Villainess

The Witch's Cursed Daughter, Book 1 of The Myrde Chronicles, and my first novel, includes many characters; one of my favourite characters is the lead antagonist, Illea. Her full name is Illea Cadence Del Waldemar; she is the only princess of the Kingdom of Waldemyre and an entitled psychopath.

From her first appearance to her last, Illea takes us on a rollercoaster of insanity. I enjoyed writing her mania and the relationships she shares with other characters, including a memory her brother Wen shares which builds a small form of sympathy for her from the reader.

The excerpt below is from a point in the novel where we learn of Romile's past with Illea. Chapter 24. Romile’s Past: II:

Lying on a bed far from the door, he found himself alone. Surveying his surroundings, he noticed a breeze, yet no obvious crevasse for one to exist. The furniture was simple yet stylish with engraving on the handles and legs. Yet, Romile's senses screamed as he noticed on closer inspection that they markings were not engravings but scratches formed by nails and teeth. The room reeked of blood.

After a lot of clicking and jingling, the door opened, and the princess skipped in. Her outfit had changed, now despite being eleven years old, she looked no older than the second prince.

"Are you awake, Romile?" As she advanced towards him, Romile instinctively felt his hip for weapons. Hurt painted on the princess's face; she said, "I'm sorry, but you were about to run off and leave me, I would have been very sad. I think we're going to be good friends."

"Princess..." Romile began.

Holding up a dainty finger, the princess shook her head lightly, closing her large green eyes, "Illea, please."

"Princess, I need to return to His Highness."

Without warning, pain rushed through Romile's body, forcing him to double over. There were no guards in the room and no weapons in sight. Confused, he anchored himself in a sitting position, glaring around the room.

Smiling kindly, the princess reached out to him, "Illea."

Avoiding her hand Romile pursed his lips, "Prin..."

Much like before, Romile was wracked in agony as pain with no description sounded from all over his body. It lasted longer than the previous attack and left him feeling drained. Romile's mind flew through possibilities. Perhaps an Imperial Mage? But there was no one in the room unless they were a master at hiding their presence and the princess was not capable of such advanced magic.

As Romile's thoughts raced, the princess patted his rusty-coloured hair, saying, "Illea." Unable to respond due to a combination of exhaustion and leftover pain, Romile allowed his breath to sound loudly, as though he did not care what she wanted. Standing back, the princess knotted her eyebrows neatly before simpering, "I'll come back later. I hope you'll feel closer to me then."

As she left the room, Romile could feel himself returning to the darkness, but he wasn't afraid this time. He yearned for the senseless peace that could take his pain.

The Witch's Cursed Daughter