"What is that?" Lady Bedivere screeches, pushing away from the table, while Captain DeGray barks out a sharp curse. The council all starts talking at once, each person trying to be louder than the next, jabbing accusing fingers at Willow. 

I know exactly what it is. Burned into her skin, right where I saw the tentacle of darkness twist around her forearm, is a bright red hand print, black around the edges. The necromancer imprinted my sister, scorched a mark of himself onto her flesh.

The sudden loud bang of Mortimer slamming his cane onto the table makes me jump.

"Silence," he barks, his voice unexpectedly fierce. "Now, if you will remain calm, we can look at this logically. The child has been marked by the necromancer, which is unfortunate but what do we have to fear? She fought him off and now she is here in the safety of Fairhaven. He probably has no idea where she even is."

"What if he uses it to find me?" Willow's voice in timid and her head is ducked in shame. But all I can think about is all the times over the past few days that I saw her rubbing her wrist or tugging at her sleeve and I brushed it off as nerves. She hadn't told me. She hadn't trusted me.

"Even if he learns where you are, he can't move against you. You're safe here."

"And perhaps we can use this to our advantage," Lord Ransford muses. "If this is some sort of mark to track her, we have a potential way to bring him to her once she's ready to face him. We can use that to set up a fight on our terms." His eyes are as cold and unforgiving as an icy winter rain. 

Captain DeGray surges to his feet. "Edwin, you can't seriously be suggesting we use a teenage girl as bait?" 

"Of course not." His smile is oily. "I'm merely trying to point out the positives of a negative situation. And if we have something to use to our advantage, why wouldn't we?"

"I hope you are kidding." I speak slowly, trying to rein in the anger that is threatening to explode. "Willow is a child. She is fifteen years old. And you're telling me that, on top of forcing a crown on her head, you expect her to defeat a creature that you apparently aren't able to kill with a whole royal army. A creature that hunted her down and invaded our home, nearly killing us both."

"A child she may be, but she still has powers more amazing than we could imagine." Mortimer's factual voice pushes me over the edge. "You have to understand-"

"Oh, don't worry, I understand perfectly." I push myself to my feet, voice raising. "All of this is bullshit. You don't care about Willow, you don't care about her destiny or what the gods have planned for her. All you care about is what she can do for you, how she can make your lives a little easier. And you're trying to bribe her with a shiny crown and promises of greatness."

I take a deep breath. Everyone at the table, including Willow, looks stunned. Good.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves," I hiss. "Come on Willow, we're leaving. We can go wherever you want, wherever you think you need to be, but I won't let you stay here and be a puppet queen for these self-serving pigs."

Willow's voice is quite but firm."And what if I think that here is where I need to be?"

"It's not! You can't truly believe that it is. You said it yourself, you aren't fit to rule and you can't control your powers!"

"Then I'll learn!" Her chin juts out stubbornly. "I'll do whatever I need to so I can help!"

"I need you to listen to me," I plead. "I know you want to be noble and I know this seems like fate, but I can promise that you aren't meant to die for these people. I can't watch you do that."

"I don't believe that you get to decide. If it's so hard for you to watch, perhaps you should return home."

Tears prick in my eyes, breath catching in my chest. How dare she say that after I followed her here, not knowing if we would live or die. Frustration and despair war inside me, fighting to dominate each other and force me to act.

A firm hand falls on my shoulder."Let's step outside for some fresh air. You can speak later, once you've both had some time to think things over." Captain DeGray steers me towards the door and when Willow doesn't say anything stop him, I allow it. It's a good idea to leave before I say something I will regret.

"I'm tired of such seriousness. How about a nice tour of the castle while I start going over some of the best parts of being queen?" I hear Lady Bedivere say, giggling daintily before the door closes behind me, cutting off Willow's response.

Captain DeGray doesn't speak as he leads me back the way we came, the rooms that made me fight to hide my awe now making my stomach turn. These people take everything for granted, probably had everything handed to them in their lives, and now they've been handed my sister to solve all of their problems. She is like a lamb who knows it's being led to the slaughter, but goes easily because the butcher deigns to pet and comfort it along the way. 

I avoid looking at the mirrors this time, knowing that I will break down if I have to see how lost I look.

Instead of going out the front door though, he leads me further into the castle, down a long hall that seems to cut right through the middle of the castle. We walk through several more doors until finally... fresh air. He stops us before a of stairs leading down to a meticulously groomed garden stretching all the way to the edge of the forest. 

A cool breeze lifts my hair away from my hot and sticky neck as I sit down on the top step. The sun is starting to set behind the trees, their shadows resembling long fingers reaching across the lawn.

"Listen Captain," I sigh, as he sits down next to me, stretching his legs out with a groan. "I appreciate you walking me out here, as I undoubtedly would have gotten lost, but I'm not really good company right now."

"Well then, it's lucky for you that I happen to be great company." He smiles charmingly but I don't return it. While I appreciate the fact that the captain seems straightforward and he had voiced some semblance of protest in there, he is still one of them.

His smile fades. "I can't imagine how overwhelming and difficult that was for you. I just thought maybe you'd want to hear that someone is on your side. You did well in there."

There is no dishonesty in his brown eyes and I feel an unexpected rush of gratitude. Perhaps he is just truly being kind. I want to believe it.

"It's just..." I hesitate, then everything comes out in a rush. "I don't understand why she wants to stay. It's dangerous, she knows that, and she doesn't owe you people anything. I know it's not the crown, she's never cared that we're poor or wished for fancy dresses and carriages. She's always been happy with our father and our small town and simple things. Or at least, I thought she was."

And there it is. The thing that's hurting me so badly. The thought that I, her sister, have been incorrectly assuming that she's happy with us. I know our life is lonely and worrisome but I've always imagined that we could make it together, with me to protect her. But I wasn't enough. And without her, what am I? Willow has been my life, my responsibility... my only true friend.

"Forgive me for saying so, but perhaps you're thinking about yourself too much." I shoot the captain a disbelieving look but he doesn't waver. "You know Willow is special and has this gift but that's not what your issue is. It's you fearing your own inadequacies as a sister. Which is, again forgive me, utterly ridiculous."

He grins at the surprise on my face."I have siblings myself. And I've worked hard to try and understand the stupid things they do." A laugh that speaks of conjured memories escapes him. "Is it so hard to believe that maybe your sister thinks it's her time to step up, her time to protect you? Maybe she feels like she owes you. She's been given a destiny that most of us could barely begin to imagine and she can help people, she can help this kingdom. And she has too good of a heart to ignore that call. But it is dangerous. If you perk up and stop feeling sorry for yourself, perhaps you'll realize that Willow might be pushing you away to protect you."

I'm looking at Captain DeGray in a different light now. Intelligence lurks behind those eyes, but also a surprising compassion that I hadn't expected from anyone here.

"Is this the part where you tell me to mind my own business and that I don't know anything about you and Willow?"

"No actually." I laugh, rubbing my eyes. "I think you nailed it; that sounds exactly like Willow. She's a damn fool but she always means well."

And I mean it. My sister never held grudges against the townsfolk, never got angry when they whispered behind her back or said cruel things to our face. She always lent a helping hand when needed and always had a kind word.

"The way I look at it, you have a choice now." The captain runs a hand through his hair.  "You can respect what your sister is trying to do for you and leave, trusting her make the right choices. Or you can stay and have her back at the risk of going against her wishes."

I let out an ugly snort. "Not much of a choice. To trust myself or trust her. I know that I want to stay, of that I have no doubt. I made a promise and I intend to keep it. But what would I do here besides get it the way and potentially hold her back?"

His response is interrupted as a group of roughly thirty men come jogging from around the side of the castle. Young and sweating through their tunics, it looks like they've been at this for a while. They pause at the foot of the stairs, snapping a salute at Captain DeGray before continuing. 

These must be the new recruits that the captain is in charge of, I think, watching them jog down a path leading into the dense trees surrounding the castle.

When they all clear out, there's still one boy standing at the base of the stairs. With short, chestnut brown hair, a strong jaw and a crooked smile on his face, he's more handsome than any of the boys in my town. Not that I paid attention to any of them. He makes his way up the stairs, eyes on the captain.

"Captain." He gives a shallow bow of his head, then turns to me and does the same. "My Lady."

I can't stop the laugh that escapes me, or the second one that follows at the startled look on his face.

"I'm sorry, it's just- I'm definitely not a lady." I shake my head, holding back other laughs. I've never been addressed so formally nor been mistaken for a lady. Today was just full of firsts. 

The corners of his mouth twitch. "Perhaps not by the standards of others, but my father taught me that all women are ladies until treated otherwise."

"He sounds like a smart man who knows the power of flattering a woman," I mutter, face flushing under his gaze.

"That he was." He chuckles, amusement lighting up his emerald green eyes. I feel the flush work it's way down to my neck as those eyes hold mine for a second longer than necessary. Then he turns, giving Captain DeGray his full attention.

"Apologies for interrupting, I just wanted to ask if you still required my help for the demonstration tomorrow? I was going to get my sword sharpened but Gareth seems to think you're going to change your mind and use him instead."

Captain DeGray sighs in exasperation. "Gareth knows that's nothing but wishful thinking. Tell him that when he stops trying to pick his teeth with his sword, I'll consider using him for demonstrations. I don't trust anyone foolish enough to put their own sword in their mouth to not run me through accidentally."

They grin at each other, an air of easy camaraderie between them. The look tells of a history together and I would guess brothers if they didn't look so different. Good friends then. 

"I'll let him know, sir. Though I'm not excited to deal with his pouting all night." The boys rolls his eyes and the captain chuckles. 

"You have my sympathy." He pats him on the shoulder before giving me a pointed look, which the boy takes as his cue to leave, giving me one last look before starting down the stairs.

He hardly makes it three steps before shouts ring out from the forest. We all freeze.

"What the-" Captain DeGray mutters, squinting in the direction of the trees.

The shouts quickly turn into screams and inhuman snarls, unlike anything I've ever heard. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

The boy shoots the captain an indecipherable look over his shoulder before sprinting down the stairs, across the garden, and disappearing into the tree line.

As for Captain Degray, he pulls me roughly to my feet as the snarls grow louder. "Have you had training?" he demands.

"I- what?"

"Training! Can you fight?"

"I- No. I haven't had training. I can-"

He cuts me off. "Then get back in there and tell the first person you see that the castle is under attack and Captain DeGray sent you to gather everyone to hole up in the safe room. I'll come get you when it's safe."

When I don't immediately move, he shakes me. "Go, now! Find Willow!" Without waiting to see if I act, he runs, taking the stairs three at a time then heads in the direction the boy had gone.

Willow. I start towards the door then pause as more screams come from the forest. This has to do with her, I know it does. It's too much of a coincidence to be anything else. How can I leave the people out there to deal with it, while I cower in a room with Lady Bedivere? How can I expect people to fight for her when I don't? Another shill scream sounds, quickly cut off.

I bolt to the door, ripping it open."We're under attack! The castle is being attacked!" I scream as loudly as I can, hoping someone hears me. Then I spin around, nearly falling as I race down the stairs.

Entering the forest, I can't see anything that's happening in the gloom of twilight. The shadows seem writhe and twist as I run past them, dodging trees and following the sounds of fighting. But first I need a weapon, something bigger than the dagger strapped to my hip.

I finally find it when I trip over a body. I go sprawling into the dirt, scraping my palms and knees, then twist around to come face to face with a guard whose throat is torn out. I recognize him as one of the guards that escorted Willow and I here. He polished his breastplate every night by the campfire; the same breastplate now smeared with his blood. 

I struggle to tap down the panic rising to choke me and my eyes fall on the sword still clutched in his hand. I just move, prying it from his stiff fingers and stumble to my feet, the screams and shouts much closer now. The sword is heavier than I expect and it almost slips from my sweaty palm twice.

 I find the source of the noise, stepping into madness and chaos. Screams. Wet ripping sounds. The crackle of bushes. Flashes of eyes in the dark. I take it all in, cold sweat dripping down my back.

It's hard to see with the lack of light, but it looks like the soldiers are fighting against giant hounds. Except these hounds come up to a man's chest and their flesh is missing in chunks, the stink of rot and death making me gag. Their eyes glow with a black fire. As I watch, three soldiers take one down, only for another hound to emerge from the shadows and disembowel a man with one swipe of its massive clawed paw.

Not giving myself time to think, I run forward, unable to stand here and watch these men die. They face the hound, corned against the trunk of a huge tree. Its focus is on the men, so I come up from behind, swinging my sword awkwardly with all of my might into its exposed back. It snarls, falling to the ground with a severed spine, still trying to snap at me as I wrench my sword out. One of the two soldiers, blonde and bloody, surges forward and beheads it. An arch of black liquid sprays the trees.

I'm barely spared a glance before they run to engage another hound, the blonde giving me a quick nod of gratitude. I hold my sword awkwardly, only ever having held one a few times before. I know I'm not skilled enough to fight a hound directly. That would only serve to get me killed quickly, but perhaps I can sneak up from behind again and at least distract.

So that's what I do with two more hounds. Jabbing, slicing, however I distract or injure them long enough for someone to finish the job. 

Then, the third one kicks back as I stab it in the thigh, sending me flying back into a tree. I'm slumped against the tree, stunned, ribs screaming. In a brief moment of panic, I gasp for air desperately, the wind knocked out of me. Then I realize my sword is no longer in my hand, still sticking out of the hound I just stabbed. A now headless hound.

A second later, a callused hand is pulling me to my feet. Green eyes meet my own and the boy from earlier stumbles back in surprise. Blood is splattered across his face, his shirt torn from shoulder to hip.

Before I can say anything, I'm knocked to the side and pinned to the ground by a crushing weight. Instinctively, I curl my legs in, pushing against the snarling hound with my feet. Its claws dig into my shoulders, jaw snapping inches from my throat. I feel the claws sink in further as my knees buckle and I scream. Hot saliva drips onto my face. 

I wiggle my arm, managing to pull my dagger free of its sheath and stab the hound in the eye. Still screaming, I twist, greasy blood pouring down my hand and onto my face, tasting of decay.

The beast squeals, struggling for a second then goes limp. It's full dead-weight is on me, crushing me beneath its rotting carcass. I can't breathe and I think I'm going to die here, suffocated beneath a demon hound. 

The corpse rolls off of me and sweet air floods my lungs as the green eyed boy, once again, helps me to my feet. I'm crying, ragged sobs ripping their way out of my throat and I might be embarrassed if I wasn't be so relieved.

Wiping blood from my eyes, I sway unsteadily. The boy grips my arm, helping to keep me upright.

"I told you I'm no lady." I rasp.