Elianna was pale-faced as she remained motionlessly still. Her celestial blue eyes were the size of moons and locked on the sword pointed directly at her sternum. Her stomach dropped in an instant, with fear and uncertainty washing over her constantly like a tide hitting a mountain shore. Her fear-filled eyes slowly traced up the blade of the sword, making their way to the hilt before settling on the large muscular figure pointing the sword at her chest.

  Feelings of confusion mixed with her uncertainty as she did not recognize the male. Behind him, Elianna noticed several other figures standing still, also glaring at Elianna, with weapons in their hands. Looking over the figures, she noticed how they were all wearing black and blue sleeveless armor. The armor had a black over-blue torso, with black arm coverings that started at the wrist and went up to the mid-bicep, covered by blue vambraces and blue bicep cuffs. Their pants were black, which were complimented by their blue armored boots.

  Looking back at the figure before her who had the sword pointed at her, Elianna observed his stern expression as he glared at her.

  With a voice that was low and harsh, the figure before her spoke, "You dare approach us from a secret entrance? Identify yourself, now."

  Elianna flinched at the man's tone, and her body began to shake in terror. She had swords pointed at her in the past, but only during training and from people she'd known. Elianna's mouth opened and closed, and stuttering sounds came out. She was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say.

  Suddenly, the man's gaze snapped to behind her, and the others behind him followed his gaze, growing tense in an instant. Elianna started as she felt someone grab her by the shoulders, and she yelped as they spun her around. Elianna stumbled, almost losing her footing and falling to the ground before she managed to regain her balance.

  Elianna's head snapped toward the man, not knowing what had just transpired, and her eyes widened. The fear she felt just moments ago grew substantially as her eyes fell on Nicholas, who was now standing between her and the man, with his arms splayed.

  Thoughts of Nicholas being injured flooded her mind, terrifying her more. She couldn't explain it, but thinking of Nicholas being injured scared her more than being injured herself. She reached out, and was about to call out to him to run.

  "Enough!" Nicholas snapped, his tone severe and unrelenting.

  Elianna flinched at the tone of Nicholas' voice, and she stared at him in surprise. Of all the years Elianna had known Nicholas, she had never heard him speak in such a manner. She eyed him, unable to see his face, but she could see how tense he was.

  The man holding the sword narrowed his gaze on Nicholas, speaking darkly, "Excuse me?"

  "I said," Nicholas began, his tone commanding and cold. "Enough." His head looked to the left and right, scanning over the individuals before him. "All of you, put away your blades. Now."

  "I don't know who you think you are," The man began, his tone tight, as he glared at Nicholas. "But you better choose your next words carefully, boy."

  Seeing things were going downhill rapidly and not wanting Nicholas to get injured, Elianna shakily reached out to him, "N-Nick."

  The man's eyes flicked to Elianna and narrowed slightly, "Nick?" He looked back at Nicholas and seemed to stare at him for a moment. Slowly, his eyes began to widen, with his grip on his sword loosening, and his eyes looked him up and down. "I-It can't be..." He took a step back, his face paling, "P-Prince Nicholas?!"

  Nicholas flinched at the man's words, but his body remained rigid.

  The other individuals standing behind the man lowered their weapons, with looks of shock and surprise growing on their facial features. One of the individuals, a young female, stepped forward and said, "I-Is that really you, Your Highness?"

  "P-Prince?" Elianna whispered, her confusion growing, looking at the scene before her in disbelief.

  Nicholas flinched, and he slowly looked over his shoulder at Elianna. When his and Elianna's gaze met, he could see the confusion in her eyes, and his eyes fell, and his stomach dropped. He let out a sigh before looking back at the individuals before him.

  "I told you to put away your blades!" Nicholas yelled, his voice full of irritation.

  The individuals flinched before the one in front nodded, "As you command, Your Highness." The man in front stored his sword in his spatial ring, and the others behind him followed suit.

  Nicholas relaxed a little, seeing the weapons were put away, and lowered his arms to his sides.

  "Your Highness?" Elianna whispered again in bewilderment.

  The relaxing sensation Nicholas just felt evaporated in an instant, hearing Elianna's voice behind him. His gaze fell, and his head lowered, refusing to look back at her.

  "I-I think you're making a mistake," Elianna stuttered, looking at the individuals as she slowly shook her head, completely perplexed. "Nick isn't a prince," Elianna lightly chuckled, with her stomach dropping and heart racing. Her eyes flicked to Nicholas, "R-right, Nick?"

  Elianna stared at Nicholas as his back remained to her with his head down. Her brows furrowed incredulously as she looked Nicholas up and down. She slowly shook her head, replaying what just happened in her mind. She refused to believe it... she couldn't. After all, if Nicholas were a prince, she thought he would've told her... wouldn't he?

  "Nick?" Elianna whispered when he didn't respond.

  The individuals standing before them looked between Nicholas and Elianna while sharing awkward glances with each other.

  Slowly, Nicholas turned and looked up at Elianna. Elianna's stomach dropped as his sea-green eyes locked with hers, filled with sympathy and regret. As soon as she saw his eyes, she knew the truth, and he didn't need to say anything.

  Nicholas' lips opened and closed for a moment, like he didn't know what to say, before he whispered, "Lia..."

  "A fine display of authority," A voice boomed in the hallway.

  Nicholas' eyes widened, and he tensed in an instant. His face seemed to pale, his lips tightened, and he shook a little.

  Elianna's brows furrowed on Nicholas, wondering why he was reacting in such a way. Even though she did feel hurt at the lie of omission she had just discovered, she still felt worried for Nicholas.

  Elianna looked up, seeing as the individuals in the blue and black armor parted ways, standing on either side of the hallway. Her eyes flicked to the end of the path they had just created and settled on a tall male individual who stood poised and elegant, with his hands clasped to the small of his back. Behind the man stood two individuals in blue and black mage apparel, which consisted of a black top with blue trim and blue cufflinks, a blue belt, black leather pauldrons with gold trim and two blue gems, black leather boots with gold trim, and an elegant blue cape.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  Elianna looked the man up and down, seeing he was tall with sharp facial features, medium-length red hair, a red beard, and dark blue eyes. He looked refined as he stood there, adorned in elegant apparel that consisted of a white button-up shirt, black pants, a red and blue blazer, and a vest with golden trim, golden epaulets, and golden medals pinned on the left side of his blazer. However, the most notable feature about him was the golden crown, which was situated atop his head.

  "So," the man began and started to walk toward Nicholas gracefully.

  Nicholas slowly turned to face the male, keeping his head up but his gaze downcast.

  Elianna's eyes darted between the male and Nicholas, not knowing what was going on.

  The man stopped, standing in front of Nicholas, looking at him with a blank expression. "It seems you do have it in you to command after all."

  Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas' hands, watching as they balled into fists.

  Nicholas' eyes flicked up, meeting the man's gaze, and he spoke flatly, "I'm glad I could meet your expectations." Nicholas' eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "Father."

  Elianna's eyes widened in shock as she stood there, stunned. She looked at Nicholas' father more closely now, with her eyes slowly looking him up and down. She could see somewhat of a resemblance in their facial features, but their hair and eyes were different. But then, it suddenly clicked. Her eyes flicked to the man's crown, realizing that if Nicholas truly were the prince, then his father would be... the king.

  Elianna suddenly felt weird, not knowing how to act. Sure, she had been around Raina enough, but she knew Raina. This was someone she didn't know, and he ran an entire kingdom. She didn't know if she was supposed to kneel, bow, or if she was even supposed to do anything.

  The king stood there with a blank expression, staring at Nicholas. He sighed and spoke flatly, "My expectations were for you never to have left Zasaly in the first place."

  Nicholas flinched, and his eyes fell.

  "Do not drop your eyes when one is speaking to you, Nicholas," The king said sternly.

  Nicholas sighed and looked up, meeting his father's gaze once more, "Yes, Your Majesty."

  The king's eyes narrowed slightly, "We do not address each other by our titles. We are royalty and family, Nicholas." He scoffed and shook his head, "It seems your time away has allowed you to forget how to act in according to your position. I knew listening to my sister and allowing you to come here was a bad idea."

  Nicholas' face contorted, looking angry. "No, it wasn't," Nicholas spat, and the king's brows rose, looking surprised. "It was one of the best things to happen," Nicholas continued, looking at his father defiantly. "She's helping me become a great mage, and I've learned a lot."

  "A great mage?" The king scoffed. "You're more than just a mage, Nicholas." The king glared at Nicholas, "You're my son and a prince of Gavaria. You are more than just waving wands and casting spells."

  Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas' fists, seeing them shake and gripped tightly. She grew concerned for Nicholas, seeing he was becoming upset. Anger began to boil inside Elianna, hating how Nicholas' father was speaking to him, and her narrowed eyes flicked to the king.

  "It's what I want," Nicholas argued, his voice tight.

  "It doesn't matter what you want. You're more than this," The king snapped back.

  Nicholas looked to the side, his lips pressed tightly together, feeling an overwhelming wave of emotions.

  Elianna's eyes widened, and her heart cracked seeing Nicholas' watery gaze as he looked to the side. Fury built up inside her, seeing how upset Nicholas had become.

  The king sighed and shook his head, "When will you give up this foolish idea of being a mage and come home?"

  "Don't speak to him like that!" Elianna yelled, her anger boiling over.

  The king and Nicholas' heads snapped to her with looks of surprise. However, Nicholas' expression also had a mix of worry. Elianna stomped over and stood beside Nicholas, glaring at the king directly into his eyes. King or not, she didn't care. No one was going to upset Nicholas in front of her.

  "Nicholas is a great mage!" Elianna snapped, her loud voice echoing down the hall.

  One of the mages standing behind the king began to move around the king toward Elianna. However, the king raised his hand, stopping the mage as he eyed Elianna with an unreadable gaze.

  "You have no right to belittle him like that!" Elianna continued. "I don't care if you're his father, a king, or whatever!" Elianna huffed as she crossed her arms, glaring intently at the king.

  The hallway grew immensely quiet, with the Gavarian guards looking at Elianna in surprise. Even Nicholas looked surprised and worried, with his eyes flicking between his father and Elianna, not knowing how his father would react to being spoken in such a way. However, the king said nothing as his unreadable gaze looked Elianna up and down.

  "William!"

  The king twirled around, and everyone looked toward the voice. Stomping toward them was Freya, with a stern look, as she marched toward her brother, looking like a mother bear about to protect her cub. Behind her were Celine and Katarina, who were quickly following her.

  "That's enough!" Freya barked as she walked around William and approached Nicholas. The moment her eyes fell on Nicholas, her gaze turned concerned, seeing his watery gaze and strained expression. She placed her hand reassuringly on his shoulder before looking at her daughter, "Celine. Can you please take Nicholas outside to the carriage? I'll be there momentarily."

  William narrowed his eyes on Freya, "I'm not done speaking with my son."

  Freya glared at her brother, "Yes. You are." She looked at Nicholas with a softened gaze, "Go with Celine, Sweetheart."

  "Elianna," Katarina began, her eyes awkwardly darting between Freya and William. "You come too."

  Nicholas and Elianna nodded before walking around William. Nicholas kept his head down, with his watery gaze locked on the floor as he approached Celine.

  Elianna eyed Nicholas worriedly, seeing how upset he was.

  William narrowed his eyes on Freya before he turned and watched his son walk off.

  Celine gave Nicholas a small sympathetic smile as he approached her. She reassuringly wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and they began to leave the area.

  Elianna approached her mom, watching as Celine and Nicholas walked off. Her brows furrowed with worry, and she called out, "Nick?"

  Nicholas did answer, and his head lowered as Celine held him closer. Elianna's heart cracked, seeing how he looked almost miserable. She wanted to call out to him again, wanted to comfort him.

  "Let him go, Sweetheart," Katarina advised. Elianna looked at her mom, seeing she was looking at Nicholas with a saddened gaze. Katarina sighed as she looked at Elianna, "Nicholas just needs some time alone right now."

  "But—"

  "Come on," Katarina began and spared one more glance toward Freya and William. Freya gave Katarina a nod, and Katarina returned her nod before gently placing her hand on Elianna's shoulder. "You're father's going to meet us at Raina's office."

  Elianna dejectedly nodded, watching as Nicholas and Celine walked around the corner, out of sight. "Okay."

  Freya and William watched Katarina and Elianna as they began to walk away. The moment they turned the corner and were out of sight, Freya glared at William, "You seriously can't go a minute without making Nicholas feel horrible, can you? What are you even doing here?"

  William continued to stare at the end of the hall, "Tri-Union City wasn't the only place attacked. Attacks occurred in all the kingdom's capitals. Raina has called for a council meeting with the monarchs."

  Freya's eyes widened in surprise, "What? The attacks were coordinated across the continent? How much damage did Zasaly sustain? What about casualties? Are the other cities okay?"

  "He's grown up," William whispered, looking down the hallway.

  Freya's brows furrowed as that was the last thing she expected him to say, "Huh?"

  "I didn't expect him to be in such outstanding physical shape," William continued before looking at Freya. "I looked at his core. He's at the bottleneck of the second circle."

  Freya looked at William, confused, before nodding, "He is. He's been doing incredibly well during his training. He's very receptive and thoroughly enjoys learning magic."

  William's eyes fell, and a small smile graced his lips as he chuckled softly, "Just like his mother."

  Freya's eyes softened, and she sighed, "Oh, little brother." She shook her head, "I don't understand you. Why do you have to speak to him like that?"

  William was silent before he said, "Keep an eye on him, Sister." He turned to leave, and the guards turned to follow him. He began to make his way down the hallway when he suddenly stopped. He turned and looked at Freya with a curious gaze, "One more thing. The girl. The one who came to my son's defense. What's her name?"

  Freya's brows furrowed in confusion, "Why?"

  "Just wondering."

  Freya looked her brother up and down, not seeing any nefarious intentions. She replied, "Elianna Vail."

  William's brows rose in surprise, "Vail? Like Lucian Vail? The White Wolf?"

  Freya nodded, "She is his daughter. Nicholas and her are close friends."

  A small smile tugged at William's lips before he turned and began to walk away, "Good to know."