Leonie's Heart of Darkness

"Carnal desire mixed with dark and depraved inhibitions coursed through his veins as he grew bolder, waiting impatiently to release his magic on her. Knowing she didn't matter to him, he ignored her fears. A prop. That's all she was. Her innocence; irrelevant. Leonie. Sweet little Leonie was nothing more than a prop in his play, and he forgot all about her while he prepared the final potions." ~ King Stefan, the Darkness ~ An excerpt from Chapter 1 ~ The Banishment ~ The Origins of Darkness

The darkness invaded his soul
As the lust for power stole his humanity
What little remained
As he mixed the potions
Chanted its words
From the ancient pages upon the dias
Looking into the abyss
To bind the darkness to his soul
His precious maiden would soon be no more
Her soul intertwined with his
Fading, giving into his power
She was nothing more
An end to his means
His Leonie
Meant nothing to him

*****

Silent she fretted
Trying to break free
From the spell, he held her in
Her simple magic
Was no match for his ancient powers
She watched as he drank his elixir
Tried to fight him off
As the chalice touched her lips
Choking down the liquid
She felt their forced bond
Knit their souls together

*****

Thunder clapped
Richoceted throughout the forest
Another chant in the distance
Suddenly, the Darkness vanished
Without a trace
She was free of her tormentor
But they were too late
The magic that knit their souls
Together
Now fractured her broken heart

*****

Left alone on the stone slab
She tried to find the remnants of her dress
And wondered who she was
Now that he'd stolen her heart
And fractured her soul
What man would love her
She who loved the Darkness
And the power that he held
She stumbled through the night
Alone and afraid
To sleep by the water's edge
Praying this villain
Was nothing more than a
Nightmare
She'd wake from in the morn

*****

Hours turned into days
Days to weeks
And time passed her lonely soul by
Until she was a shadow of the maiden
She was on her wedding day

*****

The mage almost left her alone
Until he felt the pull
The mating call
And stood before the broken child
Who feared this new apparition
Waiting to steal what remained of her pride

*****

His voice was soothing
Calming her frantic soul
Freeing her heart of darkness
With the gift of true love
Forevermore

~~~~~~~~~

Author Notes:

Hello Readers,
I wrote about Leonie in the opening chapter of The Origins of Darkness, but then her storyline disappeared. I can't image the loss she feels after the Darkness departs from her and leaves her alone in the woods. I hope to explore her story someday, but this little poem is a placeholder to remind me to come back and write her story. If you are intrigued, you can read The Origins of Darkness for free with your KU subscription or grab the book!