Freedom comes at a price and a young Earthal princess must live the life of somebody else, even if it means facing evil threats and impossible odds.
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As someone who craves freedom, Princess Clarabelle cannot just stand by and let her life be take...
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NOTHING COULD ever be more peaceful than a quiet afternoon. That was if one weren't bound by any responsibilities. All there was to do was to relax, the mind free of worry and concern.
Except that wasn't the case for Prince Emir at all.
Here he was at the Zephyrus' old greenhouse—abandoned for so long and never been reconstructed ever since Nivalon Empire went on a rampage. It was a mistake. Their internal conflict sent a massive storm, ravaging nearby lands and kingdoms. The only remnants of the greenhouse were just an elevated circular platform. Piles of small rubble strewn around it. And the trees were the only ones left standing as if they hadn't been ready to leave their soil.
Perched on a sturdy branch of a tree, leaning against its trunk, Emir would watch Anneliese get around her moon magic with the help of Elder Hayes. With the blanket of darkness smearing the glittering sky, the silver glisten of her power blended with the stars.
A week passed, and the rumors spread out like wildfire. The whispers around the academy had soon reached Zephyrus' higher court. And not soon after, the wind carried the news to the whole empire. It wouldn't be long until the whole of Hiestora knows. A hundred years later, another bearer of the moon magic had finally appeared.
It was not that they wanted it to be a secret. Soon, thereafter, everyone should know. But it would have been better if the students' hushes was controlled. Everyone was thrown off-guard. The princess they watched grow for seventeen years unexpectedly wielded a power that should have surfaced twelve years ago—the recorded age where the power should have manifested. Just like how it had been with the history of previous wielders.
Emir craned his body around, looking past the tree where he willed himself to lounge, into the towering castle which stood out like a giant decoration against the dark backdrop of the night sky. His eyes squinted, figuring out what those self-proclaimed scholars found out about Anneliese's late-blooming power. Their foreheads all scrunched, poring over books, throwing arguments toward each other, and in the end, would come up with nothing.
"Ahh!" A shriek echoed in the still night. Worry crawled up to the surface of his chest and he almost jumped off the tree. His instinct told him to go for her and see if she was hurt anywhere.
He gripped hard on the branch to anchor himself in place, holding back the temptation to cradle her in safety. Anneliese had fallen over the broken slab of concrete. She doubled over, clutching the side of her stomach where she might have been hit. Her face twisted in pain, biting her lip to reign back the sounds of her protest.
This unimaginable growing concern made Emir's flesh creep, frightened that this foreign feeling towards Anneliese would lead him to something he wouldn't have asked for.
Elder Hayes, clad in his white and gold-patterned robe, sauntered toward her in leisurely steps. His hands were folded behind him, sizing the princess with scrutinizing eyes.
