𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞

𝕏𝕖𝕣𝕒»»
Xera was a warrior in only one sense, they could wrestle anyone. Didn't matter their height, their weight or build, their skill, Xera could pin them down. Their secret? Some said it was their most captivating face. With eyes of a viper, gifted to them by the Great Goddess of Snakes, Layetha, the eyes were that of a literal snake, yellow in color with sharp view. Then, Xera had long eyelashes and thick, black eyebrows, heavy and beautiful at the same time; they also had the softest, plumpests lips of anyone around. Not to mention the fact of their golden toned skin.

Yes, Xera was striking, but they were not kindly. In fact, they were raised for one thing, to be gifted to the Goddess Queen's Prince, a Half blood God known as Helzim, the Prince of Tulips. He got such as his title as being the kindest, gentlest man known for as far as one could travel. His features were such: a long, narrow and fine nose, round, dark black eyes, and plump cheeks. He too had browned skin, but far deeper than Xera for his lineage was richer.

They were only meant to marry a prince because they held a portion of godly blood. They didn't want to be a ruler, second fiddle to a King, but they had no choice.

Of course as a noble, Xera's life was planned out for them. Neither to be a queen or a king, but instead to be a Supreme Reyl, a comely gender void title Xera liked very much. Until a person reached the age of 12 did they consider their gender, or feeling different from gender. Xera knew their identity ever since they were very young, and never failed to tell everyone they met what they were.

Even before Xera knew their mother came from a family related of gods, they had access to "unbecoming gifts" as their mother Naer called it. Truly, Xera's gifts were more than that, they were a call to fairfolk, and only Naer knew it. From the age of 6, Xera began bending things around them. It was first noted when they completely changed the form of a simple end table, and it became a hourglass-shaped vase. Next it was seen when Xera made a flower wilt and- seeing their sibling's distress at the ruined flower, they turned the time only on the flower, and brought it back younger than before.

Of course after this Naer was wary of her child, and took great care to avoid such topics as the things that called to Xera. Powerful magic called for them, and it was only a matter of time before the fairfolk claimed Xera as their own and they were snatched from their planned-out life. But even with Xera's sheltered, noble raising, they found magic in the cracks. The castle they were raised in had old magic imbued, and Xera was drawn to it as it was drawn to them.

As a future Reyl, Xera's education was simple, only to be a diplomat and right hand to the future king, Helzim.

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"So, Xera, why don't you tell me why we caught you reading your professor's private library? And even better, her Sacred Books of Witch History? Do you not know this is forbidden?" Naer kept an even tone while she lectured her child, but the frustration was evident to Xera. Naer's ears were red tipped, after all.

"Mother dear," Xera cracked a charming grin, "why don't we just pretend I'm as oblivious to my magic as we always do?" This sarcastic suggestion made the lady of the house groan in annoyance. "After all," Xera added, "I am above such things. I am no warlock." This was a lie, in part because Xera did know far more about fairy magic and witch magic than they were meant to.

Naer grimaced, actually grimaced, and sighed; resigned, she dismissed her child with a wave of her hand, turning away and gracefully walking out. Xera grinned once more, walking out of the room with all the airs of a royal without yet the title. They won every argument, and were the most convincing, or at least most annoying, to anyone who knew them. A good political person, and a good diplomat, when they so desired to be. Already Xera knew they would be a great Reyl indeed, and with perhaps the biggest ego around, Xera knew they were a god. At least a god of something.

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Xera sat on their bed, poring over boring reading books far outdated. The subjects Xera studied were useful, excepting that they'd studied them for nineteen years. It was just about guaranteed that any subject of their school they knew inside and out. But this book was not as useful, a simple guide for different levels and factions of nobility, and different countries' differing rules of such. This subject of study was only useful for beginning "diplomats," and Xera was far from a beginner.
The only reason they were reading this book in the first place was to satiate their growing boredom; it was not working. Exaggeratedly, Xera closed the book cover and lazily rolled onto their back, staring up at the ceiling past their indigo colored bed drapes. The top of their canopy bed was open to the ceiling, showing the beautiful paintings thereon. Fluffy clouds and golden rings, peaceful lambs and calves lay about, and much harder to view, strange 8 marks hid themselves against the lines.

Xera only knew they were there because they had looked over every part of this ceiling as long as they'd lived. Closing their eyes with a sigh, Xe tried to relax and banish the thoughts of their earlier conversation with their mother, Lady Naer. Breathing in deeply, and exhaling slowly, Xe finally calmed their uneasy heartbeat. Anxiety was something they got from their father, Kalsis. He was known amongst many to be an unsteady man, easily unnerved; but he was not weak. He alone was the one to stand up, especially when he rescued his future wife Naer from her father, but everyone was forbidden to tell Xera the story.

𝐴𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑁𝑎𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑛? Xera thought. 𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑤 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡, 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒? Xe was frustrated, and rightly so. After all, 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑦𝑙? 𝑊𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑋𝑒𝑟𝑎? Sighing heavily once more, Xera forced themself to sit up and slide off the comfortable bed. Casually walking over to the cherry wood wardrobe, Xe unlocked it to admire their trophies from their travels. The first item to be seen was a wooden pan, gifted to Xera by a mysterious stalker they had in Fwer*.

Seeing this pan flute brought a sly smile to Xe's lips, recalling fondly their younger brother's disgusted look upon discovering someone gave his sibling romantic gifts. The next thing Xe's eyes landed on was a small gold chain bracelet, given to them from their dearest cousin, Turring. They got it after their twelfth birthday, when they officially owned to being a future Reyl.

The bracelet was hanging on a hook in the side of the wardrobe, and Xera picked it up gently as they clasped it to their wrist. Next they grabbed their riding cloak off of its hook near the back, and flung it around their shoulders, tying it firmly against their neck. Xe changed their simple slippers into riding boots, and stalked out of their room, headed to the stables to go see their horse, Illia. Trying not to think about their mother, Xera rode for the rest of the day; through deep green fields and round hills, even as far as the creek right inside the woods.

Avoiding the thought of their mother's ridiculous expectations of them and the pull they had toward magic, they stayed out there far after sundown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~sɪᴅᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴇs~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝗙𝘄𝗲𝗿*  = (pronounced Fee·wer) 𝘼 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮-𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙓𝙚𝙧𝙖'𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮.