"Luisa," a soft adorable voice called to her causing her to turn around and wipe the lingering tears from her cheeks. Her younger brother's arms ran to her and then wrapped around her legs. Looking at that rare, rosy-cheeked boy who instantly snuggled closer to her, any anguish in her heart was replaced by giddiness.
"Just Luisa? Where did your grace go?" Mather spoke in a fake stern voice and the little prince hissed in annoyance.
"If Luisa doesn't have a problem, then why are you hitting on Mather?" the little prince smirked at him and Mather smirked when his teasing attempts were successful.
"My little Theron," Luisa picked up her half brother and kissed his cheeks. "You can tell me what you want about my life," she nudged them earning a chuckle from Theron.
"Luisa, I came to ask you to dance with me," the little prince asked in his adorable baby voice and Luisa knew there was no way she could deny his wish.
Theron was everything to Luisa. The only reason was her little brother, she picked up her sword and participated in the war. Her only purpose in life was to protect him from the cruel world. Luisa quickly nodded her head and carried him into the ballroom. She gradually laid him down and the little prince began moving his tiny body in all directions, earning a series of giggles from her. Luisa moved her body to the flow of the music, mimicking the boy, oblivious to the elders and council members who glared at her for her lack of elegance. He was soon joined by the prince's younger friend and they began to dance in a circle, holding hands.
With a pleasant smile on his face, Mather watched Luisa laugh and enjoy her time with her little brother. To the rest of the world, Mather was the cold and ruthless master known as Lord Lucifer, but to Luisa, he was softer than cotton candy that would easily melt with her one touch. Trapped in a world raging with war, death and suffering was the only thing that made him feel alive. She made the world bearable so he could live on. Mather knelt down, placed his right hand on his chest and bowed his head to show respect before asking her. "Princess Luisa, will you give me the honor of dancing with you," Luisa smiled softly at him and then slapped his shoulders.
"Drop your formality Mather," he chuckled as he picked himself up off the ground and gradually took her hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist. He pulled her body closer to his and they began to move in sync with each other, gazing deep into each other's eyes. In Luisa's embrace, the world stopped on its axis for him. There were no words that could express the feelings he felt being close to her. She blessed the gods of the four elements that granted their realm, and it was a miracle that he was betrothed to such pleasure.
"Um," both heads snapped towards Crown Prince Noam who smiled at them. They immediately pulled away from each other and awkwardly bowed to him. "Lord Mather, can I borrow my little sister for a moment?" The crown prince raised his eyebrows and held his hand behind his back.
"Anyway, Your Highness," Mather bowed, allowing Noam to take Luisa's hand and wrap it around his bicep, leading her away from prying eyes.
"Is everything alright brother?" Luisa politely asked her older brother.
"It's nothing to worry about Luisa, I just needed to talk to you in private," he said as they walked towards the garden behind the ballroom. The water in the fountains reflected the glowing full moon illuminating the garden with a soft light and the breeze blowing around them giving the royal siblings a moment of peace.
"Luisa," Noam called to her and she hummed, "I'm taking you away from the war." Luisa snapped her head to face her brother but before she could open her mouth he signaled her to stop. "After the death of the Crown Prince of Minas Tirith by orcs, I am sure that in the next battle we will be their target and they will exhaust all resources to get revenge," Noam explained to his sister, but she was not happy with his decision.
"When were we not their target brother? Besides, as the Princess of Anórien, it is my duty to protect you with my life," Noam signed, getting the response he expected from her.
"I'm not asking you Luisa, it's a royal order from your crown prince," Luisa staggered back at his stern voice.
"But brother, I'm trained for it. I'm not only good at fighting, but also an excellent shaper. I'm a very valuable resource in war because no one in all realms can shape crystals. Only ten percent of shapers can control more than one element, and in between only one percent of shapers can combine a base element and master a new one. How can you ignore my importance and pull me out?" with disappointment glistening in her eyes in the form of tears, Luisa questioned her brother's decision.
"If you were me, would you let Theron go to this battle?" Noam's response left the princess speechless, large drops of tears falling from her eyes as a cue, pressing against his chest uncomfortably. "Every second I lament that I was unable to prevent you from participating in the war. My lack of courage to speak against our father forced you to exhaust your life on the battlefield. All I see is you walking hand in hand with our enemy, I feel that my heart jumps out of my throat just looking at you..." he grabbed her hand and lifted her sleeves, revealing the wounds from their enemy's swords.
The prince's heart ached at the sight of the deep gashes on her porcelain skin, but what hurt him more was that there was so much more in the parts he couldn't see. "There is not an inch of my body that is not afraid." The crown prince's voice was weak, almost pleading with his younger sister to consider Luisa hanging her head in defeat.
The elder prince was struck when his dear sister wailed like a child's pity, so he pulled his beloved sister into his arms. "Sorry Luisa, but please let me do what I need to do as your brother," Noam kissed her forehead and patted her head gently. The least he could do for his younger sister was to give her some time to heal properly. "I knew you'd be sulking so I even brought you a present," he pulled out a paper from his royal robes and handed it to her.
"Do you remember the stories our mother told us about the most beautiful place in all the realms?" Luisa nodded and sniffed and cleaned her cheeks. "This is the map to that place," Luisa's eyes instantly lit up at the revelation.
"True." she almost screamed, unfolding the map and examining the map.
"You always wanted to see it, so I secretly stole this map from my father's chamber," he laughed as he witnessed the glee on his sister's face as she was engrossed in reading the map. "Luisa," the prince snapped his finger to get her attention.
"Can I go on an adventure?" Luisa asked in disbelief and the prince nodded.
"But be careful and don't forget to seal your power and mask your identity before you head out so you look human," she nodded repeatedly before jumping up to give her brother a warm hug.
"Thank you so much, I love you," she thanked him sincerely and hugged him tighter. Since childhood, she has dreamed of visiting the place her mother tells her about in bedtime stories. Unfortunately, the place was located somewhere in the intersection between their realm and the land of their enemies, making it the most dangerous place in the world for a hybrid like her. However, it was safe to travel pretending to be mortal because humans and dwarves had an alliance. Moreover, the place was almost impossible to reach without her mother's map, so she had given up her dream of finding the palace, but now she finally got the chance to enjoy her childhood dream.
"A land that only the bravest of all can respond to." Her mother's voice echoed in her head as feelings of excitement surged through her body.
Her journey to find the source had finally begun.
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TO BE CONTINUED.....