I closed my eyes and slowly vivid images appeared.
I saw the back of a girl running. She had long black hair that swayed side to side as she ran greeting and waving to people she passed by. She seemed to know them very well.
"Good morning uncle Ben." She waved to an old man who was just about to open his store.
"Good morning Nyx." He waved back and the girl continued running.
She stopped when she saw a woman trying to pluck some apples from a tree but had a hard time reaching.
"Good morning, Mrs. Pearl."
"Oh, good morning Nyx. Good, you are here. I would need your help to…"
Before she finished her sentence Nyx had already climbed the tree and was now throwing apples down into Mrs. Pearls basked.
"It's enough. Thank you dear." Mrs. Pearl smiled.
Nyx climbed down. "Of course. Anything to have a taste of your apple pie." She winked.
Mrs. Pearl laughed. "How did you know I would make an apple pie?"
"What would you need so many apples for otherwise?"
"Clever girl." Mrs. Pearls said clapping Nyx on the shoulder. "Come by later and take some pie home with you."
"I will. I'll see you later Mrs. Pearl."
Nyx continued running and helping a few more people on her way. People in her village seemed to like her a lot. She was vibrant and beautiful, charming everyone around her with her personality.
"Nyx! Come here!" A woman called standing at the doorstep to a little house with arms crossed and a displeased look on her face.
The smile that had been on Nyx's face the whole time disappeared as she walked up to the woman. "Mother."
"How many times have I told you to not run around like a child. You are going to be a leader and a queen so act like one."
"But mother, I told you I don't want to be a leader or a queen. I want to marry someone I love."
Her mother turned her heels and walked inside. "Selfish as always. Haven't I told you that the coven comes first and your desires after? The demons are increasing their power and we have to do the same."
Nyx followed her mother inside. "By making me a queen? How is that going to help? It's not like queens rule."
Her mother stopped and turned back around. "I am not talking about you. I am talking about your son. I saw him in my dream, I saw him become a great ruler. You know what my dreams mean right?" Her mother asked.
"Yes. They become true." Nyx's shoulders fell in disappointment.
"You know that I didn't go to the king myself and asked him to marry you. He came here on his own after having seen you somewhere. He was bewitched by your beauty and he isn't bad looking himself." Her mother tried to cheer her up.
Nyx had seen him. He did look good and he had seemed like a gentleman but Nyx was used to living freely, and getting married to the King would force her to sit locked in a big castle with people serving her and following her everywhere. It wasn't the King she was opposing, she didn't know him after all, it was the lifestyle of a queen she didn't want.
"Sometimes we have to sacrifice a few things for a bigger purpose." Her mother explained. "Now, your wedding is soon so behave yourself." She returned to her stern self.
Nyx knew that her mother and the coven would not let this opportunity slip away and they would do everything to make her marry the King so she just decided to accept her fate. Maybe God had planned something better for her.
But the day came too soon, when she would be taken away from her home and into a new one. The King had sent a lot of gifts to her family and a carriage for her to be taken home. She said goodbye to her family and then she was on her way to a man she knew nothing about. There was no doubt that she would use her magic if she had to.
Suddenly the carriage stopped on its way and she heard the sound of clinking swords. "My lady run!" Someone called.
They had been attacked.
Nyx quickly got out of the carriage to help the men but realized they were already dead.
"Kill her!" One of the enemies ordered. Nyx gathered her strength to use her magic but to her surprise, she failed. Her magic was not working. She tried again but to no avail. What had her mother done?
The man walking toward her seemed to have changed his mind when he saw her face. "It would be a waste to kill her sir." He said eyeing her up and down.
The one who gave the command turned around and once he saw her he licked his lips.
"I think you are right." He agreed.
Nyx took a few steps back but the men surrounded her and two of them grabbed each of her arm holding her in place.
Suddenly the sound of a horse galloping from a distance made the men stop in their tracks. A man with a black cloak riding on a white horse came into sight. As he neared Nyx called for help.
"Shut up!" The soldier yelled.
When the man was close enough he stopped. Nyx got her hopes up even though she didn't think a single man could defeat all those armed men.
"Continue further like you have seen nothing and you will live." The commander spoke.
The man in the black cloak that hid most of his face was silent for a moment but then he climbed down the horse and walked up to the commander. "Let the Lady go and I'll spare your life." He spoke in an icy tone.
"Alright then. If you want to die fine by me."
The soldier was about to draw his sword but the man in the black cloak already snapped his head off. The other men stared with shock and began to hesitate.
"Someone else who wants to die? I'll make it quick." Just his voice made them tremble in fear. One of them took the courage and moved forward but his arms were shaking.
"I'll give you one last chance to leave, with your body intact." The man warned.
They looked at each other before retreating carefully and then running away. Something about the man's presence was too frightening. Nyx could feel it. He was one of her enemies, but why did he save her? Maybe he had other, worse plans for her.
The man removed the cap from his head and Nyx could finally see his face. He was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen, yet frightening. Her mother had told her that demons looked beautiful but she said to not be deceived by their beauty because it was only a mask to hide all the ugliness behind. Even though Nyx knew she couldn't help but gawk at the man in front of her.
No! He was not a man, he was a demon she reminded herself. A very powerful one and he probably just saved her to kill her in a more painful way.
"What do you want?" She asked.
His expression remained the same. "What made you think I want something?"
"Why did you save me?"
"You called for help." He said simply reminding her.
"You are a demon." She pointed still suspicious of his intentions.
"The King of demons." He corrected.
Nyx froze in place. The King of demons? He was the devil himself.
God! She was in big trouble. What would he do to her? Especially now when her magic was not working. While weighing different options the man turned around and climbed his horse.
He was leaving her?
"I see your magic is not working. I would take you home but I am sure you don't trust me." He said.
Was this one of his tricks? He was the master of manipulation after all.
"My magic is working just fine." She lied.
"Alright then." He said turning his horse and then riding away.
Nyx was confused. Did he just leave her despite knowing that she was a witch? She shook her head still in disbelief that she had met the devil and he actually let her live. She had a story to tell but first, she needed to figure out how to get home. To her new home.
The sun went down and Nyx had still not found her way to the castle and her magic had still not returned. This was all her mother's fault. Why would she take her magic away when she had agreed to marry the king. She wouldn't have agreed if she had planned to escape.
It was getting darker and darker and she was still clueless as to where she was going. She had asked some people for direction but that didn't help at all. This was bad, walking alone at night when she was the kind to attract attention and now some men were already following her. She tried to pick up her steps but they kept following her.
"Hey, you beautiful lady. Why are you running away?" One of them called.
They were close so Nyx began to run afraid.
"Hey! Wait!" They started to chase her.
Just when she rounded a corner someone grabbed her arm and with a pull, a magnetic force swept her away. She knew this feeling and soon she found herself somewhere else, outside an old dark castle.
With the devil.
"I knew you wanted something." She said afraid backing away from him.
His icy eyes gazed into hers. "You are right. Maybe I do." He said taking a step toward her.
She held her arms out to stop him from coming any closer. "What do you want?" She asked looking around for an escape, as if that would be possible.
"Your name?"
What?! Nyx wasn't sure if she heard it right.
"If I tell you my name, will you let me go?"
"You mean let you go back to the streets where you can get raped."
"It's not like you would do anything less." She retorted.
His face that had remained without expression now looked upset.
"I don't force myself on anyone." He said in a cold tone.
Nyx could see that he got upset by her remark.
"Fine. Take me home, to my husband and I'll tell you my name."
"Deal."
In a blink of an eye, she stood in front of another castle she recognized. This was where the king of Decresh lived, her now husband.
"How do I know you will leave me here once I tell you my name?" She asked.
"We made a deal and I am the devil. I never break my part of the deal." He explained.
She shouldn't believe him but she did. Maybe this was how easily he manipulated people.
"Nyx. My name is Nyx."
For a short moment, his expression softened and looked at her in a way that made her shiver for all different reasons. What did he want? It was not her name she was sure.
"Nyx.." the way he said her name made her heart flutter. " If you ever want to make a deal, just call me."
"And what should I call you?" She asked.
"You know my name. Everyone does."
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. His lips were cold yet heat spread through her body.
"Good night, Nyx." And then he vanished into thin air.
"What happened? Why did you stop?" I had just begun to enjoy the story when the pictures suddenly disappeared.
I looked at Irene who looked like she had seen a ghost. "What is wrong?" I asked concerned.
"He is here." She said. "My son is here."