Chapter 22 - CELESTE'S STORY(PART 1)
968 Words
Everyone said she looked like the moon. Her long shimmering hair, flowing behind her. Her sparkling eyes a delicate shade of lavender. When Celeste moved it was with the grace of a swan, magic coiled around her in a glittering cloud. Her butterfly wings were the largest of all the Fairies of Dreamscape, their colour the lightest blue. The more you looked at them the more they looked like they were formed from the waves of the ocean itself. She was perfectly poised to become one of the most powerful Fairies of the Dreamscape. Deadly power mixed with her beauty. During the training, she took down all the Guardians except the Siren in a fight.
Not many could take on the Scarlet Swan and her dangerous dance.
One can almost say she was too perfect.
Her fate was sealed that day. The morning she took on Eric in the Academy.
They were in the middle of the Practice Hall. The large circular room’s walls were painted with incredibly detailed scenes of battles. Most of it was splattered blood and gore against the night. The sky starless. Against the darkness was a figure dressed in spotless white. Her hands raised in blessing, her eyes filled with compassion. The few surviving humans bowed at her feet.
“I wonder what it felt like…” Celeste said, dodging a blow from Eric’s sword and attempting a hit of her own. “Being treated like a Goddess, being worshipped.”
“I thought you knew what it feels like.” Eric laughed, dodging her sword easily. “Scarlet Swan…”
“That is just a stupid name.” Celeste rose into the air, spinning in a neat circle. Magic curled around her like vines. Before Eric could do anything to defend himself, a blinding light flashed at him from Celeste’s hand. It wrapped around him like a ribbon, tying itself into a knot and Celeste floated towards him, her sword pointed at his throat.
“I’ll wait and see if you can break out. After all, it is said that the Golden Guardian can squirm his way out of anything” Celeste’s lips curled. No one could mistake the barb in her voice. “You are kind of an expert at that.”
“Oh, thank you, Scarlet Swan. I will see if I can escape your beautiful charm.” Eric’s answering smile is almost a leer. Smoke curls around his fingers. They wrap around the ribbon of light that is choking Eric. A cloud of darkness envelops him. And in the next moment, the light is gone.
“But you overestimate yourself.” The darkness shoots towards Celeste, hissing in malice. It grabs her from the air and knocks her hard against the wall. She crumbles to the floor and does not move.
“That’s the thing about having too much confidence.” Eric saunters towards her, his voice dripping with smugness. “Sometimes you offend people. Sometimes others may start to think you need taking down a peg or two.”
He leaned over her and gently brushed his hands against her cheek. “You are the most beautiful creature in all of Dreamscape,” he said, his hand moving down to her neck. His face moves closer and closer, almost brushing against her lips. “Too bad you have such a sharp tongue. Maybe I can help to adjust that attitude…”
Celeste’s eyes flew open. Flames erupted from her whole body and Eric is thrown back. In one swift motion, she grabbed her sword and flew towards him, pointing it immediately to his throat.
“Try that on me one more time and I will have your head.” She said, cooly. The flames died down and she was Celeste again, graceful and ever so lovely. “I have been hearing stories about you for a long time, Eric. If half of them are true you deserve to have your head sliced off right this instant.”
“What do you think will happen to you if you do that? Imprisoned? Exiled? Is it worth it, Celeste? Throwing away everything you worked so hard for?”
“There are some things,” Celeste pushed her swordpoint in a little deeper, “I don’t mind sacrificing myself over.”
“You are wanted by the Mystic, Scarlet Swan.” A tiny voice squeaked from the doorway. “She says it is urgent.”
The little fairy who poked her head into the room paled in terror. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and was gone in a flash. Celeste turned to Eric and said, “Your acts certainly has made a name for yourself.”
Eric laughed and was up on his feet in an instant. “They need to be kept in line.”
“I know what you are doing to them, Golden Guardian. I know what you try to do to any beautiful creature that crosses your path.”
“And what is that?” Eric challenged, taking a step towards her. “What do I do?”
Light glittered around Celeste, enveloping her in a sphere of otherworldly glow. “Do not believe for an instant that I will do nothing about it.” She said.
“Is that so?” A hint of red flashed in Eric’s eyes. “You know I welcome a challenge, Scarlet Swan.”
“As humans are so very fond of saying,” Cellestel paused, turning away. “Be careful what you wish for.”
It would have been very interesting to see what she would have done had fate given her a chance.
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