The Duchess

When she awoke, she knew not what time it was. The light of the room was so intensely dark that nothing could penetrate more than a few inches. She wondered where she was. She sensed no movement in the room. She heard the click of a lock and the creak of a door hinge. She heard footfalls coming closer to her.
“Shield your eyes. I shall light a lamp.” She did as she was instructed. She heard a match being struck and heard the click of a lamp globe.
“Open your eyes and I will slowly raise the lamp.” She opened her eyes and slowly the image of her mother slowly came into focus.
“You gave us such a fright.” Her mother spoke quietly.
“What happened?” she spoke. “Where is everyone?”
“Quiet down. All is fine. Your sister is sound asleep next to you and your cousins have not been far from your side since you were brought here. I must say that you surprised us all.” Her mother spoke quietly. She looked beside herself and noticed her sister sound asleep beside her. She reached out and stroked her sister’s face. She looked down upon herself and noticed she was completely nude. The

Phoenix was gone from her thigh. There was no hint of the scar that had burned so deeply before.
“As soon as you collapsed the scars faded from all of you. Her mother spoke softly. “As did my own and everyone else’s. But you and your sister have been asleep for almost a week.”
“How is she?” she asked.
“Your sister is fine. She’s been asleep much like you have been. We had you brought here to keep you hidden from prying eyes.” Her mother spoke.
“But what happened? All I remember was a voice inside my head. It was so cruel and evil.” She spoke.
“I know what you went through. I failed to resist the voice. The curse we have all tried to break has finally been broken.” Her mother spoke.
“But what happened?” she asked.
“Relax, and listen.” Her mother spoke.” It is that voice that belonged to an evil man.

I must tell you a part of the family history, that no one is allowed to learn, but one. The volumes, which contain the facts, I have to tell you are not held for everyone to read. Much like the great book has only one key. I am the keeper of these other books. Something trusted to me, and until recently, was going to be your sister’s station. That was until you were born. As I have recently found out, the only time I was ever able to not be a slave to my body was when I had you and your sister growing inside of me. I risked considerable faith that I could accomplish having you and your sister born so close together. If you recall, your sister and yourself are only ten months apart. You were born on the same day, as our great ancestor was, the first Grand Duchess herself.
“But what happened?” she asked again.

The Grand Duchess happened to be most unfortunate to have caught the attention of the man whose voice you last heard.” Her mother spoke softly. “She married him, yes as was the custom of the time. But found he turned after their courtship from an absolute gentleman into a jealous man who drove her away from him. Where but for only marked occasions he had locked her away, imprisoned in the room you are in now. Her husband had been merciful to her at first, but he turned her into a slave and prisoner in her own home. She found solace with the man she had longed to marry, but had been forbidden. Her Husband had a sage brought from a distant land and cursed her to be a slave to her body. She could deceive him when she learned that she could control herself when she carried children within herself. She secretly had her lover brought to her, but they were found. The Duke took his final revenge upon her by drawing the curse upon himself, and forever linking the two of them together. The Duchess took from him the one thing he wanted most, a son. Forever and all after, the curse ensured only daughters were born. The Duchess, wanting her daughters not to share her fate, found the sage to be sympathetic. She learned that the curse could be lifted for only a short while if she begged for her husband to give her children once more. The Duke had the sage cast one last curse, but it was at a great price. He cast the curse upon her while a daughter grew inside of her. And the Duchess found the curse also imprisoned him in the very room, which we keep secret and sealed. When you were born, it was hoped you would be the Duchess’ heir.

When you began to mature, it became very apparent how much you resembled the Duchess. We found your younger years to be a great challenge. The voice seemed to call to you often, but it was held at bay. Your youth protected you, until that day when you and your cousins foolishly entered the sealed room. In order to keep him from breaking free of his prison, we had to allow him to enslave the five of you. The mark of the Phoenix was placed upon the five of you and once he scared you all, we separated the five of you and ensured that you never set foot together within the hall. How your scar made you suffer. It was discovered later that your sister had taken a Phoenix upon herself and hid herself while the ritual was performed. Your sister took half of what was your share. While she suffered nothing, you suffered for the two of you. But that act bound the two of you together. What you felt, she felt. But it was found you did not share everything. You each took parts. While you could feel the sensations, you did not receive pleasure from it. The voice never knew this. Your sister took the enslavement, and you were able to resist it fully. It was your complete defiance of the voice that allowed you to break the curse and free all of us from him. Though we are still slaves to our bodies, we are no longer enslaved to him. Your wedding day was the beginning of the final proofs needed to lead you to what you accomplished. You were meant to find the strength. Your resistance was of your choosing, not his, nor anyone else. It is your resistance and final defiance that banished him completely as the Duchess’ curse was meant to do, but had failed. You have broken the curse.

“I know, mother. I know it all. While I was joined to him, just before that evil voice left I learned everything. He loved her dearly, but his jealousy drove him to madness. I sensed it. I love my husband as I can love no other. His madness could not take that from me. I know the Grand Duchess also felt the same way about her forbidden love. He could not take that from her either.” she spoke softly.
“You have indeed done well.” Her mother spoke.
“I am curious though. My ring was her ring, isn’t it?” she asked.
“How did you know?” her mother asked.
“Because I remember when I had the rings made for my wedding. I was not supposed to have seen it but the goldsmith was careless. I noticed the invoice for the rings. It included one ring for a cleaning. You had my ring switched with the Duchess’ ring.” She spoke softly.
“I always knew you were too cleaver for your own good.” Her mother spoke.
“But, mother. It was a very good thing. The love symbolized by that ring was that of an undying love. The love between the Duchess and her forbidden lover was reborn on my wedding day, the moment my husband placed the ring upon my finger.” She spoke softly, almost whispering.
“You are indeed with wisdom beyond your years.” Her mother spoke.
“Is everyone still here?” she asked.
“Everyone waits for you.” Her mother told her.
“I wait for my sister, and we shall enter the great hall together.” She whispered.
“But your cousins will not wait any longer. They have waited long enough for you to reawaken.” Her mother spoke.
“Then they must come and we shall all wait together.” She announced. She snapped her fingers and the lights of the room blazed. Her mother sat unable to comprehend. It was not possible. She knew then, that in her daughter, the power that had been cursed from all of them was now returned.
“Until we are reborn, mother. We are now.” She announced. She snapped her fingers once more and her cousins appeared before her. Her cousins looked completely shocked. Moments before they had been at opposite ends of the great hall. They could not believe they were now standing together.

“Questions later, I need your help. We must combine our strength and summon my sister to awaken from her slumber. Her sleep is not natural. Think of my sister together with us and summon her back.” She spoke silently. Her thoughts reached out to her cousins and they in turn reached out to her sister. She heard her sister’s voice beside her moments later.
“I love you. All of you. We have finally taken back what was stolen from us. From all of us.” Her sister spoke. They all felt the sensation flow through themselves. In turn they reached out to all the family. They all felt the presence of every family member and where they all were. Those who were not in the great hall would soon join them. The Duchess had commanded them. She commanded them. She finally realised what her station truly meant. She bound them all together. As they all descended from the Grand Duchess herself, The Duchess was reborn.

She sat and pondered the impact of the power that coursed through her.
“We are once as we once were. Though you may not believe me but welcome sisters. We are all sisters. The sanctity of wizardry and witchcraft flows within all of us again, as was meant to be, but the curse prevented.” She spoke quietly. She looked at all of them. Their faces told her of their complete disbelief.
“Witches?” Her mother asked.
“Yes, search within yourselves what you know is true. When you do, you will feel what I feel.”
“But how is it possible?” one of her cousins asked.
“Test it. Do you remember how we used to use the music room for Band practice?” she asked.
“We do!” they all replied.
“Think about one of the songs we used to practice. Imagine us in that room. Imagine your instruments once again in your hands. Think hard about the sound coming from the amplifiers. Concentrate.” She spoke quietly. “Close your eyes and hear my Voice.”
“Can you hear it in the darkness?
When you let yourself go.
I can heart it in my heart.
And I just, I just want to know.
What’s that sound?
Well it knocked me down.
I want to be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Girl.
Oh, What’s that sound?
It’s a heartache,
Heard around the world.
It calls and it calls.
Every boy and girl.
It’s a heartache
Heard around the world.
What’s that sound?” She sang to them.

“What’s that sound? What’s that sound…” they all sang with her. They opened their eyes and found themselves in the music room. They sang the song they all knew so well. The music flowed through them as though they had just learned it. They remembered when it was written and the endless talk of how they knew the words to write. They knew now why these particular words had come to them. The power returned to them and they realised their true potentials. “They looked at each other and struck the same chords of music. They knew what it was they needed to do

I met a man who would be king.
He had a dream to see forever
It was a promise in the dark.
It was a promise we made together.

I was a girl who would be queen
I didn’t know the cost of freedom
It was a secret he would share.
It was a world we both could believe in.

Some kind of hero
Catch me again I’m falling.
‘Cause I can hear you calling
It’s never enough, never enough,
Never enough… they all sang together.

I met a man who had no name.
He spoke the language of the spirit
He took a chance with heart and soul.
And with a laugh dared me to hear it.

I met a man who watched the stars.
He had the flame of rhyme and reason
It was a secret he would share.
It was the word we could believe in.

Some kind of hero
Catch me again I’m falling.
‘Cause I can hear you calling
It’s never enough, never enough,
Never enough… they all sang together.

I met a man who would be king.
He had a dream to live together.
It was a promise in the dark
But it was lost in the storm forever.

Now I’m standing here, all alone
I know the cost of freedom
It’s a secret we all can share.
And it’s a world we all can believe in…she sang to them.

Some kind of hero
Catch me again I’m falling.
Now and forever calling
And it’s never enough, never enough,
It’s never enough… No, no, no, no, no…
It’s never enough, never enough, and never enough.
Calling you back to us… never enough.

They sang together. They felt the presence of every single family member, close and far away. They beckoned them all to the hall.
“You all know now what I knew before we entered the room. To break the curse released us all. Just as the Grand Duchess carried a child within her, her daughters were also cursed. With it now broken we all share what we should have been born with. Use it well, and wisely. She snapped her fingers once again, and they appeared under the portrait.
“Take your places, and we shall wait for the rest to arrive.” She commanded them quietly. She clapped her hands together, then held them forward, her hands open. The hall filled with light from the torches on the wall. Those who were not with them already began appearing throughout the room, exactly in their places. Looks of confusion coupled with delight crossed their faces. She looked upon them all as the last empty space filled.
“Welcome sisters! I am glad to see you all heard us. Properly robe yourselves.” she spoke just loud enough for all to hear her. Colour suddenly filled the room. Black, Brown, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Green, Grey, Violet, and Red. Beside her stood her sister on one side and her driver on her opposite side, both dressed in white robes.
“I think it’s time to call our husbands to stand with us.” She spoke. A wave of her hands and the gentlemen of the family appeared. Each of them stood shoulder to shoulder, lining the walls around the room. Each of them dressed in the same dark tuxedo.
“Welcome, gentlemen.” she spoke. “It has been 594 years since you’ve graced us with your presence during a robe ceremony. Where you now stand is your place of station. Remember whom you stand beside.” Clockwise around the room the men lined the hall. Her own husband stood last, as theirs was the last marriage to have taken place.
“Please sit.” She commanded quietly. She thought for a moment, and as though she sensed the thoughts of everyone, she spoke softly.
“Is there anyone among you who objects to our gentlemen being with us?” She announced. No one moved, though she still sensed apprehension for the men to have joined them.
“Speak now, or forever hold …” she started. Slowly, several of her older aunts began to rise. She noticed that they were all heads of the family houses. Her own grandmother rose to her feet. She looked beside her and noticed, her great grandmother had not risen.