Chapter 2;

Her mother lay in her arms, a pit in her chest that was black with blood pooling in the crevice where half her heart used to lay- the other half futilely beat. Still trying to live. Misteria clutched her mother's dying face, her appearance almost the same as it was now except with more of a baby face. Younger. But blood was bright against her pale skin.
"Mother! Mother, don't die on me." Misteria growled lowly as her emotion mixed in a maelstrom.
"Mi...ssy...do mum..a favor.." The choked words were gurgled as her mother used her last breath for something so mundane as a last wish.
But the young princess didn't care, she nodded even though her mother's eyes were closing, those hazel hues were now hidden to Misteria.
"Be...hap..py."
"D****t. D****t." The first cusses were slow, but as she continued saying the same word it came out faster until it finally became hysteric sobs. "D****T!"

Her scream echoed down the hallway, a mistake she realized the second she registered. Automatically, she shot up and searched for a weapon. There was no time to mourn.
'Do not be human. Do not act so human again.' Her mind coached desperately as her glowing eyes searched the room.
"She's down here!" She heard a man call followed by multiple sets of footsteps.

Diving under the bed, Misteria's fingers dug deep into the underside of the bed until she found her father's concealed dagger. The second the hilt was clutched in her white-knuckled grip, she felt safer. A warmth settled her shoulders and her quivering ceased. Rolling from underneath the bed, Misteria jumped from the bed to the banister beams overhead, quickly putting the knife hilt between her teeth, she used her upper strength to swing up to the beams.
Crouched low and snatching the dagger from her mouth, Misteria sat ready to pounce her predator. The tables turned.

Bursting through the room, a dirty man with long hair braided in one strand at his back barged in. As she knew, the man's eyes instantly drew to her mother's corpse. She took the chance. She jumped. Lunged. Plunged.


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Sweat coated Misteria's forehead as the memory went relived in dreams, quickly sitting up, she looked around the room with her hand already on the dagger that had saved her life then as she awoke. The blankets were strewn about the room while a distraught August was at the light switch, flipping it on the instant she realized it was him and holding his jaw.
"The hell?" He spluttered out as he pulled his hand away- a gash from her dagger sure enough was there. Only two inches in length, and from the looks- shallow. Nothing serious.
"I-I.." This was one of the few times Misteria never knew what to say in.
"Another night terror?" August sighed, his eyes closing heavily like the very mention of it exhausted him. Slouching in a nearby chair, the man held his face once again. "Sweet Saints, Mis, you gotta stop this. I can't take much more."

"Who asked you to stay?!" She snapped, a foreign sense of hurt striking her heart as she fought tears. "So we were forced into this marriage? Doesn't mean we have to sleep in the same damn room! We got 15 extra- pick one!"

"But it's...lonely." His whisper was barely audible. And of course, the thing she longed to hear she couldn't comprehend the moment it was said to her.
"What?"
"Nothing." He shot up and took his pillow from his side of the bed. "I'll take that offer."
With that- he left.

The room was icy now. Like his body was what kept the heat in the room. She was alone and shivering again. Just like 5 years ago.
"D****t." Misteria groaned to the air, falling back in her pillow and closing her eyes.

Sleep didn't come.