Chapter 2
Serene
"Be careful with him"
Solaris had finally left the Queen's tent but Xael was still deep in thought.
She was deeply thinking about what Solaris had just said that she didn't notice that the baby bird jumped from her hands and learned how to fly on its own.
She half-smiled and was slightly relieved of the sight. She kept on staring at the baby bird finally spreading her wings when suddenly a hand covered her mouth.
Her heart kept on pounding and her mind began running fast. She was entering fight-or-flight mode. If she fights, she might alert the nearby villagers and cause commotion. She doesn't want that. That's worse than kidnapping her. What to do? Her mind is in a blur and at the same time her heart was in commotion.
"Mmmfffff." She struggled to keep up with her breath.
"Shshhh. It's me," the voice muttered and it was a familiar voice. Her heart calmed down when she realized who it was and felt safe for a moment.
"H-Hiro?"
Xael turned her head to see her intruder and didn't realize that her face was too close to his.
"U-uh," Hiro stuttered and his eyes widened.
"I-I'm sorry," He said as he removed his grip from her and distanced for a bit while hiding his face.
Xael bit her lip and pulled herself together. She sighed to calm herself down because she can feel her face heating up. Good thing that it was dark. He won't see how red her face was.
"Why are you here?" she gently asked.
"Well..." He trailed off. He felt awkward for some reason that he can't find the right words to say.
"Xael"
What was that? It and sounded odd. She brushed it off since she thought that she was just hearing things.
"I was uhm...I was just walking by..." Hiro continued.
"Xael"
She heard it again. This time, it was more clearer.
"Xael...Xael...Xael...Xael"
It was getting louder, more clearer than the last. She can't let this one slide.
"Shshhh. Do you hear that?"
She focused on that noise she was hearing.
"Hear what?" Hiro asked in confusion.
"Shshhh. It's calling me, can't you hear it?"
She kept her hearing senses sharp.
"Xael...Xael..."
The voice was getting louder.
"Xael..."
It sounded like a faint whisper from a goddess.
She looked around her but the voice almost looked like it came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. There's only one place she hadn't checked. The Queen's Box.
The Box was a secret stash that only the queen can open. It was forbidden from everyone.
She felt the wooden floor to find the hidden compartment.
Her memory was faint but if she can remember right she may find it again.
The last time she saw the box was when she was a child. That was the only memory she could remember about the box. Her mother never spoke nor mentioned it ever since.
"Hiro."
She called him when she found the hidden compartment but he didn't respond. He just quietly walked towards her and opened the compartment.
There were piles of dust that flew out that made both of them cough. Papers and other precious things were there.
"Here," he offered and handed her his handkerchief. She hesitated for a bit but accepted it. She was surprised from his unexpected gesture. Usually, they only interacted in the battle field. They didn't have the time to be intimate with each other.
After the dust was cleared out, they finall found the box but unfortunately, it was locked.
"Do you have something that's small, long, and pointed?" she asked. She couldn't even look at him because she was too caught up in observing the intricate box
"I have a hairpin," he said that made her look at him oddly.
"What? Can't a boy have a hairpin?" he asked raising his hands up. She squinted her eyes and just accepted the hairpin and didn't ask any further.
After many twists and turns, she finally opened the lock. What was weird is that a piece of paper was the only thing there.
"What's that?" Hiro asked.
She couldn't read the paper because it was too dark. Hiro was getting impatient and pulled the paper from her.
"Hey give it back!" she shouted.
Hiro found her getting annoyed amusing so he raised his hand up high to keep Xael from pulling it from him.
"Give it back!" She whined. She just kept jumping up and down.
She looked up at his face to make him see the annoyance she's feeling but unfortunately, he looked down at the same time. Their faces were too close. Again
Xael stopped jumping. She took a step back but almost tripped. It was a step back of embarrassment and a step forward to awkwardness. Hiro held her from the waist so she won't fall but their faces were too close again.
They were both glued to their spot and just stared at each other's eyes.
"Ahem."
They both straightened up and looked at the intruder. It was the Queen.
"W-we weren't doing anything. Promise," Xael held her right hand and stuttered due to nervousness.
The queen took a stern face with her eyebrow raised and just looked at the both of them.
"Xael. I had scheduled you dance lessons because the prince of Shinea is coming. Follow me," she straightforwardly said. She turned her back and walked out elegantly.
Xael took one last glance at Hiro and began exiting the tent.
She was about to take a step when Hiro grabbed her elbow and whispered in her ear, "Check your pockets before sleeping. ONLY before sleeping or the queen will know."
He let her go. She didn't look back at him and continued walking but was actually spacing out so she didn't notice that she was about to trip again.
She just walked faster and followed the queen.
---
Xael's Point of View
"Xael..." my mother said to break the silence. She didn't even look at me.
"Y-yes mom?"
She stopped at her tracks and didn't respond. She just continued walking as I followed her. I guess she decided to just keep the silence until we reach the room for dancing in the palace.
I was going to enter the door when my mother stopped me.
"Be careful with him," she said and walked away.
I stopped midway and looked at her back as she walked away. I shrugged it off and continued to enter without even looking at her anymore.
"Princezz Zael. I'm Awshlin, your danze inztructor"
Woah. This guy has an accent. It's amusing, I'll give you that. Sort of an overused French accent? The s is z. The r sounds like a bird getting choked. But what? He's a guy and his name is for a girl?
"Ashlyn?"
"No, Princezz. It's Awsh-lin"
"Uhmm okay? Ash-lyn?"
"Awshlin."
"Ashlyn?"
"Awshlin"
Okay I give up. He turned his body and took quite the exhibition before asking me for a dance. He has a really big butt though. And he's is short. Pfftt. Who can be shorter than me?
I'm not gonna answer that.
"May I?" he asked and offered his hand.
"I dont know how to danze...dance"
"Just follow the muzic"
His butt is actually much more of a dancer than me.
"That's right. Ze Magnifique"
Woah woah woah. I can be a dancer?
"OWWWWEEEWWWYYY"
Oops. I spoke too soon. I stepped on Ashlyn's foot...with my heels.
"Ohhh, that's gonna leave a scar," someone commented. I looked at the one who spoke and it was Kichi. He just appeared out ot nowhere.
"Zcar?! Zcar?! You there! Yes! You with the mole on the mouth! Get me a first aid kit in the boudoir!" Ashlyn panicked and just asked a random stranger to get him a first aid kit.
"Calm down, Pops. Calm down. I was just joking with the scar." Kichi snickered while calming him down but be just kept on shouting.
I knew I was not a good dancer, my bad. I exited the dancing room to escape the drama. I sighed and just walked aimlessly around the castle. It has been years...since I last walked through these halls. My feet were getting hurt so I decided to go back to my room. My mind was too full. I couldn't think straight.
Today's events happened so fast.
I leaned on the door when I entered my room and sighed. My mind kept on flashbacking to today's events.
"Check your pockets before sleeping. ONLY before sleeping or the queen will know."
Oh yeah. The paper. That paper. I pulled it out of my pocket and read it out loud without hesitation.
"Power unleash.
Power burn.
Let the chosen one be born.
Evergreen.
Evermore.
The power you sought will be torn."
After dictating that, a blue light appeared infront of me. I felt a searing pain on my body as the white light consumed me and saw darkness after that.