New Beginnings

Zafira, holding her long satin gown so as not to trip when she walked, swiftly ambled down the cement steps. Her golden gown �" embroidered with a white lace accented with miniature diamonds �" glistened in the burning rays of the afternoon sun. Her wild brunette hair had been tamed with a golden hairpin decorated with the most illuminating of diamonds. 

Her satin pumps clicked hard against the cement walkway which could be easily recognized in the middle of two patches of the most luscious one would ever see. Sprouting from the ground were marigolds. Their petals glistened in the sun. 

“Zafira! Zafira!” She did not stop to entertain the calls that grew closer by the second. Her ears registered another set of heels hitting the hard pavement. Her mother was closing in on her. She kicked her speed into overdrive. Unfortunately for her, as did her mother.

“Does she ever quit?” She thought to herself as she continued to saunter down the seemingly endless pathway.

She turned her gaze straight ahead. A slight smile revealed itself moments later. She stared at the tall gate, its metal bars glistening. It was open. The victory was ripe for the taking. She could taste the freedom she would soon have. She welcomed the thought. She sprinted towards the gate. She was almost there. A few more feet and she would be home free. The worst would soon be a distant memory that plagued her past.

“Zafira!” Her mother yelled her name one final time. She pretended to remain ignorant of her calls.

She nearly broke out into a laugh when a slight tug on her arm derailed her intentions. Her mother had finally caught up with her. As Zafira whizzed around to meet her, her hairpin flew, landing somewhere in the grass. Her wild hair returned, now more feral than ever.

She could practically visualize her freedom exiting the gate while she remained confined inside the cursed walls of her castle. Simply being in the courtyard was enough to make her blood boil. Her thought of anger were interrupted by her mother’s soft yet surprisingly stern voice.

“Where are you going?” She interrogated. 

Zafira felt disappointment towards her mother. How could she ask her that? She did not wish to celebrate when that idiot king sentenced a man to death only hours earlier. What did her mother do to stop it? Nothing. Could her mother truly blame her for not wanting to be a part of such bloodshed? As she shook her head to this fact, a throbbing pain made its home in her head. Moments later, she collapsed to her knees.

“Where are you going”, she emphatically stated.

“Aaaaahhh!” She groaned at the pain.

Meanwhile, panic grabbed hold of her mother. What should she do? Should she call the guards? No. She should check on her daughter first.

“Zafira!” Worry consumed her face and voice as she kneeled down to check on her daughter. 

“Are you alright?” She interrogated. The painful moans emitting from her daughter told her she was not.

“Guards! Guards! Guards!” Frantic screams at the top of her lungs escaped.

Zafira ceased her painful moaning. Her mother could not discern if this was a sign of the worst or an omen of hope for the best. Zafira raised her head. Her hazel eyes had disappeared. All that remained was a pure white. Her brunette hair morphed into a light gray similar to white. Her head looked towards the once vibrant blue sky which was now a stormy gray. Thunder sounded. Her mother turned her attention towards the sky.

“No”, she muttered to herself. “It can’t be. Ambrios is dead. It can’t be.”

She returned her attention to her daughter. Her mouth released a thick trail of black smoke. Her mother was now so paralyzed that she could not even scream. Her eyes were frozen. They fixated on the smoke emitting from her daughter’s mouth.

Once the smoke �" disappearing into the air �" had exited, her body hit the ground with a thud. Her mother lifted Zafira’s body up. She held her daughter’s head in her lap. Her eyes had closed, rendering her unable to determine if her hazel eyes had returned. Her mother peered at the look on her daughter’s face. It was not one of peace.

It looked as though there was a battle raging inside of her. A battle Zafira was forced to fight alone. Moments later, 4 guards came strolling from out of the palace. Their metal armor glistened like diamonds. As the armors vociferous clangs sounded throughout the silent environment, Zafira’s eyes abruptly opened. She suddenly shot up like a weed and began to chant:

“Ambrios lives. The world shall pay. Heed my words on this day. In 1 month’s time, the kingdom of Keglion shall fall. Ambrios shall take his place and shall rule all.”

As she continued to chant those cursed words, the guards hit the ground. Some had removed their helmets in hopes of receiving air. They were being choked to death by some unknown force. Her mother looked at her in great fear.

Zafira’s eyes turned black as night. It was as if she was possessed by some sort of demonic spirit.

“It can’t be”, her mother thought to herself. She looked at the guards who were now dead.

“Ambrios cannot be alive. If he is, then we are all doomed.” She looked at her daughter who was still chanting those horrid words.

“Aaaah!” Zafira �" gasping for air �" shot up in her bed. She looked around the spacious yet lonely room. A sigh of relief escaped from her lips. It was only a dream. That was the third one this month; however, she had never encountered on of this magnitude. It felt so real.

Remembering the black smoke, she raised her hand to her throat. She ran her fingers through her wild curls. She released a long, deep sigh. Her head hit the pillow with a soft thud. Her hands ran across the crème, silk spread. She felt the golden sheer curtains surrounding her bed. The distributed and even amount of sunlight into her private oasis. A slight smile framed her delicate, caramel features.

As she began to drift off to sleep, the wooden door opening put her on high alert. She shot up in the bed.  Her eyes fixated on her mother. Her red satin dress trimmed with a golden lace complimented her light brown skin. Dazzling rubies encased in a pattern of diamonds dangled from her ears. Her heels clacking against the smooth gold floor echoed throughout the room’s entirety. Her usually flawless skin showed small crinkles on her forehead. Zafira suspected she was worried.

“Zafira! Are you alright?” Her mother firmly placed both hands on her shoulders. The worrisome tone of her mother’s voice confirmed her suspicion. She looked deep into her daughter’s eyes, searching for any sign of anger or sadness.

Zafira knew what she was searching for; therefore, she knew how to hide it. She did not wish to speak to her mother about any of her nightmares because she did not wish to hint towards any reason to raise alarm. And yet, something inside of her told her this was the wrong choice.

Her mother’s search showed conclusive results. Though she still felt Zafira was hiding something from her, she decided to put the matter aside for now. Zafira could tell her plan had succeeded; for the crinkles in her mother’s forehead had disappeared as well as the worrisome look in her eyes. Her mother returned her hands to her sides.

She gracefully sat down on Zafira’s king �" sized bed and gave her daughter a warm smile. Zafira returned her mother’s smile with one of equal or greater value. They sat there on the bed. Though they were silent, Zafira felt as though they were screaming at one another.

“Why were you screaming?” Her mother interrogated.

Zafira’s smile quickly fled. An uneasy feeling began to settle down in her stomach. What would she tell her mother? She turned her head towards the floor in desperate hope for an answer. She truly did not wish to divulge into the painful dreams the night plagued her with. Why did she have to scream?

Finally, after much thought, she decided what she would say. She decided to conceal her nightmare with another haunting from the past.

“I had a nightmare about dad.” Her mother’s worry for her daughter was temporarily overwhelmed by anguish for her father. Zafira could see the pain her mother’s brown eyes portrayed, the tears swelling. She did not divulge any deeper into her story; for she could see it would prove to be much too painful a topic for both her and her mother.

She placed her hand on top of her mother’s. Her eyes gave her mother a warm look. Her mother returned her act of kindness with a slight smile. Zafira wiped at the swollen wells on her mother’s face.

“Don’t cry” She consoled her mother with a gentle rubbing on her back. “If you cry then I will surely be right behind you.”

She paused for a fleeting moment to gather her composure.

“Father would not wish us to cry. He would want us to be happy. So we must honor his wishes �" not only for his sake but ours as well.”

Her mother turned her head towards her daughter. Zafira could see the crust left from the tears that trickled down her face. After wiping at her face for some time, Zafira’s mother complied with her daughter’s and husband’s wishes. She gave Zafira a grin as wide as the Amazon River. She released a sharp sigh.

“You are right. He’s been dead for over 3 years now. And yet the mere thought of his is enough to tear me to pieces. I guess true love never forgets.”

Her mother ironed out her ruffled dress and stood up from Zafira’s bed. She placed a soft kiss on her forehead before journeying to the room’s exit. Zafira’s ears once again registered the partially annoying clacking of her mother’s heels.

As she returned her head to her pillow, she noticed her mother’s clacking had ceased. She eagerly listened for the creaking door that never would. She sat up and pushed back her curtains. Her mother had positioned herself on her knees in the middle of the floor, her head placed in her hands. She began to worry for her mother.

She walked over to her fearing the worst, but hoping she was only crying from the awakened pain the memory of her father had brought along with it.

“Mom” She slowly reached her hand out to touch her mother’s back, which was all she saw. An instant later, her mother abruptly stood up and turned her head towards Zafira. She felt the fear slowly creep up her body as she stared into the black mirrors, which replaced her mother’s brown eyes, staring back at her. She began discreetly retreating to a corner of the room.

The thought of calling the guards had eluded her. She backed herself into the far left corner of the room, her mother slowly advancing towards her. She shut her eyes, preparing for the worst.  Was this really how her life would end.

“Zafira” A demonic voice called out to her. Zafira reluctantly opened one eye followed by the other. Her mother had ceased any further advancement. She merely stood 3 feet away in a statue-like trance.

A sickening feeling slithered its way through her body at the very thought of those eyes on her.  She looked towards the floor so as to avoid them. Fear did not waste any time in casting its hold on her. She felt her throat swell, rendering her unable to release a single cry for help. Her once steady pulses now came in quick echoing pulses. She had to say something.

“Come on Zafira. Open that big mouth!”

“Who are you?” She managed to get the words out her mouth.

“You will know soon enough.” The voice responded. 

“What does that mean?” She interrogated.

"You will know soon enough", the voice repeated.

“Is that your answer for everything?” She snapped.

“See? You are not quite ready to receive the truth.” The voice countered.

“What are you doing to my mom?” She inquired.

“I assure you she is fine.” The voice reassured her. 

“Well I’m sure you’ll pardon my manners if I suspect otherwise.” She combated. The voice did not respond.

“So what happens to me now?” She interrogated. “Are you going to kill me?”

“No” The voice quickly responded. “I wish you no harm.”

“Then what do you wish from me?” She interrogated.

“You will know soon enough.” The voice responded.

“If you say that phrase one more time I’m going to lose it.” She warned.

“Understood”, the voice complied.

“I want to see my mother”, she demanded.

“Understood”, the voice complied. “But next time we meet, I suspect the circumstances will be quite different.”

“Looking forward to it”, she responded.

“I would not say those words so lightly if I was you”, the voice warned.

“Well it’s a good thing you aren’t then isn’t it?” She remarked.

Just then, her mother fell to her knees. She ran to her mother who was quietly sobbing, her head buried in her hands.

“Mother!” She screamed. She bent down to her mother’s level. She adjusted her silk nightgown so she would not sit on it. Her hand caressed her back.

“Are you alright?” She interrogated.

Her mother glanced around the room in confusion. Zafira felt an immediate relief upon seeing her brown eyes had returned.

“I thought I was back in my room”, her mother confusingly remarked. “Why am I still here?”

“You don’t remember anything?” She interrogated.

“Remember what?” Her mother inquired. Zafira thought this to be a rather peculiar thing; however, she did not wish to enlighten her mother’s memory.

“You had something to discuss with me about tonight’s party”, she answered. “That’s why you’re still here.”

Reviews

[Yui Tarsis]

This is turning out pretty good! I'm excited to see the rest.
You do, however, repeat some words. Try using a Thesaurus to change it up in some places- and also to sound smarter. :>
I hope you do continue this!

[Tashida]

Thank you for the review. Yes a thesaurus would be a great way to go. I am being sort of lazy when it comes to this plot but I will probably continue it eventually. Again, thank you for the review!! :)