Rough fingers held my eye open. The doctor’s scrutiny was something I was all too familiar with. I could still feel the endless poking and prodding from countless doctors during my years of sickness.

   'I don’t like him.'

  “Will you stop!” I shouted, smacking the doctor’s hand aside. As my arm connected with his, a small wisp of green flame flowed out of my skin. The doctor did not notice as the small ember seeped into his skin, disappearing without leaving a mark.

   'DON’T!'

  The room began to spin. My head pounding with intense pain. I smacked the side of my head earning me an odd look from the doctor and my nearby parents.

  The doctor cleared his throat. “While the pale green color is disturbing, she is definitely not the same as the shambling corpses the empress used to command. She is truly alive again.” The doctor brushed off his coat, turning to face my parents. “Her change in eye color and sudden revival can be explained by her awakening an innate talent. Specifically, a talent with a self-regeneration effect. It is incredibly rare for someone to survive awakening an innate talent without years of training, but it does happen. Moments of extreme distress can sometimes trigger the ability in normal individuals.”

  “Our baby developed an innate ability?”

  “Can we do anything about her eye color? If others see her like this it could be bad.”

  The doctor shook his head. “Innate talents always change a person’s eye color. Try not to worry about it too much. It has been over fifty years since the Undead Tyrant was slain by our king. Many younger people do not even remember that her undead horde all had pale green eyes… most people only remember the green flames that followed wherever she went.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Undead Tyrant? What a horrible name. When did that happen?”

  Placing a warm hand on my head, my father chuckled. A small smile danced on his lips as he looked down at me. “The Undead Tyrant… I think she was called the Immortal Empress back then… she ruled this land long before our current king. My grandfather told me that she ruled unchallenged for over three hundred years. She could bring the dead back to life with a wave of her hand. Her undead horde spanned as far as the eye could see. My grandfather saw it once, marching late at night. He described it as a sea of green stars reaching into the horizon…. Green eyes like yours were the sign of her soldiers.”

  “What happened to her?” I asked with a big smile.

   'Narcissist.'

  My father pumped his fist as he told the story. “One day a hero rose up. He was just a peasant boy by the name of Sebastian back then but he was never afraid to fight. The hero and his band of knights were trained by a powerful sorceress. After many years of battle, the sorceress gave her life to give the hero a chance. An opportunity to fight the Immortal empress without her army of undead soldiers. The hero fought, slaying the Empress. Afterwards, he was declared king by the people. He rules strong to this day.”

  I jumped up from the bed. “WOW! That is such a cool story! Do you think I can meet the king someday? I want to talk to him.”

   'You’re a horrible actor.'

  My father chuckled warmly. “That is unlikely. While our family does technically hold a noble title, we are so far down the hierarchy that even meeting a duke is nearly impossible. Not to mention, the king is well known for disliking social gatherings and events in noble society.”

  I frowned, thinking of a problem I faced long ago. “Is he a good king?”

  He hesitated for a moment. “The king is just and fair. If those under him followed his example this kingdom would flourish like never before.” My father grew quiet for a moment. “Enough about old stories. Now, we celebrate. You came back to us from the dead. We are going to have a feast like never before.

  A warmth rose up in my chest, and I quickly blurted out. “I want mom’s famous stew.”