Wicked.

Prolouge

Prologue:

"My Queen. I mean no disrespect but are you sure you want me to do this?"

"Of course I do Tatia. You are the only witch I can completely trust."

"But, My Queen. I've never done a spell like this before. It's unheard of... I don't think..."

The Queen sighs, "This will be for her own good. Then one day, she will take over my rule and her judgement won't be clouded just as mine and my sons and daughters was. This is the only way."

"I'm sure_"

"Do it Tatia! Then you will leave with her in your arms graces and walk out of the gates for she is now your daughter. You will raise her. You will take care of her. You will love her like she is your own. You will fulfil all the responsibilities her mother couldn't and then one day, she will be turned. Now do the spell!"

"Yes My Queen. But are you prepared for the possible consequences your heir or yourself could face?"

"Whatever it takes Tatia. I am prepared to do anything to keep her safe."

What the Queen saw as a gift, other would have named a curse.

A curse for a girl destined to live for eternity.

*+*+*+*+*

"All this time? It was you ruining me?" he says quietly.

"Eh," she mumbles absently, not caring at all, "you would know something about that..."

He can't read her. He tries to see her eyes but she knows him well enough not to look at them. She is not that same weak and innocent girl he knew. "How have you been?" he asks softly. As if the situation had somehow changed.

She snorts like his question is some sad joke and continues to wonder around his dimly light office, making the effort to observe all she can but making no effort to see. She hides how his presence seems to make her feel uncomfortable by repeatedly pricking her finger on the tip of her stake.

"Did you really change schools?"

The hope in his voice only tells her how weak he is. He doesn't hope for something specific, he hopes for an answer. But she doesn't care. She stays silent twirling the stake in her hands, watching her skin heal over and again like all the times before. The healing time always astounds her. A single drop escapes her skin before it is all healed over. He tries to ask her something again, "Do you remember when_"

She cuts him off abruptly by saying "I remember a lot of things." her voice stays horribly calm and light, seeming a little too effortless and stabs at him in a cruel way. To him, her words felt like a double edge blade dipped in poison and heated in the blazing fire of her furry. Time has only changed her for the worst.

He smiles to himself though, because he notices there is still some of the old girl in the cold cocoon that she has become, she had always been sassy when provoked. He remembers their close friendship. "What made you like this?" he finds himself finally asking. He remembers innocence.

For the first time in five years, she looks up from her tortures, aimless, wondering and looks directly into his eyes. He is almost tempted to use his power to control her but for some reason a voice in his head told him not to. A voice in his head told him that controlling her would be the wrong thing to do. This voice had been talking to him for years now but he could never understand what it was.

It hurts her to look into his eyes just as much as it hurts for him to look into hers. They weren't from two different worlds, they were from two different kingdoms. One that played by the rules and one that crossed the line. That was how it started. With greed, battle for power and a neutral education system five years ago.

"I look back to those days." He says softly, acknowledging the fact she won't answer is question, "it was a lot different to what I was use to but that was why I loved it..." his voice is light and he smirks at his own words, "Or, well, partly why I loved it there..." he trails off trying to watch her eyes. "When I first meet you..." he pauses, waiting for her to stop him and say something like 'the past is in the past' or 'let us all be friends again'.

But she doesn't say anything. She only waits for him to finish.

They stay silent for what felt like a human eternity.

Silence chokes the both of them, letting them slowly kill themselves with words and thoughts left unsaid.

Then finally, she answers, with a single word that is far worse then what he had thought. Not pulling a weight off his shoulder but twisting that burning double edged blade deeper into his chest. She whispers the most crushing word of all:

"Love."