by A. Kingsley
He held his fists out close to his body. He wore all black while she wore all white, they were two halves to a whole. She held her fists up to her chest. She was unsure of when to attack, but she wanted to be ahead of him, so she settled on swinging first. He quickly dodged her punch, dropping low, before popping back up and striking towards her stomach. She twirled away from him. He got closer and her body began to bubble again. A fighting response building up inside of her, ready to explode. When his fist went to strike her face, an overwhelming sensation took over her and she couldn’t fight it off. A glowing bubble of green exploded around her and his punch hit the green magic wall.
He pulled back and yelped, holding his knuckles to his chest, his eyes wide and watery.
She was standing there, fists clenched at her sides, a shield of green glowing bright around her. The shield dropped and she felt dizzy. She was swaying on her feet, her vision blurry, he was saying something to her, but she couldn’t hear him. The world faded around her and she collapsed.
He caught her in his arms and lowered her to the ground. His hands underneath her, holding up the fabric so that the back of her dress wouldn’t drag against the floor, her head was in his lap. He knew that he couldn’t call anyone to help, there was no explanation for this, so he waited. A minute later her eyes opened and she stared up at him. Her face was pale, her lips parted, but no words came out. “We need to find out what this magic inside of you truly is Clare. Maybe defensive magic comes with healing magic,” his words were hushed, barely a whisper.
“You bastard, you knew that this might happen,” her voice was lighter than normal.
He held her head close to his chest. “I didn’t know you would faint. Has this happened before?” he asked as he helped lift her up despite the pain in his knuckles.
“No.”
“Can you stand? Can you go again?”
She glared at him, ‘what would Sage do?’ “Yes I can.”
She placed her hands on the floor and used the ground to help get herself up. When she stood the color seemed to rush back into her face, quicker than it would the average person.
He stood up after her, he held his right hand to his chest, his knuckles looked twisted.
“Come here,” she said softly.
He did. She let her fingers close over his hand and the green glow returned. She watched his jaw unclench as the magic worked its way to his bones and they restored.
“You are so incredible,” he said.
“It’s scary, I don’t know about incredible. Hand me a sword,” she demanded.
“I don’t think that giving you a sword is a good idea anymore,” he removed his hand from hers quickly. Despite his initial thoughts, something inside of him told him to give her a chance. He grabbed his own sword and impulsively tossed her the sword with a flaming red handle and a sleek short metal blade.
She grabbed it by the hilt and held it close. “I do not like to fight, but I am no innocent girl. Sage has taught me well.”
“Right, I forgot about Sage,” he joked.
Before she could think to begin, Cassius had brought down his blade and sliced her arm. She let out a howl of pain, dropping her own sword and cursing him. He did not look apologetic, he looked amazed, he stared at the arm that he had cut. The blood was slowly evaporating and the wound had stitched itself up quickly. Her skin was normal. The pain ceased and she glanced down at her arm. “You bastard stop testing me!” she shouted at him.
“I believe that is enough for today anyways. If the Demetrias’s were not having some stupid event I would suggest that we leave on our trip now. Your magic is not weak, it is powerful and I don’t want it to hurt you or anyone else, but I promise that we are done for today.” He put both of their swords back on the display. When he was by her side, he reached out to hold her hand, but she moved away. She was about to lecture him when Cisily and a much more steady Theo, came back holding two glasses of water.
“Well who won?” they asked. Clare had dirt on the bottom of her dress and at the points of her shoes, she was sweating and she was a little bit out of breath, but that had been the extent of her condition. Cassius also looked well, her magic had refreshed him. Cisily raised an eyebrow, shoving the glasses of water into their hands. “Did you even fight or did you just make out the entire time?”
“Cis!” Theo scolded.
Cassius opened his mouth to speak, but Clare, afraid of what would come out, chimed in, she had gotten good at lying. “We did fight, but both of us were so well skilled, that we decided to call it even. You promised to take us all shopping, so we could not get too sweaty.”
Cisily looked as if she wanted to believe her, but was struggling to do so. Cassius confirmed her lie, “she is right. Though I don’t necessarily want to go shopping, if I stay here, my father might work me to my death.”
“Right, well then let us go shopping.”
The shopping trip had gone well. Cisily had paid for the trip with her mother’s money since Clare’s currency did not work in Excidium. They had left the main city with many shopping bags. Clare piled her bags into the carriage, she had been focused on arranging them neatly, when she felt a hand on her waist. She turned around to glare at whoever it was, but when she saw Cassius, she relaxed. ‘This was unlike him.’ She glanced past him to see that his people were lining the streets and chanting, she now understood. They were ecstatic to see her, of course the people had been informed of their partnership. She moved closer to Cassius and waved at his people. The clouds had started to move in and a breeze swept through the warm air. Though it was currently windy, Excidium would be the last kingdom to achieve the true climate of fall, the desert stayed warm for a few months longer. Deus changed with the normal seasons and Pax et Lux got cold quite fast.
Cisily distributed bread and water that she had bought from the bakery across the street, while Theo helped pass out the slices of strawberry tart that Cisily had bought. Clare understood the art of good publicity, she took Cassius’s hand and moved with him towards the crowd. “Mama, look she is so pretty!” one of the little girls shouted as Clare approached them. “We have never seen the princesses up close! Where is your sister?” the girl's mother asked.
Clare’s lips were curled into a gentle smile. “My sister is taking care of the duties at home while I visit my fiancé.”
“Do you love her Prince Cassius?” another girl from the crowd asked.
Cassius grinned and shook his head in disapproval. “Our relationship has only just begun.” His hand tightened around Clare’s. “And there is so much more for us to discover.”
The world’s test
The days that led up to the event were some of the hardest days of Sage’s life. She had not felt this empty since losing her father. She could not remember the last time that she and Clare were apart for more than a night. She knew that she had to get used to it, considering her sister had a journey to begin, but this was not easy for her to accept. She spent the nights in Clare’s room, sleeping in her bed as if she was a child in need of comfort. She would occasionally stare at her paintings in hopes to feel connected to her. “You are so far, I hope that they are treating you well, if not I will rip Cassius’s head off the next time that I see him,” she said to Clare’s wall once. Phoebe would come to clean up Clare’s room and Esmeralda would check in on Sage.
“Are you still reading? How far have you gotten?” Esmeralda would ask.
It was the day before the event the Demetrias’s were going to hold. Sage had done nothing but read, train, eat and sleep. Esmeralda walked into the grand dining room to see Sage slouched over on top of her book, drooling, her soup completely abandoned. With a sigh, the girl sat down in the chair next to her and gently tapped her shoulder. Sage didn’t budge, so she tapped harder. The girl shot up from her sleep and wiped the drool from her mouth. “Huh is it time to leave”? Did I forget to pack?”
“No,” Esmeralda said as she messed with the end of her long braid. “You must pack to
day, but you leave tomorrow morning. It is mid afternoon. How is the reading coming along? Your mother wanted you to be done soon.” She passed her a napkin and Sage wiped the rest of the sticky spit off her face. She pushed her now cold soup back in front of herself and forced it down her throat. “Well,” she said between spoonfuls. “I am on my last book. I have am trying to retain as much information as I possibly can, but these damn books are filled with information. I can’t possibly remember all of it. I can only hope that mum doesn’t quiz me just yet.”
“Well I did hear she was going to give you a test,” Esmeralda said honestly. She took a look at the book titled, “A History of War,” and then pushed it back to her. “Well at least this one seems interesting. I suggest that you finish it up so we can pack together.”
“Our packing will have to wait until I finish this book and do my outside training. I’m only staying the night so it shouldn’t take long. You know what, you can go ahead and pack an outfit or two for me and pack a few more for Clare. I don’t really need to be involved, I trust your judgement.”
“Why am I packing a few more outfits for Clare?”
“Oh, well she might want something new and fresh to wear, just ask Phoebe to help you pick something out.”
Esmeralda’s face went hot and a mild blush spread across her cheeks. If Sage or Clare had blushed, it would have been noticeable, but Esmeralda’s complexion had hid it well. “Right, Phoebe,” she whispered.
Sage shut the book and put down her spoon. She leaned in close to talk to the girl. “Did Phoebe do something to you?”
“Oh no. I quite enjoy Phoebe’s company.”
Sage smirked and folded her arms folded against her chest. Though she was tired, this situation gave her energy, there was finally something amusing taking place at the palace. “You enjoy her company huh, how so?”
“The same way that you enjoy Prince Julius’s company.” She hid her face in the bright red scarf that she was wearing.
Sage gently bumped her arm with her knuckles, a friendly gesture. “I see, I see. Well I am happy for you Alda. Have you kissed her?”
“Last night I kissed her. She is quite gorgeous, I am glad that you support us. Do you think your mother would mind if the servants dated?”
“If I pass this test my mum will not mind anything. But in all seriousness, no, she will not mind,” Sage said. “Go see Phoebe and pack please, I will see you shortly.”
“Yes, see you shortly!” Esmeralda exclaimed as she dashed out of the room, leaving Sage alone with her book.
Sage hated reading. As she continued to turn the pages of the book, she gradually lost interest. The farther she read the more of her day was wasted. She was trapped in another world that made no sense to her and the only way she could escape was by shutting the book. And she would have shut the book in a heartbeat if her mother wasn’t waiting inside of the war room, waiting for her to declare that she had finally finished something that didn’t involve swinging her sword furiously in the air. Another hour of sitting in the chair and she finished, she finished that damn stack of books. She left the copy of the book she was currently reading on the table and dashed out of the dining room. The door to the war room was already wide open, her mother was thumbing through about a hundred documents, her thin framed reading glasses were tilted against her nose. She didn’t have to look up to know that her daughter was there.
“I was waiting for you to tell me that you had finished reading,” she said. “Sit down, so we can discuss what you’ve read. Then you can go do whatever you do with that sword of yours all day.”
Sage sat down across from her mother, her fingers anxiously tapping against the desk. “Well I did finish them all. I didn’t think I had it in me, but I knew Clare would have been able to finish them and once I realized this, I knew that I could do it too.”
“You girls amaze me, it’s always what would the other person do, not what you yourself would do,” Gracielle said.
“We look up to one another and I trust Clare more than I trust myself.”
“I admire that,” Gracielle said honestly. She reached into her drawer and pulled out three pieces of parchment. She paired the paper with a quill and then pushed the materials across to Sage. “Well here is your test. I have had this prepared for a while. I didn’t know when to start training you. You are physically fit, but a queen must be more than that. She must know more about her kingdom than anyone else and she must have proper etiquette. Oh and Sage please remember for future reference, our kingdom doesn’t send those important to the political system into battle. You could always break that rule, but I would rather you not,” she said as she cleared her throat.
“Well go ahead. I’ll leave you be so you can fill out your test,” the queen said. Sage stared down at the page, her heart beating fast. ‘How could she possibly remember everything that she had read?’ She picked up the quill, dipped it ink and then gestured to her mother. “Do you think you could give me a bit of space please? I can’t think when you’re hovering over me.”
Gracielle stood. She brushed against her daughter’s shoulders on the way out of the room and gave them a tap for good luck.
Sage was left alone, with a test. She would complete every single question, even if it meant making up the answer. Everyone doubted her. Everywhere she went there was talk about her younger sister. ‘It’s a shame Clare isn’t the next queen, she’s much more fit to hold the throne. Clare would do well even at a young age. She’d have her older sister as an advisor. Sage is a good princess at best, nothing more.’ The conversations that she had heard throughout the years encouraged her to keep pushing forward. She would pass this test. If she concentrated hard enough then she could remember everything she had read, even when she was exhausted.
It took forty minutes for her to finish the short answer questions. When she was finished she called her mother back in the room. Gracielle sat down in the seat across from her. She was smirking at the exasperated expression on her daughter's face. “You remind me of myself sometimes. Hand over the test and let us see what you’ve got.” She took the test pages from Sage’s hand and set them down on the table. Just as Sage had feared, her mother started to read the questions aloud.
“How was our kingdom founded? Your answer was correct. Our kingdom was founded by the great Serenity Pax, one of your distant relatives. In our kingdom the woman keeps her last name and the kids take her last name. That is how it got down to me and you. Your father is no Pax, but I loved and do love him dearly.”
She moved her thumb down the page to keep reading. “On what beliefs was our kingdom founded? You said, on the foundation of peace and you were correct again. As the last kingdom founded in Europe, we hoped to keep peace between the Demetrias and Antias family.”
“Which brings us to our next question. State the notable European wars. You listed the war between three kingdoms and the war between wolf and vulture. You were correct.”
Gracielle continued this process until she had read through and discussed each individual question with Sage. They discussed foreign affairs and how emigration and immigration were the only main issues that the continents had to work together to solve and how the continents have never gone to war with one another and do not plan on doing so. They also discussed what to do in case of emergency and what would happen if there was no one blood related to take the throne.
When they had finished discussing, Sage had only missed three questions and her mother was quite proud of her progress. “If I would have handed you this test before you read, you would have failed it no question. Is that correct?
“It is.”
“Now you will be able to speak upon matters confidently tomorrow. You know what our kingdom values and what our citizens want and need, but I still have to teach you etiquette. You can not keep stirring the pot at the dinner table. Someone is going to strike you out of anger some day. You must keep yourself calm and bite your tongue. Those silly comments in your head do not need to b
e said aloud. Go ahead and have some time with your precious sword, I will see you at dinner and there I will teach you proper etiquette.”
Sage stood up, a prideful smile just barely gracing her lips. “Mum?” She caught Gracielle peering up at her out of curiosity. “My sword’s name is Amicus,” she told her.
Her mother replied back to her with the word, ‘companion.’ “At this point, I am surprised you did not name it Clare.”
“I thought about it, but Clare would never hurt someone intentionally.” She bit her lip to keep herself from spilling any of her sister’s secrets and then made her way out to the back of the palace.
With Amicus by her side, she felt powerful. Her mother didn’t carry a sword on her dresses, but when Sage became queen she would. True happiness and relief only came when both Clare and Amicus were as close to her as possible. When she swung and hit her targets, she was told not to think about people, but thinking about people was the only way that she could swing accurately. She didn’t like Cassius, mostly out of jealousy and only a little bit out of rationality. She also didn’t like his father, King Erebus, for obvious reasons, so when she swung, she swung thinking of them. The dummies leaked stuffing and hay. She hit them over and over until her arms grew tired. Eventually she had severed their heads and there was nothing left to hit. If she killed her dummies, then she would never be tempted to kill someone real, someone human. She felt bad for the servants who had to keep making her targets. The more they made the quicker they went. When she saw more were available, she increased her training. Sage thought about going inside to see if she could grab another one, but she remembered that her mother was going to be waiting for her.
