A Whole New World Chapter 12
He remembered once finding an interesting quote in a book he snatched from the library to preoccupy himself during his short ten-minute break.
Pain was a reminder you were alive.
At the time he scoffed at the idea, remembering all the pain he went through during his life, including his miserable childhood, wishing some of it could be taken away.
And now…
"Urgh!" the pained groan ripped through his teeth as he felt the aches and throbs of his body being pushed to the highest levels of pain. He was being put under an extremely high form of healing, one meant not only to heal his body but regain his strength. However in order for the body o be whole again, it needed to be broken apart, resulting in the healer raising the levels of his pain so it could be fleshed out. He was given sips of wine to lull his senses and a leather strap to bite on to deal with the pain.
He made out the sounds of murmured chants as hands glided and ran over his body, almost as if he was a sculptor the healer was molding. But everything dulled by the explosion of red hitting him from all sides, from all angles, slamming into his body hundreds of times, searing him with their burring bites. Still, he embraced it, knowing it would be worth it at the end.
So he bit harder on the leather and waded through it. All whilst, in between medleys of pain and agony, flashes flooded into his mind.
Of Timmy and Musa sharing a private smile as he speeded towards the courtyard where the princess and her guest were waiting for tea.
Of the princess catching his note, her confused frown melting into a smile as she read it.
Of her eyes lighting up with such wonder and fascination as they explored the wonders of the magical realm.
Of how she kissed him so softly, saying she wanted to stay with him.
Then the flashes changed, becoming darker as the pain increased.
Citizens running for their lives as soldiers invaded their home, some being shoved onto ships, others hitting the ground with blood streaming from their fatal wounds like a crimson waterfall.
Musa and Timmy running towards them, badly injured, barely escaping from the invasion at the castle.
Timmy's head flying as hands entwined around his neck, cracking it.
O'Neil's sinister smile as he looked at him, pain exploding in his chest.
Flora screaming his name, Musa trying to get to him while they were being dragged away and he sank to the ground, blackness sweeping across his vision.
"Helia!"
"Flora." he croaked, biting onto the strap so hard, he was sure a tooth was breaking.
He tried focusing on her. Her long, flowing hair that was a unique color, a mix between light brown and dark blonde. Her soft, sun-kissed skin his fingers couldn't resist running their fingers across. Her soft, pink lips that was more delicious than the world's wine.
She was the only reason-the only thing-helping him trench through the pain. Keeping him from giving up and letting the blackness take him.
"Just a little longer," she said, directing the pain in different directions like she was composing an orchestra.
Just when he was sure that he was going to combust, that death was right beside him, able to take him away, a frost bite dropped at the center of his chest. It was a tiny, almost as big as a drop of rain but something that reeled him back. Then the coolness spread, stretching across his chest until the pain was reduced to a dull throb that was a distant memory, then moving across his body, cooling every limb and muscle, every nerve and cell, sweeping away the blistering heat.
"It is done."
After a minute, his body breaking out into goose bumps as a shiver shot across his spine, veins pulsing with newfound strength, he took in a slow breath. For once the action didn't cost him pain.
After another minute, he opened his eyes.
A pair of blue eyes smiled down at him, a shade of blue that was different from Musa's. Light as a sky to dark midnight. Strands of fiery red hair spilled over her shoulders, kissing his cheeks. A kind, patient smile lifted her lips that, with a pang shooting through his heart, reminded him of Flora.
"I'm Bloom." she said.
Bloom? Was she the one who rescued him? Who said-
"I've been by your side since you woke up."
He nodded his head in thanks. He then opened his mouth and took slow sips of the water she gave him. He could taste healing herbs in the mix.
Bloom moved over from the head of the bed over to his left side. "Can you stand for me?"
It was difficult to move his body after the intense pain. And being confided to bed-rest for only God knows for how long didn't help things either. He pushed through the discomfort of his stiff muscles, lifting himself into sitting position, swinging his legs over the bed. He placed his left foot on the marble ground, trying to familiarize himself with the pressure, and the other.
Taking another deep breath, he stood.
The beam on the girl's face made it all worthwhile.
He glanced around the room that had become his home for the short time. He saw where he had his bed-rest was on an actual bed, a large and soft poster bed with white silken curtains lying in the middle of a large, spacious room painted pale shades of blue and white. Across from the bed was a small waterfall pouring a steady stream into the endless pit.
"Where am I?" he asked.
The girl, Bloom, smiled at him. "I think I know someone who can better explain."
"You mean the other girl?" Woman? Spirit?
"My sister, Daphne."
Helia's mouth slightly dropped but he pulled it back up, keeping it closed as Bloom took his arm and led him out of the room, into the hallway.
The space was wide but plain, painted in simple colors of white and beige. There was a low hum of quiet chatter but they didn't come across a single person. Bloom didn't say. He didn't ask.
The hallway ended with a set of grand stairs descending downward to an underground level. Walking in silence, the pair soon found themselves standing in front of a black ivory door that took up the entire wall.
Bloom pressed her hand against the door, her skin glowing in orange light. The door opened slowly, as if it was being pulled by several people struggling with its weight. There was nothing but blackness. He couldn't see anything.
"Don't be afraid." He turned over. Bloom smiled at him gently. "I promise no harm will come to you."
He was bit hesitant. After everything he had been through, a part of him was wary of stepping into the unknown with nothing to protect him. Yet there was another part that reminded him if it wasn't for the girl, he would be dead. He had been at her mercy for so long. She could have easily harmed while he was unconsciousness but she didn't.
He decided to go with the latter, stepping into the unknown, continuing forward. He jumped slightly when the door shut behind him, casting him into darkness. He continued to walk.
At the end of the darkness, a bright light flickered, burning like a flame.
When Helia was still a few steps closer, he saw it wasn't a flame but a girl. A woman.
Radiance poured from her body, trembling in strong power, oozing in waves, making it almost impossible to look at her. The sleeves and hem of her dress, the curls of her pale blonde hair, all flowed and danced like a flickering flame. Her face was masked, but he knew from the glow of her amber eyes, the paleness of her skin, the sharp yet delicate touch of her face that she was a beauty. An incredible one. She was practically transparent, appearing whole one second, fading the next.
Seeing her mask, he knew this was his other savior.
"Hello Helia." She said.
He inclined his head in a greeting, dumbfounded.
"This is my sister, Daphne," Bloom was by his side in an instant.
Sister? He glanced back and forth between the two, seeing the strong resemblance. Both shared the same gentle smile, same sharp yet delicate face. But Daphne was an older version of Bloom, one whom looked as if she ruled most of her life, experiencing anguish but looking at life with optimism.
Wait a minute. Daphne. Bloom. The name rang in his head, vaguely familiar. Realization slammed against him. The last princesses of Sparx, believed to have perished along with the planet when the Ancestral Witches destroyed it.
Before he could ask a question, Bloom explained, "My sister and I would have been killed if a brave king armed with only a handful of soldiers hadn't come to our rescue. A brave king with a kind heart and a sharp mind that was sharp beyond his years."
It was the "wise" part that acted as a critical puzzle piece in figuring out the man's identity.
"King Edmund."
"Yes," Daphne answered with a slight nod. "Sparx and Linephea have always been allies. The king was a close friend of our father. When King Edmund heard of the attack, he didn't hesitate in trying to save us. "
Bloom took over. "In some ways he did and others he didn't. He took us away from our home, just in time, but it was already too late for my sister. In protecting me, Daphne was hit by a deadly curse that ate away her body and made her into a spirit bound to the living, unable to move on."
It explained the girl's appearance.
"King Edmund wanted to take us back to Linphea, but she urged him to take us here in our parents' secret hideaway. We swore our allegiance to the king and promised we would help me whenever danger was near."
"Sadly we came too late," For the first time since he met her, Daphne looked unsure. Sad. "I was gifted with the power of sight. The ability to see into the future. And one night I saw Linphea in ruins. Pain and death covering the peaceful land."
Bloom continued where her sister left off. "We immediately came there in a fruitless attempt to help. The planet was in ruins, the king dead," Her eyes cast down, filled with unshed tears. "And the princess captured."
"By O'Neil." Helia told them, anger boiling his blood. "He took her, along with my sister," Musa had always been more of a sibling than a friend "and most of the citizens."
Neither one looked the least bit surprised by the accusation. From the hardness in their eyes and the tightness of their jaws, he knew they were familiar with the name.
"I knew him." Daphne said after a tense minute. Bloom was too upset to say anything. "I have looked into his heart. Nothing but pure blackness in a hollow shell-"
"He's a monster!" Bloom snarled.
"What do you mean-"
Daphne cut him off, saying "He is the direct descendant of one of the Ancestral Witches."
"The same witch who was one of three that killed our parents!" Bloom exclaimed. "And destroyed our home."
Helia was stunned but not surprised. He'd seen and experienced the prince's cruelty firsthand. He knew there was nothing O'Neil wouldn't do to get what he wanted, even if it cost the lives of thousands.
"I sensed his dark magic when I came to the planet," Daphne said. "Seeping through the blood-soaked ground, hovering in the air. Yet in the midst, I sensed a light. A frail, stubborn light that refused to be extinguished. I followed it and found you." She looked at him. "You were barely hanging on by a thread yet you refused to let go."
She looked at him in amazement. Not that he could blame her. Even though he had some traces of magic in his blood-his mother was a witch, he remembered-he wasn't a full-blooded wizard. The wound was fatal. He should have been dead. But he wasn't.
"The power of determination and true love." Bloom's voice brought him back to the present. The girl's anger dimmed just a bit for a small, almost-knowing smile to surface.
True love. The angel. The princess. Flora.
"I have to save her." He told them. "I'm going to save her. But I need your help."
"Consider us allies." Bloom smirked.
"I must say a refreshing aroma has been coming from you lately."
Flora looked up from her plate of food over to the cool eyes of her soon-to-be husband who watched her closely. She shrugged. "Probably from the beautiful flower you've given me."
She said the right words. His lips curved into a satisfied smile. "Well you earned it. You finally accepted your fate and have been a lovely submissive."
Flora smiled with her lips tightly clamped.
She never forgot a lesson her nurse had told her after she bled for the first time. She told the young princess she was becoming a woman now, and as a woman she needed to learn certain things. One lesson she inserted: a woman let her husband believed that he was in charge.
She saw the woman's words weren't in vain. She decided to save her energy and allowed herself to be dragged around the castle like a doll, standing there and looking pretty while he handled all the wedding preparations. She no longer fussed when the guards escorted her to the dining hall for a meal set for two. She no longer flinched whenever O'Neil touched her, stroking her hand or arm, pressing against her and inhaling her hair. She even allowed him to kiss her, letting her mind flow away while her body was being groped.
And she saw that the lack of protest made the Prince lower his guard. He was no longer in suspect that his bride would pull anything and allowed her a bit of freedom, permitting her to explore the castle. He even started giving her gifts. She requested a special flower, and he didn't hesitate in sending bouquets of it in her room.
"Are you excited about tomorrow?" He asked. "My beautiful blushing bride."
Tomorrow. Their wedding.
"Isn't every girl for the big day?" She answered the question with one of her own.
Once again, she said the right words. The smile on the monster's face broadened, revealing his sharp teeth.
"Yes, she is," he said. "Just as every groom is excited about the wedding night. I do hope we manage to conceive an heir soon."
Her stomach curled in knots. Her lips lifted into a smile. "Hmm," she murmured, taking a sip of her wine.
An hour left later, dinner was done and the prince escorted her to her room. She opened the room and saw that in front of the bed were dozens of bouquets the special flower.
"Oh my." she murmured, stepping inside.
"I figured I award my pet for her behavior."
She sent him a smile over her shoulder before she crouched down and deeply inhaled. As soon as O'Neil had his back turned, she quickly ripped a petal from the flower and smeared it against her lips, glossing her lips with its poison juice.
She stood up just in time as O'Neil closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hard, deep kiss.
She stayed perfectly still and calm as he explored her tongue and kept her smile as he pulled away.
"I must that is a delicious aroma," he confessed. "What is the name of the flowers again?"
"Nectar Belladonna." She answered.
"Hmm," he said. "It's certainly pleasing. I like it."
"I only live to satfisy my king."
She was pulled into a kiss, thought this one was softer compared to the previous one. She was pleased to see the feel the slight shiver of his body as he pulled back.
"When they write the story of my greatness, my pet," he smiled. "They will say that it began at our wedding."
"It will be a day no one will forget."
He gave her one last smile and left her alone.
As soon as he was gone, her smile hardened to a smirk as she turned back to her venomous flowers that were the key in bringing down the mad king.
As you can see this is one damsel who refused to be in distress, taking matters into her hands. First off, I wanna thank you guys for sticking through with it even though I know it must have not been easy. I've been distracted with college, work, and other stories. Recently I got pulled onto the Harry Potter fandom and have been sailing the drarry ship since. However I'm not figuring this story. Only two more chapters left and I promise they will be good. Hopefully they won't take that long to do