Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Some of the stories in this book you might already recognize! That is because I moved them from an independent story to a one-shot! Stories that have already been previous written will have an asterisk (*) by the title.

Also, if you would like to send prompts for me to write for, I will try --- to the best of my ability!

Below are fandoms I am involved enough in to write silly, short, sappy stories for:

- Undertale (Game)
- Marvel Comics & Cinematic Universe (Movie)
- DC Comics (Movie)
- Sherlock (TV)
- Doctor Who (TV)
- Overwatch (Game)
- Borrowers (Book and Movie)
- Naruto (Manga)
- Black Butler (Manga)
- Steven Universe (TV)
- Stranger Things (TV)
- Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (Book)
- Be More Chill (Book and Musical)
- Heathers (Musical)
- Dear Evan Hansen (Musical)
- Simon vs. The Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (Book)
- Magi (Manga)
- Harry Potter (Book)
- Supernatural (TV)
- Maximum Ride (Book)
- Attack on Titan (Manga)
- X-Men (Movie)
- Alice In Wonderland (Book)
- Anything Disney (Movie)
- Voltron: Legendary Defender (TV)
- Criminal Minds (TV)
- Most Rick Riordan Books (Book)
- League of Legends (Game)
- Most Gaming YouTubers (Game)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movie and Book)

List will be altered and added to as time goes by and I get better hobbies.

That's it for now! I'll see y'all next time, and remember...

Don't melt~!
- Happyritas <OOO

Chapter Text

SIMON

It was early October when the Mage called me again. He sent a robin to my room while I was lying on my bed, thinking. I was wondering what Baz could be planning that caused him to miss two months of school. I mean, all this just to kill me? Was it worth it?

The bird landed on the edge of my bed (I had the window open). It tweeted to get my attention.

I looked down, and it hopped towards me on one foot. The other was clutching a note. I reached over, "Who's this from?" I asked as I grabbed the note, but I think I already knew the answer.

It was a piece of rolled parchment that has scraggily written handwriting saying, 'Come to my office. I have a mission for you,' and at the bottom, it was signed by the Mage.

I jumped up, it was almost instinct, but then I hesitated. The Mage wanted me to go on a mission, after he told me I was leaving and then I turned him down? What if he was just trying to get me out of Watford?

I shook my head to stop thinking. That was stupid, the Mage would never do that. He had a mission for me, and I had to go.

I reached under my bed to grab my sneakers and then hurried out of the room.

°¬°¬°¬°¬°

"Numpties, sir?" I asked, surprised. The Mage got a look of annoyance on his face, and I squirmed in my seat. He did hate to repeat himself.

"Yes. Numpties. There's a group of them in London, I need you to get rid of them," The Mage explained, his hands folded over the table.

I blinked, still surprised. "Do I have to leave now, sir? Can't I wait until Baz comes back?

"No," The Mage snapped. "They're an issue now. You are the Chosen One, Simon. This is your responsibility."

"I thought I was supposed to defeat the Insidious Humdrum," I frowned. "Not get rid of numpties, sir."

"You'll have to take care of a lot of things when you get to the place you were born to do, Simon," The Mage explained and I squirmed again. I didn't like talking to him sometimes. He talked to me like I was a toddler trying to understand politics.

"Get your stuff ready," The Mage continued. "You'll be leaving within the hour." I must've had a face that looked ready to shout, but the Mage continued to speak. "They're just numpties, Simon. It won't take you too long to get rid of them." Then, he sent me away.

°¬°¬°¬°¬°

SIMON

I arrived at the bridge after the sun had set. It was dark and cold and the shade of the bridge provided nothing to help it.

I rubbed my arms and held out my sword. What did numpties even look like? I mean, we talked about it in one of my classes, but I didn't remember. Could I even cut off a numpties' head like I did the troll?

I stepped inside the cave and called out, "Hello? Anyone here?" I called out, but heard nothing back. My words echoed against the wall, and came back around to me. I tried again, "Hello?"

Then there was a groan, and a sharp inhale. I stepped closer, having my sword by my side in seconds. "Hello? Who's there? Numpties? Are you there?" I called, hoping to get an answer. My heart was beginning to pick up speed as suspense rose in the air. Something was moving along the wall. That was where the groaning was coming from.

I tentatively stepped forward, "Hello? Anyone there?" I asked, as the thing came into view. It was a coffin, and the top was moving. I swallowed, I never had to deal with the undead before. Was this what the Mage sent me here for? Are Numpties zombies?

I heard movement and something sharp cutting across the calf of my trousers. I turned, but nothing was there. I felt down on my leg --- I was bleeding. I decided to wait, it wasn't that bad, and Penny could fix it up for me. She always did.

But then I heard a hiss and the top moved again. The locks were straining to keep whatever it was inside and was beginning to splinter.

I turned back around sword ready to strike. It took a few more blows, but the top to the coffin was ripped off, whatever was inside tumbled out, and to the floor.

I pointed my sword, ready to get this over with. I was cold and tired and ready to go back to Watford. Whatever it was on the ground, it was shaking and breathing heavily. It's clothes look to be in tatters and stunk a little.

"Get up," I ordered, my voice firm. Whatever it was, froze. Then slowly, it look up --- no, he looked up. It was Baz and he looked like he was in absolutely agony. Tears were dripping down his cheeks and his body was beginning to shake. But that wasn't what caught my attention.

In his mouth was a pair of razor sharp fangs, right over his teeth. Baz was a vampire. I knew it --- Baz was a vampire! He was a vampire and he was crying. Baz never cried, what was wrong with him.

He inhaled again, but it was like shudders through his body. His hands were grabbing at the dirt, as he tried to control himself. "Get away from me!" He screamed.

°¬°¬°¬°¬°

BAZ

I didn't think I would last much longer.

Since they've taken me, the numpties been giving me blood. I don't bloody know how they figured it out through their thick, rock skulls that I was a vampire, but I was at least a little grateful that they did. The blood was keeping me alive. I was still hungry enough to drain an elephant, but I was alive.

But then, they stopped. I don't know how long it's been, it's hard to keep track when you're stuck in a coffin, but it's been a few days, if not more. I couldn't go on much longer. My stomach ached and my eyes watered for the need, the urge for blood. My fangs popped and haven't gone back in. I was so hungry. So, so hungry.

And then, I heard it. A voice. A person.

Blood.

I didn't even register pounding on the top of the coffin. I had tried before and it never worked. Maybe I didn't have the strength then, but I did now. I was hungry, hungrier than I've ever been before.

Usually, the urge to drain a person was surpressed. I've never done it, and I promised myself that I never would. But, from where I laid, I could hear their heart beating. I could smell the blood pumping in their body. It filled me with an urge, a need. I needed to eat. I needed to.

I got out, and I was on the ground. The first time I touched the ground in far too long. I heard someone talking above me. At first, I wanted to launch myself at them, and drain them completely. But, with whatever little restraint I had left, I didn't.

Then, I heard his voice. "Get up." I froze, the ends of my hair standing. No. Not him, not Snow. But, when I looked up, he was there. His hair just as brown-bronze and curly as ever. His eyes blue eyes seemed to burn with magic and intensity. It always made my stomach twist and now especially show.

I can't be here. Not now. Not when I feel like this. It wasn't fair! Why is it that I can't have one good thing for myself!? Not my mom! Not my life! Not even Simon bloody Snow!

Tears began to burn my eyes and create floods down my face. But, a thought creeped in my mind. Was this it? The day I dreaded where he and I finally ended each other? I always knew I was going to die by the hands of Simon Snow, I anticipated it. From the day we met, I knew we'd kill each other.

I shuddered as I inhaled, my stomach churning from him being so close. From the blood dripping down his leg, being wasted on the ground. My hands nails dug into the dirt as I tried to control my lust. He needed to leave. Now!

"Get away from me!" I screamed at him, my voice cracking as held every part of this inhuman creature that I was back. My mind screamed for blood, but my heart sobbed for Snow. I couldn't do this, I couldn't kill him. I loved him.

°¬°¬°¬°¬°

SIMON

Now, I was really worried for him. His back arched and his face contorted into agony. An un-Baz-like whine escaped his lips. Was he hurt? Crowley, where was Penny when I needed her? "What's wrong? Baz? What's wrong?"

I tried to take a step forward, but Baz just jumped back, his eyes were wide and his pupils bloated. He kept running his tongue across his fangs. They were milky white and looked razor sharp. I gulped looking at them, but tried to focus on him --- Baz. He was in pain.

"No! Not you! Get away! Leave!" Baz's words were a jumbled mess. He looked like he couldn't breath. He moved a hand to cover his mouth, but the arm was shaking. His entire body was shaking. It was like he wanted to jump --- to jump at me --- but he was stopping himself from moving.

"Baz, we need to take you to the---" Baz was covering his face now. He kept gasping and clawing at his face.

"No, not him. Fuck, not him!" He hissed to himself, his overgrown nails leaving marks in his skin. "Control it! Control it!"

"Baz, stop!" Now I was worried. I was still clutching my sword and I dropped it. I stepped towards him, but he just pushed himself farther.

"Get! Away!" He screeched the words like they were poison. "Run! Damn it, run, Simon!"

"Why? What wrong with you?" Now I was scared, but I stepped back anyway. He was still covering his face as he talked.

"The blood. You're bleeding and, fuck, get away! I can't control it!"

"I don't understand," I frowned. The blood?

Then, I looked down and saw the back of my bleeding pants. Oh, shit.

Baz seemed at his wit's end as well. He jumped, his mouth full of teeth and his eyes black. I jumped back, his teeth just centimeters away. "Whoa, Baz!" I cried, but he wasn't listening to reason. He jumped again, and I moved away. I didn't want to hurt him, but I didn't want to be turned either. Did he just have to cut me with his teeth, or did he have to bite?

My stomach twisted at the thought and I suddenly wished I had read more about vampires.

Baz jumped again, and I tripped over a rather big rock. My head fell and slammed against the ground, my sight blurring for a moment. Baz was on me, mouth opened and fangs aimed at my neck. I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Baz! No! You're better than this!" I said, hold his face and trying to push him away. "Fight it! Control yourself!"

Baz looked at me, his dark eyes focusing in mine and for a second, he looked normal, and terrified. "Baz," I whispered, and tears formed in his eyes.

"I can't..." He gasped, lip trembling. "I--I'm hungry, Simon, I---"

"Feel the burn!" The spell hit Baz straight on. Baz screamed. I mean, really, screamed. That spell made someone feel as if their muscles were on fire. It was a forbidden spell, nobody was allowed to use it.

I turned to see the Mage standing beside me, his wand pointed directly at Baz. Baz continued to wither in pain, and I scrambled to stand up.

"Are you alright? Did he bite you?" He asked, and I shook my head, still too shocked to speak. "Good. He'll be tried for trying to attack a mage, and the Chosen One at that. His family had to have known what he was, and it may be enough to get the majority of the Old Families' out of the school. Anyone affiliated with a dark creature should be discredited."

His words seemed to be drowned in my ears. I was staring at Baz who was still shaking on the floor, still sobbing from the pain. "And, I wish you had used a spell, it would have done you good, Simon," The Mage continued. "Even, 'all tied up', would've---"

"You're hurting him," I said, finally being able to find my voice.

"Pardon?" The Mage turned to me.

"You're hurting him!" I snapped, "Stop it! Stop that spell! You're going to kill him!"

"It's not going to kill him," The Mage reasoned.

"Stop!" I said with magic. The Mage rose a thick eyebrow, but listened.

He lifted his wand away from Baz, ending the spell. Baz gasped loudly, and shuddered. Then, he turned over on his side and vomited.

I came to him, falling to my knees, "Baz! Baz, it's alright. We--We're going to get you help," I assured him, my hands shaking as I held onto him. Baz said nothing, but he clutched my shirt and lurched to vomit again.

"Simon, step away from him," The Mage demanded. "You've did your job. You can go back to Watford now."

I didn't say anything. Apart of me was ready to listen. To drop Baz and go back to school. I mean, Baz is my enemy. He's never been good to me. And now that I know he's a vampire, he can be kicked out for good.

But, the tears in his eyes and the pain on his face. It made me think twice.

I looked at the Mage, "How did you know he was here?" I asked him.

"Simon---"

"How did you know!?" I snapped.

The Mage sighed, as if he were annoyed by my question. "I had him held here," He said and my eyes widened, my jaw dropping. "It's all apart of my plan, Simon, and he," he pointed to Baz. "He's right in the middle of it. If we get rid of the boy, Simon and turn the blame to the Old Families, our issues will be virtually nonexistent."

"Have... Have you had him here all summer?" I asked, my mouth dry.

"No, of course not," the Mage scoffed. "Just since the beginning of the school year."

My eyes buldged, "Th--That's almost two months!" I exclaimed, but he waved his head, unconcerned.

"He was getting blood. That's all he needed," The Mage assured him.

"He just tried to bite me!" I cried, still a little shocked. My loudness made Baz inhale, and he shuddered even more.

"Well, I had the numpties stop giving him blood," the Mage explained simply. "I needed my plan to work."

"Your plan!?" I cried, "What if he bit me!?"

"That would have been a downside, yes," he agreed. "But, no more of that. Step away from him, Simon."

"No!" I glared at the Mage, my chest huffing. "No! You're gonna kill him!"

"I'm not going to kill---"

"You just used the 'Feel the burn' spell on him!" I snapped, and even though I didn't say it with magic, Baz still flinched. It made my anger grow even more. I felt my magic rise to the surface with my anger. The haze of red began to fester and grow, and I felt my clothes smoke.

Baz seemed conscious enough to move away, squirming off my lap. The Mage disagrees with that immediately, points his wand at him and says, "That's a wrap!"

Ropes sprout from the end of his wand, seizing Baz's weaker form. He squirms for several seconds, but quickly tires it.

"Leave him alone!" I snapped, and quickly recited the incantation for my sword. He gripped the handle and pointed it at the Mage.

The Mage glowered at me, "Put that away!"

"Leave, and I will!" I retorted.

"You're making a mistake, Simon," The Mage hissed. "Surely you can get it through your thick skull! This will save us! Watford can be powerful again! With him gone and you at my side," The Mage shook his head, as if imagining it was unreasonable. "Simon, the things we could do, together."

"You're mad," I said, my hands shaking. "You're right mad. This is wrong."

The Mage looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and disgust, "You're too blind to the possiblity," he told him plainly. "But, that's okay. I can always make a new Chosen One." He pointed his wand at me.

I only had a second to react. I ducked to the side as he said, "Freeze!" The spell hit the wall, making spikes of ice grow rapidly.

He shot another spell at me, and I evaded, ducking under or around. I raised my sword, but he was faster, and casted, "U can't touch this!" The bubble of protection grew around him from his wand. My sword bounced harmlessly off of his bubble.

Then, he pointed to the ground under my feet. "The floor is lava!" My eyes widened and I ran to Baz. His eyes were wide too as cracks appeared on the floor as the ground began to glow.

I yanked my wand out, "Fly!" The magic buzzed around me, and Baz skyrocketed towards the ceiling. I managed to grab him and jump on top of his coffin just before his head hit the roof.

I stumbled, and nearly slipped on the sizzling ground. My sneakers wouldn't stand a change against it. I used my sword to cut the ropes that held Baz while I watched the Mage.

The Mage dropped his shield, except for his feet, so the burning floor didn't inconvience him. "I had such high hopes for you," he said, but didn't sound remorseful, only disappointed. Then, he pointed his wand at me, "The End."

That was a wicked spell. One used to kill someone. To end them, permanently. And, what made it worse is that was a bouncing spell. On the Minotaur's class, he explained how this particular spell wouldn't stop bouncing until it ended someone. It could go forever.

The spell flew, and I only had a second to think. I jumped off the coffin and onto my back. I had Baz in my arms as my back hit the scorching ground. It seared into my skin and I bit back a scream. The spell made a loud crack when it bounced off the wall, and right back at the Mage.

There was a gasp, and I looked over just as the Mage fell to his knees, and then to his face.

I didn't look for long. His 'The floor is lava' spell gave up immediately, and I sat up, hissing in pain. My back hurt to touch, and I had to keep blinking my eyes to get tears out of them.

"I--I... Is he dead?" I whispered, scared to speak.

"I think so," Baz croaked beside me. I stumbled to my feet and helped Baz stand too. His eyes were red and there were dark bags under them. His cheeks were hollowed, giving his pale skin a more gauntly look.

"What do we do?" I asked, staring at his limp body.

"... Call Fiona."

°¬°¬°¬°¬°

BAZ

I was barely holding myself together. I was so tired and hungry and Snow's entire back was bleeding. I squeezed my eyes shut to get my mind off it. I would just go and drain a rabbit or something.

Snow had his arm wrapped around me and helped me out of the cave. It was pathetic, and he smelled so strong of smoke and sweat. I wanted to dig my nose into his neck and inhale his scent.

I swallowed and tried to focus on something else. "Why did you help me?" I asked suddenly.

Snow turned his head to me, his ocean blue eyes made me want to melt. "He was hurting you," Snow said. "I had to."

He stepped outside of the cave and inhaled, for the first time in months tasting fresh air. I could smell the blood of other animals and people. I swallowed, I really needed to feed.

"The Mage was going to kill you," he continued, and I missed a few of his words. "You were screaming and I couldn't... I couldn't leave you like that."

I looked at Snow still so confused. "I tried go bite you," I said dumbly. I wanted to slap myself. Why would I remind him of that!? He knew I was a vampire, but, Crowely, if he knew I was dangerous... Would he stop helping me? Would he turned me in?

The thoughts sent shivers down my spine, and I shuddered. Snow noticed, he always notices. "Are--Are you still, uhm... Hungry?"

"Yes," I said immediately. Then, I realized my fangs had been expose this entire time. I quickly rose a hand to hide them and I looked away.

"It's... It's okay," he said, trying to turn me back to him. "Can you eat here?"

"No, no," I shook my head, "It's too... Public. I wouldn't want to scare a normal."

Snow nodded like he understood. "How are we going to call Fiona?" He asked. I stopped and tried to think. There was probably a cellphone on the Mage, but Snow wouldn't search his body. I could, but I would probably try to feed off of him.

"There could be a payphone somewhere," I suggested.

"It would take us a while to find that, and you have to eat now," Snow said firmly. "How about, I'll cast 'There's nothing to see here' and you go eat. Then, meet me back here."

I nodded, Snow having was new. Usually, it's Bunce with all the brains. "You can go find the payphone," I told him. "I'll find you."

"Are you sure?" I almost smirked. After almost seven years of living with him, I pretty much had his scent down cold. I could find him from across the United Kingdom, if I had to.

"Yes, Snow, now go," I shooed him away. I couldn't stand the scent of his blood for much longer. It was making me a little faint.

Snow took out his wand and pointed it at me. I tensed, usually, he couldn't figure out how to use the damned thing, and made simple spells go wild. "There's nothing to see here!"

I felt it take effect immediately. Snow was watching me and as soon as he casted it, he turned and walked away.

"Be careful," I told him, even though I knew he could hear. Then, I went into the woods.

Chapter Text

“To retell the tale of how a friend died is never something that anyone looks forward to doing,” The man assured the girl. She was sitting up straight on the small chair. Her dark hair was pulled back into a pristine bun, and her ebony skin shined from the light of the window. Her arms were folded over her chest. She wore a long-sleeved, black sweater and a man’s trousers to protect from the chilly autumn breeze outside. Her coat was hanging over the backside of the chair beside her neatly. “It is best to talk to someone about your problems if you have any. Your father told me―”

“Told you what?” The dark-skinned girl demanded, “Did he tell you that he kept me in a abandoned castle for fourteen years?!”

“Nadine―” The man tried to say, but Nadine cut him off again.

“Did he tell you that he decided that his first daughter was too dangerous for his career? Did he tell you that he never even apologized for it? Did he tell you that he put his social status before the life of his child?!”

“Nadine, I understand you are upset―”

“‘Upset’ would be an understatement.”

The man sighed, “I understand that you have your own. . . issues with you father and how he handled your affinity, however we can discuss that at a later time. I am here for you. Start from the beginning. Tell me what happened.”

“You already know what happened,” Nadine frowned, leaning back on the chair. “Everyone does.”

“They know what your father told them. Tell me your perspective, Nadine.”

Nadine stared at the man for a minute. Her dark brown eyes seemed to be so full of conflict ― too much for a girl of her age to be carrying. This troubled the man. Young girls her age are usually obsessed with going out shopping for dresses and gossiping around the kingdom. This girl before him was completely different than that. She was coarse, independent, and skeptical. He didn’t blame the girl, not after what he’s heard about her. He was surprised when her father, the kingdom’s wealthiest lord, came to him.

The man was, of course, being paid good money to listen to her talk about her experience. Of course, he was known for this sort of thing, although he usually specialized in the medical field, he was always willing to listen to the issues of his fellow villagers and keeping an open mind about it as well.

“Nadine,” He said softly when the girl hadn’t spoken for a minute. Her eyes were fixed on the wooden floorboards, not meeting his eyes. “Do you want to start from the beginning?”

“The beginning?” Nadine said, a hint of bitterness in her tone. She took a deep breath and sat straighter. She still didn’t meet his eyes, however. “It started when I was six.”

“Six?” He rose an eyebrow, she had been just a child.

“Six,” She confirmed. “I remember. . . staying inside, all day. It got to the point where my parents worried about me not wanting to go outside.”

“And why is that?” Nadine scoffed.

“I didn’t like the cold. I still don’t, and they thought something was wrong with me. We live in the mountains, after all. Our main export is ice, fish, coal, fur, and the like. But, I hated going outside. So, I stayed in my room. I remember, I found this small flower one warm season, and I immediately brought it inside.”

“What did you do to it?”

“I let it live ― I helped it live. That was when I found out.”

“Found out what?”

“That. . . I could make the plants grow,” Nadine inhaled, “And, you can guess how my father reacted to that. After all, he runs the main ice, fur, and mineral industries.”

    “Daddy! Daddy!” Nadine cried, running to her father’s side, her hand cupped together. Her father, who had been walking down the hall, speaking with a few of his advisors, turned to look at her.

    Her father, Vale Wispen, was a tall, intimidating man. He had skin as dark as hers, and large hands coarse from working. He used to tell her stories of how he came from nothing ― a simple mine worker ― to what he was now, the wealthiest man in the land, running several industries. He was the commander of hundreds of men, and, if he wanted, he could ruin their lives in an instant.

    He smiled at her, bending down to her height, “Hello, princess,” he said picking her up.

    “Daddy, look at what I can do!” Nadine said, opening her palms. Inside was a small dandelion, with a bit of dirt around it as well. “Look! Look!” She urged, making sure he ― along with his advisors ― were watching her. Slowly but surely, green sparks began to come from her fingers and into the flower. In seconds, the flower was growing rapidly.

    Her father stared at her hands in horror. The flower had began to grow almost as tall as she was in minutes. He dropped his daughter, and she landed on her bottom, shocked. Vale turned to his advisors, who were just as shocked as he was.

    Vale could almost see his business, his livelihood being demolished. What kind of man was he if his own daughter ― his own blood ― was the exact opposite of him? She wouldn’t be able on his name if she had an affinity for plants ― and of all things, plants! And dandelions at that!

    “Daddy?” Nadine said, rubbing her eyes.

    “Get out,” Vale whispered, and Nadine stared, but didn’t move. “Are you deaf!? Get out! Go to your room! Now!” Tears filled Nadine’s eyes, but she quickly stood and ran down the hall. Behind her, the dandelion wilted and turned to dust.

    “After that, he fired his advisors ― I personally think he had them killed,” Nadine said, stretching. “He and my mother tried to have me cured, but no doctor they consulted helped.”

    “Why was your father so upset?” The man asked, “Your ability, although admittedly unique, is intriguing.”

    “When my father first went started his work, a foreseer told him that he would have a child that would have a ability to expand his business,” Nadine explained. “And, as you probably already know, my mother’s side of the family if known for having abilities pertaining to the elements. In. . . recent years, they’ve been judged for this, a few have even been forced to flee because of it. My mother married my father to gain protection from persecution.”

    “How would he have known that you would have the affinity for ice or something of the like?”

    “For the past few generations, there has only been ice or rock affinities. It is speculated that because of this harsher weather, we. . . adapt to our surroundings, but it’s just an old wives’ tale. There’s no way to prove it.”

    The man nodded, folding his fingers and resting his chin on them. “So, he believed that because we are in the mountains. . .”

    “I would have ice or rock affinities,” Nadine finished with a sigh. “So, when he realized that it was completely opposite, he returned to the foreseer, enraged.”

    “You told me that I would have a child with a ice affinity!” Vale roared at the old woman, who sat quietly, sipping a steaming cup of tea. Nadine stood silently, staring at the floor. Ever since she had shown her father the dandelion to her father, he had been angry and upset all the time. She sometimes saw servants whispering, pointing or staring at Nadine, before quickly turning away.

    “I did not tell you have ice,” the old woman croaked. “You must ask me to be more precise.”

    “Enough of your riddles!” Vale snapped, “How do I fix it!?”

    “Fix it will be hard,” she said, taking another sip of her tea. “You child may be scarred.”

    “I said, how do I fix it,” her father growled. Nadine stared at him, eyes wide.

    “Daddy,” She whispered. This woman said that she would be scarred if he tried to fix her. Her father didn’t even flinch. “Daddy, please, no.”

    “Be quiet!” He hissed, and she took a step back, beginning to cry.

    “Heed your daughter,” the woman said softly. “Be a good father.”   

    “I will ask you one more time,” Vale said, placing a hand on the handle of his sword.

    The woman was quiet for several minutes, as if trying to decide whether or not to give this man the answer he desired. Vale eyes narrowed and in a quick flash, his sword was unsheathed, the tip pointed at the old woman’s throat.

    “Kill me if you must,” the woman said, completely unfazed. “But your answer will be no better than dust.”

    “Then tell me what I want,” He demanded, but did not lower his sword.

    The woman took another sip of her tea, maneuvering her arms around the sword pointed at her throat. Finally, she spoke again. “In order to reverse the gift, you must be swift.”

    “What is it?” Her father said impatiently, and the woman cut her eyes at him.

    “Let me speak if you want what you seek,” She snapped. “Deep in forest is where you will find an ancient castle but keep in mind. A creature of four legs and fire resides, notorious for widowing many wives.” She pointed to Nadine, who frowned, her big brown eyes wide and stared at the woman in fear. “Keep her there until her eighteenth year, and when her eighteenth birthday is near, slay the dragon mercilessly. Drink its blood when it flows free. This is the only trick that you can pick.”

“It took a few tries,” Nadine continued, “But, eventually my father managed to find the

supposed castle and keep me there”

    “Keep you there?” The man asked.

    “The dragon kept killing the men, and then would carry me back to the kingdom, usually on the outskirts. Eventually, they managed to subdue the dragon and keep me there. This was after the fifth or sixth try, and eventually, the dragon was annoyed as well.”

    “He was annoyed? At you?”

    “Mainly,” Nadine shrugged. “My first few weeks were rough. The castle was drafty and cold. I didn’t want to be there. Besides, my father threatened to kill me if I tried to come back home again, so I had no choice but to stay there. My affinity reacted. . . badly to my emotions. It made weeds and other plants practically overtake the castle, that was why he was annoyed.”
    “And. . . whose ‘he’?”

    “The dragon. His name was Argyn.”

    “If you could stop crying for just a minute, that would be great,” A voice growled down the hall. Nadine sniffed, sitting up and looking around. Outside the bedroom door was the dragon. Nadine immediately moved away, terrified.

    The dragon was. . . smaller than Nadine first imagined when she saw him. He was long, like a serpent, and had a pair of wings at his side, but he only ever used one. His feet had long, intimidating claws. His jaw was long and whenever he opened it, long, sharp canines were revealed. Nadine could even see a glow at the back of his throat and she knew that that was where he kept his flames.

    Nadine rubbed at her nose, lip quivering. “Yes, I am talking to you,” the dragon spoke again, annoyance evident in his tone. “You are the one causing these. . . weeds to be here and it is highly inconvenient! So, if you could stop all of your whining and put them. . . away, or wherever you brought them, it would be very helpful.”

    Nadine stared at the weeds at the window, and sniffed again, “I don’t. . . I don’t know how to get rid of them. . .”

    The dragon, to her surprise, made a sound that sounded like a groan. Nadine stared at the creature, then she glared. Her hurt and anger of her father abandoning her here in the middle of nowhere in a drafty castle with a prissy old dragon suddenly made her upset.

    “Well I can’t help it!” Nadine snapped, “It just happens! It’s not my fault my father dropped me off in a dingy castle! You think I want to be here, in this drafty, smelly place!? I want to go home too! I didn’t ask to be sent here!”

    “You humans are all the same,” The dragon snapped. “Thinking you can drop your issues in the middle of someone else’s home and run! Go back to where you came, make a mess there!”

    “I can’t!” Nadine cried, angry, frustrated tears filling her eyes. “ I can’t,” She repeated, more softly, “Daddy said. . . he said that if I try to come back home, he’ll kill me. . .” Nadine began to cry again, sobbing into her hands.

    The dragon stared at her, silently. His golden eyes staring straight into her, for a second, a flash of a second, he pitied her. “If you’re going to be here, you’re going to learn how to clean up after yourself.” Nadine didn’t say anything, but she did look up and sniffed, wiping her nose. “You affinity is inconvenient, for both of us. The cold will choke out your weeds, leaving dead strands everywhere.”

    “What do you suppose I do, then?” Nadine demanded, still rather upset.

    “Control it, and I’m going to teach you.”

    “How did this dragon teach you to control your affinity?” The man asked. “He specialized in fire. Isn’t it rare to have to a fire dragon in this area? I expect there to be more ice or rock instead.”

    “Argyn was abandoned in this area a long time ago. His wing is injured, so he can’t fly. He found the castle and lived there alone.”

    “But, how did he teach you to control your ability?” He asked rubbing his chin inquisitively.

    “Most affinities are. . . similar. Yes, fire and earth are quite opposites, but he made a way.”

    “Center your affinity,” Argyn ordered. “You are in control, not the weeds.”

    “It’s not working,” Nadine sighed, crossing her arms. “I can’t make it smaller.”

    “You do not have to make it smaller,” Argyn argued, swishing his tail in annoyance. “Make it disappear. I have seen you do it, when you are frustrated. You can turn it to dust.”

    Nadine looked at the dragon, her brown lips twisting into a displeased frown, “I don’t want to kill it.”

    “Well, unless you plan on finding some other way to get rid of these plants, I do not know what to tell you.”

    “We can just toss them outside,” Nadine suggested, but Argyn laughed.

    “You misspoke there ― you can just toss them outside,” Argyn corrected. “And, you can keep tossing them out the window everytime you want to throw a hissy fit. Judging by the amount of ‘hissy fits’ you’ve thrown in the past few days, you will be tossing weeds out the window for the rest of your life. Not to mention, these things are half your size. So, tell me, Little Nadine, how do you plan on getting rid of a castle full of weeds.”

    Nadine frowned, but she had grown used to his blatant rudeness by now. Instead she huffed and turned back to the weed, focusing hard. After a few minutes of staring at the plant, she only managed to make it fluctuate in size and height, but not turning it to dust. Nadine made a noise of annoyance, groaning.

    Argyn scoffed, “Your father was mistaken to lock you away here.” Nadine stiffened, turning around to look at the dragon, shocked. “You can barely do anything with your affinity. It is just wasted on you.”

    “Stop it!” Nadine snapped. “My Daddy didn’t know. . . he was trying to help me. . .”

    “Do not be naive, Little Nadine,” Argyn tsked her, “He was helping himself. Think about it, you were a liability to his company. If he kept you around, you would cause the entire company to perish.”

    “Don’t say that. . .” Nadine whispered, “I. . . I didn’t. . . I didn’t want to ― I didn’t mean to. . .”

    “Little Nadine, do you not see? Your father hates you.”

Nadine choked on a sob, and finally, she began to cry. Behind her, the weeds slowly withered and died. “My Daddy. . .” She sniffed, “My Daddy loves me. . .”

“Look, Nadine,” Argyn said, motioning a wing towards the deteriorating weeds. Nadine looked around, brown eyes still glossy with tears. “That feeling you feel right now, that is what is doing this. Keep that feeling, control it. Harness it, and you will be great.” Argyn came beside her and Nadine wiped her face.

“Does my Daddy really hate me?” She asked quietly.

“Your father is human,” Argyn answered simply. “He has immoral wants, and sometimes that can blind humans from what is truly important.”

“Argyn seems to have very strange ways to teach you control,” the man said, raising an eyebrow.

Nadine shrugged, “It was. . . a bit unorthodox, I admit, but he was right. A few years later, I had full control of my affinity.”

“Interesting,” he said, surprised. He’s heard stories of affinteers taking decades to get their affinities under control, yet this girl did it in a few years.

“It’s almost strange,” Nadine admitted. “When I was first there, I remember despising my affinity. I wanted to be back home, not there. . . I thought that I was wrong for having this affinity. Of course, I was still young at the time, but I used to hate using it, and only used it when I had to.”

“And. . . now you don’t?” For the first time since she came, Nadine smiled. It was small, and quickly escaped her lips, but it was there. These memories were the ones she would hold dear to her heart for years after.

“He taught me the usefulness of my ability. In addition to control it, he taught me to love it.”

“I don’t know what that is,” Nadine deadpanned. She was sitting in the library, reading a book about the history of her kingdom. It was quite intriguing.

“A garden? You do not know what a garden is?” Argyn asked incredulously.

“Yes,” she replied. Argyn sighed, going to one of the shelves before pulling down a book carefully with his claws in order to not damage it, and then handed it to Nadine.

Nadine picked it up and read the cover, “‘Garden maintenance’.”

“This will teach you everything you need to know.” Nadine frowned, but quickly flipped through the book, scanning the pages.

“Okay. . .” She muttered, going through it. “But it says I’ll need a. . . greenhouse?”

“You can use the sunroof upstairs.”

“And what about the plants?”

“We can find it in the woods, I am sure.”

Nadine sighed, turning back to Argyn, “Do I have to?”

Argyn frowned, he did not like being questioned or ‘whined to’. “It is either this, or you will be eating rabbits for the rest of your short, petty life.”

“What’s wrong with rabbits?” Nadine complained.

“They are making you wider,” Argyn said flatly and Nadine gasped in faux surprise.

“How dare you!?” She squealed, knowing Argyn hated when she did so. “I’ll have you

know that I am just simply. . .”

“Simply what?”

“Simply. . . full of. . . love. . .”

“Love?”

“Yes,” Nadine said, more confident. “That way you have more of me to love.” Argyn gave her an annoyed look and rolled his blazing yellow eyes. “You are silly. Besides, apparently, it is important for humans like you to have other things in your diet than just animal meat. You’re thirteen now, and you need a different hobby. It’ll be good for you.”

Nadine sighed, but agreed anyway.

It too a few weeks, but Nadine and Argyn had finally set up the sunroom as their, now, greenhouse. Nadine had planted several seeds of plants she found in the woods ― and studied all the books in the library she could find on plants so she wouldn’t accidentally grow a poisonous one. Argyn helped her the entire time, making sure they were all neat and orderly, pointing out when dirt spilled over onto the ground. When Nadine finally grew the plants into insurmountable proportions, Argyn was very pleased. He pulled out a caldron and caught a few small animals, cooked them, and boiled it in the pot. Then, he used the vegetables Nadine grew, cut them up and dropped them in the pot.

When Nadine tried the stew, she was very satisfied. She didn’t know she could use her affinity for things like this. And, she even had fun while setting up the greenhouse.

“What do you think?” Argyn asked, Nadine’s answer was already evident.

She loved it.

    “The next few years were pretty simple,” Nadine said, “That is, until I turned seventeen.”

    “What happened?” He asked, sensing that they were nearing another touchy subject. She twisted her fingers, eyes darting around the room. “If you don’t want to talk to talk about it―”

“No, I do,” She assured, taking a deep breath. “That’s why I’m here, right?”

“Yes, but you feel uncomfortable about talking about it―”

“No,” Nadine said firmly. “I do. I want to talk about it.” She rubbed her temples, and began to speak again. “I. . . suggested that we should try to leave.”

“Leave?”

“I knew that on my eighteenth birthday, my father would send someone to kill Argyn, and, admittedly, he was getting old. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself like he could when I was six. I. . . I didn’t want to tell him that my father was going to want to kill him. He already hated humans, and I thought that it had been fourteen years, so my father had to have gotten over it. I thought that if I could just get us away. . . maybe we could be safe. If my father couldn’t find us, we’d be okay, right?”

“But, he did?”

“All dragons have some kind of treasure,” Nadine explained. “Sometimes, it’s wood, gold, or silver. Argyn’s was books. He loved books, and if we left, he’d have to leave his books. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. Sometimes, if you want, or need, to part a dragon such as Argyn from their homes in nonviolent ways, you can offer an alternate place for them to live, and even you’re kind enough moving all ― and I mean all ― of their belongings to the new location, making the dragon do minimal, if any, work. I. . . I couldn’t provide this for Argyn. He didn’t want to part from his books, and I can’t move all of his books myself. We had weeks to leave. I should’ve. . . I should’ve figured out a solution sooner. Then, maybe Argyn would still be. . .” Nadine stopped talking, inhaling to keep herself steady. The man could see tears in her eyes, but she turned away, wiping her face and steeled herself so she could continue.

“Do you want to take a break?” The man offered, but Nadine shook her head.

“If I stop now, I know I will probably never talk about it again ― not voluntarily, anyway,” Nadine said, giving a small laugh, but he didn’t quite understand what she was hinting at. Nadine didn’t offer to explain and continued to talk, “He didn’t like when I brought it up. At first, he was agitated. Despite his attitude, he loved the castle and everything in it. I mean, we had built fourteen years of memories together, to suggest to leave it all and run ― without providing any context as to why we should. It. . . well, it was poorly executed.”

Nadine was studying a few maps in the library quietly. She glanced up as Argyn came into the room, a bit surprised to see her at the table with such huge maps displayed in front of her. Then, he narrowed his golden eyes, turning away, “You are wasting your time. We are not going anywhere.”

“We are,” Nadine said, with a tone of annoyance. She had heard this before several times, and frankly had grown annoyed of it. “This says that here is another abandoned castle about a weeks travel of here. If we move swiftly, we could probably get there in half the time.”

“I do not understand why this is still a topic of conversation,” Argyn admitted. “We are not going anywhere, especially if you refuse to even tell me why we need to pick up and go.”

Nadine didn’t meet his eyes, and turned back to the papers before her. “... If we go through Akan’ali, it’s only a day or so south of here, we should be able to pick up supplies before we―”

“Do not ignore me!” Argyn snapped, finally at his wits end. “Tell me what is going on, Nadine!”

Nadine bit her lip, turning to look at the thousands of books around them. “You’d hate me if I told you.”

“If you lied, I probably would, yes,” Argyn agreed with an annoyed huff of smoke.

Nadine rolled her eyes and sighed, racking he hands through the thick curls of her hair. “My birthday is in three weeks.”

“Do you want a cake?”

“Be quiet,” She shushed him. “It is. . . prophesied that when I turn eighteen, after living in seclusion with ― supposedly ― no way to control my affinity, if someone where to,” she swallowed thickly. “Slay the dragon ‘guarding me’ and make me drink it’s blood, I will be. . . cleansed.” Argyn stared at Nadine, unblinking. “I don’t want you killed, so we need to go. Now.”

“Nobody is going to come,” Argyn said with a shrug of his wing. “Calm down, it has been fourteen years. They have probably forgotten about you at this point.”

Nadine stared at the dragon, shocked, “Did you not just hear a word I just said!?” Nadine snapped, eyes wide with fury. “You will be killed, Argyn! But, if we leave ― if we escape, then maybe―”

“We are not going anywhere!” Argyn snapped, his fiery core burning bright in the back of his mouth.

“You’re being unrealistic,” Nadine said, annoyed. “I just told you want you wanted―”

“You are being a child. I will not be bested by some puny humans. I might be old, but I can still hold my own.”

“You are going to die!” Nadine shouted, quickly losing her temper. “You are going to die in weeks, Argyn! I don’t care about your stupid books, we need to go! Now! Even if I have to make you. . .”

“You cannot make me do anything,” Argyn growled. “And, do not take that tone up with me. You and I will be staying here.”

“You’re being blinded by greed,” Nadine scowled. “You are being unreasonable―”

“I do not want to hear it,”  Argyn said with a sense of finality, and turned to go out the door. “Put those maps away, they are doing you no good expect for you to waste your time.”  Nadine practically shook with anger, and raised an arm.

Large, thick tree branches bursted through the glass window and blocked the exit. Argyn turned to Nadine, “What do you think you are doing?!” He snapped, but Nadine stared down at the dragon. Her brown eyes full of a sudden coldness, as if she severed her emotions from Argyn, her closest friend, completely.

“I’m helping you,” She said softly. “The only things holding you here are these book. Without them, you won’t have anything holding you back.” Nadine waved her hand and suddenly, thousands of vines and tree branches came through the windows. Glass sprayed everywhere but neither Nadine nor Argyn broke contact. “I’m sorry,” she whispered before moving her hand.

The vines and branches shiftedd, their ends sharpened to dangerous points and speared them through the book spines and covers, ruining the insides. Argyn saw and panicked, “No!!” He roared, running as fast as he could, his mouth widening, ready to spew fire, but then stopped, realizing that if he burned the branches, he’d subsequently burn the books as well.

Argyn turned to Nadine and jumped. He tackled her to the ground and her cocntration staggered for a moment, and the vines stooped and stopped moving. “Stop it! Now!! He growled, breathing scalding hot air into her face. Nadine stared at him and the several rows of sharp, pointy teeth ready to take off her head in an instant. His claws held hands and feet held her to the stone, keeping her from moving freely. His wings, both his wings, were raised, as he did when he was facing a major threat. Nadine had only heard him speak of it in stories he used to tell her when she was young to help her fall asleep. Now, he raised his wings at her, he saw her as the threat.

Nadine breathed heavily for several moments. Then, she spoke again, “I am helping you,” she whispered, and then glanced back at the books. Argyn acted faster. Flames erupted from his hands but he did not burn her. He used the scalding heat and burned her hands.

Nadine cried out in pain, and he got off her. She held burning hands to her chest, gritting her teeth against the pain. She didn’t see Argyn turn around, swinging his hefty tail at her face, successfully knocking her out.

    “He burned you?” He asked, a bit shocked.

    “It’s instinctual for dragons to put their treasure before anything and anyone. It’s their life work, and I was a. . . threat to it,” Nadine shrugged stiffly. “Besides, he didn’t burn me. It was just steam.”

    “But, he did understand, right?” He asked, frowning.

    Nadine scoffed, “Argyn was always stubborn, too stubborn for his own good. In this case, he was especially being unwaveringly. . . stubborn.” Nadine sighed, running her hand through her curls. “I thought I was doing the right thing, and. . . he did too. So, he locked me in the basement and wouldn't let me out until my birthday passed. He couldn’t risk more books being demolished, besides, he refused to believe that I was right, so he thought he was being harmless. Not to mention he was upset about his books.”

    “So. . . when you birthday finally came?”

    “They came really late. At first, I thought that maybe Argyn was right. Maybe they did forget. When it finally looked like he wasn’t going to show, Argyn let me go to my room. I tried to apologize, but he wasn’t listening, so I just went to bed.”

    Nadine sat up in her room, knees to her chest and regret bearing down on her shoulders. She was tired, but didn’t want to go to sleep. She could hear Argyn roaming the halls, his claws scraping the stone. She tried to apologize, but Argyn wouldn’t hear it, and simply sent her to her room.

    Nadine sighed, staring at her hands, what had she done? She ruined Argyn’s books, he should’ve sent her out of the castle for that. She laughed to herself sourly. The same reason why she was sent her would be the same reason why she would be sent away.
    Nadine sighed, leaning back against the bed’s headboard, quieting herself and her mind.

    It was only then, that she heard the sound of footsteps. And in the hundreds.

    Nadine sat up straight and hurried to the window. In the darkness, not too far from the castle itself, was hundreds of men, armoured and ready to kill her.

    Nadine ran to the door, tripping over her own feet as she raced through the castle. “Argyn!! Argyn!” She screamed, terror gripping her heart. She ran as fast as she could calling Argyn’s name at the top of her lungs until her throat grew hoarse. Finally, she ran to the library, where she found the door half opened.

    “Argyn,” Nadine gasped, bending over, trying to catch her breath. “Argyn, they’re here, I saw them. They’re here, Argyn, we need to go!”

    “I am not going anywhere,” Argyn growled bitterly. “I am not afraid of a few pesky humans!”

    “Argyn listen to me―”

    “I am not leaving my books!” Argyn roared, sparks flying past his jaw.

    “Argyn!”

    “That is final! I will not part with them!”

    “Argyn, please―” She heard banging against the front doors, until finally, a loud thud echoed through the old, weary castle. “They’re coming! Argyn, please!” Nadine begged, panicking. She grabbed him from around his neck, trying to pull him away. She heard the footsteps getting closer. They were in the level right under them.

    “I am not moving!” He growled, throwing his head, making her grip slip against his scales. She glanced back at the door, seeing a man down the hall. He was in full armour and held a glinting, sharp sword.

    Nadine waved her hand, making the tree grow in front of the doorway. “We need to go!” Nadine heard the men yelling outside the door, trying to hack away at the tree trunk.

    “No!” Argyn said stubbornly. Then, Nadine heard a sharp whizzing and Argyn cried out in pain, curling in on his tail, which was stuck with an arrow. He wrapped his claws around it, trying to pull it out. Nadine heard a sharp crack and splinters flew everywhere,

    Men pulled her away from Argyn, who looked at her, his yellow eyes full of fear. “No! No! Let him go!” Nadine screamed, reaching out for Argyn, who was being surrounded by the armoured knights. Argyn roared, fire shooting out of his mouth, but the armour of the men’s suits were impenetrable. Nadine watched the men’s weapons hack down on Argyn’s hissing form.

    “Calm down,” a man told her. Nadine stared at the man, shocked, but she realised that she had been screaming. “Your safe now.” He pulled off his helmet and smiled. He had hickory coloured skin and tawny brown eyes, one that was covered by a white bandage. “Stop crying, that monster is gone now.”

    “How dare you,” She sobbed, trying to pull away from the man. “You. . . You killed him!”

    The man laughed, raising an eyebrow, “Of course we did. I saved you from―”

    “‘Save me’?” Nadine repeated, shocked. “Saved me from what? You killed the dragon! You killed my best friend!”

“What did you do?” He asked. Nadine watched her hands, quiet for a few minutes. “Nadine? Are you okay?”

“Right,” She murmured, “Right. Yes. I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“What did you do? After they. . . killed Argyn?”

“I did what any sensible person would do,” Nadine said, her voice was soft, almost a whisper. She heard the wind whistle at the window, and children screaming and playing in the snow outside.

“Which is?”

“I killed them,” Nadine admitted. “I killed them all.”

    Nadine stared the man, who was giving her a funny look, as if she were the one that had killed her best friend, her only real family. “Hello, Ms. Wispen?” The man said, staring at her. “Are you alright?”

    “‘Alright’?” Nadine whispered. “No. I’m not alright.”

    “Sir,” A man with a gruff voice spoke behind him. He held out a flask filled with a thick, blue liquid. “The blood has been prepared.”

    “Thank you,” he said and held it out to Nadine. “Drink this, hurry. It’s almost midnight.”

    “No,” Nadine said, the shock seeming to wear off a bit as she stepped away. “No, I―I’m not drinking his blood! Get away from me!”

    He look glanced around, sending silent messages to the soldiers around them. They closed in on Nadine, two of them grabbing her from behind and another forcing her jaw open. Nadine screamed, her eyes wide as the man opened the vial and gave her a smile. He tipped it into her open mouth and she sputtered, trying to spit it out back out him. “Just a little bit to drink then you will be―” He never finished. Dozens of vines grew from the window and had wrapped itself around his neck. With a flick of her head, he was in the air, struggling and choking, gasping for breath.

    “Captain Michaelis!” A few of the men shouted, but that was all they were allowed to say. The vines had looped themselves around the others’ necks, lifting them into the air. They squirmed and gasped legs wiggling and fingers trying to free themselves but it was no use. In minutes, the entire room was full of dead, hanging men.

    Nadine crawled over to Argyn’s wasted corpse. His body, mangled, bloody and long dead. “Please,” Nadine whispered. She felt herself go cold inside, and she coughed desperately. She felt something churn inside her gut and she gasped, turning away from Argyn’s body and vomited. Simultaneously, she the bodies of the men fell from where they hung, and hit the floor in rhythmic, dull thuds. It almost paralleled the sound of her tears hitting his body.

    “And. . . that’s it,” Nadine said quietly. “I went home, I lost my affinity and my only friend. At least my father actually loves me now, right?” She laughed bitterly. “I mean, since my affinity was such an inconvenience for him. He ruined my life, so. . . so now what do I do? Now, we’re here. I’m supposed to talk to you, right? What do I do?”

    He stared at her, for once, not knowing what to say. At least, at first he didn’t. Then, he cleared his throat and spoke again. “First things first, I am sorry, for everything you’ve had to go through ― I’m sorry. Secondly, I suggest, you move on. You forgive, but never forget.”

    Nadine chuckled, shaking her head, “That’s going to be hard,” She said. “The forgiving part, I mean.”

    “Yeah, it is,” he said, then took off his glasses. “Most people have a hard time doing so. Including me.”

    “I believe forgiving is hard for everyone,” She said. Then, she stretched and stood. “Strangely, I feel better. I’m going to be honest with you, I thought that this wasn’t going to work. When my father forced me to come and talk to someone, I thought it would be a waste.”

    “Well, I’m glad you found it satisfactory. Sometimes, people just needs someone to talk to that won’t judge them.”

    “You’re right,” Nadine nodded. “Thank you. . .” She frowned, realizing that she had never caught his name.

    “Michaelis,” He replied, reaching out his hand to shake. Nadine smiled taking it. His grip was tight, like a cobra. “Lukas Michaelis. Brother to Getorai Michaelis, captain of the squad that you hung.” Then, he pulled her towards him, and in his other hand, a blade slipped into her chest, like a knife going through butter.

    Nadine gasped, shock and static filling her mind. “What was it that woman said, ‘you would be scarred’?” He yanked the knife away from her chest just as quickly as he slid it into her. Nadine pressed a hand against her chest, trying to keep the blood that was rapidly leaving inside her. “I guess she really hasn’t lost her marbles. . . not yet, at least.” Lukas stood and dusted himself off. “I’m glad you were able to talk to someone about it, Nadine. At least you’d die with a good conscience.” He stepped away, patting Nadine on the back before he was out of his line of sight.

    Nadine couldn’t breathe. She coughed, and she felt something clotted and metallic on her tongue. When she spat it out, she saw mucusy blood. She leaned back carefully, feeling numb and exhausted. Her eyes, unfocused and dancing shifted to Lukas, who was cleaning off the knife with a rag. She looked away, her eyes going skyward, and Nadine swore she saw Argyn. He smiled at her, and Nadine’s eyes filled with tears.

    A silent tear slipped past her cheek as her eyes went unfocused.

    Nadine Wispen was dead.