ScaryFirePirate: Cassandra - Tumblr Posts
Yes, y’all read that correctly
Maria and Cassandra dated. They were a thing. That’s why Maria was so upset when she left and why Cassandra was so pissed when she sided with Lucette. They were in love with each other and now are left with only ashes of hat remained.
Learning to be Silent
Swallowing my words
Staring at the floor
Counting little cracks in the tile
Struggling to smile without choking
Learning to be silent
Lucette’s blue eyes watched dully as the multitudes of nobles danced around the ballroom, their laughter and chatter becoming only a background buzz to her. When that got boring, she directed her to the marble floor, counting and recounting the little decorative cracks. In the back of her mind, she vaguely wondered why they were there. Her uncle hated cracks, the little imperfections that they represented. He would be irritable if he noticed them. She managed to look up in time to notice Duke Armond walking up to the dias. She knew exactly what he was here for.
“Duke Armond, a pleasure to see you again on this fine evening. Good to see you in good health.” Her uncle greeted politely. Armond bowed deeply to the king before rising up with a grin.
“An astounding pleasure to see you in fine health as well, Your Majesty. And a fine evening it is, indeed! A magnificent ball, worthy for royalty. An honour to be here in your presence tonight.” The duke responded jubilantly, before turning his eyes onto her.
‘And here comes what he wants.’
“I desire to ask Her Highness if she would honour me with a dance at the ball. She moves so gracefully on the floor, it is as if she floats above us all. It would be a shame for her to only sit here on her throne the entire evening.” He proposed, his brown eyes going from her to Kane and back to her. When her uncle turned his face to her, she already knew what he wanted her to do.
“Lucette, why don’t you go with the Duke for the rest of the evening? You have been sitting here all night. Go enjoy yourself.” He ordered, waving a pale hand at her. At his words, she wanted to tighten her hands into fists and refuse, wanted to get up and go to her room, to get away from all the noise. But that was not how a princess behaves. So instead, she choked back her irritation and anger and smiled sweetly at her uncle.
“Yes, Uncle. I would be honored to dance.”
Watching how the dust
Dances out the door
Noticing my hands start to shake
Contemplating taking up smoking
Learning to be silent
Cassandra’s fire orange eyes stared distractedly at the door of her cabin, the papers on her desk forgotten as the pirate retreated into her mind. There was something...peaceful about watching the tiny dust particles flutter and flit out the doorway, into the outside world. Almost as if they were dancing. At the word dancing, Maria’s smiling face flashed in her mind, the same smile she would direct at Cassandra if she ever caught her dancing while doing her chores or work. Blinking the too beautiful image away, Cassandra casts a passing glance down at her hands. They were shaking. From what?
‘Maybe some cigars will help. I heard Puerto Mico makes some top quality ones. Raid a ship or two and I can snatch a couple to sell and for myself. But...Baba wouldn’t want me to sink that low.’ She contemplated, her eyes clouding over with a veil of grief at the thought of her Baba and his disapproval. He hated smoking, finding the practice distasteful. He would be rolling in his grave if he knew that she even thought about doing such a thing.
‘If he had a body to roll.’ Her mind supplied unhelpfully, reminding her that her parents did not get the fortune of being buried. The closest they got was burying the ashes, but it wasn’t the same.
“My lady.”
The synchronized voices brought her out of her reverie, turning her attention onto the two floating cloaked women.
“What is it?”
“It seems that Sir Mikhail has no interest in repaying you as you asked.” The left one answered, a sly tone under her words.
“He plans on running to Polaris to hide.” the right one continued, her tone empty andflat. Cassandra wanted to growl and throw her papers on the floor in rage but held herself back, sticking with an annoyed glare.
“Tell Esmerelda to chart a course to his location immediately.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Always hearing
“Hush, Ethal!”
“Silence your tongue, Cassandra!” The orphanage maid scolded harshly, glaring down at the little dusty child. The child’s cheeks turned red as tears started to gather in her eyes, a mix of anger and frustration rolling in them beside the tears.
“But it’s true! Baba told me so! He told me that I’m a princess!” She shouted up at the grown woman, her tiny voice barely filling the run down bedroom. The maid narrowed her eyes, her patience dwindling at the nonsense.
“Do not spout such ridiculous notions! Look at yourself! Do you look like a princess?” She asked the child sharply. Orange eyes gazed down at herself, her hand fiddling with the torn dress, the tattered edges barely grazing the tops of her bare feet. No, she did not look like a princess at all. She looked like a peasant girl from her Baba’s stories.
“Baba said clothes aren’t what makes a ruler!” She shouted back up at the maid, determination burning like a wild flame within. Only to be snuffed out and silenced harshly.
“Have you ever thought that your Baba lied to you? That he told you all these fantasy stories to make you feel better? To make you feel more important than you actually are?”
The cruel questions stabbed Cassandra deeply in her heart, doubt seeping in like poison.
‘That’s not true! It can’t be true! Baba would never lie to me! He said lying was wrong!’ Her little mind defended, trying to push the hurt and doubt away. “No! He would never lie to me!”
“Oh? And what exactly makes you think so?”
“Because….Because Mama wouldn’t let him!” She refuted, a quick moment of silence as she searched for a good answer. Only to reel back when the maid let out a sharp, haughty laugh.
“Your mother is no better then! Letting your father fill her daughter’s head with silly childish stories like that! She should’ve plucked you off his lap and set you both straight like any good, proper mother would do. She too failed her role!” The maid rudely insulted Cassandra’s deceased parents in her face, her words causing the tears to spill over.
“You can’t say that-”
“I can, I will, and I have! Your parents were nothing but a disgrace! Now, stop entertaining these idiotic thoughts!”
“But it’s tr-”
“HUSH, CASSANDRA!” The maid finally shrieked down at her, shocking the child into silence. By that point, a small crowd of children were watching the altercation from the doorway, eyes widening when the maid lost her temper. Now that Cassandra was finally quiet, the maid huffed and stormed out, not before snappishly sending the children to their rooms.
“Out, all of you! To your rooms, now! To bed with you all!”
As little Cassandra shuffled into bed, she softly began to cry, reaching inside her pillow to pull out a gleaming golden ring, her tiny fingers rubbing over the lion engraving.
“Baba…”
“Please, Vi!”
“Please, Lucette!” Queen’s exasperated voice floated down to the small, curly haired child standing before her. Light blue eyes glanced up sheepishly before looking back down at her slippered feet. The silk was cool on her skin but the heat on her cheeks from shame distracted her.
“But I don’t want to go to the tournament in these shoes. There’s a lot of standing and the shoes start to hurt my feet.” She mumbled, trying again to convince the female clockwork to let her wear her more comfortable black slippers that she would wear on the ship.
“Lucette, beauty is pain. Perfection is pain. You are the Crown Princess of Valencia. You represent Valencia and everyone in it, including Kane and us! You must look perfect! Those shoes are old, worn, and not fit for the feet of the princess! They do not even match with your dress!” Queen explained, trying her best to keep annoyance out of her voice.
“Then why can’t I change my dress?” She asked, tilting her head curiously. Queen let out an irritated sigh.
“Because I went through great lengths to get you that dress in time for the tournament today and it matches your eyes so wonderfully. It brings more attention to them, don’t you think?” She asked, trying to appeal to her admiration for her eyes. Lucette’s fingers fiddled with the slippery cloth nervously as she tried to decide her answer.
“Yes, but why do I have to bring attention to them if I’m at a tournament?” She questioned.
“Because, as I have said before, you are the principessa. Even though it is a tournament, the minute you and Kane arrive, all eyes will be on you. From the moment you step out of the carriage, to the moment you sail home.”
“But why?!”
“Because that is how it is! This is the world of royalty, Lucette! You must obey its rules!” Queen, finally reaching the end of her patience, snapped down at the princess. “Now, you WILL wear those shoes or so help me, I will bring Kane down here to deal with you himself!”
At the threat of her uncle getting involved, Lucette’s jaw snapped close. She knew that her uncle would not be as patient as Queen was.
“Yes, Queen.”
“Good.Now, go put on your rose pin and the sapphire flowers Rooke got you. It will be a nice contrast from the light blue.” Queen commanded, shooing the princess to her dressing room. Stopping by the door, Lucette turned her head to weakly try again but Queen’s cold tone ended any thought of rebellion.
“Enough, Lucette.”
“Let’s not have this conversation”
And so I stand by
While my mind takes a small vacation
La la la la
The rhythmic tapping of her pencil on the wooden desk became an irrelevant background noise as Cassandra’s eyes stared upwards at the ceiling, though her mind was somewhere else. In her head, she was enjoying a picnic with Maria in a magnificent garden, the flowers sweetening the air. Maria was dressed in a pale yellow sundress, a wide brimmed hat on top her head to protect her from the sun. She was glowing. Whenever the sunbeams hit her, she lit up and you wouldn’t be able to tell if the beams were coming from the sun or her. She was laughing at something, but then again, she was always laughing at something.
Cassandra let out a pleased sigh, her body relaxing further into the seat as she enjoyed her imaginary date with Maria.
La la la la
Despite her tutor’s droning, Lucette’s attention was on anything but the lesson. Her half lidded eyes stared out the large Polarian window next to her, the wide expense of one of the many cloudy skies that make up her home helping her fade into her daydreams. In those dreams, she was dancing again with Edward, his soft laughter ringing in her ears like a beloved melody as he spun her around. Even though he kept saying that he wasn’t that good at waltzing, he followed her steps like a shadow, his movement in tune with hers. His soft warm hands covered her own, holding them tightly as if she would fade away if he let go.
The air was warm, perfumed with the scents of the sweet smelling flowers that encircled them. This was their ballroom. The sun was their chandelier, the grass their marble floor, and the sound of turning gears and birds chirping was their music. Nothing could be better.
Making little sounds
Other folks ignore
A frown tugged at her lips when the topic changed to betrothals and weddings, an inevitable topic considering these were young noble girls. Lucette tried to make up an excuse to excuse herself from the group but they were too caught up in each other to notice her opening her mouth.
“My father told me that Count Lorenzo plans on asking for my hand soon.” One girl with pale blonde hair done up in a hairnet announced, proudly puffing out her bosom.
“Truly?! So soon? You’ve only been courted for six months!” Another exclaimed, her dark brown hair contrasting nicely against her sunny yellow dress.
“Of course! My father wouldn’t tell me such a thing if it were not true!” She adonished the brunette, narrowing her eyes at her for a moment.
“Pard-”
“Don’t let him get your hopes up! Who knows what shenanigans could happen!” A blue haired mare added in, silencing Lucette’s attempt to leave politely. She was becoming more and more uncomfortable as the conversation went on, their talk bringing up now painful memories.
“She’s right! For all we know, he could be out sneaking around with another woman! You know how noblemen are with their penchents for hoarding potential wives.” A different girl agreed loudly, twisting the knife in Lucette’s chest painfully. Her lungs felt like they were constricting, desperately begging for air but Lucette’s closed throat allowed none. A choked gasp tore from her lips, soft and distant. But the girls were far too busy being in each other’s business to spare a glance or even an ear to the princess’s cry.
“Do not fear, ladies. We talked a lot about our future. For instance, he says he wants three kids, two boys and a little girl.”
She and Edward also desired three children except they didn’t care about the gender of any one of them. Any child of either would’ve do. They would’ve loved them all equally. By now, tears were silently streaming down her face, a hand over her mouth as she tried to regain control over herself. But it was no use. The scars were still too fresh.
That was when Queen walked, asked to check on Lucette to see if she was alright. She was most definitely not.
“Mima!” Queen shouted, stopping the conversation as she hurried over to her side, cold hands softly resting on her cheeks.Lucette rested her weight against her as she sobbed in Queen’s arms, finally letting go now that someone familiar was there. Queen whirled around, glaring down venomously at the noblewomen with a rage few have ever seen. And even fewer live to tell anyone they’ve seen it at all.
“What is the meaning of this?! Why is she crying in your presence?!” Queen demanded, fixing her black gaze on each woman in the room.
“F-Forgive us, My Lady, but we do not know. We did not even notice that Her Highness was upset-”
“How could you not know?! She was sitting right here! You blind fools! You were to be her Ladies-in-Waiting and yet you did not notice your princess sobbing right behind you! What were you gossiping about?”
“We were only talking about Lady Giulia’s upcoming betroth-” The mare instantly froze, her eyes wide with realization matching the eyes of the others behind her. Queen was silent for a few minutes before giving them the final command.
“Dismissed.”
Immediately, all the girls quickly got up, curtsied and scurried out the door, frightened of Queen could do if they stayed any longer.
After that day, Queen forbid anymore lady in waiting auditions. Until Lucette was Queen and pick them herself.
Quieting the beating of my heart
Never being part of the moment
Cassandra felt as if her heart beat was too loud, which is odd considering she was walking down a busy street with Maria. Well, she was supposed to be, anyway. Now, Maria was in front with two other friends, A Necromancer and Life student, the two girls and boy chattering to each other excitedly about something. Too far away to hear properly. Too far away to be in the moment.
When the two friends got distracted by something for a moment, Maria took that time to look back at Cassandra, a worried look in her eye. Not liking that emotion on her, she gave her a wave and a smile, signalling that she was okay. But even as she did those actions, she felt numb. Not being part of the moment. But the action did the trick, receiving another grin from the pyromancer before the friends came back over and striked up another conversation with her. Dragging her attention away from Cassandra, once more. When they reached a popular cliffside, the Necromancer, Victoire, suggested a picture. They all grouped together, Cassandra behind Maria, but even as she smiled; she didn’t feel like she was there.
When she looked at the picture, she could recognize the false happiness look in her eyes. The look of absence. The look of never being part of the moment.
Learning to be silent
Learning there are some topics that we don’t even mention.
A group of courtiers quickly hushed each other when she drew closer, quickly bowing and curtsying to her when she passed. She snorted, able to see through their simpering act to see the pathetic snakes that they were. As if it wasn’t obvious just how exactly Baron Mateo died and who was behind it. She could not understand why her uncle didn’t punish these fools, they committed a crime in HIS kingdom and yet here they were, bowing and kissing her feet! When she reached her suites, she slammed the door and stomped to her dressing room where Alma was rearranging her jewelry.
“Alma, did you hear?!” She demanded angrily, her hair falling out of its carefully put together bun. Alma calmly placed another jewelry box back on the shelf as she answered the princess’s question.
“I assume you mean of Baron Mateo’s passing.”
“Ha! Passing? Is that what we call it now?” She taunted, roughly pushing her curls out of her face as she glared at the red veiled maid.
“It referring to what, Lucette?”
“You know exactly what I mean, Alma! Poison!” She shouted, banging a fist on the small table that lied between her and the clockwork. But Alma was not bothered, used to the girl’s fits of rage after all those years.
“Ah, I see. You suspect of there being poison involved.” She remarked, now done with the jewelry boxes and turning to her. Lucette growled deeply, not liking the clockwork’s words.
“I do not suspect. I know.”
“Really now? Please do explain to me how you know for certain.”
“Come now, Alma! Don’t be ridiculous! The last time anyone ever saw him alive was when he was stumbling to his room in a drunken stupor with a servant girl laughing in his arms, then the next morning he is found dead in his bed bleeding from every hole and pore on his body and the servant girl says she has no idea what happened? What in this mess sounds remotely believable to you that this was just some sickness?!” Lucette asked, unable to comprehend why her maid was acting so aloof.
“It is possible.”
“Possible doesn’t mean that that’s the truth, Alma.” She replied, arching an eyebrow at her. The clockwork let out a deep sigh, glancing out the window before focusing her attention back onto her.
“Yes, Lucette. But the King has decided that sickness was his killer and the King’s word is law.”
“But Alma-”
“Not another word, Lucette. No more mentions of this situation. From this day forth, Baron Mateo had lost a battle with a sickness and passed away. No poison, no rival families, none of that.” She commanded sternly, glaring down at the girl. Lucette’s cheeks were puffed in anger as her eyes spat venom at the clockwork but she only uttered two words.
“Yes, Alma.”
And if they come up
Then we try to be vague
“Hey Cassandra, what are you doing for Father’s Day?” Joseph, a pyromancer in her class, asked curiously. At the mention of Father’s Day, Cassandra’s body tensed. She didn’t want to tell anyone that her parents had been dead for years. She didn’t want to be known as the only girl who will be staying in her dorm room probably crying. But she knew that Joseph wouldn’t let her go if she refused to answer.
“Uh...I do not do anything on Father’s Day. I don’t celebrate it.” She mumbled, hurrying to stuff her books into her bag.
“Really? Why not?” He persisted, giving her a confused look. She bit her lip to try to keep from growling, the question getting under her skin. Why can’t he take a hint and leave her be?! Stay out of her business!
“Because he is not here.”
“Well duh, he can’t be in Ravenwood but-”
“He is not here and he is not there. He is in a place far away from here that I can’t reach. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Maria is waiting for me. I’m going to have dinner with her and her parents.” She snapped, giving the boy a sharp glare before storming out the doors and making her way to Bartleby where Maria waited.
“Hey Cas! Are you ready to-Are you okay?” She asked worriedly, stopping her excited question when she saw the look on her girlfriend’s face. Cassandra quickly reigned in her anger, letting it drain off her face as she took a deep breath and smiled sweetly down at the pyromancer.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just got into a bit of temporary annoyance. Are you ready to go?”
“Yup! Come on, my ma can’t wait to meet you!” Maria answered excitedly, tugging on the girl’s arm to pull her to the portal.
“Can’t wait.”
There are subjects from which we divert all attention
“Your Highness!”
Lucette’s head swivelled around to look behind her at the call of her title, releasing a sound of disgust when she saw that it was Count Alessandro walking over to her. Alongside his sister, Countess Agata.
‘Dominitus above, help me with my patience.’ She silently prayed as she put on a charming smile for the duo. After they bowed before her seated form, they rose and started up a conversation with her. Oh great.
“Your Highness, lovely for you to be the hostess of such an event. And in your own gardens, as well!” He complimented, his storm grey eyes bright. Looking at them hurt too much, reminding her heart of another with similar eyes, so she looked away and focused on the sister.
“Indeed, Fratello. You have cultivated these gardens for years with such love and care. and open it for the enjoyment of the children, both poor and noble. Such generosity!” Countess Agata continued, her pretty yellow fan waving back and forth like a cat’s tail. She gave them a tight smile, trying to seem delighted, but she can tell it didn’t reach her eyes.
“But of course, after all, I am the princess and the princess is to serve the people. Our children especially. They are our future.” She explained before a blonde haired little girl dressed in a pure white Robe a l’Anglaise Retrousse toddled up to, a glowing grin on her face.
“Miss Princess?”
“Yes, darling?” She asked, leaning down as she gave the child a genuine soft smile at the title of Miss Princess. Not something she has heard of before but it was said so sweet and innocently that she refused to reprimand the girl. The child held out a hand to her, a little white daisy clasped in her grip.
“I picked this for you!” She announced proudly, as if she had completed a task from Dominitus himself. Taking the flower, I leaned down to give her a gentle kiss on her cheek, drawing a sweet little round of giggles from her.
“Why thank you, darling. A gift fit for a princess, but then it shouldn’t belong to me.” She said in a dramatic shocked tone. This of course confused the young girl who looked around before looking back up at her.
“Then who?”
“Why, what a question! Only the most beautiful and sweetest princess in all of the Spiral!”
“Where is she?”
“Hmmm, weeeell” Lucette stretched out, tapping her chin before looking back down at the girl. “She is standing right in front of me.”
The child looked around her for a bit before she realized what Lucette meant. Lucette felt a flower of pride bloom in her chest when she saw the wide smile filled with joy and surprise that appeared on the child’s face. Gently putting the flower in the bright blonde hair, she gave her a little kiss on the cheek before speaking.
“Go have fun, little princess.”
“Thank you, Miss Princess!” She yipped happily before running off, no doubt going to tell her friends that the princess called her a princess.
“My, my, how well you get along with children.” A female voice purred, interrupting her thoughts. She resisted the urge to scowl at the reminder that they were still there, instead turning around to put her attention back on them. She didn’t like the way the Countess was looking at her over her fan. Like a predatory cat that found something to prey on.
“You work soo well with the little ones, Your Highness. Tell me, have you finally decided on whom you will produce an heir with?” She asked slyly. Lucette’s eyes widen before narrowing into harsh slits, her body shifting into fight mode.
“No, I have not. Not that that’s any of your concern. Your attention should be on producing an heir for your own husband. Oh, but, you haven’t yet, have you? You haven’t for the past 15 years of marriage, in fact. Barren as a useless field. I would keep a close eye on your husband if I were you. Who knows what other, younger, more fertile woman he will find an interest in.” She berated harshly, snapping open her own fan to hide the scowl that has twisted her features. The Countess’ face was the epitome of offended shock, her jaw dropped open as her eyes widened, a single hand rising to her stomach. In other times, Lucette would’ve felt sorry for her and apologized for her harsh words but now? No. She will not tolerate such blatant rudeness to her face in her domain!
“I-Your Highness, if I have offended you in anyway-”
“Your mere presence has offended me, Madame. Think before you speak, especially to royalty. Militus Terrus!” Lucette reprimanded before calling for her friend.
“Yes, Your Highness?” He asked with a bow, walking over from his post to stand next to her.
“Please escort Countess Agata out of the palace and off the palace grounds.” She ordered coldly, keeping her glare on the woman. A hint of a smirk could be seen on Terrus lips as he nodded and turned to the countess with a stern look.
“My lady, if you will please follow me as I escort you to your ship. Resistance is futile and will be met with force.” He recited monotonically, his hands shifting towards his pistols as a threat. The countess looked back and forth from Terrus to her, looking as if she were about to argue but seemed to know better when she met the princess’ glare. Giving her a curtesy, she let herself be led away by Terrus in silence.
“Count.”
“Y-Your Highness?” The flabbergasted man stuttered out, looking back at the princess almost fearfully. Lucette didn’t blame him, she was said to be a vicious woman in fights, after all.
“Do not bring Countess Agata back here, ever again. Until I pardon her.” She ordered darkly, her sharp eyes boring into his own.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Good.”
And some we avoid like the plague
“Hey, Cassie.”
“Hm?”
“Why don’t you ever take off that ring? You wear it everywhere you go, even in the shower.” Maria questioned, looking down at the sitting pyromancer on the floor from her perch on her bed. Cassandra’s heart skipped a beat at the question, her mind freezing before running around in panic.
‘What should I say? Should I tell her? But I don’t want her to get involved!’ Her mind debated back and forth before going with avoidance.
“Well, why don’t you ever take that bracelet off?” She rebutted, gesturing to the wide bead bracelet that Maria always wore under her clothes.
“Well, it’s waterproof.”
“So?”
So, I can put it in water and not have it fall apart.” Maria answered, with a tone saying that it should’ve been obvious.
“How are you so sure of that?” Cassandra asked, insistent on keeping Maria’s mind off her ring.The longer they talked, the more she would forget.
“Because it hasn’t fallen off yet.”
“So you’re just gonna wait until it falls off your arm and scatters beads all over the floor?”
“Well, no but-”
“So how are you sure?” Cassandra cut off Maria’s excuse, leaning against the bed frame casually. Maria’s brow furrowed in confusion at Cassandra’s question.
“Uh, well, I, um….I don’t know.” She finally admitted after minutes of searching for an answer.
“Exactly. Point made, checkmate.”
“But-”Maria was about to speak until the sound of the door bell Cassandra enchanted onto her door started to ring. “Pizza!”
Maria flipped backwards off the bed and ran to the door, getting the pizza and paying the guy before running over to Cassandra carrying the large pizza box.
“Bon Appetit!” She announced, placing the pizza box on the floor before sitting next to Cassandra.
“Do you even know any other French than that?”
“Nope.”
I’m
becoming a mime
Biting my tongue
Fingernails dug sharply into flesh as Lucette tried not to get up and strangle her ex lover who sat across from her. It was becoming more and more of a battle to stop herself from acting on her murderous rage and just stab him with something. Luckily for him, she didn’t have her weapons because of Ulysses and she was being somewhat held back by Ulysses. He’ll live another day.
“Favero”
“What?” She snapped, keeping her glare, safely hidden under her dark veil, latched on Teach.
“If you glare at him any longer, he is going to become suspicious.” Ulysses tried to warn the princess to no avail.
“He is already suspicious, Ulysses!” She hissed at him, finally turning her glare off of Teach on to him.
“Then do not add on to that suspicion by glaring at him with fire from Tartarus. I understand your anger and resentment towards him but you must not let it interfere with our mission. He will receive his punishment in due time.” He scolded her lowly, much to her annoyance. She opened her mouth to voice a protest but a harsh glare from those sharp red eyes made her bite her tongue to hold the words back. Instead, she looked down at her lap and let her anger shimmer in silence.
“Yes, Captain.”
Biding my time
Smoke hissed off the surface of the wooden with each aggravated tap of Cassandra’s fingers. In her other hand was a newspaper from Valencia. On the front page in big black, bold letters “Crown Princess of Valencia Hosts Large Celebration for New Bride.”. Underneath the headline was a picture of the wedding party with the princess sitting delicately on the edge like a little porcelain bird she has seen before in stores.While the focus was no doubt on the bride and groom, a person would have to have been blind to pretend that the majority of the attention was on the princess. Lucette. Lucette dressed in a pretty dark blue dress, no doubt made out of some fancy silk, lined in flashy silver. But the thing that stood out the most about her was her eyes. A bright shade of blue that matched the skies of Wizard City’s clearest days. They had a knowing light in them that the artist captured well, the small grin on her lips saying that she knew things hers did not. It disgusted her.
‘Blue eyes! Blue eyes! How can she be apart of our bloodline but not have the eyes or the fire magic?! If my uncle truly married a Valencian woman, why do I see so little of him in this slip of a girl?’ She questioned, the questions only making her more enraged until she crumbled the newspaper in her hands into a ball, getting ready to burn it until logic spoke up once more.
‘Wait. Prepare for the future. Do not be so quick to dismiss her absence of pyromancy when she has never had a need for it yet. Wait until it is time. Bide your time until an opportunity arises.’ She reminded herself, unfolding the newspaper only, to tear out the picture and throw the rest onto the floor. She stared at the picture for a while, as if she were staring down the girl at that very moment, before carefully folding it until it was a small square and dropping it into a drawer.
“Patience is key.” She murmured softly, sitting back down at her desk. Silently biding her time.
Trying not to scream
(Trying not to scream)
All around her was afire, blinding her vision with nothing but orange and yellow. She felt as if the ash and smoke had morphed themselves into a single hand to strangle her. She could hear screaming, the gender of the voice uncertain from how high its pitch has gotten. She herself was trying not scream, though she did not know why. Her mind was consumed by panic and fear, the most poisonous of emotions that spread to the rest of your body like wildfire.
“Baba!”
“Mama!”
“Uncle!”
She called out desperately into the darkness behind the flames,her voice uselessly reaching for a light of hope, a light of familiarity to get her out of this wretched place. But there was no one there. Not anywhere in this hellish landscape. She was alone. Utterly and completely alone.
Managed it before
(Managed it before)
She tried to reign in control of herself, trying to tamper down the terror that engulfed her. For a second she thought that she was already being torched by the fire, for a split second, she can see her already dark skin blister, boil, and char black. When she blinked however, she saw that she was fine and not yet burned. But was the fire closer than before?
“I need-I need to get out of here! Am I asleep? Is this all a dream? It has to be! It must be!” She tried to convince herself, wrapping her arms around herself as a futile attempt to comfort her.
Not knowing if I’m going to survive
And
As the fire creeped steadily closer to her, all the young woman could do was hug herself and grit her teeth. The scream had morphed into several different voices screaming, some familiar, other not. She tried to pinpoint them but it proved useless as they were all too mixed together to separate. When she took a step back, she let out a shrill scream when her leg was engulfed entirely in heat. She quickly jumped forward, just barely missing the roaring flames in front. The flames have gotten closer. She now only had a three feet space. And it was steadily decreasing.
“No, Mama!
“Papa!”
“Please somebody help me!”
That’s when it finally reached her. The searing claws of heat dug deep into the skin of her feet first, before soaring up her legs to her torso and latching onto her hair. She felt as if thousands of razor sharp blades were slowly peeling off her skin while dunked in saltwater, the pain blinding and deafening her to her her own shrieks of agony. She was locked in a maze of suffering with no exit. There was fire on her arms, in her hair, biting through her scalp, and she couldn’t feel her legs anymore. Her screams were now joined with the others.
Damn it!
Blue eyes snapped open as Lucette’s body shot up out of bed, her hands instantly grabbing the bed frame. As she stared at the the far side of the room, her breath coming out in quick, uneven pants, her mind trying to comprehend what she saw and is seeing now. Once she finally managed to get a solid grip of her terror and realize that she was in her room, she let go a heavy, exhausted sigh of relief; falling back down on her bed. The sweat on her skin made the air seem cooler than it was, something she did not mind in the least. She desperately wanted to tear off her cotton nightdress, but didn’t even have the energy to move an arm.
She was about to roll over when her bedroom door opened, letting in a dim ray of light.
“Lucette? Are you alright?” A smooth, mature yet gentle voice called out, alerting the princess to who she was. “I heard your heart rate rapidly increase unexpectedly in a way reminiscent of when you have nightmares.”
“Yes, I’m okay, Alma. Just a nightmare, that’s all.” She explained weakly.
“I see. Do you desire comfort in order to return to a peaceful rest?” She then asked, walking across the large bedchamber to her bedside. Lucette rolled over, facing Alma with tired eyes. As if sensing the unspoken answer, the red clothed maid sat down on the edge of her plush bed, stroking a single cold hand on her cheek as she began to softly sing.
“Little baby, hear my voice
I am beside you, oh maiden fair”
Fire orange eyes snapped open as Cassandra’s body bolted out of bed onto the floor, her fists erupting into flames. For minutes that felt like hours, she snarled and glared at the wooden wall of her cabin, her mind shifting into fight mode before calming down. Recognizing no threat, her body sagged forward, the short rush of adrenaline that powered her vanishing into thin air.
“A nightmare. I just had a nightmare, that’s all.” She murmured to herself softly, sinking back down on the bed. Half of her wanted to go down to Aftab’s stable but she didn’t want to disturb his rest. So she laid there, mentally chained to her bed as she tried to urge herself to sleep, humming a half forgotten lullabye from years long gone under her breath.
I’ve got to practice
Practice
Learning
Hmm hmmmm hmmmmm
Siren Pyromancer Trio
Lucette, Cassandra, and Maria would make the the best trio of sirens.
Lucette would be the one from mythology incarnated. With eyes the color of icebergs and lips that look as soft as rose petals, she is the picture of sweet temptation. Her voice would sweet and smooth, one that floated on the cool sea breeze to caress a sailor’s ears, whispering sweet promises of the comforts of home or the warm arms of a loving partner.
However, as soon as a bewitched sailor swims his way to her rock that she has deemed her throne, her cold eyes that they had once found alluring now stabbed their hearts with fear, the siren letting her magic fading away just enough for them to realize their foolishness before revealing the true darkness that lies underneath and stealing him away into the dark sea below.
Cassandra would be as if storms themselves were a person. With eyes the color of fire and a tail colored with the dark blue gray of storm clouds, it is no wonder people that live within her territory worship her as a sea goddess. A voice as deep and rumbling as thunder, it commands the winds to carry it to the ears of naive sailors, wrapping their minds in chains unbreakable. Her song sung of powerful authority, of easy subjugation, bending and breaking their will as if it were brittle glass.
As the victim’s body brings itself to her rocky throne, they only get a glimpse into the dark figure looming over them with glowing eyes before the churning waves drag him under.
Maria is little mermaid, basically. She’s the playful siren who watches children play on the shore and makes sure they don’t drown in the water or keeps dangerous predators away from them. She’s the high, childish voice that brings joy to people and inspires them to hum their age old favorites. The breeze tickles children’s hair with her song, carrying with it the scent of orange blossoms.
Whenever her bright sunshine yellow tail is seen, the people living nearby and the sailors see it as a sign of good luck from the sea goddess’ . Which is not really a lie, for if Maria asks Cassandra to protect a ship or to leave the sailors alone, Cassandra will, be exasperated but will do it because it makes Maria happy. She prefers not to kill innocent people for her food, so what the villages do is sacrifice the worst criminal that has done a heinous deed to her.
It is then that the other side of her is seen. The one that earns the name siren. Her voice turns dark and low, forcing the criminal’s body to fall off the cliff to her while keeping them aware of what was happening. Bringing them to kneel before her, she forces them to break both of their legs before pulling them to their death beneath the sea.