All eyes were on Casey as she paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She took a deep breath and continued, "I will disguise myself as a commoner and travel to the palace. I'll try to get close to my grandmother and find out what happened to her."
Lucius shook his head, "It's too dangerous, Your Highness. You could get caught, and then what?"
Lane commented, "I can't believe you thought so much about such an idiotic idea."
"I'll be careful," Casey said ignoring Lane, determination in her voice. "And besides, we need to know what's going on inside the palace and about the kingdom. We can't just sit here and do nothing."
Lane nodded in agreement. "She's right about this. We have to do something."
Serenya spoke up, "How about pretending to be a traveller?" You can learn more about the kingdom this way. I will travel with you."
Casey smiled gratefully at the elf, "Thank you, Serenya. That's a wonderful idea."
Lane shook his head as he commented, "Yeah, it's definitely a good idea, unlike someone else."
"And unlike a certain individual who didn't even think of an idea," Casey replied back hysterically.
Their bickering continued as Serenya leaned toward her father. "Who is that certain individual they are talking about?"
Lucius chuckled as he patted Serenya. "Well, they are also kids like you. He whispered, "They are bickering."
Serenya gasps, "Isn't that terrible?"
"What's terrible?" Casey and Lane stopped in the middle as they heard Serenya. Closing the gap between them.
"Your highness, you both shouldn't fight. You need to work together to win Rothania back," she says with determination.
"Well..." Casey looked at Lane with guilt.
"We will not if you stop calling us your highness, don't you think?" He elbowed her as he raised his brows.
"Exactly," she said as she placed her hand around Lane's neck.
Serenya looked at her father to confirm if this is right. He nodded in assurance. "Fine, friends now?"
Casey and Lane exchanged glances excitedly, "Friends!"
Hugo stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking. "Your highness, if that's what you are planning to do, I suggest you visit the village of the mortals first."
Casey and Lane exchanged puzzled glances.
"The people there may have valuable information about what is happening in Rothania," Hugo continued. "And they may be able to help you better understand the current state of affairs."
Lane's brows furrowed. "But why?"
"Because, my dear prince, not everyone in Rothania is loyal to your father," Hugo explained. "Many of them may be willing to help you in your quest to restore the rightful rulers to the throne."
Casey nodded slowly, considering Hugo's words. "And how do we go about this?"
Lucius clears his throat as he says, "Well, my son, Edward is currently in the mortal village for some business. I think you can meet up with him too."
"Oh, but how are we going to get there?" Lane asked.
"If you are planning to be travellers then it would be better if you went by foot, if not then people might be suspicious of you," Hugo suggested, still stroking his beard.
"Then I will deploy some of my men with them for the journey," Lucius said with the utmost respect. "Just in case something happens, we don't want to lose you both."
Casey and Lane exchanged glances. "We really appreciate your concern towards us Mr Lucius but if we are pretending to be travellers then we must act like some travellers too. I think the three of us can manage somehow," Casey explained.
"But," Lucius insisted.
"Don't worry father," Serenya said with a reassuring smile. "I will keep them safe. You can trust me."
Lucius sighed as he hugged her daughter. "Of course, I trust you and your power. Please keep the prince and princess safe."
Serenya nodded.
"Princess Serenya," Hugo approached her.
"Princess?" Casey and Lane shouted in confusion.
Hugo turned towards them, "Oh my, so loud. Your highnesses didn't know? Lucius is the head of Elves and of course, Serenya would be the princess."
Casey and Lane froze there reflecting on their past actions.
"Did we do something we shouldn't have done?" Lane whispered to Casey.
"I don't know," she replied.
Hugo stepped forward and rummaged through his bag, producing a small, delicate amulet. It was made of intricately carved silver, and it glinted softly in the flickering light of the campfire.
"Serenya," he said, his voice low and serious. "I want you to take this. It's an emergency amulet. If you're ever in danger or need our help, all you have to do is break it. It'll send out a signal that we'll pick up, and we'll come to your aid."
Serenya stared at the amulet, her heart swelling with gratitude. She knew how much trust Hugo placed in her by giving her this amulet. She felt a deep sense of responsibility to uphold that trust.
"Thank you," she whispered, reaching out to take the amulet from him. As she held it in her palm, she felt a surge of power coursing through her veins. She knew that with this amulet, she would never go alone.
Hugo touched her shoulder. His eyes were gentle but firm. "Don't break it unless it's an emergency, Serenya. We'll come to your aid, but we can't be there always. You need to learn to protect yourself and the prince and princess."
Serenya nodded, her fingers curling tightly around the amulet.
"We don't want to be the burden here Elder," Casey said. "We might be inexperienced with the surroundings and everything but we are ready to learn."
"So, we were thinking," Lane continued, "How about you spend some precious time of yours teaching us some basics?"
Hugo and Lucius looked at each other before nodding in agreement. "Very well, we shall teach you the basics of combat and magic," Hugo said with a small smile.
"We won't go easy on you, your highness," Lucius said with a smile. "We shall begin it tomorrow morning then."
Casey and Lane nodded in agreement.
"Are you getting a weird feeling too?" Casey whispered under her breath.
"There's no going back now," he replied.
The morning sun crept over the rugged peaks surrounding Ivor village. The air was crisp and the sky was clear, with birds chirping and distant Ivors' hammers clanging through the air.
As the Ivors continued their daily tasks, the elves got ready for their morning training session. Casey and Lane were already up and dressed, eager to see what the elves and Ivors had in store for them today.
Serenya, Hugo, and Lucius led the group through the narrow streets of the village, lined with sturdy stone houses and bustling shops. Ivors watched curiously as the elves and their mortal guests passed by, but they went about their work without giving them much attention.
After a few minutes, the group arrived at a large open field at the edge of the village. The grass was still damp with dew, and the air was filled with blooming flowers.
"Now," Lucius said standing in front of them, "run through the whole field three times."
The field they were in was surrounded by tall, swaying trees that formed a natural boundary around the area. The ground was soft and covered in a thin layer of grass, and the air was cool and refreshing. In the distance, the mountains loomed, their peaks shrouded in mist. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground in gold patches. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. It was a peaceful and serene place, perfect for a morning warm-up.
"Aww, poor them," Serenya chuckled.
"Serenya will support both of you," Lucius said.
"Aww, poor Serenya" Lane said mockingly, chuckling with Casey.
Serenya glanced at her father and pouted.
They all started running, their feet pounding against the soft earth. Serenya kept pace with them easily.
As they ran, Casey and Lane couldn't help but enjoy the sights and sounds of the field. The early morning sun shone brightly over their heads. Their breaths came out in ragged gasps, and their legs felt on fire.
They had been running for what felt like an eternity, and yet, they had only completed half a round of the field.
Serenya, who was running alongside them, had hardly broken a sweat. She looked at the two of them with a small smile on her face.
"Come on, keep moving," she urged them. "You can do it."
Casey wanted to collapse on the ground and never get up. But she knew she couldn't give up now. She had to keep up her princess image. She had to keep pushing if she wanted to become stronger.
She gritted her teeth and pushed herself forward, her feet pounding the ground.
Lane was struggling just as much as Casey was. His chest heaved, and his legs felt like they were made of lead.
But he didn't want to give up either. He had come too far to give up now.
They continued to run, their muscles burning with exhaustion. But they refused to give up.
"Come on, come on, we completed one round just now," she clapped twice. "Two more to be done!"
"Whhhaaattttttttttt!" Casey and Lane groaned in exhaustion as they slowly stumbled as they ran.
As they continued to run, Serenya noticed that Casey and Lane were lagging behind. Wanting to help them keep up, she slowed down and turned to face them.
"Are you both tired already?" she asked, concern etched on her face.
Casey and Lane nodded in unison, their breathing ragged and their faces flushed.
"Not just tired, I feel like I can die at any moment now," Lane said.
"Alright, let me help you," Serenya said giggling, closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath. She lifted her arms and stretched them out to the sides, palms facing upwards. Suddenly, a strong wind gust surrounded them, lifting their hair and clothes as they rushed past.
Opening her eyes, Serenya grinned mischievously at Casey and Lane. "Hold on tight!" she exclaimed, and then she took off like a bolt of lightning, the wind at her back pushing her forward at incredible speed.
Casey and Lane watched in amazement as Serenya ran ahead of them, her feet barely touching the ground. They quickly followed her, their own strides now lighter and more fluid thanks to her wind magic.
"YOU KIDS! NO CHEATING!!!" Lucius shouted from the edge of the field.