Graves Risen

I have closed my eyes numerous times before I stand and pull out my books, searching for something that I did not believe could be real.

I shifted through the pile until I found the one I am looking for and flipped through the many pages. I have a pen with an ink ball in front of me and a notebook I work from is laid before me while I search.

When I'm able to find what I need, I hear a thud outside my door. I stand quickly, grab my knife from the drawer and slip my cloak on in seconds. A soft knock sounds on my door and I walk up to it before opening it, finding the Prince bent over picking up something.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing?" I blurt, vexed at him.

He stands up abruptly and holds out something. I take it from his hands and find that it is the arrow that was used to kill the priest.

I glance up at him. "What?"

"First off, I would like to apologize to you," he starts.

I hum quietly.

"And that arrow was in the priest's head," he said.

My brows draw together hard and I seeth in sudden anger. "Who is doing my job?"

"Since you were attacked at your home, the King decided-" He stops talking when I interrupt him by grabbing his shirt and pulling him into my room. I shut the door and turn to him, glaring angrily.

"What are you saying? They are after you, not me. Why would they be after me? They killed the Priest and now they are after you!"

"Would you like to tell me what that arrow says then, Tanda?"

I angrily break the arrow in half and point the sharpened end toward him. "You can not take my job away from me! It is what I do, my Prince. You seem to want me to like you but if this is how you treat me then why do you take my job? The thing that is mine!"

"I am only trying to keep you safe."

I huff, irked by his confession, and let the arrow's point fall to my side. "You are not keeping me safe if I feel like I am being caged."

"You have to understand that the arrow is speaking more than what we understand. Is there anything you can tell us?"

I seal my lips tightly and tighten my grip around the arrow's thin shaft. I stride to my desk and set it down slowly and keep my fingertips on the cold metal of the arrow. I hear him move and then hue lights the room, brightening it so he can see.

"Let me make you a deal, Tanda," he starts quietly. I hear his soft footsteps and slip the knife out of my cloak sleeve, ready to defend myself.

"I do not want to make deals with people, my Prince. "

His presence forces me to turn and he is standing so close. I inhale deeply, his smell beginning to intoxicate me and I feel so hot suddenly.

"I need space," I say to him. I step away quickly and am able to breathe again more smoothly.

Sitting at the end of the bed he ends up pulling the chair away from my desk but stopping abruptly. I turn my head, my fingers gripping tightly at the scales. I hold my breath as I watch him pick the open book up and for a long few minutes, he sets it down and turns to me. His movements are swift and in no time, he is in front of me, on his knees, looking up into my hood.

"You have no idea what that means?" he whispers quietly. "Are you lying to me?"

"I am not! I am confused. I have only been doing the deeds that help me earn my freedom."

"Freedom of what?"

"My curse," I hissed at him with venom.

"Is that what it is? It seems that the book says otherwise."

I stand up and move away but he grabs my wrist tightly. "Let me go!"

"You are hiding secrets, we can make a deal. I can keep you safe. We can rule together, Tanda. I can promise this," he pleads with patience.

"You cannot love a woman who is widowed," I answer. "You have crossed too many boundaries, my Prince. I believe you should back down before it is too late."

"For them to attack again?"

I narrow my eyes and he pulls me closer. The scale in my hand slips and the knife clatters to the ground. He does not flinch and frowns deeply. I see his dark eyes stare down into my own, finally finding them. The air seems to seep from my lungs and disappear into suffocation as pain serges into me emotionally, rocking me back into the times when I was in love and alive. The before times.

"Let go of me, please," I whisper, barely able to keep the emotions out of my voice. "I need you to let me go. You are hurting me."

He lets go quickly and his fingers lift up but drop quickly. He turns away from me and grabs the candle holder with the candle. "I will see you tomorrow, Tanda. A servant will get you for breakfast and I hope that you do not decline that offer."

I watch him exit my room and leave me alone. I grab the knife off the floor and set it on my desk. I wrap the cloak tightly around my frame and slip into the bed, the quietness settling in and leaving me to quire the Prince and the King. I wonder if the King knows but puts the thoughts away.

I remember the Prince's warm hand around my wrist, how it feels like it is still burning. I close my eyes. The dreams come in thunderstorms of flashbacks causing me to settle into a terrifying sleep.

I barely slept enough to do me any good. I began with my usual routine of brushing my hair out from the bottom and slowly brushing the knots upwards, even if I barely had knots. I pulled my hair into a simple braid. I brush my teeth and wash my hands in the basin before splashing water on my face, the basin of water I dump before pouring a new bowl of fresh water. I glance at my features in the mirror. I take in details, the candle reflecting through the mirror and brightening up the scar on my face. I quickly pull away and bow my gaze from the mirror and blow out the candle.

I hear a knock at my door and enter my chambers again. I grab my cloak and slip it on before opening the door and a servant stands there, fiddling with her fingers.

"Is this for breakfast?" I ask her.

She easily is startled, looking up at me and her eyes widening. She is quite shorter than I am, her brown hair curling around her head, her eyes big and blue. She reminds me of someone and I frown.

"Yes, the Prince asks for your arrival. He says it's ready."

I step out of my room and sigh. "May you lead me there? I believe I have no location in these halls."

"Of course."

I walk beside her, knowing my way already to the dining room but I want to know more about the individual.

"What is your name?"

"I am a servant, ma'am."

"Yes, I know. What is your name?"

She fidgets with her fingers again. "Maricey."

"You have a beautiful name."

She laughs nervously, "Thank you. What is your name?"

"Tanda."

"Are you visiting from another kingdom?"

I look down at her smaller figure. "No, why do you ask?"

"The Prince is very persistent with making you happy."

I smirk underneath my hood. "Does he?"

"That is all I can say," she whispers.

"It is okay. Secrets stay with me, I can promise you safety," I state. "I am not from another Kingdom, no."

"Oh," she pauses before continuing. "Why are you hiding your face?"

This time, a sad smile falls on my lips. "I have had bad things happen to me, so it is why I cover my face."

"Like marks?"

"I guess you could say that."

Maricey stops in front of the door and opens it for me, giving me a smile before entering. I find the Prince, the King, and other multiple people sitting around at the table. I enter silently and walk to the chair that is open beside the Prince.

"Tanda," the King acknowledges me.

"Good morning, my King, the Prince." I bow slightly before sitting in my chair.

"You are the executioner?" the man across from the Prince asks.

"I was," I turn to the Prince and he glances at me with what looks like a bit of annoyance.

"Have you liked your job?"

"I had, very much."

"This is Captain William, Tanda. He is investigating the attacks. I am sure it would be a lot of help if he knew the area where the bodies were buried."

I tense but quickly recover and swallow down the feeling that makes itself known to me. I reply, "I will. Will we go after breakfast?"

"The sooner the better," the Captain states.

"I need her back so she can have a tiffin, she will be accompanying me to the gardens, Captain William," the Prince says.

"I think it will be best if I spend lunch in my chambers, my Prince."

There is a long silence then the King hums. "Why not have dinner in the gardens? She can have her tiffin in her chambers. Let her have space. She is a lone woman used to no people around."

"Thank you, Majesty."

The food is brought out which silences us all. It is delivered on plates. I grab what I need after the King and the Captain also waits for the Prince but he looks at me. I stand and lean over to grab my food, putting it on my plate, a little of each of the ham and eggs before sitting down and filling my cup with water. I drink my water first until it is all gone. By then, they have all got their plates full of food. I reach over my food slowly before grabbing the pot and filling my cup. The only sound that I can hear is the pouring sound.

I sit back down.

"There are always the servants," the Prince suggests.

I blink slowly and tilt my head to look at him. "You are lucky I do not pour my water on you," I whisper.

He grins like a boy, his eyes popping sparks of life within them. I watch him closely as his smile fades. I turn back to my food and eat slowly, taking small bites at a time before finishing my plate.

"You can have more," the Prince assures me.

"I'm full," I comment.

"You barely ate."

"I do not need much."

"Erebus," the King says loudly. "Stop being so foolish."

"Fine."

I sit in silence while I stare at the glare on my plates from the candles that light the room up. I wish to take in the details of the ceiling. I remember when I had been a little girl, I would always look at the ceiling. The sadness crawls into my mind like vines, sucking me below the shadows. The feelings swirl but I grab ahold of them like I would tame a horse and suppress them to the undercurrent of the ocean.

"May you stand, ma'am?" the Captain speaks, reminding me of the place I am in. I stand and silently make my way to the doors and open and close them, leaving them before but I stand right outside of the door and there are no footsteps to be heard on the other side of the large thick door.

"You keep her safe. There is a man on the loose who is attacking people if she has a little scratch, I will know about it," the Prince speaks after the long few minutes of silence.

"Yes, of course," Captain William assures.

"You will kiss your title away," the Prince threatens. "Do not lay a hand on her. Warn your armed men, too. She is not yours to welcome into your arms."

I clench my jaw and huff angrily. My hands itch to push open the door and tell the Prince that I am not his puppy and that he can keep safe but I keep quiet and do not move a muscle.

"As you wish." The air is tense and there is another heavy silence.

"She is not yours, remember that," the King speaks up suddenly.

"She is. With her knowing or not. She may have no other but I," the Prince says with a hard voice that would cause people to bow, as his royal highness would.

"Have a good day, my King, the Prince," Captain William states before I hear his footsteps and the others.

I stealthily move to the outside door and walk up to one of the horses. There is a carriage but I put my foot in one of the stirrups and swing myself up and over.

A minute passes and the men exit. The Captain looks a bit uncomfortable with seeing me on the horse.

He starts, "Ma'am."

I laugh quietly and the men look at me closely. "Listen, I am not of royal blood. You dare treat me like I am such a precious jewel then I will be sure to lead you astray and I will find it a silly joke. Would you like to be lost donkeys in a forest?"

"No, ma'am," another man states.

"Who are you?"

"General Saven."

"Call me Tanda."

The Captain is the one to speak again, "May you ride in the carriage?"

I answer him quickly. "Where we will be going cannot hold a carriage. Are you ready?"

The men move to their horses and get on them.

As I tap my foot against the belly of the horse. We start forward and I am the lead of the brigade of men. They follow me out of the gates and towards the outskirts of the kingdom, making my way to the charnel house. A heavy feeling weighs hard onto my shoulders. I look up and the clouds are building for rain. I grimace and click my tongue, pushing forward a bit quicker.

"It will rain soon," I call out to the group.

"Will it?" there's a pause then the Captian responds, "Yes, I see."

Again, silence hovers and we make a turn. There, the charnel house stands. Dark and gloomy like most times. We ride in between the charnel and enter the path that goes deeper into the forest.

The forest is dead silent. The only sound that could be heard is the hooves snapping branches and crunching leaves. The sun barely splits the trees that loom above us. Not a single bird can be seen anywhere.

Finally, the cross on the tree comes into view.

"What is that?" Captain William asks.

"It is so I would know where I was."

I stare at the dead trees that line around the open field of graves. I swallow hard and we trek forward. The more I see the graves, the more I see the fresh dirt mounds.

"Are those the graves?"

I do not speak until we stop at the line of trees, staring a the freshly dug-up holes, beside each of them lays the fresh dirt mounds. I quickly slip off my horse and move so swiftly toward the grave that I buried Simon in. The dirt mound looks dryer than the rest. My stomach drops, and I do not move a single muscle as I come closer and look down into the hole.

There, lays the poorly made casket, with its crown taken off and laid off and pushed slightly to the side. It lays emptied.

I stare down at it, thinking about what could have happened to the bodies. I feel a presence standing beside me and glance over.

"I cannot understand what happened to them," I speak out loud to anyone but more to myself.

My skin goes pale and icey as I skim over the rest of the graves. I walk over to another one and glance in, the same thing happened to it. Dug up, the crown pried open, and the body is gone. I look up over the thousands of graves, missing bodies.

"Do you have any sorts of idea what could have happened?" General Saven examines.

"It has only been two days since the passing of Simon and the graves were not dug up then. I have no clue what happened. I cannot understand what did. It would take hours to dig them back up."

"Ma'am, are you alright?"

"I told you to call me Tanda. I am fine. Do you have what you need?"

There was a long silence prodding me in the back. I turn to see the Captain bent at his knees, taking a handful of dirt in his hands and letting it slip through his fingers. He stands abruptly and gazes at me.

"Do you believe in Magic, Miss Tanda?"

My own gaze narrows at him. "Of course not, what type of foolish notion is that?"

He then walks over to his horse and I follow suit. We both settle into our saddles and turn back.

This time, the Captain rides beside my own horse and me. "Have you ever thought of being a witch?"

I swallow hard and turn my head to him. "If you dare continue thinking I had anything to do with those graves then you are to be proven wrong," I hiss.

"I am not putting the suspicion but you had told not a single one of us about the burials."

"It is for respect. Would you like me to do that from now on?"

"You are stationed somewhere that provides you no job."

I scoff. "I did not choose my lifestyle."

"But you had and you cannot change it now."

I tighten my grip on the reins of the horse. "You have no understanding of my situation."

"I am sure I do, Tanda. For all I see, you work for the King to aid him as an executioner and you wear a hood all the time. What is there not to assume about you? No one knows what you truly look like and you sure do not start a family."

"I had a family once," I whisper so quietly.

"May you repeat that?"

I speak louder, "I use to have a family but they had passed."

There is a sudden heavy silence that weighs on my shoulders that is now made of memories.