"Look out!" Sapphire screamed as she pushed me to the right. I fell forward onto the stone. I heard Sapphire screaming. I quickly got up and didn't see her, but I continued to hear her voice. I then looked over the edge of the stone balcony and I saw her. She was fighting with someone on top of her and both of them were in one of the fountains. I quickly ran down the stone stairs and heard a woman's voice...but it wasn't Sapphire's.

"His highness doesn't deserve a monstrous creature like you!" When I heard that, I couldn't believe it. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I ran over to the fountain and pulled the person off of Sapphire. She was holding a long hunting knife in her left hand.

"Thanks Sagittarius." Sapphire said as she got out of the fountain.

"Yes, your majesty." I heard the woman speak, "Thank you for saving me from her."

"Shut it, Lucinda!" Sapphire screamed at the woman. I've heard that name before...Lucinda was the name of one of Sapphire's cousins. The one who treated Sapphire like dirt. "You're the one holding the knife!"

"That was in your hands!" Lucinda yelled back, but I already knew that Sapphire was telling the truth. She didn't need knives when she had her needle limbs.

"Sapphire! Lucinda!" I heard yell out. I looked up and saw another woman. She was running down the stone steps with her blond hair flying into her face. I could see the look on her face when she saw me holding Lucinda.

"Stephanie!" Lucinda yelled out. "Go after Sapphire! She has to be killed!" I remembered that Stephanie was the cousin that was nice to Sapphire and treated her like family.

"You've caused enough damage!" Stephanie shouted at her sister. She then walked over next to Sapphire. "Sapphire is our family! You've been denying that ever since she came into our home! You and mother. Sapphire doesn't have any other family but us!"

"Not anymore, you traitor!" Lucinda screamed. I then felt this pain in my stomach, probably from Lucinda unleashed some of her rage on me. She either kicked or kneed me, whatever it was, it had hurt so much that I released Lucinda. I saw her go after Stephanie. I tried to get up, but I was slow from the kick. Lucinda raised the knife, but...to my horror...Sapphire pushed Stephanie out of the way. The knife came down...and...stabbed straight into Sapphire's chest. Lucinda released the knife and pushed Sapphire towards the fountain. The knife remained in her chest as she fell to the ground.

I couldn't believe what I saw. I thought I was going to lose Sapphire, but she came back. I almost died and I came back because of her love. Now...she's gone again, only this time...she wasn't coming back. Lucinda turned back at me...smiled and...said:

"Now his highness won't have a monster for a wife!" She continued to smile at me, but my focus was at Sapphire.

"You lousy excuse of a sister!" I heard Stephanie say. I saw her grab her sister by the shoulders, threw her against the stone wall and punched her. She hit her hard enough where she passed out. I quickly ran over to Sapphire. I knew that she wasn't going to live. That knife is on the left side of her chest...right where the heart is. She opened her eyes and looked at me...she knew that she was dying.

"Sagittarius..." she said...before coughing up blood. I wanted to remove the knife from her chest, but I knew better. Once that knife is removed, her heart would make blood spurt out with every beat.

"Don't push yourself, Sapphire." Stephanie said crying. "Why did you push me? Lucinda was after me."

"You...bailed me out with Aunt Olivia when I first...came." Sapphire said, "It was...my turn now." I could see that her eyes were getting ready to roll back. "Stephanie...let me spend...my few seconds left...with Sagittarius." I looked at Stephanie; she was nodded her head and left...with Lucinda dragging behind her by the neck collar.

"Sapphire..." I managed to say, but I couldn't ignore the facts. Sapphire is going to die...and I'll lose the woman I loved so much. The woman...who gave me a chance of love...and punched the Werewolf.

"Please...don't be sad, Sagittarius." She said, "I'm...always here." Her eyes rolled back...and closed. My tears fell on her beautiful face as I punched the ground. I couldn't believe that she was gone again...this time...it was permanent. I held Sapphire's body close to me...I didn't want to let go. Letting go of her...would admitting that she was gone...and I wasn't ready for that. I cried into her shoulder...I wasn't ready to accept that Sapphire...my beautiful lovely gem...was gone.

I was beginning to feel the wind pick up, but I didn't remove my face off of Sapphire's shoulder. I then felt the wind become more harder and harsher. I felt some kind of light shining on the right side of my head. I finally opened my eyes and looked at the source of the light. I was so shocked and surprised that I dropped Sapphire's limp body. Her arms and legs were completely glowing white! Her black markings too!

I saw a beam of white light come out of her chest. It then grabbed the knife in Sapphire's chest and removed it. The knife had disappeared and the white light went into the injury. Her limbs and markings continued to glow white until they slowly faded away. To my surprise...her limbs became...human limbs! She had human hands, arms, legs and feet. Her black markings also had vanished, leaving pale white skin on her face. I would've stayed staring at her...until I saw her fingers move. I looked back at her face and saw her eyes flicker open. Before her eyes opened, or remained closed, I put my ear near her chest.

I wasn't imagining it: her heart was beating again. I quickly removed myself from her chest...just in time to see her eyes completely open. She blinked a few times as she groaned. I could only guess what I imagined what was going through her head...but nothing could express the happiness I was feeling in my heart. Sapphire groaned again before she spoke.

"Is this heaven?" She asked; I didn't blame her for thinking that. I was at a lost for words. All I could do was smile and, picked her up off the ground and hugged her close to me. I couldn't believe it. It was true I managed to come back after my spell broke, I just couldn't believe the same thing would happen to Sapphire. We were both so damn lucky! "Sagittarius? If that's you, let go! You're crushing me!" I got carried away as I snapped my eyes back open. I quickly released her before she passed out.

"Forgive me, Sapphire." I said, trying catch my own breath. I couldn't stop staring at her. "I believe...you're free."

"Free from what?" She asked, but before I answered her, she looked at her hands. I could tell that her face was full of shock. Before I could predict it, Sapphire pushed me out of the way and went to the fountain. I just watched her looking at her reflection in the water. I don't think she moved for ten long minutes...possibly longer, but I don't want to brag. When her hands released the edge of the fountain, she grabbed her dress and lifted it up. She noticed that her legs and feet were no longer made of needles. "Someone pinch me." She said...and I did. "Ow! I wasn't serious!" She yelled at me...but I didn't care. I was just happy to have her standing and yelling at me...just knowing that she was alive.

"As I said...I think you're free from your curse."

"I believe...you're right." She said, still staring at her hands.

"I wonder how though." I said, "You said that no one in your family knew how to break it."

"I did, but...when I passed out...I kept on hearing a voice."

"A voice?" I asked.

"Yes, it sounded...so much like...my mother's voice, but whoever it was...I kept on hearing the same thing over and over until I woke up."

"What did the voice say?" I asked her; she then finally looked straight at my eyes.

"'Sacrifice your life for someone you love...and you'll be free.'" Sapphire answered, "It must've been...when I pushed Stephanie out of Lucinda's path."

"You weren't going to let Stephanie die because she wouldn't do what her sister said." I realized. "You sacrificed your life for Stephanie...and that's why you're free."

"Hmm, Stephanie did a lot for me...so have you...I wasn't going to let Lucinda destroy it...even though it would mean my life ending."

"Speaking of Lucinda," I said, "I have to do something with her."

"Be my guest, Sagittarius." She said, "Get rid of my aunt while you're at it." Before I marched up the stairs with Sapphire, an idea came to my head. "Sagittarius, what is it?"

"Sapphire...how about we scare your cousin and aunt?" I suggested; a sneaky smile went across her face.

"What do you have planned, my dear Sagittarius?"

One last chapter after this.