《The Shattered Crown》 Chapter 1 ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± he said, lighting his cigarette without a care in the world. ¡°Did you at least bring the scrolls?¡± The girl emerged from the secret passage and scowled. ¡°I saw you get here just a few minutes back, Casimir,¡± she hissed, an Elythian accent laced in her voice. From the southern country, then. The man had orange-streaked hair¡­ wasn¡¯t that familiar? ¡°And it¡¯s not my fault that your ¡®guards¡¯ wouldn¡¯t let me pass through.¡± ¡°Did you bring the scrolls?¡± Casimir repeated. The girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± She slipped out a few parchments from the bag she was carrying, and handed them discreetly to Casimir. ¡°Where are my talons?¡± Casimir checked every scroll before tucking them into the shadows behind him. ¡°I have them, be patient, Lyn.¡± She glared. ¡°I¡¯m already risking enough by being here. If you demand more of me, you won¡¯t like the consequences.¡± Casimir grinned wickedly. ¡°Ah, but then your father might¡­ accidentally face some dangers.¡± Lyn¡¯s eyes flashed with anger and¡­ fear. She growled, ¡°Just give me what¡¯s due.¡± He rolled his eyes before taking out countless talons from his pockets. The girl in the shadows stifled a gasp at the sheer amount of it. Nonroyals shouldn¡¯t have that many spare talons. Lyn snatched them from him and inspected each one before nodding stiffly and turning away.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The girl in the shadows had seen enough. She knew where the passages were, how the scrolls kept getting smuggled away from the Aeternal Library, who this people were, and what was being exchanged. Mission completed. She began to slip out of the room, but then her foot connected with something unseen and it shattered against the floor. The sound rang out in the room¡¯s silence and the smugglers¡¯ heads whipped towards the intruder. Curse this to Aurelin¡¯s wrath, move! The girl cursed and fled the room. Lyn ran after her, yelling. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Get back here!¡± The girl raced through the doors of the abandoned hut and into the forest she knew so well. The tall oak trees blurred and her feet made little sound as they pounded furiously against the mossy floor. And then something tremendous happened, something that shifted the girl¡¯s world. Casimir leaped between the trees, fluid and inhumanly precise. But then he flicked his fingers through the air and runes surrounded the girl. Runes of magic. Rune magic that was forbidden in the Kingdom of Luxemere. How- Father banned it years ago! It simply wasn¡¯t possible. Her eyes widened as flames erupted from the glowing runes on the ground. Walls of fire burst at all sides of her, but she found a split-second opening in one of the slower flames and she jumped through. The fire singed her stealthy clothing and she could feel a burn starting at her thigh, but she pushed past the growing pain. Make it to the palace. That¡¯s it. The girl lost her pursuers, and could hear their distant shouting of fury but she could see the walls of her home. She ripped off the thread holding her gold medallion with the royal design at her neck, clutching it and shining the light on the hidden wall. The wall promptly split open and closed the moment she rushed through it. She managed to get to the Healing Pillar and slammed her hand against it, alerting the healers inside. Her vision blurred as she collapsed to the marble floor, the searing pain in her leg spreading and it was too much to bear. Healers surrounded her as she slowly slipped into darkness. The last thing she heard was, ¡°Princess Aurora!¡± Chapter 2 Aurora faded in and out of consciousness, her leg burning in pain, then dowsed by salves. In one particular lapse of sleep, she forced her eyes half-open. Then she saw him. Soren was brushing her hair back, stroking her cheek. ¡°You have to stay with me, Aurora. I swear I¡¯ll hunt whoever hurt you down and kill them. This is not how I¡¯m losing you.¡± His voice breaks. She tried to blink sleepily, but her eyes closed against her will. The last thing Aurora felt was his lips on her forehead and his words against her soul. ¡°You¡¯re strong. You¡¯ll get through this. Magic is not about to take you from me.¡± Then she fell into oblivion, a dark mass of dreamless sleep. *?*?*?*?*?*?* ¡°Then the Shattered Crown was broken apart into pieces, and scattered all throughout the-¡± ¡°Narrating stories again? I already told you it¡¯s a waste of time. Don¡¯t cloud Lyria¡¯s brain with stuff like that.¡± Aurora strided through her chambers, heading straight for the walk-in closet. Her thigh was wrapped in bandages to slow the flow of the blood pouring from the wound. The healers had some trouble healing it, because it was caushed by- rune magic. Aurora still had a hard time comprehending that, because it just wasn¡¯t possible. The thoughts were rapidly ricocheting off the barrier that was screaming, ¡°No! This goes against everything you¡¯ve ever known!¡± Casimir - his identity was just barely concealed in her memories, she knew he was important somehow - shouldn¡¯t have been able to do that. Rune magic was one of the most dangerous magics in the kingdom. Other magics¨C sceptic magic, enchantments, enhancing magic, and more - were allowed, although sometimes frowned upon. But rune magic? If you were caught using it, you were killed on the spot. Sometimes, you were brought to the lowest dungeons in the palace and beat bloody till you were begging for mercy, to be killed. It was¡­ torturous, to say the least, and a death wise to even consider using it. So for Casimir and Lyn to be using it, it was quite dangerous indeed - especially since they were already smuggling ancient scrolls. Honestly, they were just asking for it. She hadn¡¯t told anyone yet, though, and the wound was mostly healed with one of the more powerful elixirs. It wasn¡¯t completed, but it was slowly and steadily finishing. ¡°Aur Aur! Aur Aur¡¯s back!¡± Lyria cried as she jumped off the tall boy¡¯s lap and waddled over to her big sister as fast as she could. She had the same green eyes as Aurora, but brown hair instead. Chocolate, caramel, cinnamon¡­ Aurora softened at the sight of her and picked her up, handling the small five year old girl with ease, as she had done countless times before. She tickled Lyria and smiled at her giggles. ¡°What nonsense has he been telling you now, Sunny?¡± Soren laughed, rose from the couch, and walked over to where the girls were. Lyria reached out and tugged on the strands of his chestnut brown hair. Aurora vaguely recalled wisps of memory of Soren by her bedside in the Healing Center, but it must have been a dream. ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense, Rory,¡± he protested. ¡°It¡¯s our ancient past.¡± He saw her skeptical expression and sighed. ¡°Myths, if you prefer. It¡¯s harmless fun.¡± Aurora rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s useless, that¡¯s what it is. It¡¯s polluting Lyria¡¯s mind and she¡¯s so young.¡± Soren frowned. ¡°Just because you¡¯re stiff and old-fashioned doesn¡¯t mean your sister has to be. It¡¯s not useless pollution, Aurora, it¡¯s stories that will make her a great princess when she¡¯s older.¡± Better than you. Aurora stilled. It was bad enough the things she thought people were saying. If anyone else had said it, she would¡¯ve brushed off the pang and said, ¡°Who cares what they think? I¡¯m doing what I can and that¡¯s all I can do.¡± But from Soren? Her best friend since before she could remember? Without turning around, she said quietly, ¡°Well, we wouldn¡¯t want Lyria growing up to be like her stiff and old fashioned sister.¡± Lyria peered at her worriedly and poked Aurora¡¯s cheeks with her tiny fingers. ¡°Aur Aur looks sad.¡± Aurora tried to smile at the child, but it was weak and didn¡¯t reach her eyes. The irritation in Soren¡¯s eyes instantly melted away and they widened in regret. ¡°Rory-¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re right. I have to change my clothes, and then my schedule¡¯s packed until the evening.¡± She set Lyria down gently and Lyria pouted at her. ¡°I thought you said you¡¯d play with me,¡± she said sadly. Lyria wanted Aurora to spend time with her¨C she¡¯d been asking for weeks now. Aurora swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sugar. Another time, I promise. Soren will play with you.¡± ¡°Again?¡± mumbled Lyria, toddling away with her head low. ¡°Rory, I¡¯m sorry, I-¡± Soren started, trying to catch hold of her shoulder. But Aurora shook him off and disappeared into the walk-in closet, closing the door. She tried to clear her mind and took off the training wear that was sticking to her tan skin, wincing at how much mud, dirt, and sweat there was on it from the chase through the forest. She searched through her enormous array of clothes and silently appreciated how much her maid Ella took care of her, before she put on a royal blue tunic and uniform pants. Then Aurora slumped against the cold mirror and tried to not let her exhaustion overtake her. She stared into her reflection in the glass mirrors surrounding her, looked at her ashy blonde hair and eyes as green as poison ivy. Like her, if you got too close. But she didn¡¯t want to be. Who wanted to be so cold, people were afraid to get close to them? Who wanted to be so lonely, so void of touch from anyone? She could see the shadows under her eyes and there was still so much to do. But it was expected of the Princess Aurora to fulfill her duty, no matter what it took. But what about the young girl inside that was breaking so much that even her best friend didn¡¯t like her anymore? The young girl begging to be free from these binding chains, this loyalty to her role as the heir of the Kingdom of Luxemere? What about Rory? *?*?*?*?*?*?* Soren groaned outside of Rory¡¯s chambers, dragging a hand through his hair. Great, Soren. You¡¯ve done it now. Might as well hand yourself a medal for biggest idiot alive. By the moons, he was insensitive. And now Rory was hurt and it was all his fault. ¡°Mess it up with my best friend while she¡¯s already going through a hundred other things, that¡¯s what I do.¡± He knew she had been going through so much stress lately¨C she never told him, like the stubborn and independent girl she was, but he knew. Staying up late, shadows under her eyes, the way she slumped from her high-held stance when she thought no one was looking. He knew. And now he had gone and hurt her when she was overthinking everything, about some of the things she was most insecure of. And when she was hurt! With that magic injuring her thigh, she was in pain, and he caused her more pain, a fact that he hated himself for. What a great lumbering idiot he was. Soren was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn¡¯t notice Rory walking out of her chambers, not realizing he was in the hall. She was wearing a fitted royal blue tunic and ankle-high boots, a determined expression on her face. Sometimes she was¡­ a stunning sight to take in, at the least. Quit staring at the beauty in front of you and feeling sorry for yourself, you big buffoon! Go talk to her. He snapped out of it and hurried over to her, taking her arm. She whirled around, alarmed, instinctively taking a battle stance. Soren¡¯s eyes widened and he brought her arms down. When she realized it was him, she instantly dropped the position. ¡°Rory, wait. Please.¡± Her medallion knocked against her collarbone. From here, right in front of Rory, Soren had to tilt his head down to look at her. Rory was shorter than him, but she was far from childish. ¡°If this is about what you said, I-¡± ¡°No!¡± He burst out. ¡°I mean- yes, it¡¯s about what I said, but I¡¯m not letting you brush it off. I was an idiot.¡± ¡°Surprise, surprise,¡± Rory muttered and Soren rolled his eyes.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Shut up and let me apologize. I didn¡¯t mean anything I said. You¡¯re not stiff, you¡¯re not old-fashioned, you¡¯re not cold. You¡¯re not any of those things. I just got mad when you kept telling me that our stories are useless. They¡¯re not, mind you - but what I said was wrong, and everyone gets to have their opinions.¡± Rory blinked and crossed her arms. ¡°Okay¡­ you know you don¡¯t have to apologize for something that¡¯s true?¡± She started to turn away again. Soren wanted to jump up and down or maybe hit a wall in frustration. Gods, this girl¡­ ¡°Princessa! Stubborn as a mule,¡± he groaned and pivoted her back around, holding her firmly in place. He tilted her chin up to look at his face as she leaned into his touch ever so slightly, and she saw a fire behind his smoky gray eyes. ¡°Listen. You are the warmest, kindest, smartest, most adjustable person I¡¯ve met. Why do you think I wanted to be your friend? Because you¡¯re Crown Princess?¡± Rory shook her head silently. ¡°Exactly. I didn¡¯t care about any of those social statuses, they can go rot in Bulhorra¡¯s Den for all I care. I wanted to be your friend because you¡¯re Rory. The most important person in my life to me. Don¡¯t forget that, no matter what I say. Ever. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Rory was speechless. Stunned speechless. Soren looked at her wide eyes, parted lips, the flush on her cheeks. And then she nodded, ever so slowly, and a smile bloomed on her mouth. He fixed things. He fixed things, thank Iline. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t.¡± She ducked her head, grinning and Soren couldn¡¯t help a smile as he pulled her into his arms for a quick hug. ¡°Good,¡± he mumbled, inhaling her scent. He buried his face in her hair. Mmm. Bliss. A shiver ran through her and he smiled. After a few seconds, he pulled away although he could¡¯ve stayed there for much longer. ¡°So what happened with the smugglers? Who hurt you? Just tell me their names and they¡¯ll regret every single decision they¡¯ve ever made-¡± ¡°Soren,¡± Rory laughed. ¡°Stop.¡± Soren nodded sheepishly. ¡°I got their names - the scroll smugglers. Casimir and Lyn. Casimir paid Lyn an insane amount of tokens he shouldn¡¯t have had. Then I was about to escape but then a stupid vase shattered-¡± ¡°Did you step on it? Any shards stuck in your foot?¡± Soren interrupted. She gave him a look. ¡°No. Now shut up if you want me to finish.¡± Soren sighed but agreed. ¡°So then I ran out into the forest while they chased me. But then Casimir¡­ used rune magic.¡± Soren froze. ¡°What? How?¡± Rory hesitated. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. It shouldn¡¯t be possible. Rune magic faded from everyone when Father banned it. But Casimir did. He tried to trap me in fire but I got out. It injured my thigh, though.¡± How dare he? Soren¡¯s eyes flashed with anger. ¡°We¡¯ll find him,¡± he muttered. ¡°And then I managed to lose them and used the medallion for the secret passage you showed me. You saved my life with that, Ren. Thanks,¡± said Rory sincerely. Soren played it down, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You would¡¯ve found it anyway. But¡­ by Aurelin, that¡¯s a lot to take in. That changes everything.¡± He ran a hand through his hair. It was true¨C this tilted the world because it changed everything that could be done and- ¡°I know. And now I have to go narrate that same thing to the Circle.¡± He said something the Circle could go do with themselves and Rory snorted in laughter. ¡°They could, but they¡¯re probably too busy to do that. Except for Garnoy. He could definitely do that. But Ren, I have to go.¡± ¡°Five minutes?¡± Soren murmured. ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m about to be late. I¡¯ll hang out with you and Lyria later, okay?¡± Soren pouted playfully and gave her a little push reluctantly. ¡°Fine,¡± he dragged out. Rory smiled up at him. He grinned back down at her, but that smile lingered in his mind for more than it probably should¡¯ve. ¡°See you, Soren.¡± How can I feel this good when she says my name? I just want to drown in her voice. Even though she¡¯s going to Aurion and I¡¯m going to the Underworld. ¡°Bye, Rose.¡± Rory rolled her eyes at the short nickname from an old fairytale from ages past. Then she walked away, casting a last glance at Soren over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner. Soren watched her go and when she was gone, he slumped against the wall. He dragged a hand across his face, looking up to Aurion. ¡°Farrah, save me. Something¡¯s happening to me¡­ and I¡¯m too scared to admit what I know it is.¡± *?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?* Slivers of gold lined the walls, all leading up to a glass circular table. Decorations adorned each chair around the table, and there was a gold and silver cushioned throne at the top. Aurora was still smiling from her encounter with Soren. Gods, that boy¡­ She hesitated a beat on the threshold and glanced down at her medallion, reminding herself of her duty. Duty comes before everything, idiot. Remember that. Everything but Soren. She tried to clear her mind and thought of jasmines and flowers, one of her mother¡¯s things she kept with her. One of the things that got her through nights of crying in Soren¡¯s arms. King Alderran and his Officials were already waiting, seated at their respective chairs. ¡°Late again,¡± muttered Garnoy, sneering. Aurora¡¯s expression flattened. She didn¡¯t know how the King tolerated him or had him as a Circle member, let alone keep him as his left hand Official. Garnoy was simply insufferable, constantly talking back and contradicting anyone who even spoke up, including the King. His alliances were suspicious too¨C he was always trying to ally with some reformed organization that slipped up sometimes. It was an annoyance, to say the least. The King looked at his daughter and smiled warmly, but she saw the strain in his expression. Lately, there¡¯d been so many rebellions and crimes, and it was hard to keep track of everything. ¡°Aurora,¡± her father said quietly. ¡°Come sit down, Bluebird.¡± Bluebird? The pet name only slipped out in private, never in front of anyone. If he didn¡¯t even realize¡­ things must be worse than she thought. But she¡¯d been handling everything¡­ right? She sat down in her chair next to the King. ¡°Report?¡± Her father asked, as usual in every Circle meeting they had. The officials looked intently at her and she began explaining the entire thing. The King looked relieved that the scroll smugglers were caught, and then looked alarmed when she narrated the chase. But when the rune magic came up, there were collective intakes of breath from the entire table and then stunned silence. Then chaos broke out. The Officials started shouting and clamoring for attention, all wanting their point to be heard. But no one could even be heard over the glass-shattering noise in the room. All their voices mixed together and one of them, Hybril, stood up on his chair and stamped his feet. Many soon followed and then there was something thrown at an Official by someone else. ¡°Impossible!¡± Hybril shouted. ¡°This could not have happened!¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Garnoy hissed in agreement for once. ¡°Rune magic is forbidden. Aurora must be making this up, for drama or- or attention! She¡¯s eighteen, of course she would!¡± Excuse me? I may be eighteen but I know and do more than you ever will. ¡°That¡¯s Princess Aurora to you,¡± another Official, Seraphine snapped. ¡°Treat her with respect. And Her Highness knows what she¡¯s talking about, do you really want her to display the injury on her thigh to prove it? Disgusting,¡± Seraphine muttered. Garnoy had the grace to turn red and he shook his head. ¡°Your Majesty, what can we do?¡± Official Edwin said worriedly. ¡°This changes so much, and we¡¯re not even-¡± ¡°More alliances. More, more, more,¡± Nurio repeated. ¡°But we should keep this a secret, no?¡± Seriel cried. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t get out of this room! Anyone who is found spilling confidential information shall be beheaded!¡±God, this wasn¡¯t Alice in Wonderland! Was he living in a fairy tale? The King put his hands to his head, his face scrunching up. Aurora sent a searing glare towards everyone, which immediately shut them up, even Garnoy who scowled but kept quiet. They got down from the chairs and righted everything that had toppled over or had been thrown, trying to maintain their dignity and acting like this was all normal. Honestly, it sort of was. ¡°Rune magic?¡± said King Alderran hoarsely, after a long silence. Aurora nodded gravely and she confirmed, ¡°Rune magic. I know what I saw. If you don¡¯t believe me, my scar does.¡± And there was no way in the Underworld she was ever showing it to Garnoy or any other Official. ¡°I forbade it,¡± King Alderran muttered to himself. ¡°I forbade it, it shouldn¡¯t have¡­ oh, Farrah. If they knew how to use rune magic, we¡¯re all dead.¡± ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t think they do,¡± Aurora quickly said, if only to ease her father¡¯s state of mind. ¡°When Casimir drew the runes, they were really abstract. Almost like he was inexperienced in it. And if this had been happening from long before, we would¡¯ve heard something. But it¡¯s been quiet. So either it¡¯s only been a short while, maybe a few weeks, or he just discovered he had it.¡± King Alderran looked up at her, bearing a contemplative expression. ¡°Indeed. Indeed, Aurora, that is true. This is why you¡¯re my right side, what would I do without you?¡± He squeezed her hand gratefully. ¡°So we still have time. Time to prepare¡­ gather defenses¡­ undercover operations¡­¡± he spoke under his breath. One of the Officials, Edwin started to speak, ¡°Your Majesty-¡± But then the doors opened and Aurora glanced curiously at the incomer. Her breath caught and in a second, she was up and across the room, holding a blade to his throat and shouting. ¡°Guards!¡± The guards immediately rushed to their princess, surrounding the man who was being held at knifepoint against the wall, looking fearful for his life and completely clueless. ¡°P-Princess!¡± The King stood. ¡°Aurora! What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± He crossed to the entrance and pushed past the guards. ¡°This is Ferihn, you grew up with him! He taught you everything you know except training! What are you doing?¡± ¡°Ferihn?¡± Aurora growled, her pulse pounding. Now she knew where she had seen him before. That same twitch in his step, the same facial structure, the same streaks in his hair. It all clicked. ¡°This isn¡¯t Ferihn. This is the man who used forbidden rune magic, who tried to kill me. This is Casimir.¡± Chapter 3 The room was an echoing void for too long. Too long. Aurora¡¯s eyes flashed, their poison ivy green shifting to an enchanting blue. Then the world exploded in color for Aurora and her grip loosened on the knife against Ferihn¡¯s throat in shock. Color filled every inch of the room, blue, purple, orange, red, and gray swirling. Each person radiated a mix, everyone. Ferihn was emitting purple and orange. Aurora knew that it meant fear and anxiety instinctively, but she didn¡¯t know how. She¡¯d never learnt or seen or done anything like this. Then a splash. It was inside her, deep inside a place she had never tried to reach, had never even known it existed. Aurora stumbled back. Everything was more intense, more vivid, more alive. Then she looked around and- What was going on? She whirled frantically to see that everyone was frozen. Frozen in place¡­ even her. Aurora turned back around and saw herself pinning Ferihn to the wall with a dagger to his throat, just like a second ago before the color burst. She - her frozen self, that is - was such a mix of colors that it was indistinguishable. She looked down at herself, and saw nothing. She couldn¡¯t see herself. She was invisible and she was in a frozen moment of time where she could see everything. The colors were still radiant from everyone. Her father was vivid orange and gray, anxiety and shock, she knew. But how did she know? And what in Luxemere was going on? But she couldn¡¯t even collect the thoughts in her head that were as scrambled as eggs, before she was shoved back into her body by a force acting on her entire self. She slid back into it, and saw a soul, hers, and an empty space that was perfect. The moment they collided, there was a click within her and her senses snapped back into place. Aurora gasped and her eyes, now back to their green shade, laser-focused on Ferihn. Casimir, she reminded herself. ¡°You. What did you just do? How did you do that?¡± The words tumbled out of her mouth. He was just speechless. ¡°I- I- Princess, I-¡± The King yells, ¡°You tried to kill my daughter!¡± He stalks up to Ferihn and holds Aurora¡¯s blade instead. ¡°Treason. How could you? I¡¯ve known you for 30 years,¡± his voice shakes. Aurora fell back from the wall as there was no grip keeping her steady anymore. But then she looked at Ferihn¡¯s frozen face. She was saying before she could stop herself, question herself or even think, ¡°Wait.¡± King Alderran faltered upon hearing his daughter¡¯s hesitation and looked back at Aurora, confused for a beat. Something¡¯s wrong. I can feel it- what was that color explosion? And why is everything clearer now, my senses better? ¡°We¡­ Something¡¯s not right. Who are you?¡± Aurora addressed Ferihn with an expression and intensity that would make anyone bow down to her. ¡°Ferihn, your Highness,¡± he stammered. ¡°I¡¯ve always been Ferihn.¡± Aurora wanted to roll her eyes. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been yapping about. But how do we know? And how did you- how did you do that¡­ color¡­ explosion? Did you enchant me? But you¡¯re not magical, unless you¡¯ve been hiding it all this time. But you must¡¯ve, I- that couldn¡¯t be caused by anything other than magic, you must have enchanted me-¡± She was grasping at straws here. She knew she sounded like she was a hallucinating madwoman, but how else could she explain it? And no one understood. Like no one else had stepped back in time and could see everyone¡¯s feelings. It sounded pretty far fetched to Aurora herself. She wouldn¡¯t blame anyone if they didn¡¯t believe her, although she might punch a wall in frustration. Ferihn was dazed, his silver streaks of hair shining. Casimir¡¯s weren¡¯t silver. They were orange¡­ he must¡¯ve dyed them. But dying hair takes four days, it doesn¡¯t happen overnight. ¡°Princess Aurora, I have absolutely no idea what you¡¯re talking about. I came to the Legacy Hall for the Circle meeting, because I was delayed by the staff situation. I just now hurried here, but when I found all this, I¡¯m sure you can understand how incredibly bewildered I am,¡± he rambled. Aurora felt a pang of sympathy but then shoved it away, glaring. ¡°Is this what you¡¯ve done for the past 30 years? For the whole eighteen years of my life? Guilt tripping and causing sympathy in all your enemies?¡± ¡°What-¡± Ferihn blubbered.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°How do we know you¡¯re not a scroll smuggler or working for the Darknight Organization?¡± King Alderran growled. The Darknight Organization? Has Father not told me about this? As if he noticed his slip, he glanced at Aurora and then back at Ferihn. ¡°You might be Casimir, the smuggler who¡¯s working with Lyn.¡± Ferihn went still. Utterly still. ¡°Casimir?¡± He whispered. ¡°Where- where did you hear that name?¡± he demanded. Aurora paused. He knew. He knew who it was, who he was- ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± She suddenly shouted, overcome by anger. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter because he - you - tried to kill me, I shouldn¡¯t be giving you this chance, you should be dead-¡± ¡°No,¡± Ferihn said, so quiet Aurora had to strain to hear, but in a tone that made her stop, narrowing her eyes. Pain. Fear. Disbelief. Overwhelming memories clouding his head. Everything Ferihn¡¯s eyes were telling Aurora, tell-tale signs of exactly what he was feeling. ¡°I didn¡¯t try to kill you. That was Casimir,¡± Ferihn took a deep breath. ¡°That was my twin brother.¡± Sharp inhales sounded from across the room. ¡°Twin brother?¡± King Alderran repeated. Ferihn nodded. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. My twin brother. I¡¯ve always wondered what he¡¯s gotten to, but I never imagined it would be something like this. Princess, I¡¯m so sorry. If I¡¯d known he¡¯d try to attack the royal family, the heir to the throne, I¡¯d have taken measures to prevent it.¡± His eyes flitted down in genuine shame and remorse. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ okay. You didn¡¯t lie, Ferihn, you just hid the truth,¡± Aurora contemplated. ¡°Okay?¡± Garnoy shouted indignantly. ¡°How is that okay?¡± He shot a glare at Aurora. ¡°Watch your tone, Garnoy. That¡¯s my daughter and your future queen you¡¯re talking to,¡± her father snapped. He had stepped back from Ferihn¡¯s chokehold and had been watching him carefully. Garnoy immediately straightened and bowed his head. ¡°Yes, my King, sorry. But, if I may contribute,¡± his head raised right back up and Aurora wanted to shove it down, ¡°this is not okay. That Ferihn¨C¡± Ferihn muttered something that sounded a lot like ¡°That¡¯s Lord Ferihn to you.¡± ¡°--technically did lie. It¡¯s a lie by omission because he intentionally left out crucial information that he had a twin brother. He manipulated you into thinking he was completely innocent! Not that- well, my King, you of course weren¡¯t manipulated,, but all the same!¡± Garnoy hurriedly backtracked in fear of accidentally offending King Alderran. King Alderran looked exasperated. ¡°Yes, yes, Garnoy. But even if Ferihn had told us about Casimir, we wouldn¡¯t have interrogated him like some detectives getting information out of the person they¡¯re torturing.¡± Garnoy¡¯s eyes widened at that visual, and Aurora ducked her head to hide her grin. Well, Father, looks like you¡¯ve been reading the book I gave you for your birthday. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty,¡± Ferihn says gratefully. ¡°I will explain, if you give me the chance.¡± ¡°I think that would clear up a lot of confusion here, Ferihn. Please go ahead,¡± Aurora said patiently. Ferihn took a deep, shaky breath, and then began to speak. ¡°From the very beginning, right out of our mother, we were inseparable. Completely inseparable. We were born with the gray streak in our hair, becoming more prominent as we aged. Casimir and I were identical twins. Even our mother could barely tell us apart, and she mainly mistaked us for the other. We played so many pranks on people, everyone knew us as the Devil Duo.¡± Ferihn chuckled. ¡°In school, Casimir was always the protector. I was more of the bookworm, always studying and learning and teaching. Casimir was the popular type, but he got in fights all the time. At first, it was just against my bullies, but then it began being more frequent with people he didn¡¯t even know. People who even put a toe in his way had atleast one broken body part the next day,¡± he swallowed. ¡°And that was when we were eleven.¡± Official Edwin¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°Eleven?¡± Ferihn nodded. ¡°It only got worse. He threatened anyone and everyone who didn¡¯t do something for him. He¡­ became the bully. I tried to stop him, but he ended up breaking my cheekbone. So far gone he didn¡¯t even feel remorse,¡± he whispered while staring at the ground. ¡°I was¡­ scared of him. Scared of my own twin at thirteen years of age. And when we were fourteen, we were out of school and we got jobs. I was the topper of my class, but I remember wishing to trade that position for the nonexistent love my brother had for me. I got a good job, Casimir was doing drug deals and mafia business with the lowly society. Everyone was avoiding him even at the cost of their own life, because whatever Farrah would¡¯ve did to them would be merciful compared to Casimir.¡± Ferihn shuddered. ¡°When his job was going bad for him, he hit us. Our mom, dad, me. At that point, I hated him. When he was sixteen, he hated us too. The last time he came home, he had dyed his gray streak of hair orange. Wanted nothing to do with me, no ties to this family. And he¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± The King prompted. Ferihn was silent for a long time. ¡°He killed our father.¡± Gods above. Patricide at sixteen. Aurora found herself wishing for Soren, just wishing he was by her side. Eyes across the room were wide, impossibly wide. ¡°Oh my,¡± King Alderran breathed. Ferihn nodded silently. ¡°Because it was part of his job. And then he fled, leaving us with Father¡¯s dead body. When he left, Mother was heartbroken. Not just because her husband was dead, but because her son was gone. He was gone. And then she fell into depression, had a heart attack, and died. It was just me then. Casimir didn¡¯t come back. I assumed he had gone deeper with his drug business. I never thought¡­ never thought it¡¯d come to this. Not in my wildest nightmares.¡± Chapter 4 By the end of the meeting, Aurora was bone-deep tired. After Ferihn finished explaining the entire thing, everyone immediately started discussing plans of finding Casimir, defending the Kingdom and the castle, guarding the library, doing a search for him and anyone who was related to him in any way, yada yada. After a few hours of it, Aurora¡¯s vision had gone hazy and she¡¯d almost fell out of her chair but her father had kept her upright and gave her some coffee to last the meeting, with extra sugar just the way she liked it. Finally, she was stumbling into her chambers. That was intense. The forest, the rune magic, the meeting, Ferihn having a twin brother. Gods above, she needed a break. But she couldn¡¯t, there was no time. So much to do, too little time. Story of my life, isn¡¯t it? The first thing she heard was shrieking and laughing in the kitchen. She smiled despite her exhaustion and walked to it, peeking inside. Soren and Lyria were having a water fight and he was tickling her mercilessly. ¡°No, stop, stop!¡± Lyria giggled. ¡°You asked for it when you hit me with that huge glob of water!¡± Soren said, holding a hand up to his chest in exaggerated indignation. Aurora grinned to herself. No one had noticed her yet. She quietly snuck up behind Soren¡¯s back, making sure Lyria, as short as she was, didn¡¯t see her either. Then she rose on her tiptoes, held out her hands, and- ¡°Oh, shi-¡± Soren spun around just in time to see Aurora slip on the wet floor. Bubbles spilled out of her way as she tried to balance herself, but it was futile. She would¡¯ve fallen had Soren not had his lightning fast reflexes. Sharp and quick-witted as a blade, he immediately set Lyria on the counter and caught Aurora in his arms. She stared up at his concerned gray pools and it looked like he was about to say something¡­ But then Soren laughed. ¡°Rose! Still got two left feet, I see. What were you even trying to do? And what were you about to say?¡± He raised an eyebrow. Lyria¡¯s squealing stopped, though the giggles didn¡¯t. Aurora grumbled. ¡°Shut up. I was trying to give you a scare. And I was gonna say shi¡­var. Shivar.¡± An incredulous laugh escaped Soren. ¡°Shivar. Shivar, as in, the God? Have you been doing rituals for Shivar lately, then? I think I have a better idea of what kind of language you were about to use, and it wasn¡¯t a prayer to a God, Rory.¡± She scoffed, trying to cover up. ¡°Well- it- I- it just-¡± Soren grinned and waltzed her around, dipping her so close to the floor. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°If you drop me, I swear¡­¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± he whispered, his breath on her ear. Her breath caught and her grip on his shoulders tightened. The warmth that bloomed inside her¡­ had little to do with the heating unit. He tugged her back upright and they danced around Aurora¡¯s chambers. ¡°Have you been practicing your waltz recently?¡± ¡°Are you complimenting me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself. But you¡¯re not missing a step like before. It was usually the fifteenth, right around the turn.¡± ¡°Nice to know you pay attention. But no, I haven¡¯t. You¡¯re the only dance partner I¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°Oh, wow, the green monster inside me is so eased. Well, at least you¡¯re getting some practice in. Iline knows you¡¯d skip it every day just to go to fencing.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re one to talk! You¡¯re never away from that arena.¡± ¡°Eh, can¡¯t argue. Did you skip both today?¡± ¡°No, I practiced fencing with Lyria.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Not like that, Rory. Origami swords. I even blunted the tips of the paper. I¡¯ve known Lyria for just as long as you, you think I wouldn¡¯t take all the measures to protect her?¡± ¡°No, you would. I know. Just cautious.¡± ¡°Have trust! Have you no faith in your best friend?¡± ¡°Oh, quit yapping. Honestly, such a drama king.¡± ¡°Drama, yes. King, no. You¡¯re the future queen here.¡± ¡°Trust me, I know. So many works to do tonight.¡± Lyria hopped off the counter and ran to where the two best friends were still twirling. ¡°Aur Aur, you¡¯re early!¡± she cried, tugging at Aurora¡¯s leg. Soren was right in the middle of dipping her, so she skidded a bit backwards and her heel tripped on the edge of the couch. ¡°Ow!¡± Aurora¡¯s head almost slammed against the wooden headboard but Soren, cursing, shot his hand out behind her head so it took the most of the impact. Aurora immediately stood up and took his arm, and Soren flinched in pain. ¡°Are you okay? No, of course not, where does it hurt?¡± ¡°I should be asking you that,¡± he sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°BS.¡± Aurora gave him a look and then picked Lyria up, putting her on the couch. ¡°I canceled some meetings, sugar. Can¡¯t go breaking promises now, can I?¡± ¡°Thanks, sissy.¡± Aurora smiled at her and then went to the kitchen, opening the medical cabinet. ¡°Routine, routine, routine¡­¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I save you from a concussion every day!¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, but you injure your arm in fencing daily. Then when I get back, I heal it.¡± ¡°My cooking makes up for it.¡± Aurora sniffed the air and sure enough, there was a delicious aroma coming from the stove. ¡°Mm¡­ fine.¡± Soren grinned and went into the kitchen, clearly intending to set the table. But Aurora shoved him back. ¡°No way. You¡¯re just gonna hurt your arm more.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t, I¡¯m careful-¡± Soren tried to argue but the stern look she levelled him shut him up. She got her supplies and pushed him on the couch. When she took his arm gently, she felt the shiver in him that followed and she frowned. ¡°Are you cold?¡± He ducked his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Aurora pursed her lips and finished wrapping the gauze around his arm. ¡°You burnt yourself, really, Soren?¡± He pouted. ¡°Not my fault the timer¡¯s faulty.¡± ¡°We both know my kitchen¡¯s up to perfection.¡± But her voice was softer. Lyria¡¯s stomach rumbled and Soren laughed. ¡°Now can we eat?¡± Aurora grinned. ¡°Yep. I¡¯ll set the table-¡± ¡°-and I¡¯ll serve,¡± Soren finished. ¡°Just like always, Rose.¡± She smiled and although Soren stood, she only let go of his arm after a few seconds. Soren lingered in that spot, looking down at his arm with the slightest dopey smile while Aurora put Lyria in her small seat and put the utensils down. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the gloves when you transport the food, Soren.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that pathetic,¡± he protested. Aurora just laughed and Soren hid a pleased grin, turning to the stove to get the food. Although he did make sure to use the gloves. When everything was set and served, Aurora brought the spoon tentatively to her mouth. As soon as the flavors hit her tongue, she melted. ¡°Aaahhhh,¡± she moaned, ¡°Cnt vin. Sho guuud.¡± ¡°I take it the food¡¯s good?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Aurora swallowed the hot gooeyness down and sighed. ¡°I swear you¡¯re going to be my personal chef for my entire life. I¡¯ll pay you all the talons I have if you accept the position.¡± Soren laughed. ¡°I already am. Free of charge. Am I not delightfully generous?¡± But both Aurora and Lyria were too busy gobbling down the food to even acknowledge Soren anymore. When dinner was finished, they all went to the carpet. Aurora explained what happened at the meeting and Lyria had wide eyes on Soren¡¯s lap. ¡°Whoaaaaaaa,¡± she breathed. ¡°Same here,¡± Soren added. ¡°That¡¯s a lot. Casimir is Ferihn¡¯s twin brother? And¡­ the color explosion? Do you think he manipulated magic on you or something? Because that¡­ that¡¯s definitely magic.¡± Aurora shook her head. ¡°No. It was something else, but I don¡¯t know what. I mean - it was magic, that¡¯s clear, but Ferihn didn¡¯t impose it on me.¡± She started to rise. ¡°Well, I have work. I have to go, see you both later.¡± But Soren caught her wrist and tugged her back. ¡°Hey, wait.¡± Lyria pouted. ¡°Aurora! You canceled your meetings to spend time with me. Not spend time with your new best friend Work.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°No buts,¡± Soren cut her off. ¡°Lyria¡¯s right. You need to rest, you¡¯ve had a long day. Take a break.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no time for a break, Soren, especially with all these new developments-¡± ¡°Aurora.¡± She stopped. Soren knew she¡¯d never argue with him when he used her full name, which was barely ever. ¡°Please, Rose. You¡¯re gonna burn yourself out at this rate, and then all Lyria will have to play with is ashes. And I can¡¯t very well dance or fence or train with a huge mound of dust, can I? It would clog up my nose and then I would sneeze all day long and the guards of the palace would arrest me for inhaling the ashes of their princess and no one wants all that drama to happen.¡± Aurora gave a huff of laughter. ¡°No, I suppose not.¡± Soren grinned. ¡°Exactly, thank you.¡± She hated how easily he made her laugh, how her worries vanished with the sound of his voice. ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun, then?¡± ¡°Oooohhhhhh. Idea!¡± Lyria shouted. The best friends paused their bantering to look over at the adorable beam of light. ¡°What about the sepitaring?¡± Soren smiled a little. ¡°Do you mean the scepter, sugar?¡± Lyria nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Yeah! The¡­ scepter,¡± she said carefully. Aurora suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of affection for her little sister. Grinning, she picked Lyria up and spun her around the room. ¡°Wanna use the scepter, Lyria?¡± Lyria squealed. ¡°Eee! Yeah!¡± Soren laughed. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t leave me out!¡± He went over and tickled Lyria. ¡°I¡¯ll take her while you get the scepter.¡± Aurora nodded and gave Lyria to him. Then she went to her private drawer. Get it over with. No need to linger on the past. She stepped in front of it, and inhaled. ¡°Renali,¡± she whispered. Her mother¡¯s name. The lock turned and undid itself with a quick swish, placing itself on the counter above the cabinet. The drawer opened with a tap from Aurora on the wood. Peering inside, she took her mother¡¯s scepter, now hers, carefully out the drawer and then closed it. With another tap on it, the drawer¡¯s lock zoomed back onto the knob and clicked, before the box slammed back into place. Aurora looked at the scepter for a moment. The base was untainted, pure white, laced with gray magical designs that shimmered however it wanted. Her gaze traveled up to the blue diamond attached at the top by an intricate latch with 4 locks firmly secured to each side of the glittering gem. And the gold crown at the top, the small but perfectly sized, perfectly chosen adornment for the magic caster. She stared. Not for the first time. The only thing she had apart from her mother, other than Lyria. She might have gowns and jewelry and royal possessions anyone would consider themselves lucky to even look at¡­ but none of that meant anything to Aurora. This scepter cast magic that her father hated seeing her use, which was why she always did it in private. He had always thought magic was what¡­ was what caused Mother¡­ Aurora didn¡¯t feel the sting of her tears until Soren was wiping them away, holding her tightly to him. ¡°Rose, Rose, Rose,¡± he whispered her name over and over. The scepter lifted out of Aurora¡¯s hand and put itself on the counter, sensing the emotional distress that was radiating in the room. Lyria was standing on the floor, hugging her sister¡¯s leg. ¡°Aur Aur?¡± She said, small and worried. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I- I just-¡± Aurora tried to speak, but her throat closed up. She hated this. Hated that Soren had to come comfort her every time she thought about her mom, every time she was a burden on him, was weak because she wasn¡¯t strong enough. Why can¡¯t I be strong enough? Is there something wrong with me? Soren tightened his arms around her, running a hand through her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, sweet. You did nothing wrong. You¡¯re not weak, you¡¯re not useless, okay? If you didn¡¯t cry, I would think you had no soul. And I¡¯m pretty sure my best friend has a soul, otherwise I¡¯d know.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. She knew he was trying to make her smile, so she tried. But it was so wobbly it dropped the second after. Soren tucked her head under his chin and kissed the top of her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, sweet. I miss your mom too.¡± ¡°Mommy?¡± Lyria questioned. Aurora looked down at her sister. Lyria hadn¡¯t been close with their mother because she hadn¡¯t been old enough to know her. Aurora was the one who was haunted by memories of their time together, laughing and playing and having the love only a mother and a daughter could have. Aurora would never wish the horror of losing that upon Lyria. ¡°Yes, your Mommy.¡± Soren said gently to Lyria before tilting Aurora¡¯s chin up and wiping her cheeks again. ¡°Are you okay, Rose?¡± Aurora took a deep breath and nodded through her tear-filled vision which was slowly starting to clear under the comfort of Soren. What would I do without this wonderful boy? ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, clearing her throat. ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°No problem. It¡¯s what I¡¯m here for.¡± Aurora probably imagined it, but she could¡¯ve sworn that his hands lingered on her waist. But then he let go of her and ruffled her hair, and Aurora decided she was probably going mental. They went back to the living chambers and Soren got some snacks which Lyria eagerly munched on. Aurora grabbed the scepter and followed them. She grinned at Lyria, brandishing the scepter where the little girl could see. Aurora muffled a curse that she should not have said in front of the little girl when the scepter sent a spark up at the chandelier and unhinged it from the ceiling. ¡°Cobwebs!¡± The words escaped Aurora¡¯s mouth. It was right above her too, and Soren¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. ¡°Aurora!¡± He was already pulling her out of the chandelier¡¯s path. But Aurora managed to quickly shoot a ray at it that suspended it and placed it back on its hook, twisting a lock for good measure. ¡°Careful!¡± Lyria chimed before Soren could. Soren turned Aurora around. ¡°Agreed. Completely agreed. Are you okay? How many times will you be in danger in your own chambers in one evening?¡± ¡°Yes and I have no idea, respectively.¡± Soren sighed and went to the carpet, shaking his head. She drew a puddle of stars on the carpet and everyone sat with crossed legs around it. She ran through the list of snotty, snobby nobles she knew in her mind and then caught on one. ¡°Garnoy.¡± Aurora flicked the scepter at the puddle, and replaced it with a purple portal with a silver railing around it. Then the portal dissolved into the third person view of the kitchen. A servant was scribbling something in a book, and he just so happened to be in the shadows. ¡°Oh no,¡± Aurora whispered, having a dreadful idea of what was about to happen. She wished, not for the first time, that Garnoy wasn¡¯t so suspicious of everything. Then the chubby old man stepped into the kitchen, wearing his signature blue suit and tie, which was just a bit too tight for the shape of his body. Garnoy wasn¡¯t exactly on the skinny side. He looked the same from the Circle Meeting earlier. His eyes immediately snapped to the servant and he gasped in outrage. Garnoy yanked the servant by his collar into the kitchen where everyone could see, including chefs and servers. ¡°What is this? What are you doing?¡± Garnoy snapped. ¡°Sir- I- I-¡± The servant squeaked. His nametag glinted in the sudden light, and Jenkins could be clearly seen from where Aurora and Soren were eavesdropping. ¡°Speak up!¡± Garnoy demanded. ¡°I- uh- it- uh, it¡¯s my, uh, d-diary, uh, s-sir-¡± ¡±Diarrhea?¡± Garnoy bellowed, immediately dropping the diary in question. ¡°Diarrhea?!¡± Aurora and Soren were rolling on the floor, clutching their sides with laughter. ¡°His old ears can¡¯t hear,¡± Soren gasped out. Lyria was jumping up and down in excitement, her giggles vibrating her body. Garnoy picked up the diary, scanning the pages. ¡°Now we¡¯ll see what you¡¯re hiding. ¡°Day 78. I tripped over my own feet in the dining hall. Again. This time, I landed in Lady Margaret¡¯s lap. She screamed. I screamed. The turkey screamed. Utter chaos. What, are you plotting to steal her riches and she¡¯ll be such a disgrace that no one will care?¡± Garnoy scoffed. ¡°Day 92. Tried to catch a fly buzzing near the Queen¡¯s pudding. Slapped it so hard the pudding flew onto Official Garnoy¡¯s wig. Thought I¡¯d be executed on the spot. Oh, you should¡¯ve been, I remember that. ¡°Day 128. Accidentally bowed to the stable boy instead of Lord Brewnor. Stable boy winked. I think he¡¯s telling everyone I fancy him now. ¡°Day 173. During a rainstorm, slipped while carrying laundry. Ended up with all of Lord Finn¡¯s undergarments stuck to my face. He laughed. I cried.¡± Garnoy had the most comically baffled expression of anyone Aurora had seen in her life. It was a good thing he stopped reading because he wouldn¡¯t have been able to be heard over the kitchen staffs¡¯ roaring laughter. Jenkins was bright red as a tomato all over and he looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out again and die of embarressment. It was a valid possibility at this point. Garnoy dropped the diary. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Why are you carrying around diarrhea concealed in a diary? Are these- spy confidentials that are hidden in the writing?¡± Garnoy barked. ¡°This is not what a proper spy does, can you not even do this right?¡± ¡°No, no- sir-¡± Jenkins stammered. Garnoy released Jenkins in disgust. ¡°Get out of my sight, Jenkins,¡± he spit out, making his name sound like an insult. Jenkin scurried out of the room quickly, not even giving a glance to his diary. Aurora was holding onto Soren for dear life as they were both in tears, the room silent except for Lyria¡¯s signature squeaks when she was too excited or nervous for words. They¡¯d laughed so much they couldn¡¯t even make any more noise, and they were just choking helplessly. The puddle cleared out until it was only the carpet, not a speck of water on it. Eventually, the three got ahold of themselves and wiped their tears away. ¡°What was that?¡± Soren said, his voice hoarse from laughing. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I feel sorry for poor Jenkins,¡± Aurora choked out, bursting into another fit of laughter. ¡°Is he in love with Lady Margaret or the stable boy? Dramaaa,¡± Lyria mused innocently, quietly. Soren and Aurora just cackled in response. *?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?* Soren collapsed. ¡°No more. No more,¡± he pleaded, breathless. Lyria scowled and pouted at the same time. ¡°More! More!¡± Rory smiled. ¡°Lyria, he¡¯s exhausted. We can play The Scalding Stream later.¡± Everyone had changed into their pajamas hours before and were currently in the middle of Lyria¡¯s favorite game. Soren did not want to jump around on the couches and carpet and chairs anymore to avoid the floor. His legs were burning more than they did in training. ¡°Listen to your sister,¡± he moaned. ¡°Your sweet, perfect sister who¡¯s always right and definitely right that we should take a break.¡± ¡°Aw, what a compliment! Are you finally admitting that I¡¯m always right?¡± Soren bolted upright. ¡°Wait! No, I didn¡¯t- I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± He groaned and cursed. Rory grinned and waved the scepter. ¡°Memory caught.¡± She cast it at the air and an image of Soren repeating those words looped over and over again. Your sweet, perfect sister¡­. always right¡­ It was true, although Soren would never admit it. Rory twirled around the image. ¡°Always right,¡± she sang. But she was cut off when Soren threw a pillow at her. ¡°Shut up,¡± he grumbled with no heat behind his words. Rory gasped indignantly. ¡°Soren. Aelcrest. You did not just do that.¡± Lyria copied her sister. ¡°Soren. Aelcrest. You did not just do that,¡± she repeated in her little voice. It should¡¯ve been adorable to Soren but it was terrifying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sorry, sorry-¡± he yelped and ducked to avoid the pillow that slammed into the spot on the wall that had been behind his head. ¡°Oh, look at you, being all grateful for all that training!¡± Rory chased Soren around the bedroom chambers, which was massive. Rory had a huge living space, half of which she never even used. Lyria giggled and threw a pillow at Soren, who deflected it and it went tumbling into Rory. She dodged it, and Soren didn¡¯t know if he was relieved or even more worried for his life. ¡°Really?¡± Oh, shoot. I really do have a death wish, don¡¯t I? Although death by Rory wouldn¡¯t be so bad¡­? Who am I kidding, it¡¯ll be brutal. Rory took a deep breath and grabbed the scepter, collecting all the pillows in the room into one huge ball. Soren realized what she was going to do a second too late. ¡°Oh, no, no, no-¡± It crashed into him and he were thrown on the bed, groaning. ¡°You got your revenge.¡± ¡°Tenfold.¡± Rory smirked triumphantly. *?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?* Soft breathing. The rustle of blankets. The distant ticking of a clock. The raindrops tapping at the window where Soren was standing, his eyes unfocused towards it. As usual, his thoughts drifted to the girl who was sleeping peacefully in the bed not far from him. That girl. He was staring outside, at the beautiful view of green and blue and vibrant colors, damp with nature¡¯s tears. But he wasn¡¯t looking at it. He was preoccupied with the thoughts, desperate and despairing and dangerous thoughts, in his head. Soren couldn¡¯t deny it any longer, just repeating lies to himself again and again. When will you be honest to yourself? To Rory? She deserves to know. Deserves everything. But it¡¯d ruin everything. It¡¯d ruin what they¡¯d built for eighteen years, because she¡¯d never feel the same way, never. It¡¯d disrupt everything that was going on with Luxemere, especially with all the new things that had happened. It¡¯d put Rory in even more danger than she was already in, which was saying something. And Soren would do nothing - nothing - to jeopardize her safety. Even if it killed him to hold it in. But to just hear her voice say those words would make him the happiest person in the realms. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep, Soren? Of course not. You¡¯ve been staring at that window for the past hour like it holds all the answers to the world¡¯s mysteries. Either that or you¡¯re a mad lunatic who has crossed eyes and plotting to mass murder the whole of Luxemere.¡± Soren closed his eyes and couldn¡¯t suppress the smile that stole across his face as he turned. ¡°Dark, Rory.¡± She shrugged, sitting up. ¡°What are you doing up, anyway? You haven¡¯t gotten a wink of sleep.¡± Thinking about you. Thinking about how I¡¯ll never get to tell you what plagues my mind every second of every day. Daydreaming of what it would be like if I did. But he had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t exactly welcome that response with open arms. So instead of answering, he deflected. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep anyway. Might as well think about fencing forms. I¡¯m assuming you haven¡¯t been sleeping this entire time anyways?¡± Rory scoffed. ¡°Fencing forms? You really are in love with those swords.¡± Soren had to laugh, raising his eyes to the ceiling incredulously. Rory smiled a little. This beautiful girl doesn¡¯t know why I¡¯m laughing. ¡°Try to get some sleep, Rory. Apart from all the undercover stuff, you¡¯re still the Crown Princess. You have to prepare for the Moonlit Masquerade, it¡¯s in a week.¡± Soren¡¯s voice came out softer than he expected. Rory gave him a look. ¡°I could say the same for you, Ren. Sleep.¡± ¡°I¡­ You¡¯re not budging on this, are you?¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯m not sleeping if you¡¯re not. Shall I prepare a card game?¡± Soren groaned but reluctantly trudged towards the bed. ¡°You¡¯re impossible, Rose. An impossible rose.¡± Rory grinned in triumph and scooted over to make space. ¡°Why do you even call me that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s tradition.¡± He lay down and pulled over some of the blankets. ¡°Don¡¯t be a hogger like last time.¡± Rory¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Are you mad? You hogged all the blankets last time! I was left cold!¡± Soren snickered. ¡°Well, you pushed me off the bed in return. I think we¡¯re even.¡± ¡°You deserved it. And you can¡¯t just say ¡®tradition¡¯, why is it tradition?¡± ¡°Oh, gee, maybe because Rose has been your nickname since we were kids.¡± ¡°Smartass. That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± ¡°Fine. Because you remind me of a rose. Beautiful and stubborn and dangerous and soft. Only letting a few people through your thorns. Lucky I¡¯m one of them.¡± Silence. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± A whisper. More silence. Enough to make Soren worry he said the wrong thing. Did I screw up again? But then Rory spoke, a hint of a smile in her voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± He could hear the lilt in it, soft and wavering, sleep slowly pulling her in. Soren exhaled in relief. I didn¡¯t mess up. Thank the Gods. ¡°Yeah. And because we were always told about Briar Rose as children.¡± ¡°Seriously? That old legend?¡± He laughed. ¡°Yep. You¡¯re a princess, so. Made sense back then.¡± ¡°And who exactly did you think was the prince, you?¡± Sleepy. God, she was adorable. Soren scoffed. ¡°Me? I¡¯m no prince. Or knight.¡± Rory frowned through the dark. ¡°You quit your job when you were fourteen, when my mom died, to stay at the palace with me for months. You¡¯re the boy who didn¡¯t care about himself if he could embarrass himself enough to make me crack a smile through my numbness. How could you possibly think you¡¯re not enough?¡± He was speechless. She thinks of me like that? But¡­ I¡¯m nothing. Nothing like that. ¡°Maybe not,¡± she said quietly, dozing into sleep with Soren by her. ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t a prince. Or knight.¡± Why¡¯d I get my hopes up? ¡°But you¡¯re my best friend and the best thing I¡¯ll ever have.¡± Soren looked over at her but she was asleep. Then he smiled. ¡°Of course you think that. You, my beautiful, brave, perfect friend.¡± Beautiful. Brave. Perfect. Friend. Sleep started to overtake him as well, and he subconsciously shifted Aurora closer to him, needing the warmth and the happiness that arose in him when he¡¯s near. Then he fell asleep as well, drowning in a cloud of peace. *?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?*?* Lay on the floor was the scepter. The blue gem shone under the moonlight, the rain having stopped. The white shimmered by the reflection of the blue cot with a beige railing. The scepter glowed, illuminating the three sleeping figures that lay in the room. One in the cot. Two in the bed, wrapped in each other¡¯s arms, souls entwined. But then the rain started to pour again. Not the light rain like before. No, this time, the rain was an onslaught. Outside, a plant withered because it was too much. Too much. The sound of the sky¡¯s stormy thunder almost drowned out the voices whispering, whispering a torrent of words, undistinguishable from each other. Help¡­ No, don¡¯t take away¡­ It won¡¯t last¡­ Don¡¯t do this¡­ The choice is yours. And then it exploded.