Muriel de Angelis arranged her many layered skirts, and sat down on the cold stone floor. She moved her cold gaze to the man in front of her. Ashen. Her closest Aide, her dog, and her support throughout life. The man that would have brought her victory if she had not screwed it up, the most irreplaceable chess piece. One of two and the one that remained loyal to her despite it all.

The one she could trust. No battle was won without trust, and trusting the wrong person was doom. She had charged the bad person in her quest to become the ruler of the Anhel Kingdom. The abandoned princess, was betrayed by her own mate, her fated lover, after she had brought it so far.

His deep red eyes were on her; they were gentle, forgiving, and eternally loyal. So loyal. "Are you sure you wish to follow me on this?" She asked him once again. "There is no way back."

"I will." He answered her, his silky black hair trailing after him as he settled down on the floor opposite her. "You are the only one I will ever follow. I love you, Muriel."

"You shouldn't have ever loved me. I will only continue to use and abuse that love of yours."

"It does not matter. I made my choice."

Indeed. He had made his choice, a choice he was about to die for. A choice that condemned him to follow her on her bloody path of revenge.

She shook her head. There was no use thinking about it now.

 "Then let us do this." Muriel took the blade in her hand and stared at Ashen sitting opposite her. "See you in the past."

She rose the blade to her neck and after a moment of hesitation slit her neck, she closed her eyes as the world slowed down and Ashen in front of her repeated her actions. Both of their bodies fell to the ground. Beneath them, a circle of crimson and purple started glowing, the colors blending and meshing.

The door opened behind them. A tall man stepped in. He was wearing a knight's Uniform. His eyes ripped open, and he gasped before falling to his knees. His hair was blonde, dazzling like spun gold, his eyes green like a deep forest.

"No...no...no..." He whispered, crawled forward, and took the sword from his side. "They cannot have..." He laughed and stared at the blade. "I will never leave her to you...Ashen, my Muriel." Then he put the blade on his neck, blood dripping on the white Uniform running down his neck.

A gurgle. He fell to the ground. His body fell alongside theirs on the circle. It glowed once again. Green Meshed with red and purple.

The world stopped for a second.

--

Muriel opened her eyes and stared at a bare, rather depressing wooden ceiling. "I am back." She muttered to herself.

Getting up, she put her naked feet on the cold wooden floor. They were small and dainty. Rising her skirts, she saw no blemish on her legs. None of the scars from once. "I must be around fifteen then." She muttered to herself and stood up.

No pain.

"Fifteen." She muttered with certainty and strode over to the mirror, the only decoration in the otherwise bare room. A pair of clear starlit purple eyes looked at her, but they were different than before. Bright violet, with one carrying red and the other sprinkles of green. She leaned forward and observed them closer. "Must be side effects." She muttered and turned as the door to her barren room opened.

A young man stepped in. Crimson-eyed and raven-haired. Skin pale as fresh fallen snow his face one of grace, beauty enough to cause the downfall of a country. He walked to her and took her hand gently kissing the back of it "My love." He said and smiled at her. His face lit up and Shudders ran down Muriels spine. She put her hand on his cheek.

"You truly…followed me.” Her voice almost broke speaking these words.

"I did." He answered and stepped closer, his hand touching hers and the other on her side. "I will always be yours." He bent downwards until his temple touched hers and closed his eyes soaking in his presence. Muriel went on her tiptoes and kissed him. Her mouth on his, she opened her lips encouraging him. His arms circled around her wrist drawing her closer to him, until their bodies were plastered against each other, their mouths devouring the other in desperation.
Muriels hands caressed him as she shoved up the hem of his shirt and felt the soft skin under her hands.

“Wait.” He stepped back and took of the simple linen shirt. “Now.” He whispered and she put her hand on his naked upper body. He truly was a beautiful man. Why…Why could it not be him. Why wasn’t her Mate Ashen. She kissed his skin and felt him shudder under her touch as he moaned at her hand on his manhood.

“No more.” Muriel flinched and stepped back.

“I am sorry.” She muttered but was grabbed by a pair of strong hands as she watched how Ashen went to his knees.

“Don’t be sorry.” He whispered and she felt his burning gaze on her. “I would wish for nothing more then be inside you, then enjoy your touch like a lover would but right now your body is fifteen and this one is eighteen.”

“Three years it is not apart that much.” She answered him and he took both of her hands into his.

“True but you are yet a child in body, I am not…I fear…I fear I could break you…this body of yours is too young.” His eyes were almost living flames as he continued. “With you…the first time…I am unable to be gentle…I have wanted for to long. I do not wish to hurt you. No matter my desire I am not that Man. I am not a rapist, nor am I a bastard that would take delight to fuck a child’s body no matter how old I know the soul inside to be.”

Muriel was hit by his words and memories flashed up in her mind. He was right, she would never be here if he was that kind of man, if he was one to lose himself in the heat of a moment. And neither should she.

"Ready yourself then Ashen. We have a few people to murder, and preciously little time."

"I will prepare everything necessary."

"I know." Muriel untangled her hands from him and sat down smiling. "I will be getting myself a dress, meanwhile. I can only attend my father's wedding day with proper preparations. She leaned back and looked outside into her prison. "Not if I intend to make it a glorious sight."

"We have three days, Muriel," Ashen said. "Today is the twenty-first."

"I understand." Muriel headed back and sat down on her bed, a smile on her lips. "We will proceed as follows. You procure Midnight Flowers. I will head to Misty to order my dress and to eliminate Kainan ... before he can betray us."

Ashen bowed and left the room. Meanwhile, Muriel tied up her silver hair and slipped into a pair of simple slippers and an equally simple light green dress. Turning, she inspected her looks and stretched. Three days to reach their goal. If she needed more time, the curse of the Magic they had used would devour their souls.

She headed outside and slid through the trees until she reached a tall, large wall. Putting her hand on it, she started counting her steps.

Of her memory was correct.

One...Two...Three...Four....she counted till reaching twenty-nine. A large ivy grew up the wall, thick expanses of green, thick trunks as it grew high up the wall. Behind the large grown ranks on the bottom... another five steps…Muriel knelt and crawled on all four into the green, smiling as she spotted the barely large enough for a small teenager hole within the wall. Lying down on her stomach, she crawled through it, dragging her legs after her, emerging on the other side in a dirty form the earth, standing in a trash-filled alley. Getting back up, she hit her clothes to get rid of the leaves and at least have herself look a little presentable before running towards the noise that indicated people. Hushing through the alley, she stopped at a crimson door near the main street. There were a few beggars loitering around as she took a deep breath and knocked at the door.

The door opened soundlessly. Muriel closed her eyes and smiled as she walked inside. The store was dark above her a few lights flickered tentatively to live and lit up the store like structure. The cabinets were full of miscancellous items, of the weird of the wondersome. "Hello, Misty," Muriel called out loudly knowing she was being heard.

"A Brat."

A gentle bell-like voice spit out, and a woman dressed in a brilliantly glittering red dress, adorned with a uncountable number of small diamonds walked down the stairs, her sheer presence illuminating the room, a pair of golden, shining eyes looking at Muriel. Mustering her. "A Brat who is not a Brat." She then stated and stopped right in front of Muriel, leaning down, "Do you know what will happen if you don't accomplish your task within three days?" she asked her eyes shining more brilliantly than before just for a second.

"I know…You taught me." Muriel answered her and Misty huffed. Muriel felt magic running over her skin, shuddering but refusing to back down from the inspection “Truth” Before clapping her hands and turning.

"Darius!" She called out. Pointing a finger at Muriel. "My future self must have turned mad."

“Not mad…but she was very angry indeed.” Muriel answered her and her gaze wandered upwards and she felt like seeing an illusion. “You had lost the one thing you cared about most.”

From the stairs, he walked down a large and in a pair of skin tight leather pants, a tight collar fastened around his neck, delicate looking chains dangling down his tattoo decorated upper body.
Swirling marks of dragons intertwined in battle on his bronze skin, piercings and tattoos spread out on his body as he stepped next to Misty. His hand in her neck, proclaiming ownership over the witch, his equally golden gaze turning to Muriel.

Muriel remembered all too well how the light had once faded from them, how Misty let out screams in anguish as she rose and with her the magic she carried, cursing, and condemning the murderer. Ripping him literally into a million pieces with her very own hands until he was nothing more then bloody paste on the ground in her fury. She had been bathed in red that day.

But it had not been enough magic, power, to kill the one behind the scheme that had costed her Darius.

"What is it you desire from my Mate, Human." He asked, his voice carrying the same fire as that of every demon.

"A dress and a kill, Darius." She answered. "I will…kill my mate."

Now Darius laughed. He was bemused.

"Indeed, interesting, you certainly are a cursed girl. I can see why my Mate may have given you that spell. A Blade and a Dress for you!" He raised his arms, and suddenly, a thousand colors exploded inside the dimly lit room.

Tiny black winged faeries filled the room, zipping through the sky. "Tomorrow, you will find the dress prepared," Darius said and walked to her, stretching out his hand. "For you...a friend." He said, and she took the knife from his hands. Blood Heart was engraved on the back and she felt comforted by the weight of her old friend. A Friend indeed.

“You have my gratitude.” She answered and caressed the blade.