Sweat drips down my brow as I bear my sword down upon the man standing before me, his eyes aglow with a familiar fury. He pushes me back, forcing me to draw my sword between me and him. A loud ringing of steel against steel echoes in my ears as we trade blows. I press my assault, each swing cleaving through the air as my opponent steps backward just enough to evade my strikes. After a subtle misstep, I deflect a dramatic flourish from my brown-haired combatant, yet the attack leaves me open. In a brief window of opportunity, the man lunges at me, his sword raised high in the air arching downward to sever my head from my neck. In light of this movement, I step to the side, knocking his sword from his hands with a swift, decisive counter. I press my sword against the man’s neck, pressing the blade down just enough to cause some discomfort.
“Do you yield James?”
The man stares at me with defiance, his tempestuous temper still aflame, but his shoulders slouch a little. He places his hands at his side, signaling his surrender.
“Yes, my lord. I yield,” James says.
I lift my sword from James’s throat, sheathing the blade before turning to leave. Unbeknownst to me, James and I had quite the audience watching our sparring match as dozens of palace guards and soldiers are now standing in the armory. Most of them are doing nothing, though a few are sparring one another in the back of the armory. The soldiers clamor to James as he wipes the sweat from his face and neck, many of whom wrap their arms around James. However, none of them will come to my aid. I suppose that comes with the territory of being the Crown Prince. While I walk out of the armory, several soldiers offer their congratulations to me through a fist bump or a riled cheer, though none of them would dare to lay a single finger on me.
Once I am through the doorway, the sound of heels clopping against the cobblestone floor draw everyone’s attention. Great, what does she need from me this time? As the Queen marches towards us, her azure dress billows behind her like a trail of ice. My mother snatches my hand, yet her grip is not as tight as when I’m in trouble. The Queen guides me through the castle halls, leading me to her throne room. The palace guards open the door as the two of us approach, revealing a large number of nobles standing in the throne room in rather fancy attire. The princess, my sister, Cecilia, stands in the doorway, holding a large cake in her hands.
“Um, your majesty, what is the meaning of this? There is nothing of occasion happening today, right?”
“Mako, my dear. How could you forget your own birthday?” my mother says. “Perhaps, I have been giving you too much work lately…”
“Brother, you are quite extraordinary. You always manage to do something that seems impossible, even forgetting your own birthday,” Cecilia says.
My sister’s charms are unrelenting even when she is being a complete ass. Yet there’s another smiling face waiting for me just beyond my sister’s. A slender young woman with caramel skin walks up to me, her black hair flowing down past her breasts. She loops one of her arms into mine, pressing her head on my shoulder. While not uncommon for people to have black hair in Ilmaria, it does have purple highlights that overtake the black at the ends.
“I’ll have you know, my lord, it was my idea to host a birthday party for you,” the young woman purrs.
“Indeed, it was Alexandra, I’ll be sure to include that on the ledger for your next birthday daring,” my mother says.
“Allow me to extend my gratitude to you, your majesty!” Alexandra says.
Alexandra leads me to the dance floor, her hand resting on my back. I stare at all the other people in the room, aware that my appearance is rather lax compared to the gratuitous dresses and suits around me. A courtier appears on my right, bringing along a very ornate black and azure overcoat to me. I stretch my arms out, allowing the courtier to ease my worries. Once I am suitably dressed, my mother snaps her fingers, beginning the festivities as the nobles all dance with one another. I lock my arms with Alexandra’s, the two of us whirling around the dance floor as we drift between the other pairs. Minutes turn to hours as we dance around the ballroom. I spot the musicians in the back corner of the room, strumming their instruments with remarkable patience and precision.
“Surely, you’re not looking at other women when you have me in your arms, right dear?” Alexandra says as she buries her head into the crook of my neck.
“No dear, I was taking in the scenery, and you can put a month’s salary on that.”
Alexandra raises an eyebrow to that statement, choosing to send her fingers tracing my back muscles. The two of us twirl around in a spiral, carving our path through the rest of the nobles. My heart thunders in my chest as we pick up our pace. We twirl faster and faster until the world around us is nothing but a blur. Alexandra giggles to herself, pulling me closer to her and pressing her body tight against mine. Every second the two of us stay so close sends fire coursing through my veins and down to my waist, the beginnings of a bulge pressing against the seam. However, a loud snap draws the music to a halt, forcing us to a grinding halt as my mother walks to her throne. Passionate flames still burn deep within my chest, threatening to burst out if Alexandra pours any more fuel on the fire. But it seems I’m not the only one as Alexandra presses more of her weight onto me than normal when we dance. I’m glad she remembered my birthday because I sure as hell didn’t.
“Mako, my dearest son, I have several gifts that were delivered by the nobles for you. It would be my honor to have you open them before everyone gathered here tonight,” my mother says.
I lean forward to whisper in Alexandra’s ears, though I make sure to keep my lips just far enough to keep them from touching her neck.
“Are you trying to rile me up in front of everyone?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just enjoying the dance,” the young woman says with a wink.
My sister marches up to the left side of mother’s throne, but the rest of the attendants stand where they are, waiting for me I presume. Alexandra rises to her feet just moments later, so I proceed to march up to my mother’s throne. My mother waves her hand, summoning the attendants as they bring large boxes in from the other room. Several of the attendants open the crates and hand them to me, keeping a lid covering the contents. I unpack the first crate, finding a large quantity of incense and a vast array of spices. Man, if I weren’t a prince, you’d think this gift alone would be fit for a king. As I probe the second crate, I discover the crate is full of priceless wines. The third crate requires three attendants to lift and open, which is even more remarkable when I pull out solid silver bars from the depths of the crate.
“I’m so grateful to everyone for these gifts. I can only imagine how much of a fortune these gifts must have cost all of you. I promise to put these gifts to good use for both myself and the public in whatever way possible.”
All of the nobles clap their hands, each of them beaming with bright smiles. Several of them chuckle to themselves, bowing to me for a brief moment before my mother snaps her fingers once again. At once, the attendants clear the room and put all the crates away while the nobles leave the throne room. After everyone leaves, the only people left in the throne room are Cecilia, Alexandra, and my mother. Cecilia pulls her hair out her ponytail, letting her long black hair flow to her lower back.
“Whew, now that the surprise party is over, can I go back to my room mother? I’m exhausted,” Cecilia groans.
“Not yet dear, we still have one more thing left to do. Mako, do you still have enough energy for one more celebration,” my mother says.
“If you wish for me to attend mother, I shall attend whatever you wish for me to attend.”
My mother walks to the back of her throne room, pressing her right hand onto the wall. Concentrated spheres of manna rise into the air around her hand, brightening until something comes out of the cobblestone tiles. As my mother pulls out whatever lies inside of the wall, Cecilia walks to my side. Alexandra stands with her arm around me, though something seems strange about the air in the room. The manna is too concentrated for my mother to be summoning a previous creation, is she crafting something new right now? My mother pulls out her hand, pulling out something so big that it takes a second hand for her to hold it. The light emanating from the object blocks any possibility of recognizing its shape, leaving me more clueless than I’d like to be.
The light dies down, flowing into the shape of a bow. The bow forged from ice, taking the shape of a recurve frame. My mother brings the bow to me, placing the bow in my hands. The bow is heavy but rather comfortable. The string is composed of raw manna, sparks of ice crystals sprouting from the strands. I place my left hand on the string, pulling the string back and channeling my manna into the bowstring. An arrow forms within my fingertips, taking full form as I pull the bow back to full draw. I point the bow towards one of the lids of the crates, releasing the arrow. The ice arrow smashes into the lid, splitting the lid into a thousand pieces. I retrieve the arrow from the lid, but the arrow dissolves in my fingertips. The manna flows back through my veins, sending a pulse of energy up my spine.
“This bow was handcrafted by our patron just for your hands, Mako. It took her several days and many sessions of watching you shoot arrows to understand the precise draw strength you prefer,” my mother says.
“Well, I am honored that our patron has chosen to bestow a gift upon me for my birthday. Consider me the most grateful human being to exist,” I say.
The bow seems to hum to me, beating to the thrum of my heartbeat. My manna congeals around the bow, drawing the weapon into my internal reserves. When I look back down at my hands, the bow has disappeared. Yet when I summon my manna into the palm of my right hand, I envision the very structure of the bow. A moment later, I find the bow sitting in my hands once more, taking the exact shape that it was before I bound it to me.
“So, you’ve noticed that it can bind to you. Well, I suppose that I can leave everything in your capable hands my son,” my mother says.
“I will always have something to learn from you mother. Your wisdom has guided this kingdom and my own life for many years now, and I hope that you will continue to guide us for many years to come.”
“Well, no one can predict the future son. Only deities possess such potent abilities. Anyways, that is all that I wanted you to see darling, rest well my son.”
With that, my mother kisses me on my cheek before exiting her throne room. Cecilia and I stare one another for a moment before looking over the rest of the room. Several attendants sit waiting for a command or something, but neither of us issue them one.
“That was such a weird answer for mother to give,” Cecilia says.
“Yeah, you could say that again sister. What a cryptic way to reply to my best wishes possible?”
“Perhaps she was just really tired, Prince Mako. I doubt her majesty would have given such an answer before the nobility,” Alexandra says, laying her head on my shoulder.
“Yeah, I suppose you could be right Alexandra. We should probably head to bed ourselves,” I sigh.
I head out of the throne room with Alexandra in tow, walking down the stone corridors of the castle. At this time of night, the castle is always empty with the exception of the guards posted around every corner of the castle. The nobles have all been escorted out of the building unless they have a scheduled appointment with me, my mother, or my sister. The only exception to this rule is Alexandra, which I have had to explain several times to any of the noblemen whenever they ask. I always give them the same answer too. Is it your station to question who the crown prince allows to stay within the castle? The nobles always have the same reaction, a shocked look of bewilderment and agitation that no painter could depict properly.
“Mako, would your mother be angry with me if I decided to stay the night in your room,” Alexandra whispers.
“Hmm, I’m not sure. She might be willing to overlook this misstep since it is my birthday. Do you have a surprise planned for me?”
“You could say that, though I doubt that you couldn’t read my intent while we were dancing. You aren’t that much of a fool.”
The two of us ascend the stairs to the second floor, reaching my bedroom within a few minutes. I open the door, the scent of jasmine flooding my nostrils. Alexandra walks to my bed, taking a seat on the edge and removing her shoes. I shut the door behind me as I saunter my way to my bed. I cup my hands behind Alexandra’s head, pulling her lips to mine. Fire shoots down through my core, ricocheting back up my chest. Alexandra pulls me down to the bed, slipping her tongue deep into my mouth. I slide my hands down her body, lingering on her breasts and cupping them with a gentle grip. Alexandra lets out a soft moan before she bites down on my neck. A deep hunger rises from my groin, surging up my spine and resting at the crown of my head. I trace my fingers down her side, clasping her precious buns through the thin layer of silk.
“Do you want to slide out of these clothes dear?” Alexandra breathes. “Of course, darling, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I whisper.
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