Soul Savior

Chapter V: The Amulet

 "What's your name and what are your pronouns?" I asked immediately, out of a cultural instinct. In some countries, asking of names was the only cultural requirement, whereas in our country, asking for names and pronouns was the custom.

 The royal blinked as if processing the question, before smiling, seeming jittery. "My name is Princen Cande, and my pronouns are they and them." They responded, grinning widely. They had a lovely smile, I noted.

 Cruz and I gave a little curtsy.

 "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princen Cande." Cruz greeted.

 "Thank you so much." Cande was practically giggling, incredibly excited due to the turn of events.

 We resumed walking, and I tilted my head while looking at them. "Cande, have you never been able to tell anyone about your name and pronouns?" I asked. I couldn't believe that there was no one willing to talk about not identifying as cisgender; the thought of staying hidden all of someone's life was so foreign to me, I couldn't wrap my head around it.

 They shook their head solemnly. "Mother and Father don't believe in anything but identifying as the gender you were assigned at birth, and I suppose most of the servants think I do too."

 I furrowed my eyebrows in concern, but then quickly shifted my expression to a smile. "Well, even if your country doesn't want to accept our existence, you're completely welcomed here."

 "Thank you, Calixta. Thank you, Cruz."

 The both of us nodded. The three of us chatted, enjoying each other's company before we finally arrived to the library.

 "Cande, how long are you and your parents planning on staying in Orozon?" Cruz asked as we took our seats.

 They shrugged, a look of frustration coming across their face. "I'm not quite sure. I think the minimum is about a month, but they think that they can convert this country into following their beliefs." They let out a loud sigh, their green eyes looking at me before darting away quickly. "They um, they think that I could be some key into getting into your head, Calixta."

 "They're one of them." Cruz and I groaned simultaneously, rolling our eyes. Cande seemed to shrink into themself, and I immediately regretted the action, though Cruz didn't seem to take notice.

 "It's not your fault, Cande. It's just, there have been a lot of suitors, some of which were hoping to convert my family to the beliefs of theirs." I hastily attempted to comfort.

 Cande nodded, but still didn't meet my gaze, or Cruz's.

 Absent mindedly, trying to think of how to try to help rebuild the small friendship we'd begun, I ran my fingers over my purse. As I lightly stroked the bag, I remembered the main reason I'd been carrying it around to begin with.

 "Oh, Cande, this is for you. I hope you like it." I pulled out a small golden box that had my family's emblem on its lid, and gave it to Cande. Anytime our guests had children my age, I'd been giving them a small token, partially for peace reasons. This time, however, I felt that Cande, Cruz, and I could be good friends.

 As Cande received the box I noticed their eyes grow wide and a small smile came across their face. Gingerly, they lifted the lid and took the amulet from inside. Their eyes seemed to shine as they looked at it.

 "Calixta, it's beautiful." They gasped, admiring it, holding it cupped in their hands. They immediately put it on, still admiring it with wide eyes.

 "I'm glad you like it." I smiled in relief.

 The three of us spent the rest of the day happily chatting, discovering we had many common interests once Cande explored the library a bit. Despite their country's beliefs and their parents' mission, things seemed to be looking up a bit. We'd finally found someone that we could at least call a friend, someone both Cruz and I hoped to learn more about and to become better friends with.