The Beasts Within Us

I Won't Let You Trap Him...

Azainnea's POV

The sheets here are silk. Black silk sheets. Who knew how much they'd cost? But I'm not surprised considering the fact that the DeLoera Kingdom is the richest out of the four Kingdoms. Back home, our sheets were satin. Cheaper but just as comfortable. 

Snuggling down further into the soft material, I imagine what Xulio is doing right now. Is he also curled up in his blankets sleeping? Is he thinking about what I said out in the yard? Is he thinking about me in genera?

I hope so.

I'm thinking about him.

About what he smelt like while we were sitting so close. He smelt fresh. Like a herb garden. With a touch of burn, like a candle that's just been snuffed. I never thought I would love the scent of a burnt candle, but, coming from him, it's the most amazing scent in the world. 

When falling asleep fails, I give up and instead decide to roam the palace.

I can't do it in person of course, but I've been training for years to infuse my...essence - for lack of a better word - with the water in the air around me. The funny thing about water is that it is everywhere; in our bodies, in the air, in the ground beneath our feet. I can - in a sense - become a part of it and listen in on conversations, watch every move someone makes and not be seen the whole time.

I haven't told anybody but my family about this ability of mine and it seems like the past Hippocampus Anibrares were smart enough not to tell anyone either. Something tells me they had a reason for that.

Shutting my eyes, I let my body go. I merge with the air around me, taking deep breaths until, finally, I feel the light feeling of being free of my physical body. Opening my eyes, everything has taken on a blue hue. I can feel vibrations running through the air. Bodies of water bustling back and forth through the palace, getting ready for bed.

Exiting through my door I wait listening intently, waiting to feel the vibrations. I can hear raised voices, feel them bouncing off the walls. I float down the hallway, making twist and turns. Following the voices and vibrations.

"I heard what happed today." I hear a voice say. It's Prince Xulios' mother. "You're pushing him to hard  Akui! He feels guilty as it is!"

"That name," Corallia - my Hippocampus - says, " it means evil, spite or malice. In some cultures, it's traditional to give a baby an ugly, evil or scary name so that they are not taken away by evil spirits. They're supposed to get a proper name when the come of age but it seems as if he kept it."

"Why would he keep it?" I whisper. Peeking into the room I see the queen standing while the king leans back in his chair.

"I don't think the evil spirits ever left him" Corallia replies.

"It was an accident, Aku!"

"An accident that nearly cost me an entire kingdom, Astraia!" He slams his fist on the desk. The queen does not flinch. 

"What do you mean?" She asks wearily. The king sighs, getting to his feet and walking around the desk to lean on the other side. 

"Xulio's marriage will forge an alliance with one of the other kingdoms, but there will still be the threat of the other two. If Xulio's 'mistake' had succeeded in killing Euriga, she would not have been able to marry one of the sons of our neighboring kingdoms to form another alliance." He smiles to himself. "I would have far more reach and power then I do now."