"I told you she was looking at you." Vincent snorted at the way Rowan had gone stiff beside him. His blonde friend shunned attention but it seemed that he would never escape the limelight.
"Vincent, come with me."
"Don't be a coward. Look, everyone is staring at us. Don't keep the princess waiting lover boy."
Syryn was standing in a daze. He had tried so hard not to look - but his treacherous neck had angled his head, and his equally treacherous eyes had followed the sight of Rowan walking towards them to the sounds of cheering from the audience. And when the handsome youth in dark uniform stood next to the beauty Lillith, the loud calls of approval drowned out the sounds of Syryn's thundering heartbeats. It had always been this way. Rowan belonged to Lillith.
A sweet bitterness that began in his heart spread to his entire chest when Syryn and Rowan's eyes met. Rowan, all gleaming hair and a gorgeous face that looked down at him curiously through thick lashes. Rowan with his heart of gold, big enough to even entertain the whims of his mortal enemy, a demon lord. But this wasn't his Rowan, not yet. This Rowan also wasn't the hero that saved Syryn and he never would be. It was a heart-aching realisation that dawned on Syryn, one that gave him the resolve to face the young man with tranquillity.
"I'm glad you joined us." Lillith's smile was genuine and sweet.
"Thank you for the invitation princess, it is my honour." Rowan inclined his head in a show of respect. Lillith's smile dimmed just a little bit then. Recovering her composure, she turned to Syryn and his challenger.
"Two baskets of ingredients will be brought here for use as you see fit. For parity of results, you will each brew a heat fortifying potion. The one with higher grade, purity, and taste will win the test." Lillith then looked straight at the challenger. "As the challenger, all the costs of the test will be incurred by you. And as per the rules, if you lose, you will compensate the winner with a payment of 200 crowns."
The challenger nodded his head and bowed to the princess subserviently. Syryn on the other hand looked bored and uninterested. It was as if the matter at hand had nothing to do with him.
"Let's begin then. Bring in the ingredients."
Syryn carefully picked the herbs that would go into making the potion. He had been brewing for Rowan for many years and he knew with precision the exact taste of potion that Rowan's picky mouth demanded. Good, he thought, taste my awesome potion and then go spend the rest of your life drinking subgrade trash.
Syryn was jealous. He could admit it freely. They weren't even married and Lillith was already monopolising Rowan's attention. He couldn't blame the princess for it though because Syryn would have done the same.
Rowan watched Syryn chop up the plants with a delicate finesse that most alchemists lacked. His nimble and slender fingers, which Rowan belatedly noticed with fascination, handled the ingredients with the attentive care of a mother that treasured her baby. The alchemist's every move was focused to the point that only the work table existed in his sight.
Here was a crafter that loved what he did and performed with a skill that went beyond just interest. Rowan was glad that he was in a position to observe the boy's performance in detail.
When Syryn finally added the final ingredients with a flourish, he adjusted the heat and allowed the potion to simmer. Heat fortifying potions were a bright yellow colour but Syryn's potion was a shade lighter than normal. He had taken extreme care to produce a liquid of high purity so much so that no residue could be seen in it.
The cloying taste of salamander root was dealt with by a change in the sequence of ingredients, plus the addition of a pinch of powdered inari. These went unnoticed owing to the sleight of hands tactics that Syryn had used.
Both alchemists were done with their potions and they presented them to Rowan in tiny glass cups. Syryn hid a smile when he saw how the blonde youth's eyes looked between the two cups with something akin to panic in his bright blue eyes. If he didn't know better, Syryn would have thought Rowan was choosing between two cups of poison.
Rowan then settled his mood and lifted the cup with the darker liquid. Up it went into his mouth faster than Syryn could say, Ro. The reaction was immediate, a gentle furrow of Rowan's strong brows. As potions went, heat fortifying potions were less evil than their bitter counterparts.
Syryn's eyes were dancing with mirth when Rowan looked at his strangely coloured potion. He couldn't help the wicked grin that spread across his face when a hint of suspicion appeared in Rowan's eyes. The blonde youth hardened his resolve and threw the contents of Syryn's cup into his mouth expecting a terrible outcome.
Syryn's hard work had been worth it to see the shock that appeared on Rowan's face. The young man licked his perfectly formed lips and stared into the cup with the gravity of having discovered a secret that would change his life forever. His long fingers still curled around the cup, Rowan tasted the remnants of the potion that lingered in his mouth. His world was shaken by its foundations.
"What is your name?" Rowan met Syryn's gaze with a growing determination. He resolved there and then that this alchemist would be his.
"Syryn Nigh'hart."
Rowan nodded, eyes still trained on Syryn like he was afraid the boy would disappear, taking along with him his skills.
"Congratulations Syryn, you win this challenge."
That was all Rowan chose to say. No flowery speeches and no technical elaborations about grade or purity. From the feeling that went through his body, Rowan already knew this potion had reached the pinnacle of what was possible from medium grade ingredients and tools. From the taste of it alone, Syryn's potion had already toppled Tia's place in Rowan's heart. He was deeply moved.
As expected by Syryn, he was the winner. Of course, there was no doubt about his victory. Syryn accepted the result with a graceful nod of his head. He was 200 crowns richer and just another step away from winning a contract with King Hill. Since that was his chosen academy of study, Syryn had decided to sign with King Hill.
Lillith beamed at Rowan and faced the crowd. "You heard Rowan, the challenger has lost and will have to compensate the guild and the challengee. Let's now proceed to the main competition without any delay."
Syryn walked away from the couple to join Salem on the sidelines.
"You were hiding your skills until now. Why?" Salem questioned with intrigue colouring his words.
"That's also none of your business Salem. You ask far too many questions." Syryn would find out very soon how far Salem took things in the name of academic investigation, and how deep his well of curiosity went.