C19: Crucial Decisions

Night has fallen.

The city's bustling with nightlife as the dark alleys light up with the mana lamps.

Reya closes her window, letting the darkness sweep into the room as it blocks away the moonlight.

She has been inside that room, locked for hours since that morning.

Swiftly, she flicks a match alight and keeps it against a candle, lighting it up. Guards are waiting outside her door to prevent her from moving out of those hallways.

"Stupid bastards," she curses, dragging the Ghost cloak from underneath her bed.

She has only stayed there because she wanted to escape by nightfall when the light of the sun no longer touches the castle.

'By night, I shall be out of this miserable place, Father. Then, I will be coming for your throne. It's time to overthrow your stupid reign before you mess up even more.'

She throws the Ghost Cloak over her body, disappearing into thin air.

[You have unlocked the Ghost Cloak! You can now move through walls while being invisible!]

Slowly, she sneaks up close to the pipe that has its head poked into her room. She takes off the metal cap of the pipe and whispers the name "Rory" into it.

It echoes down, all the way to the other end of the pipe.

Clak!

Someone takes off the metal cap of the pipe from the other side. "Princess? Are you there?"

"Yes, Rory. I'm about to escape."

"Um um – are you sure this is a good idea, Princess? I only want what's good for you. But suddenly deciding to rebel against your own Father –"

"I am the future Queen, Rory. I can't be a ruler without sacrificing something. This needs to be done," Reya replies instantly with a harsh voice.

"Um, ok. If you say so, Princess."

"Stop calling me Princess. Call me Reya. You are my best friend," Reya snaps in anger.

"Yes – I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, Rory. Tell me where the horse is, quick."

"She's in the alley where I gave it to you the last time. I can't be there. General Connor is keeping an eye on me…"

Reya giggles upon hearing her say this. "After I become the Queen, Rory. I might hire you as a strategist for our castle."

"Um um, oh dear. I can't wait till you become the Queen then!" She laughs in response.

"Yeah, of course. Now… Rory. Until I come back, please keep your mouth sealed, will you?"

"Of course."

"Goodbye, Rory."

"Goodbye, Reya."

A smile draws on Reya's lips as she hears her friend finally call her by name. It's a surprise. She never does that. With that information, she is now free to go.

Opening the door gradually, without making the slightest noise, Reya looks outside. A guard is standing there with his big spear in hand.

'The mana wall is only active when the door is closed. Now with this, I can escape. See you later, fools,' Reya smirks as she walks through the slightly ajar door.

The guard catches a whiff of it and turns around, only to see empty air where Reya stood.

"Damn, this Princess's room is haunted. No wonder she's acting like she's possessed, sheesh." The guard shakes his head, going back to his statued position.

Reya is left dumbfounded upon hearing this. Her mouth falls open.

'That fucker is losing his job.'

With that, Reya rushes down the staircase to get the horse. She can feel the wings in her back flap as she runs down the stairs.

Suddenly, her grandfather's words flash in her mind.

"You know, sweetie. You get that feeling, when you're all fucked up. But then, you suddenly feel like a free bird, even in a tight-ass position. You feel like you've finally learned your lesson. That's the part in life where you finally feel like you know yourself. You know your purpose, you know?"

"I think I know now, Gramps."

///

A guard walks up the stone stairs to the very peak of the Princess's Tower. In his hand is a cup of orange juice. Its purpose is to bribe General Connor. It's his favorite.

He flings open the door and enters the roof.

General Connor is standing at the edge of the roof with his eyes on the alleys.

"Sir Connor? I brought you some orange juice," the magi knight walks up to Connor with the orange juice in his hand.

"What? Did you keep your eyes on the Princess? She's safe, right?"

"Yeah, of course. Here." The guard hands the juice to the General. He takes it, nodding to him and instantly throwing the juice off the roof.

"Good that you've checked on the Princess." He says, handing the empty cup to the guard.

The guard gulps and stands back, taking the cup from his hand.

"Now, go get Pale for me. I want to go for a little sniff up."

"Sir?"

"No questions," Connor stops the guard even before he asks what it is for. "I need Pale in a chain. Take over for the night. I'll give you a promotion if you just keep this between us."

The guard nods humbly at Connor, giving him a salute. "On it, sir!"

Connor narrows his eyes, gazing back at the distant gates. 'That feeling of mana breaching through those gates. That's exactly the amount of mana Reya has. I've been with her for many years. It's a shame if I don't know that much.'

"I'm coming for you, Princess. Maybe the King won't be able to convince you – but I will. I know I can convince you to do the right thing."

Connor lifts off his dark helmet.

Two crimson eyes gleam in the night.

He keeps a glass tube containing a red liquid to his lips and his eyes shift from crimson to the sky blue once again.