A Princess's Tale
Chapter Two
I knew disbelief was written all over my face, and Micha snarled at Uncle, "What type of a cruel joke is this? Jonathan died fourteen years ago!"
"No, he didn't," Uncle replied softly, his deep, deep voice regretful. "Though sometimes I wish it was true. Jonathan . . ." He paused, as if trying to find the strength for his next words. "Jonathan ordered the death of your parents. They were to kill Jado and Mirini, then kidnap you and deliver you to him."
All I could do was shake my head, and Uncle reached out, taking my chin in his large, dark brown hand. "Look into my eyes," he commanded, and I lifted my gaze to stare into the dark brown depths. And I suddenly knew it was all true. The sadness reflected there, the regret etched into every line of his face . . .Tears began to fall down my pale cheeks, and Uncle gathered me close for a few moments.
But I pushed away and jumped to my feet. Curling up on the ground a few feet away, I fidgeted with the ties to my sandals, I stared at Uncle. "Why am I still alive?"
"Well, 'still' doesn't quite explain it." At my narrowed eyes, Uncle hastily went on, "All right, all right. You're Immortal, Princess."
Let me explain something here. You may have noticed Uncle doesn't really want me using my powers, for one simple reason. I have more power than him. Much, much more power. Even at nineteen (and I didn't know this), if I had wanted to, I could have killed him. And since Uncle is more than a god, it would have been no mean feat, yet, to me, a simple snap of my fingers, if that much, would have taken care of it.
Now, where was I? Ah, yes. I had just discovered that I was Immortal . . .
"What?" I gasped.
"A little hard to believe, yes," Uncle agreed, and rested his chin in his hand. "You are Immortal, as is Jonathan now. You cannot die unless you lose your head." Still sensing my disbelief, he went on, "I know, I know. Rather unbelievable, but true."
"How?"
"An ancient, ancient, ancient bit of magic. I invoked it when you were born."
"Why?"
"So you could prepare for the ultimate battle between you and your brother."
"You knew?" I hissed. "You knew my parents would die?"
He sighed, a deep and sad sound. "Yes."
"And you did nothing?!"
"I couldn't, Princess. Jado and Mirini had to die for all of this to happen. Princess, if I could have done anything, I would have. I was barely able to save you."
Micha made a motion, as if he wanted to come near me, but I reflexively put up a forcefield around myself. I saw the hurt on his face, but he wordlessly drew back, giving Uncle and I a bit of privacy. Uncle reached out, his callused fingers a breath away from the shield, and said, "Princess, please, I need you to trust me. Otherwise, everyone and everything will perish."
My hands clenched, my gaze dropped, and I slowly lowered the shimmering field around me, accepting his hand and was pulled to my feet. A silver circlet appeared in Uncle's hands, and he directed me to bow my head. Once I had done so, he slipped the crown on my head, and lightening flashed across the clear sky. "Behold the Princess!" He shouted to the empty sky, his voice echoing. "Behold, and rejoice!"
My mouth fell open. "Princess" had always been Uncle's pet name for me, and the name our people had known me by. It hadn't been anything special, or so I had thought. He had never called me by my real name, and I had thought nothing of it. But now it was suddenly my title? What in the Nine Hells was going on? Uncle gently closed my mouth, a bittersweet smile twisting his lips. "Hail, Princess."
I could only stare at him, but then I collapsed to the ground, burying my face in my hands. I had suddenly been overtaken with images I could not control. A scream forced its way out of my mouth at everything I was seeing, and I was only dimly aware of Micha holding me tightly.
As quickly as it had begun, it stopped, and I was left hunched over, gasping for breath, the echoes of my screams fading away.
Uncle was on his knees before me; his face concerned as he studied my face, framed by his hands. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," I panted. "I saw . . .I saw . . .I saw . . .everything."
This was not the clearest of answers, I admit, but Uncle seemed to understand. He smoothed his thumb over my high cheekbones. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it would happen this fast, otherwise I would have prepared you."
"It's . . .it's all right." My breathing had calmed, and Micha helped me to my feet, his arms still protectively holding me close. I reached up to touch his face for a moment, and he kissed my temple. Uncle glanced away for a moment, to allow us our affection, then cleared his throat and said, "Normally, I would let you find your way in this world, but this is not a normal situation. You still have about four years left in your training, and I hope you'll stay here so you'll be a little more prepared."
I nodded once, and Micha asked if he could speak to me alone. With a nod, Uncle left. Glancing around, Micha pulled me into the trees a hundred yards away to make sure we would not be disturbed. His lips covered mine for a long moment, his fingers tangling in my long hair and his kiss almost desperate.
When he finally pulled back, I looked at him quizzically, and he kissed me again, more gently this time. "I love you, you know that?"
This had not been the first time we had told each other this, but somehow it was different this time. I replied, and he brushed his lips across my forehead and whispered, "Marry me."
Not sure I had heard him right, I asked, "What?"
"Become my wife," he said more clearly. "We both know we were chosen for each other. Please, Athena, will you marry me?"
What else could I say but yes? He was right, we were chosen for each other, and I loved him so much. Of course my reply was yes. A grin split his handsome face, and he swung me in a circle, pressing kisses from my temple to my jaw, muttering I love you over and over again.
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Alright, alright, Uncle wasn't the happiest camper in the world when Micha and I announced our engagement. But there was nothing he could really do, since he had invoked the magic that chose the mates of my people. But he managed to get us to wait a year so everything could be arranged.
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And so, about two weeks before my wedding, I was kidnapped.
One night, I was sleeping in a clearing a few hundred yards away from our dwellings, and had foolishly forgot to put up some protection. This was before my reflexes were as good as they are now, and so I was overpowered before I knew what was happening. A hood was forced over my head, my hands and feet were bound, and a club was slammed into the back of my head.
I passed out, probably died, and when I came to, I was chained to a cold stone wall, and staring into familiar brown eyes, dark brown orbs I had not seen for fourteen years. My brother was standing before me, every inch of his well-muscled body radiating power and lust.