Scarred and Rejected

Ash. That’s all that was left, of my home and my family; My Empire once strong and mighty now a pile of ash. Looking up I took in the sky, stained with smoke and ash, as I cough I could feel it seeping into my lungs. Looking over the rumble and ruin, I sunk to my knees. The fire had come and gone, leaving me with nothing but pain and anguish. The early morning fogged with the chaos, my beautiful pearl dress torn and burnt, while my hands blistered red and raw. Nothing... That was all that was left. Streams of sorrow and pain ran down my cheeks, the smell of rubble and burning wood filled my nose. My mother’s last words play over and over in my head. 'Go to the river don't turn back, go forward no one must know you survived I fear it will bring the worst… I love you remember we love you.' Then she pushed me out the window before it was blocked off with burning blocks of wood, I fell four floors that broke some bones. It doesn’t come close to the pain I’m left with, the constant fear, the hole in my heart that would be there for the rest of my life. I picked up my dress and took in a deep breath before turning and heading towards the river, the ground scorched and covered in burning wood. The trees snapping as the fire had run through them, branches that had fall crunch under my feet. The rushing sound of water was heard as I neared the river, as I tumbled toward the water I let the cold-water rush over my aching hands. I stoped when I heard leaves crunching from behind me, footsteps alarmed me and I quickly turned around to see a woman coming towards me. "Stay away... I don't want any trouble," I said as I held my hands up. "It's ok Freya," the women said as she stepped forward with a gentle smile. "Esme?" I said as I put my hands down. She smiled and nodded. She had long raven hair, blue eyes that stared into my golden ones. With her coat wrapped tightly around her, she smiled and stepped forward. She's like family, she was always there when I was a little girl, she used to teach me how to be a princess but we'd have fun doing it. I ran to her and buried myself within her arms, my body calmed and my mind cleared. "I'm so sorry Frey, I'm sorry," she said as she kissed my head and pulled away. Her slender finger pressed to my chilled cheek, I sighed at her touch as it reminded me so much of my mothers. She wiped away the tears and some of her own before smiling and taking my hand. "Come now, we have a long journey ahead of us," she said as she linked our arms. We walked towards a black car to see a man leaning against the hood; he had dark hair, and forest green eyes. "Freya this is Charles, my mate," Esme said as Charles turned and bowed his head. "Princess it’s a pleasure to meet you, I am very sorry for your loss," he said as he gave me a hug. I smiled and nodded. "Just call me Frey, that's what Esme calls me," I said as I smiled at her. She opened the door for me and sat in the back next to me as Charles drove. "Sweetheart your mother has asked me to take you in, I'm so excited to have you come to live with me and Charles, oh and here," she said as she reached under the seat and pulled out an envelope placing it in my hands. It had my name and was written in my mother's handwriting, I opened it and a credit card and a letter were inside. 'My dearest Freya, You have grown so much and learned more than I ever have, which I am so proud of you for. With us gone things will be hard. The pain that comes with loss is like no other and you will feel it. With time it will fade but it will still remain present, it will be the most challenging thing you will ever have to face. But I know in my heart you will be ok, you will never be alone for we will be with you every step of the way. Esme will guide you onto a clearer path but you must be the one to walk it. You are gifted and will be very powerful, but with power come responsibility. In the future you will understand, you must be careful. No one know of your survival and it must stay that way until the time is right, there are some out there that wish you harm. So stay hidden and do as Esme instructs. We love you and always will. ~Mom I ran my fingertips over the letters; tears had fallen and dropped onto the paper. I held the letter against my heart and sighed. "Your mother gave that to me the day I left the palace and this," Esme held out a locket hung with a golden chain. I opened it to see a photo of my family; it was taken on my sixteenth birthday. One of the happiest days of my life, we were all smiling and huddled together. On the other side, the words ‘We Love You' were engraved in to the metal. I smiled and closed the locket and let it lay against my chest. "Frey your mother wanted me to tell you a few things. We have to change your name you can pick it, we will use it when we have company and at school, I've enrolled you at the nearby high school. It has werewolves and humans so you should be happy there. We have to keep your identity a secret because if anyone knows who you really are they'll try and take your power from you. You are very important to the werewolf world you are the alpha of every wolf on the earth; you have been given the power of your parents who were the king and queen. You cannot trust anyone with your identity so please don't tell anyone and be careful," she said as she grabbed my hand. I nodded and leaned my head on her shoulder. "Sleep we'll be there before nightfall," she said and stroked my hair. I leaned down and lay my head on her lap letting her run her fingers through my hair. I fell asleep straight away and let the darkness take me.