A sharp, silver, sliver of a knife point flies towards me. I hear the air screaming at it slices through. And I'm running, running, running. I turn a corner, glancing over my shoulders fretfully but there's no sign of my attacker. "You can't run Yana!" I hear her voice taunting me, calling me, echoing from who knows where, "Your, pale, WEAK little Kalovaxian legs won't carry you much further." Ophelia's taunts stalk after me like a predator, hungering for fear. "You are a monster, monster, monster." she whispers like a ghost in my ear. I turn left and SLAM! Into a sliver blade. I hear an inhuman shriek reverberate around the walls and I realise with cold shock it is my own. Hot red crawls down my leg. My nightdress is covered in blood. I can smell burning. I slump to the ground. She's there above me, like some wicked angel. "Die quietly," she spits, yanking the dagger out of my stomach, "Kalovaxian bitch."
I awake, gasping for breath and feeling as though I've run a mile. I was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream. "Just a dream, just a dream..." I mutter as I climb out of bed. I stumble backwards as I catch sight of myself in the mirror, stifling a scream. My nightdress has two, twin, blackened hand prints. Burns. What, what happened? I look over to my bed and see a mess of tangled sheets, smudged black finger marks all over it. A hand strays to my mouth as start to panic. What have I done?
I hide my nightgown and sheets under my bed. No one needs to know.
Maybe it never happened.
Maybe I've gone mad.
Breakfast is torture. The cutlery shakes in my hand and I keep looking to see if I've burned something. Not yet. Mother likes to eat breakfast with the court once every week and I can't stop glancing over to where Ophelia's sitting, expecting a knowing smirk, or sly remark. Nothing. If anything Ophelia seems to have forgotten me completely this morning. It's like I don't exist. Better forgotten than bullied. Still it unnerves me. Is she planning something? "For the last time Yana, pass the sugar!" I jump and look up at Ampelio sitting next to me,
"Oh right, sorry." He takes the sugar from my shaking fingers but doesn't seem to notice,
"You feeling alright today Yana? You've be kind of... jumpy." I contemplate telling him what happened...
"Is it because I'm going away?" Oh! I'd forgotten Ampelio was leaving today. Mother told the court a few days ago and he's already packed,
"Um, I guess so. I'm really going to miss you, Ampelio." He takes my hand and gently squeezes it. I jump, panicking. What if I burned him? He doesn't seem to notice and when he goes to reach for his coffee mug I see no burns. Thank the gods.
"I'm going to miss you too... little sister." I find it in me to laugh and roll my eyes but it sounds too forced. Ampelio doesn't even notice. "You call me that again and I'll write to Erik and tell him how you used to wear and eye patch and run around the gardens screaming 'One eyed Ampelio to the rescue!'" He looks horrified,
"Yana, please don't!" I laugh and turn back to my food, pretending to think consider,
"Depends..."
"Depends what? What Yana?" I smirk at his worried face,
"Only if you give me the last cube of honeycomb of your plate for my coffee." Ampelio gasps and puts a hand to his heart dramatically, "You monster!" He says, mock horrified, plopping the golden cube into my mug. I cringe at his words. Little does he know how much they hurt.
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Søren's child (Ash Princess fanfic)
Fanfiction(16 years later) What if Theodosia and Søren had children? Meet Ampelio and Yana. Ampelio is loved as Astrea's heir and his likeness to his Mother. Yana is hated for her Kalovaxian looks and rumoured father, Søren. While Yana tries to come to terms...
