I wake up early the next morning, the bright white light of dawn just cresting above the horizon. My weary limbs have yet to follow my mind’s lead as they remain heavier than bricks. Alexandra lies fast asleep with her head on my chest, her arms wrapped around me in a vice grip. I caress the back of Alexandra’s head, stroking her scalp with minimal nudges. Yet, despite my best efforts, my thoughts wander to the endless stacks of paper awaiting me in my office. Nothing, not even inevitable death, fills me with dread more than my current state appointment. Okay, maybe that’s a little bit dramatic…
As the Public Service Liaison, the public delivers all their requests to my office, and I have to sift through every single one of them in painstaking detail to ensure whether or not we should implement them. Every time I go to my office, I find myself wishing I could be like my best friend, Shade. He gets to go travel all over the city and investigate threats to the kingdom. He gets to be active. He gets freedom at the cost of answering the Queen’s requests. A slight stirring in my bedsheets draws my gaze down to Alexandra. The young woman stares me in the eyes, cupping my right cheek in her hands as she strokes my jaw.
“What’s got you so worked up babe?” Alexandra says.
“Just the damn paperwork that’s waiting for me, that’s all. I know it’s going to be rough since mother gave me the day off yesterday.”
Alexandra snuggles up closer to me, laying her head on my shoulder. I stretch my right arm out, clasping my hand around her shoulder. A faint surge slides up my spine, spreading all throughout my muscles as my blood courses through my veins. I can’t for the life of me understand why my mana goes into a feverish dance whenever I touch Alexandra. Nobody else has ever triggered such a reaction but despite how good this feels, I know that I have to get going because my mother will wake up soon. I plant a kiss on Alexandra’s forehead and pull away from her, but Alexandra cups the back of my head, yanking me back in as our lips lock. Each kiss lulls me deeper and deeper into her embrace, lulling me under the tide of yearning. Yet as much as I’d like to stay, I must get to my office. I press my hand against Alexandra’s chest, pushing her gently just a little bit as I pull back.
“I have to go babe. There will be hell to pay if my mother doesn’t see me in my office when she walks by.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll be sure to bring something for you later,” Alexandra says.
I throw on my clothes in rapid succession, suiting up for work in a matter of minutes. Dressed in my regal attire, I exit my room, closing the door behind me. I stride through the castle halls and acknowledge each guard as I pass, which the guards are quite numerous for some reason. Some of them offer curtesy bows while others stand at attention with their weapons raised. Descending to the first floor, I find it crowded by an enormous number of nobles, some of whom are blocking my path through. Two of the guards flank me on either side while a third walks in front of me. I swear I feel the presence of a fourth walking two paces behind me, but I dare not turn around to find out. I’d rather not have my forehead be impaled by a lowered spear.
“Make way for the Crown Prince! Make way,” the front guard exclaims.
“Move now or we will be forced to use extreme measures,” another says.
Before long, all of the nobles have cleared a passageway for me. Every single one of them stares at me before giving me a courteous bow. I lock eyes with one particular noble whose eyes are filled with such disdain that I stare back. Shock dances on the noble’s face before he smiles and disappears into the crowd once more. What the hell was that about? The guards continue their march, each one stepping in unison as their boots clop against the stone floor. It takes a few more minutes and another flight of stairs before I reach my office. I’m not sure why the two sides of the second floor are disconnected, but this side is used for administrative offices and libraries. My office is the first door on the right, which would be a security risk if three guards weren’t posted around this very door whenever I am working.
I turn the doorknob, entering my least favorite room in the castle. If the room were anything other than an office, the space would be a rustic, humble library. The room sits right next to one of the main towers of the castle, which means that every time the guards change shifts, I hear them marching up and down the stairwell. My desk sits flush against the back wall of the room, while my chair sits just in front of a reinforced window. A large bookcase has been built into the left wall, housing plenty of books about Ilmarian history, political structure, and tactical plans. The only good thing in this room is the fireplace, which is very helpful when your kingdom is covered in snow for almost three-quarters of the year. My gaze fixates on the gigantic mountain of papers that are sitting on top of my desk. The stack looms almost as tall as my head is when I sit down in my chair. Damn it, this is what happens when I get a day off…
~
By the time I finish examining the papers for any potential candidates for approval, half the day has passed. I drop my quill back into its ink fountain and whisk my hands through my hair. Out of four hundred and fifty potential requests from the public, only one hundred of them could be considered feasible. Then, out of the one hundred that could be enacted, only thirty of them gave a clear delineated plan of action that could be readily implemented. Today’s stack is full of requests that have no possible ways to be implemented. One such request asked for six new magic academies to be built throughout the kingdom to better reach the rural regions. Such a request is impossible to implement within a timely manner. I’d love to build new academies throughout the kingdom, but we don’t have the materials to do so. Additionally, the noble families are too afraid of a magical uprising from the common folk that they’d never stand for such a proposal.
“This proposal would be fine if they asked for one or two academies, but six of them is impossible to achieve.”
I start to slam the paper down in the unachievable stack, but I stuff the paper in my pocket instead. At least this request could be implemented in the future. None of the other requests even came close to the efficiency of this one. Whoever wrote this request even had instruction plans laid out for basic magical abilities. I pick up the next request, analyzing the pages contents when the distinct sound of porcelain catches my attention. The sweet aroma of tea reaches my nose before I even look up from the page. Yet when I do look up from the pages, Alexandra sits in the chair across from me. The young woman curls a few strands of her hair behind her ear as my eyes meet hers, but she doesn’t say a word. I take the cup and sip the warm liquid.
“Nothing hits the spot like Mother’s mint tea, though this cup has something else added to it,” I say.
“I made it myself. Your mother was too busy dealing with my mother to make the tea today. I took the liberty of adding something extra,” Alexandra whispers.
I can’t pinpoint exactly what Alexandra has added, but I can tell its presence. My mother’s tea is normally rather bitter, though this version is sweet. The sweetness is rather light, yet there is something rather odd to the flavor. It sort of tastes like she added honey, though I don’t know which type. I take another sip of the tea, this time pinpointing the exact ingredient added to the tea. Violet honey. It has a certain sweetness because violet honey draws its sweetness from the fermentation process within beehives. Violet honey is one of the most luxurious items to buy in Ilmaria because it’s too cold for bees to live except for the lowest regions of the kingdom. Yet here I am drinking tea sweetened by the luxurious nectar.
“Where did you get violet honey?” I whisper.
“I bought it dear. My family is very wealthy, which means I can afford luxurious things despite my lower station,” Alexandra says.
Alexandra sips her own tea, using a cup that matches mine. She did that on purpose. The stack of papers whispers my name, calling me back towards my mother’s order. I find myself pulling the pages back to where I can read them. I sift through the lines of text, finding nothing of use in this proposal. I toss the page onto the unachievable stack, this time leaving the paper in the stack.
“That request doesn’t even make sense. How would we be able to create more ports near the Southern border with Driktha? They already have three ports within that region. What good would another port do?” I sigh.
Alexandra pulls the page from the stack, glossing over the request as I pull another sheet from the now somewhat manageable stack of semi-fleshed out ideas. The young woman scoffs as she slams the paper back on the stack, her mood more tempestuous than mine after reading it.
“This was a noble’s request or at least a merchant. Did you expect them to be reasonable?” Alexandra muses.
“No, though I wish they would be more reasonable with their requests. At least the common folk don’t ask for extremely expensive projects. They just ask for us to provide more food or money, which is easy enough to achieve.”
Alexandra rises from her seat, taking a few steps till she is lingering behind me. Alexandra drapes her arms around me as she leans against my back. In this moment, my mind drifts away from the weight of my responsibility, slipping against the current of conscious thought. However, the pages still linger despite the calming radiance upon my back. I lift the pages up once again, sifting through the texts as the day ticks away behind my head…
~
The cold air nipping at my back is the first sign that Alexandra left the room. In fact, as I set down the final page in the unachievable pile. Over three-quarters of the requests are impossible to implement, which leaves the few requests that are possible in a neat pile for my mother to evaluate the next morning. My head spins as I raise myself from the table, spots flickering in my vision. In a few moments, the spots fade away, leaving behind faint echoes. I walk away from my desk, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my coat. It’s not according to royal protocol, but nobles aren’t at the castle this late at night, so I don’t care.
I rip open the door, the hinges creaking louder than my footsteps. My guards stand at attention, both of them marching to my side as I sweep through the castle halls. I pull on the flow of manna within my flesh, chilling the air around me to frigid temperatures. The bright orange torches shift to a deep red as I walk by, bursting back to life once more after my mana stops smothering them. If the guards are cold, they don’t utter a word. I march through the common area, sweeping right towards my mother’s throne room. I dispel my magic once I reach the doorway, pushing the heavy iron door open. My mother sits on her golden throne, the sapphires and diamonds encrusted into the armrests glittering in the torchlight. The Queen stares at the ledger in her hands, and she looks either unbothered or oblivious to my presence. My guards have elected to stand outside the room. Odd, perhaps they thought I should have my audience in private? I kneel before the throne, but mother doesn’t even bat an eye at me.
“Excuse me, your majesty. I’d like to show you a document that I found that might be of long-term importance.”
“Mako, there’s no one else in the room. You need not speak so formally. Rise. Show me this request,” my mother says.
Her voice is calm and sweet, much like she would speak to me when I was young. I rise to my feet and walk up to the throne. I pull the document from my pocket and hand it to my mother. Taking the document in her hands, my mother scans over it. She furrows her eyebrows as she reads over the ledger and is likely evaluating every sentence word by word. My mother’s eyebrows always furrow when she is deep in thought. That’s a promising sign! After a brief moment, the Queen places the request on her armrest and steps down from her throne. Her vibrant green eyes stare into mine for what feels like forever until she wraps her arms around me.
“So, how long do you think it would take to build these academies, son?”
“Well, if you were to provide the best resources to each academy, which would be advisable to prevent further angering the public, I would say it would take about two to three years to build two academies. I’m not certain about building all six though.”
“Well, I doubt the kingdom needs six new schools, but that’s an issue for another day. I’ll get started on preparing resources for construction tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure to mention that you brought this to my attention son. I know that sifting through these menial requests is tiresome, but this is the reason why we persist. You will make a fine king someday,” my mother whispers.
“Hopefully that day is a lot further into the future, mother. I still have many things to learn from you.”
Truthfully, I don’t want to be on the throne at all. However, I am the eldest of the two siblings, which means that I’m next in line for succession. Fortunately for me, my mother is still very young, so I shouldn’t have to worry about that any time soon. Plus, the nobles still don’t come to me for much just yet. I suspect that nobles will reach out to me more often as the years progress. My mother lets me go, patting me on the back. There’s a gleam in her eyes that I haven’t seen in a while. My mother walks back to her throne, pouring over the ledger she was reading before I walked in.
I let out a heavy sigh, heading back towards my office. My guards stand at attention, and they march alongside me for a brief moment. The clanking of boots against the stone floors, each step thundering louder and louder in step with mine. The hallways are lit by torchlight, the dim emissions casting long shadows across the stones. After a few minutes of enduring the monotonous cacophony of sound, I wave the guards off, though I am surprised that they listened. The footsteps trail off as the guards take their leave. Aside from my own gentle footfalls, the silence falls on me like a blanket. My shoulders roll back, and my jaw loosens up as I ascend the stairs by my lonesome. With each step I take, it is as though the weight of royalty falls down my back like a waterfall.
I find myself standing in front of my office door once again, opening the door and walking in from pure habit. I walk to my window, staring up into the night sky. Before my eyes, millions of pinpricks of light illuminate the sky. Yet amongst these bright lights, two brighter spheres illuminate the night with silver and azure, the moons Delik and Yisara. The kingdom has many tales and fables, though none have captured my attention like the tales about the moon, Yisara. According to the legends, the moon shines with a blue light because of the blessings granted by my kingdom’s patron goddess named Elenirah. It always reminds me of the kindness she bestows upon me with the graciousness of a mother.
I fail to stifle a yawn as the night drags on, but I can’t bother to drag myself back to my room. Instead, I collapse into my desk chair, resting my head on the wooden desk frame. I close my eyes, drifting to sleep on the hard wood surface.
~
I’m roused from my slumber by the crackling fire. I pry open my eyelids, finding my office bathed in the gentle light of the fireplace. I sweep my gaze around the room, finding no one inside the room. I know I put out the fireplace, so who lit it again? A faint unease ripples through the air as vestiges of manna flitter all around the room. Even then, I can’t get my eyes to focus on what enchantment has been cast in the room. A familiar presence hovers over my shoulder, yet a pair of hands caress my shoulders. The magic within the room converges around my flesh, boring its way into my heart and soul. My heart thunders in my chest and my eyes shoot wide open, and I spring right out of my chair. What the hell just happened?
“It so good of you to wake up dear. I was beginning to wonder how long it was going to take you to wake up,” Alexandra whispers.
Alexandra stands with her hands on her hips, yet the ghastly traces of hands linger on my shoulders. What the hell is going on? Before I can think of anything, the young woman snatches my hands, pulling me away from my desk. I stop dead in my tracks in the middle of the room, staring at the fire as it smolders against the darkness of night. I pull away from Alexandra and extend my hands above the fire. I close my eyes, uttering not a word as a river of brisk energy surges through my arms and into my hands. The fire lets out a faint hiss before it dies, leaving a pudding of steaming water. I dismiss the energetic rampage of manna coursing through my veins, sending my magic back into the depths of my soul.
“You always know how to show off, don’t you?” Alexandra says, taking my hands into hers again.
“I always seek to entertain, my dear.”
“Well, how about you entertain your way to your bed. Your mother would be furious if she found you asleep in your office.”
“Yes Alexandra, she would. Thanks for waking me up.”
Alexandra and I walk out of the office hand-in-hand but despite leaving the room, the traces linger around us without letting up. Even my heart still shudders in my chest, just a little slower than before. It’s as though I downed an entire pot of coffee in a span of ten minutes. Every step and sensation are heightened almost to the point of mania. However, just as this energy threatens to burst through my chest, it relents. When I come to from what I could only call a high that tears the breath from my lungs, it only takes a moment of clarity to hear Alexandra’s shallow breaths. She is a strange woman; I’ve never met anyone like her.
“Did you know that James and Shade bet against you falling asleep at your desk today? I’ll be taking home a pretty sum of gold in the morning when I see them next.”
“Hang on! Are you telling me that you have a routine of placing bets on me?”
“Well…,” Alexandra chuckles.
“Please don’t tell me I’m that predictable.”
Alexandra fails to meet my eyes, shielding her eyes as she laughs. My face turns beet red, my cheeks burning hotter than the torches on the walls. I can’t believe that I’m that predictable, but then again, my mother does keep my schedule packed. Opening my door, I slip into my room, but I linger in the doorway and turn around. Alexandra steps to the boundary, placing her hands around my shoulders while I slide my arms around her waist and pull her close. Her deep violet eyes linger on mine, drawing me deeper into her embrace. I plant a kiss on her lips, but Alexandra bites my lip, tugging me in. Heat and energy flushes through me until a loud noise echoes from down the hall. I yank her into the doorway, almost hitting her with my shoulder.
“Hey, what are you… agh?”
“Get in here, babe. The guards aren’t going to be very forgiving if they catch you running around in the castle this late tonight.”
I shut the door as quiet as possible, yet I can’t shake the feeling that somebody else is in the room. I take a seat on my bed, running my fingers through my hair. Alexandra chuckles as she sits on the bed beside me, laying her head on my shoulder. Boots thunder through the hall, each step synchronized in perfect harmony. Their march echoes as the guards head down the stairs, footsteps fading into an eerie silence. I let out a sigh of relief, placing my hands in my lap. Mother might not be so permissive if she finds Alexandra in my room tonight, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. However, when I look back at Alexandra, she’s already left the room, leaving nothing but a sweet scent behind.
“Damn, what the hell just happened? How did she disappear so fast?”
Even the air in the room sings of her absence, leaving me longing for warmth that I’ll only find in a blanket tonight. At least the wool blankets are warm enough to keep the frigid cold away. Yet as I fall sleep, the only thoughts drifting through my mind are filled with black hair with purple streaks through them.
~
I do not do well with being woken up by a knock at my door, but I doubt whoever is at my door cares that much. As my intruder bangs on the door harder and harder, each knock echoing as though the royal security force is at my door. I scramble out of bed and throw on something presentable at the very least.
“Can I please have a moment to get dressed? Not everyone wakes up as soon as the sun rises!”
“As a member of the royal family, it is your duty to be prepared as soon as the nobles enter the castle,” a young woman snaps.
I yank open my bedroom door, finding my younger sister standing there, her emerald eyes glaring straight into mine. Cecilia holds my gaze for quite some time.
“Hmph, you don’t deserve to be Crown Prince with your slovenliness,” Cecilia hisses.
“I didn’t ask to be born first either. That’s just the way things played out, Cecilia.”
Cecilia tears down the hall, leaving my door wide open in her wake. I reach into my closet, snatching out a black overcoat with azure stitching along the seams. Throwing my arms through the sleeves, I spring down the stairs and stumble into my mother’s throne room. Every head turns to face me at once, yet I stride in without missing a step, pulling my collar into the proper position. My mother walks through the crowded hall, taking me in her arms. My mother leans close to me, leaving almost no space between us.
“Your magic feels different dear. Do I want to even know what she did to you son?” my mother whispers.
“I would refrain from telling you mother. I doubt you would like to hear all the details, and I don’t even understand everything that happened.”
“Don’t let her distract you from your duties as the Crown Prince. I need you at full attention for these trying times. The winds of change are blowing through the kingdom.”
The two of us march through the crowd, everyone parting in anticipation. I take my rightful place at my mother’s side as she pulls out a ledger. Somehow, I see none of the usual nobles in my audience. I scan the audience again, but there are all new faces, or at the very least they aren’t my normal audience. My mother slams her staff on the forum floor, sending out a wave of frigid air through the crowd. It’s such an impressive display of control, yet the subtlety of this spell is lost on the rest of the kingdom. The nobles watch in awe, staring at the epicenter, at my mother.
“Hello, my loyal subjects, I have an important thing to announce to you, but I would like to thank my son for bringing this to my attention,” my mother shouts.
The crowd stares at me, their eyes lingering for a lot longer than I would like. However, I stand tall, monitoring the crowd for any signs of unrest. Not even a single disturbance ripples through the crowd while my mother speaks. Right before my mother starts delivering our final plans, the doors open with a loud creak. Cecilia steps through the doorway, though she’s wearing a different dress than when she beat down my door. Did she spill something on her clothes after she left?
“Pardon me for being so late, I had a patient to take care of your highness,” my sister says, her breaths heavy and forehead glistening in the light.
The princess marches up to the throne, standing on my mother’s left side. All the nobles watch my sister’s movements as she moves with grace that even the gods would envy. Cecilia always soaks up the attention of the nobility, and they’re always so willing to give it away. Nobody would blame an onlooker if they thought she was the heir to the throne. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought I was the fourth in line for the throne. I guess my mother does give me more privileges than my sister, but I haven’t had the time to go into the city. What good is giving me the right to leave whenever I want if I’m always stuck at my desk?
My mother snaps her fingers so loud that it tears me from my thoughts. As I look across the hall, it seems that she snatched the nobles from their as well.
“I have placed my son in charge of planning a new academy for the public. He spent a great many hours sifting through the endless recommendations sent to us by each and every citizen of the kingdom. I would never have found this suggestion if he was not dedicated to his duties as the Public Service Liaison,” my mother says.
A round of applause erupts through the crowd, though I spot some of the nobility muttering amongst them. Figures, I knew some of them would have complaints. Yet I see more people with genuine excitement in their eyes than not. I step down from my mother’s side, wading into the crowd of nobles. When my feet hit the ground, the nobles rush to me like fish swarming food. The faces blend together as more and more people crowd around me.
“Your highness where are you going to get the funding to build such an academy?” an older man says, gray streaks running through his black hair.
“We have enough room in the treasury to pay for such an endeavor without levying taxes from the public or the nobility!”
“Your lordship, might you need help acquiring teachers for such an academy?” a younger noble says.
A cacophony of voices drowns out any coherent words from the crowd as everyone clamors to get their voice heard. I wade through the crowd, though the guards reach me before I reach the other side. Three guards attend to me as I stand amongst the nobles, each of them flanking me in a triangle.
“Everyone, if you ask your questions one at a time, I will answer them with as much information as I can. We have yet to plan everything, but I certainly can give you a preliminary estimate.”
“Where would this academy be built, your highness?” a middle-aged noble shouts.
“We have several locations, but the primary choice would be to the north of the capital. We chose this location because most of the academies are centered around the central region of the kingdom. Outside of the capital and surrounding areas, we have two schools in the south, but only one in the north.”
A murmur echoes through the crowd, though this one is rather uneventful. I mean, it’s better than awkward silence, but the response is less than optimal. People start trickling back to their groups, talking amongst themselves once again. A few nobles stand around me, but they seem as if they are doing so because they feel obliged to.
“That’s enough questioning for now,” my mother says, “anyone who would like to help in this process can return once Mako and I have finalized our plans.”
The rest of the nobles exit the throne room, leaving me alone with my mother and my sister. Cecilia chuckles to herself, twirling through the center of the room like a dancer. My mother strokes her armrest before stepping down from her throne. The guards step back from me, taking their places by the doorways.
“You did well my son. This group is always a tough crowd when they get a decent answer that they can’t pick apart,” the Queen says.
“I saw a great many new faces in this crowd. Does this group normally end up coming while I’m reviewing requests mother?”
“Unfortunately, yes. The other groups are rather dull, but they are the ones who aren’t trying to amass fortune and influence. The only exception would be Lady Mizalou, but I don’t need to explain her to you,” my mother sighs.
“Lady Mizalou is only tolerable when she isn’t trying to weave her way into every possible decision in the kingdom. Taking her daughter from her might have been the most damaging thing we ever did to her!” Cecilia says.
“We didn’t take her daughter from her!” I snap, “Alexandra came on her own accord. Besides, if you remember all the details, Alexandra was not very fond of me when we first met.”
A dark cloud slips through the throne room doors, collapsing into a humanoid shape. A man steps out of the smoke, dusting black feathers from his shoulders. Clad in dark clothing, the young man steps up to the three of us, kneeling before my mother. My mother looks at the man, snapping her fingers.
“Good afternoon, your majesty. I completed my tasks, discovering a couple rebel hideouts in the process. I marked them on your map in the war room,” the man says.
“Well done, Shade. You continue to be my greatest weapon in protecting the kingdom from uprisings. I’m glad to have you in my employ. For your continued excellence, you may take the rest of the day to yourself. I will call upon you when I need you next,” my mother whispers.
“Yes, your majesty.”
His voice is low, gentler than most people’s whispers. Then again, he’s always been like that since I’ve known him. Shade rises to his feet, nodding to my mother before turning his attention to me.
“Hello, your highness, the Queen has been gracious to both of us as always!” Shade says.
“Yes, we had an important matter of state to announce this morning! Since her majesty has decided to release you for the rest of the day, how about a stroll through the city?”
“I’d be delighted to, your highness. Will James and Alexandra be accompanying us today?”
“I’m certain they will. Perhaps we’ll find some decorations to prepare for the Starshard Festival,” I reply.
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