Fire Rises

A Whole New Realm

Turns out I wasn’t reaching enlightenment or passing out. In actuality, he had used whatever magic had gotten him through the realm of darkness to transport us into the outside.

Into the outside? Am I in the out? The confusion was overwhelming and my grip on reality wasn’t returning to me fast enough. He began speaking and I tried to decide if that was making the spinning slow down or speed up.

“Welcome, to the mortal realm and my kingdom, Eve.” Ugh he had to stop saying my name or I was going to be useless for the rest of forever. He stood with his chin lifted proudly in the air, his hands were balled into fists which rested on his hips, and his hair lightly waved in nonexistent wind. If he wasn’t so earth shatteringly handsome, he’d look a little ridiculous.

I tried to control my breathing in attempts to keep my dinner from the night before down. I was not ready to embarrass myself in front of the prince. 

I glanced around trying to distract myself from my churning stomach and the fallen angel next to me. I gasped, “Where are we?” There were giant brown sticks with green masses on top. Small singing creatures were flying into them; creatures that didn’t look like they were even considering gauging my eyes out. There was something under my feet that was also green and kind of smooshy. There were flowers. I had heard about those. But no one ever talked about how beautiful and good they looked. When I looked up everything was blue. There was light everywhere, but no candles or fires to be seen. There were no parameters to this world. There was nothing holding me in. My brain swirled at the thought and my vision started to turn black. The vomit was rising again, but this time there was no stopping it. 

I leaned over into the green mush and emptied my stomach.

Hot. Way to make a first impression, Eve. I heaved again and felt my hair being pulled back behind my head. I spun quickly, positive that the prince was attacking me. He didn’t look aggressive, though. He jumped back for just a second, before shaking his head slightly. He smirked at me and I wondered what I could have possibly done just then to make him smile. 

I leaned over as another heave took over my body. When I was confident I had gotten it all out I dared another glance at him. He looked at me with a new feeling swirling in his eyes. Like he had some sadness, maybe? But the sadness wasn’t his? It almost looked like the sadness was for me? That didn’t make any sense. 

Alright, don’t think I like that look very much, even if it's from those stunning baby blues. I suddenly remembered the puddle of vomit behind me and quickly moved away from both my shame and the prince. 

The prince’s eyes followed me as I moved and then dipped to my neck.

Ugh, the bruises. Thank you, Hades, for these awesome accessories. The look in the prince’s eyes deepened as he took in the evidence of Hades’ earlier assault. I needed to distract him so I cleared my throat hoping to redirect the beautiful man.

His eyes returned to mine and I looked at him questioningly again. “We’re in my kingdom! It’s far, far away from where you used to live.” 

Wow, awesome, super helpful. This guy was a cryptic brick wall. Well that isn’t very nice, now is it?

“Uh, huh.” I raised an eyebrow, but quickly averted my face not wanting to offend my host, even if he spoke like a fortune cookie.

“Are you okay, Eve?”

Great question. Am I okay? “Uh, yeah I think so. Everything just happened so quickly… I think I was caught a little off guard.”

“Ah, silly me!” He lightly smacked the palm of his hand against his forehead. “I was so eager to get out of… there, I didn’t really give you the chance to process or say goodbye. We can go back!” He made a move for my arm, but I yanked it away.

“NO!” His face was so surprised I immediately regretted my harsh response. I was going to need a lot of practice at being nice. “I mean, no, that’s okay. I’d rather never go back there, honestly. I just need a second.” He nodded curtly and left me to breath momentarily.

I continued assessing my surroundings. On top of a piece of earth that rose high above the rest was a building. It was reminiscent of my home, but even from this far away I could tell it was much larger and much nicer. And much older. I literally grew up under a rock, and even I knew that castle belonged to a very different time.

No gargoyles there, I bet, another deep breath had me confident I wouldn’t spew chunks again in front of the actual most gorgeous man alive. I mustered all the dignity I had left and looked into his eyes. 

“Soooo… Mr. Charming. What now?”

He chuckled. Chuckled. 

Oh my sweet spiders on stick, I thought his voice was the sound to end all sounds, but his laugh? His laugh?? I was done for. My sole purpose in life was now to make this man laugh. My mind was racing through potential comedic attempts when he interrupted my train of thought. “Now, I'll show you around.” He brushed back a few pieces of his perfect hair before adding, “But please, call me Charming.” He flashed a giant smile of perfectly straight, white teeth and then gestured to a nearby horse.

How long has that incredibly conveniently placed horse been there? I thought, Who just has horses on standby? I muled through the probability of the prince keeping wild horses on retainer to be at his every beck and call as he casually led the majestic beast to me. He plucked a canteen from the saddle and offered it to me. I eagerly swished my mouth out.

Oh good, now you’ve vomited and spit in front of Adonis. 2 for 2 Eve. Real smooth. I handed him the canteen which he reattached on the saddle. Once more he held his hand out for me. I looked at it, not trusting that he wouldn’t pull me into a spinning vortex again. I looked back at the horse and opted to mount him myself, earning a chuckle from the prince.

Swoon! As I was catching my breath he climbed up, forcing me to scooch back. It didn’t matter how far back I went though. Not only was I going to have to touch him, I was going to have to hold him. 

So much for putting off physical contact... poor me! I tried to hide my giddiness as I assumed a safe position.

With my arms secured around his ridiculously firm waist I did my best to ignore all of the not nice things running through my imagination. We took off at a slow gallop to somewhere, apparently, even further away.

***

Along our journey, I tried my best to memorize the path we were taking. I hated not knowing where I was. It had created an unsettled feeling in my stomach that despite my efforts, I couldn’t shake. The prince made a point to stop at some incredibly run down homes and businesses. I found the state of the civilian living quarters to be drole at best and shockingly impoverished at worst. Charming kept calling them ‘significant historical landmarks’ and ‘people’s houses.’ However boring, if not concerning, it all seemed, I was using them to build a mental map so I kept my complaints to myself.

“Now over here is the market where the butcher sells his meat.”

“This little cottage on the right is home to a baker!” 

“Oh, this one over here is the candlestick maker’s place. Such a lovely man!”

I imagined the butcher hacking away at my limbs. I pictured the baker turning my eyes into jelly for his bread. 

Or is it ogres that do that? Hard to say… Either way, I was going to keep my distance.

I wasn’t even sure what the candlestick maker would do to me, so I made a mental note to avoid visiting him ever. 

All of those people sounded terrifying, but the prince was so calm that they couldn’t be evil. 

Orrr this man is the most terrifying being around giving him no reason to fear these lowly blue collar folks. I knew I had to stop thinking like I was still trapped in the Dark Place surrounded by monsters. I was out. I was free. This is what I wanted. This is what I dreamed about. I was okay. I was with Prince-f*****g-Charming for Christ sake. I needed to chill out.

The prince pulled the horse to the side of the street and tied him to a post. I hopped down and gave him an inquisitive look.

“I want everyone to have a chance to meet you but I understand this has already been a big day. We can ease into the introductions. We’ll start here.” He gestured towards a small wooden building with a marquee that read ‘Fairly Fashionable.’ “The owner of this one is a dear friend of my mother’s. She is hardly here, but her daughter is a gem!”

Somewhere in my mind I remembered the prince had whisked me away before I had a chance to pack anything. Clothes shopping sounded like a great idea, though the idea was quickly snuffed out as soon as I saw what was inside.

We walked through the glass door to find a pastel nightmare. Everything was light pink and baby blue. My head swiveled between the billowing dresses and bows searching for something remotely acceptable amongst the displays. I stifled a snort at the mental image of me wearing anything this place had to offer. 

Just then a very petite girl with long yellow hair appeared from a pink puff of smoke behind the counter.

Okay, that was pretty badass. She looked to be about my age, though she had a childlike-air about her. Maybe it was the fact that she was even shorter than I, or maybe it was the comically large bow in her hair that made me feel that way. She had big, round eyes almost as light blue as the prince’s, though they lacked the impressive depth. Nonetheless, they were still beautiful. Comparing any part of any person to the prince seemed grossly unfair. Her energy was so light and bouncy; I was pretty sure I could kill her easily if I needed to.

Unless she does that poofing thing again, I started reconsidering my self-defense techniques against this smokey little minx. My thoughts were interrupted by her voice ringing through the boutique like windchimes. 

“Char… Your highness! Welcome! And… you’ve brought a… guest.” Her dainty pink lips fell at the corners as she eyed me from head to toe. Her initial shock of the prince bringing another girl into her salon turned into something closer to disgust. 

Well, that isn’t very nice, now is it? I gave her my best attempt at a smile and tried to think of something to say that might improve her quickly dwindling first impression of me. “Hi.” That’s it? “Your store is very... pink.” Much better. 

“Hello, Sophia! This is Eve. She is new to the kingdom.” Prince Charming’s voice boomed through the store, before Sophia, apparently, had a chance to respond. 

She gave a nervous giggle that was tinged with something else that I couldn’t place. “Welcome to our kingdom and my boutique. I’m Sophia.” She stepped around from behind the counter with her hand extended towards me. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. A large part of me thought she was about to attack me, but that didn’t seem like something that people here did. She kept coming closer, her diaphanous short pink gown flowing in invisible wind as she moved. It reminded me of how the prince’s hair had moved similarly earlier.

Is there just a draft in this entire kingdom? Is my hair doing that, too? I quickly checked my reflection in the mirror behind Sophia to check. It wasn’t.

Sophia stopped about a foot in front of me with her hand still extended. I had no idea what she wanted from me, so I stared at her arm hoping there would be a clue to the appropriate response written somewhere on her forearm. There wasn’t. I took a shot in the dark by assuming she probably wanted me to say something nice about it. “Your hand is very… tiny. Thank you for showing me.” I had never heard someone say ‘thank you’ without adding a hearty dose of sarcasm, but I assumed the root of the phrase must be a good thing to say.

She dropped her hand and eyed me again with raised eyebrows. This time her appraisal stopped at the choker on my neck. I wasn’t sure if the look on her face was from the upside down cross or the fresh bruises I was sporting. Eitherway, it caused something to flare within me. The prince and Sophia both startled before giving eachother a look that I couldn’t decipher. I caught my reflection in the mirror behind Sophia. My eyes were glowing again. I needed to move their attention along.

“Sooo… the prince says you’re a gem. What does that mean?” Sophia giggled and her cheeks suddenly matched her dress. She glanced over at the prince in a way that told me being called a ‘gem’ was a very nice thing. 

“Oh, you! Ever the charmer!” She playfully batted at his chest and it made me want to remove her tiny fingers from her tiny hand. My face must have said as much because she took a step back and asked, “Would you like to take a look around? We have something for everyone!” I highly doubted that based on the ridiculous monochromatic color scheme she seemed to dabble exclusively in. 

“Anything you want, Eve, you can have it.” The prince flashed me his too-perfect smile, tilting his chin out to the store.

I glanced around again before scoffing and answering, “Hard pass.” The prince and Sophia looked at me and I knew I had said something wrong. 

“Nonsense! Try this!” Sophia snapped her fingers and I was suddenly in a short light blue dress that had something fluffy beneath the skirt. I looked preposterous. 

Without my jacket, my left arm was on full display and I quickly tried to hide it with my other hand. They both eyed it warily, but Sophia didn’t have any interest in straying from her mission to humiliate me. “Hmmm… no that one isn’t quite right.” She snapped her fingers again and I was suddenly in a flowing, floor length, white gown covered in pink flowers. This one had some kind of pink cape draping behind me. I looked down to see my feet were now in pink glass high heels. I wobbled momentarily before Sophia snapped her fingers again and I was in a whole new outfit. 

If we had been in the Dark Place, this girl would have excelled at the Judgements. This kind of torture was aruguably worse than anything I had done. I mean, I’m sure anyone I had punished would beg to differ, but this had to at least be close.

Three more times. She did it three more times before I had a chance to even process what was happening. On the last time I began wondering what the kingdom’s policy was on suing for this kind of torment. She lifted her hand to snap her fingers again, but I snapped with my words first. “ENOUGH!” My eyes glowed in the mirror once more, but her fingers snapped anyway. I was now back in the outfit I had arrived in.

“Well, that is okay. Maybe something from across the street would fit your fancy. They import a lot from… the eastern kingdoms.” The prince shot her a look of disapproval, but then c****d his head contemplatively before ultimately nodding in agreement. Sophia continued, “You must have had a very long journey to make it so far, far away! Your highness, perhaps, Eve would like to rest before she takes time to look around the city.” She flicked her eyes around the room before leaning in to loudly whisper, “She seems a little grumpy.”

And welcome to my s**t list, Sophia. The prince ignored Sophia’s rude comment completely, only addressing the initial concerns. 

“Yes, of course! We have already fully stocked your closet at the castle anyway. I just thought it might be nice if you picked out a few things for yourself. Come now, Eve. We can return to town tomorrow.” Sophia was looking at me again with that strange emotion laced within her smile. She held out her arm and the glass door behind us opened without anyone touching it. 

What is with this girl’s obsession with her hands? I turned posthaste, all too eager to leave this new kind of pastel drenched hell.

***

As we neared the castle I was feeling anxious. I didn’t pack clothes, I had no idea how to be nice, I hadn’t paid attention when the prince was explaining exactly what I was supposed to do here, and, worst of all, I was getting hungry. 

Now, I never really identified with the evil that ran rampant in the Dark Place. Sure I did some horrible things from time to time to appease my mother, keep up appearances, and save my own ass. However, I had a weakness that brought out an evil beast that lived within me. All that beast needed to surface was an empty belly. Full disclosure, I did some really, really nasty things when I was hungry.

I gently tapped the prince on the shoulder, giving my very best to attempt at seeming sweet- like someone worth feeding. 

“Um, your highness, I’m sure you want to give me a tour of your lovely home, but would it be possible to eat first? I haven’t eaten since last night and, well, I was sick earlier so I’m… I’m famished.” The prince turned his head fully towards me, locking his hypnotic eyes on mine. I had almost forgotten how stupidly beautiful this man was. I hadn’t looked at him dead on for at least fifteen minutes as we rode, and the glory that was his face took the air right out of me once more. 

His eyes had that look again. The sadness that was for me. If I wasn’t so infatuated with everything those eyes did, I would have hated that look. He lifted a hand and touched my cheek.

Fuckkkkk. My brain had fully melted and I resolved to eat my own arm if this man wanted to show me the damn castle first. Unless he didn’t take that gorgeous hand off my face; it was big and meaty enough to probably hold me over for a while.

Maybe just a little bite... The prince unknowingly came to his own rescue when he finally spoke, “Of course we can eat, Eve. I was going to show you to your room first, but we can start in the kitchen.”

We passed through the gates, a small army of uniformed men saluting on either side, and headed for the front door. I was just beginning to wonder if he’d ride this stead into the castle doors when he slowed the horse at the top of the grand marble staircase and slid off the side. I looked back to find all of the guards’ eyes on me. He offered his hand to help me down, but my hunger was growing and I didn’t think accidentally having one of his fingers for an hors d'oeuvre was the best first impression on his people. Ignoring his hand, I slid off the other side of the horse. I looked back at the beast, who was looking more delectable by the minute. 

Noone would notice if I took a small chunk off the back... The horse started to shift his feet, apparently aware that he was being lowkey hunted.

“Right this way,” I swear that man’s voice was magic. My attention was temporarily reclaimed from my murderous thoughts. I hastily made my way through the door he was holding open. 

Be cool; don’t trip; don’t eat anything you aren’t supposed to. I repeated my mantra all the way to the kitchen. 

‘Kitchen’ wasn’t the right name for this room. This room deserved so much more. It was massive. There was storage everywhere that I couldn’t help but imagine to be stuffed to brim with tasty treats. There were a series of five impressive islands that I could only assume were meant for preparing large quantities of food to satiate the masses. 

“We have anything you’d like here. I cannot cook. It’s my fatal flaw, so to speak.” He did that silly head bobble thing again, before continuing, “but the chef will be in shortly. Just let him know what you’d like for dinner,” the prince started listing possibilities and I slowly turned my attention away from the expansive ‘kitchen’ to gawk at him again. His chiseled jaw looked confident in the food selection he was offering, but I couldn’t help but think he was the most appealing snack in the room. 

I started to internally deliberate between whether I meant that figuratively or literally, but came up short. Luckily for him I noticed a basket of bread on one of the counters. I snatched a roll and greedily shoved half into my mouth. I wasn’t sure who chose to leave those so accessible, but I silently thanked them and promised them my undying loyalty. 

As I took another bite, the prince had that look in his eyes again. I looked away and tried to ignore whatever it was that he kept feeling for me. I would gladly accept adoration, infatuation, bliss; hell I’d even accept fear compared to whatever that look was. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” My mouth was stuffed full of bread, but the words still managed to come out before I had a chance to stop them. The prince shook his head, first, apparently, to clear the look, and second to deny it.

“I’m sorry Eve, I wasn’t looking at you like anything.” I hadn’t heard the word ‘sorry’ not dripping in sarcasm or from someone not begging for their life. I wasn’t really sure what to make of that, so I just took the last bite of the roll.

I grabbed another, larger loaf of bread to take with me and turned to him. “Okay, I’ll be shown to my room now.”

He pursed his bottom lip and spoke before I could think about how nice that lip would feel against my own, “Are you sure, you haven’t eaten much and the chef isn’t here yet to discuss your food preferences.” I’d been in this world for less than three hours and I was already starting to understand what nice meant. 

I forgot he had mentioned the chef. Even though my mother was ‘queen,’ we never had someone to prepare our meals. In fact, she didn’t allow me to eat much. She preferred me to be hungry; especially before the Judgements. She knew what hunger did to me and she relished any opportunity to utilize this inside knowledge. Two pieces of bread felt like a full meal. I didn’t want to tell the prince that, though. I knew it would earn me another one of his special looks. I smeared my most nice smile on my face and dared to look back into his eyes, “This is enough for now. The chef can surprise me. Trust me, I’ll eat anything.” The last word came out as a whisper. I didn’t want him to catch the implication.

He smiled his charming smile and said, “Very well then Eve, I’ll have your handmaiden show you to your room. Dinner is in two hours so that should be plenty of time to rest and freshen up.” He made a gesture towards an unseen figure by the door without breaking eye contact. I was too captivated by his lingering gaze to see who he was motioning to. “I look forward to seeing you soon.” The last part seemed a little more sincere than I was expecting.

Um okay, Charming, what the hell is that supposed to mean? I was still trying to sort through if what he said was layered or if he was just being polite, when a gentle but firm voice called from behind me.

“Hello miss, I’ll show you to your room.” The words were enough to cause Charming to bow slightly and depart from the kitchen. I turned to see a woman with a pleasant smile waiting for me. My first impression was that she was tall. I was small, but even without the stark juxtaposition, I knew this girl was tall. Her brown hair was tied back in a neat bun. She didn’t let her blue-gray eyes reach mine. She looked powerful and timid all at once. I was so mesmerized by the anomaly that stood before me that I almost forgot to respond. Almost.

“Um, thanks.” I stepped towards her as she pivoted to lead the way.

We walked for what felt like forever, but was likely less than 10 minutes. We were silent for most of the trek, but I remembered that the prince said she was my handmaiden, so I figured I should ask her name. And maybe get some other information about where I was since the prince could only say 'far, far away.' Cryptic bastard. For the time being, her name seemed a good place to start.

“Uh-ehm, what’s your name?”

“My name is Clara, miss.” She continued walking without any falter in her step or focus as she spoke.

“It is nice to meet you Clara. How long have you worked in the castle?”

“My mother worked in the castle, miss. I followed in her footsteps, though I officially began training when I was around eight years of age.” Her head stayed high, but I didn’t miss the anguish laced in her words. 

Yeesh. This girl had been trapped in a different kind of prison, but trapped nonetheless. She looked a little older than me, but not by much. Her entire life had been mapped out based on the path of her mother’s, much like mine had been. I wondered if her hell was worse since she could see the great fruits the rest enjoyed, but had to live with them just beyond her reach. I remembered a story Hades told once about creating a punishment that sounded eerily similar. 

Oh s**t, did I just trade one hell for another? I let that thought pass quickly and instead kept my attention on the conversation with Clara. “My name is Eve, I prefer if you call me that instead of Miss, if that’s alright.”

“Yes, Eve.” She turned her head slightly to give me a small smile, almost allowing her eyes to reach mine.

“Sooo, what do you think of the prince?” Clara blushed at my question.

Me too, girl, me too. Apparently no matter how much time you spend around this man, his effects never wear off.

“The prince is a lovely man… I mean a kind man... I mean the prince… he’s… well he’s charming.” 

Ah. Yes. That he is. He didn’t even have to do anything to deserve that title. The way he stood was charming. The way he wore his hair, his eyes- even with all their confusing emotions,- his ability to have horses on standby, and his voice, OH, don’t get me started, and his nose… I stopped myself before I could get too far.

“I’ve picked up that much,” my statement seemed to have inspired enough confidence in her to finally make eye-contact, so I shot her a knowing wink. I wasn’t sure if nice people winked and I immediately felt self-conscious about the gesture. Clara visibly relaxed a little, causing me to release a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. 

Winking goes on list of ‘do’s’. Good to know. 

We arrived at a giant ornate door that she entered a code into and then held open for me. There was a sitting area that welcomed me into the room. A huge four post bed was placed against the far right wall. Two massive windows expanded from the floor to the ceiling on the outward facing wall, with a set of double doors leading out to a small balcony in the middle. Ornate floral wallpaper in shades of light reds, tans, and gold covered the walls from floor to ceiling. It was gaudy, but at least it wasn’t all pastel. 

“Would you like me to show you around the room miss… Eve, I beg your pardon miss… Eve… OH!” I realized then that Clara was a little afraid of me. That made sense. She didn’t know me, what everything she could assume about me was likely terrifying. I’d have to put her at ease. If I was going to fit in here, I needed to be nice.

Is it too soon to wink again? Yeah, it will be weird to do it again already. I was going to need more nice gestures if I was going to make this girl feel comfortable around me. I mean, it wasn’t like I was going to randomly kill her… though I could see why she might think that. Okay Eve, you can be nice. You got this… just do something a nice person would do.

“Clara, don’t stress yourself. It’s not like I’m going to cut off your ears and force feed them to you for messing up my name.” 

See, nice isn’t so hard! My mental pat on the back was instantly stifled when I saw Clara take a large step away from me. Her eyes were very wide when she replied, “Of course not, Eve. I never thought that.” But her visible shaking and darting eyes made it clear that now that’s all she was thinking. 

Oops. My bad. I mentally moved ‘mentioning acts of violence, even if you are saying you won’t do it’ to the ‘don’t do’ list.

“I’ll just let you rest for a while and come back in an hour to help you prepare for dinner.” Clara was already half-way out the door as she was saying goodbye, but her mention of freshening up suddenly reminded me that I never had a chance to pack anything. 

“Um, Clara, I don’t have any clothes to change into.” She popped her head back into the room and gave me a smirk. Whatever she was thinking now seemed to have momentarily pushed her to forget my accidental, indirect threat. I was happy to see she wasn’t afraid for the moment, but then I frowned, unsure if she was smirking at me or to me. I was fairly certain it wasn’t nice to laugh at people for not having clothes, so I assumed the latter. My eyes must have glowed for a second though because she stepped back again. I gave her an apologetic smile and she seemed to accept my peace offering. 

“Oh yes you do, Eve. I’ll show you around the closet when I return. It's right through that door if you want to explore before I get back.” She winked at me, turned on her heel, and shut the door behind her. I was relieved to hear I did have clothes, but was too caught up on the fact that she had winked at me to think to immediately explore. 

I was so insecure about that gesture just a few minutes ago, and here this girl was doing it back. My confidence grew a bit. The prince was hot. Clara was cool. I could be nice… probably. This place would be okay. It had to be.