Revealed Secret
The man who Diana had encountered immediately left and had not been seen. Months passed by and nothing arose. The days dragged on and the castle was in fear of the new threat. Diana and Cassandra were guarded every day and forced to stay within the castle walls. This did not go well with either of them. Being confined to the castle made everything seem dreary and dull. Nothing exciting happened until the day of Diana's birthday. It was January the eighteenth but no snow fell from the sky. There was never any snow of course but much rain. It began to pour and even the servants could not continue their usual chores in the rain. Diana was getting dressed for her birthday. She wore a green silk gown and a tiara on her head. Cassandra wore a pink and white silk gown and also wore a tiara. Their cloth slippers were elegant and their hair was done up with a ribbon. They looked like princesses to the very last detail of their skin.
"What do you suppose father has bought me?" asked Diana walking about the room. "Oh how I wish he would buy me a nice sword."
"'Princess's do not carry swords'," Cassandra said puffing up her chest and deepening her voice like the king's. "'And furthermore I do not like the idea of you learning magic! A sorcerer in the royal blood line it is unheard of!'"
"You sound just like him," Diana sighed sitting down. "I wish he would just let me learn magic. I am supposed to be a mage."
"I'm sure he will, he just needs some time," Cassandra responded hopefully.
"Well I'm not so sure," Diana answered. "But all I can do is hope."
"There's no time for being gloomy about it!" Cassandra said trying to cheer her up. "Why it's your birthday for goodness sake! You're going to get all kinds of presents and gifts."
"That doesn't really seem all that much," Diana, said sorrowfully. "What I really want is to see my mother again."
Cassandra sighed and sat down on the bed. She knew Diana's mother had died but didn't have the heart to tell her. Three years after Diana had been brought to the castle her mother had been killed in an accident on the farm. But whenever she felt the urge to tell Diana, she had decided not to dampen her spirits further. They never kept secrets from each other but she could not tell her no matter how hard she tried. Maybe it was best to wait for the right moment to say it. Cassandra decided that's what was right and stood up.
"Well we should be going down to the party shouldn't we?" said Cassandra cheerfully. "Lets go before all the cake is gone!"
"Alright," Diana replied halfheartedly. "Lets go."
Cassandra walked out of the room with Diana sulkily following behind. They traveled through many halls before coming to the center chamber where the thrones were placed. There were countless guests and the room was a buzz with noise. Diana was greeted by many of the guests and wished a happy birthday. She nodded respectively but didn't actually say anything. They walked towards the throne and the king smiled at their arrival.
"You both look beautiful in those dresses!" the king complimented. "Now have a seat so we can begin the feast!"
Diana and Cassandra took their seats beside each other on the left of the queen. The king tapped his glass, which symbolized for the people to get to their chairs and be silent. Everyone sat down at one of the large tables that were placed around the room.
"Today is Diana's fifteenth birthday!" The king announced and the crowd roared 'Happy birthday!' "Everyone eat your fill then we will have the cake!"
The crowd roared again and began eating their food. Diana didn't feel much like eating but managed to swallow a few bites before pushing her plate away. She watched everyone else eat but secretly was trying to scout out anyone who looked suspicious. Most of the faces looked familiar and some she had never seen before. But then she glanced at a person sitting in the very corner to see that she was staring back. A chill ran up Diana's spine and she looked away. Who was that girl? She looked back in the girl's direction only to find that she had gone. Her eyes widened with shock at the sudden disappearance. That was suspicious if anything. Just then her father tapped his glass to end the meal.
"Now it is time for the cake!" He announced, "Bring it in!"
It took three servants to hold up the massive cake. Diana had never seen one so big before. She stared at it with her eyes sparkling when one of the servants caught her eye. It was the girl that had been staring at her! Diana smiled but secretly held her suspicions. They set the cake in front of her and Diana smiled and nodded. She had to tell Cassandra not to eat the cake. She feared it might be poisoned. But how would she do it without arousing suspicion? How could she tell her father that she feared the cake was poisoned? Her father handed her a knife and she cut herself a small piece. Then she cut a piece for each of the members in her family. She had gone over this so many times she couldn't help but remember what size everyone wanted. Father wanted a big piece and mother wanted a small piece and Cassandra wanted a medium piece. Diana felt like she was dishing out poison to her family. The servants took the cake down to the rest of the people in the room to eat up themselves. There was only one problem; she had to eat some of the cake before her family could eat theirs. Diana looked down at her plate and cut a piece of the cake with her fork. She carefully lifted it to her mouth and pretended to eat it. That was good enough for her family. They began to eat the cake and soon were finished. Diana slipped hers behind the throne when no one was looking. She hoped desperately that it wasn't poison and thought that maybe she was overreacting. But no sooner had she hoped that everyone in the room started to look kind of funny. She gulped in fear. They suddenly were completely still. Diana looked around the room in fright. What was going on? Only five people in the room moved. They wore strange white outfits that covered all of their body except for their eyes. They quickly ran towards the throne and to Diana.
"Ah I see you did not eat the cake," the leader said smirking. "You are wise. But that will not help you now."
"And why not?" Diana asked standing up. "I would be helpless had I eaten it. Your spell did not help you capture me."
"On the contrary," he said a grin on his face. "You are helpless against us had you eaten the cake or not!"
"I beg to differ," Diana said pulling a sword out of her hilt that she had hidden under her dress. "I am an excellent swordsman."
They merely laughed coldly at her.
"You think you can defeat us princess?" asked the leader. "I should think not!"
Two of them ran forwards. The first one knocked the sword out of her hand and the second attempted to grab her from behind. Diana jumped and landed on her throne balancing dangerously on the edge. One of the two ran forwards and Diana leaned backwards sending the front of the chair straight into his face. It hit his head with immense force and the other one came running towards her. She quickly ran up the wall and landed behind him. She kicked him in the head right between the shoulders and sent him sprawling into the wall. She then turned around and made a run for the leader. He smiled at her.
"Tael nÇr anlÇ r rÇ!" he said his voice echoing around the room.
Diana suddenly stopped and couldn't move her feet. She desperately tried to walk but her feet would not allow her to move. They sniggered and the two she had beaten stood up walking back over to the leader.
"I see you have been trained," the leader said grinning. "Obviously not well enough."
"What do you want with me!" she yelled angrily.
"You posses a power far greater than anything my master has ever known," he said his eyes burning yellow. "It burns within you and yet it isn't even at full power. He wishes to harness it and use it to rule this world."
"How would he harness it if it's inside me?" she asked bewildered.
"Simply by making the power his," he said smiling viciously. "You cannot always control the power you posses. That is when I will strike. You will be helpless and weak. When you are least expecting it, we will come."
Diana was speechless. There was a power inside her? What made her so different from everyone else? She dreaded the day when she could not control it so much that he would be able to get her. She had to think quickly to get out of this.
"Don't spells wear off?" asked Diana trying to sound calm.
"Don't play games with me," answered the leader.
"When does this one?" she asked smirking.
The leader growled.
"She's right," he said. "This spell will wear off in a matter of minutes. That is not enough time to take her with us. Well Diana it seems I underestimated you. That is not a mistake I will make again. Remember this is not the last time you will see me, just the first."
With that they disappeared and Diana was once again sitting at her throne. She looked around in amazement. It was like nothing had happened. No one was disturbed or had even looked up. She sighed. At least she had avoided danger this time. But her luck would not keep her away from their clutches. She had to harness this so called power inside of her so that it would not take her by surprise. But what power did she have? And how did she get it? Nothing came to mind. Maybe she would find out some other time but for now she had to find out what exactly this power was. After they had finished the cake Diana was given her presents. There were so many that she thought it would take her the whole night to open them all. What she really wanted to do at the moment was tell Cassandra what had happened. She piled her presents in a corner and the servants began to carry them to her bedroom where she would open them later. Musicians began to play and people began dancing. Her mother and father got off their thrones and went to dance themselves. This was her chance! Diana ran over to Cassandra.
"I have something to tell you!" she whispered into Cassandra's ear. "Hurry and come to the bedroom."
"Alright," Cassandra replied excited.
They both ran stealthily through the corridors and into their bedroom. All the presents had been piled beside Diana's bed and they were overflowing onto her dresser. She quickly sat down on her bed and Cassandra sat down facing Diana on her own bed.
"What is it?" asked Cassandra.
"You'll never believe this!" Diana said.
She told Cassandra what had happened in extreme detail making sure not to leave anything out just in case Cassandra should come up with something. She nodded every few seconds and gasped a few times. Diana finished and Cassandra was left wide-eyed.
"So they are after you?" she asked afraid. "I thought those dreams had meant nothing!"
"I thought they did too but after that man with black eyes and those strange people I don't know anything anymore!" Diana said sighing.
"Well let's not dwell on it tonight," Cassandra said. "After all it is your birthday and look at all the presents you have! Maybe there will be something actually useful!"
"Maybe," Diana answered wondering, "let's open them!"
The man who Diana had encountered immediately left and had not been seen. Months passed by and nothing arose. The days dragged on and the castle was in fear of the new threat. Diana and Cassandra were guarded every day and forced to stay within the castle walls. This did not go well with either of them. Being confined to the castle made everything seem dreary and dull. Nothing exciting happened until the day of Diana's birthday. It was January the eighteenth but no snow fell from the sky. There was never any snow of course but much rain. It began to pour and even the servants could not continue their usual chores in the rain. Diana was getting dressed for her birthday. She wore a green silk gown and a tiara on her head. Cassandra wore a pink and white silk gown and also wore a tiara. Their cloth slippers were elegant and their hair was done up with a ribbon. They looked like princesses to the very last detail of their skin.
"What do you suppose father has bought me?" asked Diana walking about the room. "Oh how I wish he would buy me a nice sword."
"'Princess's do not carry swords'," Cassandra said puffing up her chest and deepening her voice like the king's. "'And furthermore I do not like the idea of you learning magic! A sorcerer in the royal blood line it is unheard of!'"
"You sound just like him," Diana sighed sitting down. "I wish he would just let me learn magic. I am supposed to be a mage."
"I'm sure he will, he just needs some time," Cassandra responded hopefully.
"Well I'm not so sure," Diana answered. "But all I can do is hope."
"There's no time for being gloomy about it!" Cassandra said trying to cheer her up. "Why it's your birthday for goodness sake! You're going to get all kinds of presents and gifts."
"That doesn't really seem all that much," Diana, said sorrowfully. "What I really want is to see my mother again."
Cassandra sighed and sat down on the bed. She knew Diana's mother had died but didn't have the heart to tell her. Three years after Diana had been brought to the castle her mother had been killed in an accident on the farm. But whenever she felt the urge to tell Diana, she had decided not to dampen her spirits further. They never kept secrets from each other but she could not tell her no matter how hard she tried. Maybe it was best to wait for the right moment to say it. Cassandra decided that's what was right and stood up.
"Well we should be going down to the party shouldn't we?" said Cassandra cheerfully. "Lets go before all the cake is gone!"
"Alright," Diana replied halfheartedly. "Lets go."
Cassandra walked out of the room with Diana sulkily following behind. They traveled through many halls before coming to the center chamber where the thrones were placed. There were countless guests and the room was a buzz with noise. Diana was greeted by many of the guests and wished a happy birthday. She nodded respectively but didn't actually say anything. They walked towards the throne and the king smiled at their arrival.
"You both look beautiful in those dresses!" the king complimented. "Now have a seat so we can begin the feast!"
Diana and Cassandra took their seats beside each other on the left of the queen. The king tapped his glass, which symbolized for the people to get to their chairs and be silent. Everyone sat down at one of the large tables that were placed around the room.
"Today is Diana's fifteenth birthday!" The king announced and the crowd roared 'Happy birthday!' "Everyone eat your fill then we will have the cake!"
The crowd roared again and began eating their food. Diana didn't feel much like eating but managed to swallow a few bites before pushing her plate away. She watched everyone else eat but secretly was trying to scout out anyone who looked suspicious. Most of the faces looked familiar and some she had never seen before. But then she glanced at a person sitting in the very corner to see that she was staring back. A chill ran up Diana's spine and she looked away. Who was that girl? She looked back in the girl's direction only to find that she had gone. Her eyes widened with shock at the sudden disappearance. That was suspicious if anything. Just then her father tapped his glass to end the meal.
"Now it is time for the cake!" He announced, "Bring it in!"
It took three servants to hold up the massive cake. Diana had never seen one so big before. She stared at it with her eyes sparkling when one of the servants caught her eye. It was the girl that had been staring at her! Diana smiled but secretly held her suspicions. They set the cake in front of her and Diana smiled and nodded. She had to tell Cassandra not to eat the cake. She feared it might be poisoned. But how would she do it without arousing suspicion? How could she tell her father that she feared the cake was poisoned? Her father handed her a knife and she cut herself a small piece. Then she cut a piece for each of the members in her family. She had gone over this so many times she couldn't help but remember what size everyone wanted. Father wanted a big piece and mother wanted a small piece and Cassandra wanted a medium piece. Diana felt like she was dishing out poison to her family. The servants took the cake down to the rest of the people in the room to eat up themselves. There was only one problem; she had to eat some of the cake before her family could eat theirs. Diana looked down at her plate and cut a piece of the cake with her fork. She carefully lifted it to her mouth and pretended to eat it. That was good enough for her family. They began to eat the cake and soon were finished. Diana slipped hers behind the throne when no one was looking. She hoped desperately that it wasn't poison and thought that maybe she was overreacting. But no sooner had she hoped that everyone in the room started to look kind of funny. She gulped in fear. They suddenly were completely still. Diana looked around the room in fright. What was going on? Only five people in the room moved. They wore strange white outfits that covered all of their body except for their eyes. They quickly ran towards the throne and to Diana.
"Ah I see you did not eat the cake," the leader said smirking. "You are wise. But that will not help you now."
"And why not?" Diana asked standing up. "I would be helpless had I eaten it. Your spell did not help you capture me."
"On the contrary," he said a grin on his face. "You are helpless against us had you eaten the cake or not!"
"I beg to differ," Diana said pulling a sword out of her hilt that she had hidden under her dress. "I am an excellent swordsman."
They merely laughed coldly at her.
"You think you can defeat us princess?" asked the leader. "I should think not!"
Two of them ran forwards. The first one knocked the sword out of her hand and the second attempted to grab her from behind. Diana jumped and landed on her throne balancing dangerously on the edge. One of the two ran forwards and Diana leaned backwards sending the front of the chair straight into his face. It hit his head with immense force and the other one came running towards her. She quickly ran up the wall and landed behind him. She kicked him in the head right between the shoulders and sent him sprawling into the wall. She then turned around and made a run for the leader. He smiled at her.
"Tael nÇr anlÇ r rÇ!" he said his voice echoing around the room.
Diana suddenly stopped and couldn't move her feet. She desperately tried to walk but her feet would not allow her to move. They sniggered and the two she had beaten stood up walking back over to the leader.
"I see you have been trained," the leader said grinning. "Obviously not well enough."
"What do you want with me!" she yelled angrily.
"You posses a power far greater than anything my master has ever known," he said his eyes burning yellow. "It burns within you and yet it isn't even at full power. He wishes to harness it and use it to rule this world."
"How would he harness it if it's inside me?" she asked bewildered.
"Simply by making the power his," he said smiling viciously. "You cannot always control the power you posses. That is when I will strike. You will be helpless and weak. When you are least expecting it, we will come."
Diana was speechless. There was a power inside her? What made her so different from everyone else? She dreaded the day when she could not control it so much that he would be able to get her. She had to think quickly to get out of this.
"Don't spells wear off?" asked Diana trying to sound calm.
"Don't play games with me," answered the leader.
"When does this one?" she asked smirking.
The leader growled.
"She's right," he said. "This spell will wear off in a matter of minutes. That is not enough time to take her with us. Well Diana it seems I underestimated you. That is not a mistake I will make again. Remember this is not the last time you will see me, just the first."
With that they disappeared and Diana was once again sitting at her throne. She looked around in amazement. It was like nothing had happened. No one was disturbed or had even looked up. She sighed. At least she had avoided danger this time. But her luck would not keep her away from their clutches. She had to harness this so called power inside of her so that it would not take her by surprise. But what power did she have? And how did she get it? Nothing came to mind. Maybe she would find out some other time but for now she had to find out what exactly this power was. After they had finished the cake Diana was given her presents. There were so many that she thought it would take her the whole night to open them all. What she really wanted to do at the moment was tell Cassandra what had happened. She piled her presents in a corner and the servants began to carry them to her bedroom where she would open them later. Musicians began to play and people began dancing. Her mother and father got off their thrones and went to dance themselves. This was her chance! Diana ran over to Cassandra.
"I have something to tell you!" she whispered into Cassandra's ear. "Hurry and come to the bedroom."
"Alright," Cassandra replied excited.
They both ran stealthily through the corridors and into their bedroom. All the presents had been piled beside Diana's bed and they were overflowing onto her dresser. She quickly sat down on her bed and Cassandra sat down facing Diana on her own bed.
"What is it?" asked Cassandra.
"You'll never believe this!" Diana said.
She told Cassandra what had happened in extreme detail making sure not to leave anything out just in case Cassandra should come up with something. She nodded every few seconds and gasped a few times. Diana finished and Cassandra was left wide-eyed.
"So they are after you?" she asked afraid. "I thought those dreams had meant nothing!"
"I thought they did too but after that man with black eyes and those strange people I don't know anything anymore!" Diana said sighing.
"Well let's not dwell on it tonight," Cassandra said. "After all it is your birthday and look at all the presents you have! Maybe there will be something actually useful!"
"Maybe," Diana answered wondering, "let's open them!"
