The Dark Hour

--------Astrid--------

I walked outside and it was getting dark, I sat in the grass and looked up at the sky and watched the sunset. I felt something on my leg, I looked down and saw that I was making flowers grow. I really need to control my magic. I looked around and there was like no one outside. I wonder why. I laughed a little to myself. I'm going crazy this is what Ryan wanted is for me to be skittish so I'm off guard when he attacks, but I never know when he would attack. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I saw that Lalna was sitting beside me.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked. I thought that he was helping Ridge.

"You looked lonely, and Ridge is sleeping."

"Did I really?" I asked looking down at my lap. He nodded.

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Sorry if I worried you I'm fine just somethings that happened today."

"Like what?"

"People it's not really important. Just someone I knew long ago." He nodded.

"Ok, if anyone is bothering you then you can talk to Ridge about it. He helped me, well it's still a work in progress, with Bradley and his friends." I nodded.

"Thanks Lalna but I think I can handle him. He's not the brightest anyways." He nodded.

"Neither is Bradley," Lalna muttered. I laughed.

"I guess we both have something that we have to deal with." He nodded.

"Yeah, but I think Bradley is a bit freaked out by the light warrior. He hasn't bothered me in a while."

"Lalna how did you know that it was a light warrior?" I asked making a ball of light.

"I've just been calling it that. It looks like it's made of light and it fights."

"Okay, I made it for me incase I really lose a battle and it can fight for me in the arena but I met you so I thought, that you might need it more."

"Thank you, I never really learned to fight back. My mom always told me that I could always talk things out and if that doesn't work to walk away." I nodded.

"I agree with your mom but I was raised differently I had to learn how to fight once you turn thirteen you had most of the training you need to fight in the arena and they don't give you easy people to start off with you always fight other princesses or princes sometimes kings and queens."

"Really? Why do they do that?"

"It's just how it is, how it's always been, throughout history and as long as I can remember, in my five years of fighting I've only lost two cause I learned that if you lose it gets you nowhere and my dad was a jerk and he hated losing. It was bad reputation on the kingdom." Lalna sighed.

"I would be a bad fighter. I'm small and not really that strong."

"Lucky for you it's only for Royalty people like you would place bets and things like that. Plus you're human so you never had to grow up in a place like that." He nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Trust me you don't want to grow up in Hell it's pretty bad, our kingdom was the only good one really the rest had slavery and it was horrible."

"Slavery? Why would anyone do that?" He asked a bit shocked.

"People that couldn't pay off their debt they were forced to work till they paid it off most of the time it would go till they die then the debt is normally passed down to the kids they had if any, to finish paying it off."

"That's bad." I nodded.

"Yeah but that's how it works. Unlike me as far as I can remember I grew up in the castle but the woman that the king was married to wasn't my real mom. I didn't know my real mom all I knew is that the king was my father."

"I never met my dad. My mom said he had to leave to protect us, but he didn't want to go."

"I guess we're somewhat the same, you didn't know you're father and I didn't know my Mother, but I just wonder what she was like. Her ranking it must be bad to keep me from her."

"If you could, would you want to meet her?" He asked. I looked at the ground and nodded.

"Yeah I would, I wouldn't care what her ranking was or what she was I just want to know her or see her." My eyes widen when I felt something wet hit my head. I looked up and saw that there was a little rain cloud above us. "I really need to control my emotions." I said snapping my fingers making it go away.

"I think it's kinda cool."

"What? That my emotions are connected to my magic?"

"Um kinda more like you can make mini weather clouds." I giggled I was going to say something till the door opened.

"Dinner is done you two." I nodded and grabbed the ball of light and smashed it in my hands and it made a bunch of lighting bugs. I looked at Lalna and he had a big smile on his face.

"That's amazing," He smiled. I smiled and grabbed a flower that I grew I closed my hand and there was a flash of blue and I opened my hand and a purple butterfly was in my hand.

"I can make anything really. It takes a lot out of me though so that's probably all I'm going to do for today." He nodded.

"Ok, I don't want you to strain yourself. Come on, I told Ridge I would wake him up for dinner." I nodded.

"Go get Ridge and I'll get his plate ready." He nodded and quickly walked inside. I followed and got plates down for tacos.

"I made Ridge soup so can you grab a bowl?" I nodded and grabbed a bowl and he filled it up with soup. I got everything out for dinner that we would need.