"Look at her," Ollie caressed the tip of my hair again. "She has no worries in the world. She just play around, eat, sleep, and spend time with us and with uncle, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Like a fragile rose. She's almost sleeping just because Zac's playing with her hair."
Ah, they couldn't be more wrong, but I don't care to explain.
"Whatever," Zac mumble annoyed. "You don't see what I see!"
"Look at him, pissed and sulking like a baby," Bash mocked. "You will never be a King with an attitude like that, little brother. Shouldn't you learn to accept when your judgement is wrong and not sulk just because others disagree with your point of view."
"Stop poking him, Bash!" Allya hissed. "If he snaps on you, you will be the sulking child, complaining about how he kicked your ass."
It's clear to me now. There are two sides within my siblings. Allya and Zachary against Sebastian and Oliver's, and I already know which side will win on this. It's as clear as the cloudless morning sky. And I'm looking forward to it, as I know Zac will be the best Alderidge King possible, and he'll be an ever better ruler with Allya on his side. She also has the ability of looking at the full picture, which Bash and Ollie clearly lack.
Now, let me pretend to sleep just so they will leave me alone. I have to go and try contacting the Nebelhain spies tonight. I already wasted too much time. Because of that, Roman's set to have a treacherous engagement.
"Why are you taking his side? He can fight for himself!" Ollie said.
"As if you hadn't sided with Bash!" Allya mocked.
"Shhh," Zac silenced them. "Maya fell asleep," he whispered. "She must be tired. Let's leave her chambers. If you want to keep discussing, you can do it on the communal room between our wings. If you keep bickering in here, you will wake her up. And you all know how difficult is for her to fall asleep!" Ah, he's the best out of them, for sure!
Before leaving, Zac laid me on my bed, then they each gave me a soft kiss of goodnight in the forehead, and left, closing my chambers' doors behind. Leaving me alone, at last.
♕︎♕︎♕︎
I waited silently for an hour, before changing my nightgown to a lather wine pair that I use for training and that is good to run with, plus my heelless boots, and I braided my waist-length hair in two root braids. Then, I put the ruby dagger, which uncle gave me on my birthday, and hid it inside the boot. Ready to go, I handle the pillows of my bed as if I was laying on it, covered it with the thick blanket, and went to my balcony.
As my chambers are in the fourth wing of the Palace, the fall is a big one, but I've gotten used to it by now. Channeling my Yin water energy on my kidney, I made the fear of the fall vanish. Focusing in a single point on the ground that was almost fully marked with my feet, I jumped as confidently as I could, and landed safely. Letting out a anxious sigh, I ran to through the blindspot of the guards and straight into the woods.
Then I ran. Running like a wild animal free from its prison, feeling freedom in the air, even if it was just momentarily, it made me feel a bit more like myself. I loved running through the woods in Edelon, while hunting for food for me and Margaret. I confess I miss that.
Getting to the heart of the woods, I climbed the tallest tree where my tree house were like a wild cat, and I laid there, looking down through the split piles, waiting. Focusing my hearing to notice any living being near us. To my surprise, a long black viper came to me from the other tree and I waited for it to come up, not afraid at all, as snakes have always been my favorite animals.
["Hello!"] I blinked, to be sure if it spoke or not to me. ["You don't need to talk, as you are pretending to be a mute, but you can answer in your thoughts, little Fae."] What?
I gasped in shock. Is it talking to me?
["Indeed, I am."] It curled itself up in front of me in a enormous pile, with it's obsidian scaled-head and it's ruby eyes turned to me.
I can't believe it's talking to me.
["So, start believing!"] It grinned. ["I've been paying the upmost attention to you, Princess. It's amusing that you ain't scared of me."] Then it tilted it's head, ["I see that you are better honed now. Your Yin energy is considerably more stable, you have control over all the five energetic elements, enough to control your emotions with it. And you are close from awakening your magic!"]
What the…? What is this? How does it know so much of me?
["I am not a thing, Amaya Alderidge! I am a being stronger than your Fae race. I am a male, and I have a name! Do not be rude just because you are receptive for me, child."] It hissed, making me swallow hard.
["How do you know me?"]
It grinned, ["I simply know!"] Then it came closer. ["I know every single thing that is to know about your soul, Amaya Alderidge."] What?
Gulping, I clenched my jaw. ["How so?"]
["It is what I said. I also know that this is not your 1st life, child. Ah and that you've suffered the worse of the fates in all of the previous ones. So broken, to the point or begging for death to the hand of you opposite."] My what?
Blinking, I frowned, ["How do you know that? What are you?"]
["I know because you are the one receptive for me. Everything that is to know about your life, all the previous four and this one, I know, Amaya Alderidge! For you are to become my person."]
["Excuse me?"] I scoffed. ["I do not intended on marrying a snake. Thank you, very much. And stop calling me Amaya, it's annoying. Call me Roxanne!"]
["Roxanne,"] it's forked tongue moved almost touching my skin. ["The nickname you asked your opposite to call you if you had another chance."]
I froze, flinching at his invasive remark on my past life. ["Don't bring that up. It's personal!"]
["Ah, yes. Fae have boundaries. Regardless, I do not intended on marrying a Fae, Roxanne. Faes are not my type, neither does my species copulate and entangle themselves in relationships such as a romantic marriage. That is not what I meant when I said that, so, don't offend me with that."]
Offend him? ["Excuse me?! I'm the one who's offended!"] But I stopped and didn't say another word when I heard the tree spies arriving at the base of my tree. ["Fuck. This a important night for me. Don't jinx it and stay shut, please, male!"]
["My name is Ego, not male!"]
["Horrible choice of name. Now, I'm serious, stay silent for now."] Then I pressed my ears on the tiles and focused my hearing on Thomas, Dhimitër, and Sofija.
["Focus your Yin fire energy on your heart to control your over-excitement, Roxanne, or they will be able to hear your speeded heartbeat from down there. Their senses are sharp, they aren't spies for no reason!"] The snake… Ego, told me.
Unconsciously, I did as he said, knowing that he was right, as I could feel my heart quickening. So, I closed my eyes and channeled my Yin fire energy on my heart, until the beatings slowed down. Focusing on them again, they had sat down in front of each other and were sharing a bottle of rum, which I could smell from up here.
The information they shared with each other was very superficial, nothing I didn't know, and not necessarily important. Scoffing, I sat down annoyed. They aren't doing a good job as spies, not to mention that their vision of who might be the Heir is wrong. As they are younger than the spies from both Astrophel, Montara, and Thornbury, they must be going a better job than these three idiots.
I can't allow that to happen!
["Then go there,"] Ego scoffed indifferently. ["It's not like you were not planning on doing that. So, just, put your plan into action, Roxy!"] Hah, he's already calling me that, though I don't really mind it.
Clenching my jaw, I got up and without a second thought, jumped right in the middle of them, unscathed. Startling all of them, and making them get on guard, "I'm not an enemy!" I spoke for the first time out loud with a person since I got reborn. "Low your weapons!"
Their eyes popped out, "Mute Princess?" Sofija gasped.
"You can speak?" Dhimitër questioned wary.
"Where the fuck did you came from?" Thomas asked out of breath.
Rolling my eyes, I sat down on a rock in front of them, "I have a name, you know? Amaya Elinore Liz Kirsten Roxanne Ivy Hana Alderidge, not mute Princess! Yes, I can speak, I always could, but no one know that. And," I pointed to the tree house, making them look up, "I made that tree house some time ago, though you failed to notice it," I grinned. "Since then I've been accidentally listening to all of your talks. But, ugh, you make a bunch of miserable spies!"
They gasped in dismay, "How can you talk?" They asked in sync.
I couldn't help rolling my eyes again, "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." I rolled my shoulders. "Silence strengthens authority. Those who talk more are sooner exhausted. And also to avoid popularity, because that has many snares, and no real benefit!"
"How old are you again?" Sofija fell down on the ground, in shock.
"Physically? Four!" Then I turned to Thomas, then let my gaze stay on all of them for a second. "You aren't doing a good job at spying us. So, I decided to help you out."
"Four years old," Dhimitër whispered to himself.
"Can I trust that you will keep my condition a secret? It would be a pain in the ass if my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings, or uncle Christian were to know that I'm pretending to be a mute. Especially after all of them spilled the beans about literally everything they know of anything, to me. Naively trusting me blindly just because I'm supposedly a mute," I chuckled in a way I've been holding for year.