Sophii's POV:
Ugh, Marshall's looking at Addison weird again!
I know they're friends, but that phoenix guy does NOT have the capability to pull a ten like her.
Either that or I was just being delusional, as Edward always says to me.
I didn't plan to eat the rest of my food because of that moment.
Back at the Horizon Library, I was discussing some random topics with the prince himself, sitting below the Weeping Willow's platform in the clearing of bean bags.
I dubbed that place the Peeping Pillow Fort as a joke, but he found it funny, so we kept the name.
"Did you see how he was looking at her on the walk back?" I groaned, crossing my paws. "He just seemed all flustered for some reason. What's up with that?"
"You're just being paranoid," Edward sighed, twisting his back to crack his spine. "Marsh and Addi are just really close, that's all. You gotta understand that."
"I'm not even gonna get STARTED on Tia and your dad," I shuddered, my hackles raised along my spine. "Imagine she gets promoted to be the next queen of Northwynd."
"Ew." The prince recoiled at the thought. "Never speak again, Sophii. Your thoughts should never be voiced!"
"Meow," I grinned, flicking my tail at him. "But yeah, really! Romance nowadays is all the rage, can't you tell?"
"That's a peer pressure problem and I'm not gonna deal with it." He huffed, crossing his arms. "Could we talk about something else? This topic isn't necessarily my favorite..."
"Says the person who has at least two or three of his knights on their knees for him." I countered, successfully getting his face to turn red. "You're pulling a Marshall and you don't even know it."
"Stop talking!" Edward squeaked, shoving his flustered face into a beanbag. "You're not funny!"
"I so am," I argued, batting at the tiny golden crown that sat upon his head. "You're laughing, aren't you? I should totally be a stand-up comedian."
"There is no laughing matter right now!" Addison's voice urgently called from above us from the Weeping Willow platform. "I just received a letter via one of Baywharf's messenger seagulls, you guys need to see this..."
It was unusual for the librarian to be so serious in a time of peace like this. "What happened?"
"Just c'mere and look!" She breathed, waving a dented-up scroll over the edge of the marble guard railing. "It's bad, like, really bad."
Edward looked up from his beanbag, leaping onto his feet and nearly hitting his head against the trunk of the willow tree. "Bad news with good news or just bad news?"
"Depends, it's probably the second option." I meowed, arching my back in a brief stretch. "Race you up, last one there's a-"
Before I could stop him, the prince bolted up the spiral staircase, laughing as we ran.
I took that as a challenge.
Luckily, with a few quick leaps, I was up at the platform at least thirty seconds before he came.
Thirty seconds to see Addison... Shaking.
"No, no, no no no." She breathed, the scroll unraveled in her hands. "This isn't happening, is it?"
"What's up?" Edward asked, catching his breath and panting heavily. "Jeez, Sophii, you're awfully fast..."
"It's from Everhallow," The librarian shuddered, the paper trembling in her grip. "Pyronica, Spiritvale, Birchshire, and Baywharf are all being held under siege. King Lance and Queen Xera claimed all of the land as Everhallow territory..."
Spiritvale... My home! "How did they do that?"
"I... I don't know." Addison sighed, her eyes widened in disbelief. "Rumors are going around that Northwynd agreed to side with Everhallow and fight as allies. I mean, even before the fall of my kingdom's previous leaders, both kingdoms didn't like each other very much. How could this be?"
"My dad doesn't even like Everhallow very much, even now." The prince mumbled from beside me, pondering out loud. "I don't know if I worded that right."
"It's understandable," I meowed at him, pawing at his boot. "But Addi, how does this concern us?"
The librarian gave me a concerned look. "Our homes are under siege, Sophii! Do you not know what that means?!"
"I know what that means," I huffed. "I'm not that dumb..."
"If both Everhallow and Northwynd have actually teamed up to help take down the other kingdoms, then we're done for!" Addison cried, throwing the scroll onto the ground. "We don't stand a chance, Sophii! That's what that means!"
Frustrated tears welled in her eyes as she fought to keep control over herself, letting out a conflicted sigh.
Stress radiated from her very being, strong enough to make me flinch.
Marshall came soaring in from his perch on the second floor balcony, swooping in and wrapping Addison in a fiery-winged hug.
I forgot to mention that Addison invested some of her magic into making herself permanently fireproof solely so she could hug him.
I like to call it platonic romance.
"What's so bad about Everhallow?" I quietly whispered to Edward, trying to divert my attention from the emotional scene unfolding in front of me.
The prince smiled at me, rubbing a silk-gloved hand on my fluffy forehead. "Ah, you don't need to know, Sophii. Too complicated."
"Put it in a nutshell or I'ma drag you downstairs by your leg." I joked, pressing the side of my head against his thigh. "My pea-sized brain can't process big human words."
He gave me a chuckle. "Alright, fine."
We sat on the edge of the marble staircase, tuning out the sounds of what I assumed was Addison sobbing into Marshall's shoulder.
"So, every kingdom's army has soldiers, right?" Edward began, patting me on the head. "Usually, all the infantry are human soldiers going to war to fight against other soldiers. Still with me?"
I nodded, lazily pawing at his boot. "Keep going."
"Well, Tia's a pretty good frostbreather, and she's part of the Northwynd army. Other frostbreathers are in the army, too." The prince continued, gently petting the space between my ears. "Everhallow's like that too, but they have dragons. Like, really big dragons. Wyverns, serpents, dragons, etcetera."
"So?" I meowed, rolling onto my belly, being careful not to tumble down the stairs. "What's wrong with that?"
He gave me a long sigh. "Now that Everhallow and Northwynd's kingdoms are allies, that makes us a dangerous force to be reckoned with... As well as a greater target."
"Well, duh." I snorted, crossing my paws. "Can't you just get rid of every other kingdom to avoid being threatened?"
I said that as a joke, but apparently he didn't find it funny... So much for being a stand-up comedian.
"That's the thing," Addison shuddered, pulling away from Marshall to address us.
"Northwynd and Everhallow are planning a mass genocide."
YOU ARE READING
Classy, Controlled Chaos - The STEAM Team Adventures
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