Puppet to the Crown

“What the hell?” I snapped at the two pale-blue ladies that stood before me. How had I let this happen? Seriously, on the first day I take people outside the castle and I already lost one of them. Anger was radiating off my very being. This was so not ending like this.

Determination in every step, I stormed towards the door my brother had entered only moments before. Then, like a wild banshee, the witches dropped open their mouths and began to scream. The sound was so overwhelming; I couldn’t handle it. My hands snapped up to cover my ears. Tiny black dots began to speckle in my vision. Beads of sweat were rolling down my cheeks in a rush.

My mouth was open. I was probably screaming, but I couldn’t hear myself.

I stumbled and fell to the floor in a heap. The lights flickered out. I was gone.

*
*
*

“Emily!”

My eyes were snapped shut as I lay sprawled out across a soft, silky comforter. There was a dull aching pain in my head. It felt like something was pounding from the inside like something was trying to break out of my skull.

“Emily, you have to get up.”

I tried, I really did, but I just couldn’t bring myself to allow my eyes to flutter open. It would hurt to much. I’d never felt something so intense and painful.

“I’m really scared.”

Someone was shaking my shoulder back and forth wildly. A small groan escaped my lips as my eyes finally fluttered open accepting the world around me. Hannah was leaning over me. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

“What’s going on?” I asked her glancing around taking in where we were. Slowly I lifted my head up and glanced around only to find myself in a place entirely new. The room was scarlet and gold. It looked quite possibly as grand as my father’s bedroom in the castle. A giant flat screen sat dangling on the wall opposite the plush, canopy bed I lay on.

“You’re awake,” a familiar, deep voice echoed from the doorway.

A small groan was emitted from my lips as turned my head to face the familiar man. “Where are we Axel?” I asked him digging my face into the comforter in a desperate attempt to block out the pain. How much more of this could I take?

“He found us,” Hannah explained, “The witches left us in an alley after they knocked you out. How did they even do that? It was like one second you were fine and the next you were on the ground.”

“You didn’t hear the screaming?” I asked her shocked.

Slowly she shook her head no in response. Confusion was etched into her face. Casually Axel approached the bed and muttered, “I’m guessing you didn’t deliver the letter.”

Hannah instantly shot him an angry glare and she snapped, “No she didn’t give the damn letter to the princess.” Honestly I thought she was borderline hysterics at this point.

“We have to go back,” I stated dragging myself off the bed embracing the pain that shot through my very skull. The pain was so much it nearly made me hurl. The moment I stood up my body nearly went crashing down to the floor. I’d never felt so weak and drained in my entire life. Instantly Axel wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me back onto the bed.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Axel stated leaving no room for discussion.

“No,” I snapped half-heartedly, “I have to go get Nathan.”

Axel stared down at me surprised, “Who is Nathan?”

“He’ll be fine. Harmony isn’t going to hurt him,” Hannah muttered. Everything inside of me wanted to believe her, but I couldn’t help but doubt it. So much had changed in a matter of minutes.

“What is going on?” Axel finally asked.

Hannah and I’s eyes met instantly. How much do we say? Quietly I attempted to explain, “Nathan was the friend I was with. He wanted to go visit an old…friend. When we got there I got attacked.” Short, simple, and to the point.

“Who!?” Axel snapped staring at me wide-eyed.