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By Athena
I'll tell you the truth, but don't mention it to anyone else. I'll tell you why I can't kill my mortal enemy. Kick the ever loving crap out of him, but not kill him. Never. When I was a child, long before I knew of my calling, my "sacred duties" I was just like any other kid. Six or so, living in the city of angels and quite unprepared for anything that life would eventually throw my way. Innocence as well as ignorance is bliss.
Little girl in the big city, at the zoo actually. A special night exhibit for Christmas where all the shrub animals were lit up like the stars in white lights and tinsel. It was getting late, but then again nine is late to an six year old. But closing time was approaching swiftly and dad was tired of carrying me so I toddled behind him as closely as I could. He ran into family friends, no friends of mine, these were grown ups and as he talked to them a sweet melody filled my ears and blended into the bird songs.
In my attempts to stay out of his way I drifted off toward the lullaby which had now captured my complete attention. It was not a modern tune, none of the classics like "hush little baby" or "twinkle twinkle", I didn't know what it was but as a child in all my curiosity I followed. Danger doesn't exist at this age, only a wondering abandon that you loose over time.
As I drew closer to the source of my interest the animals howled around me, the overhanging trees screeched with restless monkeys and the lions roared behind me. The lions are on to you baby. And then I was in the air, being tossed between two rough men who neither were my father. Their faces were deformed, their teeth cracked. How was I to know? I began to tremble and I called out for daddy. They growled, and they laughed and talked of "sharing", I was so small and they ripped my dress. How was I to know?
I wanted to go home, I wanted my warm bed, I wanted mom to sing me songs that I was familiar with and tell me stories of prince charming and how he always saved the day and happily ever after was a fact of life. Tears fell on my cheeks but I uttered no cries. Instead I pulled out a handful of hair from one of the nasty men and bit his nose. I drew blood and was roughly shaken for my efforts. Being thrown roughly towards the other one I became disoriented and nearly poked out his eye, the ground greeted me within seconds. The two men snarled at me and I in all my childhood stubbornness just looked at them defiantly. My mistake. The pain was immense no matter how brief, I was only a child after all.
"Drop 'er," he said.
And once again the ground greeted me with a thud. He came sauntering out of the shadows slowly and I just stared. Clad in all black, what I now know to be leather, he stood there his stance squared his gaze firm. Pale as the moonlight he was bathed in, his hair glowed platinum (a style he must be very fond of). He stood there and the bad men went away, he made them go away and as I looked up at him it was as if my image of Prince Charming that I had kept locked in my head were standing before me in the flesh. Tall, blue eyes, handsome, and when he smiled I smiled right back.
He stooped down extending his arms, an invitation. I ran to him and he chuckled as he swooped me up into his embrace. A tinkling laughter filled the air from the shadows and he raised a hand as if to signal, and it ceased, a gentle growling filling its place. He gently wiped the blood that still dribbled from my lips and put it to his own. He smelled my hair, then my neck, I didn't know. It tickled and I giggled, I could feel his tongue lapping at the wound and all the soreness went away. He withdrew and to thank him I planted a kiss on his nose. He appeared startled at first and then returned my smile.
He told me of far off places as he motioned with his free hand towards the sky as if to emphasize certain points that I should remember. His voice was so warm, so deep and he spoke funny unlike me and my parents. He assured me that there were in fact dark things that went bump in the night.
"But you'll fight them won't you?" It was a statement as well as a question and he sighed.
"Of course I will baby, but what if I decide to eat you instead?"
I giggled again. "Silly, you won't eat me." He cocked an eyebrow. "You can eat my dad though," I said jokingly. How was I to know?
"No, I wager I won't. Yer da on the other 'and..."
We laughed, I reached up and touched his cheekbones. I had never seen someone so sculpted in all of my six years and I found him quite beautiful... he suddenly looked distressed and a loud 'HEY' rang out. He gave me quick kiss on the forehead.
"Be looking forward to 'appily ever after pet." He whispered and then he swiftly set me down.
I ran to my dad who quickly scolded me for taking off on my own. Daddy wanted to know who that man was. I turned to point and call him over but he had disappeared, the light singing that had brought me here fading into the darkness with him.
"That was Prince Charming," I stated matter of factly. "I'm going to marry him and we are going to live 'appily ever after," I said grinning.
How was I to know?
END
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