Was this all? Surely it couldn't be…

Slitted yellow eyes stared out over the expansive ballroom, on the throne where the former king had sat.

All these years, hours upon hours of planning, decades of pain and waiting. And this is it? Two days of battle, maybe an hour of deliberation, and one last knife in the back?

Surely it couldn't be all, could it?

She settled lower in the chair, long black tail flicking over to rest across her hands. It had all been so quick, so simple. Were the years of preparation even worth it?

There was no big moment of battle, no final reckoning with those who had wronged her.

It was just some soldiers running at each other in the fields outside the palace, her casting a simple spell to rid them all of that bastard of a king.

Perhaps that final little moment with the queen stung, the words of hurt and insult the woman had thrown at her while they stood over the king's bruised body.

But it wasn't at all what she had been expecting.

She had hoped, of course, for a moment of reconciliation with the queen. Her childhood best friend, the woman who betrayed her for that man. She had hoped that after getting rid of the toxic puddle of a human he was that she would see reason again, be able to go back to how they were.

The only thing that had really kept her going were the memories of the two of them. Sprawled in the patches of sunshine that filtered onto the halls plush carpets. The beautiful days outside that they spent napping or chasing butterflies. Sleeping In together far past noon after the two of them had spent all night prowling along the darkened hallways, chasing shadows and pretending to hunt.

But no, she just had to be stubborn.

Instead of reconciliation, there were insults and scolding. Instead of a long-awaited hug, there were screams and flying fists. Instead of a tender moment there was a final reckoning with an old friend, one who had long since left her side and joined the enemies.

Horrible really, that THIS was all they could offer. A measly battle, a pathetic last stand, and a cold throne to sit on.

There wasn't even a good sunbeam in sight.

Atrocious really.

What was a good royal cat to do?

When Agatha moved into her new home, which was truly a decrepit old house that had been falling apart at the seams for ages, but it was new to her, started to show some… peculiar signs of wear and tear she didn't really notice it at first.

The wailing like noises at night? just the wood screaming out as it slid against each other.

The odd shadows along the walls? Just the curtains being flung around by one of the MANY drafts in the house.

The odd little whispers? Just the plaster crumbling around her.

Nwow of course when her favorite teacup went missing from its saucer just minutes after she had left it too steep, that was odd.

And so was that time when she couldn't find her house keys for the life of her, only to look up after hearing a gurgling noise (courtesy of another draft) to see them hanging from one of the ceiling fans in a 12 foot tall room.

And then there was that time she saw that haggard looking man in the mirror when she got out of the bath, his hand touching the fogged glass right where the beginnings of a haunting message were appearing.

But Agatha was old, in her eighties, and you didn't live as long as she did and as well as she had without being a smart and sensible woman.

And what do smart and sensible women do when there's suddenly a very obvious, quiet upset ghost in your falling apart house that you hated anyways?

You move.

Unless that is you're broke with no friends and family left.

In which case; you have two options. Which is where Agataha finds herself today.

Option one was to ignore it, him?, but that hasn't been working out well. Keys went missing in even harder to reach places, the stray cats that she found some joy in didn't stop by anymore, her maid was going missing, and her second favorite teapot had been shattered.

So Option B1 (for option A had been to just leave), was a bust. Obviously that left option B2, talk to him (him?).

So one day, after yet another cup of tea had been lost to who knows where, she put her foot down.

Or really her behind, because she sat down and started scolding the ghost. For 20 minutes she ripped into him, all the while the furniture and house started shaking around her.

She ripped him a new one. Told him how rude he was. How she was the new owner of this house, regardless of whether or not he had owned it when he was alive. He was dead now, and you wouldn't catch her haunting people out of house and home when she was gone, the housing market was hard enough as it was.

In the end, after many rattles and scoldings back and forth, Agatha and the ghost (benny was his name) came to an agreement.

She would stay out of the light green room that was on the second floor (and if she had to come in she would knock first). And he was to stop making her life difficult.

That was five years ago, now Agatah has a delightful ghostly roomie who finds her lost things and helps her out around the house.

Even better, Benny apparently had a gift with cats and brought any little strays that needed help, a good meal, or a night in a house, over to their haunted little home.

Which is where the two of them are now. Benny rocked a little ghost kitten in his arms (the poor thing didn't last long after getting by a cat when she and her litter were crossing the road) while her litter mates and momma sat bathing in the sunshine all while Benny and Agatha had a good cup of tea.

The people of their world had always been gifted, which was why they had always forsaken outsiders.

But sometimes those who were dangerously cursed were born into their homes.

Children's powers did not develop until the edges of 10 or 15. Powerful users of the mind and soul ( the ones who were blessed) would develop earlier. However, powers of bone and blood were curses and those born with them were killed off for the good of everyone else, after one such cursed person had murdered half of the planet.

Those bones used to be seen as blessed. Used to be shamans and healers, but they were too dangerous, that one event several generations ago proved it.

The earlier you got your powers the stronger you were. So when a four year old little girl named Phoenix suddenly brought a skeleton to life playing with it as if it were a doll there was immediate action.

Her parents surrendered over to the chief and his council, her elder brother waved goodbye not fully knowing what was to happen next, while her baby brother hadn't even truly met her yet.

She was taken where all the rest of the children like her were taken, to the dead fields. The one part of the planet that had never received from that faraday that murdered half of their people all those centuries ago. Nothing survived here for long, and without a proper burial ceremony and reentrance to the life cycle all who died here would be forced to roam the dead fields for all eternity.

This is where they dumped her, amongst the decrepit things that roamed there.

For a year, the longest anyone had survived there, the little one wandered.

Until one day a gunship touched down in the pains, soldiers running relief missions from off world, outsiders.

Grey and pale white armour with wolf markings, a little pack they formed.

It had taken a few days for them to figure out she was there, but when they did their commander gently lowered himself to her level and held out his hand.

It was the first form of human contact she had had in a year, the first bit of kindness since something she couldn't control broke free from her.

His armored hand was cold but she took it, her whole hand barely wrapping around his finger.

They had tried to return her to her family, but then they learned that she'd just be doomed to die there, so they took her with them.

"I want to be left here when I die" Now fifteen Phoenix have grown. A near decade later she was back to her home planet, running a relief mission like the one that had found her back then.

"Left here?"

"When i was found, i convinced myself that the voices I heard were the unit that found me or that they were all in my head... but"

"But?" The girl watched her from a distance. The two of them were not close, but she was fond of General and he was the bird's master and had asked Ash to watch her while they were here.

"I can hear them again. All the souls of those who were left to die before me. I want to be left here when I die, so I can guide the next ones and so that these children can finally rest."

"General! The supplies have been delivered as ordered... and the localcs are requesting that we leave at once." A commander with green markings and black painted wings on his shoulders,  Commander Ace of the 737th, the commander of the Flock Unit stood being the two of them.

"You mean they want me to leave as soon as possible." Phoenix turned and the three of them made their way back to the ship :that's fine, I don't plan on sticking around or coming back again until I'm a corpse."

"Do I need to ask Wolffee to make sure you're ok?" Ace asked softly.

"No, there's nothing here that bothers me anymore."

“Is whatever they're asking you for that important to you?”

The question was practically thrown at me after my twin brother had discovered that I had been selected to save our kingdom.

Every few years a horrid threat comes to pass over us, and only a magical weapon that the gods bestow upon us may stop it. However the weapon comes with a price and a random person is picked each time.

Only that person can use it, and the price changes each time.

I was twelve the last time the weapon had been sent out into the world, the man who received it had woken up with a sword under his pillow. His hands disappeared the moment he used it against the threat.

When i was eight it was a seamstress, whose weapon was a bow and arrow, she lost her sight.

When I was four it was a boy from the village that bordered the capital city, just a few hours walk from where we lived. He lost the ability to walk.

Each time a terrible threat comes upon us a random person is chosen to sacrifice something of themselves for the good of everything else, and it's always what is most important to them.

The freedom, their passion, their job.

I've noticed, now at sixteen and in the ladies school or arts and homely duties as all other merchant girls are at my age, that a royal or noble person has never been picked in all the hundreds of years this has been happening.

This year I woke up to a small penknife under my pillow. It Glowed oddly and when I picked it up I heard a haunting voice screech into my ears.

‘Use this to save them, and lose your ability to use words.’

Writing, speaking, singing, signing, reading. All of it would be forever lost to me.

I was the youngest of eight children, and the only daughter to my merchant father and low noble ranking mother. My parents practically sold me off to the dukes who held the most military strength in the kingdom. That had been when my mother had been a child with my third brother, and the duke only had sons.

Needless to say I was the long awaited commodity that finally arrived, and by this winter I would be married and shipped off to the easternmost regions of our lands to be with my husband, who was three years older than my eldest brother, who was nearly twelve years my senior.

Everyday it was the same. Wake up, be scrubbed within an inch of my life, be dolled up, sent to school where i spent nearly the whole day learning how to be a good duke’s wife, spend bare an hour on my artistic activity, come home and be lectured about being a good wife, be scrubbed within an inch of my life again, be dolled up again, attend social events for my standing, come home, sleep, and repeat.

Every week, for one hour, I get to do my favorite thing in the world: read and write. Well according to my schedule I only get to do that for an hour, though I sneak plenty of both in everyday.

It was the only thing I looked forward to, with reading and writing. I didn't care if I had to marry a man more than double my age, I didn't care about being forced to be a good wife all the time, none of it mattered so long as I could do that one little thing.

And because of this stupid pen knife under my pillow that my stupid twin brother had found, it was all going to be taken away.

I had tried to get rid of it, hoping that someone else would handle the threat, that it would just pass over this year instead. But it kept coming back, and now Samuel had seen it and even worse had just told the entire family that I was this year's chosen one.

“Pardon?” Maybe if I feigned enough ignorance I would be able to get out of this.

“I saw the penknife, the glowing one under your pillow. It's the chosen weapon, you're the chosen one this year. The whole kingdom has gone half crazy trying to figure out who it is and you've just been sitting on it.”

“Don't be ridiculous dear, she can't be the chosen one. A noble has never been chosen before.”

“But we aren't nobles' mothers.” My eldest brother, Gregory pointed out sharply. He was very close friends with my husband, “when you married down your cousin took over your father’s lands. We’re just merchants now.”

“But… if she loses something important she won't be able to get married to the Duke of the East.” My mother looked worriedly over to my father.

They were past childbearing age, and no one wanted a damaged bride. Of course they only think of my resale value don't they? I suppose it's the whole reason they had me…

“What are you losing?” My father demanded of me.

All nine of them stared at me as I panicked for something to do.

“Well… I only just found it today…”

More silence.

“When I laid down to rest after school there wasn't anything there, but when I woke up right before dinner it was under my pillow. I thought Sam was pulling some joke on me.”

Please, please, please tell me he didn't find it before then. Please!

“When did you find it?” Gregory turned a discerning eye from me to him.

“When I went to fetch her for dinner, she shoved something into her pillow and I thought it was weird…”

“I'm just so shocked… I just thought it was you…” I forced tears to well up in my eyes. Being the baby sibling and only sister had its perks, and i'm sure if i cry just enough-

“Oh you sweet thing!”

There we go, Nathaniel.

“You poor dear! Of course you were confused, why would you ever be picked? You're just the perfect little princess of a girl, how would you have even thought that it was the chosen weapon!” Nate was the second eldest, just nine months younger than Gregory and he loved to dote on me, “Why i still don't believe it myself!”

“I suppose it doesn't make too much sense…” Gregory hummed, “it's never shown up this late before.”

A maid was sent to bring out the pen knife, and I was made to hold it, made to hear that horrible screeching in my ears again. Louder, angry that I had been avoiding it, angry that I had been trying to get rid of it.

“Well? What does it say?” My mother was reasonably worried for the wrong reasons. Everyone knows you must sacrifice something important to you, and the most important thing to me should be being a good wife (at least in the eyes of my family)

I wonder if I'm lying. If I say that I'll lose the ability to have children, that I'll lose my beauty, that I'll lose something that'll make me a bad wife, they won't make me do it.

“What do you lose for it?” Gregory asked.

“The ability of words.” The words fall out of my mouth before I can do anything, the knife forcing me to speak out of my own volition. “No speaking, no writing, no reading. Nothing to do with words.”

There is a plan to lie, fitting I suppose since the knife wishes to rob me of my words.

“Oh…” My mother is quiet, joy spreading across her face and she and my father exchange relieved glances.

“Well I suppose that isn't too terrible.” Samuel sighs, going back to his dinner as if it were nothing.

Though I suppose to them it is nothing. Quality of life hadn't mattered much to them anyways. As long as I can marry it would all be fine.

A few days passed and my regular routine was interrupted as my mother and father had me sit down, Gregory already awaiting us in my fathers study.

“So dear, we have wonderful news!” My mother smiles widely.

“Your marriage with the DUke of the East has been moved up, the two of you will be wed by the end of next week after which you will immediately set out to deal with the threat before going to live with your new husband.”

“It'll be a quick courthouse wedding, nothing like we've planned… But we’ll have a big ceremony after this whole ordeal is over with, around the time we originally planned for your wedding!”

I stayed silent. I knew this was going to happen. My marriage to the duke of the East was a big deal for my parents. I don't know what the Family of the East is getting out of it, but my parents were getting their nobility back. I would be the highest ranking duchess, THE lady of the kingdom besides the princesses or the queen, and they would be my proud and rich parents.

I said nothing, Gregory said nothing, and my mother and father chittered away and made plans around us.

___________________________________________________________________

The carriage ride is long, and horrid. Hopefully the weather will be better on the return trip. I would hate for my bride to feel ill on her way to our home for the first time.

The duke of the east waa riding in a carriage to the capital city, where his bride awaited him. The wedding had been moved up, which was fine, a few plans had to be advanced but he was more than eager to finally marry her.

He had only been waiting ages for this day, and he was more than fine with making some rushed changes in his schedule if it meant it would come any sooner.

Gregory had assured me that all had been handled on his end. The matter of the chosen weapon appearing to her was a mute point, it wouldn't matter in the end anyways. As Long as he pulls through on his end of the bargain all will be well.

“Oh he's here!” My mother was frantic and excited as she all but burst into my room. The weather outside reflected my mood, a mournful grey and downpouring rain. I thank the clouds for at least trying to delay the inevitable.

I had been all dolled up, dressed in a simple blueish white dress with lace and a pale blue ribbon around my waist. A blue and silver veil, for those were the colors of my soon-to-be husband's house, was being fixed into my hair, and the pale sapphire and pearl jewelry set he sent ahead as a gift for me sat against my collar bones and heavy on my wrist and finger.

I suppose it's better than what my mother had planned originally for my wedding outfit. The amount of lace in the drawings of it seemed enough to drown a small city.

I was grabbed and pulled along the hallways, to be brought to the family study, when the officiant my father and Samuel waited for me, so I waited with them for my husband.

However as we were coming down the stairs the maid opened the front door.

“Greetings my lord, the lady of the house will be right with you. But please, come in out of the weather for now.”

She curtsied and stepped aside to let him in, and I saw a man far older than I had expected standing in the doorway.

“This is the Astor house then?” he sounded gruff and he looked even worse.

“Ah, Sir Hassick.” Gregory had come into the hall, “The duke is with you i hope?” He joked, i've never heard him joke before.

“Yes. Though I'm afraid there's been a… change in plans.” Sir Hassick looked concerned between him and my mother, “as I wrote to you about. I'm afraid his lordship has passed away rather suddenly. Bear attack while out hunting.”

My mother froze on the stairs, I felt elated though I know i shouldnt at a man's needless death.

“Hassick step aside and at least let me in. Getting drenched before my wedding is far from ideal.”

I feel crushed.

Sir Hassick quickly steps aside, revealing a much younger man (boy? He seems around my age) who quickly enters our home with Hassick right behind him.

“Yes, I just read the letter. I'm afraid I haven't had a chance to inform my mother yet. Shall we head to the sitting room for a moment?”

Gregory leads Sir Hassisk and this younger man to the sitting room, coming back shortly to escort our parents there. Not a second later Sir HAssick emerges and brings me into the room by my arm.

“I insist she is present for this, she is to be my wife after all.” The younger man is glaring daggers at my parents, and motions for Hassisk to bring me to the senate is on, sitting me down next to him.

I stare straight ahead, at Gregory who is standing behind the couch my parents are sitting on.

“My Older brother passed away quite suddenly, as Sir Gregory was explaining to you. In his stead my father has sent me, to keep the arrangement that was made between our families. I will marry Miss…” He turns towards me, I do not look at him still staring at Gregory who is looking far too pleased with himself. (is that a bruise along his shirt collar?)

“Faeryn!” My mother's scolding brought me out of my daze and I quickly glanced between her and then took my first look at my new husband.

“Oh… My apologies. It's just quite a bit to process so suddenly. I'm very sorry for your loss.” My voice is barely a whisper and I know. Every lesson of prosperity is slipping from me.

“I understand. You were engaged to him for your whole life. I know the change is sudden but I can assure you that I will do the proper thing and marry you in his place, and I will take care of you as he would have.” The young duke nods firmly and then turns back to my parents. “I understand that you may wish for some time, however I would like this done as soon as possible. My brother was made aware that the chosen weapon was passed to her, which is why the wedding date has been moved up. The sooner we are wed the sooner the kingdom is not at risk. As the Duke of the East it is my duty to ensure the kingdom’s safety, I'm sure you understand.”

I have no idea how long this has been going on for.

I don't think I really noticed it at first. It was just some little things that I started to notice this far into it all.

When I first started to notice it, it was when some bigger things started happening a few months ago.

I had been rushing to class, running late because I couldn't find my laptop for the rest of my life. I ended up leaving without it (the community computer sucks by the way). But when I got back home it was sitting neatly on my bed.

I live alone, no roommates, no family and none of my friends have keys.

Whatever. I'm a sleep-deprived, ADHD college student. I sleep on the couch half the time because I'm too tired to get to my bedroom. I probably just missed it with my early morning brain fog, it's happened before.

Then I wasn't able to find my house keys on my way to work one day. So I just left without them, grabbing the one pair of shares that were buried in my sock drawer from when I first moved in.

When i got back, they were hanging on their hook right next to the door, the little bell attached to the lucky cat charm on my keychain jingling as the AC blew it around.

It was all little things like that when I first started noticing it. Like someone was snooping around or I was just being my typical clueless self.

But then bigger things started to happen.

Like the time I came back to a freshly made bed with clean fresh sheets on it. Something I had been procrastinating on doing for weeks now, sleeping on the couch instead.

There would be new milk and fresh groceries in the fridge and pantry whenever i arted running low on things.

If I really sit and think about it, things have been off for maybe a year or more.

Lights would be on or off when they hadn't been before.

Vases of flowers would have their water topped off when I had been forgetting to do so for ages.

Electronic devices would be turned off after i forgot to, or fully charged whenever i got back home.

It seemed a little normal, oh I guess I forgot I did that, things at first. But now it was just weird and kind of creepy.

I was thinking about one night being unable to fall asleep, when I heard it.

It sounded like my apartment door opening. The soft thud and click made it closed.

The jingle of keys being hung up.

The whisper of feet as someone moved around.

The soft noises of someone trying to clean up quietly.

I heard the murmur of the TV (which I had forgotten to turn off before going to bed, again) turned off and the little clinks of dishes being put away.

Who was in the house?!

And why were they cleaning?

I was too scared to really do anything, sure this intruder seemed nice enough to pick up after me, but who knows. They could be armed!

So when I heard footsteps getting closer to my bedroom, and the door handle being gripped and twisted, I rolled over and shut my eyes, pretending to sleep like a little kid who's been caught staying up too late.

Someone sat down on the bed next to me, curling up around me over the covers.

“Hello sweet thing.” Was all he whispered before gently kissing my ear.

Then he just started talking. About his day, about his school and his work, about the things he did for me.

The groceries he got for us (us?), the little things he had fixed in the apartment and what he had taken to make copies of (explains how he got his own keys then i guess.), and then he started asking me questions.

How my day was, how i was feeling, if i had remembered to eat or drink today. How my schoolwork was going, if that rude and creepy guy from work was still bothering me.

I know that whoever it was didn't really expect me to answer or be awake, that much was obvious, and I know I should have just pretended to be asleep and let him think I didn't know anything about this so I could handle it all in the morning.

But I turned to look at him over my shoulder and just asked, “Who the hell are you?”

Lord Perrin of the East, the now heir to the Dukedom of the East and my new husband (for we had just finished the ceremony) was unfortunately not going to have dinner with us.

He was summoned away to the castle, the king wanting to meet with him and discuss some finalities of his brother’s passing and our marriage in his stead.

Gregory assured me that all would be well. “I don't know little Perrin as well as I know his brother, but I can assure you he's a very sweet and well-meaning boy under all the pomp and ceremony.”

And with that, my eldest brother was off to go oversee the small section of land that was bestowed to us from the Duke of the East as part of the payment for our marriage. He would be staying there indefinitely, as the new Lordship of it all.

While I would be sent off to live with my new Husband in his lands in the East my family would most likely stay in the capital city for my father’s merchant business.

Come morning all my things would be packed and shipped off to my new home, while I would be sent to take the stupid magic pen knife and go deal with the looming threat. Sacrificing any usage of words before being sent off like a package to my new home and husband.

Not the most ideal or favorable of situations.

So when the morning sun broke across my face, not waking me for I had been awake for hours now, I knew it was time.

I had been running little escape plans through my head all night, and I could see none of them working in my favor. I would just have to go along with this, perhaps if I was lucky whatever the threat was would need me. Though it had never done any harm to anyone before, besides what they were meant to sacrifice for the use of the weapon.

Once I was dressed and saw most of my belongings being packed up I was sent on my way, hardly able to ever say goodbye to any of my family, though Nate had snuck into my room to give me a quick goodbye and some cake for the road and a little letter.

“Read it afterwards ok?” and with that, he was gone too.

It was sweet, but I think he forgot that I wouldn't be able to read afterward.

Soon enough it was time for me to set off, and so I was bundled into a carriage with my new husband. Which I had not been expecting.

“Oh.” I stared at him and he stared back at me.

“Oh?” bright green eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

“Apologies. I wasn't aware you would be joining me to go… to go do whatever it is I'm supposed to do with this.” The penknife sat on my lap, on top of a handkerchief that Samuel had given me right before I left.

“Ah. Well, it would be in poor manners if I let my wife go wandering about towards danger on her own, so I am accompanying you.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

The carriage had already started, so there wasn't really anything much more to say about it. However, we both seemed more than a bit uncomfortable as we sat in silence.

I had brought Nate’s letter and my favorite book with me, hoping to have enough time to read both for the last time before we got to where we were going. But it was rude to open a book and read when you were with someone in a carriage, it was seen as ignoring them.

But to read a letter from your family was fine I'm sure.

So I opened it.

’Dear precious Faeryn,

We couldn't tell you this while you were in the house because our parents forbade it and they don't truly know half of it, but now that you're leaving (and off to deal with something like this) it's about time someone told you.

Gregory told me to stay out of it, as he always does, since Perrin should be the one to explain it all to you, but I'm not letting my baby sister go off into the unknown without some information from a trusted source!

So here it is!

First off I'm sure you've been wondering why exactly the Duke of the East was so insistent on having his heir marry a daughter from our family and why he is paying so much for it.

Well to put it lightly, you're not our sister.

We all think of you as such of course! And Samuel doesn't even know about it yet. But in all truthfulness, you're the King’s and Queen’s firstborn. The two of them have been married for quite some time before you were born, but the heir to the kingdom can't be a girl (especially since they had a marriage agreement with the neighboring kingdom, they didn't want to lose their land if they had a daughter to marry one of the princesses from there.) so you were sent to live with someone who couldn't use you.

Our parents in short. Our father had enough money that people wouldn't notice the jump in wealth he would get from accepting to take you in and raise you, and our mother knew how to raise noble children because she is of noble birth (no matter how low of a noble her family had been). But our family lacked any actual ability to use you to their advantage.

In return for raising you, our parents were given the hefty sum and the promise of their lands to be lord and lady upon your coming of age and marriage to the Duke of the East, which had been pre-arranged even before your parents' birth.

You see the Family of the East and the Royal family have been trying to merge for a while now through marriage, but all of their children have been boys. So both of them were very happy when you were born, the only issue was the marriage agreement with the other kingdom (which stipulated that the heir/firstborn from our kingdom must marry into theirs). And without knowing if they would have another child they sent you away.

The plan was to have you revealed if it was very necessary with some sob story about attempted assassinations on you as a baby and you being sent away for safety but never too far that your beloved king father and queen mother couldn't watch after you. I helped come up with it and it was quite a tear-jerker'll have you know.

So hopefully this explains the marriage thing. And as revenge against Gregory for insisting that I hide this from you, I advise you to ask after his ‘finance’ the next time you two see each other.

Onto what is probably more important to you, the chosen weapon and the ‘threat’.

It's all fake. The weapon is real, it's just an enchanted mimic that sees your greatest love and desire for the future, and then it just tells you whatever that is has to be sacrificed for the greater good after it forms itself into a new weapon every fourish years.

The Duke of the East is actually in charge of making sure that those things are ‘sacrificed’. There is no threat, and since you're married to him and only our family knows that you had the weapon you won't have to lose anything.

Yay!

I have no idea why they do this whole charade, something about proving the citizens' loyalty to the royal family and making people fearful and respectful of the gods?

It never made sense to me, but I have the sense to not question it and you should too!

Now, don't do anything stupid, enjoy your time with your new husband (who is not nearly twice your age and is very pretty!), and have fun reading and writing to your heart's content!

Love your favorite brother,

~Nathaniel~’

I stared at the letter in my hands for a while, not noticing that we had left the city limits nor that my new husband was watching me carefully from across the carriage.

“There's something on the back of it.”

I jumped in my seat, startled by his sudden speaking. “Pardon?”

“I'm assuming that's the letter that Gregory told Nathaniel not to give you? He wrote something on the back as well, you seemed to have finished the front of it.”

I flipped the last page of the letter over, revealing a Postscript that had been covered by my hands.

’P.S

Don't tell any of them I told you this, but Gregory and Hassein (the older duke of the East you were supposed to marry) have been plotting to get you and Perrin together since you were five. I met you once on a visit to the capital city and fell absolutely in love with you! He's been grilling Gregory for all sorts of information about you (I heard he's made a little library in his mansion just for the two of you filled with each of your favorite books!). So good luck and enjoy married life!

P.P.S

If he does anything to hurt you, tell me. I can and will drag the seven of us boys over there to beat the shit out of him.

Love You!

~Nate~’

“Ah…”

“I'm going to assume that he explained the reason behind our marriage?” Perrin’s head tilted to the side, his arms still crossed in front of him.

“Yes, both reasons.”

A questioning look crossed his face before I continued

“And that this is just fake.” I gently tossed the closed penknife at him, which he quickly snatched out of the air.

“Yes, well. We couldn't have you suffering with the fear of this for long could we?”

I just stared at him, unable to grasp what this all meant for me.

“Well, then Princess. When we arrive back home I'll give you a tour of our private residence. My Father and their majesties will be waiting to meet us three weeks from now at my father’s abroad which is nearer the capital, we will be heading the furthest east our lands have.”

“And will I be able to meet my brother’s fiance? Nathaniel wrote that Gregoryrwas engaged.”

“Ah… Well, the thing is about that, he's with my brother.”

“Your brother?”

“Yes.”

“Your elder brother?”

“Yes.”

“The one who died, which is why we two are married instead?”

“Well, he's not dead. He's just horribly Gay and in love with your brother.”

“And you're in love with me?”

“Was that in the letter?” Perrin was flushed red, growing bright by the moment.

“In the postscripts.”

“I see.” He was silent, looking anywhere but at me, “Well, then you’ll be glad to know that I've been in love with you for quite a while and that I set up a personal library and writing study for you.”

“I am rather glad to know that…”

“You're blushing.” He murmured, finally looking at me with a dopey smile on his face.

“You're blushing more,” I replied, quickly turning to look out the window.

It wasn't necessarily unordinary for me to awake within my dreams. At least this lush and oddly vibrant forest is better than some of the other ones I have come to.

The dark tower that loomed over me with no hope in sight, endless floors of endless horrors with an oddly familiar stranger at the bottom of it was one in particular I tried to forget.

Being brought to different planes was new to me too. You work with enough entities and beings from beyond the mortal realm and you’ll come across the ones that pull you across boundaries now and then, most of them don't mean it of course they don't know how unnatural it is for those of my kind and they usually don't do it again after learning about how it can harm us.

The shadows were such creatures, which is odd because they mainly resided on the material plain with my family, but they still thought to pull me through to their home of origin that one time. I couldn't see much of it, it was a very dark place which I suppose makes sense.

Of course, working with dragons will get you odd astral dreams too. Being pulled into a variety of other plains ranging from the darkest to the lightest of realms.

This is all to say, after practicing witchcraft and magick for a couple of years you get used to the oddities and learn the rules of these places.

This means I wasn't going around doing anything stupid like eating any of the little berries and things in the bushes or drinking from the fast-moving streams, and I wanted to stare into any reflections or hold what felt like eye contact with thin air for too long. I most certainly wasn't following any odd little pushes or pulls I felt on the ground and air around me, and I wasn't looking after any creature or whisper I could barely hear.

I did however walk along the forest. There was no clear path so I wasn't technically breaking the rule of going off the path, but I will admit it wasn't my smartest move to make, I have done worse like working with two different dragons from two very opposing factions.

That was not fun. Well, it sort of was but I'll leave that for another day.

Regardless, I know my way around these things. These odd little waking dreams. A lot of people call it astral dreaming or entering the Astral plain but they refer to it as something else entirely. I think I'll trust the dragon over the influencers on all things. It's just wandering onto other plains, not something someone of my standing can control.

But as long as you know the basics and have common sense you'll be fine.

Generally speaking.

I finally came into a little clearing in the forest. It was dense but not obnoxiously so, and very green. Like almost neon green without being neon green. In all honesty, it seemed more like the idea of a forest manifested than an actual forest, but that's just how these things are. The clearing was nice enough, a little trickle of a stream flowing through it, little boulders and logs scattered about the place, a circle of mushrooms (avoiding that, do I have any silver on me?), and a little notebook on what seemed to be a table carved out of or formed by some craggy rock like things.

Do I trust it? No. And I probably shouldn't sit either.

“Are you going to enter?” a thing, who looked human esq stood in the center of the clearing, gently sweeping his (?) almost kimono-like robes out of the way as he gracefully sat on one of the boulders, “just standing there when we’ve put so much work into this is rude you know.”

“Oh. Sorry about that, I didn't notice anyone was waiting for me.” I smile as calmly as I can, “May I enter?” I motion at the barrier in the grass between the forested area and the clearing, hardly notable if it weren't for the different green shades the two patches were.

“Of course, I have invited you in.”

“Thank you very much for the invitation.” I step over the barrier on my (side) foot first, the creature is dressed vaguely in Japanese and I decide to follow the older cultural rules that I know of.

I make my way carefully over to the table, asking if I may sit and receiving the ok to do so.

“So what are you?” A bold approach, I know, however, I work with things beyond most creatures' understanding and abilities so I should be covered should anything go wrong.

“Rather rude of you to ask don'tt you think?” (color) eyes glint at me from over the rim of a teacup that has just appeared in his hands, along with the rest of the set that is now laid out before us on the table.

“I was brought here without my knowledge or consent, I'm owed an answer.”

The emperor of Japan for the past century has been a demon. A being of cruelty, beauty, horror, intelligence, power, and eternity.

His court, high ranking, and powerful demons. His second in command and personal guard and towering six-eyed samurai from the Edo period who was just barely less powerful than he was.

The emperor could take any form he wanted, be it man or woman, adult or child, he simply was as he wished to be.

He had conquered Japan, and shortly after started taking over the world right as modern technology began. He halted any human progress, returning us all to the glory ages of Japan.

Every generation or so he would pick a takaramono, a treasure out of the sea of humans.

Humans were led to be peasants, labor, and food for the demons who now reigned supreme.

The Takarmono was essentially a pet the emperor and his inner court, the 12 moons of the emperor, kept. They were spoiled rotten, given whatever they wanted in life, and given a peaceful and painless death. The trade was their freedom, their autonomy, and being essentially a pet and entertainment.

Takarmono was excited to show off all of the wonders and glory of the emperor's court. The luxury, the power, the education, the sophistication. The Takarmono was expected to be the showcase for all of this, for the emperor to show off as proof of his success.

Any Takarmono who dialed to do so? Dead in a horrible manner, usually eaten alive by the man-eating demons who no longer feared the sun.

Usually, the Takarmonoweres a young adults the youngest in their late teens, who were taken away from all they knew. Their family, their friends, their community, their fears, their hardships, their suffering, and given a few years to prove they could be a proper Takarmono.

Most died within five years, the usual trial period the emperor gave them.

The emperor was searching for a new Takaramono, after a string of six failures.

He was pursuing the selection of young men and women this small village had to offer when something caught his eye away from the line of people presented to him.

"Takusan”

“Yes, My lord?”

A pale and perfect hand stretched out and pointed at the crowd gathered opposite the line of people. The seven-foot-tall six-eyed samurai obeyed wordlessly and Instantly. Grabbing an older man and woman and pulling the two of them and their four children forward to his master.

The mother and father trembled in fear, not daring to even beg for their lives.

The emperor glanced down at the seldom eldest child, the oldest daughter and he smiled. He crouched down to her level and held out his hand.

She gave him hers, he pricked her finger and tasted just a drop of her blood.

“This one. This one will be my most perfect Takarmono.” He smiled, blood-red eyes glinting with obsession and greed.

The six-year-old was taken away after a quick goodbye from her family and frantically whispered instructions on what was expected of her from her parents.

The search for Takaramono ended that day, and she was brought back to the palace.

takarmono’s were expected to be the showcase of all the emperor's glory. They were meant to be beautiful, made bed with luxury, intelligent, educated, talented, and successful in something that could be shown off in court or to the common folk.

A six-year-old seemed to have none of these qualities.

The emperor insisted he tasted her potential from that singular drop of blood.

Upon the little takarmonos arrival at the imperial palace, she was taken to be bathed, measured out for clothing, dressed in a simple noble kimono, taken to the seamstress to have her color options chosen out for the emperor's approval, and to meet her new staff.

All under the watchful eye of the emperor's second.

Then she was taken to her new room, where she ate a simple dinner (for the emperor did not wish to make her sick with the food of the rich by switching her so suddenly), and was taken to bed for the night.

In the morning she was walked by the samurai demon to meet with the emperor and the rest of his 12 moons.

They were all waiting in a large room that was filled with things.

Every Japanese Instrument that had ever been made, was dancers' outfits and props, song lesson books, paints, inks, geisha props, brushes, scrolls upon scrolls of paper, and books in every academic topic the emperor viewed as important.

“Pick something to start with as a child. I’ll have your routine and curriculum built by the end of the week.” The emperor was again crouched to her level, gently playing with a small curl of hair that had fallen in front of her face as he spoke, “but pick something to start with. I want you to have something special that you will be known for, and I will help you find it. Even if we must go through every option available to mankind.”

The little girl stared at him for a while, big brown doe eyes meeting his blood-red gaze hi before she scoffed closer to him and looked out at the room.

She hummed to herself for a moment before stepping away from him, though he seemed reluctant to let the child away from the slight cuddle he had had with her.

She picked up a book, one of ancient plays and ballads, and then turned to the rows of instruments.

“What is this one?”

“That’s the koto little one”

She requested to know what it sounded like and the one-eyed demoness, who controlled the moving and ever-changing palace with her biwa was summoned to playa. Sample on it for her.

“And what is this one?” She pointed to the demoness’ instrument

“The biwa. Meganai’s specialty. I'm afraid you’ll have a difficult time becoming better at it than she is.”

And so they went through every instrument until the little one found one she liked, the Shamisen.

And so her room had a section for the Shamisen so that she could play it whenever she wished. And the bookshelves in her room were piled with books on every Japanese play old and new and ballads and songs that the emperor could get ahold of.

She spent that week reading and trying to pluck the strings of the Shamisen. She would be taken to dine with the emperor every evening before she went off to bed, and she often ended up in his lap as they curled up by the fire and he read her a little story before bed.

By the end of the week her routine and curriculum had been set. She had a slow morning with breakfast, daily preparation, and free time followed by afternoons full of lessons on everything. Academic topics, music lessons on her Shamisen and any other instrument she expressed an interest in, language lessons, etiquette lessons, and dancing lessons all before a late afternoon tea with a lunch (that she usually spent with one or a few of the 12 moons), followed by some more free time and productive free time (in which she was meant to practice her instrument on her own and read on different plays and ballads) before she had dinner and her bedtime story with the emperor.