~ The Unworthy Title ~

~ Chapter 2 ~

I opened the door and burst into the kitchen. I was so mad at him, treating me as another pawn of his game. And what was that ? Orders? Orders! I am his daughter, not his soldier to command!

   "Um, Crystal? Anything you would like to share with us?" Keir looked at me with a confused expression on his face. I sighed and sat in the chair across from Aiden and Keir. There was an excruciating silence in the room until Aiden decided to cut it.

   "So..., how did it go ?" He looked at Keir and then they both looked at me as if they were puppies.

   "I mean- it went well, like usual. I don't know..., it was fine." They looked at each other again and then back at me still with the puppy face.

   "What did he say exactly ?" Aiden asked me and waited for an answer.

   "Well, I was right about the ball part but..., we have to go to dinners for these two days and he added one more practice session after lunch but the worst thing was the fact that... Ηe ordered me like I am a pawn and not his daughter. Like I am a soldier, I mean can you believe it?"

   "Crys, you know how dad is." Aiden said with a soft voice.

   "Especially after... your mother's death." Keir said, looking at both of us. Keir is our half brother. His mother was our father's mate, mates are like soulmates. You find only one in your entire life. But when she died things got difficult, especially with Vesta needing a queen. So my father married my mother and they had me and Aiden but... she died seven years ago from an attack, a shadow attack.

Shadows are creators of everything bad in this world, they can steal anyone's powers, mind and even body. Some have survived a shadow attack but some shadows are just too hard to kill. The only way to kill a shadow is by destroying its heart but shadows are a mess full of darkness without a clear form, you can't find the heart easily.

   "We were all hurt that time but it has been seven years Keir, he has no excuse to treat me and anyone else like that." I said looking at my father's first son. I knew my father loved Keir more, how could he not ? He's his mate's child after all. Aiden and I are just a... burden.

   "Anyways, let's just drop it and continue with the main issue. Crys, wanna go and practice some songs?" Aiden asked me nicely.

   "I am not in the mood for songs right now Aiden, I am going to Bryce." Bryce is another story but let's just say she is my best friend, the sister I never had.

   "Fine but don't be late, remember you have extra practice."

   "Of course, how could I disappoint his majesty?" I said full of irony.

   "And take some food for you and Bryce you didn't eat anything." Keir said, giving me a small bag with the apples I cut into pieces earlier.

   "Thanks." I said and left the castle lost in the woods my family calls home, but I don't and never will.

~~~~~~~~~~

Bryce is an orphan. Her parents died from a fire. A fire she caused when she got her powers. My mom and I found her in the forest crying, when she explained what happened to us, my mom decided to help her by letting her live with us. She helped her learn how to control her powers and we practiced combat together with my father. That's why we are like sisters.

Near the lake I went that morning there is a cabin which was made by my mom. She said if I wanted to run from everything this would be the perfect place. But Bryce used it more than me those days.

I approached the cabin and opened the dark wooden door. I entered a big dark room that had a kitchen on the right, a table on the left and a sofa in the corner. I found Bryce sleeping on the couch covered with a blanket. I went in front of her and pulled the blanket with my hand. Nothing, still sleeping. I grabbed her by her hair and started pulling them up and down until she reacted. What makes Bryce's powers special is that her hair can turn to fire. And that's what she did to make me let off her hair.

   "Heyy that wasn't nice!" I said checking how much she burned my hand.

   "You should think twice before playing with my hair then." Bryce said and opened her beautiful brown eyes.

Her eyes are so pure and pretty, when we were kids I would always tell her how much I wanted to have her features instead of mine but she would say she preferred mine. Bryce stood up and sat on one of the chairs in front of the table.

   "So, any trouble in paradise?" She asked me and smirked. I stood up and sat on the chair across from her.

   "No, just the usual you know." I said looking at the table.

   "Then why so blue?"

   "I don't know, maybe it's because we are leaving in two days, maybe I will miss my home and... I don't know."

   "Well, I think you overthink it, it's just a year and you can take it in advance. Also when we will get back Keir will take the throne and we will be by his side as his soldiers." I thought about what Bryce said. Did I really want it? I mean, I loved combat but being a soldier for my entire life wasn't what I really wanted and there was a problem. I hadn't got my powers yet but why is that a problem?

Years ago there was a war between the four kingdoms. Vesta the kingdom of fire, Keith the kingdom of nature, Zion the kingdom of air and lastly, Cordelia the kingdom of water.

The war lasted for many years and every day all the kingdoms were losing many soldiers. With the war going on there wasn't enough food for everyone so they made a law, every person who hasn't got his powers till their adulthood will be given a death sentence. That means I had one year to get my powers, if I didn't everything I had worked for would be gone.

   "Crystal, are you there?" I looked at Bryce who was looking at me like I was an alien.

   "Yeah sorry I was... lost in my thoughts."

   "By the way, how did you know I would be here?"

   "You didn't come to breakfast, you wouldn't miss breakfast if you were at the castle." I said smiling, then I looked behind me at the couch and saw the bag with the apples I brought her.

   "Talking about breakfast." I said standing up.

   "I brought you some apples to eat." I placed the bag on the table and went to a drawer to find a plate and a fork. I placed the plate in front of her, set the apples inside and the fork next to the plate then I took my seat. She looked at the apples and then at me.

   "You haven't eaten anything right ?"

   "I ate two apples." I lied, I wasn't hungry but she would make me eat.

   "The apples I have in front of me?" She asked me, trying to make me confess.

   "No, two others." She looked at me as she was exhausted with my lies.

   "Fine, starve yourself but you will fill your belly at lunch."

   "Okay, if you come." I smirked at her.

   "Of course I will come."

   "Good."

   "Good." We looked at each other and laughed. I don't know what I would do without her.