Spring is Coming

Hi, just really quick, this short story will include some gore. Just a quick warning! Anyway, I’ll get out of your way.

I watched my sister play in the river. The water was so clear you could see the stones at the bottom. It cut the royal garden in half. The only way over it was a bridge that lay not to far from us, or swimming of course. These gardens were our favorite place. The old willow tree that hung over the river always gave a form of shade on the hottest of days. Its trunk was thick giving you a place to rest your back. During the spring, small flowers-

               “Look Tiggy!” Kit cried sprinting out of the water. “The flowers are coming back.”

               “Wait for me!” I called after her sprinting over.

               “Look.” She pointed at a small green stick with the bulb of a flower just waiting to bloom.

               “Spring is coming!” she grinned up at me with those big innocent golden eyes.

               “Yes,” I hugged her tight. “It is coming.”

~    ~    ~

I stood across from the queen. “We’ll tighten security in the woods.”

               “No, we can’t afford to cause a big panic over this.”

               “Mother-“

               The queen put her hand up causing me to fall silent. “We can’t trust our citizens. You’ll just have to keep on checking the forests.”

               “Mother, these are children of chaos-“

               “Call them as they are, daughter. Demons. Cold blooded ones too. I’ll contact the angels-“ children of peace “-about this. I’m sure they’ll help.”

               “Mother, we must trust the citizens. They are the ones who would suffer if Kuzamo ever came back.”

               She stiffened at the mention of her father. “I know.” She glanced away. Her golden eyes were streaked with exhaustion. “Just do as I’ve commanded.”

               “What about Willow?”

               “No, don’t tell her.”

               I paused. “Don’t tell your adviser and best friend? That seems correct doesn’t it.”

               “I didn’t summon you here to lecture, daughter!”

               I took a step back, my hands instinctively went to my daggers.

               She sighed. “Just… please. I can’t deal with a panic.”

               “Yes mother.” I bowed and took my leave. Why hadn’t I had the gut to disobey her?

~    ~    ~

“Are you ok?” Willow asked glancing over at me. One eye natural and the other made of metal along with part of the right side of her face. Her long dark chestnut hair was combed to perfection and moved softly in the light breeze.

               “Yes, I’m fine,” I lied standing up.

               “You know I can tell when you lie.”

               I sighed. “I can’t discuss it with you. Mother forbid it.”

               “Ah, of course Panther has.” She quickly changed the subject. “How’s Kitten?”

               “Happy it’s spring again,” I said simply. “She used the same quote she uses every year, ‘spring is coming’.”

               “Ah, of course.”

               I nodded. It’d been a few hundred years since that first time. Yes, you read that correctly, a few hundred. Perks of having goddesses as great grandmothers is that you age extremely slowly. At this time, Kit would probably be around 7,000 give or take.

               “How’s her reading coming along?”

               I smiled. “She’s already halfway done the royal library.”

               “What?! By the goddesses,” Willow exclaimed smiling. “She’s growing up so fast.”

               My smile faded slightly. “I just hope she doesn’t grow up too fast.”

~    ~    ~

The cool water rushed over my feet. I felt calm for the first time in ages.

               “Tiggy?”

               I glanced over. “Kit! How are you?”

               I patted the ground next to me for her to sit. She plopped right down pulling off her shoes and scrunching up her pant legs dipping her legs into the refreshing water.

               “It’s been fine, I guess.”

               Goddesses, she was much taller than the last time I’d seen her at that point. I needed to convince the queen to let me off duty a lot more.

               “I’ve finished reading ‘The Tale of the First Dragon’ for the twentieth time. I’ve been helping Jag with her studies.”

               I frowned. “What about your own studies?”

               “Well… I have to do the work twice and the tutor always yells at me for cheating off Jag when I actually wrote hers.”

               “You shouldn’t do her work for her,” I scolded. “That just diminishes her chances, Kit. Show her a firm hand and stand up to her.”

               “Ok.” She went quiet for a moment. “I wish I’d see more of you.”

               I smiled sadly. “I wish that as well.”

               “Look,” she pointed by the willow at the tiny bulbs, “spring is coming.”

~    ~    ~

“This is insanity, mother!” I yelled. “Open your eyes! They’re all over our borders! If we continue this, they’ll bring Kuzamo back. Mother! Tell someone,” I begged.

               “No, that would cause a panic,” she responded robotically.

               “If he comes back, thousands will die. Is that better than a panic?” I demanded.

               “I-I don’t know, Tigress!” she shouted. “I don’t know…”

               I backed away feeling a festering anger in my chest. “I’m telling Willow, but it might be too late.”

               I stormed out leaving my pathetic mother alone.

~    ~    ~

I stood out on the balcony alone feeling the cool breeze kiss my cheeks turning them a soft pink. My hands clutch the railing keeping me firmly planted in place.

               “Tiggy?”

               I blinked, turning towards my little sister. I smiled softly though my exhaustion and stress still showed.

               “Good afternoon, Kit. Can I help you?”

               She nodded pulling out a beautiful orange flower. “Spring is coming, or it already has.” She smiled her perfect smile. “I brought this for you.”

               “Thank you.” I took it from her brushing my fingers against its petals. I placed it into my hair. “How do I look?”

               “In need of a break.”

               “Rude,” I said though I couldn’t help but smile.

               “Come on, you can show me some new moves with the daggers.” She dragged me away.

               When I’m with Kit, it’s like nothing else matters but making her smile. My only regret now is that I didn’t spend enough time with her.

~    ~    ~

I walked forward, my head held high. The smell of blood and ash stinging at my nose. I saw the bodies, smeared with the familiar crimson of blood. I saw the flickering of the flames, but I only had one thought. No, it wasn’t the queen. She had brought this destruction upon us. It was of my sister. She was still young and needed my protection. I moved up the steps towards the throne room. I forced open the door revealing the magnificent room, but I didn’t care for its beauty.

               “Ah, finally,” my sister said cruelly, but I knew that wasn’t her. Her perfect innocent eyes were replaced by malice and madness.

               “Release my sister, Kuzamo,” I demanded drawing my daggers.

               He laughed. It echoed off the walls giving an eerie feeling. “I like you. You’d be a much better host than this.” He motioned to my perfect sister. “But I know that’s not going to happen.”

               I gritted my teeth. “Return her.”

               “Then take her.”

               I struck quickly but he blocked with one of the most beautiful blades I’d ever seen. I kicked him sending him off balance. He wasn’t trying. Why? A flash of anger filled me. I struck again but paused right before I stabbed him. He chuckled.

               “Did you forget this is your sister’s body?”

               He struck hard and fast. I could barely hold him, but I succeeded. How was I going to win this? We played a game of back and forth. I’ bleeding from both arms now and my left leg was burned but not severely, but at least I had a plan.

               “Where did you get that blade?” I asked dodging one of his attacks.

               “My followers. They are more useful than you’d expect.”

               “Hmm.”

               I kicked his leg causing him to fall. I swiftly pinned him to the ground. It was easy since my sister wasn’t the strongest. I traded my daggers out for his blade and raised it.

               “Please forgive me, Kit,” I whispered before cutting her chest. “Be gone, and be trapped inside this magical blade,” I commanded.

               “No!” Kuzamo roared, but it was too late.

               I noticed my sister coming back. “Kit?”

               “If I go down,” he said weakly. A stabbing pain erupted in my stomach. He smiled, “You come with me.”

               Kit blinked. “Tiggy?”

               “Kit,” I cupped her face, “you’re back.”

               I collapsed beside her. Blood spilling swiftly from my stomach. My daggers lay beside me, drenched in my blood. How foolish of me.

               “Tiggy!” she cried leaning over me, ignoring her own bleeding wound. “I’ll fix this, I swear. Tig I swear I’ll-“

               “Enough, Kit,” I said softly. The taste of blood filled my mouth. “There’s nothing you can do.”

               Tears streamed down her cheeks. I whipped them away.

               “When I’m gone, I want to have my daggers, ok? And anything from my room you want. Leave the rest for you sisters, k?” I coughed which all caused me to hurt more.

               “Tig…”

               “Please Kit.”

               I gasped feeling myself fade.

               “Ok.”

               I smiled, actually feeling relieved. “Spring is coming, Kit.”

               My body went slack, and my sister’s sobs echoed through the empty burning room.

~    ~    ~

Kitty stood on the bridge looking down at the rushing water. Her hood was pulled up and her hands shoved in the pockets of her black hoodie. She moved back towards the old willow and sat down. It’d been too many years to count since she used to play here with her older sister. Thinking of me brought tears to her eyes.

               She glanced beside her noticing a small green stick coming up from the ground with a bulb holding a stunningly beautiful flower just waiting to bloom.

               She smiled sadly. “Spring is coming.”