SERENA

PART I: Chapter 9 - Been Sprouts

On the next day, Serena leaves the palace alone to go meet Nolyn. She doesn't have Kiana to go with her anymore and she doesn't want anyone else's company, so she goes alone now. She tells her parents that she's going to the Fire Training Ground because she doesn't like to practice alone in the castle and that's where she meets Nolyn, because she knows there are guards following her. The King and the Queen would never let her walk around alone at eight years old.

When she gets to the Fire Training Ground, she sits beside one of the fire pits and waits for Nolyn to get there.

She sets her right hand on fire and moves it around, looking at the flame. Even after three years of being able to create and control fire she's still always mesmerized with the beauty of the flames.

"Hey." Nolyn says and sits beside her.

She was so distracted with the fire that she didn't even notice him approaching. When he sits she closes her hand, extinguishing the flame.

"Hi. Did you hear about what happened yesterday?" Serena asks her friend.

"Yeah, news spread fast. I mean, you're talking about the execution, right?"

"Yeah..."

"The one you tried to stop..."

"Yeah, that one. My dad made me watch it just because I tried to free the prisoners."

"I heard that too... I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I didn't really see it happening. I couldn't." She looks around and sees the guards, a few steps away from them. "Let's get out of here."

"And go where?"

"Earth Training Ground?"

"Okay. But how are you going to get away from those two?"

"Maybe you could do something." She smiles slyly.

"Like what?"

"Like tying their feet so they won't be able to follow us right away, even if they see us leaving."

"Alright."

"Wow, that was easier than I was expecting."

"Just because you had a bad day yesterday, don't get used to it." Nolyn says and she laughs.

Nolyn places both of his hands on the ground to create something to tie the guards' feet with. The ground here is not like in the Earth Training Ground, where he usually practices, full of life. The ground of the Fire Training Ground is made of black stone and that makes it harder for Nolyn to create nature. However, he's able to create it out of nothing, so he manages to create two thick vines, going from his hands in the guards' direction.

The vines wrap around their feet slowly and loosely enough for them not to notice. Once there's enough length of vine around them, it gets tighter and more rigid. This time, both guards notice and try to get away from the vines, but they're suck to them. One of them tries to walk and ends up falling down, which makes Serena and Nolyn laugh.

"Nice." Serena says, still laughing. "Let's go."

She grabs Nolyn's hand and they leave the Fire Training Ground.

They get to the Earth Training Ground and Serena immediately feels calmer. Being surrounded by nature has always made her feel better.

The two kids sit among a few sprouts that are scattered around a big square of dirt and Nolyn immediately places his hand on one of them to make it grow.

"What are these supposed to be?" Serena asks.

"They're bean sprouts." Nolyn answers, but what appears beneath his hand aren't beans. The sprout grew into a different plant with tiny orange flowers. "But I can turn them into whatever I want."

"Cool!" Serena exclaims with her eyes wide open. "Could you turn it into a tree?"

Nolyn laughs. "It would take a while but I think so."

"Cool." Serena says again and Nolyn laughs once more.

"Nolyn!" Someone calls in the distance.

Serena follows the direction the voice came from and Nolyn's gaze and sees a woman with orange hair looking at them.

"It's my mom." Nolyn tells Serena. "Give me a second."

"Okay."

Nolyn gets up and approaches his mother.

"Nolyn, haven't we talked about you being friends with the Princess?" His mother asks him. "You're not the right person to be her friend, son." She places her right hand on his left shoulder. "People from our class are not supposed to even interact with the Royal Family."

"That's bullshit!" Nolyn exclaims a little too loud.

"Nolyn! Language!" His mother reprimands him.

"Sorry, mom. But that doesn't make sense, because I like to play with her and she likes to play with me."

"I just don't want you to get in trouble, Nolyn. I don't want them to punish you."

"They won't, mom. I told you I talked to the King."

"Yes, you did and I didn't like that. Just stay out of trouble. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, you get away from the Princess."

"Fine."

"Promise me!"

"I promise! Can I go back now?"

"Yes." She kisses his forehead and he runs back to where Serena's sitting.

While Serena was waiting for Nolyn, she started playing around with one of the sprouts. She remembers how much she wanted to be able to control earth when she was younger, and she would still love it.

She touches the sprout once more, as Nolyn is approaching her, and it grows in height and two small white bean-shaped things grow out of it.

She guesses Nolyn must have made it grow somehow but, when she looks up at him, he's looking at her with a shocked expression.