Catarina Pierce
Dangers of the deep,
care not what they reap.
They pillage, they take.
They never cut a break.
Dangers of the deep,
Do not have time to weep.
The time they'd take to mourn,
is time they use to sleep.
When awake,
from depths they rise
To bring forth
endless battle cries!
Premise: Catarina is just a girl. A girl forced to abandon most of her nature, living in the den of her enemies, but still just a girl. She has dreams, loves, and passions. She paints magical worlds for herself in her head, just like any other girl. The one difference between her dreams and any other girl is that she imagines the death of her husband. Catarina paints the scene in various ways. Over dinner: a steak knife to the throat. Hunting by horseback: an unfortunate arrow through the head. In their room: the entire bed of sin catches fire and swallows them whole while she whispers,
"Close your eyes. Protect you always."
Each dream is vast, colorful, and well-painted.
The hand of Zeus cracked thunder in the sky as rain turned to cold blades cutting through the air. Occasionally, lightning strikes lit up the path for Algenbard on his way back to Blackenhall. Unfortunately, the most recent strike revealed a gruesome scene. Blocking Algenbard’s path were three large hooded figures, soaked in blood from tearing into the breastplate of a middle-aged woman who had stopped screaming in their grasp. Her eyes, wide and full of death, stared blankly toward the heavens. Her cold tongue hardened against the side of her cheek.
Meanwhile, what must have been her fallen lover already had his face carved off and lay on the ground, blood draining out like a broken vase dripping water. Algenbard stayed quiet, hidden behind the underbrush of the forest, trying to absorb the scene. That’s when he noticed a little girl—no older than ten—trembling and voiceless, tied behind the wagon that once belonged to her parents.
The girl was beautiful, blessed with black forest hair and ashy eyes with a hint of seafoam. Algenbard found himself drowning in them. They called to him like little prayers, and he immediately knew he had to save her.
The sorcerer raised his hands high into the air with open palms and then quickly closed his fingers in. Suddenly, the three men were lifted a foot above the ground, appearing to choke. Algenbard stepped from his hiding place to meet their eyes. At first, their faces were bitter and full of rage, muddled with confusion. But upon realizing they were dealing with a sorcerer, their expressions quickly turned to fear.
Algenbard blew a puff of air from his mouth, and a gust of wind ripped the hoods off all three men. Lo and behold, they were no bandits—but soldiers from King Protanis’s royal guard.
“The King will be hearing of this.” Algenbard opened his palms, and the men fell to the floor, shaking.
“P-please…” they began to stutter in unison, but Algenbard raised a hand and turned his head, refusing them eye contact.
“Go.”
With a nod, the men turned and disappeared into the thicket of the woods. Algenbard moved to the back of the wagon and began untying the girl.
“Are you alright?” Nothing.
“What is your name?” Nothing.
“Can you speak?” Still nothing.
“Well, I am going to call you Catarina. Do you like that?”
The girl’s tiny face tilted up to look at him directly for the first time. After a moment of searching his eyes, she smiled and nodded.
“Alright, Catarina it is. Let’s take you to your new home.”
Algenbard opened his arms and reached toward her as a gesture to carry her back. She smiled even more, opening her small hands, but as she reached for him, his clothes caught fire. Her palms seared his skin where they touched.
“Oh! Whoa!” He waved a hand to extinguish the flames, but healing would take more time.
“Y-you’re a nymph.”
The little girl frowned and began backing away, hinting at flight. Algenbard’s lips thinned across his pale face, and he reached into his pocket for a pair of gloves. Whispering gently to them, he then knelt to her level and waved her back.
“It’s okay, Cat. I can help you control it. Here, put on these gloves. They’re special gloves, just for you. You can’t burn me in these.”
“Hurry up, Catarina!” Lucinda, daughter of King Protanis, called through her giggles as she ran through the garden.
Meanwhile, Cat was distracted by a large monarch butterfly gently beating its wings atop a rose leaf. Curiously, young Catarina tilted her head. The longer she stared, the more she thought she could hear the monarch speaking to her. Its language was soft and made of color—gentle sparks of emotion here and there.
“Caaaaat!” Lucinda whined from directly behind her, tapping her little feet in her pearl shoes.
“Sorry, Lucy. I got distracted.” She giggled, her face turning red. “It’s your turn to count while I hide.”
A hint of impatience lingered in her tone despite her attempt to keep her “princess voice.”
“Okay, okay.” Cat turned and closed her eyes. “1… 2…”
“Lady Catarina! King Protanis has requested your presence in the throne room!”
“Aww…” Lucinda whimpered.
“I’ll be back faster than a cottontail.” Cat winked and ran up the stairs past the announcer.
“Good afternoon, Lady Cat. Are you enjoying your time with Princess Lucinda?” Protanis lifted a brow, his beard-covered lips giving away little.
“Yes, Your Highness. The Princess is my favorite person. Although, she makes me do the counting most of the time during hide and seek.”
A little finger tapped Cat’s bottom lip as she thought about how many times in a row she had counted before Protanis gently redirected her attention.
“That is good to hear, but I want to talk to you about what is to come.”
Gray eyes looked curiously up at him as they walked the throne room, portraits of old kings lining the walls they passed.
“To come?” Cat squeaked.
“Yes. You are becoming a young lady, and games are not becoming of young ladies. Lucinda will begin her formal schooling next week and will be very busy. You’ve already been learning how to be her lady-in-waiting, but I’ve decided you will have your own special training. Sorcerer Algenbard believes you may have the gift, and he has requested you as his apprentice. Would you like that?”
Cat looked down at her feet, feeling the weight of adulthood creeping in. But to train with Algenbard—that was an honor.
“Yes… I really would. But, Your Highness, will I still get to see Lucinda?” Her sad eyes turned away nervously.
“Oh Cat, of course you will. You’ll live in close quarters, not to mention your duties as her lady. And when summer starts, you’ll escort her to all the events. That’ll be nice, won’t it?”
Cat felt more of her innocence slipping.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Cat, are you paying attention?”
The voice sounded distant, a ghostly echo trying to reach her over the lavender fog in her mind. Fingertips danced across her bottom lip as she rested her head in her right palm. Her tired eyes drifted out the stone window, losing themselves in the land.
“Catarina!”
She jolted back. “Hmn?! Yes. Yes, present.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Algenbard chuckled and gave her a soft bop on the head with his stack of papers. “The basics are important, Cat. You must master these before we move on. I really need you to focus.”
“I do not want to marry him! He is my teacher!”
Tears flowed freely down Cat’s face, her tiny chest heaving. This can’t be happening, she thought. Why would Algenbard want this? Why would King Protanis make me do this? He’s treated me like a daughter all these years. Doesn’t he care what makes me happy?
“Catarina. Come, sit with me.” Protanis sighed softly as he sat at the edge of her bed, patting the space beside him. Cat slowly obeyed.
“You have a responsibility to this kingdom—just like Lucinda. She’s accepted her arranged marriage, knowing it’s for the best and good of the realm. She sees it as an honor. And you should too. I know he’s a bit older, but Algenbard has protected you, nurtured you, cared for you...”
“B-but Protanis…” Cat rarely used his name, except in these little moments, in private. “He’s like a father figure to me. It’s like marrying you.”
A short laugh escaped his throat, and he put a comforting arm around her.
“Cat, I’m far older than Algenbard. I realize it’ll be a little awkward, shifting your role from student to wife, but you’ll see—it’s for the best. He understands you more than anyone in this kingdom. Very few have the gift of magic, and you two share that. Your children will become our next line of royal sorcerers, if all goes well. Don’t you want that for them?”
Cat looked down into her lap, where her defeated-gloved hands lay. She began swimming in the little shimmers of light reflecting off the silk, searching for a way out through the refractions.
“I guess so.”
Disclaimer I do not claim the original photo/model used to create the manip. It does not belong to me. This manip art is not being sold or used for monetary gain, only for character exploration and personal creation. Thank you.