Written for prompt 9 hurt and comfort

Touch starved

Hugs

falling

trapped together

Loneliness, it was a word that summed up Medea own existence.

All her life Medea had been raised alone. Raised in the temple of Hecate surrounded by priests who were more devoted to the goddess Hecate than caring for a small child. Medea grew up with priests and acolytes that would soon show devotion to Hecate than to a small girl.

Medea had always wanted love. She wanted to be loved more than anything else in the world. So much that her heart ached from the lack of love in her life, a life that was so lonely. When she was five years of age Medea had decided that she would make a friend. Somebody who was Medea own age another child to play with a girl instead of an adult who indulged her every whim just because she was a princess. However not a boy as boys were icky.

Medea walked down to the local village. Amazed at what she saw children running around playing with one another. Even though they were dressed in peculiar clothes, rough tunics instead of silk or robes that Medea saw so often in the temple. Grinning happily she focused on a little girl with matted hair tied in a braid. Alone from the rest of the children a kindred spirt. Surely she would want a friend.

"Hi I'm Medea", Medea introduced herself with a happy smile. The little blonde girl with hair in a matted braid had stared at her. A hesitant smile on her face "My name is Mellissa, the girl returned a crooked smile lighting up her face. "Play with me", Medea had demanded. As she was a princess and a princess orders were always followed. And so Medea and Mellissa had played. At first they had played hairdresser where Mellissa had put Medea hair into a braid just like the one on her head.

Medea was sure her and Mellissa were best friends.

Then the other children in the village had invited them to play races. Medea won every race there. Face flush with victory she smiled.

Then a boy had pushed her over hard. Medea had fallen hard into the mud. "You cheated you little freak," the boys eyes had been cold and narrow in disdain. Indication and rage filled Medea. "I did not", she counteracted hotly glaring at the boy. It wasn't Medea fault that she was touched by the gods and that made her the fastest little girl alive. The other children circled around her like a hungry pack of wolves. The word cheat was shouted by the other children. Then the mean boy that had pushed her to the ground picked up a stone and chucked it at her.

It hurt.

Next thing she knew Medea was angry as the children around her jeered and chucked stones at her. She wanted the boy that had hurt her to feel the same pain and humiliation she had felt. The boy had flown back with a sickening crack.

The boy lay there motionless and unstill.

Screams of she's a witch ringing in her ears. Medea had ran back home. She hadn't wanted to hurt the boy that badly. She had just wanted him to stop.

Medea cried into her pillow for days fear and guilt raged in side of her. Then her aunt had appeared giving her a hug. Medea clutched her aunt stammering out that she didn't mean to make the boy fly it just happened. Dress in royal blue and as fierce as the sea in the storm her aunt had hugged her fiercely back.

Her aunt had reassured her that the villagers would be punished for chucking stones at her. However that Medea was special and she had special powers. Powers that her aunt would teach her in, Medea had a very special gift she had magic and she needed to be trained in it. However her aunt could only train her in it if only Medea didn't go down into the village again. As a practioner of magic was very dangerous and very vulnerable alone, especially a child of five and people without the gift of magic could become very jealous and wish to harm her.

Years passed quickly and Medea was now eight years of age.

Medea had put on her best red dress. A beautiful red dress that was made of silk, one that was a present from her aunt, Medea didn't get a lot of presents or visitors so she cherished the dress she got. A dress that the finest dressmaker in all of Atlantis had made for a red dress that was identical to match the one that her aunt wore.

Her aunt had invited her to court to celebrate Princess Ariadne's birthday. Medea had worked hard on the gift that she was going to the Princess. All girls liked pretty things so Medea had enchanted a chain.

Medea had heard Ariadne enjoyed playing in the labyrinth at Hawara. The royal family often vacationed there on holiday. Medea wouldn't know what a holiday was. Apart from the fact it was somewhere nice that safe people got to go. Medea wasn't allowed a holiday she was too dangerous. And Ariadne was always getting lost in the Labyrinth and causing her aunt endless amount of despair and grief. So Medea has cast her best spells on a necklace to make the thread unbreakable thread so the Princess wouldn't get lost. All Ariadne had to do was tie one end of the thread to entrance and then she wouldn't get lost.

Ariadne was bound to love her gift and then surely they would become best friends.

After all her aunt had said that a royal could only be friends with another royal.

Medea arrived in Atlantis with all the pomp that a princess of Colchis could arrive with. Medea stared in aware at the white building. The palace was huge with so many rooms. And Princess Ariadne was the most beautiful girl Medea had ever seen.

A pang of jealousy ran through her at the site of the beautiful girl. Except Ariadne didn't want to play with Medea, instead she wanted to play with a serving girl called Korinna. Yet Medea still tried to make friends with Ariadne.

But Medea was too shy, too initiated by the beautiful girl and too awkward to make a truly decent friend for Ariadne. As Medea tried her best to befriend the princess and yet at the same time she tried desperately to emulate her aunt her role model in all things. The only adult that really had time for her.

"I want to be friends", Medea said looking pleading at the younger girl. "Friends", Ariadne spat with scorn. "The last time you wanted a friend an entire village every man, woman and child got wiped out, so no thanks", Ariadne responded brown eyes eying her with fear and loathing.

Guilt welled up in Medea; her aunt had promised she would punish the ones responsible for laying a hand on her. And she had. They had chucked stones at her. It had been the peasants fault for chucking stones at a royal.

"You weren't there", Medea said as heat flooded her cheeks. "I know the villagers were innocent and did not deserve to die, you will never be my friend", Ariadne responded.

Hurt filled up in Medea and she lunged at the smaller girl. Gripping and pulling fiercely at the young girls hair. Both girls went down in a heap. Kicking, punching and beating each other.

At the end of the fight both girls were sworn enemies.

Medea was sent back to Colchis but this time she got to live in her own palace and not a temple anymore.

Medea always believed her aunt her best interests at heart. Her aunt was her only kin that cared enough about her to protect. Even though Pasiphae had her own problems after being usurped by Ariadne. Even though the throne was her aunts natural place.

Ariadne, Medea own step cousin a girl who had everything. A city that loved her, a family that adored her, and a fiancée that had loved her and yet she still tried to send an assassin in the night to kill her aunt. Ariadne started this conflict between the families and then got offended when her aunt tried to send her to brazen bull.

Yet after all that Pasiphae had done for Ariadne, it wasn't enough for her, she just wouldn't surrender the throne. Even after Medea had stolen the palladium for her aunt risking life and death for aunt, repaying the loyalty her aunt had shown Medea over the years. Allowing a battle when thousands of her aunt soldiers died, fighting for the wrong queen.

Of course Ariadne would be cowardly enough to undermine all of Medea hard work by sending in people to steal the palladium back.

Her aunt who would never stoop to such measures as killing somebody in their bed. Her devious aunt who was cunning and resourceful, enough to get a prince to lure Ariadne out of Atlantis.

So no more of her aunt subjects die.

Pasiphae would allow Ariadne the benefit of dying on the battlefield.

And so Ariadne

Shock filled her as Ariadne fired an arrow at her aunt.

Rage filled Medea at the thought of leaving her aunt injured.

Then she was falling.

When Medea awoke it was to four skeleton bodies surrounding her.

Lunging at her, the skeletons tried to drag her to hades as she shoved the flaming torch around.

Desperately trying to fight the skeletons off with a torch that was slowly going out.

Medea screams.

Medea screams out of fear. Medea screams out of despair and rage that her aunt had summoned the undead and left her there to die.

Then a young man charges in and stabs them with a sword. He is the most handsome man Medea had ever seen. He saves her from the undead. Jason is agile and quick. Jason holds her hand and leads her to safety.

Medea is too love-struck. Jason is like a hero from old. And after the hero saves the Princess the Hero and the Princess get married.

Medea knows that one day she will marry Jason.

Jason is touched by the gods like her. Those that are touched by the gods are special, different from everybody else.

Jason hugs Medea in an attempt to reassure her. Medea can count on two hands the amount of times she has ever got a hug from somebody. However it makes sense that only another touched by the god would see how much she needed a hug. Medea wouldn't mind hugging Jason for the rest of her life.

Yet he has feelings for Ariadne.

Ariadne who has always got everything, this time she wouldn't.

Medea would kill her before she took Jason.

And plunges a knife into Ariadne side.