A Soul For Tomorrow

Chapter 10: Magic

Lorien dried her tears as she walked into her bedroom. Mrs Coldwell was sitting by the window reading a book before she looked up and smiled at the Princess. Lorien smiled back faintly and the old woman stood up from her chair and gave Lorien a hug.

“I saw you two in the garden. What happened?” Mrs. Coldwell asked curiously. Lorien just shook her head and got her nightgown out from her wardrobe. Mrs. Coldwell sighed.

“It’s been a long day I guess. I should probably leave you to get some sleep,” the old woman walked towards the door, yawning. Lorien smiled, glad that she still had Mrs. Coldwell by her side. The princess quickly got ready for bed. She was dying to have a rest after a long day.

Lorien was about to climb under the covers but she took one last look in the mirror. She sighed at her reflection. She felt empty.

“My dear girl, did someone break your heart?” a cold voice said. Lorien spun around and searched the room in shock but couldn’t find anyone. She suddenly heard a faint sound of movement coming from near her wardrobe. She held her hand out and a large blue fireball shot out from her palm in the direction of her wardrobe. It hit the wall leaving a large black burned hole.

“That’s very impressive your Highness, or is it your Majesty now?” a strange hooded figure appeared in front of her. He removed his hood and bowed. His hair was blonde and his eyes were blood red.

Lorien gasped in horror. “Who are you?” she whispered. She tried to sound authoratative but her voice would go no louder than a whisper. The strange creature chuckled.

“Don’t worry little Princess, I won’t hurt you. My name is Dmitri. I come from a land far away,” The strange creature pointed down. Lorien understood what he was trying to say and tried to shoot another fireball at him. It singed his cloak slightly.

“Amazing. Your mother couldn’t singe this cloak if her life depended on it, and her life did depend on it,” The strange man said and started laughing coldly. Lorien gasped before glaring at him. His face scrunched up in pain as what felt like daggers were piercing him again. Lorien didn’t stop glaring until she heard him scream in agony. Dmitri did everything he could in his power to try to stop her but nothing phased her. When his screams finally became too piercing to bear, Lorien stopped torturing him.

There was a sudden knock at the door and Dmitri grabbed the Princess and covered her mouth. She tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp but he was too strong. She tried to use her magic to get herself out but it seemed as though while he was making contact with her, she had no power.

“Your Highness, is everything all right in there my dear? I thought I heard someone screaming,” Mrs. Coldwell said through the door.

“Tell her everything is fine. If you say anything more, I’ll do the same thing to you that I did to your mother,” Dmitri whispered. His hand moved slowly away from her mouth but it quickly shot back. “Oh and don’t try any of that telepathic magic on her either. If you do, I will know,” he whispered with a voice as cold as ice. He moved his hand away from her mouth.

“Everything’s fine Mrs. Coldwell. You probably just imagined it” the Princess said reassuringly, not breaking eye contact with the demon. 

“Well alright then, if you say so my dear. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call alright?” Mrs. Coldwell said kindly.

“Of course, Mrs. Coldwell,” Lorien said and the sound of Mrs. Coldwell’s shuffling steps assured Dmitri that the old lady was gone. He let go of the Princess.

Lorien looked at him coldly. “What is it you want?” Lorien asked softly, trying to hold back her tears. She was scared and she didn’t know what to do.

“Oh, Princess, don’t be afraid. I’m just here to pay a tiny little visit. I take it that Lucas has told you everything?” Dmitri’s eyes shined as he said this. His face was cold, maybe even colder than ice itself. Lorien couldn’t look at him any longer so she looked at the ground under her feet.

Dmitri walked over to her and lifted her face by her chin. He felt the teardrops on his fingers and he smirked. Lorien shivered at his cold touch. 

“Your Highness, I won’t hurt you, really I won’t. I’m just curious though, Lucas gave his soul to me so technically I own him now. He gave his soul for your love. What are you willing to do for him? Are you ready to give away what you need most? See, I know that if you choose to let go of your magic, I know what happens to you. I know what will become of you,” Dmitri turned Lorien’s face so that she was looking at her reflection in the mirror. Lorien looked at her reflection in horror.

One half of her face showed her real self. Her long deep brown curly hair, her beautifully pale skin, her lovely deep brown eyes. She was beautiful.

But the other half of her face scared her. Her skin was all wrinkly and her lips drooped so much that they were held in the position of a frown. Her whole face sagged like an old woman’s but her face was even more dramatic. She turned away from the reflection in the mirror and when she looked back, her face was back to normal.

“I know what will become of you when your magic is lost, but Lucas doesn’t. If he saw you that way, would he still love you? Would he still care for you? No, he only loves you because you are a princess. He only wants you because he wants to rule the kingdom,” Dmitri stared at her intently in the mirror. Lorien’s face burned furiously but in her heart, she knew that Lucas would love her no matter what.

Though something, something powerful that was playing with her mind, made her think otherwise. When she saw Dmitri’s face, so intent and careful, she realized that it must’ve been him.

“Lucas will always love me, no matter what,” Lorien whispered.

Dmitri laughed. “Think what you want Princess. But, think about Samuel. He’s truly, madly and deeply in love with you. He will never stop loving you, no matter what happens to you,” Dmitri said, his voice persuasive. Lorien wasn’t convinced.

“No, I love Lucas, and he loves me too, no matter what happens to me. He’s seen me at my worst and he’s still loved me and always will,” Lorien said strongly.

Dmitri chuckled again. “No Princess, he hasn’t seen you at your worst yet. Look Lorien, think about your future. If you marry Lucas, he will go off one day to fight for this kingdom and never return. But if you marry Samuel, he will never leave you. You can live happy lives together forever. You’ll also have a special alliance with Translutia. Two kingdoms are better than one right? So, here are your choices Princess. You lose your power, your gift and your immortality and become an ugly waste who will one day be abandoned by that stupid soldier one way or another, or you keep your gift and your immortality and have a happy life with Samuel. Make your choice,” Dmitri’s voice faded as he disappeared in a puff of silver smoke.

Lorien looked at herself in the mirror intently. “You’re wrong Dmitri. I’ve already made my choice.” She said to herself.