Thief of Your Soul

Ch 5 Keith

He was going to have to return to the castle that night. He was angry about it, but conflicted as well. He hadn't imagined the prince to be so- so-

Infuriatingly handsome and strong and deep- He wasn't just some pretty little prince obeying the orders for the throne- he was different. He had a fire within him.

He also had a fire without- in the glowing scars that marred his face- no, not marred, that painted his face. He wasn't disfigured, he was beautiful, and Keith hated himself for thinking it. The last thing he needed was feeling and emotion to creep in and wreck his chance to take the crown.

The damned crown. He had searched what he could have of the room but couldn't find it, and the prince didn't give him any indication of where it was hidden, no jerking movements, no quick movement of his eyes. Keith hadn't had the time he needed and if he'd really been furious about it, the guards would have come in a lot sooner, possibly in the middle of them fighting.

Which was another thing that surprised him. The prince was strong. He knew he'd been to battle, but most of the time, the princes and higher lords were kept far from battle, going over strategy and making plans, but not this prince. The scars he bore showed his battle experience, and he could also feel it in his body as they fought move for move.

And his face... his thoughts kept coming back to his face. The scars... they were magic, he knew. He saw the same blue-green glow every time Shiro used his own magic, but he was able to hide it, all magic people were. There must be something different about the scars they leave. His lit the room more than two or three candles would have, and he was surprised he hadn't seen if from his perch down on the wall all his nights of watching the tower.

That was behind him now. Now, it was time to prepare for another trip, one where he was going to take the crown, no matter what.

*

"Shiro, how far does your magic go?" He asked as they were underground, watching the seedlings in their underground field.

"What do you mean? Like how far can I make it travel or how 'far' have I gone when using it?"

"I guess both." Shiro eyed him for a moment, obviously still on edge over their conversation from the day before about getting in trouble.

"Well, Dad taught me to have a certain level of respect for the magic. It's a gift but also very powerful. He didn't want me to do certain things, but since he's gone and I've gotten older and have a bit more respect for it, I've tried to take it where I couldn't before. Like- he said if someone is gravely injured, I shouldn't mess with them, just let the fates have them. I found a wounded doe some time back and- and I healed her, and she got up and ran off like she'd never been scratched."

"I didn't know you could do that." Keith was amazed.

"Dad was worried about me drawing too much attention or being disrespectful to the power of the magic and those who gave it to me."

"That makes sense, but it also makes sense that now that you're older and can understand the power behind it, you can push it. Have you ever tried like changing yourself? Like enhancing your strength or your eyesight? Oh, or invisibility, that would be cool," he added on. He tried to make it sound like he wasn't that interested, but the night before as he lay in his bed, he figured that would be a good way to get into the tower.

"I've tried with the strength. It worked a little, but I don't think I have the connection between the magic and my body down yet. Like, I know the magic is within me, but I can't seem to make it work on myself properly since I spent so long not using on myself, if that makes sense."