Fɪɢʜᴛ Fᴏʀ Aʟʟ || Tʜᴇ Cʜᴏsᴇɴ Eɪɢʜᴛ Bᴏᴏᴋ Oɴᴇ

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғᴏᴜʀ || ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʀsᴇ

Lucia

I sighed. "Aren't you finished that yet?" I called over my shoulder to the servant that was doing up my dress.

"Yes, ma'am." The servant replied, stepping back.

"How do I look?" I asked, barely even sparing a glance down.

"Wonderful, ma'am."

I bit my tongue before I snapped at her to give me an honest opinion. Looking down again, I wished– for perhaps the millionth time– I could wear something a little more flattering, not this horribly straight dress.

"Lucia!"

I jumped as at the gruff voice, accompanied by a fist pounding on my door. I lifted my chin, quick to recompose myself. "Yes?"

"Are you ready?"

I recognized my father, in his formally caring way, and responded with a swift "yes!"

"Come on then!"

I pushed my door open and greeted my father outside.

He wore a fine suit, tailored to fit him well. As the lord of Reisha, he wore finery often. But this was a different kind of finery. I could seem it in the proud gleam his eyes held, the way he offered his arm rather than directing me to walk behind him as always.

I took his arm and allowed myself to be let out into the courtyard. It gave me something to steady myself on without looking like a clingy child. I felt nervous, but excited.

Today was my day.

It was to be a very big Nectar ceremony, even though it was just me who was drinking the Nectar.

Looking around, I saw that pretty much the whole city was gathered. I'd never seen so many people before. It was so crowded, you could walk over the heads

In one corner, stood an array of cages, each containing animals. There must've been over twenty different kinds, ranging from tiny squirrels to what I could've sworn was a small tiger.

But my father didn't let me gawk for long. He led me right up onto the polished oak of the stage.

Gyer, the Greencloak responsible for administering the Nectar, waited in the centre. He nodded almost imperceptibly to me.

Off to the side stood another person, also clad in green.

For a moment I wondered who it was, then my father left my side and any coherent thoughts were replaced by a nervous excitement.

"Lucia, kneel before me." Gyer commenced the ceremony.

I knelt, grateful he'd said so, because it suddenly felt like my legs were jelly. And it certainly wouldn't do for me to fall on stage. I'd never hear the end of it. Berating myself silently, I pulled back out of my thoughts and tilted my chin up.

Gyer met my gaze, his own filled with curiosity and a cautious hope that made me wonder how it must be to watch kids try to summon, only to be met with countless disappointments.

"Receive the Nectar of Ninani." His voice pulled me from my musings yet again as Gyer lowered the cup to my lips.

I drank. It was wonderful. I'd never tasted anything like it before. I realized why it was called the Nectar then. It's sweet flavour reminded me of the honeysuckle blossoms that used to grow in the gardens.

"Stand."

The command came and my body followed it without question. I rose, feeling like I was vibrating– no, humming. Closing my eyes, I shook my head in an attempt to get rid of the sensation.

I saw the flash of light from behind my closed lids, but it was the gasps that made me open them.

There she stood.

A magnificent bay mare, with a long black mane.

We made eye contact and my heart leapt up into my throat. She pawed at the ground and I barely resisted the urge to run to her.

Instead, I descended slowly from the stage, walking deliberately toward her. We never broke eye contact. I stopped a mere half pace away. The mare stretched out her neck and blew at me.

"Hello." I breathed back, letting her sniff my palm.

She pressed her nose into it.

The touch felt like an electric shock. But... backwards.

The humming energy disappeared upon contact, making me gasp. She huffed in agreement, blinking with those deep brown eyes of hers. I let my hand slide up to rest on her forehead, then glanced backward over my shoulder.

My father was deep in conversation with the unknown Greencloak. He was waving his hands around, as always he did when trying to prove a point.

I dropped my hand from my spirit animal's face and turned on my heel. I walked back up to the stage, feeling my lips quirk upward as the horse's hooves clopped on the cobblestones behind me.

I remounted the stairs and halted beside my father. "Father." I started.

He raised a hand to quiet me.

I sighed and waited, tapping my foot impatiently.

Finally, he turned. They'd reached an agreement, it seemed. "Lucia."

My heart sank down from my throat, bypassing it's usual resting place in my chest, and continued all the way down to my toes. That was his do-not-argue-with-me tone.

"This Greencloak," he indicated the one in question. "Says you are part of a prophecy. You will save Erdas, in some way or another." He beamed.

"But father, I don't want–"

"This isn't about what you want, Lucia." He interrupted with clenched teeth. "This is about Erdas. The fate of the world lays on your shoulders!" He tapped them to drive the point home. "You will go to Greenhaven and train, become a Greencloak and make me proud. Understood?"

My heart seemed to have completely vanished from my body now. Maybe it was still sinking, through the stage and into the ground, buried deep. "Yes father. I understand." I looked back at my horse, who nickered gently. "I will make you proud. I will become a Greencloak."

Chapter 4 is done! Btw, that picture at the top is one of the horses from the barn that I ride at, and it was taken by Holly Fullerton from Hollyfhotography.

edit: 17/03/21
i'm counting this edit as being done on the 17th bc its like 12:30 at night for me and that means it's technically tomorrow.
so yeah, happy saint patrick's day! enjoy my lovelies xx

ps lucia is pronounced like loo-shh-ah