The Path to Redemption

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝐹𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃

↞･:*✵*:･↠

The next few days were uneventful. Gale was rarely around, which made my life far more boring, but I understood why he couldn't keep me company. He had a Kingdom to run, afterall.

I occupied myself by playing catch with Lullaby, chucking a large stone-like object someone had found long before I'd arrived up into the sky, watching as the relagudre soared through the air to retrieve it. It was a fun little game, and it kept both Lullaby and me active.

On other occasions, I'd visit the kitchen, telling Paxton I was sent by the royal food-taster to check on how his dishes were coming. Paxton and I both knew there was no such thing as a royal food-taster, but he allowed me to sample his dishes anyway.

The weeks dragged on, and I found myself becoming more and more bored every day. Playing catch with Lullaby and sampling exquisite food made by Paxton could only keep me occupied for so long. That is, until one afternoon when Gale ran into the library, where I sat staring out a window, watching a crow clean its feathers atop a tree. It was difficult to forget the victorious smile that had been plastered across his face.

"I've found a place for you to practice," he announced.

"Really?" I couldn't contain my ecstatic mood as I nearly shouted, the eagerness to practice taking over my body. Leaping from my seat, I trapped Gale in a hug, holding on tightly to him as I beamed.

"Yes ma'am," Gale joked, causing me to laugh as I finally tore myself away from him. "It's in the cellar, or, more accurately, the basement. It's a pretty vast space, with no windows—but there are lights; so it won't be pitch black. I figured it would work since now you won't have to worry about hurting anyone, and you can still learn more about your...abilities," Gale offered, doing his best to explain as accurately as he could.

My smile never faltering, I gave Gale one more hug before nearly running out the door, watching as Gale's expression shifted to confusion as he watched me go.

"Where are you going?" he asked, causing me to turn back towards him.

"I'm going to get Aldous' book; then I'll head down to the cellar to start practice. Thank you, Gale!" I nearly shouted as I exited, racing down the hall, towards my room.

↞･:*✵*:･↠

The area was nothing like I'd imagined.

Gale had told me it was dark, but it was really, truly dark. The only light given from the whole room was from two candles, placed on opposite walls, making the area more chilling than it should've been. The lack of light made the area cold, almost as cold as outside, where, if the wind hit you hard enough, you felt as if you'd freeze.

Frowning, I took out Aldous' book, flipping through the pages as I held out my hand, allowing sparks to dance off my palm to help illuminate the pages of the book, though they did little to help. Finding one of the movements I'd been waiting to try, I placed the journal on the floor and began memorizing the stances that Aldous had drawn.

The objective was to create a ball of lightning that would be more powerful than the usual zaps I harnessed. The move was mediocre, not too difficult, but not too easy.

Standing tall, I brought my right hand up towards me, opening my palm as I flexed my fingers. Watching the tiny zaps ignite off my palm, I then took in a deep breath, stiffening my hand as I willed the small bits of electricity to bend together and form something bigger. Something stronger.

I watched intently, feeling sweat begin to form on my forehead as I concentrated as hard as I could on the tiny ball that began to take shape and hover over my hand. Before the sphere of lightning could grow anymore, though, I relinquished it, watching as the ball ceased to exist, allowing the room to return to it's normal, dark state.

Breathing out, I wiped the sweat from my face, giving myself a moment to rest before starting up again, determined to master this technique.

It took a few hours, but soon enough, I could form a ball of lightning by opening my palm and merely thinking about it. The power it gave me felt incredible, as I threw the sparking ball from my hand, allowing it to hit the wall and spread out, electricity lining the section as it sizzled against the stone before disappearing.

With a grin, I hurriedly retrieved Lullaby from where she lay outside, forcing her down into the room to practice with me even though she seemed to hate the dark, closed in area. I didn't blame her, I wasn't a fan of it either. Still, I needed someone to practice with, and I feared that if I asked Gale to help me, he'd turn into a King-kebab before I managed to master anything besides balls of electricity.

Placing Lullaby across from me, I grinned with anticipation, flexing my fingers as she let out a sound resembling a huff. I could sense she wanted to release her own built up energy, also, even if she continued to remain stubborn.

I readied myself before throwing a ball of electricity at the relagudre. She stood still, staring at me with a bored expression as the sparks washed over her immune body. Spreading her wings in response to the attack, she stomped her front paws against the stone floor. Lightning dotted the ground before finding me, though it never reached my body as I leapt into the air, levitating there for a moment before receding back to the ground.

Lullaby flapped her wings irritably as I avoided her strike, shaking her head as she growled, becoming more infatuated with the mini duel as time passed.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of us were going back and forth, each dodging the other's blow as more were fired. I found I could form funnels of wind that worked like a vacuum if I really, truly wanted to, and Lullaby discovered that she hated fighting against someone who had the same abilities as her. She wanted to win. I could see it in her aggravated gaze, and so, after two more sets of attacks, I bowed to her, giving in to defeat.

The relagudre shook her head at my action, allowing particles of dust to fly off her body as she trotted to the corner of the room before laying down. It seemed she knew she shouldn't leave as I would need her help later on. As she placed her head on the ground, I retrieved Aldous' book from the spot it had resided to on the floor, scanning through other pages as I began to become more and more eager to learn, anxious to excel.

I had the materials, and I was going to use them. I was going to become stronger than I was before, and I was going to better myself in the process.