* EMBER ELLIOT ELYSIAN *
Everything was about to go wrong.
I'd been so miserable after Erin's departure, I forgot to think thoroughly about what was going on, about Ilayna being Ira's knight and the risks that contained it.
"It's honestly baffling how you don't have plan for Ilayna when she gets caught by princess Vivianne and her family. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? THEY CAN ARRIVE ANYTIME NOW!" Zenix whisper-yelled, pacing around my chamber, grabbing the ends of his brown hair.
"WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME WHO PLANS EVERYTHING? WHY CAN'T YOU TWO DO ALSO DO SOMETHING USEFUL?" I yelled back, except my voice was as low as possible, my eyes wide with annoyance.
"BECAUSE YOU LIKE TO ACT LIKE A PRINCESS AND WANT TO PLAN EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN PRINCESS WAYS!" Zenix whisper-yelled again, clenching his jaw.
"DO NOT CALL ME A PRINCESS-'
"If Ilayna gets caught by the princess or her family and something happens to her, I'm blowing up your whole palace, Ember," Keith said, his voice calm, and cold and unlike Keith at all.
"You will not be doing anything like that. Let me think about this—"
"How could you not think about this earlier? You are always the one planning and me and Zenix always did the background jobs that require you to achieve that plan. I thought you already had a plan so I didn't speak," Keith pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.
"It's not like I didn't think about this. I did think about what to do when she gets caught -- by father. But I didn't think about Vivianne coming to the investiture ceremony with her esteemed family."
"There is no way that princess Vivianne won't know Ilayna is the very person who committed treason by flooding her father's chambers. Just changing her eye colour and hair isn't enough," Zenix pointed out, rubbing his forehead and pushing away his bangs. "What if princess Vivianne turns her back on us because Ilayna is a knight in this palace? I have seen how she is -- she is brutal. What if she reveals the fact that His Majesty is knighting an Ezèrian?"
Every words that Zenix spoke was true. Ilayna was the person who flooded half of the palace to escape, she was the person who rejected to not heal the emperor, she did commit a treason by doing that. Even if I were to explain the whole situation to Vivianne, by telling her that Ilayna was my friend and revealing her identity could break an uproar in the kingdom, there was her family as well, who could also reveal her identity to my father -- especially Vivianne's mother.
Revealing Ilayna's identity would bring a whole catastrophe: father would execute her in font of everyone using the very sword he was going to hand her, everyone would shame my father for being so incautious, he would lose his power, the Eirlys Empire would cut all ties with us for knighting someone who committed treason in their land, and worst of all, Keith wouldn't be able to handle any of it all.
"It's funny how Ilayna would be punished when she's the victim here. She was taken there forcefully. Whatever she did was for self defence," Zenix shook his head.
"How long, Ember? How long until we don't have to hide ourselves to survive? How long until I don't have to constantly blend in with people so that people don't call me a monster? How long until we are not always blamed for our ancestors?" Keith gave me long look, the one that he'd give me when we were little and he would question the discrimination that happened. And I remembered holding both Keith and Ilayna's hand, and telling them that I would change it all, that I would make a new world -- one that would be ours.
"I promised you and Ilayna a new world, and I will give you that. That is my oath to you," I said firmly, meaning each word. "It will take time but I will do it. Even if I have to cross my father or call a war upon him and his soldiers, I will do it all," my eyes stayed rigid to his as he nodded. "All I want is you to trust me and support me."
Both Zenix and Keith approached me. "We trust you," Keith said, clapping my shoulder. "I never doubted your oath. I believe that more than I believe in the gods," he chuckled, making me leave a breath of laugh. "But sometimes I feel like what if things don't turn out the way we want it? With Amber gone, all chances of you getting your powers back is gone and no man has ever conquered a world with nothing in his possessions. Your portal creations is messy as well. We know nothing about it," he explained, and Zenix nodded.
"I wanted to talk about this as well but with everything going on, I never got the chance. Your portal creations is as important as your Ezèrian powers. This is what makes you a Gifted Ezèrian," Zenix pointed out.
"So many things to do, huh?" I laughed, clearly scared of future. "Everything is scattered right now and I have no idea what to do," I dropped my head in my hands.
"Amber would have said something hilarious right now, seeing your condition," Zenix laughed, including Keith and I as well but none of us found it humorous because it seemed we were all missing her and there was nothing to be done.
"I have made a terrible mistake," I confessed, shaking my head.
"No doubt about that," Keith and Zenix said in unison, shrugging their shoulders.
"Every time I think I'm close to go back to Erin, there's something I have deal with," I said, sighing. "The gods love to test me,"
"Well, at least you're gaining experience," Zenix laughed lightly.
"And about Ilayna. . ." I began, thinking. "Let me talk with Ira first."
***
It seemed Ira had already come up with a plan. "You think I didn't think about that?" he gave me a side look as we both stood in the middle of the Great Hall, where Ilayna's knighting ceremony would take place. "I am her protector. That was my oath to her, Elliot. And the Aesterin family is her biggest threat -- of course I have a plan for her."
"How thoughtful of you," I said, smiling tightly, watching the workers and maids decorating the room, placing the chairs according to social ranks, placing my father's throne in the middle of the dais, a smaller version of the throne beside him for Ace and another one beside him for the queen. Behind my step-mother and Ace's thrones were carved chairs reserved for me and Ira.
And in front of the dais was a large empty space, for Ilayna to be knighted, for Ilayna to bear the badge of honour, for her to take her sacred oath and for her to be Ira's sole protector from that moment of her life. Ilayna was about to be a knight and it all still seemed so unreal to me.
It'd all happened so fast -- just a few months ago me and my friends were discussing about how to fix my portal creations and then the next thing we knew, I finally met Erin, Ilayna told us she'd be gone for a while but would come back soon, my father made a contract with Vivianne's mother, Ezérian started to get shipped and trafficked and Ilayna also happened to be one of them, she escaped, but at what cost? She had to seek help from Ira, an unknown person, whilst her friends and cousin were useless and now her life was in danger again.
"Well, what is the plan?" I asked, noticing how the maids were placing the golden carpet that stretched until it met the king's throne. They dusted off the side of the carpet, making sure the embroideries were well seen and attractive. One of the Wing Possessors used his red wings to reach the roof, fixing the chandeliers one by one.
"When do the knights wear their armours, Elliot?"
"When they are on duty," I answered, frowning. I was stressing here, my foot constantly tapping the floor and my dear brother had decided to play guessing games.
"Is the Ezèrian already on her duty?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the council members were taking their places one by one, the front rows of chairs empty, strictly reserved for Vivianne and her esteemed family.
"No, she is getting knighted tonight, and may I know what exactly are—"
"The Ezèrian will be in her armours tonight, from head to toe," he cut me off, giving me a second to think and I frowned even more when I realised what he was going to do.
"What kind of comical plan is this? You are going to make her look like a joke. Everyone will demand to see her face. She is the first knight who defeated the strongest swordsman of Elysia—"
"Those who speak against it will deal with me," he said, his voice firm.
"Even father?"
"Father couldn't care less whether her face shows or not," he now looked at me. "And if he does want to see her, I will make sure she's not seen by the Aesterins,"
"This is hilarious," I commented. "Ilayna is going to show herself covered in armour before she is even knighted. Nobody has ever done this before,"
"Nobody has ever defeated me also," he pointed out and I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "The Ezèrian is my concern, not yours. Leave her to me,"
"This is a matter of her life, she could get killed if she gets caught—"
"Do not underestimate my oath, Elliot," Ira reminded me, his voice cold, and I had to look at his face just to be sure this wasn't father who was talking to me because of how similar his words sounded to father's. "The Ezèrian will live, even if I must go against father and cause a bloodshed."
I raised my eyebrows, surprised and too shocked to utter any words. "Did you just say you would go against father? The man that you basically worship?"
He said nothing to my question. He looked straight at the dais, at father's throne. "Let's hope this investiture ceremony proceeds peacefully."
Great. Keith would blow up the palace, Ira would cause a bloodshed in the palace.
Well, at least you won't get married.
"If your plan backfires, Ira," I began. "Tell me immediately. Because I can't have you mess this up.
"You are awfully worried about this stranger Ezèrian, why is that Elliot?" he gave me a side glance, eyes narrowed and calculative, like father. "Do you two know each other?"
I'd spent way too much time reading people's expression to not know what Ira's one meant right now: he figured out something and the worst thing I could do now was lie to him.
I straightened my position, eyeing him. "Does it matter if I know her?"
His eyebrows twitched, making me notice how serene everything had turned. The maids and workers were done with their works, now leaving only me and Ira alone in the Great Hall, both of us standing and facing each other.
It was unlikely, but it'd become an instinct of mine to make sure Ira's hand hadn't reached his scabbard, to make sure he was not planning to attack me or harm me despite knowing the fact the Protection Spell would protect me from all sorts of danger -- be it a wrathful brother or even death.
"It matters more than you think," Ira said, giving me a long look. "Has she—"
"My Princes," a footman appeared in front of us, his head hung low. "I deeply apologise for the interruptions but His Majesty demands your presence while His Majesty, Her Majesty and His Highness the crown prince escorts Her Royal Imperial Highness of the Eirlys—"
"Alright, we get it," Ira raised a hand, an annoyed expression written over his features as he turned around, heading for the exit while I followed him, eventually passing his pace and just like that, none of us uttered a word over Ilayna, making me sign in relief.
Well, here comes another catastrophe.
***