The King's Sword

Chapter 1

I rubbed the still fresh blood dripping from my nose using the handkerchief that was diligently placed in the breast pocket of my humongous court dress.

I swiftly fling around a corner, my heels clicking on the pearly white moonstone tiles, they gleam with considerable magnificence as I turn another corner with the same automatic elegance. I walk down a long carpeted hall with my head held high and my posture nothing short of perfect.

I can feel the blood running into the red collar of my dress and I find the sensation oddly comforting, this thing, this consequence that follows when I use my ability. Whenever I wander in the twisting dark halls of someone's mind for too long or a reach for a memory too painful, thick white blood leaks from my nose, eyes or ears.

I opened the door to my room with one controlled swipe of my fingers tips. My room smells of disgustingly expensive perfume and rose pedals. I go to stand in front of the massive mirror on the center wall of my room.

The image presented to me is factually perfect, except for the dusty white blood running down my chin and bleeding into the amber of my dress.

My name is Aubade, Aubade Lakelandes Opia. My father is the brother of the great King Opia and his sadistic queen, Queen Elestiel. My father was exiled to the war years ago and my mother was killed at the cruel hands of Elestiel after she was accused of treason.

I have one self absorbed piece of scum for a nephew and another uncle that lives down in the dungeons of the palace.
Elestiel raised me as her own after she brutally ripped my mother to shreds. She raised me to be cruel, calculated and lethal, she sure did try. Nanny Clove is a kind women who looked after me and cared more for me than Elestial's icy heart could ever.

She taught me about love, compassion and kindness long before Elestiel had the chance to poison my mind with her meticulous lies.

My bloodline is lanced with my father's ability to read others minds like an open book and mothers telekinetic ability to move objects to her willing.

I'm a lethal product of two very powerful people.

Looking at my reflection I fit the description well. I'm averagely tall, with golden thick long hair draping over my shoulders. My eyes are a ember green and my skin glows an ominous white with the colour of my blood.

I sneer at my reflection and turn to the closet. I have training in a couple of minutes with Masuo, a air bender that miraculously survived the Ocean God's war and has since turned to training young royals, he's a rather short fellow with eyes darker that the storms ruling the Devil's sea, and quite frankly, he's one of my best friends.

He's wise and logical, which is more than my uncle, the king, could say. He's been teaching me on how to master my ability over the last 8 years. He also miraculously pulled me out my grief after my mother's tragic end whilst dealing with his own. Thinking about those nights sobbing in Masuo's arms threatens to spill hot tears over my cheeks.

Instead of letting the burning grief pull me under I slip out of gown and into my training uniform.

It's a simple outfit. A black collared shirt  tucked into black skin tight pants paired with shiny black boots. I put my hair into a thick messy braid down the back of my head and I wipe the blood from my nose and neck before heading out the door.

The halls of this palace twist and turn like a long lethal snake. Any Lankelander would easily get lost in it's curves, but after calling this hell my home for the last 17 years I find my way around with ease.

Within a matter of minutes I'm standing in front of Masuos training hall. The large wooden doors swing open with a grown at my command.

I stride in and spot Masuo shoulder deep into one of his experiments. It's a strange looking machine with more knobs and switches than I could possibly count. He looks up at the doors clicking closed and his eyes find mine.

'Hallo Miss Aubade,' he states, wiping black oil from his forehead with a absent gloved hand, 'I have exiting news.'

'Did you finally get the sentiels to stop following you to the bathing quarters?' I ask walking over to where he's working.

Recently my uncle has instructed sentiels to watch him around the clock since he was accused of being my mothers accomplice by an uncrown royal ally of the king. They were good friends before she was executed, but just like all the define and lovely things in this world it had come to an abrupt end. In the midst of the tragedy he was left to train the last piece of her he had, me.

'No no, but I'm working on that as well,' he challenges while glances at one of them standing at the large windows. 'You're getting a classmate,' he continues.

'What?,' I blurt out. I haven't ever trained with anyone except Masuo, his guards and Elestiel occasionally stopping by to provide snarky comments.

'Yeah, he's suspected to harness stronger powder than Aries himself.' he states matter-of-a-factly. 

'Of which bloodline is he?,' I ask completely flustered. 'The fire throne.' Masuo adds while examining his experiment from a distance.

As if right on cue the wooden doors groan open ones more. A rather tall scrawny looking boy with dark hair and curious blue eyes strides in.

At first he seems lost, looking around at the training ring, after a few fleeting moments his gazes turns to Masuo's experiments piled onto the many shelves lining the walls. When he spots us his jaw relaxes and and his shoulders fall backwards.

It feels like time stops for an abrupt minute while his piercing gaze analyses me, taking in every inch of my body.

When his eyes peel away from me, he offers Masuo a relaxed grin.

'Fancy seeing you here so early Mr Curt,' Masou says still fidgeting with this machine. 'Sorry for interrupting, the Queen instructed me to start my training immediately.' he says, his smirk disappearing as his eyes meet mine for the first time. 'So this is the lethal little thing the Queen was talking about?' he snickers. 'Call me little again and I'll rip you to shreds.' I bite back.

'Oh, okay then,' he says while waving his hands in mocking defeat. I roll my eyes, trying to look as annoyed as possible. He needs to learn who's going to be in charge around here.

'Feisty aren't you, tell me does she bite?' he asks turning to Masuo with an raised eyebrow. Masuo offers him a smirk, 'Didn't your mother ever teach you not to poke a bear with a stick.'

The both of them look at me and burst out laughing. I turn to massage the skin on my forehead with one hand to hide my smile.