(Heyo! I redesigned Eliza a little, in case you didn't notice. Just changed her dress and the color of the gem in her tiara and gave her shorter and slightly darker hair.) ~Chapter 14~ So I've been a long-lost princess the entire time. Isn't that cliche? It also explains a lot, though. I grew up without a father, and my mom never told anyone our last name. About ten years ago, I discovered what was then her tiara and asked her about it. She said she had no more use for it and gave it to me, but asked me to keep it hidden. When she died about a year later of tuberculosis, I betrayed my promise to her and kept the tiara with me always, in memory of her. My mother's employer took me in, and, despite my shyness, I couldn't help forming a strong bond with her daughter Amora. We became best friends, and she helped me make friends with other people in the town, like Thomas. Even though I was really happy, I never forgot my mother and continued to practice the water magic that she had taught me. Once, soon before she died, I had asked her about my father. She said never to ask about him again. Now I know why. ---------- "Eliza, you okay?" I snap out of my daze when I see Amora leaning over me worriedly. I look up and shake my head to clear it. "Yes, I'm all right." Amora sits back, playing her lute. Cory, whose arm is being fruitlessly treated by Edwin in the corner, even smiles at the music, despite the pain she's in. Thomas wakes up next to me and lifts his head. "Did I fall asleep again?" he asks softly. I nod. "Yes, but I didn't want to wake you. You'll need rest if you want that wound of yours to heal." He winces- the potion I gave him must be wearing off. I put a hand on his shoulder. I've been worrying about him since he woke up from that dream. He's been acting... peculiar. A lot more quiet and, dare I say, depressed. I want him to feel better. After Amora, he's one of my best friends, and I can't bear to see him like this. Something nags at me in the back of my mind. 'Thank him.' That's right- he had taken that blow from a guard to protect me. But why? Am I really that important to him? I feel gratitude swell within me. And... something else. Something that makes my heart race and my cheeks burn. I try to push that other feeling aside. "Um..." I clear my throat. "Thank you for taking that blow for me, Thomas. That was very brave and selfless of you. I'm in your debt." He blushes and looks away. "O-Oh, yeah... No big deal." I smile. Amora interrupts us a moment later. "What do you guys think was up with the king? All that edgy magicky stuff made my head hurt." I narrow my eyes. "I think... I think he was possessed by a demon. I've read about this somewhere. Demons will sometimes come to people and offer to make them powerful or rich. If the person accepts, the demon will possess them and pursue what they wanted, but with a wake of destruction left behind." Then it hits me. My eyes widen. "The demon is loose now. Do you have any idea what kind of inevitable pain its raw power could cause, now that it's not held back by the physically weak vessel it had possessed?" The group goes silent as my words sink in. To my surprise, Raven is the first to speak. "This thing could destroy the whole kingdom, couldn't it?" I nod grimly. With Renn and Edwin's help, Cory stands. She looked down at her arm and grimaced, then faced all of us. "We went on this journey to protect our kingdom. And that's what we're going to do. If that means facing hellspawn, then so be it." "We just have to find a way to break out of here," says Ridge, looking around. "Let's see if we can make a hole in the wall. Who are the strongest people here?" "Me," says Raven, standing up. "And Thomas," I add. He looks up at me, still blushing. Why is he so embarrassed? I hold out my hand, and he takes it as I help him up. He gives me a smile, and I return it, glad to see that his spirits have been raised. He turns to the rest of the group. "Let's bust out of here!" ---------- WHOOSH Hahaha I accidentally wrote the whole thing in past tense and had to rewrite it all Thomas: Eliza: moi Amora: Renn: Raven: Ridge: Cory: Edwin: Music: "Zora's Domain" from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Eliza's new theme!!) Hehehehehehehehehehehehe I had no ideas hOLY CHEEZ ITS MY SHIP IS SAILING- Idk why eliza is crying in the thumbnail?? I just like making vector tears, it's satisfying I'm actually writing a whole backstory for Eliza on Google Docs- ----------
