Marked.

Emma

The first time I had an episode, I thought that I was dying. Now that I'm on my fifth, I'm beginning to think it's not such a death sentence, and more of a punishment.

My blood boils underneath the surface of my skin, sending waves of heat through my body. I convulse with each wave, as if my body is physically burning from some unseen fire. My chest tightens as the heat becomes unbearable, a groan escaping my lips as I glance at my grandmother.

Her graying hair was tied tight in a long braid, small whisps kissing her tanned skin. I watch as she places a dripping rag across my skin, in hopes to sooth the consistent heat flowing through me.

"You're going to be okay, sweetie. The kings on his way," she whispers while brushing my forehead with the damp cloth. I shift slightly, feeling a whole new wave take over my body.

This pain is excruciating. It has plagued me every night since I moved to the North Kingdom, tugging me into its unforgiving path. I scream out as the pain increases. Each night, the pain has gotten worse and worse. Leaving me in a pool of sweat by the end.

"Where is he?" My grandmother asks while pouring a glass, of what I assume is ice water, across my body. Chunks of the frozen beverage lie across my skin.

"Water," is all I'm able to whisper. She hurriedly stumbles over to the bathroom fawcett and fills the same glass she poured on me.

After a few seconds, she was right beside me again. Her hand behind my scalp, she helps lift my head to the glass. I welcome the cool liquid as it runs down my throat. My dry taste buds are finally being satisfied.

When I finish the glass, my pain slightly subsides, making it easier to breath. She looks at her watch before a knock resonates at the door. My eyelids droop tiredly as the pain continues to go away.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here. She almost died!" My grandmother's exasperated voice fills my ears. I grin slightly even though the muscles are sore.

"I left a meeting, so this better be good Cordelia," a deep voice says. The tone sending shivers through me.

"It's Emma. Her episodes are getting worse by the day. We need to find him fast or she might just die," my grandmother whispers.

"Don't worry, I've got her," the voice says. I feel my body relax more as time ticks. The raging fire turned into a soft hum under my skin.

"Hi little one," a man whispers while lifting my body from my spot on the bed. I sigh in content and burrow my head into the person's shoulder. He smells nice, of mint and lavender almost.

"Fall asleep, we have a lot of work to do when you wake," he whispers and that's all i needed to hear before i plunged into darkness.

------

A small hum of music fills my ears, pulling me out of my sleep. I shift slightly before feeling silk bed sheets. I quickly jolt up with frantic eyes, my heart pulsing through my chest. I'm very clearly not in my home, I think to myself as I glance around the room.

The bedroom looked very manly, with dark walls covered in books shelfs. The books fill each slab of wood, looking untouched in years. Dimly lit candles decorate the room in random spots.

I lift my body from the comfortable mattress, the material sticking to my still sweat covered skin. Land on the cool ground, the wood digging into my barren feet. I'm still dressed in the large t-shirt that I was wearing during my wave, which I'm thankful for.

I slowly walk towards the large wooden door, the detailed door looking old but beautiful. Turning the knob, I exit with curiosity filling me.

The soft, dark red carpet molds to my feet as I wander through the hallway. The walls are covered in portraits of people. Beautiful people. I stand, amazed by how gorgeous each and everyone is. They all are dressed in beautiful gowns, and on their head sits the same two crowns in each picture. They must have been the previous king and queens.

Large lanterns decorate the walls, giving the hall a gloomy look. I brush my hands over the names of the people.

Queen Victoria, King Cassius- 106 B.C.

I glance up at their portrait. Queen Victoria was beautiful, her bright green eyes and deep red hair twisted into a beautiful bun. Small curls hanging from behind the small crown.

King Cassius had a stern look about him. His hair was a bright blonde and he had bright blue eyes. His skin was a pale white, along with victoria. And well, every other portrait.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brings me out of my trance. I jump back from the paintings, as though I was a kid caught stealing from a candy store. I look over only to be frozen.

The man in front of me was, well, handsome. He had dark black hair that was swept back, his eyes dark and looming. My eyes scan over his face, taking note of his chiseled features. He raises an eyebrow at me and I blush at my snooping.

"It appears that you finally woke up," he whispers, his accent licking at his words as he spoke. I hum in response, not daring to try to take a look at the man.

"How are you feeling?" He asks. I look up to see if he was being genuine, before answering.

"Better," I whisper. My nerves continue to go haywire as I watch him. He seems hesitant to speak to me. His eyes continuously glance here and there at something that isn't there.

"Would you like to come to my office? I'm sure you have some questions and I would like to get them asked in a more private setting." He more demands than asks. I nod my head and he turns towards another hall. Following closely behind him, I continue to look down.

I feel awkward. I have no clue where I am, who this strange man is, and where my grandmother went. But for some reason, I seemed to trust this man. It wasn't like he proved that i could trust him, it just felt like the right thing to do.

After a few turns down random halls, he begins to slow down once we reach a door. There's marking covering the dark wood, swirls and patterns making it beautiful to the eye. My palms itch to reach out and run over the intricate details, but I hold back the urge and look up at the stranger.

"Ladies first," he says while opening the door wide enough for me. I take a step forward, searching for a spot to sit. A large black love seat sits against the wall, directly in front of an oversized desk in the middle of the room.

The walls are covered in the same type of books that the room had, but these ones, well they were more used. Less dust collected over the shelving, and some even lie wide open on the floor beside them. I take a sit down on the large love seat, the cool leather causing goose bumps to rise on my skin.

The man walks through the door, shutting it behind him. I watch as he moves gracefully to the desk, taking a seat in the larger chair.

"Where is my grandmother?" I ask almost instantly. His eyes shoot towards me, amused.

"Already with the questions? You don't even know my name," he says with a soft chuckle. I grumble and lean back.

"What's your name?" I whisper. He grins broadly before answering.

"Elicio," he states. My eyes widen dramatically as I stare at him.

"King Elicio," I fix his statement. The king of the North Kingdom. The untrustworthy and ruthless king. The stories of his punishments towards unruly citizens flash like they were my own memories. Some of them were unjustly, and some were just plain cruel.

"Don't worry. You're not here for a punishment," he says with a worried glance. I continue to hyperventilate as I look at him. My heart down in the pit of my stomach, causing my lungs to collapse or at least feel like they're collapsing.

"Where's my grandmother?" I ask, frantically. If he hurt her, I swear on everything I own, I will skin a king and wear his flesh like a pelt from a good hunting season.

"Cordelia made me promise to find an end to your suffering and that's what I plan to do," he says. I stare at him with slight anger rising.

"Where is she." I say while trying to hold back my anger.

"Don't worry little one, she's at your home doing what she normally does at 3 am." He states with a bored expression.

"Oh... okay," I whisper, feeling embarrassed from my outburst.

"So when did your heat waves start?" He asked. I take a moment to think about it.

"I think it was the night after I was welcomed into the kingdom. That was the worst night," I state, remembering the episode not stopping until the sun came up. He looks down at the papers with confusion written all over his face. He sifts through some before finding a piece of paper.

"Did your grandmother ever tell you the stories of the kingdoms?" He asks with a hesitant glance. I giggle.

"You mean the stories of witches, werewolves, and vampires? Because if you believe that, then I think that you are unfit to rule a kingdom," I say while laughing. His eyes shoot towards mine, and I've never felt so much heat from a glare before. His eyes sending chills all through my body making me shiver in fear.

"Don't ever say I'm unfit to rule my kingdom." He says threateningly. I watch as he stands and walks towards me. Like an animal stalking its prey. I quickly back into the cushions as he slowly makes the inches between us disappear.

"I don't allow such disrespect in my kingdom, let alone my own house," he whispers. My lungs begin to feel constricted as I watch him carefully.

"Now you will listen to what I say without a single word in objection. You will pretend that everything that I'm about to say is completely normal," he says while staring into my eyes. His pupils dilated.

"Okay," I whisper. He nods his head and walks back to his desk, resuming his spot in his seat.

"So, the stories are actually 100% true. Although it sounds crazy, there are supernatural beings that walk around you constantly." he says. I nod my head in fear, not believing a single word he says.

"The world was in utter chaos when the word got around that there were people who were faster, stronger, and smarter than the humans. They began hunting each one down and trying to kill them. It was basically a suicide mission, but still, some were able to wipe out most of us," he says while rubbing his temples. A sigh escaping his lips.

"Then a peace treaty was signed, one that declared the South as the Human Kingdom, The East as the Witch Kingdom, The West as the Wolves Kingdom, and the North, well the North is just filled with Vampires," he says, sincerely. At that moment, I couldn't hold myself back from laughing. He looks at me, shocked.

"I'm sorry, but i can't believe that you think this is real," i continue to giggle through my words. He continues to look at me as if he can't believe what I'm saying.

"How did that not work," he whispers to himself, but I pay no attention to what he says. I continue to laugh here and there, filling the silence in the room.

He inhales deeply before a crease continues to form between his eyebrows.

"Do you not believe me?" He asks, finally. After a long moment of silence, he stands and walks towards the door.

"Come on," he says while bursting through the wood and wandering down the hall. I quickly chase after him, struggling to keep up with his fast paced movements.

He walks gracefully down the halls yet again. His head held high, and movements precise. As if he has been doing them for years.

After long moments of following him, we stumble upon a large metal door. A large, thick, bar lies across the metal. Locking away whatever is inside. He lifts the metal with ease and opens the door roughly.

The sounds of peoples groans fill my ears, my lungs swelling with the smell of body odor and blood. I cringe the further we walk inside, Elicio seemingly unaffected by the stench. He quickly walks past what looks like prison cells.

Bars of rusted metal cover the walls, and at first glance seem empty, but when my eyes adjust to the dim lighting I notice they are filled with people. Men, women, and children cling together in the cells. Their bodies malnourished and skin as pale as paper.

"Who are they?" I ask while looking at the doe eyed children. My heart is aching to help them.

"Don't feel bad for them. No one here is below the age of 100. Well, except you," he says. I look at him in shock.

"What are we doing?" I ask, almost slamming into his back when he abruptly stops. He turns towards me with a grim look strew across his face.

"I'm proving that what I told you was true," he says while reaching for my wrist. With a swift action, he sliced my finger. Blood begins to burst through the small cut. I grumble while pulling my hand back from him.

One second I was staring at him with anger in my eyes, the next, I was staring at the cells in fear. The people that were acting injured and begging me with their eyes to save them one second ago, are now raging against the cages. Banging their heads against the metal with an agression I have never seen before.

Their teeth are elongated in an unnatural way, with points decorating each tooth. Tears begin to well up in my eyes as I look at Elicio with fear. He stared at me with an expecting look, as if he knew he was right but still wanted validation. I look back down at my hand in horror.

They wanted my blood. They wanted to drain whatever I had inside me, something that's limited, and they were willing to injure themselves to get it. I look back up at Elicio with a new found fear. He was just like them, even if he was showing that he wasn't affected by the smell of my blood, I knew deep down that he wanted the same thing that they all wanted.

The king isn't a protector, he's a monster.