secret.

"Dance?" The little girl asked back. Her father had yet to teach her and the father daughter dance was coming up. She was finally old enough to participate. She turned six a few weeks earlier and she wouldn't stop talking about the dance and how she was more mature.

"Would you like me to teach you?" He asked, looking into the girl's eyes before focusing on his wife. Something was not going right, even though they had ran not too long ago. It seemed like it was just the day before when they found a proper village house to stay in, but maybe even that wasn't safe enough for the three of them.

"I want to learn how to dance like mommy!" The girl said excitedly as she peered toward her mother, who glanced with a smile back before looking back to the window.

"Okay dear," her father replied, kissing her forehead before putting her gently into her bed. "I'll come get you when me and your mother are ready." And then he was gone with one of the only women Corla ever knew.

Later on, someone did enter the room. Corla breathed out a sigh or relief before she saw who it was: an older woman around the same age as her mother. Corla tilted her head before she asked, "Where is my mommy and daddy?" The woman just ignored her and picked her up.

"You must not make a sound. You must not speak. Do not tell anyone about me," Corla nodded along with her words, not realizing that she was being somewhat brainwashed. "Drink this," the lady said, giving her a bottle with a clear liquid inside. Corla did as she was told and gulped down a little bit.

"Ew! It tastes weird!" Corla tried to spit it out but she couldn't. Her eyes slowly drooped shut and her breath grew soft. The lady breathed out a sigh before picking up the little girl, and then they were both out of the villagers house, but nowhere around them was Corla's mother or father.

That was the last day she had ever seen her parents. She hadn't heard about them for just over a year before the same lady that took her that night told her what recently happened. The king and the queen had kidnapped Corla's parents and kept them hostage before they hung them for their crimes. The woman never went into detail about what crimes, and it just left Corla to use her imagination.

Corla glared at the wall in front of her as the memory faded out of view. Her hands were balled into fists and her body was shaking just slightly. "The king is mine," she breathed out into the air around her, letting her own words sink into her skin. "The king is mine!"

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Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying this story so far! Right now it may be a bit confusing but trust me, it makes more sense later.
I have a lot of plans for the chapters coming up so I hope you guys leave your opinions in a comment and if you liked the story so far....

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