Forever Charmed

Nothing But The Truth

Carmilla swallows hard. "I don't have to answer this."

Laura takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "Carmilla, don't you dare orb out." She opens her eyes, the pain and regret in them wounding Carmilla more than any Darklighter's arrow ever could. "Please don't make me use my powers on you again," she begs, her voice cracking.

Carmilla doesn't move, watching as a tear rolls down Laura's cheek.

"Who the hell are you?" Danny repeats. "Don't make me ask again."

"I-I'm a whitelighter," Carmilla says softly.

"Don't lie," LaF asserts, stepping forward with a supportive hand wrapped around Laura's arm. "Laura, tell her not to lie."

"I'm not using my powers on her again unless I have to," Laura says weakly.

"I'm not lying," Carmilla asserts. "I'm a whitelighter. I just wasn't assigned to Laura."

Kirsch scoffs. "The Elders have never heard of someone by your name."

Carmilla stares down at the ground. "No, they wouldn't have. But ask them about a Mircalla Karnstein."

"Are you saying your real name is Mircalla Karnstein?" J.P. asks.

Carmilla nods silently.

"You're the Mircalla Karnstein?" he asks, garnering some confused looks. "Good lord, you are."

Carmilla raises an eyebrow and slowly meets his gaze. "You've heard of me?"

J.P. nods. "I became a whitelighter right after you... Well, after what happened to you."

Laura looks at Carmilla with nothing but concern in her eyes. "What happened to you?"

Carmilla's eyes flicker from looking at J.P. to Laura, and then back again, expecting him to recount her story.

He shakes his head. "I believe it would not be my place to tell this tale?"

Carmilla presses her lips together, averting her eyes once again. "I... only want to tell Laura."

Danny scoffs. "Yeah, I don't think that's hap––"

"Fine," Laura interrupts, shocking Carmilla into looking back up. "Well, actually, not totally fine." Laura glances over at J.P. "You tell me and J.P. If there are any gaps in the story he can't corroborate, then..."

Carmilla nods slowly. "There won't be."

Laura sighs, taking J.P.'s hand and holding out her other hand for Carmilla to take. "There better not be."

The trio orbs into Laura's dad's living room and Laura gestures for Carmilla to sit on a chair while she and J.P. take the couch.

"Whenever you're ready," Laura says gently to Carmilla.

Carmilla wasn't ready for that tone. She was expecting some sort of harsh interrogation. She was expecting yelling and screaming and anger. She wasn't expecting... Kindness?

Then again, this is Laura Hollis.

Carmilla sighs, and then takes a deep breath.

"I was born Mircalla, daughter of the Count Karnstein in Styria, a dutchy of Austria in 1680. Austria was embroiled in the great war against the Ottoman Empire. My father wanted nothing more than to marry me off to whoever would bring him the most power out of the deal, but I was too busy sneaking off to help tend to our soldiers. One night, it was a case of wrong place, wrong time, and I was killed by an enemy soldier. Drowned in a damn river."