The Shadow Princess

Just The Beginning

The darkness encircles me like prey wrapping me up and trying to enter my mouth, but I bite down hard, grinding my teeth, ensuring to hold my breath so it can't win and enter me. It reaches around and pulls on my hair, trying to get me to open my mouth, but I bite down even harder. Blood pours out from the corner of my mouth, and it latches onto it, purring and turning a bright purple. I watch it through my half-open eyes, watching as it burns brighter and brighter from the small amount of blood it took from me. I smile and chuckle softly, and it wraps around me tighter like a boa trying to make us one together. I reach my hand out from the constriction, grab it softly, and watch as my hands run through it. It purrs against my touch, and I relax softly. It takes a form, finally, into a blank silhouette. I smile and say, "It's about time I was getting tired of playing this cat and mouse game where you try to take what you want from me without me knowing your intentions." It smiles and laughs loudly while placing its hand over what I assume is its chest and bows down on one knee with its head bowed. It speaks with a gravely voice one you can't really understand from the static, but after a few words it becomes clearer. It says, "I have finally found you, my princess. We have searched for you for a while now. Your father will be happy to hear that we have found you." My eyes sharpen, and eyebrows crease while saying, "What are you talking about? I have no parents. I've been here for almost 18 years, the entire time." It growls loudly and says, "You were kidnapped as soon as you were born. We had no idea how to find you since your powers hadn't awoken, so we couldn't locate you. We've searched everywhere for you, but now that you're almost 18, your powers are awakening, and that is why I am here. I am your familiar; we have been bound since your birth. While our connection was blocked, I have done nothing but look for you this entire time. You just need to accept me, and we can fix the frayed bond between us." It begins to reach for me, and I step back. I look at it up and down. "You have given me no reason to trust you. You come here and just tell me all of these things without any proof, and you expect me to what? Jump up and down and agree, I haven't gotten this far by being stupid and just saying sure to everyone." It smiles and says nothing. It pulls out a knife from behind its back, and I tense, getting into a fighting stance. It grins and slams the knife down into its hand and starts chanting. A purple circle wraps around us with ancient markings all over it, glowing brighter and brighter while these vine-like things come up from it, wrapping around both of us. It finds itself under my clothes and goes into my skin. It doesn't hurt, but it's slightly warm, and I can only watch as they go into me because when I try to move, it's like I'm locked in place. I look across from me and watch as they reach into the silhouette, and he's chanting still, but straining against the vines as they deep dive into him. Eventually, it burns bright and bursts into kindling, floating through the air. It remains kneeling, but it's panting. I squint my eyes, "What did you just do?" I can feel power vibrating throughout my entire body, waiting for me to reach out and touch it. I can hear it in my head, crying softly. It lifts its face to me, "I put an ancient vow into place where I can never harm you, even if our familiar contract forbids it. I linked our souls together. I wanted to prove my loyalty to you, princess. I have missed you all these years without you by my side. I have been lonely, searching for you, never ceasing to look for you. I am sorry it took so long to find you." I drop to my knees, "Is this you I hear in my head?" It drops its face down towards the ground and nods slowly. I feel it begin to tear apart my heart as I listen to the sobs in my head and tears form in my eyes and drop down my cheeks. I hear the loneliness, the longing, and the healing from being with me. I look up into the darkness and let out a scream that turns into a sob. "I'm sorry, I am SO f*****g sorry!" It rushes over to my side and wraps its arm around me, "Please don't be sorry, my princess, I would have waited for you for a million years just to find you. We found each other again." The memories from his touch begin to form in my mind as I see how hard it's looked for me, and I can't help but close my eyes and cry even harder. It never stopped looking for me, even in its weakest state, it continues to look for me, and all this time, I just thought that I was unwanted and abandoned by everyone. I tighten my hands into fists, and my nails dig into my palms, making them bleed. "I accept this familiar bond." Its power surges into me, and I watch as black tears drop from its eyes. "Thank you, my princess," It says before it disappears into me. I awaken with a jolt, still in the orphanage where I was dropped almost 18 years ago. I wipe at my eyes and pull my hand down to find my hand wet from the tears. I mumbled to myself, "Must have been a dream." "It was no dream, princess. I have finally found you, and I am with you now and forever." I jump up, smacking my head into the wall in the process. "Jesus Christ, Loralei, can't you just sleep in for one day. There are other people in here sleeping." I can hear it growl at the way they spoke to me, and I get up quickly without saying anything in response to them and put on my clothes for today. I don't have much, but it's something I have worked for over the years. I look into my designated drawer and pull out my black bell-bottom pants, belt, and my black crop top long sleeve. I sneak into the bathroom and put everything on and take my pajamas, and set them on my bed in my dirty clothes sack that's holding on by a thread. I grab my only hairbow and throw my hair into a loose braid after brushing through it. I sneak out of the room slowly and start to head downstairs. I sneak into the kitchen and begin to pull out everything I need to prepare dinner for the kids in the orphanage. I finish quickly so I can get started on my chores. I place everything on the table and begin to head outside before I hear the mistress of the orphanage walk into the kitchen slowly with her hair a mess, heading to the coffee pot. She says, "Stop right there, young lady!" I turn to face her and watch as she sips her coffee from an old mug that says, "Mrs. Ophelia." She smiles at me and sets her cup down and walks over to me and reaches up to my face and fixes a stray hair from my braid, and smiles. "Happy 18th Birthday, Loralei." She reaches into her robe and pulls out a handmade card from the younger children and places it into my hand, and a velvet box. "The card is from the younger children, and the box is something I saved up to get you. It's nothing major and fancy, but when I saw it, I knew it was perfect for you." I smile and hug her. "Thank you, Mrs.Ophelia." I open the card and read all of the notes the children left me, some of them unreadable, and some are just scribbles. I press it to my heart and smile next, I open the box and see a beautiful necklace on a short silver chain, holding a beautiful black stone I can't recognize. I hug Mrs. Ophelia again and thank her, and hand it to her to place on me. She places it on me, and I turn around to face her, and she has tears in her eyes. She says, "I am sorry you have to leave today." I look at her and place my hand on her shoulder. "Please don't apologize, I understand that I am too old now to be here. I am going to leave later today after I get all of the chores done." She sighs, "Okay, my dear, but please don't push yourself too hard."