Chapter 13

The kingdom of Alba…

Tobias pov:

It has been 3 days since Thelma has arrived in Alba , the preparations for our wedding have been accelerated and the whole kingdom has been alerted of it .

The wedding is tomorrow, it will double as my coronation day and so the day my father abnegates the throne.

To say I'm starting to feel the pressure is an understatement, becoming king has always been the future I was prepared for but then again realizing I will be taking charge of a whole kingdom is quite the charge.

Right now I'm attending the fitting for the royal clothing i will be wearing which will be of blue color as it has always been for the newly crowned kings , Thelma will also be wearing blue but of course I am not to see her before the actual wedding day, actually I have not seen her since yesterday afternoon as they have been hiding her from me *laugh.

Actually this wedding is for both of us a way of doing our duty but also the fact that we are very close and have a bond makes it bearable , i wouldn't say we are in love with each other , simply that we respect and love each other as friends who have grown up together and so we agreed to marry each other , a wedding that will benefit us all I presume.

A few hours later…

"Here goes the almost king and almost husband in 24hours!" That's my best friend Tobryl who is the Duke of Alba , quite a character.

"Please spare me Tobryl , not today. I have enough nerves on me as of now *sigh"

"Damn you look extremely stressed my brother. We should go out for a while to decompress, maybe drink a few beers on the way" he laughs and pats my back , Tobryl has always been my escape to royalty , he makes sure I have a way of venting and releasing the pent up nerves I get from my duties , weird considering he is of royalty in some way with him being a Duke but then again he has way more experience in leadership than I do and he found ways throughout the years to slow down his hectic life , I really do admire the man he is.

"Just say you want to drink and that's it , it's really not about me huh? *laugh but you are right I am stressed and maybe some beer can help but we have to be discreet as I don't want to bring the guards with me" he nods and we are off to wherever the night will take us.

We end up stopping at a random auberge in the village square and we sit at the very back with our black coats covering our faces as we order some drinks for ourselves. The place is loud as there is music band performing and others dancing with a partner having their beers in their hands , i love just how lively the village people are , they just enjoy the moment no other thought or responsibility in mind . I wish I could do that more.

"Tobias?" I look at Tobryl who is calling me , I guess I zoned out , "sorry I was admiring the view so I didn't hear a word you said." He just nodded and drank his beer , he looked at the people around us too and seemed to understand what my feeling were.

"You know , you are going to be an excellent king. Just look at the compassion you have for your subjects and just your will to serve others . As much as I would love for you to put yourself first and rest sometimes , I also understand your worries and eagerness to work yourself to exhaustion but please just take care of yourself" I look at him to look for any signs of drunkenness but I see none.

"Since when do you speak so seriously? I almost thought you were drunk *laugh . But I do understand what you are saying and I will do just that don't worry my brother" he holds a toast to me and we drink more.

"Speaking of serious things , when are you planning on settling down?" I ask him because he is 30 years old and has been a Duke for 5years already and still no love interest, i am worried.

"That will happen when I find the one who will manage me and my attitude" he says and laughs , he does have a hard character to handle sometimes but really he should put more effort.

"Don't look at me like that Tobias , I'm not single because of lack of game but rather by choice . Because the ladies do very much love me , trust me on that" he laughs and I join him as we continue our nightly conversation .

Tomorrow will be a long day…

Ethera's pov:

"I'm still waiting for an answer Ethera, who were you talking to?" Heizel asked once more as she bugs me to tell her who I was talking to . Thing is I'm not even sure she will believe me , I mean traveling in time seems very far fetched and even though she knows the existence of magic I don't know if she will believe me still, but then again Heizel has been a close friend , close to a big sister for as long as I can remember , I think I can at least try because I also don't want to keep secrets from her.

"Okay . Promise me you won't think I'm going crazy if I do tell you" she makes a funny face and then looks at me sternly like how my mom does when she wants me to tell her the whole truth , anyways she nods nonetheless.

I breath in then tell her about Avery who had taken my place a few days ago and basically lived in my body for the time of a class or two and I also explained to her that the reason I was acting weird the other day was because it wasn't really me in my body but rather Avery, I also tell her that my grandmother knows of Avery's existence and that she made amulets for us to communicate with each other and for me to call for her when I need saving for my overbearing social duties.

"So if I got this right, you are sharing a body with a girl from the future?"

"Uh I guess , we interchange bodies when I need her to take my place here , I guess I'm still part of her conscience like at the back of her head and in exchange she learns more about the kingdom for her classes" Heizel looks like she is piecing things together and she doesn't look mad yet so I guess she is okay with it?

"Okay look I don't think it's bad that you are doing this, it's just crazy to me that there is someone from another universe which is the future coming here into this house and using your body and just roaming around Alba . But if you say we can trust her and if your grandma is on board I guess I am in too. You have my support as usual Ethera" I go up to her and hug her as she strokes my hair.

Heizel might still be in her late twenties but she acts more of a mom than my actual mom, she genuinely tries to understand my point of views on how I want to live my life rather than what society wants to impose on me.