A single lantern with a fluttering Ice-light, hung from the tent, casting a dim silver haze around. A cloaked man walked inside, shirking his rain-soaked hood and swiped his muddy boots on the wooden rail placed beside a cabinet.
"It is confirmed, Grandfather," said the messenger, after a deep bow. "There had been an intrusion."
Never any peace around, is there?
Balancing his weight on the handle of the cane, he stood up to face the arrival.
"You know what I'm more intent to hear about."
The messenger stood up straighter. "H-He is fine. Found him near that statuette."
Grandfather took a deep breath, old age catching up with him more and more with every passing day. He simply looked at the shaggy-haired dingus, waiting for him to stutter out more words.
The messenger gulped. "And he... well, the one guarding him tonight was... well, h-he is nowhere to be found. The wards, surprisingly had all come down."
Who could possibly break sorcerous spells?
A shadow arose in the corner of the tent and the messenger flinched and gulped, looking like he was about to flee but thought better.
"Do I pay you for delivering insubstantial information?"
Sweat glistened on the dingus's forehead and he shook his head. "No, no. There's more, Grandfather. A massive sorcerous energy that penetrated the area and it all b-broke down. It unfortunately happened only when our best sorcerer was off-duty."
"Hmm." Grandfather let out a long exhale, clutching his cane's knob tighter.
Sorcerous energy penetrated the wards...
The tent turned darker.
"Grand—fa—ther... p—please... I'll find out who... they were." A choking, guttural sound haltered his words. He clutched his throat as blood poured out of his open, heaving mouth. The shadowy mass swirled with a swift whoosh, and curled around his slouched body.
"Should've caught the intruder, my boy."
The dingus fell on his knees, hands still wound around his neck, blood dribbling down and pooling on the floor.
Another carpet ruined, Grandfather sighed.
"P-Please." His eyes fluttered.
"You have just set an example of incompetency for others."
As the man writhed in pain, Grandfather picked up his new and elegant pipe, the one that lasted him for days on end without a refill of Jolly Leaves needed. The bowl was carved from pear-wood, its curvy handle fitting perfectly between his wrinkled fingers. He had to thank the maker of this beauty and order a few more.
The tent fell silent. Light shone as the triumphant, dark shadow recoiled into itself, making way for the moon rays to flicker back to life. A little raven was now perched on the flap that worked as a window and gave a gentle caw.
Grandfather inhaled the aromatic musk of the leaves with a long drag from his dear pipe and knocked the cane on the stony floor near the silent man's head, before stepping over his stomach and crossing the threshold of the tent. Out unto the moon, he exhaled the smoke, watching the wisps mingle with the mist on the ground.
One look back at the dead fellow, Grandfather chanted a prayer to the Throne to bless his useless, one-elemented soul.
Replaceable little fool.
***
Eleni held a small watering can in hand. The potted plants in her balcony were tinted with vibrant buds and blossoms, the leaves so green that it would put the entire Autumn Realm's woods to shame.
It had been just three months since the war had ended... since the evil had been whisked off the face of earth and Eleni was now free... yet she did not feel free. Before she was a normal girl, a Vacant of the Spring Realm and now she was a sister to the King of the Summer Realm, daughter to the Chief of the Eclipses... a link between the warring Realms and an abomination to the masses. But she had a place to live, and that was all that mattered.
Just then, a knock rang against the door. Eleni peeked from the balcony. She heard Amelia sigh, flop her book down, her footsteps thumped on the floorboard as she made way to the door. The crossbar of the door scraped, Amelia's Air magic wafted around as she released the secure enchantments on the door.
"I brought you another book," said Doran.
"You may enter," Amelia's grin was audible as she moved aside.
Stepping inside, he pulled the book out of her reach. "You know the deal, darling?"
Amelia smirked. "You can relax. I won't tell Ralph that you come here. I mean, I won't tell him unless he asks, but if he asks then I won't lie."
"You spent one day with him and turned against me, you little traitor." Doran handed her the book, his smile effectively turning into a frown.
Amelia grinned sardonically, while Eleni rolled her eyes almost like a ritual.
"Not that anyone is going to need me, but if you do, I shall be stoking the fire in the next room," Amelia's voice called from the seating room, followed by the slamming of the door.
"What is with her and slamming the doors?" Eleni made a face as Doran leisurely crossed the carpeted floor and stepped inside the balcony.
He shrugged, and touched a pink primrose. "Curious question, why is an Earth Elemental gardening in the most magicless fashion?"
Eleni swatted his hand away, before he could pluck the flower. "This is how I did it before, can't seem to shake it off."
"Being a Vacant was no fun, huh?"
"Well... being too powerful is no fun either."
"See now that is why I recommend having just one element. Nothing more, nothing less."
Eleni laughed, despite herself.
Doran turned her around to face him. "Listen, I came to ask whether you'd be interested to come with me for a small meeting. No compulsion, as such, but I'd like your assistance."
Her eyes widened. "No, I shouldn't be seen getting chummy with the royals. There will be Ministers... I don't want to..."
"It's informal and even if it weren't, you are always free to be in attendance," he shrugged.
"No. I mean, my being related to Ralph, had him lose his crown. I cannot be the reason for any more of such upheavals. Not to Una, who is already at risk letting me live here in her palace. And not you, too. The people are irrational when it comes to me."
"Hey," Doran held her chin between a forefinger and thumb, making her look at him, "You won't hear me complain. I say, to Hell with the crown. Let's go live in a whole another Realm, just you and me—"
The next instant he had stopped speaking and Eleni slumped down against him...
That is what her parents had done, lived in hiding after she was born. A Summer royal and an Autumn warrior.
They stood in awkward silence, his hold on her loosening just a little as he swept a hand through his brown hair. Eleni swallowed at her dry throat, and turned in his arms to face him.
"I... I see why they did it," Doran said, his tone cautious and soft, "This is suffocating. Conforming to the laws part. Hiding away seems easier."
Eleni mumbled to herself: "I don't want to hide."
Next moment, she was held against a warm chest in a tight embrace. "Me neither, love. Me neither. Forget I said that. You and I, are never hiding."
He pressed a feathery kiss on the exposed skin of her shoulder and she inhaled his male, musky smell. It was tempting to just steal him for herself...
"Well, let's go to this meeting of yours, shall we?" she said, smiling. "But you know, I have zero experience when it comes to all things royal."
"There's a first time for everything. Besides, there's a lot I want to... show you. So much more."
She pushed him playfully while he chuckled, the red freckles dotted on his nose crinkled.
"Let's take Amelia's leave and dash before your head goes further into the gutter," said Eleni.
Doran shook his head, "I don't think she's even going to miss our absence. I got her an old book with detailed history of old Defensors and their training processes. With portraits."
Eleni sighed. Amelia carried a hope in her heart... that her real parents could be alive, just like Eleni's mother was. She was looking for a mention about them in old books, knowing her father had been a friend of Eleni and Ralph's father. And Eleni was worried that Amelia was going to get her heart broken...
Not all dead people come alive and even if they do, they might not find you worth keeping close.
***
A knock rang against the door of Doran's study, where he had called Ralph and Nova. By the look on Doran's expectant face, it was evident that he had more people incoming.
Eleni sat beside Nova, and he gave her a charming little bow.
But something was off.
"Hey, Nova," she leaned towards him in and whispered, "Are you perhaps... injured?"
His eyes widened in an instant and he recoiled back as if she had punched him. "W-What makes you say that?"
Eleni swirled her fingers. "I can sense with my reflexes that there is a need of healing around me, is all."
Nova's brows furrowed uncharacteristically, and he fell silent and stationary, which made Eleni snap her fingers in front of his eyes.
"Are these Eclipses powers? Just how much are you capable of doing, Eleni? Tell me, have you ever tried to find out the true potential of amalgamating your powers?"
Eleni frowned. "Changing the subject, are we? You never leave the palace grounds and now you're injured. How could that be, Nova? You're clearly up to no good."
Suddenly, Nova turned to face her and this close she could see his eyes, the ones which mercilessly haunted her for a long time. But now they were just a hazel shade of playfulness and she prided herself for not flinching away from him.
"And you're clearly plain nosy," he smiled sweetly.
Before Eleni could throw in a befitting reply, a knock rang on the door of the study.
"Your Majesty—ies," Althea spoke from the doorway, her uncertain eyes darting from Nova to Doran, then to Ralph. Dylan stood behind her with Celia, who looked bored more than usual. Asher shyly waved at Eleni, standing between them and she waved back with a smile.
"Come on in," Doran said.
It was suddenly clear to Eleni why Una wasn't a part of this.
Dylan walked to Doran and silently handed him a massive hard-bound ledger, which made Doran suddenly appear... spirited? He opened it and scanned through whatever was listed inside.
"Brilliant!" He looked up at Dylan and extended his fist for a fist-bump.
But Dylan narrowed eyes, before reciprocating, "If this lands in the wrong hands, you will have to arrange my funeral yourself. Then your own."
"I definitely will." Doran grinned.
Dylan frowned.
Doran added, "I mean, definitely will keep this confidential. Thank you for trusting me."
"What are you two up to?" Eleni asked.
Doran looked at Dylan for consent, and he in turn looked at the two ladies by his side, hesitating. Celia simply shrugged, while Althea glanced at Nova then at Ralph and took a few steps back. She shut the door of the study.
Permission granted.
Eleni watched Nova leaning back in his chair, behind the shiny ebony table, with a curious eye and Ralph sat beside Doran.
Dylan answered still whispering, "That ledger has all the records of the Eclipses. Names, powers, Houses, locations, skills, everything."
Nova mumbled, "Bloody Hell."
The room went silent. Eleni's heartbeats rang in her ears. The weight of that binder was heavier than all the dragons' combined. She closely watched her three friends Dylan, Althea and Celia, their faces etched in worry, and hesitation, but somewhere there was trust... which seemed to shine for Doran. An unswerving consequence of him being their Commander during the Battle.
And perhaps they even trusted her.
"Is your Chief aware of this?" Ralph asked, taking a chair besides Doran.
"Of course, Your Highness. She knows, yes." Celia answered, hands clasped behind her back and peeking at Dylan with a hard gaze.
"Of course," Ralph mumbled a bit derisively.
"Your Highness," a crisp voice spoke, as if teeth clenched, "is that condescension I hear in your tone?"
Ralph slowly raised his blonde head from the binder's yellowed page to look at Althea.
"Your Chief," he said, lips twitched a bit upwards, "is a mysterious lady, isn't she? Doesn't come out in the open even for her daughters, even when we invite her with all due respect."
"I wonder why," Althea said, then clamped her lips shut.
He pointed a finger at her, then at her other comrades. "You all, along with Eleni, had to face a public courtroom. Do you understand the significance of that? Your faces are known to the masses, there will be articles written about you, the Council will investigate you lot by hook or by crook. It should have been your Chief who'd face that. Pray tell, what kind of leader hides behind their people?"
Althea averted her gaze from Ralph, but mumbled nevertheless. "Our loyalty is to our community, to the name we wear, to the powers we represent, not just to one person alone. Royals won't get it. "
Ralph got up calmly, like a predator. A muscle in his broad back cracked with the movement. In two steps he was towering over her head that reached up to his collarbone. Hands on his hips, he breathed, "Do we have a problem here, miss?"
It was apparently too much to expect for two Mind Healers to get along!
Dylan attempted to pull Thea back. But she didn't budge. "The Chief is wary of the Aries House, of the Aries royals."
Ralph took an abrupt step back. Eleni got to her feet defensively while Doran and Nova shared a quick look of horror.
"Thea, don't," Dylan hissed urgently. "We talked about this."
"What... what else did you talk about?" Ralph's voice lowered down a cadence.
Eleni felt a wave of raw anger surge in her as she took one look at Ralph. Before she lashed out on Thea, another voice rang in the room, and a gust of cold breeze flew around everyone.
"Althea!" said Nova sharply. "Take your ledger and leave."
Her eyes widened and she dipped her head in apology. "No, Your Royal Majesty, I didn't mean..." She looked at a thoroughly shaken Ralph, "It's just that the Chief always used to say that you might be..."
"Like my mother, yes?" Ralph clasped his hands behind his back.
His father's two wives were wrecking his life.
"Funny," Eleni's face was a hard line. "If your Chief thinks that Ralph needs any validation from her, of all people."
Dylan took a step forward.
"No. The Chief and all of us admire you, King Ralph, after all you've done for Eleni. You see, us Eclipses don't have siblings, we come in the world as... mistakes and... who would want to repeat the same mistake once the lesson is learnt? But only Eleni has a brother, a family member, who did not give up on her--that came as a delightful shock, honestly."
Ralph's face softened, as if he had never given this fact a thought before. He was the only person--only royal--with an Eclipse in his family. No wonder he was dethroned.
"But we have seen the most beheading of our people in your House, in the Summer Realm." Dylan's voice lowered with a shake, "Even... kids."
Eleni's breath stopped in her chest, an agonizing shudder traveled down her spine. In that ominous silence, she might have heard everyone's heartbeats synced with terror.
She peeked at Doran, who turned his head at the same time to look at her. While their harrowed gazes locked together, the trees rustled outside in the woods, and even the sunset's tangerine haze seemed to dim around them.
"Didn't the condition change at all in the last three years?" asked Nova, an edge to his voice.
"Moderately, Your Majesty. Since, you gave us monetary help back then, we were able to enrich our resources. Find abandoned folks, take them in our care, set up new rescue encampments but... the loss of even one soul is a tragedy for us."
Doran broke the silence, with a mild clearing of throat. "This might sound like a pathetic excuse, but let me tell you, that these matters never reach us. There is a hierarchy, from the village heads to the Ministers to the Panel officials and then us. They suppress these incidents and we never even get a whiff. If I had known that these practices were rampant even in this age..."
Ralph seconded with a small voice. "Me neither. Never knew it was this bad."
Althea cut in, "The present Queen of the Summer Realm certainly knew. She even orchestrated many such practices. Every village I visited with my crew; it was the same everywhere."
"What... crew, might I ask?"Doran pressed, sensing Ralph's distress.
Althea raised her chin. "I am a theatre artist of the Summer Realm. House of Aries, in particular."
The dual lives of these Eclipses!
Ralph's bewildered head snapped at her, and they both stared at each other for a fleeting moment.
"Aries House?" Ralph asked.
Althea lowered her eyes. "Performed in your court, quite a few times. For your mother and her... parties. Easiest pay ever."
Ralph's jaw clenched in annoyance and a long awkward stretch passed.
"I shall leave this matter for you all, then," Ralph said, looking from Doran to Eleni and without another word, walked out of the room.
Eleni glared at Thea and the guilt on her face was bright like lightning on a summer night.
"Shit, Thea." The kiddish boy, Asher, nudged Althea in the side. "You know the foremost rule: never offend the royals."
Althea muttered under her breath, glancing at the boy. "Language, Asher!"
Celia and Dylan rolled their eyes in the most practiced way. Eleni almost threw her hands in the air with exasperation.
Next instant, Althea curtsied and walked out as well. The air in the room had taken an awkward turnabout.
"Doran," Nova called, his voice like wind blowing a blazing fire. "What are you planning to do with that ledger, am I allowed to know?"
All gazes converged on Doran, who roved a hand through the thick cover of the ledger, sporting a determined crease between his brows.
"Something... that should've been done a long time ago."
***
"Your Majesty." A dulcet voice called Ralph, while his heavy feet dragged along the stony passage.
He turned, submitting to his rage.
"Miss, when the respect doesn't come from one's heart, then one should not compel themselves so. Drop that formality for I know what your opinion is of me." Disgraceful, aren't I?
Althea's face lowered down, "I... I did come off as harsh. I just... it hurts knowing that the ones in power did nothing all these years. My anger came from someplace else and I truly, truly apologize."
Ralph stood rooted. No, he wasn't annoyed at this strange woman. He was annoyed at himself.
We have seen the most beheading of our people in your House, in the Summer Realm. Even kids.
The Chief is wary of the Aries House, of the Aries royals.
"Thank you for... the insight. Now kindly leave me alone." Kindly bugger off.
Althea seemed to dance on her heels, scratch her head, open her mouth, shut it close. Then retreated a step, with her mouth drawn thin. In the moment, it occurred to him, that if she was an Arien, then she was...
...Half-Fire.
Ralph turned to leave, roving a hand through his hair. Not two steps did he move ahead, when he heard a faint thud, followed by—
"Holy pile of shit! Ow!"
He turned so fast that his neck might have snapped.
Clutching the cabinet, placed beside the door of the study with a vase atop it, Althea was limping on her right foot, face convulsed in agony.
"Wh-What happened?" he asked, cautiously taking a step ahead.
"Stubbed my bloody toe, didn't I?" she groaned, face pinched tight.
Ralph's face twisted as he looked at the ballet slippers she was in and her chipped nail. "You were two steps away from the door, miss. How hard is it to walk straight for that sort of distance?"
"When one is me, this keeps happening," she said, flipping her long silvery braid behind her shoulder, balancing herself on a foot.
"Must be inconvenient during a dance or say, a skit," Ralph said.
She only grimaced, looking at him briefly from under her long, curvy eyelashes and limped with a clumsy step towards the door.
Ralph frowned but swirled his fingers as if on reflex, letting red wisps of healing magic travel to her toe. After a while, she straightened up as if nothing had ever happened. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he watched her wiggle that toe and beam at it as if it were her beloved pet caterpillar.
Before she said anything more, he stormed away, sensing her piercing violet- flecked eyes on his back.
Pretty arrogant woman, that one.
***
Author's note: I am alive so are all the characters. See you again soon. Thanks to everyone who reads, votes and comments, it truly keeps me going.💕