Within the Fire

-Octavia-  “Via, come out” Kat yelled from her bedroom. “I look silly. A girl, the only girl, graduating from an all boys defense school. Now a dress? Because we're “royalty” I thought to myself with a sigh. I was staring at myself in the full length bathroom mirror dreading this ridiculously bubble gum pink, poofy dress. I was dreading this day, and my father seemed to just want to make the path harder and harder. “I put bricks in the road to make you think, to challenge you.” her father’s words rang in her head. I opened the door only to see my best friend Kat and Zander trying not to laugh. Kat was dressed in a flowy black dress, perfect for this spring evening's festivities. Zander was dressed in his fancy defense uniform. “I look Hideous.” staring at her friends laughing faces. Once the hilarity had settled, Kat went into the hall and brought in a gown bag. “Your father showed me the dress he picked out for you, I told him I’ll get you a backup just in case” She winked. The dress Kat picked out was a perfect black, long sleeve with an open back. “And to be the icing on the cake!” Z rang, “a perfect pair of combat boots” I jumped and hugged them both. “You guys saved the day!” “Octavia! The ceremony begins in 10 minutes. The King cannot be late” my father bellowed. I rushed to dress to make sure we could arrive at the ceremony in time with annoyance. I knew it was being held at the great hall behind the castle. “The Royal Family must always make appearances together.” Olsen and Orlando were waiting with our father for me at the bottom of the stairs. My father's face was filled with disappointment when he saw I was not in my bubblegum pink poofy dress. As we walked down to the garden, I could tell he wanted to discuss my questionable dress choice, but thankfully he was pulled away to finish up loose ends before the ceremony began. We sat in front of the fountain surrounded by my favorite flowers. The cool spring air felt good as my anxiety about tonight increased. I breathed in the cool evening air, trying to settle my nerves. I could hear my brothers arguing under their breath. “It's not for us to tell” Orlando said sternally. Olsen signed deeply, with what almost looked like hurt in his eyes.I couldn’t help but feel as if a secret had been withheld from me. For the last several months my father, brothers and anyone in the guard have been whispering anytime I entered the room. There have even been moments when Kat looked at me as if she could cry. “You okay Via?” I could feel my brow had furrowed. “Just a big night.” I smiled slightly. My brothers nodded and the rest of my class began to surround the fountain. I could feel the daggers from my classmates family as they entered the great hall. The tension wasn’t a new experience for me. I wasn’t supposed to be here. No woman has ever been “chosen” to fight for the king, yet his own daughter being amongst the chosen? I was born with a mark on my wrist, the outline of a shield. From the very beginning the world knew I was different. “Via!” I heard Zander yell. “Sorry, you're father…” I waved my hand, knowing he was pulled away to something. This had been a known thing for Z and my dad. Of course, Z and I grew up together, but once again something else felt off with their secret meetings. “Are you ready?” He smiled his wicked smile. Zanders father Ezekiel is my fathers guard. Zander, much like his father, was tall, broad shoulders, like he could knock a wall over. His jet black hair and glowing green eyes had been a topic of me and Kats girl talk since we were little kids. He was my best friend. “Have I ever been ready?” I chuckled and we began making our way into the great hall. The great hall was always my favorite room in the castle. The big windows were filled with colored glass that created the story of our kingdom. But today the hall was decorated with shimmering black and silver tapestries. Different shades of purple and white flowers filled the room. My father stood at the altar with Ezekiel and Kings council. His eyes met mine, his smile widened just slightly, but his eyes looked worried. We took our seats in front of all of our family and friends. “Welcome to the guards ceremony” he boomed. “I’ve watched all of you work hard and train harder from the moment you turned 10 years old. Today will embark on a new beginning. Though you may have completed your training, you may start again tomorrow. By the time the ceremony has finished you will have learned you're new placements. I wish you all luck and health in your future endeavours, and hopefully we will never meet together on the battlefield.” One of the elders began the ceremony as my mind began to wonder. We were all 18 or just about to turn. My birthday was only several days away. I was honestly lost of what to expect next. Normally for all of us in defense training it’s a “secret of what our next steps would be, but we all knew based on the given courses the finished training us in. My training was everywhere, I had twice as many classes to complete compared to the others. My father always reassured me that it was just part of being in the royal family, but Olsen even said he didn’t have to do half of what I did. “Octavia Goldspeed” the elder called. Pulled out of my thoughts, I nervously began to stand, soon realizing my combat boots had been changed to silver pumps. I heard the crowd begin to chatter as I took my place on the stage. I hadn’t noticed everyone else had been called and I was the last to stand. “You, Octavia Goldspeed, daughter of Orion and Opal Goldspeed, are the chosen daughter Of Mother Hestia.” I could feel the heat begin in my calf, the pain began to rise through my left leg across my shoulder and down into my right hand. My skin began to glow. I was almost as if fire began to tear threw my arm and around back in the same pattern I felt the pain radiate through my body. Quickly the pain became unbearable, and everything went black.