rayllum oneshots

| 04 |

Claudia was close.

She was close to perfecting the spell that could finally end this war.

And she was close to the traitor base.

It was an immediate given that magic had it's downsides, it's difficulties. It asked for things that weren't easy to acquire. So when Claudia came to the conclusion that she'd need something only the princes had, it wasn't surprising.

A minor setback. That's what her father had called it. And he'd even told her that it wasn't really a problem, because he knew she could get in and out of the camp easily. Especially with magic by her side.

With a few stealth and camouflage spells, Claudia was in. The security in this place was terrifyingly low – that is, terrifying for those inside.

But Claudia was nothing like the traitors staying here – she was able to see clearly, she had the power. It was only a matter of time.

The last battle had taken a lot from her. Her pride, her certainty, her own brother. She kind of had a lot to be motivated by. And, really, nothing to lose.

The idea of refusing this mission hadn't even crossed her mind once. Infiltrate the base, take what she needed, and slip out before anyone noticed. At this point, she was the only one able to do it.

When Claudia had imagined being caught – how could you not, inside enemy territory – it was definitely a dramatic, suspenseful moment: Suddenly, a knife was at her throat, and there was a bloodthirsty elf on the other end of it. Or someone would sound a blaring alarm after recognizing her.

The absolute last thing she'd envisioned was being frozen mid-step.

Claudia had tiptoed her way to the most prominent tent, aware that right now, two princes, an elf, and even her brother were asleep inside. She'd scurried as silently as possible to the shadowed side, careful that her silhouette wouldn't be visible from the inside. Then, she'd slowly, cautiously slipped a dagger from her pouch on her waist and taken a step forward.

But her foot never touched the ground.

Everything was functioning correctly – she could feel her brain working on overdrive, her limbs itching to move, but it was like an invisible pressure was being applied to every inch of her body from the outside. Like if she tried to move one way, it'd push back, just as forcefully.

Magic? she wondered. Then she shook her head (mentally). Of course it was magic.

Fortunately, the spell that bound her in place only lasted a few seconds before releasing, and her foot touched the ground as if it hadn't hovered in the air for an unnaturally long time.

“Why are you here?”

Claudia's insides froze. She knew that voice, in fact, she knew it too well. All of the sudden, this seemed like a very bad idea.

The step-prince emerged from the shadows in front of her. His brown hair was tousled and he was missing the jacket and scarf he always wore, donning the fitted red vest that had never really been visible during his time at the castle. His arms were bare besides the dully glowing runes running up and down them, and Claudia's eyes followed them curiously.

Soon, she was looking into his soft green eyes. Except, they were anything but soft at the moment. They were hard and unnerving.

It felt so completely, utterly wrong. Where was that cute smile he always had? Where was the gleam he always got in his eyes when he spotted her across the courtyard?

And it could just be the dim lighting playing with her eyes, but he seemed a lot. . .older than the last time she'd seen him. No. . .mature.