Royal Academy Diaries II

The Missing Crown ⚜ Ch. 13

Time was running out. He had just a few hours to do what he had failed to accomplish in eight months, or else it would be infinitely more difficult for him to accomplish. The last piece of the spell waited for him in the Royal Academy dungeon. Just beyond his reach.

Until tonight.

The masquerade ball would start within the hour, and Teyrn was getting dressed in his best clothes. His roommates had all left to meet their dates, leaving him alone to put on his crown.

As he pulled it out of the box, he took a steadying breath. So much history was tied to this crown, missing from the world for centuries. It was preserved by the ancient Celtic people who passed it down for generations, waiting for the day that a worthy king would wear it again. And tonight, that dream would be fulfilled. The lost crown would have a rightful owner once again.

He put on the crown and a gold mask, pinning his brooch to the outside of his jacket for once. The enchanted key and a couple other magic objects lined his pockets, just in case. He took the delicate and precious fragments of the Spell of Kings and put it in his pocket. Tonight the page would be restored, and the ancient words would give him power to make the world different.

With all the confidence and dignity of a king, he went out to add an interesting chapter to the history books. He went to the staircase where all the others were meeting their dates, the girls descending in beautiful enchanted gowns and masks. He waited for Faline impatiently, smiling at last when she appeared. She looked like a queen in a long steel blue gown with soft details of cherry blossoms, with her hair done up in an elegant bun.

Smiling, he took her hand. "Faline, you look like royalty."

Her brow, however was furrowed. "Teyrn, where did you get that crown? I thought you were from the Irish Republic."

He nodded. "Yes. But I am descended from royalty. This crown belonged to the ancient Celtic kings. It's to honour them tonight."

She nodded slowly. "Oh."

He admired her ensemble for a moment, then grinned. "You know what this needs?" He reached out and touched her silver mask, turning it to gold with the same spell he'd used to create her ring. The blossoms on her gown took on a gold sheen as well. "There. Gold suits you better."

Faline smiled and took his hand. "Come on, let's go."

They followed the crowd out to the carriages and cars lined up in front of the castle. He led her to one that appeared to be solid gold, pulled by two golden palomino horses.

"Oh...! Are we really going in this?" she asked excitedly.

He grinned. "Do you want to?"

Without another word, she pulled him along to the steps, where a footman helped them up. They rode to the Royal Academy, where the grand ball was about to begin. There was a buzz in the air, tangible even from the road.

Once they arrived, Teyrn helped her down and they followed the path to the ballroom. They both looked up in awe as they walked in the main doors, looking up at the glass cathedral ceiling. A herald announced everyone as they walked in.

"Princess Gia Ranieri of The Kingdom of Italy and Prince Altin Kastrati of Albania," he called. When Teyrn and Faline came up to him, he nodded for their names. They handed him a card. "Countess Fleur Janssen of the Netherlands and Master Teyrn Calaghan of Munster of Ireland, descendant of the Celtic Kings."

A student photographer snapped a picture of them just before Faline looked to him with a questioning look. He smiled at her as they came down the stairs.

Somewhere in the crowd would be two other Calaghans, waiting for him to cast the spell. But first, he had to pay attention to his queen.

Faline pointed to someone in the crowd. "Oh, look at her dress! I should have thought of making an ice dress."

Teyrn smiled. "I like your gown. The cherry blossoms were a charming idea."

The herald nodded to someone and trumpets sounded.

King Arinsal stood on the dais. "Welcome all to the Royal Academy's year end Masquerade Ball. We congratulate and celebrate you all for another year of hard work and academic excellence. The world will surely be better for what you each can now bring to the table. We wish you luck, we wish you wisdom, and we wish you a bright and happy future. And now, let the ball begin!"

The music began and couples everywhere came together to dance. Teyrn half smirked as he pulled Faline close and started to dance.

"Oh!" She giggled and put her arms around his neck. "I heard that they hired a student to paint the ball tonight. He won some competition and they say he's remarkably talented. We'll all get a small copy with our graduation certificates."

"Is that so? There must be quite a lot of talent between all these schools."

She nodded. "Yes. In fact at the Arts school they have a program for those at the other three academies. If you are specially talented but attending another school, you can go to the Arts Academy after classes to be specially trained with four others. I'd have liked to do the music program, but there are too many other talented vocalists."

"Hm. You would look lovely up on stage," Teyrn mused. Above the sound of the music, he could hear the clock toll ten. Anxious to get the last part of the spell, he reluctantly stopped. "Why don't you go get a drink. I'll be back as soon as I can." He kissed her cheek and left with an apologetic look.

She blinked in surprise. "Wha- Where are you going? Teyrn!"

He hurried out, turning down the hall a few others seemed to be going down, likely to the johns. But he veered off at a familiar hallway, taking him to one of the doors that might lead to the dungeon. He pulled on the handle, his heart beating quickly. It didn't budge, so he quickly pulled out his key. He cursed under his breath when he saw it was just a storage closet.

Moving as fast as he dared, he went to another side of the castle. The third door had to be one. He used his key from the start, ducking inside the dark passageway just as guards rounded the corner. He shut the door quickly and started down the stairs. At last, he was in.

The torches lit themselves, and he went straight for blank stretches of wall. This dungeon was by far the largest, and had more twists and turns than the others. Making a fireball in his hands, he hurriedly searched the walls. Finally he found a carved decoration with a strange ball in the centre.

Above the design, the words appeared. 'Descendant Of The Ancient Celts, Pass This Test Of Perception If Ye Would Be King.'

"Perception. Alright..." He watched the design begin to slowly spin. As he looked at the ball in the middle, the pattern spun faster. Eventually the ball itself began to spin. As it did, it very slowly started to open like a blooming flower. The last piece of the spell was inside.

Suddenly the soft hum of the spinning wasn't the only sound in the dark dungeon. A cry like someone calling out in fear echoed distantly.

Teyrn looked away, his heart beating faster. All fell silent, and he looked back to the design. It had stopped spinning, but started again when he looked at the centre ball. Once again as it began to open, a cry could be heard in the distance. Hoping it was just from the party upstairs, he continued staring intently at the slowly opening ball.

A woman's shriek pierced the air, this time it was closer.

Teyrn hesitated to look away, but another cry sounded. He tore his eyes away as a horrible thought crossed his mind. What if people were being hurt while he did this? Was that the test? Did he have to go help them? But no, none of the other tests involved anyone else. And the creators of these tests wouldn't do something so cruel, would they?

He looked at the ball again, and as if on cue, someone cried out in the distance. Seconds passed, then another. A little bit later another shouted in pain. The cries were getting louder. The fourth scream was such a pitiful and horrible sound, he tore his eyes away and nearly tore off his mask.

"Stop! Stop hurting them! I want the spell to help people. I don't want others to suffer for it." Once more he tried to look at the design, but at the first cry, he stopped. "No... I can't do this. I never wanted people to get hurt."

Overwhelmed with guilt, he reluctantly left the dungeon behind in search of those who had been injured. He went out into the hall and only saw people laughing and talking. He jogged up to the nearest group.

"Excuse me, what just happened? Where did those screams come from?"

They looked at him in confusion and apprehension. "Screams?" a nobleman repeated.

"People crying out. You... You didn't hear that?" Teyrn asked, confused.

"No... Are you okay?" another asked.

He stepped back and cleared his throat. "Right. Sorry to bother you." He went to an empty hall and leaned against the wall.

What had just happened? Who were those people crying out? Maybe they were just echoes of people who had died for Ireland in the past. But how could he be sure?

After all these years, would it really be this last test that ended the dream forever? His father would have kept looking, right? Till screams filled his head. He would do that for his beloved homeland. Did this mean he was weak.

In his confusion and bitter disappointment, a golden glow caught his attention. Looking up, he was shocked to see the message on the wall of the hallway in front of him.

'Descendant Of The Ancient Celts, Pass This Test Of Perception If Ye Would Be King.'

The glowing words suddenly changed as he watched.

'Descendant Of The Ancient Celts, Thou Hast Passed This Test Of Heart.'

The message faded and sped along the wall back towards the dungeon. He ran after it, running down the stairs to the design once again. As he approached it, he could see that the ball was fully open, the last piece of the spell waiting for him.

"Is it really that easy...?" Hesitantly, he reached out and snatched the spell before the stone ball could close on his hand. But it didn't. It slowly reshaped itself back into a solid sphere, and he was left with the fourth and final piece of the spell.

Without waiting another moment, he ran to the base of the stairs where the light was best. He took out the other three pieces from his pocket and lined one of them up.

The torn edges magically adhered to one another, and the restored the other parts until the page glowed. The words of the spell appeared in gold ink

He stared at in in awe. After all this time, he had pieced together the Spell of Kings. Unknown and marvelous power was his to command, with just a few words.

"I, Teyrn son of Torran, heir of Ireland, possessor of the crown of the Celtic Kings-"

"Hey! The dungeon door is open."

His heart caught in his throat. Not wanting to get locked in, he raced up the stairs, pushing the door open and running into a white haired prince. He reached for Teyrn, but the shamrock allowed his hands to just miss, giving Teyrn a split second to escape down the hall. As he ran, he threw a photograph behind him. The moment it touched the floor, images of students filled the hallway, blocking the view ahead. Teyrn could hear people behind him.

"Hey! Get back here! What were you doing down there!"

"What happened?"

"Magic user. He's getting away!"

Teyrn put the spell in his pocket and sprinted for the garden door. There were people just outside, but he ran past them, soon finding himself at the stable. Thinking fast, he opened a stall door and got on the horse. He ran out of the stables and into the garden just as his pursuers got there. It wasn't long before he could hear hoofbeats behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder to see a dark witch and the pale prince riding together in hot pursuit. The witch fired a few spells at him, being deflected only by the lucky charm.

Up ahead was a cluster of hedges and trees, and he turned down them. Jumping off, he cast an illusion spell so the horse looked like it had a rider. Just in time, he ducked beneath the trees, watching as the others ran past.

Knowing others would follow, he went back towards the other people. Up ahead on a bridge was a princess in a blue gown, and he soon recognized the pattern on it.

"Faline."