Her

Orions body glowed a soft violet at first, her eyes flashed turning a bright, violent purple. The shadows in the room started to move and sliding across the floor. The lights flickered and the walls shook a bit. She levitated slightly off the ground. Power surged through her and around her. The room had static in the air making the hair stand up on the back of everyones neck.

"No" she repeated. Shaking her head.

The room went cold.

There was a deafening silence.

Her parents stared intensely as their daughter transformed in front of their eyes. She could see it as her brows frowned at them. The guards in the space across from her put their hands on their sword ready to draw and strike anyone who endangers their wards. This angered something deep inside Orion, turning the glow around her into a thick smoke as it draped with the shadows across the floor. Fear filled the eyes of all the people in the room except one..

 And then HE stood up. Something in her recognized him.

"Sit" a voice demanded deep from within Orion.

He didn't sit or move forward.

"Orion you're glowing, I don't understand what's going on, but you need to take a breath and not down before you bring the house down around us." Her father said to her.

"NO. NO. NO." she shouted, Shaking her head rapidly. The room began quaking again. The sound of pictures hitting the wall. Glass hitting the floor.

HE began to move towards her.

Her power reacted differently around this man. Reaching and wavering. Orion rose further off the ground. Shadows swirling under her. Her power starting to recognize HIM the closer he got. Her mother and father exchange nervous glances, they hadn't realized her Necromancy had gotten so, powerful. There was a look on her face that seemed like everything that made Orion, Orion, was gone from her and she was just an empty vessel for power.

HE continued with his approach as if drawn to her. Her eyes glared at him with such intensity, it was ready to burn hole in his face. But he was unfazed. He was in a trance something had basically taken over him he had little control over his body, it practically dragged him over to her. Just looking at this powerful beautiful woman in front of him. How could this woman, he's never met or seen, hold so much power over him.

***

Theo

I was confident about this meeting. I arrived earlier in the day and had time to unpack my things before heading to the meeting with the Serrais Brimmed High King and Queen and inform them of my fathers acceptance of marriage. I didn't want to make an alliance, this way; I don't care to marry some primed, pampered, princess I've never met. I barely knew anything about her. Not a lot of information was known about her, in general. The king and queen kept her away from prying eyes. The only thing anyone really knew was she had looks that could kill and a nasty temper. How could a pampered princess rule in the Sun Elf Clan, someone who couldn't command the respect needed to rule my people. It was bullshit. My father forced this shit on me. I was the only one because my two other brothers were already married.

My people were the closest to this growing black cloud of filth that hung in the distance above the mountains beyond the sea's view. The smell of the rot was getting heavier. More monsters were invading our lands. It was happening more frequently and now in other clan's territories. I had to make this alliance, by what ever means necessary, it didn't matter he didn't want to marry her. The Elders and

other clan leaders think that the Sun Elf Clan are the only clans that can keep these pretentious High Elves in check. We didn't want a repeat of the last civil war. And she'd just have to accept our fate, just like me. They would rule the clans of Elysium together as one.

I was standing in the Kings office; he was standing near my father's advisor and his one guard Deacon. My best friends and personal guard Carter and Joselyn stood in front of a blue pillar as I glanced through the books on the king's shelf. I noticed the king looked anxious. Over an hour had gone by and I was starting to get aggravated. How dare she stand us up and keep us waiting like this? Did she have so little respect for what was happening or just to sheltered to care? The servants had brought in refreshments and there had been small talk about things to see while in the city. The door opened slowly.

And then I saw HER.

She sucked the air from my lungs, I couldn't breathe.

HER. She was. PERFECT.

Every thought I just had about her vanished.

She looked like a goddess herself had walked in! Her hair was almost white like the moon's reflection in the water. She had it braided with curly strands sticking out. Her skin was a pale cream. Her lips a soft pink, they where plump and had a natural pout to them. Her cheeks the had the faintest peach, there was even a smudge of dirt on he forehead. This princess wasn't wearing make up and she wore plain pants with small daggers attached to her belt, a teal shirt with an armored vest with what looked like green and blue dragon scales. 'Interesting choice' I thought to myself. She was to meet her future husband, looking so unhinged? I was confused at why she was so late and looked like this. Even dressed like this she radiated strength and beauty. She mesmerized me; nothing like the women I've seen before. Nothing like what I expected. I stared gawking at her when she walked in. I was so drawn to her; I couldn't explain it. She stopped and started to talk. I didn't hear anything she was saying. I just watched her. She searched around the room and then her eyes found mine.

SHIT.

She caught me staring.

Shit. I could feel my eyes widen, at the same time as hers once she connected with me. My mouth almost dropping. The world had stopped for a second and it was only her. She was the only person in this room. Hell this world. How could someone so beautiful even exist. I hear a sound allowing me to finally look away. I could feel the heat rising inside my body. The king gestured we sit. I try my best not to stare, but I can't focus. Shit how am I supposed to do this if I can't get it together.

Lost in my thoughts I'm brought back by a scream "NO"

I look over to where the words came from. " She screamed.

And then…

The ground was shaking

HOLY SHIT

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT

There are shadows crawling all over the ground I look up and she's glowing.

She's actually glowing. How is that even possible? I have to get her down. Why do I have such a strong need to get her down? She yells for me to sit down, and I almost did, but something was keeping me from sitting. It felt defiant. How was her voice so powerful? I take a few steps forward. "No" she screams again. What is she even saying no to? Why am I walking up to this girl that's glowing? I can't seem to stop myself. This seems like the dumbest thing I could do.

But here I am.

Walking up to HER.

Orion

Why was he walking toward me? I started to come back from the edge I was standing on. The darkness retreating and my vision returning. The fury subsided with each step he took closer. The energy in me that was feeling restless dragging me out of my own body was being tamed by HIM.

Why is he calming the restlessness within me?

Was he reaching out his hand to me?

Am I grabbing it?

Stop it. Don't do that.

Shoot.

I'm doing it.

I grabbed his hand.

In that instant our hands touched for the first time, pressure pushed their hands together, the pain was bone splitting and ripping through their hands and in their minds. I yell as my hand turned red. Burning. And then it was over. In an instant. The force that drew our hands together hands had dropped. The fire that felt like it was melting the skin off my hands had ceased. The skin was tender and tingly as I pulled away looking at my hand.

There it was.

A crescent moon burning into the blackened skin.

A mark.

They'd been marked.

 "Did that really just happen?" I stare at the moon on my hand in disbelief.

We were matched.

The pain of the whole experience had brought me all the way back. I was exhausted. Gods what the hell happened? How did that happen? My mom never mentioned her bark burning her or dad. I watched myself as if outside my body. That was, like, the weirdest thing I've ever experienced.

Looking into his eyes my heart started racing, it felt like it would beat right out of my chest. No, no, no, not cool, so not cool. I got to go. I can't stay here a second

longer. It's suffocating, I can't breathe. There's no air in this room. I feel like it's choking me, being here, being around them.

Around HIM.

I pull myself away and run. I yank open the doors and rush out, running down the hall through the entryway and out the front door.

Running to the stables, I look for Priscilla's stall.

My Pegasus, gifted to me by my mother, actually, on my 10th birthday. She was white with a black patch on her chest above her heart. "Defected" is what the merchant said. My mother knew how I loved "broken things".

I just need air. I need to think. I need space. I find her in her stall. "Come on Sills, we gotta go now" I unhook her gate and bring her to the door. I put my saddle on her back, and I climb on. I hear the sound of footsteps. It was HIM. I turned away and took off.

Nope not happening.

***

Orion took off as fast as she could. And even that wasn't fast enough for her. Priscilla, picking up on her mistress's distress she gladly obeyed. Priscilla didn't know why her mistress was upset but she would take her wherever she wanted to go. They sky was a lovely shade of blue with soft white clouds providing shade for them in the during some points in their flight. The wind carried her and Priscilla through the sky making the ride smooth. Orion took refuge in the sky with the birds. She felt free here. They flew in silence for several hours it seemed before she finally spoke aloud.

"I can't believe I started my day looking for Faith to now suddenly, before dinner, find out I've got a freaking soon to be husband. An arranged marriage."

I scream at the top of my lungs "gods why!?"

As I start to silently weep for myself. In a matter of hours, I lost my whole future. The reality setting in.

"Being marked doesn't mean this is what I want"

"I don't care if the goddess Calathian picked us out herself, no one gets to make my choices for me"

"Ugh I can't believe I ever thought this was romantic. Was I freaking crazy?

Orion yelled at the air until it was sunset. She flew down with Pegasus to her secret spot. Behind capital city, tucked away in the small of the mountains was a small oasis. There was a lush green landscape and a wide waterfall that fed into a lake. The lake was the color of blue topaz , The water was so clear, you could see straight to the lake's bottom was. The lake was still it had a small stream that fed down the mountain from the lake. It was surrounded by trees and bushes and soft grasses with tiny little purple and yellow flowers that spread randomly throughout the grass.

There was a cave under the rock and around the trees roots that had grown out of the side of the mountain. In the cave she had set up a safe haven of sorts, she had a mattress made of feathers and furs that was used as a bed. A night stand stood next to the bed with a crystal that served as a light. The cave had crystals that were almost alive and glowed when something moved near it. These crystals were embedded onto the roots and rocks of the cave wall. There was some a bookshelf that had some books on plants, rocks and animals she had cataloged here in the mountains. There were little trinkets placed on the shelves that served as decorations. A wooden table and chair sat in the corner next to a cupboard with counter space. On a tree trunk there was a large bowl that served as a sink. And in the middle was a chimenea used for fire.

This place, it was hers and hers alone. She found this place after her music teacher had showed her a well at the base of the mountain that had good acoustics to practice singing when she was struggling with a song once. Orion was just gonna hide out here for a bit longer before returning home and facing her new reality.