NOTHING COULD ever be more peaceful than a quiet afternoon. That was if one weren't bound by any responsibilities. All there was to do was to relax, the mind free of worry and concern.
Except that wasn't the case for Prince Emir at all.
Here he was at the Zephyrus' old greenhouse—abandoned for so long and never been reconstructed ever since Nivalon Empire went on a rampage. It was a mistake. Their internal conflict sent a massive storm, ravaging nearby lands and kingdoms. The only remnants of the greenhouse were just an elevated circular platform. Piles of small rubble strewn around it. And the trees were the only ones left standing as if they hadn't been ready to leave their soil.
Perched on a sturdy branch of a tree, leaning against its trunk, Emir would watch Anneliese get around her moon magic with the help of Elder Hayes. With the blanket of darkness smearing the glittering sky, the silver glisten of her power blended with the stars.
A week passed, and the rumors spread out like wildfire. The whispers around the academy had soon reached Zephyrus' higher court. And not soon after, the wind carried the news to the whole empire. It wouldn't be long until the whole of Hiestora knows. A hundred years later, another bearer of the moon magic had finally appeared.
It was not that they wanted it to be a secret. Soon, thereafter, everyone should know. But it would have been better if the students' hushes was controlled. Everyone was thrown off-guard. The princess they watched grow for seventeen years unexpectedly wielded a power that should have surfaced twelve years ago—the recorded age where the power should have manifested. Just like how it had been with the history of previous wielders.
Emir craned his body around, looking past the tree where he willed himself to lounge, into the towering castle which stood out like a giant decoration against the dark backdrop of the night sky. His eyes squinted, figuring out what those self-proclaimed scholars found out about Anneliese's late-blooming power. Their foreheads all scrunched, poring over books, throwing arguments toward each other, and in the end, would come up with nothing.
"Ahh!" A shriek echoed in the still night. Worry crawled up to the surface of his chest and he almost jumped off the tree. His instinct told him to go for her and see if she was hurt anywhere.
He gripped hard on the branch to anchor himself in place, holding back the temptation to cradle her in safety. Anneliese had fallen over the broken slab of concrete. She doubled over, clutching the side of her stomach where she might have been hit. Her face twisted in pain, biting her lip to reign back the sounds of her protest.
This unimaginable growing concern made Emir's flesh creep, frightened that this foreign feeling towards Anneliese would lead him to something he wouldn't have asked for.
Elder Hayes, clad in his white and gold-patterned robe, sauntered toward her in leisurely steps. His hands were folded behind him, sizing the princess with scrutinizing eyes.
"Each day I'm growing more and more impressed. In a week, Her Highness has mastered spells that may take more than that to learn," the Elder said and a fire of amusement lit in his intense eyes. A pondering look was in place of his usual barren expression. "As if your body recognizes its newfound strength like the back of its hand."
The smooth sailing of chilly air rippled as it was drawn toward the center of the greenhouse's ruins. The air gathered and swirled in a frenzy around the Elder's hand. Soon, it started to twist, bending in the wielder's desired form. It elongated. The base winded around his right hand and crawled to the ground like a vine.
A thick, slender whip formed in the hands of the Elder. And he swished it down without warning, in a downward motion, to Anneliese, who manifested her quick reflexes by dodging to her left. She rolled down the gritty floor, but the Elder pulled the whip back, willing his weapon into his desire, and sliced down once again, the whip following the path of his aim.
Emir half-expected Anneliese to evade the attack, but she pushed her hands on the floor, jumping hard to put her back on her feet. Then she pressed her palms together in front of her chest. Mumbling a muffled word, a glowing half-spherical barrier appeared, catching the air whip's attack. The contact sent a ripple of airwaves and the trees almost had their leaves torn off. The whip bounced off and not a tiny dent was inflicted at Anneliese's moonlight shield.
Anneliese clasped her mouth, muffling her surprised gasp. Her pale lilac eyes shone like gemstones under the moonlit sky. A slow smile crept past her ghostly-pale skin. And the most unexpected, she broke into a squeal and jumped as if she had the need to release her excitement, or else she would burst out of joy.
Emir never knew that a smile could be so contagious when he found his lips matching hers.
A heavy thump from a higher branch caused the leaves to rain down like falling emerald jewels.
"Uh-oh. Someone's falling."
Emir's smile vanished, replaced by an impassive face. "Have you gotten what I asked for?" he asked without looking up at Maxwell.
"Fat chance. You aren't getting away with it, buddy. So, humor me with your answer," Maxwell teased. There was a smooth rustle of something unfurling. Emir spun around, and his face was merely an inch away from Maxwell's so he quickly had to scoot away.
Maxwell's wings were sprawled open behind his back, and his brown mop of hair turned a shade darker amidst the night. "Why do you look like a lovesick puppy staring at the princess?"
The prince scowled and pushed Maxwell away, causing him to roll over and slip off the branch.
Maxwell laughed his ass off, watching the prince struggle to pull himself back to the branch.
"Get close to me like that again and you'll get what you're asking for."
"Man, I like you too." Maxwell offered a lopsided grin.
"Ass."
The prince returned his gaze to Anneliese and the Elder who didn't seem to notice their little commotion. Anneliese was now putting on the offense, sending bright beams of light which left a soot mark on the ground where the Elder used to be. He effortlessly glided with the wind, never touching the ground. Anneliese was no match but her speed and effort were remarkable.
Maxwell whistled. "So that's the legendary moon magic. Flashy, yes. Splendid. But I still can't imagine how powerful it is. It's just sparkly and all, but it's not as impactful as fire, earth, or any existing elemental magic. But she's good." He bobbed his head in approval, his arms crossed over his chest. "She wasn't that good before."
And Emir couldn't disagree. For quite a while, he'd been watching her every move. Her movements were wide, quick, and calculated. Someone who had trained hard would have developed those qualities. But it wasn't like the Anneliese who had professed her feelings for him countless times, the Anneliese who would use underhanded means through her brother just to force Emir to watch her train. She was never a quick learner. She was dedicated but her learning pace lagged.
"And man, it feels like I'm looking at a different person. I don't know what's gotten into her, but knowing Anneliese, she would still wear a dress despite training just to impress you," Maxwell said.
This whole change in Anneliese got his head spinning a little. It was not as if he wasn't relieved. He was glad she was no longer throwing herself at him anymore. Tight pants, boots, and a long-sleeved tunic were the type of clothing she had never worn before, or at least, based on what he observed. Emir was barely around her the moment he mastered the art of hiding.
"Enough about Anneliese," he said, dismissing the topic. Emir knew Maxwell was here for a reason. "Did you bring it with you?"
"Oh, that." Maxwell whistled, the wind carrying the sound with it. From the distance, a single gleam of gold pulsed on the black sheet of the sky until it grew larger, flying toward them. It was a Carrier, a transparent spherical shell with swirling gray smoke which hid its content from plain view. The gold which gleaned from the sky earlier was its wings, a pair of thin strips of gold metal.
Maxwell dipped his hand in the Carrier's rubbery material and it disappeared up to his wrist. He withdrew a snaggy diamond bottle, containing a cerulean liquid that glowed naturally in the dim light.
The prince plucked it from Maxwell's grip at breakneck speed and stowed it inside his pants pocket.
"Just in time," he said in a monotone voice, his vision getting as far as the distance it could reach. "How come it took you so long? Good thing the last one's still in effect for a few more days. I can't get by without this."
Maxwell grunted and plopped himself beside the prince, the branch swaying a little, but it could hold its weight just fine.
"Don't ask. That king has strange anxiety toward portals, you know that. He isn't fond of the idea that anyone can just barge in anytime and stab him on his back. It's even more infuriating that he almost kicked me out the moment he handed me that bottle. I never thought you have weird taste with friends."
A faint smile made its way across the prince's face. He just dissed the type of friends he associated himself with when in fact, Maxwell was one of them.
"He's not my friend. He just owes me. And that's why he promised me a limitless supply of this suppressant."
"I'm just thinking," Maxwell drawled, plucking a leaf off a twig and tearing it. "How long will you keep doing this, Emir? And we all know suppressing power doesn't always end well. Especially if you force it to sleep for how many years."
"I won't ever go through the agony of loss, Max. Never again."
Word ceased to spill from their mouth. An echoing series of whooshes and clangs cut through the song of ospreys. A long, singing note of metal, then the clash of thin silver blades glancing off its opponent's guard.
"Elder Hayes won't ever give someone a break. Now, he wants to test Anneliese's ability to handle a weapon," Emir said and he almost snorted when Anneliese's sword tipped skyward and was flung out of her hand. It landed with a loud clang.
"What's the next plan after this? Her life won't ever be peaceful anymore. She's the talk of the whole academy."
"She doesn't have a choice. There's no use in hiding. At the end of the day, she'll have to face it all, or else, she'll forever be haunted."
CLARA HAD been inside the portal gate once before, and it never turned out well.
In two weeks, she already missed a lot of lessons in the academy. Clara couldn't afford to slack. She had never felt elated about going to school because she never went to one. All she was ever allowed back at home was to have her tutor while Terralis' Elder would handle her training.
Dressed in an all-white Blaire uniform, it was time for her to go back with the aid of Prince Emir and Maxwell. But she would never once again step foot inside that portal. The princess feared she might end up somewhere else again. And this time, it could be anywhere nasty.
They had been standing in front of it for half an hour now, and Clara could see steam blowing off from the prince's nostrils.
"You'll go inside or I'll make you. Choose," Emir said, keeping his tone calm, but the strain in it was almost audible.
"Prince Emir, be a gentleman," Maxwell said, a quivering smile plastered on his face, looking at Clara. "But be a dear, princess, and seek out your options. My legs will soon turn numb if you don't make up your mind fast."
Emir sighed and pinched his nose bridge. Clara could only bite her lip in shame. "Just call for a stable boy, Maxwell. Ask him to bring three wisp-sprites."
"Three?" Clara asked, baffled.
"Three," Emir confirmed. "We'll each ride one."
Clara's eyes widened. Wisp-Sprites were not an option for her either. She had crossed that one out too when she tried riding one with Flynn. So, she shook her head in decline.
"Bullsh—" Emir bit his tongue before he could finish it. "Two then. You ride one with Maxwell."
"No! I'll never ride one again. I'll fall off!" Clara frantically said. She shuffled from foot to foot, appearing restless. Emir and Maxwell noticed and they both exchanged a look. "I won't ever ride one again. It's scary. I only tried it once when Flynn took me to Rovenshire a few weeks back."
The prince sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "Fine!" He finally agreed, but the two men shared clandestine glances when the princess mentioned her first time riding a wisp-sprite. Princess Anneliese was known to be the best young spirit horse rider. And even if she claimed to have lost her memory, her body instinct should take control. It should remember its skills on its own.
But he couldn't question it for now. The prince's snow-white wings unfurled, and the soft morning breeze ruffled its billowy feathers in a gentle rush. Clara was immediately attracted. She crossed their distance and smoothed her hands on the left wing's surface. Emir took a gasp of air before stopping her hands further to explore.
As if waking up from a trance, Clara shook her head and scooted away shyly, her eyes darting anywhere but him. Maxwell snipped off the awkwardness that seemed to dwell in the air. His wings too were now unfurled, and the two were just waiting for her to come forth.
"I-I can't fly... yet. My body doesn't seem to know how," she said.
"It's okay, princess. But with whom do you want to go?" Maxwell asked.
"She's my responsibility," Emir said, his stare pinned on her and Clara was getting flustered each second. "She'll go with me."
She had flown with Emir dozens of times in dreams, but only once in her waking hours: once over the burning Rovenshire. Clara felt his hands at the back of her shoulders, gathering her hair and lifting it off her neck. She closed her eyes and the world on the other side of Clara's eyelids darkened slightly under the shadow of his wings and warmth welled in her heart. When she opened her eyes, there they were, as magnificent as ever. She leaned back a little, cozying into the wall of Emir's chest as he pivoted toward the sea of clouds and ocean-blue sky.
With each long beat of his wings, they gained a thousand feet. The air, once cool and thick, turned cold and brittle in Clara's lungs as they climbed. The wind tore at her ears. Her eyes began to tear. Zephyrus' rock island grew distant, and the world it contained blended and shrank into a staggering canvas of green.
A first glimpse of the ocean made Clara dizzy, delighted as they flew away.
Flying with Emir was more thrilling, and more intense than her memory could ever do justice to. And yet something had shifted: Clara had the hang of it by now. She felt at ease, in sync with Emir, and relaxed into the shape of his arms. Her legs were crossed lightly, at the ankles, the heels of her shoes kissing the toes of his. Their bodies swayed in unison, responding to the motion of his wings, which arched over their heads and blocked out the sun, then throttled backward to complete another mighty stroke.
They passed the cloud line and vanished into the mist. There was nothing all around them but wispy white and the nebulous caress of moisture. Another beat of wings. Another surge into the sky. Clara didn't pause to wonder how she would breathe up there at the limits of the atmosphere. She was with Emir. She was fine. Not because it was his duty to protect her but because his presence told her so.
Soon Emir leveled off, flying less like a rocket and more like an unfathomably powerful bird. They did not slow—if anything, their velocity increased—but with their bodies parallel to the ground, the wind's roar smoothened, and the world seemed bright white and startlingly quiet, as peaceful as if it had just come into existence and no one had yet experimented with sound.
"Are you all right?" His voice cocooned her, making her feel as if anything in the world that wasn't all right could be made so by love‹s concern.
She tilted her head to the left to look at him. His face was calm, lips softly smiling. His eyes poured out a night skylight so rich it alone could have kept her aloft.
"You're freezing," he murmured into her ear, stroking her fingers to warm them up, sending licks of heat through her body.
"Better now," she said as the clouds parted around them, and the view of Blaire Academy welcomed her once more.