Princess of Flames

Beltane

       The next day Liara helped her pick out a dress. There were storage closets everywhere and one was full of dresses for occasions just like this. She flipped through some. She looked at a  blue gauzy one. Not the right one. She was flipping through the dresses when one caught her eye. It looked similar to her amethyst purple one, only it was a dark green and not pooling on the floor but just the right length. This was perfect. How lucky that she had found one of her favorite dresses in a slightly different style and color right here. She took it off the rack. "This is the one," she said to Liara who had picked out a short, lovely, yellow one. "Beautiful," she said. 

        She was so busy the rest of the day catching up on the cleaning in the kitchens and training that she forgot to help Breanna with her dress.

       The next afternoon, after helping to get food, tables, and decorations over to the site, Taylor was helping Breanna with her hair after she had helped pick out a pale blue, silk dress with her. She finished Breanna's hair and sent her on her way. She slipped on the green dress. She left her hair down and no cosmetics, because tonight there was no Lords and Ladies dancing, there was no trying to make a good appearance, just having a good time. She went down to the kitchens to meet with everybody else. Not surprisingly the males were not wearing anything nicer than usual, just practical clothing. But Liara had kept her hair down as well, Breanna didn't like to have her hair in her face so she had put it in a pretty updo. Liara and Breanna gave her broad smiles. Soaren was the only male that gave her any acknowledge, he gawked at her. Bryan nudged him with an elbow to say, stop staring at your sister. And he didn't elbow him lightly to her amusement. She flashed Brydan a sweet smile. He just smirked. "Now we'll see how your dancing skills are." he said next to her as they started walking down the hall over there. 

       When they got there, there were people, music, and dancing already. Taylor grabbed Liara's hand and led her towards the dancing people. Liara laughed while they danced, spinning, twirling, and just having fun. She and Liara had stopped for a bit to have a short dinner. Brydan came over later and had asked her to dance. She debated saying no to see what his expression would be, but she decided just to have fun like her mother said. So she danced with him the rest of the night, though she didn't miss her father's glances at them. During the walk back Brydan whispered to her, "So the legends are true, Princess Taylor Whitethorn Galathynius can dance after all." She gave him a proud smile. "And to think you didn't even believe me." He chuckled. "I will never doubt you again." She hummed her doubt at that statement. "We'll see about that." she said smiling to herself. 

        When they got back the place was quiet. So unusual, especially for a night like this. She was in the middle of their group. As she stepped past the wards an arrow flew at her, she was so oblivious to her surroundings after all the dancing that she didn't see it until it hit her. She hit the ground with the force of the arrow. It had gone through her right shoulder. Brydan who was right behind her was picking her up and running through the doors to the fortress for safety where there were soldiers in uniforms just like the ones who had invaded a week ago. They were after her she realized, why would they have shot her down and not the others unless they were after her. She was putting Brydan and the others in danger by them protecting her. "Brydan put me down." she snarled at him. She didn't need to be carried like a baby. He set her down and stepped in front of her. She pushed him back and punched into that well of power drawing as much as possible up. As Brydan tried to get in front she sent a wall of flame to block his path leaving her to the onslaught of the soldiers. 

        If they wanted her then they could try, but not before she ended their lives for harming her friends. She remembered that first training with Aelin. How she burnt the tree to ashes. She could do it again. She felt Brydan's water trying to put out her fire, but she held strong. Taylor gave them a smile that was just plain wicked and cruel before she turned half of the soldiers to ash with a flick of a hand in their direction. She tunneled further into her power as she used her hidden daggers and slit the throats of the first two soldiers coming at her. She set the next five on fire. There was still thirteen left. Some outright fleeing until there was only eight left. She yanked out the arrow in her arm. She clamped her teeth together to keep in her scream. Blood gushed out then slowly faded into a trickle. She looked behind her to see Brydan still trying to get through her unbreakable wall. Liara had taken Soaren and Breanna somewhere safe, while Rowan was fighting off the archers on the wall, plus several other soldiers. She turned back to the soldiers. She wouldn't let them to get to her friends and family. They all rushed at her from different angles. She could barely use her right arm with the wound she hadn't healed yet. She killed the two in front of her in a heartbeat. Then whirled around and took down the two behind her. She slashed the ones on her right. Then her left, the two she slashed had backed away a bit. She threw her daggers at the ones that were closest to her. She didn't have any more daggers though. The one on her left moved to slash at her. She ducked the sword swinging at her head, in a precise maneuver she knocked the soldier's sword out of his grip. She grabbed his sword and impaled him with it. She turned toward the cowering last guard. She advanced on him with the sword, his eyes went wide and he knew there was no beating her. One moment she was about to take down that last guard, the next there was a blade at her throat. The soldier held on to her in a way she knew he was skilled, probably their commander.  She felt Brydan use everything he had to get past that shield. So she put everything into it too, she would not let them die for her. Let Soaren or Breanna be crowned and live to see that day. She could hear him start to shout for Rowan's help. Only he could break her shield right now. She either needed to kill these soldiers or they had to take her away quickly. "If you harm one hair on their head, I will personally kill you." she snarled to the soldiers. "Doesn't look like your in a position to make threats, little girl." the commander sneered. She knew which course of action she was taking after that.  "One, I am no little girl. And two, I don't make threats, only promises." she hissed before kicking and elbowing him at the same time. She threw flames to burn his hands holding her. He screamed when she grabbed a lost knife on the ground and shoved it into his leg where a artery is. "I said I would kill you," she said with a voice that had no mercy. Then she yanked the knife out and threw it at the last soldier. She let her wall of flame down. As Rowan and Brydan ran for her she said, "How's that for a Princess?"