A Blossom In The Winter- Chapter 12: Not Going To Be My Fault
Pokemonchen: Just want to say that I wrote this chapter before I read your review... but you are pretty close on what is gonna happen.
SittingByTheSeaside: That chapter adores you! I'm glad it makes sense I was hoping that chapter would clear everything up. You just gave me my 50th review! (on this story) Thank you so much!
Likemutemath: Glad I answered your questions. Aw I'm sorry, I hope my cough will go away but sometimes when I take a deep breath I wheeze now :( I'm glad you love my cliffhangers! :)
Megan p 123: thank you for following both me and my story and favoriting the story. :)
I think this will be the last chapter besides the Epilogue. I'm sort of sad to see this end but also really happy. Thank you to all my reviewers and followers who helped me and made me continue this. :) I'll miss you all but hope you'll read my new story when it comes out. (I'm currently writing it on paper and then will type it so it will be good quality) I'll let you know the name and when it's out as a chapter after the epilogue so if you want to then you could check out. Love you all- Read on!
Damian's POV:
"See she can't do it and everyone knows it." Ash taunted. I didn't understand what she was up to. Was she trying to upset Netheralie? If that was her plan it was very successful since Netheralie screamed at Nicole.
"Now!" I gaped at Ash who looked determined and happy that Nicole was scurrying over to whisper in my ear. I was dreading what could happen, what Nicole might make me do.
"Damian, sweetheart." I could feel her words pushing into my brain. Searching for a weakness. I clenched my teeth. I would not oblige. I couldn't let her control me and force me to kill Ash. "You love me don't you sweetie? Ash is mean and she hates me." Nicole's words weaved through and tangled into my thoughts. I attempted to shove them out, rid myself of them as they snarled deeper. "I love you baby." I was losing control I could feel it. I clenched my teeth tighter. No, fight it. I told myself.
"Nicole is stupid." The words rang out and circled through my head making me angry. Everything turned red and I couldn't stop myself as Nicole whispered one last thing in my ear.
"Ash hurt me. I'm sad now. Make her pay." I yanked against my chains pulling and struggling. Ash needed to be killed, she made Nicole upset. Why would she do that, why was she so horrible? Nicole was wonderful and perfect.
Everything felt wrong and confusing.
The chains restraining me disappeared and I was ready to surge forward, straight at Ash. I felt a weight in my hand and glanced down. A long dagger magically had appeared in my hands. It seemed to be a sign, a sign that I should kill Ash.
I surged forward running at her and saw her speed towards me. This surprised me, why was she running to me. Confusion blocked my mind for a few seconds but then the tendrils of Nicole's words wound themselves in pushing me back into action. I could've stabbed Ash then but something stopped me. I knocked her to the ground instead with a yell of rage.
Her face still seemed determined, this made me falter but when I heard her voice I became angry again. "Save George." She breathed. I didn't understand her words. My mind felt foggy and cloudy.
George? I couldn't remember who he was. What was so important about George? I tried to think but Ash's desperate face disoriented me, Nicole's words repeated in my mind and spiraled around my brain. I lifted the dagger high in the air ready to plunge it into Ash's heart.
"It's not your fault." I barely heard her breathe. My knife went flashing downward. 'Not your fault.' The words repeated across my mind. 'Save George.'
Suddenly it all came rushing back, in those few seconds that my dagger had been traveling downward I remembered. I recalled who George was, I remembered why I had to save him, I recollected that Nicole was evil. Most importantly I remembered I didn't want it to be my fault. I didn't want Ash to die.
My hand moved over to my right just in time, instead of stabbing Ash in the heart I stabbed her in her left arm. Ash let out a yelp of pain and her eyes opened wide looking at me appalled.
"Damian?" She inquired hesitantly. I leaned over her so Netheralie and Nicole wouldn't be able to see that she had remained alive.
"Act dead until the perfect moment." I hissed at her. I began to stand and I rolled Ash over rather harshly, acting like I still detested her. In reality I was covering the fact that Ash hadn't been stabbed through the heart but her arm instead. I stood and faced Netheralie and Nicole who were watching me with satisfied grins on their faces. I forced myself to grin widely back at them.
"She'll never make you sad again sweetheart." I told Nicole opening my arms for a hug. She ran into my arms and held me tight. I turned away from Netheralie, who remained standing right behind me and kissed Nicole. At the same time I stabbed her and she let out a slight scream into my mouth. I felt slightly sickened but ignored the feeling as I let her fall to the ground. I pivoted to be face to face with Netheralie who was approximately as tall as me.
"You remember now, do you?" The sorceress acted smug. I displayed a look of complete horror and glanced at Ash, acting as if I had just realized that I had killed her. "Yes, that's right you killed her!" Netheralie spat at me. I launched myself at her.
I landed on the hard stone floor. Where Netheralie had previously stood there was now smoke. I let out a grunt of frustration and rose quickly, searching for her.
"You must tell me what it's like to physically kill a person. After all that's three people you've killed now, right?" Netheralie jeered with a grin. I growled at her. Netheralie stood in front of George's encasement and I realized that I needed to help him if I didn't want him to die. I sprinted towards Netheralie. She disappeared in smoke again which was good because I had turned the dagger around to the hard, thick end. Both the end and my body smacked against the hard glass and I heard it reverberate. I began to lose hope when at first it didn't crack but then grinned as I heard the hourglass breaking. I switched sides and stabbed at the glass helping it along.
"No! Stop!" I heard Netheralie's screams behind me. I repeatedly hit the glass until I couldn't anymore. Netheralie had waved her hand and caused me to soar across the room and land near Ash, who hadn't moved at all through this whole fight. I briefly thought about her, wondering if she was okay. My dagger fell out of hand and as I went to grab it back, I flew across the room again.
"Oh no you don't." Netheralie's eyes flashed dangerously. I could hear the hourglass breaking and glanced over to see the sand pouring out and George's head peeking up. I flew up and slammed into the wall again and slumped to the ground. I let out a groan, my head had smacked against the wall with a loud thump.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw George surging forward, the sword he always carried at his side, in his hands. Netheralie must've forgotten to take it from him or thought it wouldn't matter if he had it because he would be dead anyways. Before George could chop off the witch's head though she turned and lifted her hand. George flew up and soared head first into the wall above me. I rolled out of his way so I wouldn't be crushed by him and his sword. I winced when I heard the crack his head made against the stone. I knew how he felt, my head was thumping with pain too.
"You'll never win." Netheralie called to me. Her eyes were steaming and she raised her hands ready to do something that I was positive would be absolutely horrible for George and me.
"Want to bet?" I followed the voice with my eyes and saw Ash standing there, knife in her hand. Ash echoed Netheralie's words from earlier. Hope enveloped me and overflowed out of me.
Netheralie turned around completely surprised. The dagger left Ash's hand, spiraling quickly through the air, straight at Netheralie. The dagger spun and sped unswervingly into the sorceress' heart. She screamed, a high pitch, blood-curdling shriek of terror. And much like her father had she dissolved, leaving a pile of dust and clothing behind.
I gaped at Ash, who shrugged at me. "I figured that was the perfect time." I grinned at her and nodded.
"It was." I stood, using all my strength to pull the girl into a hug. Fuzzy black dots clouded my vision until I could see nothing. Everything went black and I dropped to the floor, promptly passing out.
I awoke in a comfortable bed and looked around puzzled. I had no idea where I was or how I had ended up there.
"Don't worry." I heard the soft voice from beside me. "We're safe back in my castle." I gazed at Ash, who had just stopped speaking. I felt relieved to see her healthy.
"What happened? How'd we get back?" I asked confused. "The room had no doors or windows." I was perplexed.
"It's like when we killed Argathus, after Netheralie dissolved so did the room. We spun around and it felt as if we were being sucked back through the mirror but backwards this time. The tower dissolved too. George woke up really groggy and helped my carry you part way back to the boat and then passed out too. The boat just took us right back and I ran and got help when we reached shore. Now, well..." She gestured to the room we sat in with her right arm. Her left arm remained at her side covered in thick bandages.
I winced as I remembered that I was the one who had supplied her with the gaping hole in her arm. As if she felt my eyes on her arm she spoke, reading my mind.
"It's ok, I'm fine." I observed her face for any sign that would show she was lying. "Chill." She snapped her fingers at me and shook her head in annoyance. "It's a good thing you didn't actually kill me. The guilt would eat you right up."
I turned bright red but grinned at her. I pulled myself into a sitting position and groaned as my head throbbed and the room flipped.
"Careful." Ash stood up, her hands fluttering around, searching for something they could do to assist me.
"Chill." I reiterated cheekily. She frowned in a false glare directed at me but took a seat all the same. This time on the side of my bed next to me and not the chair she'd been in before. "How's George?" I asked her as she leaned back against the bed frame beside me.
"He's okay. Woke up before you but went back to sleep again. His wife is taking care of him now." Her words were quiet and she stared ahead of her and out the window which was in front of us.
"Good." I smiled still gazing at the side of her face. "Was your mom really mad?" I asked as the thought came to my mind. Ash's lip pouted as she spoke.
"Very. She doesn't understand that I was helping save the world and all that other good stuff." Ash turned her face to look at me. She seemed a bit surprised that I was watching her so intently but continued speaking anyways. "Mom was all 'Young lady I told you never to leave without telling me first again. Yet that's exactly what you go and do. Look at your arm, what if you'd been killed!'" Ash mimicked her mother's voice perfectly.
We both sat there grinning at each other and then burst into lovely, loud, boisterous laughter. Stomach clenching, knee slapping, humorous full out hysterical laughter. I watched as her eyes became lighter and brighter, her face taken over by a huge happy smile and her hair bouncing with her laughs. Ash looked absolutely, positively, completely beautiful.
I was still looking at her as our laughter subsided. "I'm going to kiss you." I told her. She grinned widely.
"It's about damn time."
THIS WAS OVER 2,000 WORDS! I think that earns extra reviews, especially because it's two chapters in 1 day!
Thank you all for reading. Epilogue will be up soon, promise. Please Review and have a lovely week :)
Peace. Love. Pistachios.
-Jenn
