"Do not fear failure
But rather fear not trying."
I didn't know which was worse, wondering what the voice meant or wondering why I bothered to care.
I had been among the girls to be congratulated of being promoted to the next part. I had watched with guilt and happiness as some of the girls disappeared over the fact that I could have been among them.
Looking at it though, telling us to draw the royal families distress call wasn't exactly a question.
Kemi and Johnson and everyone else who ever saw my drawing was probably wondering how I got promoted despite being bad at drawing even a fish.
We were currently in the next trial, I wasn't proud about how I got in and neither was I guilt about it.
I wondered what this trial will entail.
"Welcome, to the second trial of level two, please close your eyes contestants." I closed my eyes.
"You are to find a hidden key with your eyes closed using the power of your remaining senses, this key will take you to the next trial.
"Please do not attempt to open your eyes."
Oh great, another dumb fucking trial.
★★★
Seven hundred and eighteen years ago
Tara
If I could say. 'Let me through' so easily that I went through the barrier. Why couldn't I just say 'Get me down'.
But of course Luca read my mind. I think, cause I immediately heard his voice.
"There are rules. Tara. If you don't follow them you might end up dying."
Oh really, was that supposed to scare me?.
"You can't give a command to get down. You'll have to get down the way I told you to. Secondly. No short cuts. You must land on every pole at a time with your two legs."
"Is that all."
"Yeah." he answered then resumed sipping his juice.
He was crazy, he was really crazy. I don't even know what to do and he was already giving out rules.
I looked at the poles one by one. If only I had an idea how to get to the next one.
If only the violin could conjure up an ice slide.
"You can." I heard a voice in my mind.
"Yeah right, ike I could"
"You can, just stretch your hands."
Okay I wasn't the one replying myself and I was very sure someone was talking and it definitely wasn't Luca.
"Yeah, I'm the one talking." the voice said. This time I looked down at the Violin and noticed it was glowing.
"You noticed me at last." it said again and this time I shrieked screaming out loud. Which caused Luca to leave whatever he was doing to come see me.
"What's the problem now." he asked tiredly.
"It talked." I pointed at the violin which still managed to remain in my hands despite the fact that I tried to throw it away.
"It has a name." the violin snapped.
"It talked again." I shouted at Luca.
"It has power Tara, why is it surprising that it talked?"
"Well excuse me for being scared but I've never heard of a talking instrument."
"I am no ordinary instrument, I was carved from the tears of Chantara. The first Goddess of moonlight".
"Yeah, yeah Janus and don't even think of helping her"
The violin glowed brighter. "You've not changed a bit Luca."
"So... it knows you." I asked Luca.
"Yeah, he and I go way back. Right Luca? And I have a name stop calling me it."
"And oh my God Luca, you're using your powers."
"Infront of a mortal." it just noticed that Luca was floating. "And she's not even burning up and that can only be possible if, oh the gods." It gasped again. "She's your betrothed." it laughed. "I never thought I'd see this day. The Lord Luca finally found his betrothed who turns out to be my keeper." it hummed.
"Why do you enjoy poking into other peoples business." Luca said.
"I can't help it. It's my thing." the violin hummed. I looked at the violin then back at Luca.
"Anyways, just continue with the training."
"Oh no you don't." I grabbed on to his cloth. He was wearing only the inner garment of his normal warlock cloth. Or was it Vikings?. Anyways. I grabbed on to his shirt before he could fly away.
"What's the meaning of this? let me go."
"Get me down." I replied.
"Let me go."
"Get me down."
"Seriously Tara let go, I don't want to hurt you."
"Seriously Luca, get me down."
"Oh oh, someone's gonna piss of big daddy tonight. I'd let go of I were you." the violin hummed.
"Shut up." I snapped at it.
"Tara let go!" This time Luca's voice changed dangerously low and much more scarier but I wasn't hearing any of it.
"Get me down from here."
"I'd really really listen if I were you." the violin hummed adding a warning to his voice.
Luca suddenly grabbed my hand pulling it away from his and in the process, because I was holding onto his shirt so tightly the shirt came off with my hand. I gasped. I ripped his shirt. And then I gasped again. This time it felt like more than a hundred voices gasped with me. I looked down from the pole, only to see my friends, my enemies and almost half of the Kingdom standing and gawking at us. But they all seemed transfixed to someone else but me. And that was when I looked up clearly.
LUCA! His body. He had tattoos all over his body but instead of the normal black colour. It was golden. And it was glowing. How was he able to hide this much light under a shirt. And when I looked up to his face I flinched. A handsome devil was staring at me. Not Luca.
His normal forest green eyes had turned Silver, His blonde hair with silver streaks glowed. But the silver stood out more.
I felt fear. But still managed to remain standing.
Luca wasn't saying anything which made it more terrifying.
The people were still staring and I felt so, so mad at myself. If only I had let him go when he told me to.
"What have you done?" the violin hummed. "You have to help him."
"How, he's not even moving or saying anything." I cried out.
"It's an inner battle. He's fighting with himself. He's trying to control his self. And you must help him. You caused it and you have to fix it."
If I was clearly in my right senses my reply would have definitely be. What, me. No way. But I answered.
"How can I help him."
"You woul have to be." the violin took a deep breath. Which I clearly heard him do. "Intimate with him." it finished. This time I answered normally.
"There's no way I'm doing that."
"Oh dear. If he looses the battle. You'll have to go down with him."it hummed.
I didn't even know what caused this. How can ripping someone's shirt off cause him to loose control. And I'm not going down with anyone.
And I'm definitely not getting intimate with anyone.