Salt Water

Niao

Leith pov.

After I closed her door I entered the hallway. Lost in thought I made my way towards my lab. Vern is an unusual name, even for a human...

I wonder what I did wrong while making the potion. I might have mixed up aurusweed and potentionweed causing an overdoses of chloroplasts, but that can't have had such a major effect on the potion. Maybe if I...

"Hey bro!"
I looked up to see Niao (second inline to the trone) making his way towards me.
"I haven't seen you in ages! Where have you been?" He said giving me a smack on my schoulder.
"Well you know me. Been here and there doing a bit of researching on plants." I answered which was true, I just hadn't been doing it the whole time.
"Besides" I added "we saw each other only yesterday. On the contrary to Muriel. " Trying to change the subject
"I haven't seen him in days. What's he up to?"
"Boring stuff, just like you and dad" He grinned. "I guess it runs in the family. Glad that I didn't get that gen."
"You don't say! I always thought you were adopted!" I teased him.
He laughed. "Bro I'm wayyyyyy to cool for this family."
"Sure." I said. "Hey, I have to get going. Got some catalysing to do."
"Man, you should get your head out of the books and live a little. No one asks you to be so.....this." He said gesturing at all of me.
"Let Muriel study. He's the future king. We on the contrary can do anything we want."
"Exactly and I want to end this conservation now. So bye." I said with a smile and swam of to my lab to do some serious studying.

Next mourning.
I had been searching for a solution all night. Reading every book on magic, chemistry and alchemists that I had. Only to end up falling asleep on my desk. Right now I was on the way to Vern with some breakfast. I just hoped she stayed in her room like I told her to. If someone discovered her I'd get into serious trouble. There is a law that forbids potions like the one I made. I would have gotten away with it if the potion had just done its job. A sigh escaped my mouth. It's only a matter of time before she's discovered. Niao is likely to find her first. He has a nose for secrets. Not because he wants to know them, he just enjoys the thrill of discovering a secret bit by bit. Its a good thing that he won't be our next king, the pressure would kill his funside.

I knocked on Verns door.
"Come in." She answered.
I opened the door and found her sitting on the windowsill staring at the outside world. It's the first time I really looked at her. She had dark brown hair and green eyes surrounded by a ring of brown. Her tail resembles her eyes and goes from green to brown with here and there a spec of silver. It suited her beautifully.
"I brought you some breakfast."
She shifted her gaze from the garden to me. She smiled.
"Thanks, I'm quite hungry. Did you sleep well?" She asked but in her eyes I saw another unspoken question, one she was too afraid to ask. I'll give you a hint; it contains the word antidote.