Malion: Up In Flames

Power's Coarse

When I awoke the next morning, stretching out with a long, groggy groan, I rolled out of bed and summoned my wings to stretch them. Elliott groaned while reaching out for me. I leaned on the bed and ran my hands along his cheeks and through his messy hair, leaning in to kiss his forehead.

"Come back." He muttered, half asleep.

"I'm right here, Lethallin." I said softly. He grabbed onto my arm gently and pulled me closer.

"Fine. You're such a sleepy little prince." I giggled and shuffled closer, back into his warm embrace.

"My Princess! My Prince! It's time to get up, my majesties!" The high pitched voice of the Soulwraith sounded in the room about an hour after I had gotten up. It roused me from my drowsy hypnagogic state. Elliott was last to rise from the comfort of the countless blankets and pillows.

"Good morning, Edea. How are you doing?" I asked her. She stammered a few versions of "good" and "I'm fine" before regaining her composure and sent several blue orbs into the room. They all pulled the curtains back, helped both Elliott and I out of bed and made it right after, opened the closet doors and presented us with multiple outfits. Her voice resonated from all orbs at once.

"Well, my lovely lord and lady, what do you deem fit for today?" I giggled. Her face was stoic and her eyes glowed the same blue as the orbs.

"I think I'll go with something a bit more extravagant today. How about that golden dress?" The orbs around the floor-length dress I had chosen trembled as an excited giggle resonated from them. Elliott looked at me and grinned.

"I think this one is best." He said, pointing at an entire outfit completely laden with gold.

"Don't be ridiculous!" I burst out into laughter.

"What? I think I deserve to look like a God with all of this at my disposal. Besides, you are my goddess and I'd like to live up to those standards." He said with a broad grin on his face. I rolled my eyes.

"Then I'll go with this one instead." I said and pointed at a black mid-shin-length skirt with a gorgeous silk blouse.

"You are still my goddess no matter what you look like, Decoda." He told me softly.

"Shut up!" I laughed, "I love you too, my dear."

When Edea left the room, my dad entered and looked at us.

"There is no way you are leaving this room looking like that. Of all days, deffinetly not today." He paused at our confused glances.

"Edea! We're not done here!" He called her back and her orbs surrounded him while her empty looking, grey body crept back into the room, staring forward with her big glowing eyes.

"Please get the special dress. Have you forgotten what day it is?" He asked to the charter of the orbs that rushed into the closet and appeared with a set of clothes that were grand, extravagant and absolutely gorgeous.

"Are you serious? This is what I need to wear today?" I asked, looking over at an overexcited and grinning Elliott.

"This is so much better than the golden suit." He huffed, rocking on the balls of his feet.

When we were dressed, I emerged to see both my parents in the room.

"Do you know about the Recalls?" My mom asked only to recieve a shaking head from me and a sigh from her husband.

"Alright. So basically, your father and your brother will give you as much of their power as they can, and as long as this is the first time they have both done it at the same time while you are wearing the crown, you'll run through all of your memories again while projecting it into the minds of your citizens. You can withhold as many memories as you deem necessary, like private talks and... private..."

"I get it. I understand." I cut her off.

"Basically, I need to see how you'll respond to recieving more power than you're used to. Baron and I are very powerful members of this family. You'll need to withstand mine well to achieve perfect projection with his added. Understand?" I nodded hesitantly and stepped forward. He laid both his hands on my shoulders and closed his eyes.

"Heads up. This is going to hurt fairly badly and it's alright if you scream at the coronation. It's a normal response." He said, transforming into his Beneathean form. His horns were small little cones that stuck above his black hair. His teeth were massive and deep royal blue markings that looked like mine decorated his face. Wings much bigger than mine spread behind him. The bright blue of his irises stood out against the deep navy that replaced the white. With a nod from him, I transformed, unfolding my wings. I braced myself and heald my breath just before he spoke.

"I lend you my power, Daughter." He said.

"I accept." I said suddenly without needing to think. Every single inch of my body burned and I let out a stifled scream that only got louder. All I saw was a strange turquoise colour. Suddenly my dad's scream dueted with mine. When the light cleared, he gripped my shoulders hard enough to make them ache. His wings had shriveled up into spindly coal structures that fell apart as he folded them together. His head hung low and when he looked up at me, his eyes were a very pale blue. He stumbled into me.

"Dad? What did you do? Are you ok? What did this do to you?" I stuttered.

"You're deffinetly strong enough to take all of that power at once." He whispered. I helped him onto his knees and sat him down.

"How do I give it back? You look like you're gonna die!" I urged. He smiled.

"Remember what I said when I transfered my magic to you?" I nodded and gripped his shoulders.

"I lend you my power, Father." I said, preparing for pain, but nothing happened. A faint giggle left him.

"You didn't let me finish. Love? Could you tell her? You know I can't say it like this." He said to my mom.

"Try 'I relinquish your power, Father.'" She said. I nodded and turned my gaze to him, who slimed patiently.

"I relinquish your power, Father." I announced and watched his eyes glow his usual blue and his magic swirling from my back over my shoulders and around my arms. When it reached him, I screamed as the spot in my back felt like it was being stabbed and the stabbing spread.

Soon, all of the pain left me and tiredness swept over me suddenly. Dad looked a lot better and he transformed back into his Gaian form. I let my head droop and caught my breath.

"You are a lot stronger than I expected. It makes me unbelievably proud, my love." He said and pulled me into a hug.

"You can give your power to your soulmates as well. Elliott, and anyone else you share your soul with will be able to accept part of your magic. I've saved Elly a lot of times using that little trick. She nearly died in that fire, you know? You can save your soulmates like that. Don't pass up an opportunity like that, ok?" He said, looking me in the eyes. I nodded, looking back at Elliott in his royal garb and getting a smile from him.

"I'm ready. I don't want Maraline to rule anymore. I want to save this Kingdom. My Kingdom."

While the guests trickled and then flowed into the throne room and more into the courtyard below, where the sorcerer would project the ceremony and my memories into the minds of the citizens, I sat behind the throne, concealed by a curtain. Elliott held onto my trembling hands as I spiraled into anxious thought.

"Decoda, listen to me. You'll be alright. You'll be ok. I will be your King. I will be there for you along every single step of the way. You're not alone. You'll never be alone in this. If you need support, if you can't stand after the recall, I'll make it seem like you can. I'll be there to keep you strong when it's most important and even when it's not. Please, my Lethallin... look at me. You'll be alright." He said softly, gently taking my face into his hands. I took a slow deep breath and looked into his eyes.

"For the Kingdom." I said with a new determination in my voice.

"For the Kingdom."