Nadine's Journey

Chapter 12

Nadine

All of yesterday, the palace buzzed with preparations. I can see now that it paid off. There are different types of food everywhere! You don't even have to pay to eat them. The men hold sharpened weapons, getting ready for the big hunt when the blood moon finally appears. A fire is lit in the center of the city, and crowds dance around it merrily. The air is calm, soft breezes that caress the skin.

Agustin comes up to me quietly, and I do not acknowledge that I have seen him. He seems to be admiring my attire for the moment. I am wearing a crimson dress with my hair pulled up on top of my head, only little ringlets escaping.     "Would you like to dance, Nadine?"

"Sure, Agustin, but be warned, I do not know how to dance. I was never allowed to join in with the others in my village."

"Then I will teach you." He smiles, setting off some sort of weird fluttering in my stomach. After attempting to teach me for an hour he says, "See? You are getting the hang of this. You are a fast learner."

"Agustin, quit lying to me. I am horrible at this!" I trip over my own feet-- again.
    Just like all the other times, he pulls me back up, not letting me stop. "I wasn't lying, Nadine. It took me a couple of days to get to where you are in learning this dance. Just don't give up. You are doing great."

After an hour or two of more of this torture, I am doing alright. "I guess you were right." He opens his mouth. "And don't you dare say anything like 'I am always right.' I am having fun. Don't you dare ruin it."

"I wasn't going to say that." He rolls his eyes. "Thank you for the compliment."

"You are welcome. My feet are starting to hurt, though."

"Mine,too. Do you want to go eat something? The sun is at its highest in the sky."

"It is like you read my mind! Of course I do."

The rest of the day is spent eating and dancing. As the sun starts to set, I quit dancing. Agustin and I turn our gazes to the sunset. A variety of colors light up the sky, taking my breath away. My hand slips into Agustin's as we watch in awe as the blood moon starts to rise. I feel stirrings deep in my being. I squeeze Agustin's hand as the sensations intensify. I cannot move my gaze away from the moon. It is calling for me, or rather something inside of me. "Nadine, are you alright?" His voice fades into the distance. "Nadine? Nadine!" Somebody calls, but I cannot answer. My muscles liquify, and I collapse.

Heat spreads throughout my body. It is both painful and comforting. It rushes through my veins without abandon.     Someone touches me, but retracts quickly. "Nadine, you are burning up! Help! Help! Help!"

Another person comes up to me, reassuring the panicked voice. "Agustin, the Princess is fine. Her powers are just waking up." Is that what it is? The burning sensation moves to my head, and I hear gasps.

"Why is her hair turning white?" I want to move to see what the voice is talking about, but I cannot.

"That is normal for the most powerful mages. How ever many streaks of white are in her hair show how many unique powers she holds. Her father had only one that represented his visions, and he is very powerful indeed."

Slowly, I can feel the heat settling into my bones. I try to move my hands. "Look! Her fingers twitched."

"Then she is waking up."

I open my eyes with great difficulty. Agustin is kneeling beside me, holding my head in his arms. "Agustin," I croak.     "Is my hair really white?"

"You just collapsed! How can you be thinking about your hair at this moment?" I give him a hard look. He sighs and says, "Not all the way. You just have seven streaks." I have a hard time wrapping my head around that. My hair has always been black, and now it's partially white. It'll take some getting used to. "Do you need help getting up."