Prince Elliot

           I awoke to green eyes directly in front of my face. I want to say that I handled it rather well, but the truth was that I screamed like a girl. Straining against the bindings that held me to the chair, all I managed to do was tip the chair over. I clamped my eyes shut and prepared to hit the ground, but it never came. Slowly I opened my eyes to see green light coming from the girl in front of me. Her hands moved slowly, carefully righting me in the chair.

           The woman looked exhausted, dark bruises were forming under her eyes, and she stood slumped over. I could see that the effort of just righting my chair was taking a toll on her. She looked a lot like Lillian when she would put up a shield to protect us from the fire of the enemy on the battlefield. Face twisted in concentration, hands shaking with the power she was exerting. As soon as my chair was righted, she fell to the floor in a heap.

           "Are you alright?" The words had left my mouth before I could stop them. It was only natural for me to ask. I had always done the same thing with Lillian, so why would I not ask her sister, but then again, I should not have compassion for her or her sister. The red-haired woman looked up at me and gave me a weak smile.

           "I will be alright. I have just used far too much magic in the last few days." Her voice was gentle when she spoke. I watched as she stood up and brushed off her dress. As she moved, she limped as though the magic had taken far more effort than she was letting on to. Even when Lillian had used magic on the battlefield, she had never looked as bad as this girl did after using magic.

           "You don't use magic much, do you?" At my words, the girl turned around there was anger in her green eyes, but there was also a hint of sadness and something else I could not quite place. As she moved closer, I could see that she was trying to summon magic, but the green light that was her magic just flickered and went out like a candle. I watched in horror as she started to fall. I reached for her pulling at the vines that tied me to the chair. Unlike before, they did not hold me back; instead, they tore easily allowing me to grab her before she hit the floor.

           I was in shock at how easily the vines but the girl in my arms looked up at me, and my blood seemed to freeze in my veins. I had expected to see the anger in those emerald eyes, but instead, I saw tears threatening to spill over. This girl may be Lillian's sister, but she did not act much like her sister. She was quick to show her emotions, unlike Lillian, who had always hidden how she was feeling. This girl's magic also seemed weaker though I don't think I would say it to her.

She pulled away from me, harshly rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Don't move," she said, pointing a pale finger at me. I had not planned on it, I realized. Even though I was free, I didn't feel like running. If anything, I felt far too weak to get up. Had I really used that much energy trying to catch that girl? When I looked up again, she was standing in front of me, holding a cup with a green liquid inside that seemed to glow.

"Drink this," she said, shoving the cup in front of my face. I reached for the cup, and I noticed that my hands were shaking. They had never shaken like that before. I looked into the cup. This potion looked a lot like the last one she had given me. A shimmering liquid that I was not sure what it would do to me, but I guess she thought I would drink it willing. Which I would not.

"What is this potion? Will it make me sleep like last time?" My questions made her sigh and shake her head. "No, it will not make you pass out like last time. This one is to restore your strength. The curse is starting to take effect, and all the magic Lillian used on you as a child starts to disappear, I am certain you will not be able to walk." My eyes went wide at her statement. I was not aware that Lillian had done any magic on me as a child. I knew that she had tried to save my mother, but my father had told me I was a healthy child. The woman's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"I knew what you are thinking, and yes, Lillian used magic on you when you were a child. I remember her coming here and telling me about you. She told me that she was worried about you that you weren't able to walk at all. This was right after The Council kicked her out. She was scared for you. Sometimes I think she thought of you as her own child." I listened to the girl's words, but it seemed as though she was speaking about someone else, not me. I just couldn't fathom it. My hands shook some of the liquid sloshing out of the cup. The woman grabbed the cups from my hands before I could spill anymore onto her floor.

"You don't believe me, do you?" She said, shaking her head at me. "If you really don't believe me stand up." I did as she said and tried to stand. I pulled myself to my feet using the chair, but as soon as I let go of it, I felt nothing but pain and fell to the floor. Panic rose in my chest. If I can't stand I...I can't do anything. I am...I am a useless Prince. My breathing was rapid. My heart raced. I felt as though everything I had known was falling apart in one instance.

A hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to look at the girl. I hadn't even realized I was crying until that moment. She looked down on me, but there was no pity in her eyes, only determination. "I think," she said, smiling at me, "we can help each other Elliot, but you will have to trust me. I know you think this is all Lillian's fault, but it's not. Your father was tainted by dark magic. Lillian was just sacred; she made some bad decisions, but she is working on fixing those. So, if you could help me here, things will go a lot quicker. Especially if you are not trying to kill her."

I nodded at her words as she held the cup to my lips. I took a sip of the liquid and felt energy flow back into my body. Taking the cup from her, I drank the rest in a hurry. "Thank you," I said, meeting her eyes, "but how can I know I can trust you when I don't even know your name." She smiled at me then a genuine smile that lit up her face and seemed to make her eyes glow.

"My name is Rose," she said with a small bow. I let out a small laugh at her action. She held out her hand to me and helped me to my feet. I was glad to see that this time I felt no pain. "That stuff you gave me works quite well." She rolled her eyes at me and shook her head.

"Of course, it works. I am one of the best potion makers around, but I can tell you the effects will wear off quickly. So, we need to make sure you have the next dose before it gets to bad, or the curse will completely claim you." I nodded at her words, and just at that moment, a flash of blue appeared in the doorway. It took the shape of Lillian, and she had an expression on her face that could only be described as horror.

"Rose," she cried the image flickered, "protect Prince Elliot at all cost mother has taken me to The Council, though I don't think it is to hear what I have to say. It's going to be a trail. Rose, I am sorry. I have to go. Stay safe." The image flashed, and Lillian was gone. I turned to look at Rose to try an understand what was happening.

"What was that?" She just shook her head at my words before letting out a sigh. "We are going to have to go help her. A trial is never good, especially when Mother is conducting it." I watched as she walked to the back of the hut and began throwing items into a bag.