The Girl With The Owl Mark

“Do you have any idea what you have done?” The king’s voice bellowed. “ How could you let my finest men get trapped in an ambush?” Damien had his head bowed, he was tired and weak from his battle wounds and he felt his legs were eventually going to give up on him. “ Need I remind you that it was your idea to take the route through the woods father when I clearly disagreed.” He replied keeping his head down. The king stood up from his throne and walked slowly towards him. “ Yes I agree, it was my fault.” He said slowly circling him. “ I should have sent your elder brother instead.” “ Father, there was nothing I could do.” “ That’s because your useless, if I had sent Michael, he would have fought to the death, die for honour instead of fleeing like a coward. You sicken me and I wish you had died instead instead of all those men, now get out of my sight and send your brother in.” They shared a cold stare with him before he bowed and left the throne room. The night air was cool and lightning flashed, rain lashed on him as he was making his way to the stables, he found his horse, Rider, getting his wounds treated. “ How is he?” He asked the ostler, Fred, who was also a close friend of his. Fred finished cleaning Rider’s wounds and put the cloth back in a bucket, he stood up and stroked the white streak of fur on Rider’s head. “ Just a few minor cuts, I’ll just give him some hay and he’ll be alright.” Fred looked at him and noticed the stab wound he had on his shoulder. “ Master Damien, why don’t you get that treated?... you’re losing a lot of blood.” “ I will, I needed to check up on Rider first.” “ The way you treat this horse with love and affection, any woman would envy.” Fred chuckled. Damien forced a smile before turning to leave, he stopped at the door. “ And if you see Michael, tell him that father requested for him in the throne room.” “ I will Master Damien.” Damien walked slowly to his room in the castle once the door had shut behind him the rage he had kept inside let itself go and he began smashing everything in his path. He smashed all three of the vases which were lined neatly on the mantel, he threw the food they had put perfectly on the table for him and threw the table across the room as well. Pausing to catch his breath, he ran his hand through his hair and looked around at the mess. “ No..mother’s vases.” He muttered kneeling down taking the pieces into his hands and squeezed them till blood dripped trickled from them. He stood up and sat on his bed facing his mirror, he looked like a nightmare his boots were all covered in mud, his hair was wet and blood gushed out of his wounds. The door creaked open and a maid entered pushing a cart, she looked around at the horrendous mess. “ Are you okay master Damien?”she asked quietly. “ I’d like to be left alone please.” He looked at the unfamiliar face. “ Wait, who are you? Where is Mary?” Mary was the maid who usually attended to his needs.There was something suspicious about the new maid, she had a child like face but mature green eyes, wisps of her dark hair sprouted out from under her hat. She looked very pretty he had to admit even in the maids uniform, she made the basic long black dress with a white apron look like it was a ball gown. “ I'm Katy, I will be your new maid till Mary gets better she’s called in sick.” She explained closing the door behind her. "Very well, run me a bath." After his long bath, he returned and she had already laid out his clothes, she looked away as he changed and pulled a basket from her cart and went to stand infront of him . “ May I treat your wounds?” “ Fine.” He took off his shirt and she knelt Infront of him not meeting his eyes, she cleaned his wound and bandaged it. He would hiss out of pain a few times and she would make sounds like she was comforting a baby, soon enough she was done treating the wound on his hand and shoulder. She went behind him she cleaned the wounds on his back with her right hand and her left hand slipped into the pocket of her dress gripping the handle of a dagger before slowly pulling it out. Damien groaned making her quickly push it back in her pocket. “ Where did you learn to do such Katy?” “ Uh well...my mother taught me.” “ I see, she did you good.” “ Yes she did. I would advise you not to squeeze sharp objects Master Damien, you might lose a finger.” “ I am the prince, I can do whatever the bloody hell I want.” He replied in a cocky tone. She pulled out the dagger once again and had the chance to get over with it but she couldn’t, all of a sudden she noticed his scent and how his skin glowed in the firelight. Her hand started shaking and she quickly put the dagger back as he turned to face her. “ And it is with this title that you are to act responsibly not cutting yourself like a child.” She responded looking him in the eyes. He was awestruck with the nerve this girl had, nobody had the nerve to talk to him that way. She smiled and picked up the blood stained pieces of cloth and put them in the cart and started to clean up the room, her hands were still shaking and she tried her best not to let it show. Damien leaned back on his pillows and watched her as she worked. She was fast, and there was something satisfying about watching her work and soon she finished cleaning and turned to him. “ I’ll have them send you another table.” She said putting her basket back in the cart.” And do not break it this time. If you do have one of your tantrums just go on your balcony and stare at the horizon, usually works for me.” Damien stood up and walked towards her stopping with his face just inches way from hers. “ And who gave you the right to talk to me like that?” She looked directly into his blue eyes, she wasn’t scared not even intimidated and wanted to respond something witty but held herself back and looked down. “ I will leave now.” She said turning from him and realized that she had held her breathe. She opened the door. “ Katy, I know there’s a dagger in your pocket and you wanted to stab me with it now before I call the guards, come back in here.” Katy froze in her tracks, she calculated the odds of her escaping and realized it was near impossible. She closed the door and slowly turned around. “Tell me who you really are?” He asked as he pulled the dagger from her pocket, admired the blade before swiftly putting it against her neck. “I asked you a question.” She didn’t flinch, her eyes still radiated with pride as if he wasn’t a threat to her. Damien was impressed, he didn’t want to flatter his wanna be assassin but she was a tough one. He slowly moved the blade from the side of her neck sliding it up her chin. “ Silent treatment?” He asked c*****g up an eyebrow. “ We could do this all night Katy.” He pulled her next to the bed, ripped his shirt and used it to tie her hands to the bed post. She didn’t struggle, didn’t say anything. She sat on the edge of the bed while Damien played with her blade. “ Won’t you talk?” “ Let me go.” “ And give you the chance to try to murder me?” “ I won’t.” “ Who sent you? Was it my father?” “ No.” “ An enemy of mine?” “ No.” “Then who?” “ You wouldn’t understand, let me go and I’ll disappear from your life forever.” Damien looked her over intensely, he noticed a dark spot on her shoulder it looked like it was something more but her dress hid the rest. He moved closer to her and traced the lining of the dress with his finger, she flinched. He pulled the dress off her shoulder and there was a birthmark the shape of an owl, Damien felt himself shudder. “ So you’re gifted.” His mother had once told him about the gifted with the owl mark, they had been banished from the kingdom, though he couldn’t remember the reason, something about them disobeying his grandfather. “ So this is a revenge story?” He asked looking down at her. Her eyes looked up at him and smoke rose from where he had tied her hands, He stepped back in horror as the cloth burst into flames. Katy stood up and rubbed her wrists, Damien grabbed his sword and drew it. She took off her hat and her long dark hair tumbled to her waist, she sighed before flicking her fingers and Damien's sword flew across the room. " Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you though I'm supposed to." " What?...how?..." " Typical Normal" She smiled. She headed towards the balcony and stood on the edge. "And by the way, my name's Miranda." "Miranda wait...how?.." Before he could finish she jumped and when he hurried to check she was gone. The rain lashed even heavier and lightning flashes as ran his hands through his hair, he couldn't believe what he just saw. A knock at the door interrupted Claire as she was packing. Her grey eyes looked around to see if she had packed everything, she tied her blonde hair into a bun and hurried to the door but froze before opening it, she knew it should be Miranda but what if it wasn't. They had booked a single room in an inn that didn't have that good of a reputation so she grabbed a staff that laid nearby. She opened the door and a drenched Miranda hurriedly entered, sighing she put the staff down and closed the door. " How did it go?" She asked a Miranda who was changing into dry clothes. She didn't answer. "Did you kill him?" Claire asked again. Miranda looked at her friend she'd known for ages contemplating whether to tell her the truth or lie to her but her guard was already up she knew something was wrong. " I..I couldn't kill him."Miranda stammered and then she explained everything that happened. " What?..what do you mean you couldn't kill him, you had a dagger, hell you have your powers."Claire was so confused, Miranda had never made a mistake before or hesitated it just wasn't like her. " My vision, you know what I saw and you have done this a lot of times before." " But I couldn't okay!" Miranda snapped running her hands through her wet hair." I'm tired Claire, I am tired of this burden I did not ask for." " Well whether you like it or not that burden is still yours and you know what is at risk if you don't protect it with everything you've got." " I need to rest and we can try this again." " Fine we leave in two hours." " We can stay the night. We leave tomorrow morning." " What if-" " He's not going to do it." Miranda said clutching the precious stone of her necklace. The burden she did not ask for.