Devastated

My name is Amelia Leeann Clare and I’m a part of a world humans consider fictional, in my reality I’m a witch, a ‘big-shot’ royal in line for the throne. But that’s not good news, it’s been happening for years, but no one had put the pieces together. My suspicion started with a long-distant relative dying, his name was Xavier and he was my best friend. I had seen him the pervious day and he’d seemed fine, we were just messing around by the lake discussing the up-coming ball and weather or not he was going to work up the courage to ask Macy to the ball and I could of sworn he had as I had seen Macy later that evening with the biggest smile, blushing as she searched for a dress with her mother in town.

But as the sun rose the next morning, Xavier had been found in his family home swinging with a noose around his neck and a letter beneath his feet. The doctor called it a suicide but how could I have not known if he were depressed, we’d talk about everything and left nothing to the imagination in the details.  

The funeral was depressing, between my relatives and my peers who had never batted an eyelash in his direction and my parents who ordered my attendance to brief as my attendance for my dress fitting was more appropriate usage of my time.

no one in this damn church were ‘actually’ unset, none of these people gave him the time of day not even his parents, the only exception was Macy.

As my body guards ushered me out, I was stopped by Macy “Princess Amelia may I have a word with you please” her vibrant green eyes were puffy, and it seemed as she’d been crying for quite some time.

I waved my guards away but before leaving my head guard Mathew whispers into my ear “Princess the king and Queen have ordered you to be elsewhere”

“I’ll be just a moment Mathew, don’t worry we’ll still be on schedule” I turn to Macy and lead her into another room. 

“Why are you leaving, he was Your best friend or are you just a pretender like everyone else in that room?” she whisper yells just as the door closes.

“You should be careful how you speak to me, I am your superior and if someone where to hear I don’t think I’d be able to prevent the downfall” I’m not having her yell at me for something I can’t control, but I’m also not going to disclose how unfeeling my parents really are, so I turn to leave before I either break down or explode in anger. Neither would be very lady like and would get me back handed if my mother found out.

She pulls my shoulder back before I leave the room “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you” I interrupted her before she could continue “No that’s exactly what you intended or you wouldn’t have said it such a tone or manner” I spoke in a clam and unwavering tone which opposed the waging war I was feeling inside. 

“I’m sorry, I just…” she starts crying, her tears start pouring down her checks “I don’t see why he would kill himself, he just seemed so happy, It doesn’t make sense that he’d kill himself” she broke down and collapsed falling to the ground crying, I lower myself to her level and try to comfort her by patting her back

Mathew popped his head in “princess we have to leave now if we are going to make it”

I pulled Macy to her feet, giving her a small smile “well I have to go” I left the room with as many questions as I had when I’d walked in.

My mother had scheduled my dress fitting for the same time as the funereal, but I had managed to convince her to let me attend for at least 30 minutes, she agreed on the terms that I would attend the ball with a gentleman of her choosing.

“we’ll have to rush to get you back to the estate” Mathew said in an annoyed tone, I’ve had bodyguards from the moment I could walk. At the moment I have 3 guards, Mathew is my head guard who is always with me, Casey and James only come along when I leave the estate, they have all been with me for a few years and are a lot more relaxed when speaking to me when its just the 4 of us, otherwise it’s all princess this and princess that.

Mathew directs me to the car and opens the door for me to get in, I sit down and pull out my phone “James you better be driving, we don’t want to run someone over”. 

Casey is sitting next to James in the front and turns to face me “hey! That was only once, and I was 12, I had no idea how to drive and it’s not like I killed the lady”

James chuckles as we stop at the light, “so who has your mother paired you up with for the ball?”

“His name is Prince Seth Dean Willows and is perfect for me as he is a prince and his kingdoms very wealthy” I responded tilting my chin up ward imitating my mother.

“So, a spoilt rich boy whose hands are likely to wonder” Casey grumbles 

“Oh no, he wouldn’t do anything like that! He’s a complete gentleman” Mathew laughs

I hit Mathew on the shoulder laughing with him as we pull up to the estate. We get out of the car and wave to James and Casey as they leave to stand at there posts. I walk into my room just in time for my mother to barge in with her 2 designers with her, Tweedledee and Tweedledum not far behind.

Mathew stands outside my door, as I strip down to my underwear and the tweedleddum walks over to me “you have a perfect hour figure, just like your mother”.

“oh, Robert your too kind” my mother responds as if he weren’t a bug-eyed creep, “shush up Robert and had me the first gown” tweedledee commands, her husband brings the gown over as she starts explaining what I have in store for the evening, “we have few options today and we’ll start with the A-line halter pleated sparkling gow....” I zoned her out as I didn’t really care about the technical stuff. I pulled the dress over my head and as soon as my mother saw it she scrunched up her face “no you will not be wearing that, I will not have my daughter looking like a fat tramp” Ugg could she be nice for a change. 

We went through dress after dress until there was only one left a Mermaid gown with a V-neck line, illusion long sleeve Red gown, my mother turned around with a smile “You both can leave now!” tweedleddee and Dum left collecting all their materials “this is definably the dress, hmm just remember we don’t need the drama of having a child out of wedlock, prince Willows is going to have his hands all over you, and don’t worry darling your face wont look like that we can make you pretty, pull your hair out darling” I pull my black curly hair out and she nods her head before walking out the door.

“How’s It look Mathew?” he calls out from the hallway and says simply “beautiful as always” without even looking, a smile tugs at my lips as I look in the mirror but turns into a frown as I remember how last year Xavier and I had ditched my guards and went to a carnival instead, we got into a lot of trouble that night as we come home drunk as a skunk.

I pull the dress off putting my robe on walking over to my bed and I think about what Macy had said. he had no reason to want to kill himself and even had many reasons of living, he’d been crushing on Macy for years, he’d never kill himself after asking her to the ball especially if she said yes. But if he hadn’t killed himself that’s means he was murdered and posed to look like a suicide but why would someone do that? 

He wasn’t liked by everyone, but he didn’t cause trouble the only thing he had worth killing for was the throne, but even then, he was my 3^rd cousin once removed, the only way for him to become king was if my whole family died, and that’s unlikely as I have 8 siblings, Maybe it was an accident then, I’ll have to go visit his parents. 

“Hey Mathew… Xavier’s parents coming to the ball tomorrow night?” I call out lying on my back, “of course they are, Mary-Anne and Johnathan wouldn’t miss it for the world” he responds without missing a beat.

The night of the ball came a lot quicker then I’d imagined, I was all dolled up, in the silky red gown my mother picked out and as I walked to the entrance and awaited to hear my name to be called out so I could get this horrid night over, I realised how much I missed Xavier.

 This year I wont have him to search for in the crown and I wont have him to distract me from the mess that’s my family. This year I’m expected to act like the perfect princess my parents always wanted and what the most depressing fact is, this may be my last year of life as next year is the for ascension, well that’s if my mother doesn’t make me marry first.

“Princess Amelia Leeann Clare being escorted by Prince Seth Dean Willows”

The large mahogany doors swung open blinding me with light and a golden staircase awaited me with the prince at the bottom holding out his hand as he awaited my descendant. 

“would you like to dance Princess Amelia” the prince request as I reach the bottom, having no choice I responded “I would love too” and off we went.

We danced song after song but what surprised me the most is the prince never tried anything, he actually was being a gentleman and not a horn-dog. I pulled him off the dance floor and out onto the balcony.

“So who are you prince Seth? Tell me something interesting about yourself” he smiled and we turned to look out off into the distance, talking just talking. I mean usually by now the dates my mother sets up are trying to get under my skirt, calling me a whore if I don’t let them but prince Seth is kind and caring. His most impressive skill isn’t how much he can bench press or how long he can’t exert himself in the magical element. His most impressive quality is his brain, his smart but not just book smart but people smart, he listens and I can actually connect with him on so many levels.

We are enjoying our time together outside the ball, just enjoying each others company. When my fathers voice projected throughout the ball room ruining the moment, “it’s time for us to dine, if you would go through the doors on your left be prepared to be amazed!”

I turned around and leant on the balcony and watched as the swarm of guests rushed through the doors.

“You’d think they were starving by How pushy they’re acting” prince Seth glanced at me.

“It’s not that simple, it’s their ego! They believe they have a right to go through the doors first, to be the first seated, first to sample what’s being offered but the one thing they don’t realise is that they’re just pawns in someone else’s game”

“Shall we go in?”

“Not just yet, I don’t wish to be trampled” I smiled at him and he returned it, he started to lean in and just before our lips touched the dinning hall exploded in a fiery explosion. A wave washed over us as it forced our bodies over the railing and down to what would of been our deaths if we were normal.

A simple levitation spell was all that was needed “levitate”. Our feet landed on the ground calmly but I was anything but calm. I turned around and leaped into the air crying out “elevare” I was lifted into the air and was place firmly back on the balcony. I ran into the ball room and with the wave of my hand the fire slowly simmered down into a flicker of a flame until it was no more. 

Tears streamed down my face as I looked around trying to find anyone who had survived but all I had found were bloody bodies which had been ripped apart from the explosion. No one, not a single soul had survived. The stage had been damaged the most and nothing was left of the people who stood there, my family stood there! They’re dead, all of them!

I sunk to the ground and began to sob and ball my eyes out, as Prince Seth walked up behind me and placed his arms around me “it’s ok Lia, everything will be ok”

I stopped crying and raised my head, there was only one person in the world who ever called me Lia.

“Xavier... No...No... it can’t be...” before he could see what I was doing, I pealed back the glamour he was wearing and revealed his true form. He run his fingers through his tangled hair, “you weren’t supposed to know that yet!” A smile formed on his face as he pulled me to my feet and began to drag me out of the room.

“We were supposed to marry, take the crown and we’d rule together” he threw me down onto the charred floor.

“We’re family” I gasped

“To distantly to damn matter, with everyone gone your the last one left, no one can stand in your way and I was supposed to be by your side” he’d begun passing and now was screaming his confessions.

“Well I guess there’s only one option left! Plan B” I start backing away, I was beyond scared I was terrified. I’d lived a sheltered life, I don’t know what to do, Mathew always told me I didn’t need to learn to defend myself because he’d alway be by my side but he’s dead and I’m defenceless.

He turned and looked at me and what I could see was not my friend, he was my destruction, my down fall, my death.

He held his arm towards me “venire” my body flew into his grasp without my permission.

“I would of liked to have had you around, it would of been easier but I guess I Dont Do EASY” he smiled a wicked grin.

Oh my god he’s going to kill me! I don’t want to die!

Pushing my hands against his chest, I try to get way, all I could think was that i wished he’d burned just like everyone else. 

“Your not getting away that easily” 

For a second I thought I saw a flicker of a flame between my fingers, I removed my hand and in seconds he was engulfed in flames. I fell out of his grasp not a single burn upon my skin and just watched as he screamed and tried to put himself out. His screams died down and his body lay limp and i just sat there feeling nothing, nothing at all. My world had come crumbling down around me and there was nothing I could do about it, not a single thing.