The Anti-Fairy Tales The Water Demon Arc Part Eight

 The Truth

Pheoshan woke up very early in the morning feeling very refreshed. She knew that she needed that sleep and the rest that it had given her. Her mind was quiet and her thoughts were calm. Her mind went over the night before with a strange peaceful happiness that she was incapable of describing. She had noticed that all the noise in her head was silent and her mind was able to focus. 

She looked out of the window and then she slipped out of the bed. She slipped out of the cotton nightgown and cleaned herself. Then put on the dress that she wore the night before. She then day at her desk and suddenly realised that there were several pages on the table and ink and a quill.

Write all that you have been through down. Write it all down and leave nothing out. She heard a voice say.

She picked up the quill and started writing. She had to take a moment or two as she thought about how best to put it in words. She found it strange as she was able to write all that she had been through. She was able to process things better and eventuate all that she had been through as she wrote it down. She felt like a great weight was slowly but surely lifting as she wrote word by word. So by the time that she finished she felt lighter somehow.

She let out a sigh of relief as she put the quill down. She cleaned the ink off her hands then wiped the desk as the ink on the pages dry. She then brushed her hair and then looked at makeup, still not knowing whether or not she liked it she resisted the urge to put it on. She did not want to get used to this. She knew that she had to focus on getting back to her friends and get back on her journey. Yet she could not get the night before out of her head.

I wonder if I will have any more nights like that?

I hope so…

But they must come later. I have a job to do. One that only I can do.

She looked down and noticed that the pages were dry. She collected the pages and then gave them to the king. She gave the pages to him.

"Thank you. Now Alex, we need to get our breakfast. I will read this afterward."

She smiled and nodded. She soon walked with him to the dining Hall that she was in the night before. She remembered all that she could recall from the limited time that she spent with her parents and what they had taught her. She remembered how to eat and dug in.

"You were very well taught." Commented Prince Rice.

She shrugged and smiled.

I was taught well.

He smiled and nodded.

"Tell me, what do you think of Alex?" Prince Rice asked.

"She is interesting, however I do not believe that she is right for you." The king said gently and gave her a slight apologetic look.

She nodded to tell him that it was alright and she agreed.

"Why?"

Pheoshan gave him a look to signal that he should tell him the truth.

"She has something to do."

"Like?"

"To get back to her friends and to get to wherever she is going."

He nodded and she turned back to her food. When they had finished their food the king turned to her pages and read them. Every now and again taking glances at her and then returning to her work. After a while he placed it all down and rubbed his eyes.

"I see…now I know what to do." She said with fire in his eyes. He rose to his feet and looked at her. "You better come with me."

He then led her to the library. It was filled with books from the bottom to the top. She noticed that it was as large as the dining Hall with many stairs, ladders and levels just to get to the books. With a few tables and chairs on the ground level. He then led her to the chair and bestowed for her to sit and she did. He then walked up a set of stairs and came back with a green leather hardback book with gold writing on the spine with the name being Axander.

"I would like you to read it "

She reached out and took it, mouthing thank you. She opened it on the first page. She looked down to see a portrait of a younger version of the king. She looked up, shocked. Yet her eyes returned to the book.

Today I met a lovely young lady. She was perfect, too perfect. 

I have a suspicion about her. I know she is not a normal lady.

No, not when I spotted her using a fork and a hair comb. Yet

I am admirably drawn to her. I cannot say or understand 

why. I just cannot get her out of my head and I cannot get

away from her. My thoughts always seem to be dominated by her.

She looked at King Axander judgmentally.

Seriously,  have you never heard of a crush?

He gave her a stern look on his face. It told get that there was something else that was going on.

Today I went to my father to ask about it, however he passed

it off that I was falling in love with this girl, however I knew

that he was wrong. I had to look around and soon learnt

about love and list potions. Upon reading further, I noticed that

my symptoms were identical to the Sea Demon love potion.

Her eyes widened.

No wonder he told me to read on!

When I pursued hey for information upon why she had done

this and where she had received the Sea Demon love piton, 

She clutched her head and collapsed. She then turned into

a mermaid before my very eyes and then the body turned into

water.

She looked down at his drawing of her that he drew. Her eyes widened and all her hair stood on end! That was the librarian that led her to Ursmor, furthermore she looked identical.

What is going on here?

She turned the book and pointed at her. 

"Yes. That is her. Why, what is it?"

She gave a frustrated look. He suddenly remembered that she could not speak and gave her a page and quill.

This was the mermaid librarian

that led me to the witch Ursmor!

He too worsened his eyes.

"What?! Are you sure?"

She nodded.

So this must mean that she, somehow

was able to get her back!

"If that is true then-"

She then was a flash of what happened to her once she had started talking to Ursmor. She remembered how she sank to the bottom of the cave chamber.

I think that she is dead, however

I do not think that it is the end

of it. See I think that she can

puppet the bodies of those that

she makes a deal with.

"Yes, it appears that way, however it does not explain why she looks identical to when I saw her as a young man."

Then she remembered those lights and the voices that she heard. Her gut dropped as it suddenly occurred to her what they were.

Maybe she takes their soul?

He thought about that for a moment and he got up and left. He came back with another book with black leather with silver covered corners. He then gave out to her. She opened it.

Today I met a young lady. She claimed to be the

half sister of the mer king,  King Mertry. I walked

to the show and used the shell my mother made to

call him.

I asked him about her and he told me that she was

no such thing. He then told me that she was one of

the many demons that have been trying to infiltrate

the royal merfolk bloodline and the bloodlines of other

royals.

Upon testing his claim it was all too clear that he was

telling me the truth. So I kicked her out and burnt all

that she had brought with her. She then escaped to 

the sea. Revealing her demonic true form.

So this must have been Ursmor!

"Tell me,  do you know what happens to those who make deals with demons?"

No, but it must not be good.

"No, no it is not. The demon collects the soul of the one they made a deal with once they are dead."

Her eyes widened in horror. She felt cold and horrified by this. Yet this sparked anger. She should have expected this, she should have known that this would happen. She should have not followed that librarian, she should have stayed with Livea. At least there she would not be involved in this plot!

Is there a way to prevent this?

"Not unless you can kill a demon." Prince Rice resorted.

I can.

"What but-"

"She is Princess Pheoshasn, she has the power of Wolfox! As he can kill demons that must mean that she does too. However you must be careful with that ability, a demon's power can entice those that possess then to do evil."

She nodded.

Will this mean that I will have to

find a way to get rid of them once

Wolfox is dead?

"Yes. That would be the best course of action. Also even before all that, you must use the powers sparingly."

She nodded. She looked down and noticed the scars. That was when she remembered what she had learnt, however then she looked at her silver white blond hair. That was when an idea came to her, something that, under any other circumstance, would have shaken her right down to the core. She then wrote it down and passed it to him.

Do you think that Ursmor may have

been behind the battle that took

place here?

He looked at her with shock, almost like she had slapped him in the face. Yet he looked down like she had just given him the last piece of a puzzle that he had tried to solve for a long time.

"Yes…that would make sense."

Now,  if that is the case then that would mean that she might have been trying to use me to start another war. Then if that is the case then that would make sense. Yet I do feel that I am missing something. There is another part of her plan at play here.

She looked down at her new face in the silver corners. This caused her to have another idea enter her mind. She felt chilled as she remembered that she remembered how she changed her appearance. Yet if she could do that, then what else could she change?

Can she change another's biology?

He looked at her alarmed.

"Why would you think that?"

Ursmor changed my appearance

and wants me to marry Prince Rice

His eyes widened.

"Oh."

For the rest of the morning they all went over all the books in the library and it soon became clear that Ursmor was behind almost over three quarters of the kingdoms' problems and wars! Yet during this time they were being watched by the expressionless face of the librarian…