Chapter 4 Verena

I had a nightmare again.

His eyes still. Blood on my face and his words echoing like an episode on repeat. Him cursing and looking me. My mind is drifting me apart. My heart is beating in my chest and I am feeling unable to breathe. It is like I have forgotten to breathe and when I look at my hands there it is, his heart. I look myself in the mirror chewing his muscles, blood dripping from my mouth.

I can feel it the taste of his blood.

I can smell the blood.

The world is spinning around me and with a loud bang I wake up.

The sun is up, birds chirping and singing songs of the Zaria the Elf princess. I look around myself in the room there is nothing, nothing to distract my mind. There is another knock on the door.

"I'm sleeping still." I screamed on the top of my lungs not wanting to see the prince or king. My nights have turned into living hell and my days are exhausting and I don't want my mornings to be ruined too.

There is another knock on the door more like a bang on the door.

"Coming.. Coming..." I grunt as I sit on the bed, still not feeling good to ruin my day or start it with bickering with someone. I reach the doorknob and open it.

I turn around and begin to dig inside my bed again.

"This is terrible." It is a girls voice, sweet and soft. I look towards the owner of the voice. The girl is standing in the middle of the room with her arms around her chest, examining the room and then her eyes rests on me. I shift at my place. "This is going to be tiring." She says swaying her arms around the room and then comes the servants.

"What are you waiting for? An invitation?" the girl snaps shooting me a disgusting look. "You need some grooming." She points towards me and the servants holds me, pushing me out of bed.

"Hey.." I protest but the girl looks again at me, making me stay calm. The girl is around my age and now that I am out of bed or out of my damn mind, I can see she is the beautiful creature I have laid my eyes on. Brunette long hair braided back to her pointed ears, round nose, siren green eyes, rosebud lips, tall and so feminine that I am head over heels for her beauty.

"She need a shower. And some beauty touch." The girl says again as she sits on the sofa. "Where did you used to live? You reek of dirt and look at yourself you look like you have been washed inside out with garbage." The girls says putting her hands to face with disgust.

I fight the urge to punch her but I know my eyes are still sending the message that I want to because the girl shifts at her place and looks at me, "Don't want to be rude but I am like this. My name is Deyanira, I'm royal tailor and his Majesty consort." She says this time her voice is calm and soft again.

One of the servant reach for my dress and begin to unbuckle the stripes of my dress. They push me in the tub and begin to scrub my body. "Can you at least tell me why are here or why I am getting ready?" I ask as the servants begin to shampoo my hair.

"You are meeting the High King of the spring court and he expects you to be clean and beautiful this time. After that you have a challenge if you remember it." Deyanira says but adds when I shoot her a confusing look, "Maêl tells me everything. And it's kind of funny to me how you get under his skin."

The mention of prince name is enough to boil my blood. I know I am overreacting but trust me he is the most annoying, selfish, arrogant and self-centered person I've ever met in my entire life. "I know he is annoying and all that but he is good." I snort as Deyanira tells me that prince Maêl is good.

She is right.

She is no other but an elf too and it is okay for her to see how Maêl hates and treats humans. They are all same. So it's no different for her and she might like it too, torturing humans and playing with them.

"Trust me. I don't hate humans and I treat them like I treat elves. So, don't get me like I am another version of Maêl but trust me he is good. I know sometimes he can be a pain in ass but he has a good heart and I hope you'll find that out soon." I am almost complete with my bath and dressed too.

I am wearing an off-shoulder yellow dress. The fabric shines with different shades of gold and cream, the sleeves are made of butterflies wings and the back have a big bow ribbon of silk. My hairs are loosely braided. I turn around face to face with Deyanira. She looks at me with awe and surprise.

She pats the sofa pointing me to sit next to her.

I obey her and sit next to her.

She sways her hands in a rhythm and out of thin air she blossoms a golden flower. It is nothing like I have seen in the spring land nor like the one from the human world. It is beautiful. I can't help but to awe in surprise. Deyanira smiles, seeing my reaction. She points towards my hair and I get what she wants. I obey her and lower my head.

I feel her soft touch.

Her skin is warm and soft.

After a few seconds I look up.

She is holding mirror in her hands and when I see myself in the mirror I cannot believe that I am looking this pretty. I am no longer a girl from a petty village, a poor girl who stay hungry for weeks and survive on water for days. I am no longer the skinny ugly girl but I am one of them.

One of elves.

The only difference is my ears.

Deyanira smiles, "You look beautiful." She says. "And I am rooting for you. You don't know how much I am waiting for you to kick Maêl ass." She laughs and gets up.

I look her for once last time before she leaves my room.

I have never thought after coming to spring that there might be a single person who will like me. I thought I would be no different from the people before me. Nothing more than a toy or a slave but Deyanira brought a ray of sunshine in me.

I can't name it.

Maybe I know what it is but I don't want to accept it.

It's hope.

It is like my whole life I have been thinking wrong.

And this is my chance to think through and live once again.

My chance to prove that I can be something more than just a mortal.

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TO BE CONTINUED........