Desires of the Crown

44 - The Kings Charm

Allair

Oh shit.

"Stand down." Natalia, the witch with the blue eyes spoke. The others around her had started shifting as well, all expect the golden eyed wolf still hovering above me - her teeth bared and snarling at me.

"What, why - Ow!" I yelped as the golden eyes wolf bit down on my ankle, my blood spraying into her mouth and colouring her teeth.

"Anyana!" Natalia demanded obedience. "I said stand down."

The golden wolf - Anyana - snarled at me once again, but she obeyed her master. Backing off the Anyana shifted from her form form and into a beautiful young girl with head of black curls. Her eyes were a mystifying purple that had me unable to look away. She was stunning. She looked no older than sixteen, but her eyes seemed to hold decades behind them.

"Forgive her Princess, she is young and still learning her place." Natalia rolled her eyes as if the conversation now bored her. "Anyana, you ruined her ankle, you can carry her."

Anyana opened her mouth, ready to complain but a strong glare from her mistress was all it took for the young witch to jump to attention. Anyana not so gently grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. I flinched and winced as pain rushed through me. "I can walk on my own." I told them, if only to get some distance between me and Anyana. Truth be told, I think she'd lead me right off a cliff.

Natalia lead the way and I hobbled after the witches. "Where are you going?"

"Were are we going Princess." Natalia corrected me as she lead the way, towards the castle gates.

They were heading straight for the walls.

"No I can't," I began to protest as the thick bricked walls began to creep closer and closer. We were now out of the thicket of the forest and in the open plains of the mountains, where the castle walls and the sentries had full view of the now approaching horde of witches. "We can't."

I continued to protest. 

The wall was right in front of us now and in full view of the guards. Oh gods we're going to die!

Anyana laughed as I tried to distance myself from the witches. She grabbed my arm with a fierce grasp and pulled me forward. I watched the witches in front of me as they drove themselves forward - and into the wall. "Wait I can't - " I pulled away as I struggled to comprehend what was happening. But Anyana's grip was too tight.

She threw me into the wall.

I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the hard rock and rough surface to cut up my face and break my nose.

But instead, instead I felt sick.

My chest tightened as if there was three large boulders sitting atop my body crushing me into the dirt. My arms ached and body felt almost compressed. My head pounded with ache and I couldn't breath. Panic rose up within me and I tried to open my eyes. They were heavy in the beginning but slowly they opened. My vision was blurred, with a haze of grey washed over it.

What the - I tried to talk but couldn't seem to push the air into my lungs. I panicked, again.

I felt a sharp push in the back and before I knew it, my muscles were free to move, I was free to breath, my vision was no longer clouded by a grey haze, and the floor was coming up to greet me.

I landed face first into the wooden flooring.

"Idiot." Anyana grabbed me and hauled me back up to my feet. "What kind of person pauses in the wall."