Purple Roses

INTERLUDE: SHADOWS

Cara's P.O.V

I look up at the starry sky.

I chuckle as I remember how much Rosie loved nights like these. She would sneak out the castle and climb up to the highest roof top and sit there, hands out stretched reaching for the stars. I'd watch her with a happy heart. She is after all my half-sister.

I sigh and look down at the Kingdom stretched far out before me.

I've always known I was destined for greatness, destined to one day be the ruler of my own world. Be my own Queen. But Rosie. She was getting in the way.

Everyone knew that Rosie would one day take the crown because she is the only true heir between the two of us. If Rosie was in the picture, I would never be Queen. I would never amount to anything. I'd always be the Queen's half-sister.

Forced to marry some commoner because they would be the only ones to accept me. All the royals in every kingdom would never look at me as a potential suitor or as an equal.

Prince Ferveris would never love me. He doesn't even see how much I love him. I've loved him ever since we were kids. He would always come from his kingdom to come and spend time with me. He was the only royal who actually treated me like a human and an equal.

But then Rosie was born and all that changed. Father and 'mother' saw an opportunity and they took it. They wanted to unite the two kingdoms and the best way to do so was by marriage. The unbroken agreement.

I hated them and Rosie with everything within me.

But Ferveris. He was against it. He wasn't willing to marry her and fought against every meeting between the two of them.

But the more time Ferveris spent around me and Rosie, I guess people change their minds after a while. He became more used to the idea of them uniting the two kingdoms. He became used to the idea of becoming King of all the kingdoms. He became used to Rosie.

Rosie is so beautiful, kind and thoughtful. She made it hard for the both of us to hate her. But when she caught his attention, I realized how much I hated her. I hated her for taking away the only good thing from me.

I heavily breathe out.

Then one night, our parents never came back. They disappeared from the face of the earth and left Rosie and I in the care of our Uncle.

The door to my room slams open. I turn around and am faced with an angry Uncle. I watch him walk slowly towards me. I walk towards him as well, meeting him half-way. Trying my best not to show weakness. Uncle hates it when we show weakness. "Cara, where did you leave Rosie?" he asks me furious. I gulp and raise my head as high as I can. "Where we planned to leave her." I tell him, knowing full well I didn't.

I didn't leave her with Casper. I couldn't bring myself too.

He takes a deep breath and holds the bridge of his nose, trying to calm down. "And where was that Cara?" he lets his hands fall to his side and takes a step closer to me. "Where did we plan to leave her?" he looks into my eyes, boring holes in my soul. I don't respond.

I then feel his cold hands grip onto my neck, holding on tight. My hands wrap themselves around his hands trying my best to lessen the pain. His squeezing...... I can't breathe. "Uncle." I mutter tears falling down my face. My heart torn. "Where did we plan to leave Rosie, Cara? Where!" he yells at me getting angrier.

He then pushes me back until my back slams onto the wall, painfully so. "Where did you leave her Cara!" he yells, his spit spraying on my face. "I can't." I try to talk but I can't. I can't breathe. I take one look into his eyes and my heart nearly stopped beating. Uncle is going to kill me. The tears start pouring down my face. "Uncle." I whisper as my body starts to shut down. My head getting dizzy. My throat hurting.

I close my eyes. "I left her with Parker." I finally confess. "I'm sorry." I say in hopes he'll forgive me and show me mercy.

I feel uncle's grip on my neck loosen and my body falls on the ground. "Damn it Cara!" Uncle yells walking away. I hold onto my neck as it burns. It hurts to swallow so I spit out the saliva accumulated in my mouth. The tears running down my face is suffocating. I try to breathe but it's so difficult. I sit there in pain with my tears.

~

I walk through the woods in my new form.

My bare feet touching the mud, my clothes, body and hair wet from the falling rain. I feel so cold. I wrap my arms around myself to try to keep warm. I can't use my flames because it's raining. I need shelter, and fast.

I start running North. Where Uncle said I must go.

I pass a huge boulder with a symbol of some sorts painted on it. My attention captured, I stop to look at it. Walking towards it, I touch it and try to wipe off the symbol on the rock but it doesn't come off. It must be a family emblem of some sorts. I wonder what family it belongs to.

I stop dead in my tracks as I feel him behind me, before I knew he was Parker. I quickly turn around and see he's wearing only shorts with no shirt on. His hair long and dark. His build strong. The strength he radiates is amazing. He watches me not saying anything.

I look into his eyes. His wide dark brown eyes. And I knew.

His soul then tells me a tale. A tale yet to come. A tale that involves not me but Rosie. A tale of anguish, pain and love. It's destiny you could put it. His and her destiny. Their destiny together.

"Who are you?" he asks, seeing not me but Rosie in my eyes. I give him a small smile. "Kiara."