The Fire Maiden's Desire

by Jr Steven Sterup

  Fiona brushed the curly red hair from her face. She really wished she had put it in a ponytail today. It went to the middle of her back and if it hadn’t been for her father’s doting, she would have cut it a long time ago. Her bright green eyes matched her fathers. There was no question who her father was, she looked like a feminine, beautiful version of her father. Even her face and the light freckles resembled his own. Fiona was short and small compared to the rest of her family. She was only five foot four and barely weighed a hundred and ten pounds but there was no one else that could match her father with a sword. She was quick and very good with weapons. What she lacked in size, she made up for with determination and practice.

  Despite the meeting with her father, the king, she wore brown pants and a modest white blouse. She knew all too well that this was not an official meeting. These were the clothes she wore to their morning training sessions, though they would not be training today.

  As she slowed her pace she thought about the last week. It seemed like her father had been avoiding her as well. Fiona and her father spent every morning in the castle yard training with swords, riding horses or just picking apples. Of her two brothers and one sister, Fiona was certain that she was his favorite.

  Her oldest brother, Jack, named after his grandfather, was to be king next year but his relationship with his father was formal and cold. Their relationship as well as his relationship with Fiona was not harsh in the slightest, it simply didn’t exist. They spoke kindly to each other and would bend over backwards to help each other but this was because they were family. Fiona often thought the age difference was the reason. Jack was thirty two and Fiona, he saw as a child needing his protection. How wrong he was.

  The second oldest, her sister, Elisabeth, also had a cold relationship with their father. She was headstrong and wanted to marry a prince from a neighboring kingdom but Seth wouldn’t allow it, not until Fiona was twenty seven, a prediction from her late grandmother, Rachel. Elisabeth was one to hold grudges and had barely spoken to Fiona and Seth over the last year.

  The last was John, the baby of the family, clearly his mother’s favorite. John was taught everything his heart desired, and he desired every piece of knowledge he could get his hands on. John was far smarter than the rest of them, he was slated to be a politician. He would serve as Jack’s advisor and leader of the council. At least Fiona got along with John. She and John had little to argue about. Fiona took after her father, a warrior and savior of the people, John took after their mother and would rather make laws to help the people. Their desire to help the people of their kingdom was their common ground.

  Fiona smiled as she thought of John. He would be twenty two next month and old enough to keep Jack in line if he made a mistake. Not that Jack would make a mistake, Jack never made mistakes. He would be a good king, maybe not as kind and generous as her father, but a good king nonetheless. He would listen to John, even Jack could see the intelligence in everything that John did.

  Fiona pushed the large doors open and the guards at the door bowed deeply.

  “Princess Fiona,” they both said as they stood up straight. The one on the left smirked and Fiona nearly burst out laughing. Joshua was a new guard and a school friend of hers. He was a year older and for a time she thought she might end up falling for him. He was a cute man, but that was the problem. She didn’t want a cute man. She wanted breathtaking and stunning. A gorgeous man with the ability to make her laugh. Joshua had the laughing part down but there was no physical attraction, at least not for her. One of her friends from school was on her way to becoming Misses Joshua. Jenna was a nice girl and she nearly swooned every time Joshua came in the room. Joshua really deserved someone like Jenna and Jenna deserved him.

  Fiona’s smile left as she made her way to the throne. The walk seemed incredibly long today. Maybe because she wasn’t bounding up to her father like she usually did.

  “Leave us please,” King Seth ordered. He paused and a cunning smile formed. “And Joshua, please try to contain yourself. I know it’s just Fiona but I can’t have my guards making my guests laugh. That’s my job.” Seth’s smile widened and Joshua tried to make a stern face. “It’s ok to laugh when I make a joke.” Joshua smiled back and walked out, closing the doors behind him.

  Seth’s smile left and a concerned look replaced it. He had been a large, muscular man who could have turned the eye of any woman but he was in his sixties now. He had also slain many evil creatures in his day. To say that Seth was a good king was an understatement beyond compare. King Seth would be remembered as the greatest king in their history, even overshadowing his father, Jack. Fiona looked at him with admiration and her anxiety left for a moment. She needed a man like this. Not her father, of course, but someone like her father. A strong sturdy man who could make her laugh, someone she could admire and trust. Someone that she would have to keep close to let other women know that he belonged to her.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve been avoiding you,” Fiona started.

  “I’m sorry,” Seth replied. “I’ve been avoiding you as well. I’ve dreaded this day since the day you were born.”

  “I know father,” Fiona stated, staring at her hands that were clasped in front of her.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Seth looked at her hands then held his arms out wide.

  Fiona threw herself into her father’s arms and hugged him as hard as she could. Tears streamed down her face and her sobbing made the king want to cry as well.

  “I’m going…I’m going to…” Fiona couldn’t finish the words, she was crying too hard to finish.

  “I’m going to miss you too, my little fire maiden.” A single tear fell from his eye and he squeezed his daughter tightly.

  Fiona’s tears fell even faster and she held on for dear life. This needed to last, she needed to remember how he felt, even how he smelled.

  “Why do I have to go?” Fiona asked, knowing the answer.

  “You know exactly why. You must protect the sorceress. She is the only one that can defeat your grandmother’s demon. Without you she will never make it to him.” Seth eased his daughter upright so he could see her face. The love on his face was evident to her.

  “Can’t I stay until…” Fiona wasn’t going to finish this sentence, it hurt too much.

  “No. Even though I’d rather you were with me when I die, that would be selfish. It would endanger the world. You are my daughter in every way possible. You know exactly why you can’t stay.” Seth wiped the tear from his cheek and this almost caused Fiona to start sobbing all over again.

  “Do you know how you will die?” Fiona asked, hoping he had kept this a secret from her but she knew better.

  “No, your grandmother said I shouldn’t know. It will be quick. I won’t suffer.” Seth looked at Fiona. He didn’t mind dying, he had known since he was a child that he would die when his fiery daughter was twenty four. He had assumed it was Elisabeth but as the two of them grew older, he knew that fiery didn’t describe their hair color but the fire in everything that Fiona did. She never did anything half way. If she chose to clean out the horse stables, they would be the cleanest stables in all the land. Once his daughter had her mind set, there was no stopping her. This was the fire that his mother spoke of and this was the fire that would ensure the sorceress’s safety.

  “How soon do I have to leave?” Fiona asked, accepting her fate. When her grandmother Rachel had been alive she told Fiona of her purpose. She was to help defeat the demon that her grandmother had only postponed. Rachel didn’t give birth to the demon but someone else had.

  “You will leave in the morning,” King Seth replied solemnly. He stared into Fiona’s green eyes and saw his mother. He was adopted but it was surprising how much his little Fiona looked like a thinner, shorter version of his mother. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but the green eyes and fiery red hair didn’t help.

  “I love you, father,” Fiona said, wiping her tears with her shirt sleeve.

  “I lo
ve you too, my little fire maiden,” King Seth grinned and Fiona could see the tears in his eyes. “One more thing. Keep your grandmothers predictions to yourself. Some things people aren’t ready to hear. You will find that even your closest friends will hate you for knowing what is coming. They will blame you for not stopping it even though you can’t.”

  “What about the sorceress?” Fiona asked.

  “Your cousin will understand. You must tell her and only her. Morven will have filled her in by now. Even your lover will not understand. Not until after it is all said and done.” Seth smiled and Fiona turned to leave.

  A lover? Fiona’ mood lifted and a smile started to form as she walked toward the doors. Her father had slipped. He knew grandma Rachel wouldn’t approve of telling her this little tidbit. Her grandmother always kept these kinds of things to herself. She felt that knowing something personal only caused complications. Fiona was glad her father had slipped up. She now knew she would soon find a lover!

  At the doorway she stopped and turned back to her father.

  “Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to be raised by Morven, your real father?” Fiona stared at her father with anticipation.

  “I was raised by my real parents, as far as I’m concerned. Jack was my father in every way that mattered. Morven is just responsible for my birth.” Seth paused and wanted to be perfectly clear on this. He would not have a chance to explain further, he would never see his perfect little fire maiden ever again. He would, of course, say goodbye to her but the parting would be filled with more crying and hugging. “I don’t hate Morven, I just didn’t know him. I loved Jack and Rachel as much as anyone could. Jack and Rachel were my real parents.”

  Fiona smiled and turned to leave. This was exactly the response she hoped for. If she was destined to find a lover he would have a hard time competing with her idealized version of a perfect man, the one modeled after her perfect father.

  Keep an eye out for Book 2 of Morven’s Legacy, To Seduce a Sorceress.

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