Chapter Eighty-Three: The Tower Above The Clouds

-Ashina –

The first thing I noticed when I awoke was that I was in a tower with no doors or vents, only a window. As if I were in a fairytale, my prince would call out to me, asking me to let down my hair so he could climb up it to save me.

In search of a way out, I felt dismayed at the lack of options available, except for the window in front of me. As I looked out, I noticed this tower was high above the clouds. The first question I asked myself was it duck hunting season? I swear I saw birds flying in a V formation.

My thoughts were interrupted by an angelic voice, but I could feel the evil aura radiating from her. There was nothing angelic about the person who was speaking in front of me.

My abductor was a tall, blonde woman with soft curls, dressed like a woman from the days of ballrooms and fancy dresses. Despite her large and beautiful eyes, you could see the blackness of her soul through them. It would have been understandable if she had been the siren that led so many sailors to their deaths at sea.

"Princess, we all thought that you had passed away a very long time ago, but we were very wrong. As you stand here, you look like a replica of your mother. Sadly, we cannot keep you alive, as you will inherit your mother’s powers, and Malcolm cannot mate with you because he is your uncle. In contrast, he can mate with your mother and inherit half of her powers. Please don't worry, we won't kill you right away, you are like a fly strip that draws its prey like a bear to honey. All of your parents will come to your rescue, including your mother, mate, and father. Our next step will be to kill off all parties that we no longer need or want. Once you three have died, your mother will regain all of the power she has shared with you. Once she mates with Malcolm, she can share the powers with him."

It was as if I had fallen into the depths of the ocean, my heart sinking like a treasure chest. Does this really seem possible? What is the possibility of such a cruel man sharing DNA with me? It is obvious that horror must have adorned my face at the time. My eyes were filled with uncontrollable tears. I kept repeating my thoughts in my head how I didn’t understand how this monster could share DNA with me.

In spite of the pain my heart may endure, I stammer, trying to find my words. Truth can sometimes be like ripping off a band-aid, it may initially hurt, but eventually the pain subsides, and the pain disappears.

“Princess, you look perplexed.” I knew this witch was curious at what had me perplexed, and truthfully I was fearful of the answer she would give.

“Your evilness how exactly am I related to Malcolm. Humor me like I have no clue.” I asked with as much calmness as I could pretend.

“Is that why you are upset princess? Not that you are going to die. Simply put, he is your great uncle. Malcolm is your dad’s uncle.”

As the evil witch continued to sigh, I never bothered to ask her name. Is it really necessary for me to know the name of my would-be executioner? As far as I'm concerned, I'll just refer to her as an evil witch.

“Princess, I'm not sure why I'm telling you this, but your mother, father, and great uncle were all great friends and went to the same school together. Their rivalry for her affections intensified when they became teenagers. Whenever Amira (your mother) fell in love, it was only with her mate. Eventually, that mate became your father. There was no longer any friendship between the boys. In spite of the fact that they were the same age, Malcolm was your father's uncle. Malcom's heart was broken, and he was upset that his nephew would now be king. This never sat well with Malcolm; therefore, it was his goal to conquer Amira and end his nephew."

Well, I now had my answer, the band-aid is now ripped off, and I am awaiting for my pain to go away. I had to kill my uncle, that should not bother me, but it does. I ask myself, do I have hidden evil in me that I had no clue about?

“Princess, I am older than the very castle you walk in now. I have seen many tragedies in my long life, this will pass, and you and your family’s deaths will just be in the past like a fairy tale to some, a Greek tragedy to others.”

I had decided I had enough of the wicked witches talking so, I stuck my head out the window hoping I could get some kind of reception for my earpiece, I needed to get out of here, and I needed to have Dean keep my parents and mate away from here. Funny she thought I was going to try to commit suicide. I just ignored her, to my delight I heard Dean calling out to me.

I was so excited to hear Deans voice, never had I ever loved a voice so much. I had to pretend to be talking to wicked witch and still let Dean know that I was actually talking to him.

Keeping my head outside the window, I start talking. “Well Ms. Wicked Witch what keeps me being rescued from my other warriors in this tower above the clouds? Maybe I could jump from this window and a dragon could save me? Have you thought of that?”

“Really princess, the dragons are all at the city center not at the back of the castle.”

“So, I would fall to my death because I wasn’t smart enough to put dragons at the back of the castle to save me?”

"Remember princess, you made the statement that you are not intelligent. The responsibility lies with you. I won't allow you to commit suicide either. After all, we need you as bait."

"Hmmmm .. Then I'm only considered bait to get my mother to save me. After that, I, my father, and my mate will all be dead.”

“Wicked witch, can I ask another question?”

"What is it you would like to know? Honestly, I didn't think helping Malcolm would mean babysitting such a chatty, annoying princess. It's the last favor I'm going to do for him."

"I was wondering if you were friends with Margaret, the Eastern witch queen. Her age and wisdom are quite impressive, you know. You'll be killed by her once she finds you. "I heard she was the most powerful witch who ever lived." I knew this would get her talking endlessly.

Dean was at first confused, until he finally understood that I was sending him coded messages because of my situation.

“Princess, I thought you were going mad at first. You are right, I will keep your parents and your mate away from that tower, and I will send Margaret and Cadma to save you. Princess, don't worry, we're coming to save you."

"Princess Jump out of the window now Cadma is hiding below!"