She is brave. She is strong. She is fearless. She is the Phoenix. The bravest and the most majestic birds of all. It fits her perfectly. A knight in shining armor with the power of fire flowing through her veins.
He is powerful. He is placid. He is...
I closed my eyes and concentrated on my aura. I reached out to it in my mind and willed it to clear. I opened my eyes to see my father, who was standing in front of me, smile proudly. That meant I had successfully opened my wings. I could feel them glowing with energy on my back. I concentrated on them again and retracted my wings.
"That was great Issy. You got it in the first try. You have officially reached the Aura Stage. I'm proud of you." He said, walking towards me and giving me a hug.
I grinned. "Thank you dad. Next stop: Immortal Stage."
He laughed. "Its good to be ambitious. But you need to rest your body. You just advanced into a new stage. Take the rest of the day off."
"Okay dad. As you wish. By the way, is there any news on Nick?"
His face turned grave. "No, there isn't any news on Nick yet. He just disappeared. The soldiers have come back, empty-handed. I'm afraid, he.."
"No. No. No, dad. That can't be possible." I said, trying hard to keep my voice from shaking.
He blew out a breath. "You needn't worry about that now. Your birthday is around the corner. Now, go back to your room and rest. I will send someone to your room with your gowns. Now, go. Its an order."
I reluctantly turned around and walked to my room. I could only think of Nick right now. There was no way he would be dead right? He couldn't be. I didn't believe it. I would find him, no matter what. Because that's what siblings do.
I sat down on my bed with a huff and looked around in my room. The walls of my room were shades of red, orange and yellow, but they were mostly covered with my paintings and sketches. My bed sat in the middle of the room with a desk on my right and a huge closet on my left. The door leading to my closet had a painting of the Phoenix. I had a bookshelf right beside it and another small cabinet right next to my desk where I stored my art supplies.
"Issy. You okay?" Amelia came in and closed the door behind her. She was about 5 feet 7 inches tall with yellow hair and brown eyes. She wore a pink dress with a sweetheart neckline. She was the Prime Minister's daughter and my childhood friend.
"No, Ams. I'm not. My dad thinks Nick might be dead." I complained. She sat down beside me and patted my shoulder.
"But you want to find him, don't you?"
"I do. I really do, but I don't want to go against my father."
"I know Issy. Now let that thought go. Your dresses are here. Your birthday is tomorrow. There are a lot of preparations to do. Can't let the birthday girl be sad." She stood up and clapped her hands. The doors opened and two maids came in carrying four dresses. They hung up the dresses on my dresser, bowed to me and exited.
Ams turned to me. "Now try these dresses on. If you don't like any of them, let me know. I'll send more okay?"
"I don't care about these dresses. Why can't I just wear jeans?"
She looked at me as if I had gone mad. "Its not formal, Issy. Besides, this is your chance to dress up. It only comes once a year."
"I don't like to dress up. It constricts my movements."
She shook her head at me. "That is because you never played with dolls or makeup when you were a child. You were always in the practice room or in your room, studying and practicing. Now please, try these on." She pleaded, making puppy dog eyes at me.
I sighed. "Fine. But you need to leave. I want to try these on alone."
"Fine, whatever pleases you. I'll leave." With that she left the room, closing the door behind her. I got up from my bed and ran my finger through the dresses. All of the dresses were different shades of red. My finger paused and hovered on a dress that caught my eye. It was a red ball gown with golden designs embroidered on it with a cape-like thing attached to the shoulders of the dress. I slipped out of my practice clothes and tried that dress on.
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I stood in front of my floor-length mirror and I was shocked to see how perfectly it fit me. I could find no excuse to get out of this dress. It was very comfortable.
There was a knock on my door. "Come in." I called out. My father entered the room and stopped for a second when he saw me. I smiled and did a quick 360 turn.
"How do I look dad?"
"Just like your mother." He breathed out. It was rare that he talked about mom, who had died when I was seven years old. "You know, she had a dress just like this. The only differences are that you are taller and have got my eyes." I chuckled at that.
"She would have been proud to see her daughter growing up to be so beautiful and strong. Oh right, I came here to give you this." He handed me a tiara. This tiara was one of a kind. It was a combination of red and gold with a ruby embedded in the middle. It was simple and elegant.
"It was your mother's tiara, passed down in her generation to daughters. In times of need, it will protect you."
I smiled and put it on. I looked into my mirror and it sat perfectly on my head, completing my outfit. I looked back at my father. "Thank you dad. I promise to treasure it with my life."
Hey guys. Back again with my new chaptee. Hope you like it. Don't forget to vote, comment and share. Until next time. Toodles.
