"Are you listening?" Brianna snaps her fingers, bringing me out of the clouded daze I was in. I heard what she said, I'm just failing to process it. She sits at Father's desk, donning his crown, and her newly made royal garb. It looks better on her than I'd ever imagined it would look on me. It doesn't help that Grandmother is by her side with a conniving smirk.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Your new role will be that of a knight. Eventually, if you show enough promise, you'll take David's place on the Knight Squad."
It's finally just hit me in this moment. Brianna is Queen and my dream is over. Everything I thought I'd become, it's all down the drain. What made me think I could achieve it in the first place? I was foolish to have such blind faith in myself. Maybe everyone was right all along, I've wasted my time dreaming a dream that was never going to become a reality. And is this my life now? I'm supposed to fall in line with what Brianna has planned, a knight? To live my life serving our family however they please?
"You're forgetting I don't intend on going along with this whatsoever," Helen says.
"I'm not letting you out. You're not going to ruin my life any further," I reply with a thought.
Grandmother walks from around the desk and to my side, she gently places her hand on my shoulder. "This is good for you. It's time you became something….more."
"If you fail to become a knight, you'll become a soldier," Brianna continues. "If you fail to become a soldier…well. There's no use for you here and you're welcome to become a civilian. But no matter what you do, you will always be heavily watched and monitored at all times. You report to General Thomas now." She waves at the soldier standing behind us, he steps outside and calls Thomas in. A moment later, he enters the room with a sour face. Clearly not happy with these circumstances.
"I leave her in your hands, Thomas. Get her situated in her new role."
"Your highness, you understand this puts my team at a disadvantage. I'm down a member going into war, yet I'm tasked with training someone new. There isn't enough time. Especially considering it's Alyssa we're talking about."
"I'm sure you'll figure something out. I suggest you get started fast, I have other business to attend to."
"Consider yourself lucky," Grandmother says rubbing my shoulder with a gleeful smile. "You should be dead for what you've done, and what you are. Be grateful to your Queen." She's nudging me with her eyes to thank Brianna. I reluctantly do so and they send us on our way. Thomas walks me to his office in silence. Not even looking my way or acknowledging me. We reach his office and he takes a seat at his desk and gestures for me to take a seat across from him.
He pauses for a moment to gather himself, attempting to shake the bad mood he's in.
"Despite what the queen wants, I will spend my time today looking for a replacement member until we figure out if you're suitable. Tomorrow we'll start your training," He reaches for a sheet of paper on his desk and reads from it. "Your new schedule will be as follows, training will commence 5 A.M.-9 A.M. You'll be trained by whoever is available at the time. Sometimes that'll be me, sometimes Rose, or Lauriel. Another day, maybe a regular knight, or soldier. From 9 A.M.-noon, you'll study the art of battle, you will learn the ins and outs of every seal. You'll learn which seals counter which, how to counter certain abilities themselves, and how to prepare for the unknown. These will be grueling lessons, and you're expected to excel at each one."
Helen laughs to herself in my head, I try to block it out.
"From noon-5 P.M. will be your only break time during the day. You're free to return to your room, walk in the city, I don't care. You will be surveyed by our soldiers though. From 5 P.M.-9 P.M. you will train once again, am I clear?"
I'm in disbelief that I can't speak. What kind of life is this?
"While you're doing all of that, on top of preparing for war, Brianna and I now have to figure out how to get Helen out of your body, or if it's even possible to kill her. But don't be mistaken, you are responsible for her. You are to keep her chained and locked up inside your mind...body, whatever it may be. If you fail to do so, every soldier, every knight, to members of the Knight Squad have permission to execute you. Am I clear?" His face and tone are deadly serious.
I nod my head in silence as Helen continues to chuckle to herself. He dismisses me, telling the soldier that followed us to escort me back to my room. I get up from my chair and as the soldier holds the door open for me, I hear him whisper something under his breath, "fucking witch," he mutters. I turn to stare at him and he glares at me with eyes of hatred. I won't react, I won't react to any of it.
I do my best to ignore it and we continue walking, It doesn't take for us to reach my room where two soldiers are waiting outside the door alongside Lauriel.
"Hey kid, let's have a chat," she says.
The soldiers ask if she's sure, being alone with me and all. She ignores them and walks into my room, I follow and close the door behind us. The first thing I notice is the newly placed dampeners they've got in all corners of the room.
"A knight, huh?" She takes a seat on my bed, placing both hands behind her and stretching out to relax.
"Yeah, I guess so," I say under my breath. I'm trying to reserve my feelings, which I've been doing all day. I'm surprised I haven't shed a tear yet. Furthering my realization that I'm becoming numb to everything.
"I can't imagine General Thomas is thrilled…David was a good knight, and he's why I want to talk with you. They're executing him at the end of the week, 5:00, Friday. Solely based on him refusing orders and attacking you. As well as him being a traditional warlock. But we all know what happened, he was trying to stop Helen. Which got me wondering, why? How does he know about her? How does he know traditional magic? He had to tell you something."
"Why don't you just talk to him," I sigh.
"I can't." she shrugs. "Brianna won't let anyone see him, she's moved him from the basement as well. I don't know where they're keeping him."
"It's not my business to tell you his story, I'm not even sure he'd want me to."
"Listen, I'm twenty-nine years old, and I've fought alongside David since I was nineteen. For ten years, I built a friendship and bond with him. And to suddenly find out he's not whom he says he is….how do you think that looks? How could I be fooled by someone so close to me? It says a lot about my leadership."
"You're too hard on yourself, Lauriel. He fooled all of us, I consider him to be my best friend, someone I thought I knew as well, better than anyone else. I'm not going to tell you it isn't your fault anymore, stop chasing perfection."
"Look at you," she laughs. "You show a lot of wisdom for your age. But, I'm not chasing perfection. If I'm to replace Thomas as General, I need to improve myself. This mission was the strangest, gut-punching mission I've ever received. The first one I lead and everything blows up in my face. So, no, not perfection, I'm seeking to improve myself. You can relate, no?"
"I'm not so sure I can anymore, my dream is over with. But I wish you the best in yours." I try to smile, but all I can muster is a half-assed smirk.
"You don't seem to care much about David right now."
"What can I do to stop it? What can I do to stop any of this?"
"Hm, I suppose you're right. Maybe I will try to see David myself, get Thomas to pull some strings for me." She stands from my bed and walks over to the door. "For what it's worth, I think you're handling everything surprisingly well. Take your own advice, try not to be so hard on yourself."