Golden Lights in a Dark Sky ✔

1. Searching for Change

I never understood my mother's rules about using the Gateway. It seemed dumb that we had to be seventeen to pass through the Gateway and explore the world by ourselves. I just wanted to explore Prythian, Orynth was so boring.

But tomorrow, tomorrow I could pass through without having to have an adult with me. It sounded so exciting and I couldn't wait. As long as my parents and siblings didn't get in the way I could go off on my own. Explore Prythian as long as I want. I would come back to visit on the holidays but once I was an adult, and no one could tell me what to do.

Unfortunately, I was still sixteen and had to watch over my siblings.

"No Loki! Mom said not to incinerate those flowers!" I yelled at my younger brother. He stuck out his tongue and ran off. Groaning I chased after him to find my younger sisters trying to unfreeze one another.

"Kestrel, Samantha!" I said exasperated.

"It was her fault," they said together, pointing at one another. I sighed and walked over.

"You two are too old for these tricks," I said as I pulled the ice apart and into water with my water abilities.

"We were just practicing," Kestrel said.

"But I maybe shot her by accident and then she shot me back," Samantha said.

"Just be careful," I said. "Or else I'll get another talk from Mom or Dad." When their arms were unfrozen I pulled back and looked around for Loki.

"Did you guys see Loki run by?" I asked.

Kestrel shrugged and Samantha shook her head. I sighed and headed through the gardens to find Loki. My younger siblings were a pain in the ass sometimes. At thirteen Loki never stopped with his childish pranks. Kestrel and Samantha were also very exuberant for twelve years old. It was probably because they wanted to prove to everyone that even though they only had two years of training that they were the best. It was probably Fenrys who put those ideas into their heads.

I wandered through the gardens and eventually found Loki hiding in a tree. I grabbed his ankle and he shrieked as I pulled him out of the tree.

"ASH!" he yelled. "You ass!"

"Language," I scolded. He grumbled and got to his feet.

"No burning down the gardens," I said, crossing my arms.

Loki made a face and used his hands as a mouth. "No burning down the gardens," he mimicked in a high pitched voice.

I glared at him and he stopped. "Don't you have training with Fenrys, Kestrel, and Samantha soon?"

Loki's eyes went wide. "Shit," he said before running off.

"LANGUAGE!" I called after him. He turned around, running backward, and flipped me off. Then while running he tripped and cursed some more before getting back up and running to the palace. I rolled my eyes.

✧ ✧ ✧

I hated family dinners. We had them twice a week, where unless someone was horribly injured or sick they had no excuse for getting out of them. I liked eating in my room, or on the roof and found family dinners completely unnecessary when we had other things to do. Like completing last minute papers for the scholars.

"Sam," Mom said looking at Samantha. "Please stop freezing your brother's fork."

Samantha grumbled and unfroze Loki's fork. He smirked at her.

"She's just upset that I bet her in our spar today," he said proudly.

"You tripped me!" Samantha said.