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Sera nodded. “He’s insufferable.”
″I’m pretty sure he supports colonization too. He thinks North-Terrans are elite,” Primrose shared.
Haruka shook her head, fists balling. “Why didn’t you burn him?”
″I thought about setting him ablaze right there, but I’m positive murder gets me a one-way ticket to Aeternus in the afterlife…” she said.Maybe dying and going to Aeternus wouldn’t be so bad. At least I’d have Protego.
″I’m glad you didn’t kill him. We’d all be in trouble then.” Sera sighed.
″I wouldn’t suggest killing him, but on your wedding day, make your lips hot enough to burn him! Just a little,” Haruka suggested, smirking.
″The wedding is so soon….” Primrose said, looking out into the garden. The flowers had all begun to wither, the leaves on the trees now shades of orange and brown and falling on the ground.
″I made the centerpieces. They’re pink roses with papier-mâché butterflies. We dusted and mopped the old ballroom. It looks as good as new!” Sera said.
″That sounds lovely.” Primrose smiled, her heart feeling hollow.
″Ladies!” Mr. Sharp’s voice came from the entryway.
″Mrs. Sharp, did you need something?” Sera asked politely.
″I need the three of you to come upstairs with me. Primrose’s dress is ready,” Mrs. Sharp shouted. Her face was jovial and her voice full of excitement.
They all stood up from their seats on the bench and cleared the path inside. As Primrose walked toward the stairs, she saw Mr. Sharp reading an old history book, and he winked, smiling at her. A big grin grew on her features, a grateful expression.His body seems nearly healed.
The dress was hanging on the curtain rod when Primrose entered her chambers. The light pink dress was nearly white and looked beautiful in contrast to the blues and grays of her bedroom.
Wrangling it up her body with the help of Sera, they pulled it up. Haruka pulled the strings of the corseted back and tied it into a neat bow. The bustier cupped her chest nicely, the rounded cups adorned with a layer of pink lace in the pattern of swirling roses. An intricate, royal design crossed down the bodice in a triangle that pointed towards her head. The long, sheer, billowing sleeves moved like fire as she twirled around. The skirt made fluid motions with every step. Tears welted in Primrose’s eyes as she looked at herself.This is my wedding gown.
″You look like an angel,” Haruka said, her midnight eyes watering.
A tear ran down Sera’s cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you both,” Primrose said, embracing the two women.
After gaining her family’s approval, Primrose was assisted by Sera, who removed the dress. Once the dress was off, Sera hurried away, leaving Primrose by herself. She readied herself for bed, brushing her teeth in the bathroom. She hummed a quiet song, one her mother had sung to her as a child about birds in the sky. She pondered Haruka’s comment.You look like an angel. An angel. Ilona. Why did he tell me about Ilona?Why did he leave me here to marry Hugo?
Primrose stood facing the mirror, looking at her white nightgown. It was the same one she wore the night after she met Protego.I can’t marry Hugo, I can’t marry him, I have to do something.
She laid in bed, begging her mind to be quiet so she could drift away. Tears swelled in Primrose’s eyes as she longed for Protego. Her heart was torn, shredded into pieces that her mind desperately tried to put back together. She clung to them. Whimpering, Primrose cried herself into darkness.
A heavy presence formed around her as Primrose opened her eyes to see the drudoth. Its peeling skin reeked, emitting a rancid odor that filled her nose. As the monster approached her, it opened its mouth to reveal the large yellowed teeth once more.
″Make me real,” the deep voice demanded. The voice had low undertones that scraped at Primrose’s mind like nails on a chalkboard. They beckoned her.
Primrose hesitated and then leaned towards it. “Come in. Come to Terra. I welcome you.”
Everything faded until Primrose awoke in her bedroom.This is no longer a dream. This has to work.
The room smelled of magic, the scent of it mixing with a sour odor. Brooding in the corner stood the drudoth, clear as day. There was no fog, no indication of a dream. The drudoth was in Terra, and it looked menacing. Cocking its head, it crept towards her. Primrose jumped out of her bed and stood before it, slowly backing towards her bedroom door. It was no use. The drudoth deciphered her intentions and cornered her. Brushing an arm against the doorway, Primrose reached for the doorknob. Leaping towards her, the drudoth took a mangled hand and lifted her by her neck. Throat closing, Primrose attempted to cry out, but her windpipe was being crushed. The nightmare she had the night she met Protego was becoming a reality.
The room started to go white as images flashed in her mind. Spirits and a realm full of white light. Darkness, fire, Protego. He was not like he is now, but ethereal. Protego was one with his shadows, not man nor spirit alone but the two forms intertwined. They were in love, and then they were apart. Images of humans, of lifetimes, of looking in the mirror and seeing something other than herself.Ilona. Ilona, Ilona, Ilona. I am Ilona.
The drudoth reached a claw towards her chest, readying itself to gut her of her heart, when shadows filled the room. Deep darkness in their wake reached every corner, completely filling the space. Confused, Primrose blinked her eyes until a figure came into sight. She knew she’d recognized those shadows.Those beautiful shadows.
Primrose sighed, relief filling her core as the drudoth loosened its grip. As wisps encircled the beast’s throat, it tossed her to the side like a child would a doll. Primrose gasped as she was thrown against her dresser.
Protego’s shadows swirled around it, constricting the monster from moving as he summoned a familiar silver sword embellished with vibrant rubies and began impaling the beast. Primrose had witnessed him slay monsters before, but not like this. Protego did more than necessary to ensure it was not just dead but overkilled. With every stab, its blood trickled down in masses, forming deep red pools on her floor. A red so dark they were almost black.
