Chapter 1: Clara

A Chapter by Blessing A

The day was clear and bright. A good omen for the events that would unfold later today. Clara was biding her time and quietly hoping for sweet release from her duties.She looked out from her balcony to the lush white rose garden below, blooming underneath the warmth of the Sun. Her roses reached greedily for the warm rays. She smiled sadly as she turned away from the view and returned inside her chambers. Clara’s feet padded silently along the wood floor as she walked towards her mirror. The sunlight glinted off the gold of her dress and her dark skin shone like captured starlight, an effect achieved by the gold powder dusted on her face. Clara reached her fingers to the only constant of her world. Leaning her forehead against the cool surface of her reflection she whispered, “Mirror, awake”. Her reflection rippled to reveal a man wearing a white robe that concealed his features. Clara’s companion stepped forward and out of the mirror. ”Hello Clara.” He held out his arms and waited for her embrace. Reaching her shaking fingers towards him, Clara tugged on his sleeves and pulled him close to her. The steady thrum of their two heartbeats forced down her fear and stilled the dark thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her. Despite the peace that descended on her, Cyd’s embrace left a bittersweet taste in her mouth as she reflected that this clandestine relationship she had with him was the closest thing she had to friendship. Cyd sensed the direction of her thoughts and held her tighter. “Don’t worry. As long as I am by your side everything will be alright.” She loved him. A truer love there never was, but they could never be together the same way a normal man and woman could. He was immortal; forbidden from bonding with a human. It was this knowledge that had Clara moving away from Cyd. She sighed with resignation and gazed down at her coronation dress. Noting the intricate details, silently calculating how much time and money it had cost. Tearing her focus away from the gold beads woven into her bodice she spoke in a rush, ”I should be happy, overjoyed really. But the fate of the entire kingdom relies on a successful merge with the Terris.” Clara laughed softly, her eyes hard and bright, the smile doing nothing to soften the ferocity of her gaze.

“What if-“

“Soon you will be queen. You can help your people with more power. ”

“They have never wanted my help before. What makes you think they want it now?”

Clara’s eyes looked to her balcony with longing.

“They hate me as their princess and they will hate me as their queen. No one wants a witch for a queen. They all think it but none will say.”

Cyd grabbed her shoulders and forced her gaze his way, “You have all the beauty and wealth any human would die for. You can make them love you.”

A high pitched scream tore out of Clara’s throat and she shoved him away. A porcelain vase flew towards the wall beside Cyd’ head, the pieces falling to the floor. Cyd flinched away from her gaze.

“What do I care for beauty? What has this pretty face brought me other than pain? Has this glorious body gifted anything other than ridicule and distrust? All of it is useless!” The statements ripped out of Clara till she was yelling. Her tears fell in earnest. She swiped at her eyes roughly to keep them from falling. Outside, the world was storming; rain was falling hard and the wind was howling. Clara gasped, noticing her mistake. She quickly tried to regain control, gathering the threads of her power she pulled but her emotions were out of control. Clara heard the loud thuds of footsteps approaching her chambers, “Goodbye Mirror,” she said quickly, dismissing Cyd. His form faded till there was only empty space left where he had stood.

Lifting her chin proudly, Clara steadied her breath and threw her shoulders back bracing herself for impact. In a matter of seconds she was a battle hardened general ready for war. The King Regent of Westeral stormed into her room flanked by five members from his personal guard. Their imposing presence filling her doorway. She gave each blue clad guard a slow appraisal. Cocking her head to the side, she let her unruly brown curls fall seductively off to the side. In a play for nonchalance Clara gave her dazzling smile, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit Your Majesty?" His hard glare sucked all the warmth from the room. He hated when she looked that way, as if his loathing did not affect her. Of course he did not condescend to any sentiments of familial love. The Regent eyed her slowly, inspecting every detail. His eyes missed nothing. Internally the scrutiny made her uneasy but her expression did not falter. Outside she could feel the sudden storm that she started slowly dying; it was nothing but a light rain now. Her control was returning. Soon the clouds will disappear and the sun will come out as if nothing had occurred.

After a thorough search for anything amiss, her uncle nodded and looked into her eyes searching for any weakness. He grabbed her arm and tugged her forward till she was only a hairsbreadth away. “You will not fail me niece. Do not think your presence is of any use to me if this does not work. You have no friends or allies in this court or in this country. I could kill you in a heartbeat. And no one- no one would care. You will do well to remember this.” Clara simply nodded and smiled in response. His cold brown eyes clashed with her equally chilling gold in hers. He squeezed harder. The storm was frenzied within her, desperate to claw free and unleash hell, but her smile held. Finally he let go and pushed her aside, a gesture she had grown accustomed to. Being thrown away did not hurt the way it had when she was a young girl. She stayed smiling till he left her room with the same rush he entered it. When the door slammed shut Clara rubbed where his nails had left indents, her fragile hold on her power faltered. Outside a small lone rain cloud appeared over her beautiful rose garden and began to pour.