Sister

After a while, Juverl came out of the bathroom, completely out of the armor and clean of the dark princess. He wanted to talk to Anna but she ignored him completely. She was pretending to read a book.

Juverl put his hand on the bed in advance to climb the bed but a glare from Anna halted him.

"Don't you dare" She shot a hard glare at him

"What will I do for you to let me talk to you?" Juverl asked. He didn't like it when she acted like that. Even though it was the first time he was seeing her like that.

Anna didn't take her eyes off the book but she spoke to him anyway. "Will you let her touch you again?"

"No" Juverl answered without hesitation

"Will you bring me along whenever you come here so I can keep an eye on you two?"

"Absolutely"

"Will you ever leave me for another woman?"

"Never"

"Will you do what I want from time to time?"

"I will try and do my best"

"Good enough. You can climb the bed now" Anna told him. Her eyes never left the pages of the book.

"Anna, I want to have a word with you" Juverl said but she didn't yield. "Anna, Anna Anna Anna" Juverl continued to call her name but she didn't answer him.

He took the book from her hand, tore it into two and threw it across the room.

"Hey, I was reading that" Anna hit him lightly on the chest.

"No you weren't. The book is about politics. You hate those" Juverl simply said

"How do you know my likes and hates? People change" Anna told him and looked away from him in anger. He knew all about her, her life wasn't a surprise to him anymore.

"Anna, I'm trying to talk to you". Juverl tried and tried but nothing was working. He decided to use another tactic. A romantic tactic even though he knew nothing about romance. "Anna, honey" With that, Anna turned to him with a flushed face.

"What? You think you can win me over again with sweet names? Think again" Anna said

"I have, sweetheart. I want you to know that I will never ever leave you for another woman" Juverl said.

"You'll be only my demon husband" Anna asked. His tactic worked.

"Yes, I promise you"

"If I die, will you marry someone else?" Anna asked

"Try not to die, hmmm?" Juverl said. He wasn't sure yet if he wants to make that promise.

"You"

Juverl pulled her in for a hug, which startled her. "I'm sorry if our visit here together is not okay with you"

"It's not your fault, it's that witch's. She is trying to take you away from me and as long as I am alive, I won't let that happen"

"You're jealous"

"I won't say jealous. I'm trying to keep my husband for myself"

"What makes you so sure that I won't marry another woman?" Juverl asked with a smirk

"Will you?" She looked at him with anticipation.

"I dare not" Juverl answered. He leaned in to kiss her. He was totally in the mood for it.

Just then, the door kicked open and the dark princess entered. She was shocked at the view she met inside. She dashed forward at them and she was almost speechless. She almost fainted even.

"My love, why are you here with her?" She pointed at Anna and looked at her with a killer gaze. Anna gave her the same glare.

"She's my wife and stop calling me that. I don't want to go through another scold session" Juverl said.

"I'm supposed to be here with him" Anna concluded for him.

"No, I am" The dark princess said.

"Anna, you took the joy in our family. Father loved you most of all the girls he gave birth to. He married us all off at the age of sixteen to form alliance. You want to take Juverl too" The dark princess said.

"Who are you? How do you know me? I don't know you" Anna said.

"Of course you don't. When I refused to get married at that tender age to a man who was on the verge of death, father did this to me" The dark princess removed her mask and a large treated wound was visible on the skin above her chin.

"Sister Sheen" Anna said.

"Yes, sister. That's what you would call me but I am no longer your sister. I am the dark princess. All my sisters got married to ugly old wealthy me so that father could forge alliances except you. You just had to marry my Juverl, didn't you? He's the only joy I have left in my life. He is what I live for"

"But he is my husband. We are married now, there's nothing we can do to change that. Stop loving my husband. He is mine and mine alone. You have to live with that. I'm sorry, sister. This is all father's fault, not mine" Anna told the dark princess also Sheen then she turned to face her husband "Why do you come here anyway?"

"I'm her doctor. I treat her wound. Tonight, she is bound to live without that scar anymore" Juverl simply said.

"Get on with it. Send me back to the palace" Anna stood up from the bed and went outside the room. Away from it all.

Later on, August was sent to get her and they left with her in the carriage. Juverl would probably take the second horse on the carriage.

Anna couldn't think straight anymore. How come her sister was the dark princess everyone was so scared of? How did she involve herself with vampires and demons and witches and all this nonsense. Especially seducing her husband. She didn't regret any of the things she said when she was scolding Juverl though. It was all true. Sheen was saying she loved her husband in her presence. What kind of a sister does that?!

Anna smiled as she remembered the days when all of them were very close.

.............

Anna was fencing with her five sisters ; Sherin, Jemma, Sheena, Fier and Dominic. They were very young at that time when Anna was still five years old. They were having fun breaking the rules. The women had no right to

fence in the palace but they were doing it.

Their father was passing by and he almost caught them. After he was gone, they all burst out laughing.

.............

They were all talking about the kind of man they would marry. Sherin said she wanted to marry a man of dignity, who values dignity and loves her as well. Jemma wanted to marry a funny and caring man. Sheena wanted to marry a man that was taller than her. A man who will idolize her and love her and grow old with her. Fier wanted to marry a man who would love her and take care of her. Dominic wanted to marry a man who knows how to rule and nothing but ruling the people. Anna wanted to marry a powerful man, who would love care and protect her till grey hair like the prophecy said.

Even though it was inappropriate to talk about or choose the kind of man they would marry, they thought about it anyway.

.............

Anna was thirteen now. She is pacing back and forth in her room because she was having her royal ball. Her sisters, who have had their's come into her room to comfort her. they played and laugh and made her nervousness fly away.

.............

Anna feels down because the first princess, Sherin, is getting married off to a not so very powerful kingdom. Sheena comes to comfort her and get her not to think too much about it. Sheena lied to her that Sherin was only going for a couple of days but after a week Sherin didn't come back. Sheena comforts her again.

.............

Sheena is also getting married. At first she refused and father hit her face with a hot, contaminated metal rod. Her face became disfigured but she was married off to a mysterious and insignificant old but very rich man with a lot more than usual minions who follows everywhere he goes to.

.............

Anna was the only one who married the kind of man she wanted. But Sheena was trying to take him away from her. Even though she didn't get what she wanted, she shouldn't think about another woman's man.

Anna just hoped that Juverl could fix Sheena's face so that she would get stalkers for her outstanding beauty and the. she can forget about Juverl and leave them to enjoy their marriage.

They got closer to the Palace. Anna didn't want to go there yet. She wanted to get her mind off the whole sister thing. She decided to go to the market with August.

"Pack the carriage here August. We're going into the market" Anna notified him.

"Okay, my lady" August complied.

"Take off the armor. I do not want people to know that I am a princess". Anna got off the carriage with August's help.

"Okay, my lady. But I must bring my sword to eliminate any threats. We cannot let our guard down. Enemies are scattered everywhere" August said while taking off his armor.

"You are the guard. There are no threats in the market" Anna tried to persuade him to leave the sword.

"No. I insist we bring the sword, my lady" August insisted.

Anna put on her veil "Alright then, we can bring the sword and be the center of attention in the market place"

"You deserve all the attention, my lady" August said as they set off into the market.