She woke to the sound of knocking, someone was at the door. She stretched her tired arms and lifted herself off of the bed.
Approaching the door, she opened it to find Davon on the other side.
"I'm sorry if I woke you princess." He apologized.
"No apologies are necessary."
"I came to tell you that dinner will be held at sundown."
"Thank you." She said. "I look forward to meeting the King."
Davon looked down, "I fear that might not happen."
"Why?"
"The King hasn't been seen since yesterday." He said apprehensively. "It's normal for him to disappear into his chambers for a few days, not to be seen again but..."
"What is it?" Flora asked.
"He would always tell us not to disturb him in his time of absence. Valor was his messenger this time, and he has been acting more strangely than usual."
"How so?"
"Whenever we bring up the King, he becomes angry," he crossed his arms. "And not only that, Oberon, my younger brother and middle son of the King hasn't been seen either."
"Is it normal for him to disappear as well?" She asked.
"No." He answered. "He would flee the castle when something would trouble him on rare occasion, but there has been nothing of the sort to my knowledge."
"Thank you Davon." Said Flora.
"Your sister is quite kind." Said Davon.
"I thought you never met?" She asked.
"We haven't, although we would trade letters," he smiled. "I imagine her to be as beautiful as her handwriting."
"She is more so." Flora reassured.
"Princess Flora?" Asked Davon.
"Yes?"
"Our marriage may have been arranged, but I care for your sister." He said. "If need be I will join you on your quest to save her."
"And leave your family?"
"My mother passed years ago, my father can take care of Stonebrush and my brothers are old enough to take care of themselves."
"You are next in line for the throne." Said Flora. "You'd risk that?"
"I never cared for the throne."
"Don't tell father that." Said a woman, her voice soft and kind. She was lingering behind Davon, her skin pale and wavy hair blonde.
"Sister." He said.
"Have you forgotten about me?" She asked. "Did you wonder how I would feel if you left on a quest?"
"Of course I did." He said.
"My apologies princess," she said. "My brother is horrible when it comes to greetings. My name is Helena, it is nice to meet you."
"As it is nice to meet-" Flora's words were interrupted by Morgana, who'd furiously opened the door across from Flora.
"What in Nirmal is going on?" She asked. "Why won't you people let me sleep?!?"
"Who is this?" Asked a intrigued Helena.
"The last face you'll ever see if you don't let me sleep." Morgana answered.
"This is Morgana." Said Flora. "She gets cranky if you wake her up too early."
Flora smiled teasing her.
"Careful Elf." Said Morgana. "You wouldn't want to lose a finger because you upset someone, would you?"
Flora couldn't tell if she was being serious or joking, so she kept silent.
"So wild and untamed." Said Helena. "I would love to get to know you, a bit more personally..."
Was she flirting? Wondered Flora.
"Thanks but, no." Morgana said before slamming the door shut.
"What an exotic friend you have." Said Helena. "So wild."
"Contain yourself." Said Davon.
"Ah yes..." Helena replied. "Please make yourself at home princes, and don't let my brothers bother you."
She walked away.
"I should leave you be as well." Said Davon. "Please princess, enjoy your stay."
Then he walked away.
After he'd left Flora felt the sharp pain in her chest, the same as before but only for a brief moment.
She couldn't do anything until she told someone about this, and the only person she trusted was Morgana, but still she was afraid to bother her.
(Knock knock)
She banged on her door.
"Ugh!" Morgan screamed. "What now!"
She opened the door to see Flora, her eyes narrow as if she were about to kill.
"You best have a grand excuse for disturbing me Elf." She threatened.
"I need to show you something." Said Flora.
Morgana stepped away from the door and further into her room, Flora followed her closing the door.
"What is it?" Morgana asked.
"This," she answered as she lowered her shirt to reveal the black spot on her chest. "What is this?"
Morgana was silent, she looked to be shocked.
"What?"
"Where and when did you get that?" She asked.
"I had a dream on the way here."
"And in this dream did you see the Demon?"
"I did." Flora was puzzled.
"You've been marked." Said Morgana.
"Marked?" Asked Flora.
"Yes."
"What is a mark?"
"Demon's use them when hunting, to track others like prey." She answered. "That means the Demon knows where you are at all times."
This frightened Flora.
"If the Demon has marked you, it either means he wants to know where you are, or that he is hunting you."
"How do I get rid of it?" Asked Flora.
"I don't know."
"What!" Flora said in a panic.
"I'm no Demon expert!" Said Morgana. "If you want to know ask a Mage, they would have knowledge of such things."
"Where would I find a Mage?" Asked Flora.
"How would I know!" Morgana said impatiently. "Stonebrush is a big place, I'm sure there are Mages here."
There was a moment of silence.
"So you're not going to help me?"
Morgana looked to be frustrated. "I do what I want, and being your babysitter isn't what I'd like to do with my spare time."
"So...?"
"Get out."
Flora left to her room to dress her normal attire. After she did Flora set out to explore the castle, hoping to come across a Mage.
While searching the halls she spotted Silo, he noticed her as well.
"My dearest princess!" He called.
Flora shrugged as a cold shiver raced down her spine. She turned to walk away, but he caught up to her.
"Oh princess, how the sight of you is a delight to my eyes."
She thought desperately for an excuse to leave.
"I must be going now." She said.
"But you've only just arrived." He said. "How can I make you feel more at home?"
"My home was destroyed, nothing you can do will make me feel at home." She tried to be as nice as she could but her tone came out bitter. There was a unexplainable hate she held for Silo.
"Well, I'm sure if you accompanied me to my bed chambers you would feel differently."
The response made her want to vomit.
"You mean sick, dissatisfied, and repulsed?" She said sarcastically, forgetting about her attempt to be kind.
"You never know until you try." He said with a deviant grin.
"Go away." She demanded.
"But we were just getting to know each other."
"I don't want to know you."
"But we are to be married." He said. "Don't you think it to be wise to break in the bed before marriage?"
She wanted to strike him but she held back, knowing it would do little good.
"Well?" He asked.
"Leave me alone."
He sighed. "You must open up to me eventually, my sweet."
He walked away, his absence brought peace, it felt as if all her worries were gone. But they weren't, she needed to find a Mage.
She walked deeper into the castle, coming across a garden with a stream flowing through the center.
"Hello my dear." A light soft voice spoke, it was Valor. "I see you found our garden.
He was sitting on a bench by a thick oak tree.
"I have." Said Flora.
There was a moment of silence.
"It appears as though something is troubling you my dear, what would that be?" He asked.
"It's nothing." She didn't want him to know about the mark.
"I've seen nothing, and this is not it."
It was clear he wasn't going to let this go.
"I need to find a Mage." She said.
"A Mage?" He asked.
"Yes."
"What for?" He seemed curious.
"It's complicated."
"I might just understand, sit down, tell me." He said.
Flora sat down on the bench beside him. She felt strangely comforted by his presence in an unfamiliar place. In a way he reminded Flora of her grandfather.
"I have been marked." She said.
"How so?" He asked.
"By... The Demon."
For a moment he was quiet.
"Show me."
She showed him the mark on her chest.
"I see." He said.
"I need to find a Mage to get rid of the mark."
"Well you needn't search any longer, I know a great deal of dark magic, and I know of the only two ways one can remove such a mark."
"How!?!" She asked eagerly.
"The first way being that the Demon who marked you removes it himself, or..." He was hesitant to speak.
"How?" She asked.
"You must die."
A wave of fear washed over her.
"Don't be afraid my dear." Said Valor. "There are rules to magic, and with rules come grey areas."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"What magic does cannot be undone, only altered by other forms of magic."
"I don't understand."
"If I were to kill a man with magic he would remain dead." He explained. "There would be no way to bring him back to life, but there would be a way to bring life to death."
She was confused.
"That would be Necromancy." She said.
"Exactly." He added. "There are two kinds of magic, dark and light. Light magic focuses on life and knowledge, its power comes from The Tower of The Divine. A Grand Mage, a master of light magic, may be able to bring a man back to life but at a cost."
"What cost?" She asked.
"All magic has a price, a Grand Mage may bring the life of one back to him or her, but only moments after death, and it would cost him the ability to use his magic, so that he may never cast a spell again."
Flora was silent, she hoped for him to reach the point of his speaking.
"Dark magic focuses on death and power, its power comes from the depths of hell. Dark Mages practice this magic, and worship the Demons it comes from. Dark magic cannot bring life, it can only take. A powerful Dark Mage or Demon may take life of one for themselves, but only themselves."
"What does this have to do with the mark?" She asked.
"You understand the two types of magic, now I can tell you how to remove the mark."
He cleared his throat, "Dark magic may not cross into light, as a shadow cannot exist there. And if one were to practice dark magic they would never be able to use light, as once the light touches darkness it is not pure."
"Please." She said, "The mark."
"You must die yes, your heart must stop, when it does a Mage can restart your heart with spark magic."
"Would it work?" She asked.
"Yes." Valor answered. "We can do this and remove the mark at any time, but..."
"What?" She asked.
"There is only one thing that troubles me."
"What is it?"
"We are all born with light magic, as light magic is life. It is only when we kill or use dark magic when we are forbidden from using light. A Demon can mark anyone, but the results are different for three kinds of people. One who is pure, who hasn't killed or used dark magic, the mark would be white."
"But..." She remembered the man she killed. "What does this mean?"
"If you killed someone before, and a Demon marked you, the mark would be red."
"But this mark is black?"
"And that is what troubles me." He said. "Only one who used dark magic, would have a black mark."
"But I haven't used any kind of magic?" She said.
"Not that you remember."
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