The Phoenix showed up

Katherine “God, would you stop it! It’s embarrassing, I don’t want him,” Katherine scolds her body as she empties the bags of ice into her tub, dropping the empty plastic bags onto the floor where they lay with the other empty bags. Yes, she talks with herself now it seems because the phoenix did not reply. Sucking in her breath when her knee connected with the tub, her legs bucked when the sensations rocked within her again at the same time. Clumsily she grabs onto the ledge, clenching her teeth together. She is irritated. The phoenix had been a no-show for two whole days. After dinner my ass. But still, she would feel the sudden urges for Oscar and would have to have a bath at the craziest of times. Yesterday, the minister of Agriculture was here, and in the middle of lunch, Katherine had wanted to lick the sauce from Oscar’s lip. Thank goodness she had learned to figure out what was about to happen and stood up excusing herself, bolting for her quarters instantly, forgetting her mannerisms as queen. The entire room had a sound of sudden silverware dropping on plates and tables together with the noises of chairs being scraped back as everyone immediately stood up but Katherine had no time for ‘proper’ table manners, taught to her by Miss Moon. Surprisingly, Oscar did not give her his audience later to scold her either. Kat let the frustrated tears flow down her cheeks and she stepped into the iced water feeling the heat inside her simmering down as her body sinks beneath the melting blocks. She is positive the women who were witness to her having a conversation with nobody were accustomed to her by now. Julie was the one who had brought up the three women who were to wait on her outside in case of any emergencies after she had been here on one such occasion when the phoenix wanted Oscar. The head maid had looked a bit frightened herself but Katherine understood that the older women knew about her. By ‘about her’ Kat meant the phoenix- it dawned on her that most of the castle folk did and yet they were here to assist her. Everyone knew but nobody spoke to her directly concerning it besides Ju. “Ice,” was all she had shouted earlier when she had run to the door and within minutes ten bags of ice was brought in by the females who emptied seven into the tub and left to sit outside her bathroom door, as they usually did while Kat had gone into the shower, her piled clothing at her feet that Oni had hurriedly taken off her as she soaked herself still fully clothed before she left. “I need more ice,” she shouts and she knows the women would bring more and then leave her to herself, waiting outside of her quarters then. Just as she had instructed them to do. Feeling the sizzling in her brain, Kat knew institutively what was coming, her stomach bubbling with excitement. She had three seconds to get used to the idea before the heated hushed muffled- [You are weak, I told you.] “Weak? Do you have any idea how much I have been through since I got her? Since this monster uprooted my life?” [My mate?] Kat snickered. “My mate? Your mate is a sick b*stard who forced me to marry him. Kidn*pped me!” [Kidn*pped? What do you mean force?] [I don’t understand you. You are chosen, I don’t know what is going on inside of you.] ‘You don’t know? So, you can feel what I feel?’ [Yes, but I do not understand what you feel.] “Well, what I am feeling now is regret,” she informs the voice in her head, out loud. [Regret?] “Yes, and shame that I am lusting over a man I do not want.” Kat closes her eyes, feeling the coolness overcoming her insides and she smiles. [You do not want him? But I don’t understand why. Is he not attractive?] “Attractive? No, he’s gross- well I guess but I love another.” Simon comes into her mind then. He should be the one whose ring is on her finger. [But how can this be? What is this love?] ‘What would you know about love?’ [I don’t. We are born for each other. A match.] “A what?” Kat was excited to finally have an actual conversation with the being inside of her. She is curious to know everything about its existence too- even though it calls her weak. But answers were what she is getting. Ju had been limited in hers and had even recited a spell that would make Katherine ‘one’ with the bird, telling her beforehand that the spell won’t work and of course, it had not. But maybe it just took longer because well, here she is talking to it. [Spells and potions do not work on me- my energy burns it- I am too powerful. Yes, you were weak but I healed you.] Kat’s eyes open then and a furrow places itself between her eyebrows. It could understand her feelings? Her inner thoughts? [I said this. We are one.] ‘I heard you. But why Oscar?’ [The vampire. I am made for him; it is my fate. Our fate.] “Why me? Why not someone else? I don’t like him- in fact, I loathe him. The thought of him disgusts me. I want to go home,” Kat sobs, bringing her knees up and restringing her eye sockets over the caps. [Ah, Simon. But he is not for me. The king is.] ‘How do you know-’ Kat broke her own thought away. The firebird could feel her emotions. [Not just emotions, but everything about you.] A silent knock is heard then and the handmaids walk in with the ice but Kat ignores them, not moving. [This ice is not working. I will not harm you- I dwell inside you.] ‘What do you mean?’ [It slowed my progress, yes but I allowed you as I could sense you meant no real harm to me.] Katherines raises her head then and stares at her reflection on the mirrored wall, her eyes lighting up then as she tries to make sense of the words being said to her. The phoenix was indulging her all this time? [No, I am growing but I wanted to understand you also as we are to be one. I did not want you to fight me- it’s a losing battle by the way but I wanted us to have an understanding. You might want another but I want my mate. You will lose.] “Simon?” [How do you say a girlish fantasy?] “Anthony?” Kat whispers and immediately regrets her words. Why this being was in leagues with Oscar and now it knows she has- [Dirty thoughts? That too will pass and yes, I do disapprove of the thoughts you have. That is treason against your husb-] “Shut it. I had my own life before that I dropped because of you- forced because of you. Don’t insult my feelings towards Simon. I love Simon.” Truthfully Kat could feel she was falling out of love already…for how could she lust after Anthony and still claim to be in love? Just then, the sound of an object falling outside the doors had Katherine’s head swiveling towards it and her mind went into a panic. Her outburst must have been heard by the servants outside, she is certain and her eyes widened in fear. They will report to Oscar and he will kill her definitely. [I’ll destroy them.] Kat felt her body rising out of the tub but not by movements of her own. She could hear the splashes of water as her blue-flamed footsteps moved across the floor and saw her hand stretched out to press down on the door handle. 'Oscar will k*ll me- oh-no, I am dead.' Flames. How could- what. She jumped back having regained mobility, falling down heavily on the wet floor, using her hands to out herself but it seemed to aid the growth of the flames. [Stop it. Nobody will harm you.] She stopped thrashing around then when the meaning of the words made sense to her brain. The phoenix meant to k*ll her maids for hearing her confess her love to another man?