My Shadow and His Flame

Five-Question

Layden

The girl from the woods is the princess. The future queen.

The damn queen knows of my abilities. Why couldn't I of just been normal, given some small ability like the rest of my family. Cree and Orla are the only other people I've found like me. If there's three of us, there has to be more. To put us all together would create such an amazing army that we could dethrone the courtlies. Imagine that.

Now, I'm stuck in a palace until Saturday night. They want us here all day for Kingstrium, the rehearsal Thursday, and for cleanup Saturday, lovely. 

Tuesday's seem to be a slow day at the palace. Training to be a personal guard had started today. The girl requested me as her morer guard. Morer personal guards usually can fly or have minor superhuman strength, not enhanced ability. I don't even have that. The princess should be in good hands with me and a fleet at her side. Her twin brother seems to have a fleet and a flier at his side. Him and the fleet girl steal long glances at one another. Obvious on what is going on there. 

Sparkens and stronos started setting up smaller decorations for Kingstrium. Morers are scattered throughout the arena. Each box is protected with stronoglass I learned. It was created with some legendary stronos DNA and clear steel with some tungsten. Courtlies are so much more powerful than we thought. 

The boxes also each have decorations for each court. Colors and symbols that signify each courts box with the higher courts having a closer view of the arena. The Royal's box is larger, more rectangular to be more spacious. Each of their thrones are laid out with one older twin being on each side of their parents and the boys on their father's side, and the girls on their mother's. Their box is already done being decorated. Steel blue, electric green, iris purple, and hints of bronze spread over the sides of the box. Lightning with shadows is the obvious design they chose. At the top of the box, the lightning bolts all merge into a single bright white bolt with bronze scattered in. I assume the bronze is for the youngest child who doesn't follow their bloodline. So strange. 

My training instructor dismisses us to go to our assigned guarding places. For me it is to the Princess' sleeping chambers. I hate how they made it called that, its a bedroom. 

I knock on her door and ask, "Your majesty, I am here to escort you." Rumbling noises sound on the other side of the door. When the door opens, a messy-haired girl in a silk robe appears. I had woken her up. 

"I'll need a few minutes Layden. Please sit and wait here," the princess speaks lazily. She gestures to a side room with blue velvet couches. I assume a waiting room for all of her people in waiting.

The velvet couches are nothing I've seen before. People of the court waste their riches on useless items when the morers die of starvation. How generous.

"Blue or white Layden?" she asks me. Blue or white? What's that supposed to mean.

"Uhm, white?" rumbling noises continue on the other side of the door, "What is this for Your Majesty?" 

A few minutes pass and the door swings open. A dress was what she asked about. White satin with a faded dark blue bottom. She put her hair up in a low bun with tiny blue jewels in the bun. Her crown is a simple princess crown with white and blue jewels. 

"For a dress choice Layden, and please don't call me that," she walks back in her room and sits at her vanity. For makeup I suppose although she doesn't need it. Her face is naturally beautiful. 

"What would you like me to call you, err, Miss?" In training they taught us to always address them formally.

"Aurora suits best. If you ever stop acting like I'm not a human being you may call me Rori," she puts on small dangling earrings. Looks like the same white jewels in her crown.

"Well, uh Aurora, I was sent because you had requested for me to escort you. Where would you like to go?" She stands up and walks towards her closet for a pair of shoes. She chose a pair of dark blue heels to match her dress. 

"No where imparticular. I just wanted some company throughout my day. Breakfast would sound good though. Care to join me?" she looked to me with dazzling blue eyes. The sunlight hit her face perfectly. I'd even say she beautiful.

"If you'd like me to. I'll escort you there," the breakfast they serve morers here is better than home but I'm not missing a royal breakfast. Saying no to her could risk my secret, risk my life.

________________________

The breakfast was extravagant. I've never been more satisfied by a meal in my life. The lasting feeling was short-lived.

"Layden, I have a question for you," she says as I escort her back to her chambers. "I was wondering if there were others like you. Morers who powers are more powerful than those alike to them in the courts."

What do I tell her. She can't possibly believe I'm the only one, but I can't tell her about anyone. Their lives would be put at stake. I could lose Cree and Orla. It would be all my fault to let Aurora know. "I'm not sure. I don't know what would be considered more powerful than the court peoples. I wasn't educated enough you'd say," I lie.

She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling and dress gleaming. Aurora looks back ahead, "I don't believe you. I now you're lying but I won't push. I understand not wanting to tell me, the future queen, about your friends," she pauses for a moment, "Let's go to the balcony by my chambers instead."

When we reach her balcony, the sunlight suddenly sharpens where we stand. The view is absolutely beautiful. 

Aurora takes in a deep breath and looks out to the water. "Had to enhance the view for you," she says softly. The breeze is soft and she shivers slightly. I take a step closer so she can feel the heat radiate of my body. "Thanks," she smiles and looks towards me. "I saw something here last night. It was a bolt of lightning."

Why would she need to tell me this? Don't her family and another use lightning? "Okay. What does that mean?"

"It was red. No electrolight or bright has that color lightning. My family is the only with different colors, but not red."

I look down and then to her, "What's this supposed to mean?" She turns to me.

"I asked if there were more powerful morers like you. I know there are. There is no possible way of a red electrolight. A morer has a red lightning ability. I just don't know if they are like me or like Court Indra. I ask again, are there more morers like you?" She doesn't speak in question. She knows what she wants and knows that what she says is true. 

All I can slip out in shear panic, "Yes."