The Prompt Project’ are posts that are essentially a way for me to exercise my creative muscles, without all the pressure that comes from writing my WIP for example.
I post what I write on the spot, I don’t impose a word limit or time it, just go with whatever my brain spits out for as long it keeps up the momentum. I’ll literally see prompt, write and then post the results.
Today’s prompt is:
“Wait… So this whole time, you weren’t under my mind control?”
The downfall of the night princess
As I slipped back out through the small gap in the thick bushes that surround our grounds, I could feel the judgemental stare of my guard. Well, tough shit. I never asked to be the daughter of someone in important. I didn’t want a destiny. The only thing in my control is these little… adventures.
I had a least been kind enough to station him in a sheltered area, with food, water and permission to move the relieve himself. It’s more than my father would have done. His stoney expression scalded me as I approached.
“Alright, you are released from my earlier commands. Let’s go get ready for whatever obligation I’m due to attend tonight.”
He stood and stretched, coughing gruffly but he still didn’t speak. This was why I liked this one. He didn’t reprimand me like I was a little girl. Even though he knew that if I was injured or killed on these escapades, he would be the one to die for it, regardless of the fact I had the power to control him. I didn’t even feel like he resented me for it, like most of the others would have. Maybe I read to much into but I’m sure he almost looks at me with sympathy sometimes. I have everything at my fingertips, so why on earth I could garner sympathy from some low level guard, I don’t know but it meant he kept quiet, so I never bought it up.
“Your father has a meeting with the Gray’s tonight, he wanted you ready by six.” Shit, it was 5:15 already.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He simply gave me the same stoney stare. Oh right, he tried. I commanded him to shut up. I threw my hands in the air in frustration. “Alright, fine, but you’re going to need to run ahead to get the maid’s ready to go as soon as I’m upstairs because he’ll expect the work’s for the Gray’s.” He rolled his eyes, no doubt thinking that the maid’s would already be anxiously pacing in my room, a bath cooling beside them. Once again, he had a silent point, but he ran ahead anyway and I got to enjoy the view. If I hadn’t learned the hard way as a girl that mingling with the people my father employed to serve me always ended in heartbreak or betrayal, I might have tried to climb that muscular body like a tree by now.
Sighing, I climbed the stairs, bracing myself for the whirlwind. Sure enough, within 45 minutes I was bathed, plucked, painted and shiny. Resplendent in a sweeping thin satin dress, which artfully covered all my skin from chest to my toes, whilst still being scandalously revealing. My father always said to use every weapon you had and men are stupid in the face of beauty.
He smiled approvingly as I reached the bottom of the stairs, before the last chime of the six o’clock bell could ring out.
“Ah, if isn’t my little wolf in sheep’s clothing.” I clenched my jaw at these words but quickly threw an airy smile on my face to cover it.
“Jasmine has outdone herself this time, the dress is magnificent.” My father shook his head as he took my arm, Jasmine was a source of contention. A cook’s daughter I had been friend’s with as a child, who I insisted be apprenticed as a dress-maker, so that she could be employed by us and remain in the house by her mother’s side. It was a reprehensible display of compassion and my father hated it but neither could he do anything to prevent it; she did do exquisite work.
He swept me towards the front entrance, the grand ‘receiving room’, humbly titled despite its entire purpose being too intimidate, with grand arched windows, expensive art and defensive technology weaved with magical elements.
The Gray’s were a slimy family of nobility, who resented having to ingratiate themselves with us. They stood by the front doors, noses turned up and expressions haughty. We were not aristocratic, my father was a ‘self-made man’ through and through but between us we held more power and wealth than most of the kingdom, even it’s sovereign.
“Dinner before business I think, gentleman?” My father said by way of greeting. He noticed their eyes lingering on me. “You remember my daughter, of course.”
Lila, you bastard, my name is Lila.
“Of course.” the eldest of the Gray bother’s took my hand and kissed it, while I hoped my smile didn’t show my revulsion. His eyes lingered on far too many places on my body, for far too long. I wonder if he knows I could kill where he stands, by his own hand.
We ate in near silence, besides the occasional small talk and polite chit chat. Their eyes lingered too much. They never used my name. My father did not correct them when I was talked over. Something charged was in the air, I glanced at my guard over my father’s shoulder and could tell he felt it too. He body was rigid, his jaw clenched but his eyes darted from place to place, trying to ascertain the threat.
When my father finally put down his cutlery with a distinctive clink, I finally knew who was going to be the one to bring the night crashing down around us.
“Luther, how is your business in the West going?” All four of the Gray brother’s froze.
“We have no business in the West, it is your territory, as you well know.” The eldest, Luther, responded. The youngest, Arthur, was staring fixedly at his plate.
“Then why, am I getting reports from not one, but three of my mines saying that they have been over-taken and any worker who did not comply killed?”
I closed my eyes. Hundreds of people were employed in those mines. I opened them in time to catch Luther throwing Arthur a look. Fear. He may not know what his baby brother had been doing but he certainly suspected it.
“That is unfortunate but as I said, we do not have any business there.”
“Lies.” My father said it quietly but everyone in the room stiffened. Tendrils of darkness began to grow from the shadows.
“You see, I visited the area myself and bought back this.” It was a bloodied piece of a soldier uniform, bearing the Gray emblem. All three brothers glanced at Arthur then. “If I’m not mistaken, if the sigil or their uniform bears four roses, this signifies the army under your youngest brother’s employ.”
“That hardly counts as proof. You could have attacked and killed any soldier of mine in any place.” Arthur was trying to sound pompous, but the crack in his voice gave him away. The shadows grew thicker.
“Be quiet, Arthur.” One of the middle ones said, I never bothered to learn their names, they hardly ever spoke.
“Very wise, George. You always were a sensible one. You see, you have to recognise the grave peril you have put your entire family in.” The shadows were crawling over their shoulders now, tendrils playing with their lapels, tickling their chins. “I tolerate you for the sake of appearance only. Key word here being tolerate.”
Fury flashed through me that he had not warned me that this was the point of the dinner. My guard had quietly made his way around the room to stand behind me, a quick glance at his furrowed brow told me he did not know about this either.
“You have two more brothers at home yes? Two young ones?” Confused by the strange new line in question, Luther nodded. “Ah good, I would hate to leave the Gray’s bereft of heir’s.”
They had seconds before my father shadows pounced. In those seconds Arthur hands withdrew from under the table, he was holding something that looked like a grenade and the pin was already withdrawn. Before I could shout a command to stop him, before my father could react, the grenade had been thrown in his direction but instead of an explosion, light flared.
My father screamed. A sound I had never heard in all my life. Terror ripped through me. It was the scream of a dying thing.
All the Gray’s were moving, I’m sure they spoke but I could not hear, I was staring at the broken thing that was my father. Hands grabbed me from behind, a deep, soft voice spoke quickly in my ear.
“Lila, we must go.”
My guard dragged me from my chair, another was standing ready at one of my father secret passageways, the rest moved to cover my escape.
“No!” I screamed, command lacing my voice. “Save my father.” As one the guards turned glassy eyed and turned from me to go to my father. All except one.
“There is nothing to save, Lila.” He hauled me like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder and went barrelling through the passage. Depositing me roughly down as he turned to bar the door. My commands would wear off the further I moved from the guards and they would defend our escape.
“You ignored my command.” He nodded, pulling me to my feet so we continue on down the passage.
“Wait… So this whole time, you weren’t under my mind control?” He stopped, turning a wary expression on me.
“I am immune to other gifts, always have been, it is why your father employed me.”
“Why have you been pretending all this time?”
“You had so little freedom, who was I to take what little you had away when you were perfectly capable of defending yourself?” Perhaps I was in shock, but this stunned me more than the events that had occurred behind us. He continued walking at a brisk pace as I stumbled along behind him.
“But surely… my father, he knew what I was doing and employed you to stop it?”
“I lied to him too. I figured I could let you live your life, protect you if necessary and make him think you were done sneaking out.”
“But I’ve done things and said things in front of you I never would have if I had known…” My cheeks flamed.
“Yes, well, perhaps there is a lesson in that about respecting people’s free will, mind control or not. Now these friends you sneak out to see, they will shelter us, yes?”
“Yes, not for long but…”
“Good.” He said briskly. Striding away. I took one last look at the remnants of my old life, which was now just a doorway rimmed in light from the room beyond.
Then I turned and followed him.
Antonia Bernardin 
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