Royal Games

Chapter 16

The next week passes uneventfully.

I'm more animated in conversations. Contributing more. Smiling and laughing more.

I make a few friends on my course. It's difficult to talk to people in lectures, but I get to know some of the people I have seminars with. On a few occasions, I even join in with study sessions.

I meet up with Isaac. Sometimes our discussions are light-hearted and friendly. Other times, we focus on researching dark water. We learn that it definitely does hinder healing, and it's sometimes used to keep prisoners weak. We don't learn anything useful.

Realising that my wound is likely to be around for a while, I glamour it away. My skin appears smooth and untouched. I stop purposefully covering up my arms.

At this week's feminist society meeting, I separate from Zoey more. Make my own impression. A few big events for the coming year are announced: marches, a Sadie Hawkins dance, and a convention held with other university feminist societies from across Earth. The marches are what I look forward to most; actively furthering progress for equality.

The main conversation focuses on how to make the right impression of yourself; making the inside count more than the outside. I argue that a beautiful appearance doesn't necessarily diminish the importance of a woman's personality. Most people agree with me, but others aren't convinced. It's kind of fun to debate something without the pressure to get things right that I always felt at the palace.

I go to the gym for the first time on Thursday morning. With no academic obligations until the afternoon, I decide a fitness session is a good way to wake myself up. I begin on the treadmill, before moving to some mats to work through a particular sequence of exercises I used to do with the palace guards, involving sit ups, press ups, squats, and numerous other moves. It hurts more than usual because the last time I did any proper exercise was the night I was chased to Earth.

When I go to occult society, I return Madison's spell book. We sit next to each other, whispering about our experiences with magic, while others drone on about the uses of candles and importance of their colours. To us, it's irrelevant; the candle itself doesn't matter, but its flame may be used for magical purposes.

Madison brings up the topic of Princess Alyssa.

"Have you heard about missing princess of Opa? She's been presumed dead."

"Yes. It's so sad." I play along, feigning only a mild interest in the subject.

"I know. Especially since it was her birthday when she disappeared. What do you think happened to her?"

"I heard one theory that she was attacked and eaten by a feral animal." Better to say something entirely fictional. The best lies may be mixed with the truth, but Madison sees no connection between me and the princess, and I would like to keep it that way. Isaac's too close to the truth, even if he doesn't realise I've been lying.

"What an awful way to die." Madison looks genuinely upset. Maybe I was a little too extreme with my explanation.

"Or there's another theory that she simply ran away."

"But all the blood they found..." Her voice cracks as she speaks. "I hate being a healer when there's nothing I can do to help someone."

A healer? Of all the magical talents Madison could have...

"Slight change of subject." I say. "But, with you being a healer, what do you know about dark water? I was reading something the other day about it messing with healing abilities, but there wasn't much information."

"I actually studied dark water a few years back. It's a nasty thing for a light-sider to touch." Light-sider meaning good natured, with dark-siders being inclined towards evil. Although things aren't as black and white as people think. "Apparently, if it touches your wound, you have to use dark magic in order to heal. I think it recognises the negative energy produced by the dark magic, or something like that."

Good to know. Although I'm not interested in casting a spell that would intentionally cause harm to someone. I may have a solution, but it's also a dilemma.

"Interesting." I reply half-heartedly. "I guess that also means dark-siders aren't bothered by it; it actually does heal them like regular magic water."

"That's what I was told. Anyway, what's your magical talent?" Madison asks.

"I'm a mixer."

"Okay then, coolest potion you've made?"

"An invisibility potion. I used it to sneak around quite a bit during my teenage years. And I usually made it weak, so it wore off shortly after I got out of the house." It's all true.

"So you were rebellious like me then. My bad girl behaviour kinda slowed once I was no longer living under my parent's roof."

"I wasn't rebellious, exactly. It was more that my parents were so controlling and uptight, sometimes I just needed to escape the pressure of their environment for a few hours."

"Nothing wrong in that." Madison gives a small shrug.

Eliza comes over to join us in that moment. "Is it rude of me to ask what you two are whispering about?"

"Teenage rebellion." Madison replies smoothly. "Any interesting stories to add?"

"Like what? I got drunk one time. I was the good child in the family. Why?" She eyes us suspiciously. "What did you two get up to?"

"Nothing your goody-two-shoes brain would like."

"Madison seems to not want to share, even though I told her about my sneaking out. How bad were you?" I direct an accusatory look in Madison's direction.

Something wild flashes across her face. She grins as if at an inside joke that only she knows. "Very, very bad. My parents had no idea what to do with me."

"You didn't hurt anyone, did you?" Eliza grows worried.

"Course not." Eliza sighs in relief at Madison's reassurance. "I put myself in a lot more danger than other people."

"That's still not a good thing." I say.

"But I'm still alive and well now, aren't I?" Madison doesn't stop smiling.

I can't help wondering what trouble she got into. But, even rebellious, Madison is still a light-sider; no negative energy radiates from her body. I trust her as a friend, even if I don't want her knowing my true identity.