Chasing Aurora
Chapter 19

I lowered my sword, standing up straight. My muscles were still tense and ready for a fight, but my gut was telling me that there wasn’t going to be one. “What can you do to help me if you can’t be in this world for long?”

“I can awaken your fae side and arm you in your fight.”

I could feel my brow scrunch in confusion, “What do you mean awaken my fae side? Didn’t Flora already do that?”

He let out a booming laugh, “Your friends are lowly house fae. Their powers are almost completely domestic. They don’t know how to properly awaken a guardian. The powers that they have awoken in you is just the tip of the iceberg. If you trust me, you won’t have any problems replaceing Aurora and Maleficent once I’m done.”

I paused biting my lip. I looked up at Prince Phillip, his brown eyes were so familiar. Everything about him was familiar. “You’re the fae that started my family’s line aren’t you?” He simply nodded in confirmation. If he started my line, I should be able to trust him... right? If I can’t, what do I really have to lose? I’m on a wild goose chase without a real lead. Aurora was getting weaker by the day. I need to rescue her. “How do I break Aurora’s curse when I replace her?”

“A kiss will wake her.”

My nose scrunched up, “Isn’t that kinda rapey? You know, kissing her while she’s unconscious.”

He sighed, “I don’t have enough time to get into the ethics behind curses that are older than human civilization. Now, are you ready to be awakened?” Right. Priorities. I nodded and stepped closer to Prince Phillip. He reached down to his waist and pulled his sword from its scabbard, holding it high, “Kneel.”

His booming voice filled the dome of light. I found my body obeying before my mind had a chance to catch up. He stood in front of me with both hands on the sword. He lowered it so it rested flat on my right shoulder, “Do you Piper Raleigh Jennings swear to protect the realms from evil and uphold the values of the fae?”

“I do,” I answered automatically.

“Are you ready to take on the responsibilities of being a Guardian of the Fae?”

“I am.”

“Then I, Prince Phillip of the Fae, name you a Guardian of the Fae. Arise, Guardian Jennings.”

I looked up at him as I rose to my feet. I didn’t feel any different. No surge of power. I still felt like me. “Is that it?” I asked.

“No.” He smiled at me gently, “Now, I hand you my sword, the Sword of Truth, as well as the Shield of Virtue. These will protect you in your trials to come.” He took off his belt and handed it to me. I secured it around my waist as he handed me the sword. As soon as my hand touched it, I could feel the power in the blade. It was humming with it. I couldn’t resist swinging it a few times, feeling the perfect balance for myself. I was smiling as I slid it into its scabbard. He handed me a shield I hadn’t seen before and showed me how to strap it to my back.

“So what’s next?” I asked once my new weapons were secured.

“Now I awaken your power. I have to warn you, that this is going to hurt. It will feel like you’re burning alive, but when you wake up, you will have powers like you have never known before.”

I could feel a sliver of fear pass through me before I pushed it down. I have to do it. This is for Aurora. I’d do anything to save her. “Okay, let’s do it.” I was proud as my voice didn’t waver.

Prince Phillip smiled down at me as he took my face between his hands, “Piper, I am so proud to have you as my kin. I hope that one day we will get to meet again.”

“I hope so too Gramps.” I earned another booming laugh from Phillip.

When his eyes connected with mine again, they turned serious. I watched in complete awe as his eyes turned gold and he began chanting. The guttural sounds were like nothing I’d heard before. As he chanted, I could feel this tingling start in my limbs. A shiver passed through my body as the sensation built. It quickly started becoming uncomfortable. When the pain started, it started from my heart. It was like my blood had turned to molten lava. I tried to bite back my screams until I couldn’t bare the pain any longer. I tried wrenching my head away, but he held me like a vice. Even when I clawed at his hands, he did not move an inch.

I started to lose consciousness. The pain was too much. My brain was trying to shut it out. My energy left me. My hands dropped to my side. My knees gave out. Black started invading my vision. Right before I completely lost consciousness, I felt lips on my forehead. I could barely hear Prince Phillip in my ear. “Do us proud Guardian Piper.”

I was lowered to the ground and the pain started to leave my body. I wasn’t entirely unconscious, but I couldn’t move. I heard Robby’s voice, frantic as arms came around me. I was lifted in his arms. “It’s going to be okay Pip. I’ve got you. Fucking move! We need to get her to the car!” I wanted to laugh. Every movement he made caused waves of pain throughout my body. I could feel myself whimper as everything began to get muffled.

I was stuck in a state between waking and asleep. One moment I could hear Robby’s voice and the next it was Aurora’s. Throughout it all, I was hit by wave after wave of pain. I could almost feel my cells being re-written. I don’t know how long it was, but I started having these brief breaks from the pain.

The first one, I was awake but unconscious. My skin was burning hot, but I was surrounded by cold. I could feel a wet cloth being dabbed on my face. “I need you to fight for me Piper.” Robby’s voice was filled with tears, “I don’t know if you can hear me, but please fight. I can’t lose you. You’re the closest thing to family I have. You need to pull through this.”

I could feel a tear roll down my burning cheeks. Robby’s parents died when he was only eighteen in a car accident. He fell into a deep depression after that and dropped out of school. That was when he found fighting. He was doing it mostly to get out all his pain and anger, but he had a talent for it. He was able to get out of his depression, started training others, and eventually, the two of us met. We instantly clicked and now we think of each other as family.

The pain started up again and I was pulled back into the between space. The next time I woke up, I was with Aurora. I couldn’t open my eyes or move, but I knew I was with her. I could feel her hands on me like I was awake. I could feel the grass on my skin, the sun on my face, everything. I knew I was on her lap, her arms holding me tight. “I’m going to be so mad at you if you do not have a good reason for scaring me like this. I just need you to open your eyes babe. Let me see those chocolate eyes I love so much.”

Hours must have gone by like this. I could only tell by the voices I heard around me. The exhaustion I heard from them. Sometimes I would hear little bits from Flora, Fauna or Merriweather, but mostly it was Robby and Aurora. The pain started going down. It was replaced by a humming in my veins that hadn’t been there before. My mind felt clearer. The sounds got sharper. Energy started flowing back through me until finally, I was jerking awake.

“Holy fuck!” Robby cursed as I sat up suddenly. The world looked strange. The air was colourful. It was like looking through a kaleidoscope. I looked down at my hands to see if anything was different. I could see these strings of energy dancing around my fingers. I turned my hand over, marvelling at the colours when Robby’s voice jerked me out of it. “Piper, how are you feeling- oh shit!”

“What?” I asked. His eyes were wide as he looked at me. I almost got distracted again when I looked at him. I think I was seeing his aura. It was yellow and green with strings of pink. It was beautiful. I realized he was speaking and had to stop looking at him.

“You-your- your eyes. They-th- what the fuck.” He stuttered. It was clear that he wasn’t going to give me an answer, so I pushed myself out of the bed I was in. “Wait you were dying like two seconds ago!”

“I’m fine!” I yelled back going straight for the mirror. When I got there, I felt my breath stolen from me. I looked so different. There were these strings of colour surrounding me, but I was glowing. A gold aura surrounded me, but that wasn’t what Robby was stuttering about. There was no way he could see that. No, he was staring at my eyes that had turned from brown to an electric green I would know anywhere.

They were Aurora’s eyes. I had Aurora’s eyes. What the fuck?