19 ~ The Truth ~

Content warning: this following chapter contains material that may be harmful to some readers. Read at your own discretion.

"I-I'm speaking the truth, Your Majesty!" The man grovelled at his feat, crimson red blood seeping from his wounds.

King Caderyn clicked his tongue at the sight of the man's blood staining his sword. "Nonsense." He said in a bloodcurdling tone.

The man looked up from the floor with swollen eyes. Blood pooled out from his nose, hitting the ground in a pattern of steady drops and staining the marble floor. The heavy smell of metal filled the air. Red liquid that oozed out from his newly inflicted abdominal wounds spread into his white robe, the bright red quickly darkening, taking on a brownish hue. The King looked down on him with glowing green eyes. The man was going to die.

"Your, Your Majesty, I cannot change fate." The man said, drawing in heavy breaths. "I saw it all in my vision. The Gods speak the truth. The Princess exists as a vessel for the Prince's incomplete soul. If one of them does not die soon, the balance will be tipped."

The King clenched his teeth. His blade was sharp enough to cut flesh as if it posed no resistance, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to burn the man to ashes. He wanted to hear him scream.

"My, my King." Blood left his stomach in violent gushes of red. It was hard for him to breathe now, but he needed to convey the message he had seen in his vision. "The Prince was born with an incomplete soul. The Princess' existence in itself is a miracle from the Gods, but she was cursed with the omen of death. Once the Princess dies, her half of his soul will return to its rightful place. Only then will the balance be restored."

"Enough" —The King moved his blade in one swift motion, forever silencing the grovelling prophet— "I cannot stand to hear you so carelessly speak about my daughter's life."

"Your Majesty," The King's aide called out to him, shuffling through several important documents that needed signing. "Shall I search for another prophet?"

The King shook his head. "No, just get this filthy thing off my floor." He kicked the lifeless body that laid limp at his feet.

The aide sighed. "Commence the usual cleaning procedures." He said to the maids stationed nearby. "Make sure all evidence of the thing is gone before His Majesty returns."

They moved about at a fast pace, ridding the room of the prophet's spilt blood and sinful body. That made eight this month alone. Each time the King sought out answers about his daughter, the prophets received the same visions. The King's aide sighed and looked at the list he made of all the prophets within the Empire. There was no one left.

~***~

"Look," Winter exclaimed with a grin, waving her hand in front of her. "Isn't it cool?"

Her palm glowed a soft yellow. It was dim, but it was there. After working relentlessly day and night, she was finally able to secrete a small amount of healing energy from her palm. She started by meditating in order to gain a better feel of the mana particles that flowed within her body. She then focused on combining an equal ratio of colourless to red particles and envisioned them moving towards her palm.

"I don't get it," Aiden said, grabbing Winter's hand and nuzzling his cheek into it. The light felt warm against his skin. "Why do we have to learn this?"

His golden hair ruffled in the gentle afternoon breeze that snuck in through the greenhouse door. Aiden wanted to have a picnic, so the twins and their knights were now sitting in the greenhouse eating small pastries and drinking tea.

After several exhausting lessons, Winter took it upon herself to enjoy relaxing as much as possible. She let North and Snowflake wander around the greenhouse while she lazed about with Aiden.

Ever since meeting Etrix, Winter had a harder time being close to him. She didn't let him sleep on her bed anymore, so he resulted to sleeping on the floor. He often changed between forms, drinking tea with her and having conversations with her when no one else was around. When they were in the public eye, he remained as a wolf. Winter decided to keep it a secret, she thought the King might kill her new friend if he were to ever find out about his true identity.

"It'll probably help us learn how to use our affinities later on," Winter said, taking a generous bite out of one of the cookies Esme had packed them.

"What's the difference between affinities and magic?" Aiden asked, resting his head on Winter's lap. He let out a long yawn before closing his eyes.

"Normal magic doesn't account for the use of elements," Sir Emris told them. "It's impossible to manipulate elements with mana. Magic, at best, can only enhance innate characteristics."

"Ah," Winter said, holding a cookie out to a puzzled Ezekiel. "So mana can make you run faster or jump higher by enhancing physical characteristics?"

Sir Emris nodded. "You're able to produce a healing energy by bringing out what's already within you. Since humans don't have elements within them, they can't use them."

Ezekiel tilted his head, pressing his lips together in confusion. Winter dangled the cookie in front of his face. 'Open wide', she mouthed to him. His face flushed red as he opened his mouth and she fed him the cookie. He rubbed the nape of his neck nervously, trying to calm the steady beating of his heart.

"Hey Winter," Aiden mumbled, half snoozing. "I heard you gave brother Alexion a handkerchief. I want one too."

Winter sighed. "Fine. I'll make you one later, okay?"

He smiled before slipping away into a land of dreams. Winter watched the way his chest rose and lowered in a steady pattern. The familiar sound of his breathing soothed her cold heart. She ran a hand through his golden hair softly, picturing wheat fields and open treasure chests. Ezekiel watched the exchange with a pang of jealousy in his chest.

"I'll make you one too, Zekie." She glanced up at her knight, who was watching her with jealous eyes.

"N-No," He stammered nervously. "You can't give handkerchiefs to just anyone, Your Highness."

Winter hesitated. "But Zekie isn't just anyone. Zekie is my knight."

Sir Emris chuckled. "What Sir Rothmore means is that when a lady gifts a man her handkerchief, it can be interpreted as a token of affection and love. He doesn't wish for Her Highness to offer such a precious thing without knowing what it means."

Winter fully knew what giving a handkerchief meant, but truthfully she didn't hold the same values as those around her. Even after her etiquette lessons, she had a hard time adhering to the beliefs that nobles upheld. The upper-class placed a great deal of importance in good manners. Whether it be in relation to how you spoke, body language or even dining, politeness was key. Women were also expected to retain an image of purity.

Winter frowned. In her past-life, she was an autonomous woman of freewill. She wasn't ready to give that part of her up yet, so none of that mattered to her. If she wanted to give Ezekiel a handkerchief, then she would give him a damn good one.

"It's alright," Winter said. "I still wish to give Zekie a handkerchief."

Sir Emris frowned. The act of calling someone by their nickname was an intimate exchange reserved for lovers or family members. He knew that the Princess was extremely clever and mature for her age, yet she chose to do this so openly. It wasn't because she didn't know, it was because she didn't care. He felt sorry for Ezekiel. One day the Princess was going to break her knight's heart.

Ezekiel cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. "The, the birthday... I mean your, your birthday is coming up. What do you want for your birthday?"

Winter hesitated. She had all the food and clothes she could ever need. She had a warm bed to sleep in and a roof over her head. Truthfully, there was nothing she could want that she didn't already have.

Against her wishes, the Royal Palace was busy with preparations for their ninth birthday banquet. Nobody knew when the twins' actual birthday was, so they settled on choosing a whole month instead. She had never celebrated her birthday before, so the idea of having a large party freaked her out.

"You don't have to get me a gift, but I would be grateful for anything that Zekie gives me."

Ezekiel smiled. In his pocket, carefully wrapped in a silk cloth, was a necklace with two jewelled pendants. One of them was an apple and the other one was a small white snowflake. He was paid a generous amount for guarding Winter, so he had went into town on his day off to have it made.

"Hey," Winter said, mind racing with thoughts. "Let's go pick some apples."

Ezekiel smiled. "Yeah, let's go."