Let's take a trip!

After Hayden left the King went back to work. Beneath the daily reports he had received was a letter. He had received similar letters before which usually had cryptic messages. The letter this time, however, had a clearer message. It promised an incoming reckoning for the kingdom of Ancilly. The King was even more concerned about this letter because it was placed on his night stand next to this bed without anyone noticing. Each time he got a letter it would gradually be left closer to him.The King suspected there must have been a spy within the castle but wasn't able to root them out. Whoever left the letter ensured to not leave any clues about their identity or origin. The King personally looked into the royal guards but couldn't find anyone with a motive. He was on edge due to this. In addition, the attempt on the Crown Prince's life made things worse. The last thing he wanted was for there to be unrest within the kingdom. If the citizens felt that the royal family was vulnerable then they wouldn't place their faith in the Crown to protect them. The news could also cause other lurking enemies to take a chance to attack the kingdom. Catching the culprit or culprits involved was of great importance but the King had no idea where to start. It had been years since there was a credible threat against Ancilly. The King slouched in his chair. He had to think of the next move to make yet he wasn't the one with the most power to act. The Blossom was now synced with the second prince. The King hoped that the Crown Prince could take charge and be the leader he wanted him to be. Once he could use those by his side effectively he would be able to do great things but at the moment he still had a lot to learn. The King started to rub his temples. He needed to let the Crown Prince and the others know about the threat as soon as possible.

Alexander, Viola and William were busy exploring the kingdom. Both princes went without guards so that it would be more comfortable.Their first stop was at a popular café called Café Blue. It was frequented by many in the kingdom and all were free to enter. Alexander had Viola try a mini strawberry shortcake. It was a favourite of his so he was anxious for her to try it. All eyes were on her as she was about to take her first bite. Once she took her first bite there was silence. Everyone in the café waited eagerly for her reaction.

"It's good!" said Viola as she smiled sweetly then took another bite.

Everyone's hearts melted, including the Crown Prince's. She looked so cute as she ate. William then bought another dessert for her to try. It was a chocolate éclair. After finishing the mini strawberry shortcake Viola went on to his dessert. She also liked it. William smiled proudly. It seemed that he was competing with Alexander. Alexander had never seen him like that but had to admit he liked that side to him. Some of the other patrons bought desserts for Viola to try as well. They were both nobles and commoners. Alexander tried to reimburse the commoners but they refused. It was an honour for them to do something for a Blossom regardless of how small. The smile on Viola's face was enough repayment for them. Viola graciously accepted all the desserts. It was a mystery where she put all the food though. After leaving the café they noticed that a crowd was starting to form. Viola attracted their attention. For some, it was the first time they were ever seeing a Blossom. Many bowed to her out of respect. She played with some children on the way as well while they passed other shops and homes. She was like the sun, a bright light and everyone wanted to be within that warmth.

William decided on their next location. Their next stop was the archery range at the Briswold Academy. The Briswold Academy was an educational institution mainly for the children of nobles. Although Delima was in charge of teaching the children of the royal family magic, they also spent time in the kingdom's main school as well. It was located in the capital city, Vern. It would normally take half an hour to get there from their current vicinity but with Viola's ability they were able to get there in less than a second. William was a talented archer so Alexander wasn't surprised that he wanted to go there. As soon as they appeared they caught all the students' attention. At first the students crowded around the Crown prince and second prince, especially the female students. Once they saw Viola however, they went straight to her. Many male students even made love confessions. Viola was in the centre of all the confusion. William and Alexander knew they should do something but were both hesitant to try getting through the crowd. They were also feeling uneasy about the attention Viola was getting from the male students. Viola's actual age wasn't known but she looked to be around eighteen years old. The students were shouting from every direction, trying to get Viola's attention. She couldn't even hear herself think. William and Alexander decided it was time to do something. As they tried getting through the crowd the students suddenly went silent and froze in place. Once they got to Viola, she was on the ground barely conscious. Alexander rushed over to her in a panic and pulled her into his arms. Her eyes emitted a light glow before returning to normal. Alexander didn't notice. William was also worried about Viola but was distracted by the students. He poked the face of one of the students but there was no reaction. He was astounded by what he saw. All the students that surrounded Viola remained in the same position like statues. William looked at Viola, in awe of what she could do.

"What should we do?! She lost consciousness," said a frightened Alexander.

"Take her to the main temple, they should know what to do. I'll handle things here," advised William.

Alexander quickly picked Viola up and carried her in his arms. Luckily he was able to hire a carriage after leaving the school. He had the carriage driver take him to the main temple using the fastest route. He constantly checked Viola to see if there was any change to her condition but there was none.

The Head Priest Zaylin was in his office going over some documents for the temple.

"Have you heard any word of Head Priest Cruz?" asked Head Priest Zaylin.

"No sir, they still haven't found him. His wife is also missing," said a junior priest.

"Where could they be? *sigh* Keep investigating and keep it quiet. We can't have others finding out about this."

"Yes sir."

At the same time, Alexander burst through the doors of the main temple demanding to see Head Priest Zaylin. He was able to get to the main temple quickly thanks to the coach driver. He was sweating profusely. He looked around frantically. He didn't recognize any of the faces, they only seemed like figures in brown robes.

"Isn't that the Blossom?" asked one of the junior priests.

"It's Lady Viola! What have you done to her?!" asked another junior priest angrily.

"What's wrong with her? Is she okay?" asked a concerned junior priest.

The commotion drew a crowd in no time. There was a mix of emotions. Alexander was flustered. Each time he tried to move forward he was blocked by someone else.

"That's enough!" shouted Head Priest Zaylin. Although he was in his late sixties he was still imposing and commanded great authority.

The crowd quickly dispersed. Head Priest Zaylin rushed over to check Viola.

"How long has she been like this?" asked Head Priest Zaylin.

"I'm not sure… fifteen, maybe twenty minutes," said Alexander.

"Come with me."

Alexander followed Head Priest Zaylin to a room filled with various stones and crystals. Head Priest Zaylin had him place Viola on the ground. After he did so, Zaylin used a piece of chalk to draw various symbols around Viola. He then placed magic stones of the different natures around her along with a light and shadow stone. Afterwards he started to chant. The chant was spoken in a language unfamiliar to Alexander. The stones levitated and started to move in a circular motion around Viola. They all changed into a dust-like form then converged into one. It was then absorbed into Viola's body.

"She'll wake up soon," said Head Priest Zaylin.

"What was wrong with her?" asked Alexander.

"It seems something caused an imbalance in her magic which resulted in her losing consciousness due to the conflicting natures. She's fine now but what concerns me is how it happened."

"I have no idea what happened. She was fine one minute then unconscious the next."

Viola began to open her eyes. Alexander helped her to sit forward.

"How are you feeling Viola?" asked Head Priest Zaylin.

"I feel fine," said Viola.

"Do you know what caused you to lose consciousness?" asked Alexander.

"I felt… strange," said Viola.

Head Priest Zaylin and Alexander looked at each other with a troubled look but they decided not to press the issue. Alexander helped Viola onto a chair. He was relieved that she was alright. The Crown Prince arrived shortly after.

"How is she?" asked William.

"She's doing fine now thanks to Head Priest Zaylin," said Alexander as he assured William.

"That's good."

Alexander and William left the room to continue their conversation.

"Are the kids okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine. About ten minutes after you guys left they started to move again. They couldn't remember anything that happened though. To be on the safe side I had the school's physician examine them and they didn't detect anything strange,"

"That's a relief."

While they talked, Head Priest Zaylin kept Viola company.

"If you ever need anything, anything at all, please know that you can come to the temple. Whether it be me or anyone else from the temple, we would be honoured to serve you," said Head Priest Zaylin earnestly.

Viola could feel the sincerity in his words. Out of curiosity, she stroked his long beard. Zaylin laughed as she did. Aside from his beard he didn't have much hair on his head. He was practically bald. He was a bit on the heavy side and had kind eyes.

"If I need help, I'll come to you," said Viola.

Zaylin smiled.

They all left soon after to head back to the castle. They hired a coach to take them back. Although Viola was now fine they didn't want to take an unnecessary risk by having her use her magic so soon. Once they got to the castle they ensured Viola was in good hands with her maids then went their separate ways.

Despite all that had happened, at the end of the day the main topic of the kingdom was now the Blossom, Viola, and the strength of her alliance with the sons of the royal family. Zaylin ensured that what happened to Viola was concealed, no one would speak a word of it in the future.