She had hardly processed anything that had happened the previous day – from dimension traveling to her grandmother being alive. All of this was before Elowyn had told her that magic was here, and was real – and she was meant to harness it.
Aurelia’s eyebrows furrowed as a rush of emotions overcame her, bringing her pause. Despite the pure happiness she had felt at finding her grandmother alive, Aurelia still didn’t feel like herself. Her grandmother’s death had taken something from her that had left her feeling empty, and even now, she did not feel a resemblance to who she once was. The sadness that enveloped her like a warm blanket remained despite her grandmother’s magical survival and Aurelia’s desperation to feel something, anything, of the joy that had once embraced her grew. She couldn’t go a day without mourning all of the pieces of herself she had lost to her grief.
Forcing herself to sit up out of bed, she made her way to the bathtub, turning on the hot water. She glanced over at her reflection in the mirror and winced at the sight of the claw marks on her arms, a reminder of her unwelcome greeting in the foreign land of magic.
She gently shed her clothes and eased herself into the tub, her tense muscles relaxing for the first moment in days. The tub was a dream – deep enough for her entire body to remain underwater, in the peaceful quiet the water brought. Sighing deeply, Aurelia closed her eyes as she cleaned herself up.
At least she wasn’t dying.
She slipped her head underwater, blowing bubbles to the surface. The bright colors of the sunrise reflected into the bathroom, making it look as if the bathwater was glowing.
The truth was that Aurelia found herself, despite the joy of recent events, sinking back into the darkness that had become her home. It was enough to make her realize that she might never be the girl she once was.
She might not be her at all.
***
After the bathwater ran cold, Aurelia quickly got dressed in a simple green gown she found in her closet and left her room. She began making her way – or trying to, anyway – back to the main part of the castle. Yet, no one was around, and she could hardly remember the pathway they had taken yesterday. She went down the staircase at the end of the hallway and attempted to make the turns she could remember, but instead arrived in a dark corridor with hardly enough light to see through.
As she turned to go back the way she came, she heard two pairs of footsteps and instinctively hid behind one of the stone pillars, her ears perking up to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“It is official. Damaris crowned a new king last night. Darius – the elder brother.” A voice said forcefully.
The other gasped. “Darius, as in....the son responsible for the genocide of hundreds of Fae?”
“Yes. He..” The voice paused as if they could hardly speak of such things aloud. “He had his father assassinated. He now rules Damaris. He’s threatened war.”
The second person gasped.
“You can’t be surprised. He’s been sending his creatures here for months. He wants to rule the entire Continent. Treaties will do little. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants.” The first woman continued.
Aurelia’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she listened silently, taking note of what they were talking about. Damaris – the same kingdom Diverna and Mirela were talking about yesterday.
Why had her grandmother mentioned nothing about this?
Their voices faded as they continued walking down the hallway and Aurelia’s mind reeled.
What did that mean for Calathis?
“There you are,” A voice said coldly behind Aurelia and she whirled around to find a stranger standing behind her, a look of annoyance present on her face. The woman was short with raven black hair braided neatly down her back, wearing a plain purple dress tied tightly around her thin frame. Her eyes were vividly purple and pointed ears poked out of her hair.
What was she?
“I’m Ilaria.” The woman said coldly, a frown eclipsing her face. “I have been assigned as your lady-in-waiting. I have been looking everywhere for you. We are now late.”
Aurelia smiled hesitantly. “Pleasure to meet you, Ilaria....I was just trying to find my way to my grandmother.”
“Queen Elowyn,” Ilaria corrected stiffly as she turned towards the door. “You should find better habits than eavesdropping on others. It’s unladylike. As I said, we’re late. Let’s go.”
Aurelia frowned at the woman’s words and reluctantly followed her back up a few flights of stairs and back into familiar territory, the halls once more open to the magnificent sunlight. After weaving through the castle, they arrived in a luxurious dining room with a dining table that could seat at least fifty. Plants and paintings were scattered around the room, pale pink light illuminating the stone table. One end of the room was entirely opened to the outdoors, magnificent marble pillars leading towards the grand terrace.
Her grandmother was seated at the head of the far end of the table talking with five other individuals seated around her.
Ilaria cleared her throat. “Princess Aurelia, my Grace. I apologize for our tardiness.” She bowed deeply towards Elowyn while Aurelia stood awkwardly to her side, taking in the beauty of the room.
“Aurelia,” Elowyn called. “We’ve been waiting for you. Please come sit.”
Aurelia left Ilaria by the doors and walked over to the table, taking a seat next to a tall woman with long, blonde hair. She was dressed in a sleeveless burnt orange dress that hugged her figure. Clodovea, the warrior from the day before, sat across from her. She was dressed similarly to yesterday – her hair up, tinged with golden strands, and fighting leathers with a bodice tied tightly around her midsection. She gave a small grimace towards Aurelia.
Next to her was another woman, the youngest at the table – long, dark hair flowed loosely down her shoulders and her dress was a long-sleeve, off the shoulder white dress that cascaded down her body. A green corset tied the dress tightly around her.
The last two women were much older than the rest and were similarly dressed to Elowyn in loose, short-sleeved gowns. They were seated the closest to the queen and their quiet discussion ceased the second Aurelia got within a hearing distance which did little to ease Aurelia’s curiosity after what she had overheard.
Elowyn smiled at her granddaughter. “How wonderful to see you in classic Calathis style, darling. You look wonderful. Truly magical.” She winked at Aurelia. “Aurelia, meet my most trusted advisors. You know Clodovea of course, my best warrior,” She motioned towards Clodovea. “Next to her is Nesrin the librarian here at the castle.” Elowyn motioned to the dark-haired woman in the white gown. Aurelia nodded to the two of them respectfully.
“Next to you is Rehema our master of solar magic here.” Elowyn gestured towards the blonde woman in the orange dress. Her lips turned up into a smile, and she winked at Aurelia.
“Finally, we have Sigrid and Anwyn.” She motioned to the women sitting on either side of her. “They deal with affairs of the kingdom. Sigrid manages relations with other kingdoms while Anwyn focuses on Calathis.”
Aurelia nodded, overwhelmed with all of the new faces. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Rehema grinned mischeviously. “Likewise.”
Elowyn gave Rehema a look before turning back to Aurelia. “Aurelia, I have gathered women as they are going to be training and educating you like we discussed yesterday. In the mornings, you will train with Clodovea. You will then begin magic practice with Rehema through the mid-afternoon. Afterward, Nesrin will assist you in learning about the kingdom and other such matters.”
Elowyn smiled. “I thought it would be nice for you to meet them before formally beginning later this morning. And,” She snapped her fingers, and as if appearing out of nowhere, servants burst through the doors with piles of deliciously smelling food. “Breakfast, of course.”
Aurelia gazed at the food in front of her hungrily – there was an assortment of breakfast food in front of her from croissants to freshly made eggs in front of her. However, what caught her eye was the plates and plates of fresh fruit, the sweet smell of citrus filling the air.
“Thank you,” Aurelia said with relief, her eyes widening. As the food had been brought in, Aurelia’s stomach grumbled as if reminding her it had been hours since her last meal. She piled her plate high and began eating before she could focus on the women around her, her curiosity piqued once more.
“Nonna,” Aurelia began in between spoonfuls of fruit, “I’m still not quite sure about this. What of Evora? How am I the heir to…this?” She motioned her hands around her.
Elowyn pursed her lips in thought. “If you were brought here, then Evora is bound to show up. It’s the ancient magic our universe is founded upon. No one has control of it. Think of the universe like a balance – when something tips too far towards one way, it rights itself. I had a strong inclination your mother would decline taking over, so I always thought it would be you. Frankly, I never expected you to be brought here, but with the circumstances going on....” She gazed into the distance as she pondered the situation.
Aurelia’s mind immediately went to the golden key, but the conversation she had overheard this morning drew her attention.
“Like the new king of Damaris?” Aurelia asked, her eyebrows raised.
Elowyn’s head snapped up to Aurelia’s. “What do you know of that?”
Aurelia shrugged. “When were you going to tell me?”
Elowyn shook her head in subtle dismissal. “It’s none of your concern. There are many other things you need to finish before you are able to worry of such matters.”
Aurelia rolled her eyes, taken aback by her grandmother’s unwillingness. “Then what am I here for, then, if I can’t help you? One of those terrible creatures attacked me.” Aurelia’s tone became sharper and her eyes narrowed, silence falling upon the table at her words.
Clearing her throat, Elowyn stood. “First, you must study solar magic. You are here because your future kingdom needs you. There are dark times on the horizon, and we all must rally together to prepare. If it comes to war, so be it, but you have no choice but to be ready. I need you to train, educate, and study magic. For when I will really need you, I will need you at your best.” She looked to Sigrid and Anwyn and they nodded.
Taking a deep breath, she looked towards Aurelia once more. “I will see you later tonight. I look forward to hearing about your first day of work.” Together they stood, murmuring about something Aurelia could not hear as they meandered out of the dining hall.
Clodovea focused on Aurelia as the door shut behind Elowyn, Sigrid, and Anwyn, a smirk forming upon her lips. “Are you ready for your first self-defense training session?”
From the teasing tone of Clodovea’s words, Aurelia had a feeling she was not in the least.
***
“No, no, block then attack,” Clodovea corrected Aurelia for the fifth time that morning. They had begun with simple kick-boxing.
“At the bare minimum, you must have the ability to fight with no weapons at your disposal. Hence, it is the first skill you must learn. You will earn your weapons.” Clodovea had said.
However little progress had been made on Aurelia’s part. Though she had mastered the individual movements, she lacked the flow and rhythm that was required to respond to her attacker’s movements.
“No, no,” Clodovea repeated. “Think of it as a dance. Every move your attacker makes you want to do the opposite and equal response. If I attack, what is your response? Block. No hesitation. Stop hesitating.”
They continued sparring until the pair were both dripping with sweat, Aurelia’s eyebrows furrowed in determination, refusing to give Clodovea the satisfaction of her defeat.
Clodovea turned towards the rack of weapons, fumbling around for a moment before retrieving a giant archer’s bow embellished in gold.
Aurelia’s eyes widened and she subconsciously took a step backward, her knowledge of shooting an arrow close to none.
“Here,” Clodovea said, placing it gently into her arms. She pointed at the targets on the far wall, placing an arrow in Aurelia’s right palm. “Try hitting it.”
Aurelia nervously placed the arrow in the quiver and shakily drew back the bow string, eyeing the target. Taking a deep breath, she released the quiver, and the arrow flew out of the bow, missing the target by meters.
“That’s alright,” Clodovea said after a moment, handing her another bow. “Try again.”
Clodovea made Aurelia shoot over and over until she hit the target, unrelenting in her persistence. Only when Aurelia made three shots in a row, each arrow sticking out of the target, did Clodovea nod in satisfaction.
“Tomorrow, we work on your balance and flexibility. And then...your strength.” She grinned wickedly, and Aurelia’s stomach twisted in dread of what was surely another grueling workout.
Ilaria was waiting for Aurelia outside of the training quarters, her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall. “Let’s go. I’m to get you changed before meeting with Rehema.” She quickly started walking, almost as if she were trying to lose Aurelia on her way back to her room.
When they arrived, Aurelia drew immense pleasure from slamming her bedroom door directly into Ilaria’s face. She drew a quick bath and then changed into another simple gown, her muscles groaning as she moved. She left her long fiery hair to dry, hurrying out the door and grudgingly following Ilaria to where she would meet Rehema.
“Aurelia!” Rehema said brightly. “It’s lovely to see you, darling.” Rehema had chosen the patio overlooking Calathis as their first place because of the abundance of sunlight and greenery. Her blonde hair seemed golden underneath the sunlight and her orange dress swirled in the breeze, truly a sight to behold. She had laid out a blanket with two pillows underneath one of the willow trees, and elegantly sat on one, patting the other for Aurelia.
“Nothing like some fresh air,” Rehema sighed blissfully, lifting her face up and towards the sun. Glancing at Ilaria, she frowned. “There’s no need for you here now, dear. Go on.” Turning to Aurelia, she shrugged, a small smile on her face. “She gives me the creeps, honestly. Can’t stand her.”
Aurelia couldn’t help but laugh.
“Alright, just like that,” Rehema told Aurelia. They had begun practicing her magic sitting cross-legged, Aurelia’s palms facing upwards and resting on her knees. “We’re starting with the basic, basics.” Rehema repeated as she situated herself directly in front of Aurelia.
“Today, we will practice calling that power. Right now it is slumbering so deep beneath the surface you haven’t even noticed it. Once we call it upwards, it will remain just below your skin, ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice.”
Rehema cleared her throat. “It is important to recognize that magic is the practice of altering energy. This is no small feat. To successfully alter energy, you must either give energy from your magic or take the excess. This is important, because your energy must remain balanced. Enchantresses like you and I pull from the energy field of the sun, hence our solar magic. Having the sun as our energy field grants us heightened abilities in certain areas of magic, like healing.”
Rehema placed a glass orb in between her and Aurelia. “Aurelia, I want you to close your eyes and imagine you are pulling a small tendril of gold from inside your soul. Mentally, keep pulling at that string until it breaks free from where it has been hidden.”
Aurelia closed her eyes, palms open, attempting to find something, anything she could grab onto and tug in her mind. She felt like an idiot sitting there, searching for something her mind. All she could see was darkness and after a moment, she opened her eyes. “There’s nothing.”
Rehema smiled and shook her head. “That’s not true.” She gently took her index fingers to Aurelia’s temples and gently massaged. “Relax, Aurelia. Concentrate. Look inwards. Find the tiny, tiny tendril. And pull.”
Aurelia concentrated once more, searching internally for something, anything. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, attempting to summon it forward. Once more, she saw nothing.
Refusing to grow impatient, she inhaled and focused once more on Rehema’s words, searching internally until she glimpsed, just barely, at a shimmer of gold. Instinctively her mind grabbed ahold of it and with all of her force, pulled on it sharply.
The glass orb in front of them suddenly exploded, and Aurelia opened her eyes to see Rehema’s face covered in cuts from the glass. It felt as if she had awakened something that now was crawling beneath her skin, working its way through her body.
Aurelia jumped up, her mouth open in shock. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” She gasped, rushing to Rehema’s side.
Rehema calmly waved a hand over her body, the cuts healing themselves as if they never existed at all. “I’m alright,” She said easily, patting Aurelia’s pillow once more. “Come. Sit.”
Aurelia looked nervously at the shards of glass that now covered the space between them and hesitated before taking a seat once more, clutching her hands tightly in her lap as if the magic would overtake her once more.
Rehema observed her for a moment, her eyes boring into Aurelia’s soul before she spoke.
“Do not be afraid of the possibilities of your power, Aurelia. You must embrace them and stand in the face of fear. Your destiny is greatness, and you must be ready when it comes calling.”
Rehema smiled grimly. “You have no choice.”
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