Lady Of Lake And Arrow |A Swan Lake Retelling|: Book One

Chapter 13

Adventure Club - Limitless (feat. Delaney Jane)

"Stay with me," says the Goddess of Youth.

"I cannot, Niamh," replies her mortal lover, Raphael.

"You can. I will make you immortal. For you, I will do anything."

Raphael smiles sadly, then takes the goddess's face in his hands. He kisses her, slow and sweet, and she kisses back desperately.

"Goodbye," he murmurs into her lips.

At last, he lets go.

- Raphael and Niamh -

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Jessa stayed perched on the battlements of the fortress, tucked between two merlons. She looked down at the Tartareans streaming out of the small towers on either end of the Keep.

She was starting to come here more often, especially after she woke up at dawn. The feeling of the wind against her skin, the coolness of autumn. Those were some of the few things she liked about Andalia. Whereas it was always sunny and filled with the humid air that came with being near the sea in the South, the seasons actually changed in the Middle Continents. The first time Jessa experienced winter was when she had crossed the border between the two Continents over the Eshya river. She wore only rags that time, but she never got cold, never shivered, unlike the people she passed with layers of furs clutched around them.

Most of the people below didn't start training yet, heading towards the dining hall. By now, Jessa had already memorized the main view of the Keep. On some locations, there was an unusual placement of trees. Those were the places where she assumed were more hidden clearings.

It occurred to her that she hadn't eaten her own breakfast yet. Her stomach eased more everyday with the help of the tonic; she knew because in the day before she had eaten the whole bowl of stew in one sitting without having the urge to heave it all out. The second bottle of tonic was already finished, but Jessa knew she didn't need more. She was thankful to Raya for that.

Jessa was bored of all the soups and stews she was getting.

Stealing obviously wasn't allowed here, as any other place inhabited by humans. She eyed the weapons rack at the edge of the courtyard for a long time, having only found out about it herself right after she had left Ryland and Raya. After handling the prince's sword, it felt like something dear had been taken away from her. Maybe Terhen wouldn't let her use a weapon after all.

More and more people got out into the courtyard, ready to start the day. Jessa tilted her head to the side. No, she didn't like being in crowded places and wasn't an outgoing person. But was it so bad to just . . . be free?

She shook her head to shake out the thoughts, then made her way down the tower, never slipping once. Out in the sunlight, she knew how easy it was for people to see her, so was careful to keep near the cluster of vines and opt for luck. She stopped at the window leading into the corridor containing her room, swinging a leg over the window sill and landing inside on the soft carpeted ground with a soft thud.

Once she stepped into her room, she slipped off her boots and tossed them to the side, sliding back into her cot. If only she could simply stay there forever and slowly fade out of existence just so she wouldn't have to deal with the day. The thought of Terhen alone made Jessa want to belch. It was only so much until she could no longer be able to tolerate him.

But Raya and Ryland . . . Jessa was fine with them. Would've liked them a lot, even, if they being the princess and prince didn't make her feel uncanny sometimes.