Chapter Three

I shake the thoughts from my head as I emerge from my bedroom for the first time since I could remember. Purple wallpaper with golden silhouettes of horses- Aegia's national animal- lines the walls, while golden scone lights line both sides of the hallway I find myself in.

I look down the hall to my right first. I can see the beginning of the staircase leading downstairs, along with a closed black door with a small golden horse head atop the doorframe, indicating the room beyond probably belonged to the king and queen.

I turn my head to look down the left side of the hall. And right there, the first thing my eyes see, is a crimson red door, just slightly open. I look to my right side and listen for any footsteps or sounds alerting me to another person's presence near mine and fail to hear anything, so I begin to walk towards the crimson door.

I quickly glide across the floor and enter the black expanse, careful to close the door once I enter. I let my hand brush the walls near the door for any switch to turn on a light, but don't feel anything.

Where am I? This wasn't a bedroom; it was far too small. Was it a closet? Why would there be a closet at the end of a hallway, and what would be inside it? Surely more than just clothes, right?

I let my hand brush the black metal handle of the door, and pull on it, but I am unable to open the door. I know the effect of the food Ludwig gave me has not yet worn away, as my hand or arm does not tremble at the force I am using on the handle.

I turn back around and face the darkness before me, and see a faint white light at the very end of the room. My eyes trained on the light, I walk forward, brushing up dust from the floor into the surrounding air with every step.

My eyes are finally able to make out the object surrounded by the glowing light.

It is a staff.

The wood is smooth and white, with a shallow indent that creates a spiral from the bottom of the staff to the tip. The tip of the staff is decorated with a beautiful shining white crystal that appears to float on its own, defying gravity.

I kneel down in front of the staff, which is laying against a mirror. I stare at my reflection, able to pick out my white hair and green eyes that Miss Kali always said reminded her of the trees in the castle's large courtyard.

I feel my hand touch the staff, and the person in the mirror is no longer myself. Instead, it is a boy slightly younger than I, possessing black hair and hazel eyes. He is looking straight at me, his lips curved upward in a warm smile, his gaze soft. And when he speaks to me, his voice is gentle and child-like, though it has a slight echo, as if he is a ghost.

"Theo Veles, Crown Prince of Luimesha. I am Aziel Kane, Crown Prince of Aegia."

The crown prince of Aegia!? There was someone besides me? Where has he been? Was he trapped inside the mirror? Did I need to free him? How could I free him?

"Crown Prince of Aegia? But, aren't I...?"

"I am no longer alive. My spirit and the magical power I held reside in the staff that is in your hand. Please, use it for nothing but good. If you use it for evil, I fear you may not live to see Luimesha under your rule. Ki will be joining you, too. I will be watching you, Theo. May Reivan forever protect you."

The boy's reflection in the mirror is now mine. My hand is tight around the staff, and the faint light from the object has faded, the glow of the crystal remaining the only source of comfort in the darkness around me.

I stand up, the staff in both of my hands, and walk towards the crimson door, slightly open again, as I think about what I just saw and heard. Aziel Kane was the Crown Prince of Aegia? The rightful prince, a boy who died while he was still young, and yet not poisoned or lied to? Did the king and queen within this castle love him like my parents in Luimesha must have when I was born?

What happened to me? I don't remember my parents' faces, the castle, or any detail about Luimesha. All I can recall is my bedroom in this castle. The room I find myself currently in.

Pain courses throughout my entire body, prompting me to drop the staff and hear it hit the light hardwood floor of my room. Panicked at the rather loud sound it created, I kneel on the ground and push it underneath my bed, making sure it is hidden from sight before crawling across the floor and gripping onto the comforter just as the door to my room opens.

"My lord, are you alright? Why are you on the floor? Did your strength leave you that quickly? Would you like me to help you back into bed, my lord?" Miss Kali's concerned voice hits my ears, and I nod my head, coming to the conclusion that the effects of the food did, in fact, wear off several seconds ago.

But I was able to grab a staff assumably belonging to the previous (and rightful) Crown Prince of Aegia with just enough time to hide it from sight, so I guess I was thankful for that. Hopefully, Ludwig was truthful about its ability to ward off hunger. Ever since he told me that Gho berries were poisonous, I didn't want to eat anything I was served, not even if it was my favorite meal.

I feel Miss Kali help me up into a standing position and then into my bed, where I surrender my body into the same laying position it has remained in for most of my life. The covers of the bed cover my frail body, and I look over at the window where Ludwig appeared last night.

He would be there again soon. And this time it would be to get me out of the castle and ever so closer to Luimesha and the truths about my life that I now desired more than ever.

Miss Kali says a few more words to me that I do not bother listening to, my mind completely set on tonight, already planning my escape and what may possibly lay beyond the walls of this castle I have been confined within.

But her last four words before she leaves me alone in my room ring in my head before I allow physical exhaustion to take over my body again.

"I'm sorry, my lord."

Tapping on my window wakes me up. My room is dark, and as soon as I open my eyes, I can see Ludwig's face on the outside of the window. I throw back my covers and resist making a sound of pain from the sudden movement I put my weak arms through.

My eyes quickly catch the flickering flame of a candle on a silver tray, illuminating a small chocolate cake. But I tear my gaze away and push my trembling body up from the edge of my bed, and stumble towards the window, repeating the same process I did twenty-four hours ago to let him in.

This time, when Ludwig enters my room, he holds the end of a rope, its thickness able to hold somebody of his size, but is thin enough to be cut swiftly if someone unwelcome were to climb upward using it.

"Hey, Theo! Did that little dessert work wonders for you like I said it would?" Ludwig greets me with a smile as he begins to tie the rope around the leg of my bed closest to the window.

"Yes, it did. Th-thank you so much...for your help..." I watch as the spy checks the strength of the knot he has made by disappearing over the side of the castle for a second before reappearing with a nod of his head.

"Aw, you don't need to thank me. I'm just doin' my job, nothing more!" Ludwig dusts off his outfit, which are the same molted grays I swore he wore last night (but why do I care), before gesturing me over to the open window.

"Alright, it's ready! Just grab onto that rope and begin your descent down after I go. I'll be there to catch you in case your grip slips, 'kay?" Ludwig exits my bedroom through the window and doesn't start his descent until I nod.

I take a step towards the window before I remember the white staff. I rush over to the location where I hid the staff and reach under my bed, relieved when I feel the cool smooth wood touch my fingers.

I grip the staff and drag it out from under my bed, just as the door to my bedroom opens. I have just enough time to turn around to see a figure, cloaked in black and crimson, holding a dagger in their hand before I scramble up and make a break for the window.

Unfortunately, I trip and fall, but still grip the staff in my hand, which I use to block the dagger from descending upon my body as the assassin leaps onto me, poised to strike. My breaths are heavy and ragged as my arms and fingers tremble while I begin the desperate fight to save my life.

I will not die tonight. I must return home.

The figure utters four familiar words, and my whole body freezes.

"I'm sorry, my lord."

In response, I can only whisper my assassin's name.

"Miss Kali?"